Sports

On May 30, 2025, India had a spectacular outing at the Asian Athletics Championships, with multiple medals and national records:

• Gulveer Singh won his second gold, taking the men’s 5000m title in a Championship Record time of 13:24.78, beating the previous 2015 record. He had earlier won the 10,000m gold.
• Pooja, an 18-year-old high jumper, clinched gold with a 1.89m leap, a U-20 national record and only the second Indian woman to medal in this event after Bobby Aloysius.
• Nandini Agasara claimed gold in women’s heptathlon, scoring 5941 points.
• Parul Chaudhary set a new national record in the women’s 3000m steeplechase with 9:12.46, earning silver.
• Animesh Kujur reached the final of the men’s 200m after clocking 20.81s in the semifinal.

India now stands second in the medal tally with 18 medals (8 Gold, 7 Silver, 3 Bronze), trailing China which leads with 24 medals (15 Gold, 8 Silver, 3 Bronze).

At the 26th Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, on 29 May 2025, Indian athletes delivered a stellar performance, winning three gold medals in a single day, pushing India’s overall medal tally to 14.

• Avinash Sable won gold in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase with a season-best time of 8:20.92, becoming the first Indian man in 36 years to win this event at the Asian Championships.
• Jyothi Yarraji claimed gold in the women’s 100m hurdles, clocking 12.96 seconds, setting a new championship record and defending her title.
• The women’s 4x400m relay team — Jisna Mathew, Rupal Chaudhary, Kunja Rajitha, and Subha Venkatesan — won gold with a season-best time of 3:34.18.

In total for the day, India bagged 3 golds, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze, reinforcing its strong presence at the championship.

India successfully defended its 4x400m mixed relay title at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, on 28 May 2025. The team — Rupal Choudhary, Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan, Vishal TK, and Subha Venkatesan — won gold with a time of 3:18.12, ahead of China and Sri Lanka. This is India’s third mixed relay medal, following gold in 2023 and silver in 2019.

In other events, Rupal Choudhary also won silver in the women’s 400m (52.68s), while Vithya Ramraj placed fifth. Pooja earned silver in the women’s 1500m (4:10.83), with Lili Das narrowly missing the podium in fourth.

On 27 May 2025, India’s Gulveer Singh won the gold medal in the Men’s 10,000-metre race at the Asian Athletics Championships held in Gumi, South Korea, with a time of 28 minutes 38.63 seconds.

Earlier in the day, Servin Sebasthiyan secured India’s first medal of the tournament by winning bronze in the men’s 20 km race walk, clocking 1 hour, 21 minutes, and 13.6 seconds. Wang Zhaozhao of China won gold, and Kento Yoshikawa of Japan took silver in the same event. Another Indian athlete, Amit, finished fifth in the race walk.

On 26 May 2025, Indian para athlete Mahendra Gurjar made history by setting a new world record in the men’s F42 javelin throw with a distance of 61.17 meters at the Nottwil World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Switzerland. The 27-year-old broke the previous record of 59.19 meters, held by Brazil’s Roberto Floriani Edenilson since 2022.

Gurjar’s record came on his third attempt, following throws of 56.11m and 55.51m. The F42 category is for athletes with moderate movement impairment in one leg.

Despite competing in a combined event with athletes from categories F40, F57, F63, and F64, Gurjar won gold in F42 and set the world record in that classification.

Earlier, on 23 May, Gurjar also won gold in the long jump T42 category with a 5.59m leap — his debut in the event — and is now Asia’s top-ranked athlete in that category.

In the same Grand Prix, Sumit Antil, a double Paralympics gold medallist, won gold in the F64 javelin event with a throw of 72.35m. The F64 category includes athletes with moderate leg impairments or limb loss.

However, it’s notable that the F42 category is not included in the 2023 Asian Para Games or the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

The first edition of the Khelo India Beach Games (KIBG) was inaugurated on May 19, 2025, at Ghoghla Beach in Diu by Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya. The colorful opening ceremony showcased India’s cultural diversity through traditional dance performances.

Over 1,350 athletes from more than 30 states and Union Territories are participating in the Games, competing in six medal events:

• Football
• Volleyball
• Sepaktakraw
• Kabaddi
• Pencak Silat
• Open Water Swimming

Additionally, Mallakhamb and Tug-of-War will be featured as non-medal demonstration sports.

India clinched the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Under-19 Football Championship 2025 by defeating Bangladesh 4-3 in a thrilling penalty shootout in the final held at the Yupia Outdoor Stadium, Arunachal Pradesh, on 18 May 2025. The match went into penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time, with Shami Singamayum scoring the decisive penalty for India.

The Indian team received massive support from the home crowd and displayed a strong performance throughout the tournament. India entered the final as favourites, having secured dominant wins over Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Maldives in earlier stages, including the semifinals.

This victory marks a significant triumph over the defending champions Bangladesh, and underscores India’s rising strength in South Asian youth football.

On May 16, 2025, Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa emerged victorious at the Superbet Chess Classic 2025 held in Bucharest, Romania, after a tense three-way tiebreak playoff.

• Praggnanandhaa, Alireza Firouzja, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave were tied at 5.5 points after nine rounds.
• The first two tiebreak games ended in draws:
  • Praggnanandhaa vs Firouzja
  • Vachier-Lagrave vs Firouzja
• Praggnanandhaa won the decisive third game against Vachier-Lagrave to claim the title.

In other results:

• World Champion D Gukesh finished ninth, scoring 4 points, including a draw in the final round against Fabiano Caruana.

The next leg of the Grand Chess Tour, the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz, will be held in Croatia starting July 1, 2025.

The Khelo India Youth Games 2025 concluded on 15 May 2025 with a colourful closing ceremony at the Pataliputra Sports Complex in Patna, Bihar. The games had commenced on 4 May 2025.

• Maharashtra emerged as the overall champion with 158 medals (58 gold, 47 silver).
• Haryana secured second place with 117 medals (39 gold, 27 silver).
• Rajasthan stood third with 60 medals (24 gold, 12 silver).

Records and Achievements:

• Multiple new records were set in weightlifting.
• In athletics:
  • Kadir Khan (Uttar Pradesh) set a new record in the 400-metre race.
  • Aditya Pisale (Maharashtra) set a new record in the 100-metre sprint.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced that the IPL 2025 will resume on 17 May, after a week-long suspension caused by rising India-Pakistan tensions following India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’.

The first match after resumption will feature Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

No matches will be played in Mohali or Dharamsala.

The Punjab Kings vs Mumbai Indians match, originally scheduled in Ahmedabad, will now take place at SMS Stadium, Jaipur on 26 May.

The IPL final is set for 3 June, with the playoffs beginning on 29 May:

• Qualifier 1: 29 May
• Eliminator: 30 May
• Qualifier 2: 1 June
• Final: 3 June

Playoff venues will be announced later.

Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 12, 2025, concluding a 14-year illustrious career in the format. He shared the news on social media, marking the end of an era in Indian Test cricket.

Kohli scored 9230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85, making him India’s fourth-highest run-scorer in Tests, behind Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Sunil Gavaskar.

Debuting in 2011 against the West Indies, Kohli became India’s Test captain in 2014, leading in 68 matches—the most by any Indian captain—with 40 wins, 17 losses, and 11 draws, resulting in a win percentage of 58.82%.

Under his leadership, India achieved several milestones, including a historic series win in Australia in 2019. His last Test match was in the 2025 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which Australia won 3-1.

Kohli had previously retired from T20 Internationals after India’s 2024 T20 World Cup victory.

His retirement follows Rohit Sharma’s exit from Test cricket, with Shubman Gill now seen as the front-runner to become the next Test captain.

The Indian women’s cricket team clinched the Tri-Nation ODI Series title by defeating Sri Lanka by 97 runs in the final at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on 11 May 2025. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana starred with a brilliant 116, her 11th ODI century, leading India to a strong total of 342/7. Key contributions also came from Harleen Deol (47), Jemimah Rodrigues (44), and Harmanpreet Kaur (41), while Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur added 90 runs in the final 10 overs.

In response, Sri Lanka managed only 245 in 48.2 overs, with Sneh Rana taking 4 wickets for 38 runs and Amanjot Kaur bagging 3 for 54. Despite efforts from Chamari Athapaththu (51) and Nilakshika Silva (48), India’s dominance secured a convincing win. The victory boosts team morale ahead of the upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup.

On May 9, 2025, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the suspension of the remainder of the IPL 2025 season for one week due to escalating military tensions between India and Pakistan, particularly after recent cross-border hostilities in Kashmir.

In an official statement, the BCCI confirmed that the revised schedule and venues will be shared after a full assessment of the situation in consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders. The decision was taken by the IPL Governing Council following discussions with franchise representatives and key stakeholders.

Rohit Sharma, one of India’s most iconic cricketers, announced his retirement from Test cricket on May 7, 2025, at the age of 38. He shared the news via Instagram.

Rohit debuted in 2013 and played 67 Tests, scoring 4,301 runs at an average of 40.57, with 12 centuries and 18 fifties. He was a pivotal figure in leading India to the World Test Championship final against Australia, and his leadership was a cornerstone of India’s Test team.

With his retirement, India must appoint a new Test captain ahead of the five-match series against England. Shubman Gill is reportedly a leading contender, alongside Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, and Rishabh Pant.

Rohit will continue to play ODIs, keeping his presence alive in international cricket. His contributions as a player and leader have left a lasting legacy, marking the end of an era in Indian Test cricket.

The seventh edition of the Khelo India Youth Games began in Bihar on May 4, 2025, marking the first time the state is hosting this national multi-sport event. The games will continue till May 15 and are being held across five districts—Patna, Nalanda (Rajgir), Gaya, Bhagalpur, and Begusarai.

The event was inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who highlighted the importance of sports in India’s future. The opening ceremony at Patliputra Sports Complex featured laser shows, cultural performances, and a performance by folk singer Maithili Thakur.

Over 8,500 athletes and 1,500 technical staff are participating in 28 sports, including archery, kabaddi, volleyball, swimming, wrestling, and boxing. Bihar is among the states fielding the largest contingent, along with Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

The event showcases Bihar’s upgraded sports infrastructure and serves as a stepping stone for India’s aspiration to host the 2036 Olympics. With 284 gold medals to be won, the competition is intense. The games are being broadcast live on Doordarshan Sports.

On May 1, 2025, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy with the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award 2023 in New Delhi.

The Minister praised their dedication and international achievements, calling the award a recognition of their exceptional performance and hard work.

The celebrated badminton duo reached World No. 1 in the BWF rankings in 2023 and won the Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou. Although selected for the Khel Ratna in 2023, they had postponed the ceremony due to tournament commitments.

On 30 April 2025, at the 2nd Indian Open Relay Competition in Chandigarh, sprinters Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Manikanta Hoblidhar, and Amlan Borgohain broke the national record in the men’s 4x100m relay.

They clocked 38.69 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 38.89 seconds set during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.