Indian sports wrap, February 16: Jaipur lifts the Raffles Sirmour Cup

POLO

Jaipur clinches Raffles Sirmour Cup title with commanding win, secures eighth trophy of the season

The Jaipur Polo Team delivered a statement performance to defeat Carysil Suhana 14–10 and lift the Raffles Sirmour Cup, sealing its eighth title of the season with a display of attacking dominance and sustained control across six chukkers.

Carysil Suhana began sharply, applying early pressure and capitalising on quick transitions to take a 3–1 lead at the end of the first chukker. Jaipur regrouped in the second, finding better rhythm in possession and tightening its defensive structure, but Carysil narrowly established a 4–3 edge by halftime.

The turning point came in the third chukker. Jaipur shifted gears emphatically, producing a flurry of goals through swift ball movement and incisive forward play. Lance Watson led the charge with clinical precision in front of goal, supported effectively by Manuel Fernandez Llorente. By the end of the third chukker, Jaipur had surged ahead 8–6, overturning the deficit with authority.

The fourth chukker saw both sides locked in a tactical battle, with defensive discipline prevailing as the score remained unchanged at 8–6. Jaipur, however, maintained composure and control, gradually tightening its grip on proceedings.

In the fifth chukker, Jaipur extended its advantage decisively. Sustained pressure and sharp finishing saw the side stretch the lead to 11–6. Carysil Suhana fought back in the final period through determined efforts from Matias Vial and Manuel Prado, narrowing the margin, but Jaipur’s attacking depth ensured it closed out the contest at 14–10.

-Team Sportstar

TENNIS

ATP Delhi Open 2026: Karan Singh Goes Down to Michalski in Three-Set Thriller; Sureshkumar Reaches Main Draw

India’s Karan Singh went down in a three-set battle to seventh seed Daniel Michalski of Poland in first-round main draw action at the 2026 Delhi Open on Monday. The ATP Challenger 75 event, now in its sixth edition, is being held at the DLTA Complex from February 16 to 22, with 32 men singles players and 16 doubles teams competing for the title.

Speaking on his win, Michalski said, “I was already with one foot outside of the tournament. Then my game came back, and I showed way better tennis at the end. Tennis on the higher level is a sport of very tiny margins.”

In other first-round main draw matches, fifth seed Oliver Crawford of Great Britain scored a hard-fought 7-6, 6-5 win over Croatia’s Duje Ajdukovic, while Belgium’s Michael Geerts defeated Lithuania’s Edas Butvilas 6-3, 7-5.

In final-round qualifying action on Monday, India’s Manish Sureshkumar fought back from a 5-3 deficit in the second set to score a 6-3, 7-5 win over Korea’s Uisung Park. The 26-year-old is the only Indian to make it out of the qualifying draw and was understandably happy with his performance on a court which he described as one of his favourites.

Sureshkumar got into the qualifying draw at the last minute as an alternate but is certainly making the most of the opportunity.

The other Indian in the final round of qualifying – Ramkumar Ramanthan – went down in straight sets to Korea’s Hyeon Chung, who has been ranked as high as No. 19 in the world and had previously defeated Novak Djokovic en route to the semi-finals of the 2018 Australian Open. The 29-year-old is currently ranked No. 393 in the world after returning to the tour in late 2024 following persistent back injuries that forced him off the circuit.

Top seed Denis Yevseyev of Kazakhstan, second seed Ioannis Xilas of Greece, fourth seed Maks Kasnikowski of Poland, and seventh seed Alexandr Binda of Italy also came through their final round qualifying matches to book their spots into the main draw.

Somdev Devvarman is the only Indian singles champion in the tournament’s history, having won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015 whereas there have been all-Indian doubles champions twice in the past, with Saketh Myneni/Sanam Singh and Yuki Bhambri/Mahesh Bhupathi lifting the trophy in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

As part of the ATP Challenger 75 series, the tournament will award 75 ranking points to the singles and doubles champions, 50 points to the doubles runners-up and 44 points to the singles runner-up. The singles champion will receive $17,000 in prize money, with the runner-up earning $9,600. The doubles champions will split $4,980, while the runners-up will split $2,880.

-Team Sportstar

CRICKET

MCA invites bids for Women’s T20 league

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has invited bids from interested and eligible parties for the right to operate three teams in the T20 Mumbai Women’s League. The move confirms that the women’s league will start on a small scale in tandem with the T20 Mumbai’s 2026 edition later in the year.

Prospective bidders can collect the tender documents from the MCA office in the Wankhede Stadium premises upon payment of a non-refundable fee of Rs. 25,000 via a demand draft in favour of the MCA. The bid documents will be available from February 16 to February 25, 2026, between 11 AM and 6 PM.

-Team Sportstar

GOLF

Om, Manu headline DP World Players Championship

Leading golfers Om Prakash Chouhan, Manu Gandas, Shaurya Bhattacharya and Honey Baisoya will be seen in action in the DP World Players Championship, scheduled to be held at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata from Tuesday.

The tournament offers a prize purse of Rs. 1.5 crore.

-Team Sportstar

Published on Feb 16, 2026