Major Updates in Cricket (2025)

Player Retirements

  • Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell announces retirement from One Day Internationals (ODIs) after the 2025 Champions Trophy citing health concerns and room for new talent. He confirms his continued participation in T20 Internationals (T20Is).
  • South African wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen retires from international cricket after the 2025 Champions Trophy, concluding a successful seven-year career with over 3000 white-ball runs.
  • West Indian cricketer Nicholas Pooran retires from international cricket at age 29, after 106 T20Is and 61 ODIs, securing his position as West Indies’ most capped T20I player.

 

IPL and Test Series

  • In a first, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) win the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) by defeating the Punjab Kings by 6 runs.
  • The Test series between India and England is renamed as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, replacing the former Pataudi and de Mello trophies.

 

Notable Achievements and Honours

  • Indian cricketer MS Dhoni is inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame, along with other cricket luminaries like Matthew Hayden, Daniel Vettori, Hashim Amla, Graeme Smith, Sana Mir, and Sarah Taylor.
  • Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah achieves a historic milestone, becoming the first Asian bowler to take 150 Test wickets in SENA countries.
  • Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant achieves a remarkable feat by scoring twin centuries at Headingley, thereby accumulating 252 runs and becoming the highest-scoring Indian wicketkeeper in a Test.

 

Laws and Changes

  • MCC updates Law 19.5.2 on boundary catches, thereby outlawing the “bunny hop” catch & allowing only one airborne touch from outside the boundary before landing inside to complete a legal catch.
  • The introduction of four-day Tests is announced starting from the 2027-29 World Test Championship cycle.
  • A 'Stop Clock' is introduced in Test cricket during the 2025-2027 WTC cycle with a new rule of a 60-second timer set in place between overs. Violations of these norms can result in a penalty.

 

Events and Tournaments

  • The 2025 Women's One Day International (ODI) World Cup schedule is announced to be held in India and Sri Lanka from September 30th to November 2nd.
  • Additionally, the matches featuring Pakistan will be conducted in Sri Lanka due to significant political tensions.
  • Rinku Singh, Indian cricketer, is set to be appointed as a District Basic Education Officer in Uttar Pradesh. The event is being postponed to February 2026 due to his involvement in cricket.

 

Updates on Global Badminton, Tennis and Chess 2025

Overview of Tennis Victories and Highlights for 2025

  • Carlos Alcaraz clinched the French Open 2025 by defeating Jannik Sinner in a dramatic five-hour game. This win marks his second French Open and fifth Grand Slam title.
  • The Stuttgart Open 2025 witnessed Taylor Fritz defeating Zverev in straight sets, achieving his ninth career title and moving up to rank 4th in the world.
  • The Wimbledon 2025 tournament has increased the total prize money to 53.5 million pounds. Each singles champion will now receive 3 million pounds.

 

2025 Badminton Achievements and Highlights

  • The Indonesia Open 2025 marked important victories for Denmark's Anders Antonsen and Korea's An Se-young in the singles category. France secured its first Super 1000 mixed doubles title.

 

Chess Triumphs and Celebrations in 2025

  • In the Norway Chess 2025, D Gukesh defeated world champion Magnus Carlsen in a classical game, recording his first-ever win against him.
  • Despite this setback, Magnus Carlsen emerged victorious at Norway Chess 2025, securing his seventh title with 16 points, and narrowly outranking Fabiano Caruana and Gukesh.
  • Aravindh Chithambaram won the 6th Stepan Avagyan Memorial title in Armenia, edging out fellow Indian player Praggnanandhaa on tiebreaks.
  • Praggnanandhaa showed his prowess by winning the UzChess Cup Masters, marking his third classical title of the year and moving him up to World No. 4 in live ratings.

 

Recent Developments in Sports

Hockey

  • India has initiated its Women's Asia Cup 2025 campaign, aiming for the title and qualification for the 2026 World Cup. The initial face-off is with Thailand, on September 5, in Hangzhou.
  • Chennai was the host city for the Hockey India Masters Cup 2025, this year. The event assembled veteran players across both men's and women's categories, promoting the idea of active aging and recognising the contributions of hockey legends.
  • Olympian Lalit Upadhyay, with over 179 caps under his name and noteworthy contributions to India's hockey advancements, has announced his retirement from international hockey.

 

Football and Athletics

  • Portugal is the champion of the UEFA Nations League 2025, having defeated Spain on penalties after a 2–2 draw, making them the first team to win the title twice.
  • Noted footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has been appointed as the global ambassador for the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh and has been included as a playable character in the game FATAL FURY.
  • Following a major shake-up, the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is now a larger, 32-team event held in the United States. However, concerns over player fatigue and scheduling issues have been raised.
  • The Spanish Grand Prix 2025 was won by Oscar Piastri, a McLaren driver. This victory marked his fifth win of the season.

 

Athletics

  • Armand Duplantis has again broken the pole vault world record, successfully clearing 6.28 meters at the Stockholm Diamond League and setting a personal and global record.
  • The Paris Diamond League saw Neeraj Chopra take the top spot with an 88.16-meter throw. This victory has put him back in good form and created momentum for the approaching championships.
  • Neeraj Chopra also won the Ostrava Golden Spike with a throw of 85.29 meters in the Czech Republic, marking his fifth successful outing of the season.

 

Other Sports Events

  • Carlos Alcaraz won the Queen’s Club title again, after defeating Jiri Lehecka in three sets, extending his grass-court winning streak to 18 matches.
  • The NBA Finals 2025 saw the Oklahoma City Thunder emerge victorious over Indiana Pacers in Game 7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the Finals MVP.
  • The World Para Athletics Championships 2025 will be hosted by India in New Delhi, from September 27 to October 5. The mascot for the event, 'Viraaj', symbolises resilience.
  • In 2029, India is set to host the World Police and Fire Games in the state of Gujarat, in the cities of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, and Ekta Nagar, with participation expected from over 70 nations.