India’s women’s table tennis team secured a place in the Asian Games 2026 quarterfinals after sweeping Pakistan 3-0 in their second Group F match on Monday, September 21. Suthirtha Mukherjee opened with a 3-0 victory over Aleena Khan, winning 11-3, 11-3, 11-4. Syndrela Das then defeated Kalsoom Khan 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 to give India a 2-0 lead. Sreeja Akula completed the sweep by beating Fatima Khan 11-4, 11-4, 11-5. India had begun its campaign with a 3-2 comeback win over Singapore on Sunday in Japan. Suthirtha and Syndrela were included against Pakistan, replacing Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade. India topped Group F with three wins and advanced to the quarterfinal stage. (PC: X)

Nearly two years after Harshita Brella was killed in the UK, her parents and sister returned to England in May 2026 to retrace her days and seek answers. During the 14-day trip, they visited the Corby Boating Club, where CCTV captured Harshita walking with her husband, Pankaj Lamba, in footage that became the last sighting of her alive. The family visited Lamba’s Corby residence and the spot where investigators alleged he parked the car that carried Harshita’s body to Ilford, London. They went door to door seeking witnesses, but neighbours were reluctant to speak. Lamba allegedly travelled to Heathrow and left Britain. The case remains unresolved, with no arrest or conclusion.

Indian shooters added two individual medals at the Asian Games 2026 as Himanshu Dhillon won silver and Rudrankksh Patil claimed bronze in the men’s 10m air rifle event on September 21. Patil led for much of the final while chasing India’s first gold, but a 9.7 score dropped him to third. He finished with 230.9 points, while Dhillon secured silver with 252.4. China’s Sheng Lihao won gold with 252.2 points. The result marked India’s third shooting medal of the day after Patil, Dhillon and Parth Mane won silver in the men’s 10m air rifle team event. India’s women had earlier won two silver medals in the event at the Asian Games.

Suchika Tariyal won India’s first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) medal at the Asian Games, securing bronze in the women’s traditional -60kg event on Monday. The 36-year-old Indian lost her semi-final against Singapore’s Teo Hui Hoon after the bout went into overtime, with judges ruling against her. Tariyal had earlier assured a medal by defeating Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinals. The 2026 Asian Games mark MMA’s debut at the continental event. Tariyal made her MMA debut in 2017 before taking a seven-year break while continuing in judo and jiu-jitsu. She returned to professional MMA in 2024 after signing with BRAVE Combat Federation and competed at BRAVE CF 92 in Bahrain.

Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj has qualified for the men's 50m backstroke final at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. He finished third in his heat in 25.37 seconds, and was joint-ninth across all three heats. Teammate Rishabh Das clocked 25.41 seconds, finishing fourth in his heat, and is a reserve for the final. In sepaktakraw, India began their three-regu series against Japan in Group B with a 2-0 win. India's wushu contingent, however, had a tough day with several losses.

India will face Pakistan in both the women's and men's table tennis team events at the Asian Games on Monday, September 21, at 6:30 AM and 3:30 PM respectively. Shooting offers early medal chances, with the men's 10m air rifle team and individual finals, plus the first day of skeet team events. The women's hockey team meets Indonesia, while the men's kabaddi team plays Japan and the badminton team opens against Bangladesh. Suchika Tariyal plays a traditional MMA semifinal, Sumit begins his boxing campaign, and Indian swimmers feature in heats and possible finals. (PC: India Today)

Suchika Tariyal made history at the Asian Games by becoming India’s first MMA medallist. The 36-year-old defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the women’s traditional -60kg quarterfinal. The win secured her at least a bronze medal. Tariyal began judo after facing harassment at the age of 12. She later became an eight-time national judo champion and won medals in international events. She also won gold at the 2024 Jiu-Jitsu World Championships. After stepping away from MMA for seven years, she returned in 2024. She now has a chance to reach the Asian Games final with another win.  

India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams wore saffron jerseys at the Asian Games 2026 on Sunday. The move renewed a controversy over the team’s kit colour. Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey had earlier said blue would be India’s primary kit, with orange as the second choice. However, reports said saffron is the main colour for the Asian Games, while white and sky blue are the other colours. Hockey India sources said the saffron and white-blue kits had already been approved. The jersey change has faced criticism in recent months. Officials said the change was linked to better ball visibility on blue pitches.  

India’s Elavenil Valarivan won silver in the women’s 10m air rifle final at the Asian Games on Sunday. The 27-year-old led for most of the final but lost the top spot in the last four shots. Japan’s Taichi Hinata won gold with 253.0 points, setting a new Games record. Elavenil scored 252.4 points, while South Korea’s Ban Hyojin took bronze. The medal was Elavenil’s second of the day after she helped India win team silver. Her individual silver is only the second silver for India in this event since Gagan Narang’s 2010 medal.  

Indian fighter Suchika Tariyal secured India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in Mixed Martial Arts by reaching the women’s Traditional MMA 60kg semifinal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on September 20. The 36-year-old defeated Mongolia’s Altanchimeg Baigalmaa 2-0 in the quarterfinal. Tariyal maintained her composure under pressure and used a crucial reversal to control her opponent and seal victory. Reaching the semifinals guarantees at least a bronze medal, with the two losing semifinalists receiving bronze. MMA is making its Asian Games debut in 2026. Tariyal will compete in the semifinal on Monday, with a place in the final at stake. (PC: X)