Sports

Messi fever grips Kolkata as football icon unveils 70-foot statue, meets Shah Rukh Khan

Football legend Lionel Messi set Kolkata ablaze on Day 1 of his much-anticipated GOAT Tour in India, unveiling a towering 70-foot statue of himself and sharing a high-profile meeting with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.         View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by India Blooms (@indiablooms) LIVE UPDATES:  Messi arrives at Salt Lake Stadium joined by Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, to deafening chants.  Messi presented with a special Mohun Bagan jersey bearing his name and the iconic No. 10. Chaos in Salt Lake Stadium as angry fans threw water bottles after failing to catch a glimpse of Messi properly. They tried to breach security cordon. Messi had to leave the stadium early.  Angry crowd in Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium throwing bottles from gallery after they couldn’t see Messi properly #MessiInIndia pic.twitter.com/HxhkLsLcFl — India Blooms (@indiablooms) December 13, 2025

Tribute turns into roast: Kolkata’s 70-foot ‘Messi’ statue sparks meme storm ahead of inauguration

Kolkata/IBNS: Kolkata’s towering 70-foot statue of Lionel Messi — set to be virtually inaugurated by the football legend on Saturday — has become a viral sensation for all the wrong reasons.

‘Hope the day is Messi’: Shah Rukh Khan set to join Argentine icon in Kolkata for the G.O.A.T. India Tour

Mumbai/IBNS: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan will join football icon Lionel Messi during the latter’s G.O.A.T. India Tour at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) on Saturday.

Sayantan Kushari & Sagnik Roy clinch Mall of the Millennium Pairs title at 67th Ashok Ruia Memorial Bridge Championship

Sayantan Kushari & Sagnik Roy and Joyrup Mullick & Pranab Roy emerged champions and runners-up with 45.89 and 28.84 Match Points (MPs) respectively in the Mall of the Millennium Match Point Pairs (Ranking Event) at the 67th Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, New Town, on Thursday.

Bridge titans! Rajeshwar Tiwari & Shubham Acharya dominate Millennium Match Point Pairs event

Kolkata/IBNS: Rajeshwar Tiwari and Shubham Acharya are leading the field in the Millennium Match Point Pairs Event at the Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship, held at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, New Town.

Kohli is back! Smashes his way to No. 2 in latest ICC ODI rankings!

Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli has advanced two slots to second place on the batters’ list in the latest ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings.

Team Mohta annexes Ruia Gold Cup title, defeats team Hemant Jalan

Displaying superb form, Mohota, represented by Anurag Mohota, Basanta Mohota, Biswajit Poddar and Sambhunath Ghosh, won the prestigious Ruia Gold Cup defeating seasoned campaigner Hemant Jalan by 144.90 – 123 victory points in the title clash during the Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship at in Kolkata on Tuesday.

No woman deserves this! Hardik Pandya explodes at paparazzi over girlfriend Mahieka Sharma’s shocking viral video

Mumbai/IBNS: Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya has strongly condemned the behaviour of paparazzis after a video of his girlfriend Mahieka Sharma was filmed from an inappropriate angle and widely circulated online.

Team Mohta, Jalan enter Ruia Gold Cup final; Banerjee–Tolani win IMP Pair at Winter National Bridge meet

Unheralded Team Mohta, comprising Anurag Mohota, Basant Mohota, Biswajit Poddar, and Sambhu Nath Ghosh, pulled off a major upset on Monday by knocking out last year’s champions Indian Railways “A” to secure a spot in the final of the prestigious Team Gold Cup.

Smriti Mandhana’s wedding cancelled! Jemimah Rodrigues’ Instagram story has everyone talking

Mumbai/IBNS: Indian star cricketer Smriti Mandhana on Sunday announced the cancellation of her wedding with music composer Palash Muchhal, ending weeks of speculation surrounding her personal life.

Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship: Favourites enter Team Gold Cup Quarter Finals

Favourites Formidables, Mohota, Indian Railways ‘A’ and Hemant Jalan, along with Radhey, Monica Jajoo, Third Eye and Deepadhaar, advanced to the quarter-finals of the Team Gold Cup event after finishing among the top eight teams at the end of eight rounds of the Swiss League in the Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre.

Wedding called off! Smriti Mandhana breaks silence on shock split from Palash Muchhal

Indian women's cricket star and World Cup icon Smriti Mandhana has broken her silence and officially announced calling off her much-anticipated wedding to music composer Palash Muchhal.

Jaiswal's ton, Rohit's 75, Kohli's unbeaten 65 guide India to series-clinching win over South Africa

Visakhapatnam/IBNS: India produced a dominant all-round performance to defeat South Africa by nine wickets in the series decider at the ACA-VDCA International Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, sealing the three-match ODI contest 2–1.

Usha Kabra, Gopinath Manna clinch Phoenix Mixed Pairs title at Ashok Ruia Memorial Bridge Championship

Kolkata/IBNS: Usha Kabra and Gopinath Manna delivered an impressive performance to capture the Phoenix Mixed Pairs title at the ongoing Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship, held at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town.

Formidables seize lead after 7th round of Swiss League at Ruia Gold Cup Bridge Championship

Kolkata/IBNS: The battle for supremacy intensified at the 67th Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship on Saturday as the formidable team Formidables, led by veteran icon Kiran Nadar, continued their commanding run at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town.

Unbelievable! Team Hemant Jalan and other top contenders smash their way to seniors bridge semi-finals — scores will shock you!

Kolkata/IBNS: Teams Hemant Jalan, S D Associates, Easy Bridge, and COGITO advanced to the semi-finals of the Seniors Team Event (above 60 years) at the 67th Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship, held at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, New Town.

Skal International Kolkata, WBCADA to hold exhibition match celebrating inclusivity and resilience

Kolkata/IBNS: SKAL International Kolkata, the city chapter of the global body for leaders in the travel and tourism industry, is set to host a special cricketing event that celebrates grit, determination and sportsmanship as it joins hands with the West Bengal Cricket Association for Differently Abled (WBCADA) with support from the British Deputy High Commission and the Cricket Association of Bengal.

Vidhya Patel, Kalpana Gurjar won Amla Ruia Women's Pairs title in Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship

Vidhya Patel and Kalpana Gurjar from Raibidpura village in Madhya Pradesh added one more feather to their caps as the duo bagged the  Amla Ruia Women Pairs title on the second day of the 67th Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre here on Tuesday.

National Bridge Championship: Kamna Sharma & Richa Sriram top qualifiers, advance to finals with eleven other pairs

Kolkata/IBNS: The 67th Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship got off to a strong start on Monday at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre, New Town, with the duo of Kamna Sharma (Mumbai) and Richa Sriram (Delhi) leading the field of twelve qualifiers for the final round of the Amla Ruia Women Pairs Event.

More than 700 players to compete in 67th Ashok Ruia Memorial National Bridge Championship in New Town from Dec 1

Kolkata/IBNS: Over 700 bridge players from across the country, including several top-ranking men and women competitors, will participate in the 67th Ashok Ruia Memorial National Bridge Championship, scheduled to be held at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town from December 1 to 11.

Virat Kohli’s epic celebration! Punches air, kisses locket, thanks Almighty after stunning 52nd ODI ton in Ranchi

Ranchi/IBNS: India cricket superstar Virat Kohli slammed his 52nd One Day International (ODI) century on Sunday, sending fans at the JSCA International Stadium Complex and viewers across the nation into celebrations.

Jemimah Rodrigues opts out of remainder of WBBL season after Smriti Mandhana's wedding gets postponed

Mumbai/IBNS: Brisbane Heat have announced that Indian batting star Jemimah Rodrigues will not rejoin the squad for the rest of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) season, after she requested to remain in India following the postponement of teammate Smriti Mandhana’s wedding.

Smriti Mandhana’s fiance Palash Muchhal discharged — wedding date still a mystery amid viral chat scandal

Mumbai/IBNS: Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana’s fiancé Palash Muchhal was discharged from hospital on Wednesday, while uncertainty over the couple’s rescheduled wedding date continues.

Smriti Mandhana's father discharged, fresh wedding date still uncertain amid viral online chat involving Palash Muchhal

Mumbai/IBNS: Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana’s father, Srinivas, who was recently hospitalised following a heart attack, has been discharged, media reports said.

Humiliation for Team India! South Africa clean-sweeps Test series 2-0

Guwahati/IBNS: Team India suffered a major setback on Wednesday as South Africa completed a dominant 2–0 clean sweep on Indian soil, winning the second Test convincingly.

'Sack Gambhir' trends as South Africa leave India in turmoil in Guwahati

Guwahati/IBNS: India’s struggles in the Test arena continued in Guwahati on Monday, with South Africa putting the hosts on the brink of another defeat on Day 3 of the second Test.

Big call for SA series: KL Rahul named ODI skipper as injured Shubman Gill misses out

The selectors of the Board of Control for Cricket in India have named KL Rahul as the stand-in captain of the ODI squad that will face South Africa in the absence of injured Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.

Smriti Mandhana’s wedding festivities break the internet- dance, cricket and pure Bollywood vibes!

Indian cricket star Smriti Mandhana is gearing up to marry music director Palash Muchhal on November 23, and the internet cannot keep up with the whirlwind of celebrations.

How Big Bash League Teams Are Using Social Media to Hype Fans in India

The Big Bash League has spent the last few seasons growing its online presence outside Australia, and India has become a major focus. It makes sense because Indian cricket fans are among the most active social media users in the world.

Shubman Gill ruled out of second Test in Guwahati after neck injury; Rishabh Pant to lead India

India suffered a major setback ahead of the second Test against South Africa as captain Shubman Gill has been ruled out due to a neck injury sustained during the first Test in Kolkata.