Lionel Messi’s much-hyped ‘GOAT Tour of India’ concluded on a mixed note, with a chaotic opening leg in Kolkata casting a shadow over an otherwise smooth series of appearances in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi.
Kolkata/IBNS: ">Lionel Messi’s much-anticipated G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025 began on a chaotic note in Kolkata on Saturday, as severe mismanagement at Salt Lake Stadium led to fan outrage, vandalism, and an early exit by the Argentine football icon.
World Wrestling Entertainment's wrestling superstar John Cena, who entertained generations of fans and made phrases like 'you can't see me' popular, retired on Saturday.
Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium, forever etched in Indian cricketing history for hosting the country’s historic 2011 World Cup triumph, witnessed yet another unforgettable moment on Sunday as Argentine football legend Lionel Messi shared the stage with cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar.
Hyderabad/IBNS: Hyderabad restored order and atmosphere to Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour 2025 on Saturday, delivering a calm, well-managed event that stood in stark contrast to the earlier chaos witnessed in Kolkata.
Kolkata/IBNS: Anger and chaos erupted at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yubabharati Stadium (Salt Lake Stadium) on Saturday after Argentine football icon Lionel Messi’s much-anticipated visit ended in disappointment for thousands of fans, triggering vandalism and protests.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mumbai/IBNS: Indian cricketer Smriti Mandhana’s father, Srinivas, who was recently hospitalised following a heart attack, has been discharged, media reports said.
