After a crucial victory against Kalyani Bengaluru Blasters in the Maharani Trophy KSCA T20 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Tuesday, Hubli Tigers’ captain Vrinda Dinesh credited her side’s batting prowess as it rose to the top of the table with one match remaining.

After a 17-run victory against Mysore Warriors at the start of the tournament, the Tigers lost two consecutive matches to the Gulbarga Mystics and Blasters.

However, Vrinda & Co. turned their season around by winning the reverse fixtures against the Warriors and Blasters back-to-back.

“It was just about timing. We just had to click early on and the [twin victories] turned the momentum for us,” Vrinda told The Hindu as she alluded to the team’s patience in coming back strong after two losses.

The right-handed batter, alongside Niki Prasad and C. Prathyoosha, has been pivotal in Tigers’ recent victories. The 25-year-old has accumulated 170 runs at a tournament-leading strike rate of 170.

“As a team, we believe batting is our strength, and our bowling can defend any target,” the skipper stated. “In batting, we believe it’s Prathyoosha, me or Niki. If one of us is there throughout the 20 overs, the team will sail through.”

Vrinda also commended the role of the Tigers’ support staff in helping her improve as a leader.

“There’s something to learn in every game. There have been certain moments where they’ve told me, ‘you could’ve done something differently’ or something was really well done. These insights have helped me get better.”

With the Tigers now in a good position to qualify for Sunday’s final, Vrinda is focused on staying composed rather than looking too far ahead.

“Everybody in the team knows their roles, and it’s just about showing up on that particular day,” she signed off.

Rodrigue Kwizera blitzed through the field to set a new men’s event record at the TCS World 10K Bengaluru 2026 here on Sunday. 

Kwizera stepped on the pedal in the final stretch to finish with a timing of 27:31s, well under the previous mark of 27:38 set by Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli in 2022. 

Kwizera, who missed the top spot to Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe in a photo finish here three years ago, won $34,000 (including the event record bonus of $8,000).

The Burundi runner accelerated at the 8km mark — after passing the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium — to pull away from his rivals. Kwizera kept a high pace in the long straight finish on Cubbon Road to eclipse Kimeli’s record. 

“The challenge was the heat. I have been training in Spain, where it is much cooler this time of the year. Today, I told myself that I will push at the 5K mark, and again in the final kilometre. I wanted to go for the event record; I am glad I did it,” Kwizera said. 

Rwanda’s Florence Niyonkuru overcame a stiff challenge from favourite Brenda Jepchirchir to claim the international women’s title. 

At the 7km stage, it was Florence, Brenda, Ethiopian Melal Biratu and Kenya’s Judy Chepaskwony who formed the leader pack. 

Florence took over in the last right turn, at the Cubbon Park metro station. Now on her own, Florence eased off and missed the event record (30:35, Irene Cheptai, 2022) by ten seconds. The Rwanda athlete took home $26,000. 

Harmanjot Singh and Sanjivani Jadhav recorded the best timings among Indian men and women respectively. 

Harmanjot clocked 29:13, falling short of the Indian record by just one second. 

“I had the event record in mind. I tried to stay with the international elite pack as far as I could, which was till 5K. After that, I decided to rely on my own judgement,” Harmanjot said. 

Sanjivani, the 2017 Asian Championships 5,000m bronze medallist, took top Indian honours here for a third time in a row. 

Harmanjot and Sanjivani won ₹3,00,000 and ₹2,75,000 respectively. 

The results: International: Men: 1. Rodrigue Kwizera (Burundi) 27:31; 2. Harbert Kibet (Uganda) 27:39; 3. Gilbert Kipkosgei Kiprotich (Kenya) 27:43s.

Women: 1. Florence Niyonkuru (Rwanda) 30:45; 2. Brenda Jepchirchir (Kenya) 30:59; 3. Chaltu Dida Diriba (Ethiopia) 31:03.

Indian (winners only): Men: Harmanjot Singh 29:13. Women: Sanjivani Jadhav 35:01.

The Karnataka government on Monday (March 16, 2026) officially cleared the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium for hosting IPL 2026 matches. The government’s decision follows the multi-department expert committee submitting its assessment report, stating that the stadium has undergone satisfactory upgrades.

Now, with all decks cleared, the Chinnaswamy Stadium will witness its first major match after ten months of lull on March 28. The home team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will start their title-defending campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the season’s inaugural match.

Big relief for IPL fans: Karnataka governnment allows matches in Bengaluru

After much deliberations over cricket matches to be played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here, the Karnataka government on February 12, 2026, agreed to allow the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at the stadium with certain conditions.
| Video Credit:
The Hindu