The national broadcaster of India, Doordarshan (DD), has teamed with the Hockey India League (HIL) to provide the exciting action of the event to millions of people across the country.

HIL is scheduled to begin on December 28. This year’s edition is noteworthy because it includes the maiden season of the Women’s Hockey India League, as well as the highly anticipated men’s competition. The league will include eight men’s and four women’s teams participating in Rourkela and Ranchi, showcasing outstanding talent from India and around the world.

The addition of the women’s league demonstrates Hockey India’s commitment to expanding gender inclusivity in sports and promoting women’s hockey on a large scale.

Navneet Sehgal, Chairman of Prasar Bharati, stated, “Prasar Bharati is honored to collaborate with the Hockey India League, a platform that honors our national sports and brings people together across diverse categories. Through our comprehensive coverage, we hope to deliver the exhilarating spirit of hockey to viewers worldwide, including the historic launch of Women HIL, crossing the urban-rural gap and increasing the league’s effect.”

Gaurav Dwivedi, CEO of Prasar Bharati, stated, “With two back-to-back medals at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, Indian sports fans are convinced that the golden period of Indian hockey is returning. Doordarshan, the public broadcaster, is excited to contribute to this bigger vision through this relationship. The goal is to enhance hockey production and broadcasting to international sporting standards. Sports fans throughout the world may now watch the Indian Hockey League, both men and women, via DD Sports and Waves, Prasar Bharati’s recently launched OTT platform. Stay tuned for broadcasts beginning December 28, 2024“.

Speaking on the partnership, Hockey India League (HIL) Governing Committee Chairperson Dr Dilip Tirkey stated, “We are thrilled to partner with Doordarshan as the official broadcaster of the Hockey India League.” This year is especially notable for the introduction of the Women’s HIL, a watershed moment in the promotion of women’s hockey. Doordarshan’s extraordinary reach and devotion to sports are perfectly aligned with our goal of bringing hockey to every corner of the country. Together, we hope to inspire millions and propel the HIL to unimaginable heights.”

Fans around the country may now watch live telecasts of all Hockey India League matches on Doordarshan, providing hockey aficionados with convenient access nationwide.

In a historic move, Doordarshan has expanded its cooperation with Hockey India to include all National Championships. Going forward, all Hockey India National Championships in various categories, as well as other Hockey India-owned hockey events in India, will be broadcast on DD.

The 2025 Women’s Premier League (WPL) player auction will take place in Bengaluru on December 15, with the third season of the five-team league expected to commence in the first week of February 2025.

According to insiders, the auction would take place in Bengaluru, the home city of the defending champions, Smriti Mandhana’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

According to the event rules, Indian players must register for the player auction by December 4 at 5 p.m. IST. The five franchises each have a budget of INR 15 crore to develop their teams for the 2025 season, up from INR 13.5 crore in the last auction.

The auction will fill 19 places, five of which are reserved for attracting overseas players. The base prices for capped players entering the auction are INR 30 lakh, INR 40 lakh, and INR 50 lakh, respectively. The fees for uncapped players are INR 10 lakh and INR 20 lakh, respectively.

The Gujarat Giants, who placed worst in the points table in the first two seasons, have the greatest auction purse of INR 4.4 crore. RCB will enter the auction with a purse of INR 3.25 crore, while UP Warriorz have INR 3.9 crore. The two-time runner-up Delhi Capitals will get a prize of INR 2.5 crore, while 2023 winners Mumbai Indians go in with INR 2.65 crore in their kitty.

Regarding the 2025 tournament calendar, sources added that the season is expected to begin in the first week of February and end in March, with no word yet on whether the caravan format for the venues will be used for the third season.

The first WPL season was conducted in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, with the second season in Bengaluru and New Delhi. According to the new ICC Women’s Future Tours Programme 2025-29, the WPL will be played from January to February 2026.

The release date for Allu Arjun’s “Pushpa: The Rule” has been changed again, and it will now be December 5.

Allu Arjun took to Instagram and unveiled a new poster for the flick. In the poster, the actor is pictured smoking a pipe and looking at his rifle intently. He captioned the post: “#Pushpa2TheRuleOnDec5th.”

“Pushpa: The Rule,” directed by Sukumar, also stars Rashmika Mandanna, who returns as Srivalli. “Pushpa: The Rise” was the first installment, which was released in 2021. Allu Arjun starred in the Telugu action film as Pushpa Raj, a coolie who joins a network that smuggles red sandalwood, a precious wood found only in Andhra Pradesh’s Seshachalam hills.

They wrote in the caption, “”75 DAYS for the world to witness Pushpa and his matchless aura on the big screens. #Pushpa2TheRule will mark an unprecedented chapter in Indian Cinema. THE RULE IN CINEMAS on 6th DEC 2024”.

Allu Arjun has completed filming for his highly anticipated flick, “Pushpa 2: The Rule.” The actor resorted to social media to express his sentiments about the adventure, revealing that he had completed a five-year odyssey. On Tuesday, Allu shared a photo from the last day and the final shot of Pushpa 2.

The photograph depicts the camera trolley with the team visible in the backdrop. Along with the photo, he wrote an emotional caption: “Last day, last shot of Pushpa.” Pushpa’s five-year trip has been completed. “What a journey.”

On November 17, the trailer for “Pushpa 2: The Rule” debuted at a big ceremony in Patna. The event was held at the historic Gandhi Maidan on the banks of the Ganges River. Rashmika Mandanna, the film’s leading woman, took a nostalgic trip down memory lane before the teaser was released, reflecting on her favorite experiences from Pushpa: The Rise.

She released a sequence of images in which she posed with co-star Allu Arjun and the rest of the film’s cast and crew. From casual moments to stressful sequences, the photographs provided a glimpse into the hard work and effort that went into making the film a reality.

Sharing throwback images, Mandanna wrote in the caption, “The trailer for Pushpa 2 drops soon so I was looking back at all my memories from Pushpa 1and I realised I hadn’t shared anything with you guys.. so here goes!

1 Srivalli sending you fulllll love!
2 #throwback to Your Pushpa and Srivalli from Russia
3 The genius and the brains of Pushpa the rise and Pushpa the rule!
4 The only photo I have of the Pushpa gang!
5 A bit from the first look test.
6 My girls in Saami song !! my god! What a rage saami was!”
7 Srivalli hair and makeup and costumes can be their own fashion line!
8 seeing if Srivalli should have different eyes or no.. and we ended up not using the black lens and going with my natural eye colour
9 So happy with what we’d created!
10 Going to Tirupati and doing research for the character.. Srivalli began here , Srivalli actually began in Tirupati!

Here’s to building many more happy memories with Pushpa 2.”

The film also features Fahadh Faasil, Dhananjaya, Jagadeesh Prathap Bandari, Sunil, and Ajay Ghosh.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his warmest congratulations to the country on the 75th Constitution Day (Samvidhan Divas), which commemorates the promulgation of the Indian Constitution on November 26, 1949.

Constitution Day, also known as Samvidhan Divas, commemorates the Constitution’s adoption by the Constituent Assembly and its implementation on January 26, 1950. The observance was officially announced in 2015 to honour the Constitution’s principles of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.

PM Modi took to social media platform X and wrote, “Happy Constitution Day to all countrymen on the auspicious occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Indian Constitution.” He also shared a video highlighting the significance of the Constitution as India’s “guiding light.”

In the video, the Prime Minister stated, “The Constitution is our guiding light.” The Constitution is more than just a collection of Articles; it is a modern reflection of India’s thousands-year-old civilisational tradition. He underlined the significance of the opening words “We the people,” describing them as “a call, a promise, and a belief” that embody India’s democratic roots.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed wishes on the occasion, expressing tribute to the Constitution’s authors, particularly Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. “Heartiest greetings on ‘Constitution Day’. Today, India is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Constitution with great enthusiasm,” Shah posted on X.

“The strength of democracy of a huge country like India is our Constitution, which gives the mantra of national unity and integrity by ensuring justice and equal rights to every person,” he wrote.

“We believe that the Constitution is not just a book to be displayed on stage, but it is the key to making the highest contribution to public life by internalising it with full devotion. Come! On this Constitution Day, let us pledge to build a strong, prosperous and self-reliant India,” the Home Minister posted.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also resorted to social media and said, “Heartiest greetings to all Indians on ‘Constitution Day’. The Indian Constitution has laid the foundation for the creation of a new India. Today our country is moving forward with a strong resolve to build a developed, strong and self-respecting India.”

He praised the visionaries behind the Constitution, particularly Dr Ambedkar, and described their achievements as the foundation of India’s democratic structure. The occasion is being commemorated around the country, with authorities emphasizing the Constitution’s continued significance in defending democratic and unifying values.

The Prime Minister has frequently talked at length in many contexts about Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s vision of social justice, equality, and empowerment, emphasizing the significance of carrying on the legacy of the Constitution’s primary architect.

President Droupadi Murmu addressed a joint meeting of Parliamentarians on Tuesday morning to kick off the year-long celebrations commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Constitution’s adoption. The objective of the festival is to instill constitutional ideals in citizens while also honouring the Constituent Assembly’s historic effort.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction for 2025 took held on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This year’s sale will be conducted overseas for the second year in a row, following the auction in Dubai in 2024.

Unlike regular player auctions held annually, the mega auction is a major event that takes place every three years and lasts two days rather of one. The 10 IPL clubs plan to assemble their squads for the next three seasons, from 2025 to 2027.

According to the BCCI, 1,574 players have registered for the auction, with 1,165 from India and 409 from other countries. This broad pool of players comprises participants from a variety of countries, including Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Scotland, the United States, and the UAE, however Full Member states other than Pakistan are represented.

The auction will take place in the Abady Al Johar Arena, better known as the Benchmark Arena, where teams will have the option to fill a total of 204 open slots in their squads, with each team allowed to field a roster of up to 25 players.

On October 31, clubs made their final player retention decisions, with 46 players retained across all ten franchises. Sunrisers Hyderabad had the greatest retention rate, keeping wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen for a whopping Rs 23 crore.

Both Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Nicholas Pooran of Lucknow Super Giants were signed for Rs 21 crore apiece. Mumbai Indians kept its primary Indian players, including Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, and Tilak Varma, for Rs 75 crore.

Each franchise has a total auction purse of INR120 crore. However, after retention, the Punjab Kings have the greatest remaining budget at Rs 110.5 crore, having kept only two uncapped players, Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh, for a combined Rs 9.5 crore. In contrast, the Rajasthan Royals enter the auction with the smallest purse of Rs 41 crore, having retained a maximum of six players. Kolkata Knight Riders has a budget of Rs 51 crore.

For the super auction, IPL clubs can keep up to six players, with a maximum of five capped players and two uncapped players. During the auction, teams have the option of retaining players outright or using Right-to-Match (RTM) options. The RTM mechanism allows a club to repurchase a player by matching the highest bid made by another team after the first bidding process is completed.

Punjab Kings have the most RTM choices available, with four, despite only retaining two players. Royal Challengers Bangalore will have three RTM options, while Delhi Capitals will have two after retaining four players. Five franchises—the Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Lucknow Super Giants—have retained five players each and only have one RTM choice.

The Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, who have retained six players each, will have no RTM choices available during the auction.

IPL 2025 Auction: Sold Players

– Rishabh Pant: Lucknow Super Giants – Rs 27 crore

– Shreyas Iyer: Punjab Kings – Rs 26.75 crore

– Venkatesh Iyer: Kolkata Knight Riders – Rs 23.75 crore

– Arshdeep Singh: Punjab Kings – Rs 18 crore (RTM)

– Yuzvendra Chahal: Punjab Kings – Rs 18 crore

– Jos Buttler: Gujarat Titans – Rs 15.75 crore

– KL Rahul: Delhi Capitals – Rs 14 crore

– Jofra Archer: Rajasthan Royals – Rs 12.5 crore

– Josh Hazlewood: Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Rs 12.5 crore

– Trent Boult: Mumbai Indians – Rs 12.5 crore

– Mohammed Siraj: Gujarat Titans – Rs 12.25 crore

– Mitchell Starc: Delhi Capitals – Rs 11.75 crore

– Phil Salt: Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Rs 11.5 crore

– Ishan Kishan: Sunrisers Hyderabad – Rs 11.25 crore

– Marcus Stoinis: Punjab Kings – Rs 11 crore

– Jitesh Sharma: Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Rs 11 crore

– Kagiso Rabada: Gujarat Titans – Rs 10.75 crore

– T Natarajan: Delhi Capitals – Rs 10.75 crore

– Mohammed Shami: Sunrisers Hyderabad – Rs 10 crore

– Noor Ahmad: Chennai Super Kings – Rs 10 crore

– Avesh Khan: Lucknow Super Giants – Rs 9.75 crore

– R Ashwin: Chennai Super Kings – Rs 9.75 crore

– Prasidh Krishna: Gujarat Titans – Rs 9.5 crore

– Jake Fraser-McGurk: Delhi Capitals – Rs 9 crore (RTM)

– Liam Livingstone: Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Rs 8.75 crore

– Harshal Patel: Sunrisers Hyderabad – Rs 8 crore

– David Miller: Lucknow Super Giants – Rs 7.5 crore

– Harry Brook: Delhi Capitals – Rs 6.25 crore

– Devon Conway: Chennai Super Kings – Rs 6.25 crore

– Anrich Nortje: Kolkata Knight Riders – Rs 6.5 crore

– Rasikh Salam Dar: Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Rs 6 crore

– Naman Dhir: Mumbai Indians – Rs 5.25 crore (RTM)

– Wanindu Hasaranga: Rajasthan Royals – Rs 5.25 crore

– Khaleel Ahmed: Chennai Super Kings – Rs 4.8 crore

– Maheesh Theekshana: Rajasthan Royals – Rs 4.4 crore

– Glenn Maxwell: Punjab Kings – Rs 4.2 crore

– Nehal Wadhera: Punjab Kings – Rs 4.2 crore

– Abdul Samad: Lucknow Super Giants – Rs 4.2 crore

– Rachin Ravindra: Chennai Super Kings – Rs 4 crore (RTM)

– Ashutosh Sharma: Delhi Capitals – Rs 3.8 crore

– Quinton de Kock: Kolkata Knight Riders – Rs 3.6 crore

– Mitchell Marsh: Lucknow Super Giants – Rs 3.4 crore

– Rahul Tripathi: Chennai Super Kings – Rs 3.4 crore

– Rahul Chahar: Sunrisers Hyderabad – Rs 3.2 crore

– Abhinav Manohar: Sunrisers Hyderabad – Rs 3.2 crore

– Angkrish Raghuvanshi: Kolkata Knight Riders – Rs 3 crore

– Suyash Sharma: Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Rs 2.6 crore

– Adam Zampa: Sunrisers Hyderabad – Rs 2.4 crore

– Mohit Sharma: Delhi Capitals – Rs 2.2 crore

– Aiden Markram: Lucknow Super Giants – Rs 2 crore

– Rahmanullah Gurbaz: Kolkata Knight Riders – Rs 2 crore

– Vijaykumar Vyshak: Punjab Kings – Rs 1.8 crore

– Vaibhav Arora: Kolkata Knight Riders – Rs 1.8 crore

– Mahipal Lomror: Rajasthan Royals – Rs 1.7 crore

– Yash Thakur: Punjab Kings – Rs 1.6 crore

– Simarjeet Singh: Sunrisers Hyderabad – Rs 1.5 crore

– Harpreet Brar: Punjab Kings – Rs 1.5 crore

– Vijay Shankar: Chennai Super Kings – Rs 1.2 crore

– Akash Madhwal: Rajasthan Royals – Rs 1.2 crore

– Sameer Rizvi: Chennai Super Kings – Rs 95 lakh

– Vishnu Vinod: Punjab Kings – Rs 95 lakh

– Kumar Kushagra: Gujarat Titans – Rs 65 lakh

– Robin Minz: Mumbai Indians – Rs 65 lakh

– Karn Sharma: Mumbai Indians – Rs 50 lakh

– Karun Nair: Delhi Capitals – Rs 50 lakh

– Nishant Sindhu: Gujarat Titans – Rs 30 lakh

– Atharva Taide: Sunrisers Hyderabad – Rs 30 lakh

– Anuj Rawat: Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Rs 30 lakh

– Mayank Markande: Kolkata Knight Riders – Rs 30 lakh

– Aryan Juyal: Lucknow Super Giants – Rs 30 lakh

– Kumar Kartikeya: Rajasthan Royals – Rs 30 lakh

– Manav Suthar: Gujarat Titans – Rs 30 lakh

IPL 2025 Auction: Unsold Players

– Devdutt Padikkal

– David Warner

– Jonny Bairstow

-Waqar Salamkheil

-Anmolpreet Singh

-Yash Dhull

-Utkarsh Singh

-Upendra Yadav

-Luvnith Sisodia

-Kartik Tyagi

-Piyush Chawla

-Shreyas Gopal

India defeated China 1-0 in a fiercely contested final held here on Wednesday to win the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024 title. The hosts valiantly preserved their lead to win the championship for the second time in a row, and Deepika’s key backhand goal in the third quarter proved to be the difference.

India has now won the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy three times in a row, making them the competition’s most successful team alongside South Korea. The Indian women’s team won their second title in Ranchi in 2023 after their first success in Singapore in 2016. They now triumphed in Rajgir on Wednesday. India won bronze in 2010 and two silver medals in 2013 and 2018.

Both teams traded blows in the first half of Wednesday’s encounter, but India picked up the pace in the second half, and Deepika’s goal in the 31st minute guaranteed that India would win the Asian Champions Trophy again.

In response to the Indian women’s hockey team’s victory, Hockey India stated that all players would receive ₹3 lakh, and all support staff would receive ₹1.5 lakh.

“A phenomenal accomplishment! Congratulations to our hockey team on winning the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy. They played exceptionally well through the tournament. Their success will motivate many upcoming athletes,” PM Modi posted on X.

For the first time in the competition’s history, the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) added a prize for podium finishers to this moment. China and Japan will earn USD 7,000 and USD 5,000, respectively, while India will receive a large USD 10,000 cash incentive.

As the game started in the final, both teams fought hard for every square inch of ground, exchanging circle entries without managing to get any shots on goal. For the majority of the quarter, neither team was able to find the last touch in a fierce, end-to-end contest.

India put together a string of deft passes in the last few minutes of the quarter to reach inside the shooting circle. But the Chinese defense held firm, closely lining up the forwards and obstructing any obvious goal scoring opportunities, and the first quarter ended goalless.

Silver medallist China at the Paris Olympic Games got the initiative and scored a penalty corner two minutes into the second quarter, but Bichu Devi showed off her cat-like reflexes by jumping high to save a close-range shot from Jinzhuang Tan.

In the very next minute, India reacted by earning a penalty corner, but Chinese goalkeeper Surong Wu made a fantastic save on Deepika’s drag flick. Despite exchanging another round of penalty corners, neither team was able to score. With neither side prepared to concede an inch, the game remained a fierce, end-to-end struggle. Consequently, the score remained locked at 0-0 at the completion of the first half.

After a missed trap, Navneet passed to Deepika on the left wing of the circle, who made a terrifying reverse shot that struck the bottom right corner of the goal to give India the lead in the second half. This gave India another penalty corner seconds later.

India pushed higher and pinned China back into their own half as they looked for a second goal. China started moving the ball along the backline to take control with three minutes remaining in the quarter, but India regained the ball and put Deepika on a counter. After being fouled, she stepped up to attempt a penalty shot, but Ting Li stopped her low attempt to keep China in the match.

China shown more commitment as the last quarter got underway, moving forward with tenacity. Surong Wu in goal easily kicked away Sushila’s strike, but India swiftly reclaimed control, pushing China back and collecting a penalty corner within two minutes.

After that, China came together and stepped up their efforts to level the playing field, but the Indian defense held firm, essentially blocking all of China’s offensive routes. India ultimately won a grueling 1-0 match thanks to their outstanding defense, which guaranteed them their third Asian Champions Trophy crown.

Japan won the bronze medal in the competition after defeating Malaysia 4-1 in the playoffs after losing to India 2-0 in the semifinals.

Karnataka’s Electronics, IT, and Biotechnology Department is organizing the 27th Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) 2024, which will be held at Bengaluru Palace here from November 19–21.

According to an official release from the Karnataka IT and Biotechnology Department, around 2,500 startups will attend the BTS 2024.

This year, ‘Unbound’ is taking BTS’s main theme, ‘Breaking Boundaries,’ to the next level.

BTS 2024 is expected to be an unmatched platform with a plethora of high-impact events, insights, and commercial prospects, particularly for the startup environment.

Over 2,500 startup registrants from India and other countries are anticipated to form a lively community during the event.

The keynote address by renowned digital storyteller and Nas Daily founder Nuseir Yassin, who will motivate audiences with his perspectives on global participation, digital branding, and storytelling, is a major highlight of the track.

Among the prominent speakers are Michael Langer, co-founder and managing partner of T.Rx Capital; Pragya Mishra, Public Policy and Partnerships Lead for India, OpenAI; Shashank Kumar, co-founder and CTO of Razorpay; Aravind Sanka, founder and CEO of Rapido; Piyush Bansal, co-founder of Lenskart; and Prashanth Prakash, founding partner, Accel Partners, and chairman.

In close collaboration with industry bodies such as Nasscom, IESA, ABLE, US-India Business Council (USIBC), and AMCHAM, members of Karnataka’s Vision Groups on IT and Electronics, Biotechnology, and Startups are spearheading the event, which is co-hosted by Software Technology Parks of India (STPI).

The Founder’s Stage at the BTS 2024 conference will host a special three-day Startup Track that will highlight important focus areas like AI, robotics, quantum computing, space and drones, direct-to-consumer, B2B and manufacturing, healthtech, rural innovation and entrepreneurship, agritech, etc.

On Day Three of this Startup Track, founders, business executives, and investors will gather for a Startup Conclave to talk about the newest trends, obstacles, and prospects in the startup world.
Through the Ecosystem Enabler Awards, which will be given out during the event’s valedictory, BTS 2024 will honor and commemorate the vital role that incubators and accelerators have played in creating India’s thriving startup scene.