Praggnanandhaa

♦ R Praggnanandhaa won the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 title in Tashkent on 27 June 2025. He defeated Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the final. 

♦ With this win, Praggnanandhaa’s live rating jumped to 2778.3, elevating him to World No. 4, his highest-ever ranking.  

♦ Magnus Carlsen (2839.2) remains No.1, followed by Hikaru Nakamura (2807.0) and Fabiano Caruana (2784.2).

♦ Earlier, he stunned the chess world by defeating reigning world champion Gukesh at the Tata Steel Masters in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. 

Prestigious 2029 World Police and Fire Games

♦ Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, said on 27 June 2025, India has been selected to host the prestigious 2029 World Police and Fire Games. 

♦ The World Police and Fire Games, a biennial event that brings together police, fire, and disaster services personnel to compete in over 50 sports, will be held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

♦ The game is governed by the California Police Athletic Federation (CPAF), the Host City, & the WPFG Board of Directors.

♦ The first-ever edition of the competition was held back in 1985 in San Jose, California.

Neeraj Chopra

♦ Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra has clinched the Javelin Throw title in the Ostrava Golden Spike 2025 meet in the Czech Republic on 24 June 2025.

♦ He won the title with a best throw of 85.29 metres.

♦ Douw Smit of South Africa, with a throw of 84.12 metres, finished second, while Anderson Peters of Granada, with a throw of 83.63 metres, came third.

Jasprit Bumrah

♦ Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah became the pace bowler with the most five-wicket hauls in World Test Championship history and the first Asian player to claim 150 Test wickets in SENA countries.

♦ He achieved these milestones during the ongoing first Test match against England at Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds.

♦ The Indian pacer has now equaled the overall record for most five-wicket hauls in WTC history, joining former teammate Ravichandran Ashwin who also has 11 five-wicket hauls to his name in the competition.

♦ Bumrah's achievement in SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) is particularly noteworthy as he became the first Asian player to reach 150 Test wickets in these nations, surpassing Paistani legend Wasim Akram's record of 146 wickets.

Lalit Kumar

♦ Indian veteran forward Lalit Kumar Upadhyay announced his retirement from international hockey on 23 June 2025.

♦ A two-time Olympic medallist, Lalit Upadhyay’s career with the Indian men’s hockey team spanned over a decade from 2014 to 2025.  

♦ His final appearance in the Indian jersey came against Australia on June 15. 

♦ A journey in the Indian jersey that lasted nearly 11 years -- studded with two Olympic bronze medals (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024), Asian Games gold (Hangzhou 2022) and bronze (Jakarta 2018), Asian Champions Trophy gold (Oman ♦ 2018, Malaysia 2016) and bronze (Dhaka 2021) and Arjuna Award (2011). 

Neeraj Chopra

♦ Neeraj Chopra has finished on top in the Paris Diamond League with a best throw of 88.16m at the Paris Diamond League on 21 June 2025.

♦ Germany's Julian Weber finished second with a best throw of 87.88m.

♦ Brazil's Luiz Mauricio da Silva finished third with a best throw of 86.62m. 

Anderson Tendulkar Trophy

♦ The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have jointly announced the launch of the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy, a prestigious honour that will now be awarded to the winner of every Test series between India and England on 19 June 2025.  

♦ The trophy celebrates two of the most iconic names in the history of Test cricket - James Anderson, the highest wicket-taking fast bowler, and Sachin Tendulkar, the all-time leading run-scorer in the format.

♦ Previously, the series was played for the Pataudi Trophy in England and the Anthony De Mello Trophy in India.

♦ While those titles have now been unified, the legacy of the Pataudi family will continue with the introduction of the Pataudi Medal, which will be presented to the winning captain at the conclusion of each England–India Test series.

♦ Sachin Tendulkar, who played 200 Test matches and scored a record 15,921 runs, described the format as foundational to his cricketing journey.

♦ James Anderson, who retired earlier this year with 704 Test wickets in 188 matches.

♦ Tendulkar scored 2,535 runs against England in 32 Tests at an average of 51.73, including a memorable 193 at Headingley in 2002.

♦ Anderson, meanwhile, tormented Indian batters across eras, claiming 149 wickets in 39 matches at 25.47, including six five-wicket hauls.

♦ Off the field, both players have been recognised for their contributions: Anderson received a knighthood in 2024, and Tendulkar was awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 2014.

Smriti Mandhana

♦ India opener Smriti Mandhana has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Women’s ODI Batting Rankings, marking her return to the summit for the first time since November 2019.

♦ The latest rankings update was released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 19 June 2025.

♦ Mandhana has a total of 727 rating points followed by England captain Natalie Sciver-Brunt at 719.

♦ Wolvaardt is now third with 719 points.

♦ Mandhana is also ranked fourth in the list of batters in T20Is.

South Africa won the ICC World Test Championship

♦ South Africa won the  ICC World Test Championship (WTC) title on 14 June 2025.

♦ It defeated Australia by five wickets at the Lord's Cricket Ground in London.

♦ This was South Africa's first ICC men's senior major trophy since 1998, with a 27-year wait for an ICC championship coming to an end. 

♦ Aiden Markram was awarded with the player of the match for his 4th inning century which helped the team to win title. 

♦ With this victory, South Africa bagged a prize money of $3.6 million (approx. Rs 31.05 crore).

♦ Runner-up Australia also got $2.16 million (approx. Rs 18.63 crore).

♦ India, which finished third in the 2023-25 WTC cycle, also received Rs 12.42 crore.

Suruchi Singh

♦ Indian shooter Suruchi Singh won a gold medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Munich, Germany, on 13 June 2025.

♦ She shot a total of 241.9 in the final. Olympic silver medallist Camille Jedrzejewski (241.7) of France in the second place and Yao Qianxuan (221.7) of China won the bronze medal in the event.

Sift Kaur Samra

♦ India’s shooter Sift Kaur Samra secured a bronze medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Munich, Germany, on 12 June 2025.

♦ She scored 453.1 in the medal round.

♦ Two-time Olympian Jeanette Hegg Duestad of Norway won the gold medal with a total of 466.9, while Emely Jaeggi of Switzerland claimed silver with 464.8.

♦ Sift Kaur Samra had also won a gold medal in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions event at the ISSF World Cup in Buenos Aires earlier this year (2025).

Elavenil Valarivan

♦ Indian shooting ace Elavenil Valarivan secured the bronze medal in the women's 10m air rifle final at the ISSF World Cup on 10 June 2025.

♦ She registered a score of 231.2, finishing third behind China’s Wang Zifei, who claimed gold with 252.7, and Korea’s silver medallist Kwon Eunji, who scored 252.6.

♦ The match was held in Munich, Germany. 

Carlos Alcaraz

♦ Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open title 2025. He defeated World No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy in the final held at Paris on 8 June 2025.

♦ The world No.2 Alcaraz scored a 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (10-2) win over Sinner. 

♦ Alcaraz has now won his five Grand Slam finals and handed Sinner his first defeat in a major final after the Italian claimed his first three at the Australian Open (2024 and 2025) and U.S. Open (2024).

♦ It was also the longest-ever French Open final — 5 hours, 29 minutes - in the Open Era.

♦ It was so tight that Sinner won 193 points, Alcaraz 192.

Coco Gauff

♦ American tennis star Coco Gauff won the Women’s Single title at the French Open Tennis 2025.

♦ She defeated world number one Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4 in the final held at Paris.

♦ This  is Gauff's first French Open title and her second major overall. 

♦ With this victory, she became the first American woman to win the singles title in Paris since Serena Williams in 2015 and the youngest from the US to do so since Williams in 2002. 

♦ Gauff’s triumph also marked the first time since the 2018 Australian Open that the top two women in the world rankings met in a Grand Slam final.

♦ Having previously lifted the 2023 US Open trophy, she now joins an elite club with Slam titles on both hard and clay courts.

♦ Gauff also became the youngest player to win both the French Open and US Open women’s singles titles since Serena Williams achieved the feat in 2002.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

♦ Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won their first Indian Premier League (IPL) title on 3 June 2025.

♦ RCB defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the final held in Ahmedabad.

♦ In the match, Bengaluru posted a modest 190-9. Punjab scored 184-7.

♦ RCB has received Rs.20 crores as IPL 2025 prize money after winning its maiden title.

♦ Meanwhile, the runner-up PBKS has received Rs. 12.5 crores. Over the years, the IPL prize money has increased.

♦ In the inaugural 2008 edition, the winning side received Rs.4.8 crore, whereas the runner-up was awarded Rs.2.4 crore.