Dominant India end seven-year wait for SAFF Women’s Championship title

The wait is finally over! India reclaimed the SAFF Women’s Championship title after seven years, defeating defending champions Bangladesh 3-1 in a gripping final at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa, on Saturday, June 6, 2026.

Pyari Xaxa gave India the lead in the 42nd minute before Ritu Porna Chakma equalised in first half stoppage time. Sanfida Nongrum restored the Blue Tigresses’ advantage just 40 seconds into the second half, while substitute Lynda Kom Serto sealed the victory in the 82nd minute as India lifted a record-extending sixth trophy.

As the final whistle sounded, the significance of the achievement was evident across the Indian camp. Sanfida Nongrum, who played a decisive role throughout the tournament, scoring in both the semi-final and the final, dropped to her knees before embracing teammate Dangmei Grace, who announced her retirement after the match. Around them, players and staff celebrated as India returned to the summit of South Asian women’s football for the first time since 2019. Grace, a legend of the Indian women’s game, represented the country 95 times since her debut in 2013, and ended her international career on a high after winning her third SAFF title. capturengo.com

The triumph capped a remarkable campaign for the hosts, who won all four of their matches, scoring 18 goals and conceding just one, while ending Bangladesh’s hopes of securing a historic third consecutive title.

The final had all the ingredients expected from a meeting between the region’s two strongest sides. Bangladesh arrived as defending champions, while India were chasing a title that had eluded them for the last two editions.

Manisha Kalyan made her first start of the tournament as India looked to make an early statement. The hosts enjoyed much of the possession during the opening stages and created the better opportunities.

Sanfida Nongrum was first to threaten, trying her luck from a difficult angle before sending her effort over the bar. India came even closer in the 16th minute when Bangladesh goalkeeper Mile Akter failed to deal with a long ball from Nirmala Devi Phanjoubam. The loose ball fell kindly for Astam Oraon, but the defender could not keep her effort on target.

Bangladesh, however, remained dangerous. Ritu Porna Chakma nearly repeated her semi-final heroics against Nepal in the 23rd minute, curling a corner directly towards goal that drifted just over the crossbar.

Crispin Chettri’s side continued to push forward. Aveka Singh headed narrowly wide from a Nirmala cross before Mile Akter produced an excellent save to deny Manisha Kalyan’s powerful half-volley in the 38th minute.

The breakthrough finally arrived three minutes before half-time. Pyari Xaxa showed quick feet inside the penalty area before getting away a shot. Surovi Akter attempted to block the effort, but the deflection looped over the advancing Mile Akter and into the net.

The goal appeared to have given India control heading into the interval, but Bangladesh responded immediately. Deep into first-half stoppage time, Ritu Porna Chakma found space down the left and drove a low effort into the far corner beyond Panthoi Chanu Elangbam. It was the first goal India had conceded in the tournament and ensured the sides went into the break level at 1-1.

The second half, however, belonged entirely to India.

Within seconds of the restart, Pyari turned provider. Her cross from the right found Sanfida Nongrum, who rose unmarked and directed a powerful header into the net via the post to restore India’s lead.

That goal shifted the momentum. India looked more composed and confident, while Bangladesh struggled to establish the same attacking rhythm they had shown earlier.

There were still moments of concern for the hosts. Maria Manda nearly caught Panthoi off her line with a dangerous delivery, but the goalkeeper reacted brilliantly to tip the ball away.

India continued to create chances and came close to extending their advantage through Manisha, whose volley drifted narrowly wide after a fine run and pass from Sanfida.

India capitalised and scored their third in the 82nd minute when a defensive error presented substitute Lynda Kom Serto with an opportunity inside the box. The forward was the quickest to react and slotted the ball beyond Mile Akter to make it 3-1.

The goal effectively settled the contest and ensured there would be no dramatic comeback.

The victory completed a memorable tournament for the hosts. Aveka Singh finished as the competition’s top scorer with four goals, Sanfida Nongrum was named Most Valuable Player, while Panthoi Chanu Elangbam collected the Best Goalkeeper award. Nepal won the Fair Play award.

India: Panthoi Chanu Elangbam (GK), Nirmala Devi Phanjoubam, Shilky Devi Hemam, Juli Kishan, Sangita Basfore (C) (Soumya Guguloth 89′), Sanfida Nongrum, Astam Oraon, Pyari Xaxa (Grace Dangmei 86′), Manisha Kalyan (Lynda Kom Serto 71′), Jasoda Munda, Aveka Singh (Malavika 46′).

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ભારતીય T20 ક્રિકેટ ટીમના નવા કેપ્ટન શ્રેયસ ઐયરે મુંબઈ T20 લીગની વર્તમાન સીઝનમાં 6 જૂને સાંજે રમાયેલી મેચમાં પોતાની અદ્ભુત બેટિંગ કુશળતા બતાવી હતી, જેમાં તેને 61 રનની શાનદાર ઈનિંગ રમી હતી અને સૂર્યકુમાર યાદવની કેપ્ટનશીપવાળી ટ્રાયમ્ફ્સ નાઈટ્સ MNE ટીમને 5 વિકેટથી હરાવવામાં મુખ્ય ભૂમિકા ભજવી હતી.

લગભગ ત્રણ વર્ષ પહેલા T20 ઈન્ટરનેશનલ મેચ રમી ચૂકેલા શ્રેયસ ઐયરને સૂર્યકુમાર યાદવના સ્થાને નવો કેપ્ટન બનાવવાનો નિર્ણય લેવામાં આવ્યો છે. જો આ મેચમાં સૂર્યાના પ્રદર્શનની વાત કરીએ તો બેટ સાથે તેની જૂની સ્ટાઈલ પણ લાંબા સમય પછી જોવા મળી હતી, જેમાં તેને 200ના સ્ટ્રાઈક રેટથી રન બનાવ્યા હતા.

શ્રેયસે ઈનિંગને મજબૂત બનાવીને ટીમને સરળ જીત અપાવી

ટ્રાયમ્ફ નાઈટ્સ MNE સામે SoBo મુંબઈ ફાલ્કન્સને 148 રનનો ટાર્ગેટ આપવામાં આવ્યો હતો. આ ટાર્ગેટનો પીછો કરતા તેને 13 રન પર પોતાની પહેલી વિકેટ અને પછી 41 રન પર પોતાની બીજી વિકેટ ગુમાવી દીધી. આ પછી શ્રેયસ ઐયર બેટિંગ કરવા આવ્યો હતો, તેને એક છેડેથી ઈનિંગને સ્થિર કરી અને પહેલા સાવધાનીપૂર્વક બેટિંગ કરી, પછી પગ મજબૂત કર્યા પછી, ઝડપથી રન બનાવવાનું શરૂ કર્યું.

શ્રેયસે આ મેચમાં 36 બોલનો સામનો કર્યો અને 61 રન બનાવ્યા, જેમાં તેને 5 ચોગ્ગા અને 4 છગ્ગા ફટકાર્યા, જ્યારે તેનો સ્ટ્રાઈક રેટ 169.44 હતો. શ્રેયસને તેની શાનદાર ઈનિંગ માટે પ્લેયર ઓફ ધ મેચનો એવોર્ડ આપવામાં આવ્યો.

સૂર્યકુમાર યાદવની જૂની સ્ટાઈલ લાંબા સમય પછી જોવા મળી

ટીમ ઈન્ડિયાની કેપ્ટનશીપ ગુમાવવાની સાથે સૂર્યકુમાર યાદવને પણ ટીમમાંથી બહાર કરવામાં આવ્યો છે, જેનું સૌથી મોટું કારણ તેનું છેલ્લા કેટલાક સમયથી ખરાબ ફોર્મ હતું. તે IPL 2026માં બેટથી પણ સારું પ્રદર્શન કરી શક્યો ન હતો. હવે કેપ્ટનશીપ ગુમાવ્યા બાદ સૂર્યાએ ફરીથી પોતાનું જૂનું ફોર્મ જોયું છે.

સોબો મુંબઈ ફાલ્કન્સ સામે તેની ટીમનો પરાજય થયો હોવા છતાં સૂર્યકુમાર યાદવે 24 બોલમાં 3 ચોગ્ગા અને 4 છગ્ગાની મદદથી 48 રનની શાનદાર ઈનિંગ રમી હતી, જેનો સ્ટ્રાઈક રેટ 200 હતો. આ પહેલા તેને મુંબઈ T20 લીગની છેલ્લી 2 મેચમાં 4 અને 19 રન બનાવ્યા હતા.

આ પણ વાંચો: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi પર થયો પૈસાનો વરસાદ, ઓરેન્જ કેપ સહિત આ એવોર્ડ જીત્યા

It was always going to be extremely hard to ignore the Bihar boy and Rajasthan Royals’s teenaged batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s performances when it came to picking India’s T20I squad for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England, besides the Asian Games, and chief national selector Ajit Agarkar had no hesitation in admitting this while announcing the team on Saturday.

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“I think his [Sooryavanshi’s] performances have almost forced us to pick him because of how well he has played. I know how young he is and how early [he is] in his career, but, as I said, two IPL [seasons] in a row, and of course what he was doing at the U-19 level, and that’s probably a step down towards the IPL, but we can all see what kind of talent he has,” Agarkar told Sunday mid-day at the post-selection press conference.

Sooryavanshi, who emerged as the top-scorer in IPL-19 (776 runs), is just 15 years and 71 days old and is also set to become the youngest player to represent India. The attacking batter will surpass batting legend Sachin Tendulkar (16 years and 205 days), who made his India debut against Pakistan in the Karachi Test in 1989. India will travel to Ireland for two T20Is later this month, followed by a five-match T20I series against England before participating in the Asian Games in Japan (September 19 to October 4).

Agarkar oozed confidence in Sooryavanshi, saying he was more than capable of carrying his IPL form into the national team. “There will obviously be tougher challenges when you play for your country, but Vaibhav has shown great promise. So, we’re all very hopeful like everyone [else] is. I think he has picked himself through his performances,” added Agarkar.

Rising through Mumbai cricket is never easy, and neither is leading a team from the front but judging by Shreyas Iyer’s impressive captaincy record in the IPL in recent years, Rohit Sharma believes the Mumbai batter is well-equipped to thrive in the role.

Shreyas was heralded as the new Indian captain in the shortest format while Suryakumar Yadav was dropped from the team as the three-time World Cup winners pressed reset to their T20 leadership, with key assignments such as this year’s Asia Cup and the 2028 Olympics and T20 World Cup in mind.

Rohit said Shreyas’ performances as captain in IPL — where he won the 2024 with Kolkata Knight Riders and led Punjab Kings to final in 2025 — will give him the requisite experience for the Indian captaincy role.

“I’m sure looking at how he has captained in the last few years for his franchise, he’s going to have a good time," Rohit, the brand ambassador of the T20 Mumbai League, said here on Saturday.

Rohit, who captained India to their second T20 World Cup win in 2024, said nothing comes easy for a Mumbai cricketer but Shreyas would know captaincy is a title that one has to earn.

“Look, playing in Mumbai, representing Mumbai teaches you a lot of things. If you ask anyone who has captained India or Mumbai before us, they’ll tell you the same thing. Nothing comes easy here. I’m pretty sure it’s the same elsewhere as well. But here – I’m just talking about Mumbai – nothing comes easy."

“You have to really earn it so captaincy is also something that you have to earn and earn the respect of people around you and that is something that all these guys have it," he said.

Rohit also heaped praise on Suryakumar’s stint as India captain which culminated with the national side clinching their record-extending third T20 World Cup title earlier this year.

“I’m pretty sure nothing has come easy, especially for Surya," Rohit said.

“He made his India debut at 30 or 31, if I’m not wrong, which means that he never gave up. He always wanted to be in the fight and when it came, he wanted to grab it with both hands, and he did it," he added.

Suryakumar, who captained the Triumph Knights Mumbai North East in their contest against Sobo Mumbai Falcons, said he was happy knowing another Mumbai player has taken over the reins of the national T20I team.

“So many things are happening but very, very happy for Shreyas as he is getting to lead the T20 Indian team," Suryakumar said at the toss.

“We have played a lot of cricket together here in Bombay and most important thing what I felt is that three back-to-back Mumbai captains (are) going on to lead in T20Is for India. I think it is a very proud moment and everyone needs to celebrate that," he added.

Rohit said the talent in the fourth edition of the T20 Mumbai League, which is running concurrently with the inaugural three-team women’s edition, has “unreal" talent.

“Looking at what has happened and what has transpired, I’m not at all surprised by it. Because the talent that we get to see is unreal, and that is what we want, right?," he said.

“We want the platform for all the players to come out and show their talent and this is the perfect platform for a lot of these guys who are playing and taking part in it," Rohit added.

Former Team India skipper Rohit Sharma has expressed his confidence in newly appointed T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, saying his leadership experience in the IPL has prepared him for the challenges of leading the national side.

Speaking at the T20 Mumbai League on Saturday, Rohit said Shreyas has shown his leadership qualities over the last few years and believes that he is ready for the role.

“I’m sure, looking at how he has captained in the last few years for his franchise, he’s going to have a good time,” Rohit said.

Shreyas has been named India’s new T20 captain as the team starts a fresh cycle with major events such as the Asia Cup, the 2028 Olympics, and the next T20 World Cup. The Mumbai batter won the IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2024 and guided Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the finals in 2020 and 2025, respectively.

Rohit said representing Mumbai helps cricketers develop the qualities required to succeed at the highest level. “Look, playing in Mumbai, representing Mumbai teaches you a lot of things. If you ask anyone who has captained India or Mumbai before us, they’ll tell you the same thing. Nothing comes easy here,” he said.

The 2024 T20 World Cup-winning captain believes that captaincy is earned through performances and the respect of teammates. “You have to really earn it, so captaincy is also something that you have to earn and earn the respect of people around you, and that is something that all these guys have,” Rohit added.

Rohit also praised former T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav for his contribution to Indian cricket while highlighting the strong talent pool in the ongoing T20 Mumbai League.

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The post “He’s going to have a good time” – Rohit Sharma on India’s new T20I captain, Shreyas Iyer appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.