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Eurosport to telecast Billie Jean King Cup playoffs 2021
NEW DELHI: Eurosport and Eurosport HD India will be telecasting Billie Jean Cup (BJK) Playoffs 2021 live in the country. In the playoffs, India will lock horns with Latvia, and this is for the first time that both these teams are facing each other in the competition.
Viewers in India can watch the game live on 16 April and 17 April from 8.30 PM and 4.30 PM IST respectively.
The Billie Jean King Cup, earlier known as the Fed Cup, is a team event for women’s tennis players and this is the first time that the Indian team has made it to the playoffs, courtesy of topping the Asia/Oceania Group 1 last year. A win will guarantee them a spot in the BJK Cup qualifiers for 2022 while the loser shall compete in their respective regional Group 1 event in 2022.
Six-time doubles grand slam champion Sania Mirza will be spearheading the team and will be accompanied by her teammates Ankita Raina, Rutuja Bhosale, Zeel Desai, and Karman Kaur Thandi. Ankita Raina will be the highest-ranked Indian on display in the tie with a singles rank of 174 and a doubles rank of 96. The team will be captained by former India player Vishal Uppal.
On the other hand, Latvia will be playing with a full-strength team headed by world no. 52 Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion along with Anastasija Sevastova, a former world no. 11 who is now ranked 47th in the world. Diana Marcinkevica, Daniela Vismane, and PatricijaSpaka complete the five-member squad of Latvia. The captain of the team will be former Latvian men’s player Adrians Zguns.
"Tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world and has an ever-growing fan base in India for Women’s tennis. We are glad to have the opportunity to broadcast India’s BJK Cup playoffs which will add to our list of an interesting tennis line up. I am sure with stars like Sania Mirza and Ankita Raina in the mix it will be two days of hard-fought and exciting tennis action for our passionate viewers," said Eurosport India head & SVP – affiliate sales and product distribution, Asia – India sales & distribution at Discovery Inc Vijay Rajput.
Apart from BJK Cup, other tennis properties of Eurosport include the Australian Open, The Championships, Wimbledon, Roland-Garros, and US Open, and the ATP tour in 11 countries across Europe.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
