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Game and match point: Tennis Premier League serves up global ambitions
MUMBAI: While bigger leagues chase headlines with bloated budgets and borrowed stars, the Tennis Premier League has been doing something rather more clever: growing up without making a fuss about it.
Season seven, which wrapped in Ahmedabad last week, felt less like a sporting event and more like a coming-of-age party. Sold-out stands at Gujarat University Tennis Stadium. Streams flickering across four continents. Eight franchises scrapping it out in a format that treats attention spans with respect. For a league that began as a modest domestic flutter, TPL has developed an impressively steady backhand.
Much of the credit belongs to the unglamorous work of distribution. India Spark-Syndication & Distribution, led by chief executive Khalid Khan, has spent recent seasons stitching together a broadcast map that favours intelligent reach over noisy launches. The league’s presence this season across JioHotstar in India. Willow Sports beams it to North America. The Unbeaten Sports Channel covers Europe. Fox Sports and Kayo Sports handle Australia. It is syndication as strategy, not afterthought.
The format itself remains delightfully brisk: 25-point team ties blending men’s and women’s singles with mixed and men’s doubles. No one outstays their welcome. Matches move. The league has learned that modern viewers will forgive much, but not boredom.
This year’s plot twist came courtesy of GS Delhi Aces, who stormed their debut season to lift the trophy, dispatching Yash Mumbai Eagles in the final. Seven other franchises Chennai Smashers, Gurgaon Grand Slammers, Hyderabad Strikers, SG Pipers, Rajasthan Rangers, Gujarat Panthers and the Eagles provided the competitive scaffolding. Depth, it turns out, beats stardust.
Seven seasons on, TPL has found something rare in Indian sport: equilibrium. Indian enough to pack provincial stadiums. Global enough to justify multi-continent streaming. Confident enough to expand without overreaching. In a landscape littered with leagues that flamed out after overpromising, that may be the most valuable serve of all.
Game, set, pragmatism
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.
