Neeraj Chopra and Mirabai Chanu (Image credit: Agencies)

India will begin its Commonwealth Games campaign in Glasgow on Thursday with a compact yet accomplished 125-member contingent aiming to maximise its opportunities in a drastically trimmed programme. The Games, running from July 23Aug 2, feature just 10 sports, forcing India to recalibrate expectations after a highly successful Birmingham campaign four years ago.The Indian squad comprises 77 men and 48 women competing across eight able-bodied and five para disciplines. Athletics forms the backbone of the campaign with 32 competitors, while boxing and judo have 14 athletes each, weightlifting 12 and swimming five. Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu will be India’s flagbearer at the opening ceremony, with Tokyo bronze medallist and former world champion boxer Lovlina Borgohain serving as baton bearer. The overall Indian delegation comprises 190 members – 125 athletes, 51 coaches and support staff and 14 contingent officials.Unlike Birmingham, where India fielded 210 athletes and won 61 medals, including 22 gold, Glasgow presents a very different challenge. The programme has been cut from 19 sports in 2022 to 10, with medal-rich disciplines such as badminton, wrestling, hockey, table tennis, cricket and squash omitted. Those six sports accounted for 30 of India’s medals in Birmingham, sharply reducing the country’s traditional medal base.Despite the pared-down programme, India boasts several genuine gold contenders. Tokyo Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra returns to the CWG after missing Birmingham through injury and will renew his rivalry with Pakistan’s reigning Olympic and Commonwealth champion Arshad Nadeem. The field also includes Sri Lanka’s world leader Rumesh Pathirage. Chopra, the 2018 champion, remains India’s biggest athletics hope.Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, a Birmingham silver medallist, and high jumper Sarvesh Kushare, who set a national record of 2.31 metres last month before finishing third at the Monaco Diamond League meeting, further strengthen India’s track and field ambitions. Other key names include Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Parul Chaudhary, Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Gulveer Singh.India’s weightlifting challenge will again be led by Mirabai, who is chasing a fourth CWG medal and a third successive gold. The boxing squad includes proven contenders such as Lovlina, Sakshi Chaudhary, Preeti Pawar and Jaismine Lamboria.The contingent spans generations, with 49-year-old lawn bowler Dinesh Kumar Singh the oldest athlete and 16-year-old para cyclist Lisha Das the youngest. Competitions will be staged at Scotstoun Stadium, the Scottish Event Campus, Glasgow International Arena and Tollcross International Swimming Centre.With Ahmedabad set to host the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030, Glasgow offers India not only a shot at medals but also a valuable learning opportunity before it welcomes the sporting community home.

Sports excluded from Glasgow Commonwealth Games:

Shooting (63 gold medals won by India tilll date), table tennis (10 gold), wrestling (100+ overall medals, including 6 gold in 2022 Birmingham Games), field hockey (3 silver for men while women won gold in 2002, silver in 2006 and bronze in 2022), squash (women’s doubles gold in Glasgow 2014), women’s cricket (silver in 2022).

Why are these sport excluded?

Glasgow stepped in after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew citing escalating costs. Organisers trimmed the Games to 10 sports across four venues within an eight-mile radius to keep expenses under control. Victoria’s projected budget had ballooned to around 14,500 cr. Glasgow will operate on a leaner £150 million (around 1,750 cr) budget, with £100 million funded by the Commonwealth Sport.

Santos superstar Neymar was a notable absentee from the squad as Cuca’s side secured a dominant victory in the Copa Sudamericana on Tuesday night. Rather than flying to Venezuela for the continental clash, the Brazilian icon was spotted competing in a professional poker tournament in São Paulo.

High stakes at the poker table

While his Santos teammates were battling on the pitch in Venezuela, Neymar was busy testing his luck and skill at the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) Winter edition. The forward, who has a well-documented passion for the card game, was spotted at the Golden Hall of the WTC Complex in Sao Paulo participating in the fourth stage of the national championship, according to ESPN Brazil. It is a familiar haunt for the Santos hero; during his participation in the same tournament in 2025, Neymar pocketed R$53,500.

The timing of his appearance raised eyebrows among some supporters, as it occurred just hours before Santos kicked off their crucial playoff tie. However, his presence at the event was not a case of going AWOL. The club had already made the decision to leave their marquee player behind to focus on a specific fitness programme following his return from a disappointing World Cup campaign.

Cuca explains the superstar’s absence

Santos manager Cuca was quick to clarify the situation surrounding his star man after the 4-1 victory over Universidad Central. The veteran coach insisted that the decision to leave Neymar out was primarily aimed at ensuring he was fully rested following his international commitment.

“Since he was sidelined for a few days and didn’t have a holiday, we decided to let him get even stronger, training hard so he could have a run of games,” Cuca explained after the match. “Now, in ten days, we’re going to play four matches. What advantage would it be to bring him here? You saw how hard and exhausting the trip is. He stayed there working, just like [Willian] Arao, Joao Schmidt, and Igor Vinicius, and that gives us more options for the upcoming games.”

Despite his evening at the poker table, Neymar has been putting in the work at the club’s training ground. He had recently shared a video on social media showing him scoring goals and looking sharp in training drills. The manager’s plan appears to be focused on ensuring Neymar is at 100 percent for the domestic campaign, where the club is currently struggling in 15th place in the league table.

Successful night for the Peixe

Even without their talisman, Santos proved far too strong for Universidad Central, putting one foot firmly in the Copa Sudamericana round of 16. The Brazilian giants romped to a 4-1 victory in Venezuela, establishing a commanding cushion ahead of next week’s second leg at the Vila Belmiro. Should they finish the job, Ecuadorian giants Macara await in the next round.

When asked if his No. 10 would return for the upcoming league fixture, Cuca confirmed Neymar will be back in action against Chapecoense this Saturday. The decisive away win eases the pressure on their continental campaign, allowing the club to shift its entire focus back to domestic duties for the weekend.

Life after international retirement

This period marks a significant transition for Neymar, who recently called time on his legendary career with the Selecao. The forward announced his retirement from international football following Brazil’s shock 2-1 loss to Norway at the 2026 World Cup, an exit that left the player in tears. Having scored 80 goals in 130 appearances for his country, he stepped away from the world stage at the MetLife Stadium.

With his international duties now a thing of the past, the focus for the remainder of his career is firmly on his club commitments with Santos. The Peixe are desperate for his leadership and goal-scoring prowess to navigate a congested fixture list. If he can stay fit and replicate the sharp form shown in recent training sessions, his presence will be the deciding factor in whether Santos can salvage their season.

Argentina fly half Tomas Albornoz has been charged with misconduct and faces a disciplinary hearing after “remonstrating with match officials” follow his side’s defeat to England in Santiago del Estero.

Albornoz was denied a chance to kick for a potential draw after a last-minute try was ruled out by referee Angus Gardner in consultation with television match official (TMO) Brett Cronan.

The officials ruled that Bautista Delguy had grounded the ball simultaneously on the try-line and corner flag, and thus not scored, as England held on for a 31-24 victory.

Albornoz appeared to approach Gardner and his assistants aggressively thereafter, and has now been charged by World Rugby under its Match Official Abuse Sanction Process,

The details of his disciplinary hearing will be released in due course.

“The Match Official Abuse Sanction Process was introduced to complement Regulation 18 and provide a clearer and more consistent framework for addressing public criticism of match officials, particularly where such comments may contribute to wider online abuse,” World Rugby explained in a statement.

“Developed by a cross-game working group including competition owner, match official playing and coaching representation and championed by Union CEOs, the process reflects a unified commitment to support and protect match officials.”

Argentina were disappointed that Delguy’s try was chalked off, and that no penalty try was awarded for an apparent high tackle by Noah Caluori.

Head coach Felipe Contepomi later accused the visitors of showing a “lack of respect” after abruptly leaving his press conference with England playing celebratory music nearby.

AEW star Sammy Guevara was rumoured to leave All Elite Wrestling. In the past few days, many revelations were made regarding his run. He has been one of the most precise high flyers in the Jacksonville-based promotion. Despite his immense talent, he hasn’t been able to become ‘the’ star in the company. Recently, he changed his X handle’s bio, where there was no mention of AEW.

This started the rumour that the Spanish God may be out of the company soon. Despite the talk, he was still present on the official roster page. Upon investigation, reports revealed that nobody among the AEW roster seems to know what is going on with the former TNT Champion. However, suspicion arose because in a recent interview he expressed frustration about his absence from AEW.

While speaking on Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez said there was no mention of AEW in Sammy Guevara’s bio before. However, someone started a rumour that AEW was removed from his bio because he probably wants to leave the company.

“So what happened was, he tweeted ‘New bio,’ and somebody went up there, looked at his bio, saw there was no AEW mentioned in it, and then they spread around the internet that he had ‘removed’ AEW from his bio. I have been told that he never had AEW in his bio. AEW was never removed from his bio. Someone thought he had removed it from his bio, which is why this whole story came out that he wanted out or had gotten his release. So really, nothing has changed at all over the last week. So that’s the update,” he said. [H/T – Ringside News]

Update on Sammy Guevara’s wife

While investigating the Spanish God’s whereabouts, major news about his wife, Tay Melo, surfaced. According to Wrestling Observer Live, Tay requested her release from AEW last year. However, it was denied.

“Multiple sources told me that Tay Melo requested a release last year but it was denied. It’s expected we will know what’s up when everyone gets to TV tomorrow,” said Alvarez.

It will be interesting to see when fans will see Sammy Guevara on AEW TV.