Kapil Dev, left, at the inauguration of the Kapil Dev Grant-Thornton Invitational at the Prestige Golfshire Club in the city’s outskirts on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The legendary Kapil Dev stated that golf was one of the few really inclusive sports in today’s landscape.

“It’s true inclusiveness,” said Kapil, at the inauguration of Kapil Dev Grant-Thornton Invitational at the Prestige Golfshire Club in the city’s outskirts on Thursday. “Among physical sports, this is the only game where men and women can compete from the same point, and women can beat the men and men can beat the women.

“It’s one of the few sports where people of any calibre, any age can play together. So an eight-year-old, an 80-year-old, a male professional golfer, a female professional golfer, a business person who has just started playing could all play together and have a good enjoyable round.”

Kapil, who is also the president of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), stressed that golf was never meant to be a game only for the rich and that it should be a game for the masses. He also said that sponsors’ support was essential for all sports, not just golf. “Without money, nothing is possible. Sponsors are indeed the real backbone of any sport.”

The Kapil Dev-Grant Thornton Invitational is a three-day, 54-hole championship which will see some of India’s top male and female professionals compete for a prize purse of ₹2 crore.

NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma struck his second consecutive half-century and stitched a crucial 53-run stand with Suryakumar Yadav (40*), powering Mumbai Indians to a dominant seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL on Wednesday. Chasing a modest target of 144, Mumbai wrapped up the win in just 15.4 overs, marking their fourth straight win and third successful chase in a row.
The chase was anchored by Rohit, who was at his fluent best with a 46-ball 70. He took charge early, launching Pat Cummins over deep square leg for a six and following it up with a crisp four in the third over.
Showing great awareness of the flat Hyderabad pitch, Rohit—who came in as an impact sub—was quick to capitalize, especially when Jaydev Unadkat took the pace off the ball. A powerful lofted six over cover in the fourth over set the tone for what would be a commanding innings.
Rohit’s composed yet aggressive approach, blending caution with controlled aggression, proved too good for the SRH bowlers. With Suryakumar complementing him well, the result was never in doubt.

Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad, after a poor start, were bailed out by Heinrich Klaasen’s counter-attacking 71 off 44 balls. He shared a 99-run partnership with Abhinav Manohar (43 off 37), helping SRH recover to 143/8. Despite their efforts, it proved too little against a resurgent Mumbai side.
In a light-hearted post-match moment, SRH pacer Mohammad Shami was seen taking Hardik Pandya’s autograph on an ICC Champions Trophy 2025 jersey. Both players were part of India’s victorious campaign, where they beat New Zealand by four wickets in the final held in Dubai.
Mumbai, now with back-to-back wins over SRH this season, continue to build strong momentum in their campaign.

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