Express Sports

As the year comes to a close, we wrap up 2025 with a special year-ender episode. In this edition, we speak to journalists and editors from The Indian Express newsroom, not from the sports desk, about the sporting moments that stayed with them this year. From iconic wins and unforgettable matches to personal favourites that sparked joy, debate, or disbelief, our colleagues share what made 2025 memo...

This week, Amit and Mihir are joined by a special guest, Michael Payne. Widely credited as the architect of the modern sports marketing model, Payne offers a ring-side view into some of the biggest Olympic deals and explains how the mega-event was transformed into a commercial colossus. The former marketing director of the International Olympic Committee -- who recently published his third book, _...

This week on the show, host Mihir Vasavda speaks to The Indian Express’ Lalith Kalidas about his investigation into how Puducherry has become a backdoor into Indian cricket’s elite leagues. They discuss how fake addresses, eligibility papers, and a parallel selection system allow players from other states to bypass residency rules, often in plain sight of cricket’s governing bodies, and how money,...

This week, our hosts Amit and Mihir are joined by The Indian Express’ Nihal Koshie to discuss the story of the boy who ran into trouble. Aman Malik, a budding long-distance runner from Haryana got embroiled in a doping scandal in Kenya and is sentenced to three years in jail. We discuss his journey and what it indicates about the drugs menace in sports. To read the story, click here: https://india...

Former Indian cricket coach international cricketer L. Balaji joins The Indian Express' Mihir Vasavda and Venkata Krishna B to analyse India's 2-0 series loss against South Africa, the concerns in the pace-bowling department and why, despite the defeat, there's no need to panic. Produced by Shashank Bhargava Edited and mixed Suresh Pawar

At the ongoing FIDE World Cup in Goa, neither world champion Gukesh, nor Pragg and Arjun Erigaisi made it to the semis. This week hosts Mihir Vasavda, Vinayakk Mohanarangan and Amit Kamath discuss the extent to which this is a cause for concern. Further listening:  https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/chess/chess-world-cup-a-question-for-grandmasters-what-after-work-their-reply-take-a-walk-103...

The journey of Indian women's cricket from sidelines to spotlight This week, Vinayakk and Mihir are joined by expert guest Ananya Upendran, who played for Hyderabad and India A during her career and is Program Lead at GoSports Foundation for the Equal Hue program. Ananya reflects on the journey of women's cricket over the years and the challenges it overcame before becoming world champions. Produc...

Hosts Vinayakk Mohanarangan and Mihir Vasavda talk about one of the most famous sporting moments in India's history as the women's cricket team won the World Cup on Sunday. They look back at India's campaign, talk about the incredible journeys of the players who made it happen and what this could do for women's cricket in the country. Produced by Shashank Bhargava Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar...

This week, host Mihir Vasavda talks to The Indian Express chess experts Amit Kamath and Mayank Chaudhary about the untimely passing away of American grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky. They talk about how the Russian great Vladimir Kramnik has found himself at the centre of the controversy, and discuss the larger issue of cheating in chess, especially how Kramnik’s unsubstantiated allegations against N...

The Indian Express' Venkata Krishna B joins host Amit Kamath this week to discuss what fans can expect from Shubman Gill's reign and what the future could hold for stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Produced by Shashank Bhargava Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

This week on Game Time, hosts Amit Kamath, Vinayakk Mohanarangan and Mihir Vasavda share their views on the complete breakdown of cricketing relations between India and Pakistan. From Suryakumar Yadav's actions to Pakistani players' gestures on the field and the Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi running away with the trophy... Is there a way back from this historic low? Produced Ichha Sh...

Amit Kamath, Vinayakk Mohanarangan and Venkata Krishna B discuss the ICC Women’s World Cup starting on September 30 in Guwahati. Can India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, create history by winning their first ever title? And is there truly home advantage? Produced by Ichha Sharma Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Hosts Amit Kamath, Vinayakk Mohanarangan, and Mihir Vasavda discuss Neeraj Chopra’s eighth place finish at the Athletics World Championships, examining the possible reasons behind his struggles this season and how he might bounce back. They also look at Sachin Yadav’s fourth place finish, a result that came as a pleasant surprise. (This episode was record on the 19th of September) Produced by Shas...

This week, hosts Amit Kamath and Mihir Vasavada are joined by Sandip G, The Indian Express' man on ground in Dubai, covering the Asia Cup. They talk about the India vs Pakistan tie and the calls to cut off the sporting ties. In Dubai, Sandip says there's very little buzz on the eve of the match in which India start as favourites. Produced by Ichha Sharma Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

This week, hosts Amit Kamath and Mihir Vasavda turn their attention to the World Athletics Championships, scheduled for September 13–21. Neeraj Chopra will lead a 12-member Indian team and, notably, return to the site where he transformed from just another athlete into a javelin legend. They look back on the Pandemic Games, the challenges Neeraj overcame before winning gold, and how that moment sp...

This week, hosts Vinayakk Mohanarangan, Shivani Naik and Mihir Vasavda look back at the Badminton World Championships. Satwik and Chirag won their second medal, a re-energised Sindhu continued her dominance over China, Dhruv-Tanisha had a decent run in mixed doubles but Lakshya Sen had another frustrating outing. Produced by Shashank Bhargava  Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar 

This week, The Indian Express' badminton correspondent Shivani Naik joins hosts Mihir Vasavda and Amit Kamath to talk about why a change in taste palette in China is making badminton academy owners in India sweat. Come for Shivani's insights and stay for Mihir's impassioned plea to Indians to eat more duck meat in "national interest". Further reading: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/badmi...

This week on Game Time, hosts Amit Kamath, Mihir Vasavda and Vinayakk Mohanarangan are joined by The Indian Express’ Sandip G to discuss the debate around Bumrah's availability for long tours and the drying talent pool in the pace bowling department.  To read Sandip's analysis, click here: https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/cricket/jasprit-bumrah-mohammed-siraj-india-vs-england-fast-bowling-...

The Indian Express' sports editor, Sandeep Dwivedi, joins hosts Vinayakk Mohanarangan and Amit Kamath this week to talk about his experiences of covering the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy from the ground in five England stadiums. You can read Sandeep Dwivedi's India vs England Tour diary here . Produced by Ichha Sharma and Shashank Bhargava Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

This week on Game Time, hosts Vinayakk Mohanarangan and Amit Kamath are joined by Mayank Chaudhary to discuss a possible power shift in women’s chess. For decades, the game has been dominated by Chinese players — but with two Indian women recently battling it out for the World Cup title, while two Chinese players competed for third place, signs are emerging that a new Indian era could be on the ho...

In this episode, hosts Vinayakk and Mihir are joined by The Indian Express cricket writer Venkata Krishna B to talk about Rishabh Pant’s courageous performance in the fourth Test against England. The trio also debates whether cricket should adopt a more flexible substitution rule—similar to those in football and hockey. Produced by Shashank Bhargava Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

In this episode of Game Time, hosts Mihir Vasavda, Amit Kamath, and Vinayakk Mohanarangan are joined by Deepali Deshpande, a former India shooter and the coach of the Indian shooting team who has been to multiple Olympics and shaped many careers of Olympic medalists and world champions. Together, they break down the game-changing rule proposals introduced by the International Shooting Sport Federa...

In this episode, hosts Vinayakk, Amit and Mihir look back at the first three Tests of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. They try to make sense of India's frequent batting collapses in Tests, the consistency of Ravindra Jadeja and how Mohammed Siraj has brought an edge to the bowling unit. Produced by Shashank Bhargava Edited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

In a special episode, hosts Amit Kamath, Vinayakk Mohanarangan and Mihir Vasavda are joined this week by former India women's hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne, who led the team to a famous fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics. He talks about the 'pain' of watching the rapid slide of the women's team, what India can learn from other nations and the way forward. Produced by Shasahnk Bhargava and Ich...

This week, Amit Kamath and Mihir Vasavda talk all things athletics. First up, they look forward to Neeraj Chopra's NC Classic. They then discuss why the newest sprint sensation, Australia's Gout Gout, is compared to Usain Bolt and then debate if Faith Kipyegon's attempt to run a mile inside 4 minutes was just a Nike gimmick or meant something more. Produced by Shashank Bhargava Edited and mixed by...