Vikram Rao
Sports Editor
38 articles · Writes about Sport
Vikram Rao is the sports editor at The NE Times, following football, cricket, tennis and the athletes, leagues and international fixtures that matter most to fans worldwide.
Latest by Vikram Rao
Brentford Thrash Tottenham 3-0 as Sangare’s Midfield Control Exposes Spurs’ New-Look Side
Brentford beat Tottenham 3-0 at the Gtech as Mamadou Sangare drove a performance that exposed Spurs’ problems in duels, structure and transition.
Quévin Castro Dies at 25 After Collapsing During a Friendly in Portugal
Former West Bromwich Albion midfielder Quévin Castro has died aged 25 after collapsing during a friendly in Portugal, with no cause announced.
Hull City Beat Manchester United 2-0 on Their Return to the Premier League
Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy scored from set pieces at the MKM Stadium as Michael Carrick lost his first league match as United's permanent manager.
The Vuelta a Espana Opens in Monaco With a 9.4km Time Trial on the Grand Prix Circuit
Twenty-five corners, the Fairmont hairpin and the Louis II tunnel decide the first red jersey of a race that ends in Granada on 13 September.
Rybakina Retires With an Achilles Problem as Swiatek and Pegula Set Up a Cincinnati Semi-Final
The Kazakh stopped at 4-1 down in the first set, ending a run that could have taken her to the top of the world rankings this week.
Jannik Sinner Withdraws From the US Open, the First Grand Slam He Has Missed Through Injury
The world number one says he needs more time to recover from a right knee problem, nine days before the main draw begins in New York.
India Hold England Goalless in Amstelveen and Send Them Out of the Hockey World Cup
A late diving save from Bichu Devi preserved the draw India needed, leaving England to play for classification places instead of the knockouts.
Ogunbowale's Season-High 32 Leads the Wings Past the Fever 91-85, Ending Indiana's Five-Game Winning Streak
Dallas outlasted Indiana on a night Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark both misfired, with Jessica Shepard adding a career-best 26 points.
Kyle Shanahan Says the Crash Was His Fault, After an Official Report Wrongly Blamed a 21-Year-Old Driver
The 49ers head coach, hurt in a July head-on crash in Palo Alto, corrected the record as police confirmed a clerical error in the official report.
Rory McIlroy Shoots a Bogey-Free 64 to Share a Five-Way BMW Championship Lead at Bellerive
McIlroy, Gary Woodland, Wyndham Clark, JJ Spaun and Chris Gotterup all opened with 6-under 64 in St Louis as Scottie Scheffler faded late.
The NBA's Quiet August Erupts: Peyton Watson Lands in Cleveland and Max Strus in LA in a Sprawling Five-Team Trade
Cleveland hands Denver an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and gives Watson a four-year, $88m deal, with Wizards, Clippers and Nuggets all in the mix.
Serbia Edge France 90-87 in Belgrade as Jokic and Wembanyama Renew Basketball's Best Rivalry Before the Qualifiers
Victor Wembanyama's first France appearance since the Paris Olympics ended in a three-point defeat to Nikola Jokic's Serbia, with a rematch on Sunday.
João Cancelo Returns to Barcelona for a Third Spell, Signing to 2029 After Forcing His Al Hilal Exit
The Portugal full-back tore up his Saudi contract to rejoin the champions on a free, telling Al Hilal it was Barcelona or a year in the stands.
'I'm Not the Player of the Year, No Chance': McIlroy Concedes the Award to Scheffler Before the BMW Championship
Even a Masters green jacket would not be enough, Rory McIlroy says, after Scheffler's eight-shot St Jude rout and a season of relentless top finishes.
Max Verstappen Ends the Speculation, Signing a Red Bull Extension That Keeps Him in Milton Keynes Until the End of 2030
The announcement before his home Dutch Grand Prix adds two years to a deal that had run to 2028, and would take him to 15 seasons with Red Bull.
Messi Scores but Inter Miami Are Held 2-2 at Philadelphia as the Union's Revival Rolls On
Lionel Messi struck in the 26th minute at Subaru Park, but Neil Pierre's second-half equaliser earned the resurgent Union a point against Miami.
Barcelona Edge Al Ahly 2-1 in a Joan Gamper Trophy With a First: An African Club at Camp Nou's Curtain-Raiser
Hamza Abdelkarim scored against his boyhood club and Raphinha converted a penalty as Barcelona won the 61st Gamper before Zizo's reply for Al Ahly.
The Little League World Series Opens in South Williamsport With a 20-Team Field and a New Route In
The 79th edition runs to 30 August, and Curacao and Panama arrive for the first time through guaranteed direct entry.
The Premier League Returns: Champions Arsenal Open Against Coventry in a Post-World Cup Season Like No Other
The 2026-27 campaign kicks off on 21 August with the champions hosting promoted Coventry City, two London derbies on opening weekend, and every squad managing the shortest reset in modern football.
Lakers Sold to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger in Record $12.5 Billion Deal
The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold to a group led by investor Josh Kushner and former Disney chief Bob Iger for a reported $12.5 billion, the largest price ever paid for a US sports franchise.
Russell Westbrook, the NBA's Triple-Double King, Retires After 18 Seasons
The 2017 MVP announced his retirement in a farewell video narrated by Michael B. Jordan, leaving the game as its all-time leader in triple-doubles after 18 seasons and nine All-Star selections.
Boerne Heads to the Little League World Series After Court Upholds Tulsa Disqualification
A Texas judge dissolved the restraining order that had briefly kept Tulsa National's season alive, backing Little League's ruling that the Oklahoma champions used an ineligible player and sending Boerne, Texas, to Williamsport.
Hockey Canada Appeal Board Confirms Staggered Suspensions for 2018 World Junior Players
An independent appeal board found five members of Canada's 2018 world junior team breached Hockey Canada's code of conduct, reinstating one player immediately and extending suspensions for the others to dates between 2026 and 2030.
Pogacar finally conquers Alpe d'Huez to extend Tour de France lead
Tadej Pogacar claimed his first career stage win on Alpe d'Huez, taking stage 19 and stretching his overall Tour de France lead past seven minutes.
Josh Kerr smashes 27-year mile world record with 3:42.66 in London
Britain's Josh Kerr became the first man under 3:43 for the mile, clocking 3:42.66 in London to break Hicham El Guerrouj's record from 1999.
Duckett century seals England's first ODI series win over India since 2018
England edged a Lord's run-fest by 27 runs as Ben Duckett's 141 trumped Rohit Sharma's 138, clinching a 2-1 one-day series against India.
Last to first: Waerenskjold wins the fastest road stage in Tour de France history
Soren Waerenskjold won the fastest road stage in Tour de France history at about 50.9km/h into Nevers, as Tadej Pogacar kept his 3:36 lead over Jonas Vingegaard.
Dan Brown and Sungjae Im share early Open lead as Royal Birkdale bares its teeth
Dan Brown and Sungjae Im fired matching 66s to share the first-round lead at the 154th Open at Royal Birkdale, with Bryson DeChambeau among the chasers.
Antonelli's shrinking lead, Verstappen intrigue and rain: Spa sets up a pivotal F1 weekend
Kimi Antonelli takes a shrinking 25-point lead into a wet Belgian Grand Prix week, with Lewis Hamilton chasing Michael Schumacher's record of six Spa wins.
Sinner consolidates No.1 as Zverev climbs and wildcard Fery rockets 78 places
Jannik Sinner tightened his grip on world No.1 after Wimbledon as Alexander Zverev rose to second and wildcard hero Arthur Fery rocketed 78 places to 36th.
Showing the 30 most recent of 38 articles by Vikram Rao.