In the now-viral clip, Jadeja and Rivaba are seen walking up to the stage to greet the newlyweds, presenting them with a bouquet. As they approached, Kuldeep respectfully bent down to touch their feet, seeking blessings — a traditional gesture deeply rooted in Indian culture. Jadeja and his wife responded warmly, blessing the couple.The moment quickly gained traction online, with fans praising Kuldeep for his humility.WATCH:The reception itself was a grand affair attended by prominent figures including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and India head coach Gautam Gambhir. Several of Kuldeep’s teammates, including Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant, were also in attendance, along with former opener Shikhar Dhawan.Dhawan later shared glimpses from the evening on social media, congratulating the couple and wishing them “a lifetime of love and happiness.”Kuldeep made a stylish entry to the venue in a vintage Rolls-Royce alongside Vanshika. He donned a classic black suit, while the bride looked elegant in a cream-coloured saree, adding to the charm of the evening.With classical music setting the tone and a gathering of eminent personalities under one roof, the reception was a blend of glamour and tradition.(With inputs from PTI)

Taking to X, she wrote, “I know that alone, I may not be able to change anything. But regardless of whether I play in the Candidates or not, I felt it was important to express what I genuinely feel.”“I’m truly grateful to everyone who has shown their support. For those who cannot understand the sensitivity of this situation, I choose to leave it at that,” she added.While uncertainty still lingers, Humpy’s potential withdrawal may not just be about missing the Candidates, the only gateway to the World Championship match, but could also have larger financial implications.Section 3.5 of FIDE’s “Regulations for the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament 2026” states that “players who fail to provide a satisfactory reason for withdrawal after they have signed the player’s contract may be imposed a fine of up to ten thousand (10,000) euros”, which is over Rs 10 lakh in Indian currency. However, the final decision on the amount, or whether it should be imposed at all, will be taken by the FIDE Council.Speaking to TOI about Humpy’s concerns, FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky had stated, “We have discussed the issue with Humpy and agreed on a date by which she will make a final decision. It was in good spirit, and FIDE will not comment on the exact date, but it is reasonable and suited both Humpy and ourselves.”It is understood that Humpy’s camp will take a call on whether to travel to Cyprus by next Monday.According to FIDE regulations, Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine will be called up as a replacement if the 38-year-old veteran Grandmaster (GM) does not travel.

Anna Muzychuk (Photo by Norway Chess/Michal Walusza)

Muzychuk, a two-time World Blitz champion and one-time World Rapid champion, will qualify under FIDE’s section 2.2, which states: “If any replacement is needed, the spot shall be awarded to the next yet unqualified player(s) of the ‘FIDE Women’s Events 2024–25’.” Despite being ninth on the leaderboard, Muzychuk stands to benefit as all players above her have already qualified.

A setback for Indian chess?

Humpy qualified for the Women’s Candidates 2026 after finishing runner-up in the 2025 Women’s World Cup. Veteran Grandmaster and coach GM Shyam Sundar Mohanraj, who was head of delegation for the Indian team in Batumi during the World Cup, feels that her withdrawal would be a “setback for Indian chess”.“Definitely, it will be a setback for Indian chess (if she doesn’t go). But at the same time, we just hope that all the conflicts or whatever is happening resolves soon, because till the last moment, we don’t know,” Shyam told this website.“Whatever Humpy felt about participating, it’s her own personal choice… Being there at the FIDE Women’s World Cup, I personally saw the hard work done by all the players, because the tie-break, especially, was mentally and physically exhausting.”Besides Humpy, Vaishali and Divya will be playing in the Women’s Candidates, while Praggnanandhaa will be India’s sole representative in the open section.“They have spent lots of energy, made many sacrifices, and shown great mental toughness to qualify for such an event. It’s a gruelling process,” he further added.ALSO READ: Mother quit job, son scripts history: How Mayank Chakraborty, 16, became Northeast’s 1st GM“Certain things are not in our control, and it looks like other players are also participating. It’s their personal choice and their priority at the moment. But I hope everything resolves soon.”

It was no ordinary morning, and it is no ordinary week. Finishing touches were being applied to what is a monumental occasion – a Delhi-based top-level club returning home after a seven-year gap.Delhi once boasted of three clubs in the top two divisions: Delhi Dynamos in the Indian Super League (ISL) and Sudeva Delhi and Delhi FC in the I-League (now called the Indian Football League). Dynamos witnessed an average attendance of over 15,000 in the first ISL season (2014) and had legends such as Alessandro Del Piero and Roberto Carlos in their ranks.Delhi’s tryst with ISL and top-tier football lasted until February 2019 as ahead of 2019-20 season, the club rebranded itself as Odisha FC and shifted its base to Bhubaneswar. The presence of I-League clubs has persisted.The capital city’s seven-year void of first-division football ends on Thursday (March 19) as Sporting Club Delhi, earlier called Hyderabad FC, host Jamshedpur FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. It is an emotional moment for defender Akshat Mehra, who was part of the Dynamos youth setup and is now one of two Delhites in the SC Delhi squad.

SC Delhi picked up their first points of the season against Mumbai City FC in a come-from-behind draw. (Image: AIFF)

“I’m very happy that football is finally back in Delhi after a very long time. Last time it was Delhi Dynamos and thankfully I was a part of it also and now being a part of SC Delhi it’s a great feeling because it’s my home club and I get to represent my city and I’m very happy about it,” said the 19-year-old after the team’s training session in Noida.The magnitude of the occasion is not lost on Akshat, who was part of Delhi’s U-20 national championship-winning side recently. The stage and level of expectation are bigger now. “It’s a great feeling, but also it’s a bigger responsibility, and I feel it’s not going to be easy, but we are prepared for it as a team. If you talk about Delhi, now it’s time for Delhi to step up… there’s no going back from here, and hopefully we do great for the city, and we make all our fans proud,” continued Akshat.The Phoenix, as the club is nicknamed, are hoping that this home stretch proves to be a turnaround in their fortunes. After four matches played in the truncated season, SC Delhi are second from bottom with one draw and three losses — doing only marginally better than Mohammedan Sporting, who are yet to open their account.

SC Delhi players in action against East Bengal in the Indian Super League. (Image: AIFF)

The season began with a 0-2 loss in Bengaluru, followed by a 1-4 thrashing at the hands of East Bengal, a slender 0-1 defeat against FC Goa before staging a comeback from 0-2 down to force a 2-2 draw against Mumbai City FC for their first points of the season.Having zig-zagged across the country, taking multiple flights — sometimes more than one — this home game comes as a respite after a 10-day gap. It helps that it comes at a time when the team is struggling, and the threat of relegation is ever-so-real.“There is always the additional support, so we are counting on them to come in big numbers. They will be loud in the stadium and they will motivate our players. We say that fans are like the 12th player and we are expecting that, waiting for that,” said coach Tomasz Tchorz.

Tchorz has been in India for a while now: with ATK Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters – both with strong home connections and a loyal fan base. He hopes Delhi adds to the list for him and JLN Stadium continues to be a venue of miracles.“I think this is challenging but also very interesting especially in a city like Delhi which is (the) capital, which is big and versatile because you have a lot of communities in Delhi. Also, you have foreign people, and our team can represent different communities and unite them,” said the Polish manager.“This is something I would like to do as a coach of the team. Even in our team you can see people from different parts of India. You can also see people from different parts of the world.“With our team, we can unite communities, and we can make a big family which is very rich in different cultures, languages, and religions. We can be as one by football,” he continued.

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will host the SC Delhi home games in the ISL. (File photo)

To draw fans for this momentous occasion, SC Delhi have invited school kids, made tickets free and are collaborating with social media influencers to spread the message. The response has been “overwhelming”, says club CEO Dhruv Sood.“We launched (tickets) Friday night, and we’ve had an overwhelming response so far, above our expectations. The first game is an inaugural offer. The ownership wanted people to see and feel the pulse of ISL and football in Delhi. So, it’s been free of charge for all people who want to attend.“Tickets are still available. We are still trying to put out more because we want young people, we want Delhi people to come and see football.“So, we are trying to get out there, even in this current situation in Indian football, as much as possible. My hope is that we have 10-11,000 people which would be a good number. Hopefully, a lot of them (will be) wearing red and supporting us and hopefully, the team will respond by giving them the first win of the season,” said Sood with a lot of optimism.