Summary
February 2026 sports highlights: Services won the Santosh Trophy; Mohun Bagan Super Giant led ISL. RCB clinched WPL 2026, while India’s women’s cricket team earned a Laureus World Sports Awards 2026 nomination. Khelo India Winter Games saw Army dominate, and India participated strongly in Asian Winter Games.
Detailed Analysis
1. Football: Santosh Trophy & ISL
- 79th Santosh Trophy (2025-26):
- Winner: Services (8th title).
- Runner-up: Kerala.
- Final Score: 1-0 (Abhishek Pawar scored the decisive extra-time goal).
- Host: Dhakuakhana, Assam.
- Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26:
- The league's new season kicked off on February 14, 2026.
- Key Highlight: Mohun Bagan Super Giant emerged as the early leader in the points table by late February, including a dominant 5-1 win over Mohammedan SC.
2. Cricket: WPL & Laureus Nominations
- Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026:
- Winner: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) (2nd title).
- Runner-up: Delhi Capitals.
- Final Date: February 5, 2026 (Held in Vadodara).
- Player of the Series: Sophie Devine (Gujarat Giants).
- Orange Cap: Smriti Mandhana (377 runs).
- Laureus World Sports Awards Nomination:
- The Indian Women’s Cricket Team was nominated for the 2026 Laureus World Team of the Year following their consistent performance and World Cup success in 2025.
3. Winter Sports: Khelo India & Asian Winter Games
- Khelo India Winter Games 2026:
- Host: Two legs — Leh (Ladakh) and Gulmarg (J&K).
- Overall Champion: Indian Army (9 Gold medals).
- Runner-up: Himachal Pradesh.
- Highlight: Figure skating made its debut in this edition.
- 9th Asian Winter Games (Harbin, China):
- India's Performance: India sent its largest-ever contingent (59 athletes). While India did not win a medal, figure skater Tara Prasad secured a career-best 8th position.
- Overall Topper: China (85 medals).
4. Other Major Highlights
- 72nd Senior National Kabaddi Championship:
- Winner: Indian Railways (defeated Maharashtra 49-31 in the final).
- Venue: Vadodara, Gujarat.
- New Delhi Marathon 2026:
- Men's Winner: Kartik Karkera (2:13:10) – qualified for the 2026 Asian Games.
- Women's Winner: Nirmaben Thakor (2:41:15).