The inaugural Eurasia T20I Cup, a landmark new cricket tournament featuring eight ICC associate member nations from Europe and Asia, has been officially announced. This first-of-its-kind tournament will bring together four European teams and four Asian teams annually to compete for top honors in the associate cricketing world.

The inaugural edition, set to take place in Dubai from January 1 to 18,2025, will see Malta, Sweden, Norway and Romania carry the mantle for Europe while Asia will be represented by Indonesia, Myanmar and two more countries that will be announced next month’s trophy unveiling ceremony in Dubai.

Former captain of the Cambodian cricket team and director of the 32^nd South East Asian (SEA) Games Manish Sharma, one of the brains behind the inaugural Eurasia T20I, said: “This tournament represents a new chapter in international cricket, particularly for associate nations, giving teams like Malta, Sweden, and Myanmar a platform to compete, grow, and build cricketing excellence. We believe this event will not only increase visibility for these nations but also inspire a new generation of cricketers across Europe and Asia.”

Heralding a new future for Associate nations in international cricket

The planned eight-nation annual tournament will showcase some of the most promising cricket talent from these regions, giving associate nations the opportunity to compete on a global stage and further their development in the sport. The competition is set to become an annual event, with the goal of elevating the standard of cricket across both continents. “Through this tournament, we aim to not only promote cricket in emerging regions, providing associate member nations the chance to gain international experience and recognition but also create a competitive environment that will help develop the skills and abilities of players from lesser-known cricketing nations,” added Sharma, who is also the board member of the Cambodia Cricket Federation. “This will also help us build new partnerships between European and Asian cricketing boards, fostering collaboration and growth across borders.”

“The launch of the Eurasia T20I Cup signals the growing influence of associate nations in the global cricketing landscape,” said Yousuf Gilani of Cricket Norway. “By offering teams like us a regular platform to compete, the tournament will play a pivotal role in expanding the sport’s reach and supporting the development of cricketing talent worldwide.” At 39, Norway are currently the highest ranked T20I men’s team in the tournament.

Friday marked the final day of matches at the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, where two teams advanced to the finals. Despite three matches taking place, all eyes were on the decisive clash between second-placed Alpine Sg Pipers and Triveni Continental Kings, battling directly for the remaining spot in the finals. The Pipers entered with 18 match points and 81 game points, while Triveni had 15 match points but a higher game point tally of 90. A Triveni win would push them past the Pipers for the final spot.

The match’s importance was clear from the start, with FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich making the ceremonial first move on the icon board, where Triveni’s Alireza Firouzja faced Sg Pipers’ Magnus Carlsen. The Pipers started strong, securing solid positions on the top two boards, and soon after, Hou Yifan gained the upper hand against Alexandra Kosteniuk. A draw between Radjabov and Rapport on board three kept the tension high.

At this point, Sg Pipers seemed on the verge of victory. However, as often happens in rapid chess, momentum shifted in minutes. Triveni’s Valentina Gunina delivered a crucial win against Kateryna Lagno. While Carlsen secured victory on the top board, giving Sg Pipers a temporary lead, Praggnanandhaa blundered a winning position against Wei Yi, and Hou Yifan misplayed her advantage against Kosteniuk.

With the score at 7-6 in favor of Sg Pipers, everything came down to the prodigy board, where Triveni’s Javokhir Sindarov was winning against Daniel Dardha. Despite severe time pressure on both sides, Sindarov held his nerve and secured the win, swinging the match for Triveni 9-7 and sending them to the finals, where they will defend their season one title.

The other two matches of the day also brought excitement. The bottom two teams, upGrad Mumba Masters and Ganges Grandmasters, opened the day. Despite their strong squads, both teams struggled this season. Last season’s runners-up, Mumba, managed only three wins in nine matches, while Ganges secured just two. In their final match, Vishy Anand’s Ganges Grandmasters triumphed over Mumba with a commanding 12-4 score, avoiding a last-place finish. For upGrad Mumba Masters, it was a disappointing end to a season that began with high hopes.

In the second match, PBG Alaskan Knights, already through to the finals, defeated the American Gambits 14-5. While the top two boards ended in draws, PBG scored with Black on three of the remaining four boards. Though this match had no impact on the standings—PBG was already qualified for the finals, and the Gambits couldn’t improve their fourth-place standing—the players gave their all. PBG’s victory, their eighth in ten matches, further boosted their confidence ahead of the finals. Despite the loss, the Gambits finished fourth, securing a prize.

A spectacular comeback for Triveni

Sg Pipers, playing with the Black pieces, had a strong start to the match. On the icon board, Magnus Carlsen—playing as Black—applied significant pressure on Alireza Firouzja. By the middlegame, Carlsen had secured a strong advantage that only continued to grow.

Meanwhile, on board two, Triveni’s superstar Wei Yi was also in trouble. Facing Praggnanandhaa with the white pieces, he defended well until move 21, when he blundered, directly entering a lost position.

On board three, Triveni’s Teimour Radjabov held steady against Richard Rapport, with the two agreeing to a draw—the first game to finish.

On board four, in a battle between two former Women’s World Champions, Sg Pipers’ Hou Yifan gained the upper hand against Alexandra Kosteniuk, who fought hard to stay in the game.

Triveni’s lone bright spot was on board five, where Valentina Gunina had a significantly better position against Kateryna Lagno. Gunina ultimately won, marking the beginning of a remarkable turnaround for Triveni.

The prodigy board remained even until the endgame.

Then, momentum sharply shifted. While Carlsen defeated Firouzja to give Sg Pipers a critical lead, Praggnanandhaa misplayed his winning position against Wei Yi, resulting in a draw. The same fate struck Hou Yifan, who also drew her game. With that, Sg Pipers clung to a slim one-point lead, 7-6, but one game remained.

On the prodigy board, Triveni’s Javokhir Sindarov created a dominating position against Daniel Dardha and refused to let up. Despite Dardha’s attempts to salvage a draw, Sindarov maintained his pressure and defeated his opponent with just 14 seconds remaining on the clock.

It was a spectacular comeback for Triveni, who will now attempt to defend their season one title in a round-robin showdown against PBG Alaskan Knights on Saturday.

In a surprising turn of events, upGrad Mumba Masters delivered a shocking defeat to tournament leaders PBG Alaskan Knights 10-9, disrupting their path to direct qualification for the finals. The win revived Mumba’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage themselves.

The seventh day of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League saw PBG, playing as Black, play against Mumba Masters, who had won only two out of seven matches so far. With three rounds left (including this one), PBG had the opportunity to secure their place in the finals. For Mumba, this was a must-win match to keep their finals hopes alive.

The opening game between the two teams ended in a narrow 8-5 victory for PBG, with just one decisive result: PBG’s Nihal Sarin pulling off a crucial win against Raunak Sadhwani on the prodigy board.

Early on in the match, Mumba gained the upper hand. Sadhwani created a strong position against Sarin, and Humpy Koneru was better placed against former Women’s World Champion, Tan Zhongyi. However, on the superstar board, Vidit Gujrathi was struggling with time against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, echoing their earlier encounter. Meanwhile, PBG’s icon player Anish Giri could only manage to create a drawn position against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, which, considering Giri was Black, would normally be a favourable result.

The first game to conclude was a draw on the women’s board, where Harika Dronavalli and Alina Kashlinskaya, both top scorers, drew. Needing to rally quickly, PBG instead found themselves in trouble.

A highly unusual position then developed on the icon board: despite Black having two pawn-runners on the queenside, the engine showed White had the advantage—provided Vachier-Lagrave could push his pawns on the kingside. In time trouble, the Frenchman – who also holds a degree in mathematics – calculated flawlessly, seizing a decisive advantage.

However, Mumba suffered a setback when Vidit lost on time, giving PBG a lead of 4-2. Still, Mumba was in control on three of the remaining four boards.

Vachier-Lagrave’s victory over Giri closed the gap to 5-4. But then Mumba’s Peter Svidler fell against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in time trouble, pushing PBG ahead to 9-4.

It all came down to the final two boards, where Mumba was in dominant positions. Despite pressure on the clock, both Humpy and Sadhwani converted their advantages, securing a 10-9 victory for Mumba. When Sarin resigned, the crowd at Friends House erupted in applause.

“It feels great. I’m glad I could help the team. We had nothing to lose, wanting to play a good match and it worked,” Sadhwani said after the match.

With this victory, upGrad Mumba Masters remain in contention for the finals, while PBG Alaskan Knights will have to wait for another chance to secure their finalist spot.

Please see attached pics from the match today.