CWG 2026: Putul Sonowal shocks world champion Ryan Bester in lawn bowls thriller | Commonwealth Games News

NEW DELHI: India made a sensational start to their Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 campaign as lawn bowler Putul Sonowal pulled off a stunning upset against reigning world champion Ryan Bester of Canada in the Men’s Singles competition on Thursday.Making his debut at the Commonwealth Games, the Assam-born bowler showed remarkable composure to defeat one of the sport’s biggest names, winning the competition in a tense tie-break after the two players shared the first two sets.Sonowal, the reigning Asian champion, won the first set, 5-4 before Bester responded strongly with a dominant 7-3 win in the second set to force a decider.However, the Indian kept his composure when it mattered most, prevailing in the tie-break to complete a memorable win in his opening Section D match.The win was especially significant given Bester’s decorated career. The Canadian has won multiple Commonwealth Games medals, including a bronze in the Men’s Singles in 2006 and silver medals in 2014 and 2018. He also boasts seven World Outdoor Championships medals, including a Singles gold in 2023, and was inducted into the inaugural World Bowls Hall of Fame class in 2025.Sonowal will next face Cecil Alexander in the Falkland Islands this Friday.

Rupa Rani-Pinki survived the thriller of Women’s Pairs

India’s strong start continued in the Women’s Pairs event, where the experienced duo of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh defeated Malta in another dramatic tie-break encounter.The Indian pair got off to a good start at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) Hall 3, winning the opening set 7-1 against Malta’s Rebecca Louise Rixon and Connie-Leigh Rixon.But Malta fought back in the second set, winning 4-3 to take the match to a tie-break. In a tense finish, India found themselves trailing before Pinki delivered a brilliant final bowl to seal the win.In lawn bowls, the skip is the team captain who decides the strategy and plays the last two bowls at one end, while the lead delivers the first bowl and focuses on positioning near the target.The Indian Women’s Pairs team will face South Africa in their second Section B match this Friday.Both Tirkey and Pinki are members of India’s historic gold medal winning Women’s Fours team at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. However, the Fours events were removed from the Glasgow edition, leaving only the Men’s and Women’s Singles and Pairs competitions.India also won a silver medal in the Men’s Fours event in Birmingham, and Sonowal’s stunning opening win raised hopes of another strong lawn bowls campaign.