The Ekamra Sports Literature Festival (ESLF)-Asia's premier celebration of sports writing-announced a significant milestone on November 22, revealing its plans to go global in 2026.
Festival Director Sundeep Misra confirmed that after six successful years as Asia's Sports Literature Awards, the ESLF will now expand its scope to honour international sports writers, marking a new chapter in its evolution as a global literary movement dedicated to sports.
At the 2025 edition, held at Delhi's Bikaner House, Bring It On by Deepa Malik and Soni Sangwan was honoured with the ESLF Sports Book of the Year, 2025. Meanwhile, The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife by Puja Pujara and Namita Kala won Biography of the Year, 2025.
Other major winners included The One,
Cricket, My Life and More by Shikhar Dhawan, Chandresh Narayan and Namita Kala, which claimed Autobiography of the Year; Fearless by Mohinder Amarnath and Rajinder Amarnath, awarded Cricket Book of the Year; and Sacred Grounds: A Journey Through People's Football in India, which earned a Special Jury Award. HarperCollins was recognised as the Publisher of the Year.
The festival's 7th edition also featured a special panel session with Olympic gold medallist and world high jump record-holder Javier Sotomayor (2.45m) and India's national record holder Tejaswin Shankar (2.29m).
Sotomayor reflected on the longevity of his 32-year-old world record, crediting the fierce competitive era he competed in and emphasising the virtues of dedication, focus and discipline. He encouraged aspiring athletes to keep improving year after year, drawing inspiration from their predecessors.
Talking about his record and being the only person to have breached the 8-feet mark, the Cuban high-jumper said, "I think what helped me was an athlete in the era of High Jump, when there was very high quality of High jumpers in the world and I learned a lot from them and also a lot of my predecessors whom I observed a lot and that is one advice I will tell others as well, you have to be very dedicated, focused and disciplined and always aiming to do what he did last year, better this year. "
The day concluded with a session by cricket writer and filmmaker Jarrod Kimber, who discussed his book The Art of Batting, which analyses the top 50 batters in world cricket through the lens of skill, cognition and strategy. Kimber highlighted how the evolution of the game, especially the introduction of the DRS and modern review systems, has changed batting philosophies, noting that "You can't be a Rahul Dravid in this era-you have to be whatever your era allows. "
The annual event also hosted Italian author Franco Nugnes, Palestinian middle-distance runner Mohammed Dwedar, India's first female Paralympic medallist Deepa Malik, football authors Sandeep Menon (Sacred Grounds) and Jaydeep Basu (Who Stole My Football), ESLF director Sundeep Misra, and rising Indian track and field talents Shourya Ambure, Poorva Sawant, and Bushra Khan.
With its expansion to a global format in 2026, the Ekamra Sports Literature Festival is set to highlight sports writing from around the world, amplifying new voices while honouring stories that shape the global sporting landscape.
| Category | Winning Title | Author(s) / Publisher | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Book of the Year | Bring It On | Deepa Malik & Soni Sangwan | 2025 |
| Biography of the Year | The Diary of a Cricketer's Wife | Puja Pujara & Namita Kala | 2025 |
| Autobiography of the Year | The One, Cricket, My Life and More | Shikhar Dhawan, Chandresh Narayan & Namita Kala | 2025 |
| Cricket Book of the Year | Fearless | Mohinder Amarnath & Rajinder Amarnath | 2025 |
| Special Jury Award | Sacred Grounds: A Journey Through People's Football in India | Sandeep Menon | 2025 |
| Publisher of the Year | - | HarperCollins | 2025 |
