Thai players star as PDRM Defenders win STL Perak GP
By Lee Seng Foo18 hours ago
Thai players made their mark on the opening round of the 2026 Sepak Takraw League (STL) Premier season.
Worapat Kaewtawatwiset helped PDRM Defenders win the Perak Grand Prix, while Chutchanan Suwannarat earned the best tekong award.
PDRM came from a set down to beat Chutchanan’s Kuala Lumpur Thunder 2-1 in Sunday’s final at Stadium Indera Mulia in Ipoh, collecting the first Grand Prix title of the campaign.
KL Thunder dominated the opening set 15-3, but the Defenders fought back to take the second 17-15 before edging the decider 15-13.
Worapat, who plays as a tekong for PDRM, was named Player of the Day for his contribution to their title-winning performance.
His compatriot Chutchanan was recognised for his performances throughout the tournament, receiving the best tekong award despite KL Thunder’s defeat in the final.
The pair were among 18 Thai players listed for the STL Premier season, making Thailand the largest source of overseas recruits in the 12-team competition.
PDRM’s Shahalril Aiman was named best killer, while KL Thunder’s Kamarul Ezzad received the best feeder award.
The victory put PDRM at the top of the overall standings with 32 points, four ahead of KL Thunder, while ATM Guardians took third place after beating Johor Tigris.
The competition now moves to the Balik Pulau Sports Complex for the Penang Grand Prix from October 28 to November 1, the second of seven rounds.
Fans in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Macau can watch the Penang Grand Prix live on SPOTV NOW.
MotoGP returns to Sepang for the 2026 Malaysian Grand Prix from October 30 to November 1, with fans set to fill the grandstands for one of Southeast Asia’s biggest race weekends.
Ahead of the event, which will be shown live on SPOTV NOW, here are five interesting things to know.
Sepang has become one of Ducati’s most successful venues, with the Italian manufacturer having nine premier-class Grand Prix wins, more than any other manufacturer since the circuit joined the calendar in 1999.
Their dominance has emerged more recently as they have won six of the eight Malaysian Grands Prix held since 2016 - the race was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic - through Andrea Dovizioso (2016 & 2017), Francesco Bagnaia (2022 & 2024), Enea Bastianini (2023) and Alex Marquez (2025).
Their strength has extended beyond the race winners. Ducati occupied the top four positions in both 2023 and 2024, while they also won all Sepang Sprints thanks to Alex, Bagnaia and Jorge Martin.
Vinales’ three-class hat-trick
The last rider to deny Ducati a Malaysian Grand Prix victory was Maverick Vinales, whose 2019 success also completed a personal Sepang hat-trick.
The Spaniard had already won there in 125cc in 2011 and Moto2 in 2014, making his Yamaha victory eight years after his first success a third win across three different categories. His intermediate-class victory came during his only Moto2 season, while his first was in the final year of the 125cc championship before Moto3 replaced it.
Malaysia’s wait for a home winner
While visiting riders have built successful records in Malaysia, the hosts are still waiting for a World Championship winner on home soil. The Malaysian Grand Prix began at Shah Alam in 1991, moved to Johor in 1998 and settled at Sepang the following year. Across those three venues, no Malaysian has won in any class.
Zulfahmi Khairuddin came within touching distance in the 2012 Moto3 race. He started from pole and challenged Sandro Cortese to the finish, missing victory by just 0.028 seconds as the German secured the world title.
Malaysia shares that wait with Qatar, Thailand and Indonesia, but all three began hosting Grands Prix later.
A stand of his own
Hakim Danish will attempt to change that home record with a dedicated section of supporters behind him. Sepang has introduced the Hakim Danish Tribune for his first Malaysian Grand Prix as a full-time Moto3 rider, with the section already sold out.
His rookie season has shown why there is such interest. Hakim claimed his maiden Moto3 victory at Brno after starting 14th, becoming Malaysia’s first Grand Prix winner since Khairul Idham Pawi at the Sachsenring in 2016.
Sepang usually comes near the end of MotoGP’s Asian travels, but this year the championship will head to Qatar before returning to Europe. The Lusail round was moved from April to November because of the situation in the Middle East, placing it a week after Malaysia.
It is an unusual sequence with a familiar precedent. Qatar also followed Malaysia in 2023, when circuit upgrades delayed the Lusail event until November. The same order appeared in 2005, but that turnaround was even shorter. Sepang raced on Sunday, September 25, before Qatar held its Grand Prix the following Saturday.
This year’s Malaysia-Qatar double-header will be followed by Portugal and the Valencia finale.
Harry Kane won the Ballon d’Or for the first time and Alexia Putellas claimed her third women’s award as the 2026 winners were announced in London on Monday.
Bayern Munich and England striker Kane became the first Englishman to receive the men’s honour since Michael Owen in 2001, finishing ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal.
The 33-year-old scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern last season, helping them win the Bundesliga and German Cup. He also captained England to third place at the World Cup.
Kane also collected the Gerd Muller Trophy for the leading men’s goalscorer, having scored 73 times for club and country during the period considered for the awards.
Putellas, meanwhile, drew level with former Barcelona teammate Aitana Bonmati on a record three women’s Ballon d’Or wins, having previously received the award in 2021 and 2022.
The Spain midfielder helped Barcelona win four trophies last season, including the Champions League, before joining London City Lionesses in July.
Former teammate Ewa Pajor finished second in the women’s voting, with Manchester City striker Khadija Shaw third.
Barcelona and Spain were also well represented among the other winners at the London Palladium.
Barcelona pair Yamal and Vicky Lopez retained the men’s and women’s Kopa Trophies for the best young players, winning the awards for the third and second consecutive years respectively.
Spain goalkeepers Unai Simon and Cata Coll took the men’s and women’s Yashin Trophies for the best goalkeepers.
Spain’s Luis de la Fuente was named men’s coach of the year, with Barcelona’s Pere Romeu taking the women’s honour.
Mexico and Pachuca forward Charlyn Corral won the women’s striker award, while Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona were named men’s and women’s clubs of the year respectively.
Arsenal and England winger Bukayo Saka received the Socrates Award, which recognises players’ humanitarian and social work.
A wallaby interrupted MotoGP’s Australian Grand Prix practice on Friday, triggering the session’s second red flag at Phillip Island.
The animal appeared near the track with just over 42 minutes remaining in the afternoon session, briefly bringing riders back to the pits before leaving the area.
It followed an earlier stoppage after Marco Bezzecchi clipped the rear of Alex Marquez’s Ducati approaching Turn 4, scattering debris from his Aprilia onto the circuit.
Bezzecchi recovered to finish fastest ahead of Raul Fernandez and Marc Marquez.
The wildlife interruption was a familiar sight at Phillip Island, which also had a practice session stopped during the WorldSBK season opener in February.
On that occasion, a wallaby crossed the circuit during FP2, prompting Nicolo Bulega to abandon his run before action resumed.
Animals have repeatedly featured during race weekends at the coastal venue, with Aleix Espargaro narrowly avoiding a wallaby during MotoGP practice in 2022, while geese brought Moto2 qualifying to an early end that same weekend.
Friday’s interruption added one possibly last wildlife cameo to Phillip Island’s MotoGP history, with the Australian Grand Prix moving to Adelaide in 2027.
The circuit first hosted the championship in 1989 and has been its regular Australian home since 1997, apart from the races cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The farewell weekend continues with qualifying and the Sprint on Saturday before Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Fans can watch MotoGP live on SPOTV NOW.
Toprak Razgatlioglu will miss the final five rounds of his debut MotoGP season after a shoulder injury left him requiring surgery.
The Prima Pramac Yamaha rider was injured in a highside crash during the Indonesian Grand Prix weekend at Mandalika.
Further examinations in Milan on Monday confirmed the need for an operation, which is scheduled for October 26.
“After further medical assessments following the crash in Mandalika, it became clear that my shoulder injury is worse than we first believed,” Razgatlioglu said.
The Turkish rider attempted to race in Indonesia but retired after eight laps, struggling with a lack of strength in his right shoulder under braking.
The surgery brings an early end to a rookie campaign spent adapting to MotoGP after winning three WorldSBK titles.
He will miss races in Australia, Malaysia, Qatar, Portugal and Valencia, with his absence from Phillip Island a particular disappointment.
Razgatlioglu had hoped to ride a MotoGP bike at one of his favourite circuits from his Superbike career, but said he and his doctors agreed that surgery offered the best chance of a full recovery.
Pramac team director Gino Borsoi said the injury would interrupt his progress with Yamaha’s YZR-M1, while stressing that his health took priority.
Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez will replace him and race alongside Jack Miller at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix.
Fans can watch MotoGP live on SPOTV NOW.
