Put in to bat, CSK posted a big total of 220 for 3, riding on du Plessis' 60-ball unbeaten 95 and Ruturaj Gaikwad's 64.

Chasing a stiff target, KKR found themselves in deep trouble as they slumped to 31 for 5 inside five overs after a top-order collapse with Chahar wrecking havoc with figures of 4 for 29 from his four overs.

Russell (54 off 22 balls) and Cummins (66 not out off 34 balls) raised hopes of an improbable win for KKR but in the end they were all out for 202 in 19.1 overs.

Needing 190 runs from 15 overs, Russell first revived KKR's chase with a blistering 54 (3x4, 6x6) before being cleaned up by Sam Curran.

CSK's Shardul Thakur runs KKR's Prasidh Krishna in the last over of the match to seal an 18-run victory for his team. Sportzpics

But it was not over for KKR as yet. Batting at No 8, KKR pace spearhead Cummins displayed some sensational power-hitting in his 34-ball 66 not out (4x4, 6x6) but they simply did not have enough batting left to keep the show going.

Cummins smashed Curran for 30 runs with four sixes and one boundary in the 16th over to keep the run-chase alive, even as they kept losing wickets.

It was down to 20 runs with one wicket in hand in the last over. But Prasidh Krishna was run out in the first over of the final over.

The win took CSK to the top of the table with six points from four matches, while KKR slipped to sixth.

Chahar, who had wrecked havoc against Punjab Kings the other day, was at his ominous best once again as he swung the match in CSK's favour to leave KKR tottering at 31 for 5 inside the powerplay.

Chahar, who grabbed 4/13 against Punjab Kings, made the ball talk with his swing and variation and snapped the talented Shubman Gill for a golden duck and then had the in-form Nitish Rana (9) in the second over.

But Chahar's biggest wicket came in the next over in the form of skipper Eoin Morgan (7) when the left-hander nicked an outswinger with MS Dhoni completing a safe catch to become the first wicket-keeper to complete 150 dismissals in the IPL.

Looking for a change of fortunes in their first match at the Wankhede, KKR opted to bowl on flat track but du Plessis blazed his way to a superb 95 not out after his opening partner Ruturaj Gaikwad's impressive 64 as CSK posted 220 for 3.

It was Gaikwad who returned to form after a string of poor outings in his first three matches with a composed 42-ball knock that set it up for CSK after KKR opted to field.

A THRILLER of a game! Well payed @KKRiders #KKRvCSK #WhistlePodu #Yellove

— Chennai Super Kings - Mask Pdu Whistle Pdu! (@ChennaiIPL) April 21, 2021

Gaikwad played the role of aggressor, smashing four sixes and four boundaries, while his senior South African partner du Plessis gave the youngster the backup as the duo produced CSK's best start of the season with an opening stand of 115.

Du Plessis came on his own after Gaikwad's departure in the 13th over as he added 50 runs with Moeen Ali (25 off 12 balls) off just 26 balls.

CSK scored 76 runs in the final five overs with the South African at his attacking best in the final five overs.

He smashed Russell for three successive boundaries and raced to 90s with a six off Cummins in the final over in his 60-ball knock which was studded with four sixes and nine fours.

CSK finished it off in style with Ravindra Jadeja hitting Cummins for a six as Rana palmed it over the midwicket boundary that summed up the plight of KKR.

MS Dhoni promoted himself to No 4 and finally broke his jinx against Sunil Narine, hitting his first boundary after 64 balls against the mystery spinner en route to a eight-ball 17.

Karl-Erik Nilsson, who is also the president of the Swedish Football Association, said UEFA's executive committee would decide whether to take action against the clubs at its next meeting on Friday.

"It's already had consequences one way or another, with the shame they have to live with now. There will be consequences in their own organisations, and whether there will be further consequences is something we need to discuss," Nilsson told football website Fotbollskanalen.

"But there will be consequences one way or another, not least with regard to confidence issues and whether they can be trusted going forward," he said.

Nilsson would not be drawn on what type of decision the committee could take.

The body would have a "thorough review" on Friday "and then we'll see what alternatives there are and how European football thinks we should handle these issues," he said.

Earlier Wednesday, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin struck a conciliatory tone.

"The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together."

United were one of 12 top European clubs to sign up to the controversial competition on Sunday.

They hoped to use the tournament to control a greater share of profits from European football at the expense of UEFA's Champions League.

But just two days after its launch, the Super League collapsed on Tuesday evening when United and the five other Premier League teams involved all pulled out after a furious reaction from across the football world.

Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Arsenal were the other English teams to withdraw, while Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan also admitted defeat on Wednesday.

United's owners, the US-based Glazer family, were criticised by fans, former players and pundits for driving the scheme.

The backlash against United was so severe that Joel Glazer, who rarely discusses the club in public, opted to write an open letter saying sorry to fans on Wednesday.

"Over the past few days, we have all witnessed the great passion which football generates, and the deep loyalty our fans have for this great club," Glazer wrote on United's website.

"You made very clear your opposition to the European Super League, and we have listened. We got it wrong, and we want to show that we can put things right.

"Although the wounds are raw and I understand that it will take time for the scars to heal, I am personally committed to rebuilding trust with our fans and learning from the message you delivered with such conviction.

"We continue to believe that European football needs to become more sustainable throughout the pyramid for the long-term. However, we fully accept that the Super League was not the right way to go about it.

"In seeking to create a more stable foundation for the game, we failed to show enough respect for its deep-rooted traditions — promotion, relegation, the pyramid - and for that we are sorry.

"This is the world's greatest football club and we apologise unreservedly for the unrest caused during these past few days. It is important for us to put that right."

In the fall-out from the bombshell scheme, United announced on Tuesday that their executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward will leave the club at the end of the year, although the statement announcing his departure made no reference to the Super League.

Glazer had been named vice-chairman of the Super League before its collapse.

Pledging to communicate better with fans in future, Glazer added: "Manchester United has a rich heritage and we recognise our responsibility to live up to its great traditions and values.

"We also realise that we need to better communicate with you, our fans, because you will always be at the heart of the club."

At the Wankhede Stadium, batting first, CSK scored 220 runs with Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad stitched a 100-run stand at the top of the innings. In the chase, KKR started poorly and lost five wickets in the powerplay overs.

Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik and Pat Cummins kept the scoring rate going and took the contest right to the final over but fell 18 runs short with not enough wickets in the bag.

In the afternoon contest in Chennai, Punjab Kings won the toss and decided to bat but never got going. Wickets fell at regular intervals and ended up with only 120. Khaleel Ahmed took three wickets while Abhishek Sharma took two. Rashid Khan also did his job, giving away just 17 runs and picking one wicket.

In the chase, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow got off to a good start. Warner fell after scoring 37 but Bairstow remained unbeaten till the end, scoring 63 off 56 deliveries. Returning from injury, Williamson also got to bat as SRH reached the target in 18.4 overs and won by nine wickets.

Here's the updated IPL 2021 points table: 

Orange Cap holder: DC's Shikhar Dhawan (231 runs)

Purple Cap holder: RCB's Harshal Patel (9 wickets)

Also read

Click here to read Factboxes of all teams

Click here to check out the full IPL 2021 Schedule, venues, format and other FAQs  

Click here for all episodes of IPL on Pod

Click here to view the updated IPL points table 

(With inputs from PTI)

The world number one, warming up for the start of the French Open in May, will face fellow home hope Miomir Kecmanovic in the last eight.

It was plain sailing for Djokovic, whose loss to Evans was his first of the season, as he won in only an hour and 10 minutes.

It was his first appearance in his home town since 2011, with this the first ATP event in Belgrade since 2012.

"It gives you an extra push, an extra motivation, energy to really give your best and leave it all out on the court," Djokovic told atptour.com of playing on home soil.

Back in business 💪

The '09 & '11 #SerbiaOpen champion is up & running with a 6-1 6-3 win over Kwon. pic.twitter.com/AxO5oQrdu6

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 21, 2021

"I think also that made me feel comfortable and confident on the court and I played really good. I'm really pleased with the quality of tennis."

The 33-year-old's Australian Open triumph earlier this year took him within two of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's joint all-time record of 20 Grand Slam men's singles titles.

He will be bidding for a second Roland Garros crown when the clay-court major gets underway on 30 May, having suffered a straight-sets thrashing by old rival Nadal in the 2020 final.

Djokovic cruised into a 6-1, 5-2 lead against world number 85 Kwon without facing a break point.

The South Korean broke the top seed when he served for the match, but Djokovic quashed any hopes of an unlikely comeback by breaking to love to secure a comfortable win.

"I thought I played very well from the very beginning, except that service game that I lost at 5-2 in the second (set)," Djokovic added. "I thought it was a pretty flawless performance."

The 34-year-old Nadal, who suffered a surprise quarter-final exit at the hands of Andrey Rublev in the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals last week, dropped the first set against the world 111 before pulling through 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

It was Nadal's 62nd win in the tournament against just four defeats.

He next faces either Japan's Kei Nishikori, the 2014 and 2015 Barcelona champion, or Chile's Christian Garin in the quarter-finals.

Fiery Italian Fabio Fognini was defaulted from the event for verbally abusing a line judge.

The 33-year-old was trailing world number 147 Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-0, 4-4 when he clashed with the official and was defaulted by the umpire for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Fognini is one of only a small number of players to have been defaulted from a match.

The most famous incident involved world number one Novak Djokovic who was disqualified from the 2020 US Open for hitting a line judge with a ball.

Nick Kyrgios was defaulted at the Rome tournament in 2019 after hurling a chair on to the court.

Fognini, the world number 27, is no stranger to being disqualified.

At the 2017 US Open, he was booted out of the tournament and fined $24,000 for a series of insults aimed at a female chair umpire.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Monte Carlo champion and second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas eased past Spain's Jaume Munar 6-0, 6-2.

It was a far more comfortable afternoon for the Greek than the last time he faced Munar.

That was at the 2020 French Open where he dropped the first two sets before winning their first round tie.

Monte Carlo runner-up Rublev, seeded three, also progressed with a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 win over Italian lucky loser Federico Gaio.

Sunrisers have lost three matches on the trot at the MA Chidambaram Stadium track here, which has the reputation of aiding the spinners. The venue has witnessed many batting collapses this season.

On Wednesday, SRH, however, had the last laugh as they chased down a small target of 120, set by Punjab Kings, in 18.4 overs to snap their three-match losing streak.

File image of SRH captain David Warner. Sportzpics for BCCI

Warner criticised the wicket but shied away from blaming the curators.

"To be honest, it's shocking," Warner said in a virtual press conference after his team notched up a comfortable nine wicket win over Punjab.

"It looks horrible on TV but you have to give credit to the curators. They have had a lot of cricket here so it's very very difficult for them to get this wicket up and about. Since I've started playing in Chennai it's always been there but it's very difficult for them."

The Chepauk track has hosted a lot of cricket in recent months with India taking on England in two Test matches in February, followed by the initial leg of the ongoing IPL.

"It's not their (curators) fault that the wicket is like this. You had the Indian Test series against England and the same thing in Australia we had a lot of games on the same pitches, so the curators have got a very difficult job," Warner said.

"As players, we know what we have to do, there are no excuses. It's not ideal but at the end of the day, we are grateful to go out there and play on these wickets because it's very challenging for them, they don't have any rest. We have to be professionals and adapt."

The Australian also revealed that seamer T Natarajan has not played the last two games for SRH due to a knee injury.

"He obviously has a sore knee. Given the circumstances in these bubbles, if he goes and gets a scan, he obviously has to sit out for seven days and get back into quarantine, so we are just monitoring at the moment," Warner said.

"The physios are doing their best to analyse but he obviously has to have a scan at some point."
Left-arm spinner Abhishek Sharma impressed with his two wickets after SRH handed him the first over of the innings.

"There wasn't really any thought behind it. We were in the circle there and I just said to Abhishek 'you got the first over'," Warner said.

Sharma could have had a wicket if Rashid Khan had not dropped opener Mayank Agarwal at deep midwicket.

"I just had a gut instinct (because) they had just come from Wankhede and it's been a nice wicket there. I thought 'you know what, might as well throw him the ball and see how he goes'.

"Those two guys like pace on the new ball so I just thought I'll bring on Abhishek and we almost had a wicket in the first over," Warner said.

Pliskova, 29, had to dig deep after losing the second set to German Tamara Korpatsch before sealing a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory.

The Czech Republic star, currently ninth in the world, admitted struggling before setting up a second-round match against Latvia's Jelena Ostapenko on Thursday.

"I'm super happy that I'm through, but other than that I didn’t see many really good things," said Pliskova.

"I was struggling a bit in the rally. I thought there were too many errors from easy balls, but my serve was quite ok.

"First rounds are always a bit nervous, especially a first match on clay.

"I’m just going to hope it’s going to be better."

🇩🇪 @AngeliqueKerber up and running on home soil 💪

The two-time Stuttgart champ awaits Svitolina in the #PorscheTennis last 16! pic.twitter.com/tJIEPH4umZ

— wta (@WTA) April 21, 2021

Pliskova is on course to meet world number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Barty, the top seed, makes her first appearance later against former Stuttgart champion Laura Siegemund in their second round tie.

Earlier, three-time Grand Slam winner Kerber breezed into the second round, sweeping aside Georgia's Ekaterine Gorgodze in a 6-2, 6-2 victory.

"That wasn't a bad way to start the clay-court season, she wasn't an easy opponent and I had a solid game," said Germany's Kerber.

The 33-year-old, who has dropped to 26 in the world rankings, expects a "tough match" on Thursday against fourth-seed Ukranian Elina Svitolina, who has won all of their last six meetings.

Varadkar told Today FM radio organisers are pessimistic about meeting UEFA's requirement they "commit to having at least 25 percent of the stadium full" in matches slated this summer.

"We're just very cautious about that," he said. "We just think June is too soon."

"I think if they continue to insist on that it'll be hard for it to go ahead quite frankly."

Dublin's Aviva Stadium is currently scheduled to host three group matches and a last-16 game in the delayed tournament running from 11 June to 11 July.

But the games are in doubt as Ireland is still in the grip of tight coronavirus restrictions and the nation has been tethered to the EU's sluggish vaccine rollout.

4,847 have died from Covid-19 in the Republic according to latest official figures.

Pubs, restaurants, bars and non-essential retail have all been shut since Christmas and there are still limits on domestic and international travel.

Earlier this month the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) told UEFA that "owing to the Covid-19 pandemic it is not in a position at this point to provide assurances on minimum spectator levels".

Nine of the proposed 12 host cities for Euro 2020 have committed to allowing crowds of 25 percent of capacity in for the tournament.

Bilbao and Munich are the other two cities in danger of being dropped by UEFA.

European football's governing body is due to take a final decision on Friday over where all matches will be held.

But the British racing driver warned it was just "one step" on the path towards a more equal society.

Derek Chauvin was found guilty on Tuesday of murdering African-American Floyd following a racially charged trial.

The 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis police force was seen on video kneeling on the neck of Floyd for more than nine minutes as he lay face down and handcuffed on the ground saying repeatedly "I can't breathe" in an incident last May.

Hamilton, who said he had been left furious by Floyd's death, last year equalled Michael Schumacher's record of seven world championships against the backdrop of his personal fight against racism.

JUSTICE for George! The emotions I feel right now are hard to describe. Derek Chauvin has been found guilty. This is the first time that a white officer has been convicted for killing a black man in Minnesota. This is monumental, George’s death is not in vein. pic.twitter.com/m6FrqdGljP

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) April 20, 2021

The 36-year-old, the sole black driver on the F1 grid, wrote on Instagram: "JUSTICE for George! The emotions I feel right now are hard to describe. Derek Chauvin has been found guilty.

"This is the first time that a white officer has been convicted for killing a black man in Minnesota. This is monumental, George's death is not in vain.

"The result of the Derek Chauvin trial today is the right one. Convicting him of all three charges marks a new dawn in the fight for racial justice."

Hamilton, who continues to kneel ahead of races in a sign of his support for the campaign against racial injustice, said much work still needed to be done.

"This is just one step on the path towards a more equal society," he said. "Since George's death, so many other black people have died at the hands of the police and we must ensure the momentum of today continues. The fight isn't over."

Hamilton is top of the drivers' standings ahead of the third race of the season in Portugal on 2 May.

In a video uploaded on YouTube, he even went to the extent of saying that the organisers of the 13-17 April Olympic qualifying event in Tashkent tried to bribe him when he protested.

"It was quite sad and heart-breaking to see lot of manipulation of timings in favour of few Uzbekistan swimmers which also resulted to wrong times being recorded for the Indian swimmers," he said in the video.

"I request all the other swimmers to come out and FINA to launch an investigation and take action against the necessary person or swimmers who are involved in this."

The 22-year-old reigning national champion Selvaraj had won silver medals in the 50m and 100m breaststroke events in Tashkent.

He is close to achieving the Olympics B qualification time of 1:01.72 in 100m breaststroke. His personal best in the event was 1:02.02.

He pointed out that the 100m freestyle heats on the opening day and the 100m butterfly heats on the final day needed to be looked at by FINA. He uploaded the videos of the heats and final race.

"It started off with 100m freestyle on Day 1 where Aleksey Tarasenko (of Uzbekistan) who swam 51 seconds in the heats, but his time was changed to 48.55 and given the 'A' cut for the Olympics. They did not display the time on the board. They had shut it off," he said.

He claimed the same thing was repeated on the last day and display board was again shut down during 100m butterfly event and the organisers did not share the timings of the Indians.

"In the 100m butterfly heats, Sajan Prakash finished first in the heats with a time of 54 seconds. We checked the time manually because the results were not showing. But once the results came out, it was quite shocking. Tarasenko was given first with a time of 52.02 and Sajan 52.74."

The other Indian swimmer in the event, D Adithya, who had clocked 56.43 in the Karnataka State Championships in early March, was credited with a flattering time of 53.45 seconds, also matching the 'B' Standard for Olympic qualification.

"The times of top 8 swimmers were manipulated," Selvaraj said.
He said he protested by not taking part in his event even though he went up to the blocks.

"I had my 200m breaststroke final on the last day. Seeing all this didn't make me want to swim. Instead, I went on the blocks and when the start was given, I never jumped in, I never dived in for my twin breaststroke finals.

"Instead, I just froze on the blocks for the next 2 minutes and 5 seconds. After that, I came down, I touched the touchpad and stopped my own time, asked the officials if it was the new world record to show them that what they were doing was wrong and I just left the pool," he said.

Selvaraj said he was followed by the officials and the organisers and he told them they were cheating.

"They told me 'you don't understand the politics, we have been given instructions from higher authorities to send 10 Olympic A cuts from Uzbekistan'.

"They tried to bribe me with a lot of money to keep my mouth shut. I declined. Later, they were begging me not to put this out there.

"Few minutes later they came back to me, they demanded a letter from my side which has to state that I was mentally unstable and I was deaf, so I could not hear the start when they gave the buzzer go in the 200m breaststroke."

"From the Atlético squad we want to communicate our satisfaction over the final decision to withdraw the commitment to the Super League project taken by our club," a statement by captain Koke said on Twitter.

"We will keep fighting to help from our position so that Atleti grow with the values of effort and sporting merit that have always characterised us, so that all of you continue to feel reflected in that identity. We will continue working hard, focused on the match tomorrow."

Atlético became the latest club to pull out of the huge controversial competition on Wednesday, with the project on the brink of collapse.

Only Real Madrid and Barcelona officially remain, after England's 'Big Six' teams were the first to quit, before the Italian trio Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan followed suit.

Atlético said in a statement earlier on Wednesay the decision to join had been made "in response to circumstances that no longer exist today".

Comunicado de la plantilla del @Atleti 📝🔴⚪ pic.twitter.com/TSYWBe0SJZ

— Koke Resurrección (@Koke6) April 21, 2021

The club added the "first team squad and coach have shown their satisfaction with the club's decision, understanding that sporting merits must prevail over any other criteria."

Atlético were one of three La Liga sides involved in the breakaway tournament, with Real Madrid and their president Florentino Perez at the heart of the project.

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said in a press conference on Wednesday: "I spoke with the president (Joan Laporta) yesterday and he explained the club's position.

"But a lot has changed since then. It's best not to say much now, no one knows what will happen. There were teams that were in; now they say they don't want to be in. What I want most is the best for this club."

Bangladesh, looking for their first overseas Test win for four years, made 302 for two on an easy wicket for scoring in Pallekele.

After Saif Hassan fell for a duck to Vishwa Fernando in the second over, Shanto and Tamim added 144 for the second wicket to establish Bangladesh's dominance over the bowlers.

Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto (right) and teammate Mominul Haque (captain). AFP

Shanto and captain Mominul Haque then put on an unbeaten 150 runs for the third wicket.

The 22-year-old left-hander Shanto was dropped by wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella on 28 but went on to reach three figures in his seventh Test. He was on 126 at the end of the day with 14 fours and a six.

Shanto said he was "relieved" to get his first ton, and had been happy to wait for Sri Lanka's "loose balls".

"I had worked really hard but unfortunately I wasn’t getting big runs. But I believed in my ability and I'm glad it all clicked today. It was a tough few months after a disappointing series against West Indies.”

The experienced Tamim accelerated the run scoring when he came on and narrowly missed out on a deserved century.

His 29th half-century came off just 54 balls with ten boundaries.

Having reached 90 off 101 balls with 15 fours, Tamim offered a half-hearted shot and was caught by lone slip fielder Lahiru Thirimanne off Fernando's bowling.

Mominul, unbeaten on 64 at the close, was also dropped by Dickwella, but the wicket would not have counted as Dhananjaya de Silva had overstepped the bowling line.

Sri Lanka’s batting coach Grant Flower expressed hope for an early breakthrough on day two.

"It has been a tough day but if we take two early wickets tomorrow things can change pretty quickly."

Bairstow has been in good form but his efforts couldn't translate into a win for SRH as they lost the first three matches.

The England batsman, however, was pleased to finally take the team home after scoring an unbeaten 56-ball 63 in their nine-wicket win against Punjab Kings on Wednesday.

"Absolutely over the moon to get us over the line. Been really close in most of the games, and haven't got through. Probably through carelessness to be honest. Pleased to get over the line," Bairstow said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

England batsman Jonny Bairstow struck an unbeaten 63 off 56 balls to setup SRH's first win of IPL 2021. Sportzpics

"Each game we've seen after the powerplay it's gotten harder and harder. It was key to make sure we took advantage (of the powerplay)."

Skipper David Warner credited the bowlers for setting up the win.

"Very pleasing, the bowlers did a fantastic job to reduce them to a low score," he said.

Talking about spinner Abhishek Sharma, who claimed two wickets, Warner said: "Abhishek is a young guy coming through, we asked him to bowl a lot more this season, and he did it. Till we went on, he didn't know he was bowling the first over."

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson's inclusion has strengthened their middle-order as he played a crucial innings after Warner was dismissed.

"The game plan of having him there is to anchor the game and he rotates strike so well. Against spin, he gets forward and gets back, he just knows his role and game plan," Warner said.

"It's handy having him in the middle. I am really pleased we got across the line."

Losing captain KL Rahul admitted adjusting to the conditions here was tough.

"We knew what to expect here. Tried to get used to the conditions as quickly as we can. We were 10-15 short on this pitch. Bowlers tried very hard, but it's very hard coming into these conditions and adapting quickly," he said.

"We knew they were going to come hard. It's tricky to have attacking fields. Was waiting for one of them to get out and then put pressure. Wanted to take the game as deep as possible.

"Unfortunately we couldn't get wickets in the middle and that cost us. Every game is important for us and we've been in that position. It's not a bad position to be in. Hopefully learn from our mistakes and keep getting better."

The 58-year-old More, who is also the wicket-keeping consultant for the five-time IPL champions MI, had tested positive for the dreaded virus on 6 April.

"Kiran More has recovered from COVID-19 and has completed medically-supervised isolation. More has tested negative in three RT-PCR tests. #Mumbai Indians #MI #OneFamily," Mumbai Indians tweeted.

Official Statement: Kiran More has recovered from COVID-19 and has completed medically-supervised isolation. More has tested negative in three RT-PCR tests.#MumbaiIndians #MI #OneFamily (1/2) pic.twitter.com/c7I7PwAIa5

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) April 21, 2021

"Our medical team in consultation with BCCI have determined Kiran More fit to rejoin the MI bio-bubble in adherence with BCCI guidelines," the franchise said in another tweet.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing IPL is being played behind closed doors and teams are in bio-bubble.

Mumbai Indians are based in Chennai, where they have so far played four games.

Asked to bowl first, Sunrisers Hyderabad's pace-spin duo of Khaleel (3/21) and Abhishek Sharma (2/24) did bulk of the damage to bundle out Punjab Kings for a below-par 120 in 19.4 overs.

Senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/16), star Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan (1/17) and Siddarth Kaul (1/27) also picked up a wicket each as Punjab never gained momentum.

Chasing the total, SRH openers Jonny Bairstow (63) and David Warner (37) pummelled Punjab into submission, adding 73 runs off 60 balls to set the foundation.

Jonny Bairstow of Sunrisers Hyderabad smashed a fifty and batted till the end to guide his team home. Sportzpics

Bairstow and Kane Williamson (16) then knocked off the remaining runs as SRH romped home with 8 balls to spare.

Bairstow and Warner smashed five boundaries and two sixes during their 50-run stand in the powerplay, while Punjab had managed nine fours and two maximums in their entire innings.

Warner picked up the first boundary when he sent Mohammed Shami across point in the third ball of the innings. Bairstow then welcomed Fabian Allen with a four and a six in the next over.

A low full toss by Shami was then sent across the mid-wicket by Bairstow before Warner hit the Indian through backward point.

Bairstow also pulled Moises Henriques over long leg, while Warner swatted Arshdeep Singh over the backward square leg.

Warner sent Deepak Hooda sailing over extra cover for a six but in the next over he holed out to Mayank off Allen, who bowled a wicket maiden, as SRH were 73 for 1.

Bairstow found an able ally in Williamson, who was playing his first match of the season, as they added an unbeaten 48 runs to help SRH log their first win of the season.

Earlier, Shahrukh Khan (22) and Mayank Agarawal (22) were the top scorers for Punjab Kings, who came into the match after two losses.

In an innings when clearing the boundary seemed to be a tall task, Khan managed two sixes, while Agarwal, who was dropped on 0 in the very first over by Rashid, hit two fours.

Opting to bat in their first game at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Punjab lost their in-form skipper KL Rahul (4) early on.

Agarwal and Chris Galye (15) stitched 24-run partnership. However, at the end of the seventh over, Khaleel got rid of the Indian with Rashid making no mistakes this time at midwicket.

West Indian Nicholas Pooran (0) was out for a diamond duck as Sunrisers skipper David Warner effected his run out in the eighth over. Gayle followed his compatriot in the next over as he was adjudged leg before.

Punjab was reeling at 53 for 4 at the halfway mark as wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals.

Deepak Hooda (13) and Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques (14) got starts but were unable to capitalised on them. Spin all-rounder Fabian Allen (6) also struggled on his debut.

Local star Khan tried to inject some hope into the Punjab camp but a slower ball by Khaleel ended his cameo.

Murugan Ashwin (9) hit a boundary but Kaul accounted for the spinner in the last over which was followed by the dismissal of Shami (3), who was run out.

AT
04211907
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Khan was charged in October 2019.

Qadeer banned for five years under ICC Anti-Corruption Code https://t.co/qAtJPpQDmp via @ICC

— ICC Media (@ICCMediaComms) April 21, 2021

"Mr Khan's period of ineligibility has been backdated to 16 October 2019, when he was provisionally suspended," the ICC release said.

The ICC said that Khan admitted to six breaches that relate to failing to disclose approaches or invitations received in relation to the Zimbabwe versus UAE series in April 2019.

Khan disclosed inside information in August 2019 in circumstances where he knew or should have known that the information might be used for betting purposes.

He failed to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations received in relation to the Netherlands versus UAE series in August 2019.

He also failed to disclose full details of any facts or matters that came to his attention that may evidence corrupt conduct under the Code by another participant. He refused to cooperate with an investigation in relation to possible corrupt conduct under the Code.

He also concealed information that may be relevant to that investigation.

Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager Integrity Unit, said, "Qadeer Khan is an experienced international cricketer who has received anti-corruption training. He should have avoided the people he knew were corrupt and reported any suspicions immediately."

Meanwhile, the ICC has charged Chhayakar, who has played domestic cricket in Ajman (UAE) with six counts of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

"The ICC laid the charges on its own behalf as well as on behalf of Cricket Canada as its Designated Anti-Corruption Official for the purposes of the Global T20 2019," the ICC release added.

International and professional club rugby union, as well as the amateur game, were all suspended last year due to Covid-19, with reigning world champions South Africa having yet to play a match since beating England in the 2019 World Cup final in Japan.

"We think from the work we've done over the last six to nine months through our member national unions that probably the overall damage is in the region of £1 billion," Gilpin told a conference call.

"We say that because we've worked, obviously, at the elite level of the game to understand the impacts of Covid and huge revenue drop-off have had.

"We don't know, of course, what the damage really is in the community game, and I don't think probably anyone does at this stage.

"What we have seen in countries that are starting to open up in the community is that players young and old are flooding back to rugby clubs in almost record numbers.

"We really need and hope that happens around the world and people get back to the sport quickly, then I think we can all move forward and be successful.

"I don't think we have got any predictions on how long it will take."

Gilpin was speaking as World Rugby, the 15-a-side code's global governing body outlined a four-year strategic plan until 2025 that includes confronting what he said were "the three Cs of Covid, calendar and concussion".

"The pandemic has forced us to abort community rugby across the globe, it's led to unprecedented disruption for the elite game and has created huge financial strain on our national member unions, on professional clubs and leagues across the world," said Gilpin.

"As an organisation, a sport and a family, this plan will guide how we tackle the three Cs of Covid, calendar and concussion, and build the foundations for a safer, stronger and more sustainable game for all."

Gilpin said World Rugby would hold talks with player groups such as Progressive Rugby, who are calling for reform of the sport.

Concussion remains a major concern for the game, with 2003 England World Cup-winner Steve Thompson among a group of former players suffering early-onset dementia symptoms who are taking legal action against rugby governing bodies.

"Over the last year, we have heard the brave stories and testimonies of former players who have come forward and talked about their struggles with dementia," said Gilpin.

"We are very proud of those players who have shared those experiences. They are part of the rugby family, and we will always stand with them.

"We will speak to the groups like Progressive Rugby. We have already spoken with several of their members, and we will continue to have an ongoing dialogue with them.

"We all share that same vision to create a safer, more sustainable game which future generations can enjoy," added Gilpin as he highlighted World Rugby programmes into concussion research, injury prevention and player well-being.

Pakistan managed 149-7 in their 20 overs with their in-form wicketkeeper batsman Rizwan anchoring the innings after they were sent in to bat.

Zimbabwe looked threatening at 77-2 in the tenth over but Qadir (3-29) and pacer Mohammad Hasnain (2-27) kept them to 138-7 in the allotted 20 overs.

Zimbabwe needed 20 off the last over but fast bowler Haris Rauf kept tight length to concede just eight to pull off a hard earned win, helping Pakistan to 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan celebrates after scoring a half-century. AFP

The second and third match will also be played in Harare on Friday and Sunday.

Luke Jongwe top-scored with a 23-ball 30 not out which included three boundaries and a six while opener Tinashe Kamunhukamwe scored 29.

Pakistan started the innings on the wrong foot when their world famous batsman Babar Azam fell in the second over, playing a casual shot into the hands of cover fielder for just two.

Rizwan added two solid stands of 34 each with Fakhar Zaman (13) and debutant Danish Aziz (15) but senior batsman Mohammad Hafeez (five) and Haider Ali (five) failed.

Zimbabwe could have had more wickets had they not dropped four catches, the most costly was of Rizwan when on just 13.

Rizwan, who cracked ten boundaries and a six off 61 balls, smashed 20 off the final Richard Ngarava over to take Pakistan to a fighting total.

Part-tim spinner Wesley Madhevere (2-11) and seamer Jongwe (2-24) were Zimbabwe's successful bowlers.

Only Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona are still officially involved.

The moves by Atlético, Inter, AC Milan, and Juventus came a day after the six Premier League clubs involved in the project made it unviable by giving up on the controversial breakaway competition.

English clubs Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Tottenham deserted plans for the largely-closed competition amid an escalating backlash from their supporters and warnings from the government that legislation could be introduced to thwart them.

The Super League project was overseen by Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez, who promoted it as a way to “save football” and the clubs struggling financially amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Neither Madrid nor Barcelona commented after the rest of the clubs abandoned the project. There was some internal pressure on the Catalan club, however, after outspoken captain Gerard Piqué made his view clear.

“Football belongs to the fans. Today more than ever,” he wrote on Twitter early Wednesday.

Football belongs to the fans. Today more than ever.

— Gerard Piqué (@3gerardpique) April 20, 2021

On Monday, UEFA threatened to ban players from the participating teams from playing in this year's European Championship and next year’s World Cup. But a Madrid court later issued a preliminary ruling stopping UEFA, FIFA, and their members from acting against the creation of the new league.

AC Milan signaled they are leaving a few hours after Atlético and Inter Milan made their announcements.

“The voices and the concerns of fans around the world have clearly been expressed about the Super League, and AC Milan must be sensitive to the voice of those who love this wonderful sport,” the Italian club said.

Official Statement ➡ https://t.co/470EOAvGlE
Comunicato Ufficiale ➡ https://t.co/HV2CwvxdWh pic.twitter.com/7bSlfVRArb

— AC Milan (@acmilan) April 21, 2021

Juventus followed moments later, but didn't completely abandon plans for a future Super League.

“While Juventus remains convinced of the soundness of the project’s sport, commercial and legal premises, it believes that at present there are limited chances that the project be completed in the form originally conceived,” the club said. “Juventus remains committed to pursuing the creation of long-term value for the Company and the entire football industry.”

Statement on the Super League project: https://t.co/EggnP5lFif pic.twitter.com/ZT5JBvPH47

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) April 21, 2021

Atlético said their decision was made after the board of directors met on Wednesday.

The Spanish club said it “decided to formally communicate the Super League and the rest of the founding clubs its decision not to formalize its participation in the project.”

Atlético said the “circumstances” that allowed it to join the new league on Monday “no longer existed today.”

“For the club, harmony is essential for everyone involved in the Red and White family, especially our fans,” it said. “The first team squad and its coach showed satisfaction with the club’s decision, understanding that sporting merits must prevail over any other criteria.”

Comunicado oficialhttps://t.co/mCSfbRXar4

— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) April 21, 2021

Atlético fans had been expected to stage a protest before the home match against Huesca in the Spanish league on Thursday. Widespread protests by fans in England played a big part in the decision by the Premier League clubs to leave the new competition.

“I knew the club would make the right decision and that's what happened,” Atlético coach Diego Simeone said. “This is good for everyone.”

Inter said the club was committed to delivering the best soccer experience for fans because “innovation and inclusion have been part of our DNA since our foundation.”

“Our commitment with all stakeholders to improve the football industry will never change,” the Italian club said. "Inter believe that football, like any sector of activity, must have an interest in constantly improving its competitions in order to continue to excite fans of all ages all over the world, within a framework of financial sustainability."

The Super League was intended to be a 20-team competition with 15 founding members guaranteed a spot every season and five other teams rotating in and out. The lack of relegation for the founding members raised concerns about the consequences for smaller clubs in the domestic leagues around the continent.

When he was a banker with JP Morgan - the US investment giant that was set to finance the ESL - Woodward once complained about colleagues moaning they were losing their jobs and reminded them that "part of the high rewards were the high risk".

Although he was already due to step down, the timing of the announcement on Tuesday appeared no coincidence on a breathless evening when United and their Premier League rivals withdrew from the Super League after fierce opposition from supporters. 

Clubs in Spain and Italy followed suit on Wednesday as the project fell apart.

Many United fans would say it was not a moment too soon for a man they never warmed to and who people that know him term charming but ruthless.

Just as manager David Moyes had a hard act to follow in Alex Ferguson, so Woodward, who is stepping down at the end of 2021, had a tall task to emulate his boardroom predecessor, David Gill.

Woodward has been executive vice-chairman at Old Trafford since 2012. He took over the responsibilities of departing chief executive Gill the following year.

However, while Gill managed to move from a successful career outside football to being a perfect partner for Ferguson, Woodward never quite managed the leap.

Part of that was due to a lack of success since Ferguson stepped down - United have not won the Premier League since 2013.

Woodward, 49, had appeared to retain the backing of United's US owners, the Glazer family, despite having no league title or Champions League trophy to show for the investment of nearly £1 billion ($1.4 billion).

In a defiant statement to accompany the announcement of his departure, Woodward insisted he believed the money was well invested.

"We have invested more than £1 billion in the squad during my time here," he said.

"I am particularly delighted with the progress the players have made under the astute leadership of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his coaching team in the last two years."

Instead of Woodward leaving it was the managers who came and went through the revolving door - Moyes only lasted 10 months.

Dutch coach Louis van Gaal - "the perfect choice" as Woodward termed him - lasted two years but much of the wastage on transfers including Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian.

"I blame Ed Woodward, my CEO at Manchester United, much more than (Jose) Mourinho (his successor)," Van Gaal told the Een-tweetje met Yves podcast, referring to his brutal sacking in 2016.

"In my view, Woodward is the evil genius."

Woodward basked in the initial glory of Jose Mourinho's reign, a Europa League and a League Cup trophy before, as it often does with the Portuguese coach, it went sour and he was sacked in 2018.

Through it all though Woodward stayed put, enjoying the confidence of the Glazers, whose ties with him go back a long way.

It was Woodward who, when working for JP Morgan, advised the Glazers on their purchase of United in 2005.

They looked to the physics graduate as a sharp mind and reassuring face to have around and brought him on board.

"His contribution to the club has been massive, and he will always be welcome at Old Trafford as a part of the Manchester United family," said United co-chairman Joel Glazer.

He certainly earned the Glazers' loyalty as he bore the brunt of the fans' ire at the family who have largely stayed in the United States.

Balaclava-clad fans attacked his home last year, launching flares, and some sang "Woodward's going to die" when United lost to Burnley at Old Trafford in January 2020.

Woodward will brush off the comment of UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, who called him "a snake" over the Super League fiasco, but it could take him a while to recover from the shambles it has become. 

23:51 (IST)

That's it for tonight. Two very different games on offer today. One produced few runs and the other 200-plus in both innings. CSK are back top of the standings with 3 wins from 4 played while SRH got their first W of the season. Tomorrow, RCB take on RR at the Wankhede Stadium. Join us tomorrow for our continued live coverage of the Indian Premier League. Until tomorrow, goodbye!

IPL 2021, Live Cricket Score, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK):

CSK beat KKR by 18 runs! That was tense in the end but combination of Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur gets Prasidh Krishna run out to start the final over. Pat Cummins kept the match alive and he remains unbeaten on 66 runs from 34 balls at the end. After five down, it looked like KKR were down and out quickly. Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik and Pat Cummins kept chipping away but not enough in the end. The damage, with wickets, was already done!

Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders face Chennai Super Kings in the second match of Wednesday's double-header at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

File image of KKR captain Eoin Morgan and CSK captain MS Dhoni. SportzPics

Chennai Super Kings, led by MS Dhoni, are currently third in the league table, having won two of their three matches, while the Eoin Morgan led Kolkata Knight Riders side is in fifth, having won only one of three matches.

CSK's last match came against Rajasthan Royals, where some excellent performances from the likes of Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja helped them win by a sizeable total of 45 runs. KKR, on the other hand, were on the receiving end of a heavy defeat in their last match, losing by 38 runs to Royal Challengers Bangalore in a match where RCB's Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers were the standout performers.

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Robin Uthappa, Cheteshwar Pujara, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Krishnappa Gowtham, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Hari Nishanth, N Jagadeesan, KM Asif, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma, Jason Behrendorff.

Only 21, Washington, in his brief cricketing career, has already made a name for himself for being a highly effective powerplay bowler in T20 cricket. It's a role that he has been playing regularly for his teams at the domestic and international levels.

Washington Sundar in action for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Image: Sportzpics for IPL

RCB, however, have taken a different route in the three matches they have played this season so far. Washington has only been used twice in the powerplay with just three overs across three matches.

Virat Kohli also sparsely used Washington in the powerplay against England in the recently concluded T20I series. It may come as a surprise for many but it appears as a conscious move, keeping the opposition batsmen profile in mind, from Kohli and RCB management. He has also only bowled seven overs in total in the three matches so far.

Washington, however, is not worried about his situation. He understands that match-ups and statistics play a major role in modern-day cricket and is ready to play whatever role his team demands.

"In modern-day cricket, you do a lot of homework as to what exactly would help the team win games against each opponent and there's a lot to do with homework and statistics as well," Washington said at a virtual media event where he launched the wireless earbuds Liberty Air 2 Pro by Soundcore.

"More than anything wherever the management and captain want me to bowl I should be ready and that's the kind of bowler and that's the kind of team we are. Very happy to do whatever job the management and captain want me to do."

Washington is coming into the IPL on the back of some memorable performances at the international level. He made his Test debut against Australia in Brisbane as a replacement for injured Ravichandran Ashwin.

Apart from taking four wickets in the match, the all-rounder scored a hard-fought 62 in the first innings and 22 in the second as India clinched the Test. In the Test series against England, he scored two fifties, including the highest score of 96 not out.

The youngster deems the opportunity to play the five-day format for India as a "dream-come-true" and hopes to carry forward the confidence gained from it into his game.

"Performing well in Test cricket definitely boosts the confidence of any cricketer and to play Test cricket at the highest level for the Indian cricket team, which has been doing really really well in the last few years, is a dream-come-true moment for any youngster and that's happened to me," said the Tamil Nadu cricketer.

"We played against two top-quality sides, against Australia and England, so yes, performing against them and winning games against them did give me a lot of confidence and belief in myself. That confidence, I will definitely take it forward and also the momentum, I would really love to take it forward throughout the IPL and the games to come."

The IPL is once again being held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And Washington said while cricketers would love to play in front of the crowd, they have got used to the current scenario.

"Last IPL was also played behind closed doors so we are very much used to it but we will love to have a lot of crowds supporting us. The kind of energy the crowd brings in is amazing but it's the best we can do. We are very happy that we can play cricket," said the cricketer.

Mishra led the bowling charge with figures of 4/24 to help the Delhi franchise restrict the Mumbai Indians to 137/9.

"The wickets of Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard were special for me because they have been game changers for MI for many years. I always go for wickets in every match that I play," said the 38-year-old in a team release.

File image of Amit Mishra. Image: Twitter/@DelhiCapitals

"I had a clear-cut plan about where I should bowl and how I could dismiss each of the big players in the Mumbai Indians side through my variations. And I am very happy that I could execute my plans. I am even more happy about the Delhi Capitals winning the match."

The Delhi Capitals had just a day's gap between their match against Punjab Kings in Mumbai and their game against Mumbai Indians in Chennai.

However, Mishra said that the quick change of venues didn't affect the players.

"It was a challenge to be ready for a game in a different venue in a short period of time, but as professional cricketers we know how to motivate ourselves and recover for the next match.

"The physio's work is very important in these situations. And once we step on the field, we focus on our performance and we don't think about anything else."

Asked if DC's recent poor record against MI was playing on the players' mind before the match on Tuesday, Mishra said, "In T20s, we have to forget the past and take a fresh start in every match that we play in, because anyone can change the match on any given day.

"I don't think any of the players were thinking about our recent record against MI. Like (Delhi Capitals Head Coach) Ricky Ponting has told us, we take every day as a new day, and we play positively in every match."

The withdrawal by Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, just 48 hours after the league's unveiling, followed a furious reaction from fans, officials and politicians.

Atletico Madrid and Inter announced they were pulling out on Wednesday, whittling the original "Dirty Dozen" down to just four clubs - Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and AC Milan.

"For the club, harmony is essential between all the groups that make up the rojiblanco family, especially our fans," Atletico said in a statement.

A member of the entourage of Juventus president Andrea Agnelli acknowledged it was an impossible task to proceed without the English clubs.

The Super League promised guaranteed entry for its founding clubs and billions of dollars in payments. Most of the clubs have huge debts and wage bills, and suffered a sharp drop in revenues during the coronavirus pandemic.

But the project was vehemently opposed across the football spectrum, from fans to players, coaches, politicians and UEFA and FIFA, the European and world football bodies.

The clubs were threatened with a ban from domestic and European football, while their players could even have been barred from representing their countries.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin struck a conciliatory tone on Wednesday, saying he wanted to "rebuild the unity" of European football, and described the English clubs as "back in the fold".

"I said yesterday that it is admirable to admit a mistake and these clubs made a big mistake," Ceferin said in a statement.

"But they are back in the fold now and I know they have a lot to offer not just to our competitions but to the whole of the European game.

"The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together."

Share plunge

Shares in Juventus plunged by more than 10 percent on Wednesday following a slump in the value of Manchester United stocks.

Shortly after English pull-outs, the Super League said it was looking for ways to "reshape", insisting the "status quo of European football needs to change".

"We shall reconsider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project," its statement said.

Liverpool owner John W Henry apologised for his part in the planned Super League after club captain Jordan Henderson said the players did not want it to happen.

"I want to apologise to all the fans and supporters of Liverpool Football Club for the disruption I caused over the last 48 hours," the American said in a video posted on the club's Twitter site.

"It goes without saying but should be said, the project put forward was never going to stand without the support of the fans."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed the English pull-outs, tweeting that "this is the right result for football fans, clubs, and communities across the country".

"We must continue to protect our cherished national game," he added.

The English Football Association also welcomed the withdrawals, praising fans for "their influential and unequivocal voice".

British newspapers were gleeful, with tabloid The Sun headlining, "Cheerio! ! Cheerio!, Cheerio!" and the Daily Mail praising the "Defeat over greed".

Reigning European champions Bayern Munich and French giants Paris Saint-Germain had both come out strongly opposed to the breakaway league, dealing it a heavy blow.

Adding to the drama on Tuesday, Manchester United announced that executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward would step down from his role at the end of 2021.

Several players of the English clubs had voiced opposition to the Super League, and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola commented: "It's not a sport when success is already guaranteed."

After City became the first team to pull out, their England forward Raheem Sterling was quick to farewell the project.

"Ok bye," he tweeted.

Hosts Japan, who last won a medal in the men's event with a bronze in 1968, will play France, South Africa and Mexico in Group A.

Group C includes Egypt, Spain, Argentina and Australia while Group B has South Korea, New Zealand, Romania and Honduras.

The tournament starts on 22 July, a day before the opening ceremony of the Games that were postponed last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the women's draw record four-time champions the USA will feature against Sweden, Australia and New Zealand.

Home side Japan will play Great Britain, Canada and Chile.

MEN

Group A: Japan, South Africa, Mexico, France.

Group B: New Zealand, South Korea, Honduras, Romania.

Group C: Egypt, Spain, Argentina, Australia.

Group D: Brazil, Germany, Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia.

WOMEN

Group E: Japan, Canada, Britain, Chile.

Group F: China, Brazil, Zambia, Netherlands.

Group G: Sweden, United States, Australia, New Zealand.

Fan groups confronted the players in the early hours of Wednesday morning when the team returned from its 1-0 away loss at Bielefeld which confirmed Schalke would drop out of German soccer's top tier for the first time in 30 years.

"During this encounter, so far unidentified individual people from the crowd crossed lines which FC Schalke 04 considers non-negotiable," the club said.

Schalke added that it understood the anger but "the club will never accept the physical welfare of its players and staff being endangered. That is exactly what happened last night due to the actions of individuals."

Police in Schalke's home city of Gelsenkirchen said up to 600 people, some with pyrotechnics, gathered at the club's stadium to await the team's return. When the team left the bus, "the players had eggs thrown at them and were verbally attacked." Police said they intervened to stop the incident escalating further. There was no immediate report of arrests but police are still investigating.

No injuries were reported.

Relegation follows a dramatic decline for Schalke, which played in the Champions League knockout stages two seasons before.

The club is in deep financial trouble and has won only two Bundesliga games all season.

16:25 (IST)

Brazil, Germany in same group in football

Reigning champions Brazil were on Wednesday drawn with 2016 runners-up Germany, the Ivory Coast and Saudi Arabia in the Tokyo Olympics men's football group stages.

The draw was conducted on Wednesday for the event that gets underway on 22 July, a day before the opening ceremony.

Read: Holders Brazil to face Germany in football group stages

In January this month, US Olympic and Paralympic Committee chief executive officer Sarah Hirshland wrote a letter to Team USA athletes preparing for Tokyo Olympics.

“Our expectation today is that the Games will go forward,” Hirshland wrote. “They will look and feel different than any previous Games, as we will all be asked to continue to make sacrifices and adaptations to protect the health of our community.”

As the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics grow larger on the horizon, adaptation and sacrifice will become the motto for an Olympics and Paralympics like no other.

Deferred by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, which brought all sporting action to a grinding halt for over half a year in 2020, the Olympics will start with a muted Opening Ceremony on 23 July.

With just 92 days left on the clock for the Games, there are as many questions as answers. How frequently will athletes be tested? What happens when an athlete tests positive?

The IOC and Tokyo 2020 organisers have sought to clarify some doubts and allay fears about a cancellation. The IOC and Tokyo 2020 organisers have tried to answer some of these questions, and allay fears of cancellation of the Games, by releasing four ‘Playbooks’ for different stakeholders of the Games. Two more versions of the Playbooks are expected, which will break down in minutiae what athletes, fans, National Olympic Committees and Federations can expect.

As of now, the Playbooks suggest that athletes will be asked to come to Tokyo only five days before their events, and leave within 48 hours of their events ending. Other measures will prohibit athletes from socialising, shaking hands or hugging others. Under the guidelines, athletes will be tested for the virus at least once every four days, and will be barred from competing if they return a confirmed positive test.

Meanwhile, fans, should they be allowed in arenas, will be asked not to cheer loudly, and stay masked at all times when in arenas.

Replying to AFP's question whether "the Super League stops without the English clubs," the source replied in the affirmative, the day after Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal withdrew.

Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan both followed the English clubs to the exit on Wednesday leaving four sides - Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, and Juventus - still involved.

In an interview given before the English clubs' withdrawal, Agnelli insisted the project would go ahead.

"Between our clubs, there is a blood pact, we will move forward. (The project) has a 100 percent chance of success," Agnelli told La Repubblica newspaper on Wednesday.

"Football is no longer a game but an industrial sector and it needs stability."

Shares in Juventus plunged by more than 12 percent on Wednesday, having reached their highet level since September on the announcement of the project.

Henry, whose Fenway Sports Group also owns baseball's Boston Red Sox, said in a video posted by the club on Twitter that the breakaway project would only have worked with fans' full support.

The withdrawal by Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur, just 48 hours after proposals were unveiled on Sunday, followed a furious reaction from fans, officials, and politicians.

Now just six clubs out of the original 12 remain - Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan - and the lucrative venture appears to be dead in the water.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson tweeted a statement late on Tuesday on behalf of the squad, saying they did not want the Super League to happen.

pic.twitter.com/X2ZFqJ9T4L

— Jordan Henderson (@JHenderson) April 20, 2021

Henry, who oversaw Liverpool's first English top-flight title for 30 years in 2020, said sorry to the club's followers.

"I want to apologise to all the fans and supporters of Liverpool Football Club for the disruption I caused over the last 48 hours," he said.

John W Henry's message to Liverpool supporters. pic.twitter.com/pHW3RbOcKu

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 21, 2021

"It goes without saying but should be said, the project put forward was never going to stand without the support of the fans.

"No one ever thought differently in England. Over these 48 hours you were very clear that it would not stand. We heard you. I heard you."

Liverpool Football Club can confirm that our involvement in proposed plans to form a European Super League has been discontinued.

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 20, 2021

Henry spoke of the "hurt" being felt and also apologised to manager Jurgen Klopp, his staff, and players, saying they had no responsibility for the disruption.

The American said he took full personal responsibility for "the unnecessary negativity" and that fans had displayed their "rightful power."

"If there's one thing this horrible pandemic has clearly shown, it's how crucial fans are to our sport, and to every sport - it's shown in every empty stadium," he said.

Unlike RCB, RR have many problems to deal with, starting with their middle order, which seem to be under-performing in this edition. Openers Jos Buttler and Manan Vohra have showed some form with the bat, but even they need to raise their game ahead of the tough game against the table-toppers. Captain Sanju Samson has been inconsistent as well. After scoring a hundred in just the first match, he has had two low scores. David Miller and Chris Morris did well against Delhi Capitals (DC) but much more is expected from the rest of the Indian batsmen— Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia.

Rajasthan Royals new captain Sanju Samson. Sportzpics

Injuries to two of their foreign players— Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes—  have also not done too much good to RR. Now, another international player Liam Livingstone as left the squad because of bubble fatigue. RR would definitely replace him but whoever joins cannot play the match immediately as he will have to serve the quarantine period.

In complete contrast, RCB have players, both domestic and international, fully fit and most importantly in form which is the big reason why they are at the top of the table currently. Glenn Maxwell and de Villiers have done well so far and even the Indian local talent has stepped up in this season.

It will be quite a task for the Samson-led side to conquer RCB tomorrow but the nature of the tournament tells us anything is possible.

Here's all you need to know about Match 16 of the IPL 2021 between RCB and RR:

Here is the full interview:

Q: What are you looking forward to the most this year?

Brian Lara: I am looking forward to a team to challenge Mumbai Indians. Mumbai Indians are of course are a great little outfit and a great team. They have had their players for quite some time, so the stability is very good. So, I want to see one of the other teams to truly challenge them in this year’s 2021 IPL.

 Q: Your most memorable game so far this year?

Lara: This year there have been quite a few games. The tournament is not that old but to think of, KKR falling apart in their second game – to lose, after being in such a great position, it’s pretty disappointing.

Q: Your player to watch out for so far?

Lara: Young Abdul Samad. I know he has had just two innings, but I think he is someone who can pretty much be one of the shining knights at the end of the tournament.

Q: Which West Indian player is your pick for shining this year?

Lara: I think Jason Holder could do pretty well. He ended up replacing Mitchell Marsh in the 2020 IPL, so I expect him to maybe come up trumps this year. The tracks are not so favourable to pace where he is playing at present, but he is such a good all-round player that I hope he can maintain his play and really show that the West Indians are here to stay.

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Q: Who is your favourite co-commentator in the dugout?

Lara: It has got to be Scott Styris. His knowledge of the game and the questions he asks are great. I enjoy working with him.

Q: Who is your Greatest Of All Time?

Lara: The Greatest Of All Time has to be….different eras. I am someone who finds it very difficult to have an opinion on the Greatest Of All Time when there are so many good ones. I mean, back in the day, of course, Don Bradman. Let me give you a few – Garfield Sobers, a great all-rounder, Sir Vivian Richards, a great batsman. Then, in my time, you had guys like Jacques Kallis, all-around ability, Sachin Tendulkar, a great batsman. So, quite a few. I think I love, really appreciating each player for what they brought to the game.

Q: Who was your cricketing hero while growing up?

Lara: When I was very young, it was Roy Fredricks, a left-handed opening batsman from the West Indies in the 70s and the early 80s. Back in those days as a kid, I was a left-handed batsman. He used to have a long-sleeve white shirt. I also used to have a long-sleeve white shirt, just to be like him. But then, as I grew a little older, Sir Vivian Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, these were all the guys who I tried to pick something and learn out of them.

Q: A left-hander out there who reminds you of yourself.

Lara: I would say Darren Bravo. When he is in form, he looks really good. So, yeah, from the same village. He is also family, so I can see why some of his shots resembled some of mine when I was playing.

Q: What is your routine like before you go live on TV?

Lara: Rest, rest, and trying to gain as much knowledge of what I am going to talk about. But for me, it is such a hectic environment, such a bio-bubble, is getting as much rest as possible because it is pretty intense, for like eight hours or so every day.

Q: Who is the funniest co-commentator you have over here?

Lara: Of course, Graeme Swann, without a doubt!

Q: Is there a commentator whose voice you would love to borrow?

Lara: Definitely, not Michael Holding. I think that’s very unique. I’d like to develop a voice of my own. So, I am unhappy with it at the present and hopefully, I can refine it, stand out and stand unique.

Q: What do you love the most about being here in India?

Lara: India is like a second home. I came to India when I was 14-years-old. I came in 1984 to play in a school’s tournament. Since then, I have fallen in love with the place. A lot of good friends are there. The entire country is beautiful. It has, like every other country, has its good and bad points, but I love it and being in a country that loves cricket, is so very important. I feel very humbled when I am actually here in India.

Q: Your cricket debut or your commentary debut. Which one made you more nervous?

Lara: Cricketing debut for sure. Commentary is kind of riding on your cricket career. Being a 19-year-old and getting an opportunity to play for the West Indies was something very special.

Q: Would you bat first and set the target or would you chase it down?

Lara: I think chasing down looks like one of the better things to do, maybe percentage-wise. But I just feel that when the target is onboard, you know exactly what you have to do.

India won two of their practice games and won both their FIH Pro League encounters against the reigning Olympic Champions Argentina earlier this month.

"The Argentina tour was an important experience for all of us. We were yearning for proper match practice while building up towards the Olympics," Nilakanta said in a Hockey India release.

"Our preparations for the Olympics started last year in the FIH Pro League, where we fared well against World Champions Belgium, Netherlands, and Australia.

"We also had a solid tour of Europe earlier this year. That gave us the confidence that we could face the best teams and come out on top," he added.

The Indian men's team had remained unbeaten in the tour of Europe last month. Making an impressive return to international hockey, India had outclassed Germany 6-1 before playing out a 1-1 draw against them.

In the two games against Great Britain, India were held to a 1-1 draw before they ended the tour with a 3-2 victory.

"What we saw in Argentina was a result of a lot of hard during training sessions. The more we played with each other, our game improved. Conversations with Chief Coach Graham Reid have been open. He has been approachable from day one and has given me a very clear idea about my role in the team."

Nilakanta scored India's first goal of the Argentina tour, and followed the effort with an assist in the second practice match.

"I have learned to stay calm and composed in pressure situations. I feel we combine well...captain Manpreet, Dilpreet, and Hardik. We have a very good understanding of each other's game.

The 25-year-old has come a long way from being a junior world champion on home soil in 2016. That team also included current stars Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, and Krishan Pathak among others.

Nilakanta now dreams of adding an important medal to his trophy cabinet.

"I have been playing with these guys for such a long time. We are close friends and always try to help each other out.

"We are taking small steps at the moment and not getting ahead of ourselves. Hopefully, we will carry our current form into the Olympics as well," Nilakanta said.

Toss news: Zimbabwe captain Sean Williams won the toss and the home team has opted to field first against Pakistan in the first T20I being played Harare Sports Club.

Pakistan have handed a debut to all-rounder Danish Aziz, who is a left-handed bastman and left-arm orthodox spin bowler, as they aim to finalise their squad for the T20 World Cup.

Zimbabwe captain Sean Williams and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam. Image: Twitter/@TheRealPCB

The visitors are coming into the contest after handing a 3-1 defeat to South Africa in a four-match T20I series. Pakistan also won the ODI series 2-1 on the tour of South Africa. On the other hand, Zimbabwe suffered a clean sweep in their last T20I series by Afghanistan in the UAE.

The other two matches of the series will be played on 23 and 25 April respectively.

Teams:

Zimbabwe playing XI: Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, Wesley Madhevere, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Craig Ervine, Sean Williams(c), Ryan Burl, Regis Chakabva(w), Luke Jongwe, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava

Pakistan playing XI: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Haider Ali, Danish Aziz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Hasnain, Haris Rauf

Apart from the eight finalists, three others settled for bronze medals at the tournament, a performance which betters the 10 medals that India won in its best-ever show not too long back in the 2018 edition in Hungary.

The ones who made the finals, to be held on Thursday after a rest day on Wednesday, were Gitika (48kg), Babyrojisana Chanu (51kg), Vinka (60kg), Arundhati Choudhary (69kg), Poonam (57kg), Thokchom Sanamachu Chanu (75kg) and Alfiya Pathan (+81kg) among women.

Among men, only Sachin (56kg) made the summit clash while three others signed off with bronze medals.

Gitika defeated Italy's Erika Prisciandaro 5-0 to set up a clash with Poland's Natalia Dominika, while Vinka prevailed 4-1 against Czech Republic's Veronika Gajdova.

Vinka will next take on Kazakhstan's Zhuldyz Shayakhmetova.

Arundhati had little trouble getting past Uzbekistan's Khadichabonu Abdullaeva in a unanimous 5-0 verdict and she will be up against Poland's Barbara Marcinkowska in her summit showdown.

Babyrojisana also notched up a similar result against Italy's Elen Ayari. She has Russia's Valeriia Linkova to contend with in the finals. Manipur's Babyrojisana is the reigning Asian youth champion.

Poonam sailed past Uzbekistan's Sitora Turdibekova 5-0, and France's Sthelyne Grosy awaits her in the gold medal bout.

Sanamacha clinched a 4-1 triumph over Poland's Daria Parada. She will square off against Kazakhstan's Dana Diday in her last bout of the event.

Alfiya had a tough one against Poland's Oliwia Toborek but the Indian did enough to prevail 3-2. Moldova's Daria Kozorez will be her final challenge.

In the evening session, Sachin was the lone Indian to triumph, beating Italy's Michele Baldassi. He will fight it out with Kazakhstan's Yerbolat Sabyr for the top honours on Friday.

Asian youth silver-winner Ankita Narwal (64kg), Bishwamita Chongthom (49kg) and Vishal Gupta (91kg) ended their campaigns with third-place finishes following semifinal losses.

Ankit and Bhswamitra lost in split 1-4 decisions to Kazakhstan's Sabirzhan Akkalykov and Sanzhar Tashkenbay respectively.

Vishal was beaten 5-0 by Poland's Jakub Straszewski.

The tournament was unified for men and women in 2014 for the first time.

19:04 (IST)

That's it from this match, do switch over to the second match of the day where KKR have won the toss and elected to bowl against CSK at the Wankhede Stadium. Goodbye and take care.

IPL 2021, Live Cricket Score, Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): A good all-round performance from SRH. They read and adapted well to the wicket. The bowlers relied on cutters and slower ones on a sluggish track to restrict a dangerous PBKS batting line-up to just 120. PBKS didn't adapt to the pitch and conditions, their shot selection was poor and they kept losing wickets at regular intervals which is why they never attained momentum. The SRH batsmen, on the other hand, played sensibly. Didn't go for expansive shots, dealt in singles and twos and got the job done without much fuss.

Preview: Sunrisers Hyderabad face Punjab Kings in the first match of Wednesday's double-header at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Punjab Kings (PBKS), led by KL Rahul, are one place above the bottom-placed SRH with one victory in three matches. It's going to be a hard-fought battle in Chennai as both teams are desperate to attain the winning momentum.

For SRH, the main problem is their middle-order. The issue was there in last season as well but still they made it to the playoffs. This time, Warner and the team management will find it tough to make it to the playoffs if they don't fix their issues sooner. Three bad defeats is not the kind of start they would've envisaged but they still got 11 matches to play.

Against Punjab, SRH could look at the option of choosing Kedar Jadhav who has experience of playing in the middle-order. He also needs to prove a point after SRH bought him for Rs 2 crore in the auction despite having a bad season last time around in the UAE.

Kane Williamson could be a big positive for Hyderabad but it's not clear whether he's fit to play the match.

Meanwhile, Rahul's team will likely see changes in the playing XI as they move from Mumbai to Chennai. The foreign pacers – Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson have gone for runs in the previous matches and considering the nature of the track in Chennai, they will have to depend on spinners. There's some pressure on Rahul as well with regard to his strike-rate. It'll be interesting to see how he responds with the bat on Wednesday.

Squad

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (C), Kane Williamson, Virat Singh, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Wriddhiman Saha, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Sreevats Goswami, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Kedar Jadhav, J Suchit, Jason Holder, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Shahbaz Nadeem and Mujeeb ur Rahman.

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Prabsimran Singh, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Darshan Nalkande, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Jhye Richardson, Shahrukh Khan, Riley Meredith, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar.

Organisers have already barred overseas fans from the pandemic-delayed Games, and were expected to announce an upper limit on domestic spectators sometime in April.

But Japanese reports said the decision was now likely in June, possibly just a month before the Games open on July 23. The move would further delay ticket sales, which were put on hold when the Olympics were postponed last year.

The organising committee said the timing of the decision needed to stay "flexible" as the coronavirus situation develops.

"We remain in discussions with the IOC and IPC (International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee) and intend to reach a consensus on the direction to take," a Tokyo 2020 statement added.

Athletes may also face daily virus testing, rather than once every four days as originally planned, separate reports said.

Japan's sharp rise in cases is causing further disruption for the postponed Games, with a number of test events delayed, cancelled or moved abroad.

In the latest upheaval, an artistic swimming qualifying competition has been moved from Japan, organisers said, and spectators will reportedly be barred from an athletics event at the main Olympic stadium.

The artistic swimming qualifier was originally set to take place in Tokyo in March before being rescheduled to May 1-4, but will now be held in June at "a location to be defined, outside Japan", organisers said late Tuesday.

World swimming governing body FINA said in a statement that "challenges related to the international calendar and the necessary adaptation of the venue to the Olympic Games operations" were behind the decision.

FINA has already rescheduled a Diving World Cup event in Tokyo and moved a marathon swimming Olympic qualifier from Japan to Portugal, amid reported dissatisfaction over virus countermeasures.

Japanese media said Wednesday that an athletics test event -- which will double as a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet and feature athletes from overseas -- will be held without spectators.

Organisers were set to allow 20,000 fans into the May 9 meet, according to Kyodo news agency, but tougher restrictions imposed by the Tokyo city government this month have forced a rethink.

Virus restrictions are expected to be tightened further this week, with Tokyo and several other regions seeking a state of emergency to tackle rising cases.

Despite the situation, Olympic organisers and local officials insist the Games can be held safely. They will unveil updated virus rulebooks later this month.

Amit Mishra did wonders with the ball as Delhi Capitals (DC) climbed to second spot in the IPL 2021 points table with a six-wicket win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 13th match of the cash-rich league in Chennai on Tuesday. Restricting Mumbai to just 137-9 after being put to bowl, Mishra registered figures of 4/24 off four overs. Sportzpics

Despite losing Quinton de Kock very early, Rohit Sharma (44) got off to a flyer, forging a 58-run stand with Suryakumar Yadav for the second wicket. Rohit was caught by Steve Smith at long-on off Mishra's bowling. Sportzpics

Chasing 138, DC lost Prithvi Shaw but Shikhar Dhawan showcased a valiant effort with a knock of 45 off 42 balls. Dhawan would go onto construct a 53-run stand with Steve Smith which would eventually set the platform for a win. Sportzpics

Before Dhawan's aggression, Jayant Yadav ensured that DC would be dealt with a blow after getting rid of Prithvi Shaw in the innings' second over. Sportzpics

Shimron Hetmyer came in the 17th over with DC in a spot of bother, but he and Lalit Yadav (22*) made sure that the Capitals would cross the finish line without much fuss. Sportzpics

The statement that made me go down this rabbit hole came up in a recent interview of chess GM Alexander Grischuk with Chess24.com. Grischuk admitted that he had tried watching a replay of Dota 2’s The International (the replay is over 3 hours long) and understood almost nothing, despite having watched a coaching video and spending time talking to GM Ian Nepomniachti, who served as a commentator during ESL One Hamburg 2018 Dota 2 tournament under the name of FrostNova. He added that this made him understand how most people felt after watching chess.

Dota 2, by many fans, is considered to be one of the most complex eSports today. It has several unique elements that set it apart, and its reputation among fans is such that they often insist that the extra game mechanics make it more skill-oriented than League of Legends (LoL). LoL and Dota 2 are based on the game Defense of the Ancients which was called DotA, and as such its closest rival as an eSport.

Game Design Lounge claims video games get boring when they are repetitive and become predictable. The same simplicity that makes these games popular at first also results in players moving onto newer games.

The solution to making a game less repetitive and predictable is to increase its level of complexity. By this standard, Dota 2 should be the most popular eSport, or at least beat its rival LoL.

According to playercounter.com, at the time of my writing this column, LoL had more than thrice the number of players online when compared to Dota 2. Dota 2 was at a little over 600,000 which on its own, would be impressive, but LoL had over 2 million online. This is despite larger amounts of money being offered by Dota 2 in tournaments through 2020 compared to LoL.

There are games that make an instant splash and become wildly popular, but fizzle out very quickly. A great example of this in my opinion is Flappy Bird. It hit 50 million downloads in January 2014, but in recent times, it has been downloaded such few times that SensorTower no longer tracks the data related to the game.

While the argument could be made that Dota 2 and LoL are eSports while Flappy Bird is not, it is best to remember that all eSports are still video games. The only difference is that Flappy Bird is a game made to be played on the mobile phone and mobile gaming is not something to scoff at.

The reality for video games is that the easier they are to understand and play, the faster new players join in. However, players are just as likely to get bored and leave the game if it is repetitive in nature. This creates an eternal dilemma for game developers.

If video games are made less complex, it would certainly increase the number of players in the short run, however, it also means players run out of challenges faster and begin to get bored. The ideal video game would be one that is simple and easy to learn and at the same time complex so that there are always new challenges to keep players engaged.

This is very difficult to achieve in the real world. As of today, the only solution that seems reasonable in this regard is game developers finding ways to change or evolve the game experience, adding new content, or creating a special event to excite the players.

"FIH, Hockey India and Great Britain Hockey are monitoring the evolution of the situation in the hope of rearranging these matches at a later date," a FIH release said.

India will still travel to Europe in May to play the Pro League matches against Spain (15-16 May) and Germany (22-23 May) while Great Britain will host Germany (12-13 May), USA (Women, 22-23 May) and Spain (Men, 22-23 May).

Australia and New Zealand are continuing their efforts to find a date for the matches between them following the announcement of a trans-Tasman travel bubble this week.

The UK government added India to its COVID-19 travel 'red list' on Monday. From April 23 onwards, UK residents arriving from India will have to quarantine in a hotel for 11 nights.

Others from India will not be able to travel to the UK at all.

India have recorded a total of 2,95,041 fresh infections in the last 24 hours while the active cases crossed the 21-lakh mark.

Atanu Das grabbed the second spot behind world number one Brady Elison to propel the men's team to a third place finish, as India have qualified straight to quarterfinals in the men's and women's team event besides mixed section where Das and Deepika will be in action together for the first time after their marriage last year.

"Mixed team, you know, I like very much. If I get to play with Deepika then it's awesome. We're a couple you know and then we'd be the first couple to play in the Olympics. So it's fun," Das, who last won a mixed pair bronze with Deepika at the Asian Championships, told PTI.

Das and Deepika, who have won many international medals together in the past, will take on France in the mixed team quarterfinals, while the top-seed women's team will face hosts Guatemala in the last-eight. The men's team, on the other hand, will take on the winners of Spain and Guatemala in their last eight clash.

India were playing in the World Cup circuit for the first time after their appearance in the Stage 4 in Berlin in July 2019 and the Asian Championship in Bangkok in November 2019 was their last international appearance, albeit under the aegis of 'World Archery' after the national federation was suspended.

India’s recurves had a great qualification day at the Hyundai Archery World Cup stage in Guatemala City. 💪🇮🇳🏹

Atanu Das – #2 man
Ankita Bhakat – #2 woman
Deepika Kumari – #3 woman

Women’s team – #1 seed
Men’s team – #3 seed
Mixed team – #2 seed#ArcheryWorldCup pic.twitter.com/2ZoVrj8v2A

— World Archery (@worldarchery) April 21, 2021

"It's been a while since we played any International tournaments because of COVID-19... So it's a very good tournament, very good weather, and I really enjoyed shooting," said Das.

The tournament serves as a preparation for the Tokyo Olympics in less than 100 days and the Indian men's team which has qualified will look to make the most of it.

The jet-lagged Indians showed little sign of rustiness as Deepika led with 339 points at the halfway mark – four ahead of eventual topper Ana Vazquez and Bhakat.

But the former world number one fell off the pace in the back end, having to rush her last arrows as she along with Ankita slotted in second and third places with 673 and 671 points respectively.

Reigning under-18 world champion Komalika Bari took the 12th place with 659 points as the Indian women's team comfortably grabbed the pole position, 14 points clear of Mexico to seal its last-eight place.

India number one Das finished 14 points behind USA's Elison who dominated the qualification round to finish with 694 points, his second-highest ranking round score of his career.

A winner of two silver and one bronze medals at the Olympics, Ellison led Das by four points at the halfway break but made rapid progress in the back end to breach the psychological 690-barrier.

Pravin Jadhav (15th) and B Dhiraj (20th) made up for their third team rankings on a day senior most archer Tarundeep Rai finished 22nd with a poor show of 663 points.

The recurve archers were fighting it out solely as the federation withdrew the compound team boasting the Asian champions duo of Abhishek Verma and Jyothi Surekha on the eve of their departure after their coach had tested "positive" for COVID-19.

The next day, it came to light that the coach had a "false positive" report at Sonepat but the damage had been done by then.

Delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tuesday's qualification round at the Sports Complex Los Arcos welcomed the start of the 15th season of the international circuit.

More than 18 months have passed since the most recent Archery World Cup Final took place in Moscow.

The withdrawal by Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, just two days after the league's unveiling, left just six Spanish and Italian teams involved.

"I said yesterday that it is admirable to admit a mistake and these clubs made a big mistake," Ceferin said in a statement.

"But they are back in the fold now and I know they have a lot to offer not just to our competitions but to the whole of the European game.

"The important thing now is that we move on, rebuild the unity that the game enjoyed before this and move forward together."

The withdrawals followed an angry reaction from fans, officials and politicians who claimed the Super League was greedy and anti-competitive, as teams were guaranteed a spot each year.

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper’s parents are receiving treatment at Pulse Superspeciality Hospital in Ranchi their oxygen level is stable, the news agency added.

“Parents of cricketer MS Dhoni have been admitted here at the hospital after testing positive for #COVID19. Their oxygen level is stable: Pulse Superspeciality Hospital, Ranchi, Jharkhand,” ANI tweeted via their official handle.

Parents of cricketer MS Dhoni have been admitted here at the hospital after testing positive for #COVID19. Their oxygen level is stable: Pulse Superspeciality Hospital, Ranchi, Jharkhand

— ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2021

Dhoni is currently in Mumbai where he is leading CSK in the ongoing IPL 2021 tournament. The Chennai-based franchise are vying for their fourth IPL crown and sit third in the standings with four points from three games (two wins). They play Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Having not played any competitive cricket since CSK’s dismal show in IPL 2020, Dhoni had rejoined the CSK set-up as early as March this year and led a training camp with domestic talents in Chennai.

All the franchises are placed within a bio-bubble as the tournament proceeds amidst rising coronavirus cases every day, with India having seen over 2.95 lakh new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours.

All matches are being played behind closed doors and there are no home matches this season, with all teams playing at neutral venues in a caravan cluster format.

In a joint statement with the National Basketball Players Association executive director Michele Roberts, the NBA chief said the league would continue to campaign for criminal justice and police reforms.

"George Floyd's murder was a flash point for how we look at race and justice in our country, and we are pleased that justice appears to have been served," Silver and Roberts said.

"But we also recognise that there is much work to be done with the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association, together with our newly formed Social Justice Coalition, will redouble our efforts to advocate for meaningful change in the areas of criminal justice and policing," they added.

NBA players joined nationwide protests against Floyd's killing in Minneapolis in May last year, and the league later encouraged players to share social justice messages when the pandemic-interrupted season resumed.

The words "Black Lives Matter" were painted prominently on courts at games staged in the NBA's bubble in Orlando.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx WNBA teams both praised Tuesday's verdict in a joint statement.

"One year ago, George Floyd was murdered, causing unimaginable pain and trauma for his family, the Minneapolis community, and communities across the nation," the teams said.

"We are hopeful that today's decision will serve as a step forward, but it does not ease the physical and emotional pain that continues in an environment where systemic racism exists."

At what point do the franchise teams playing more matches in Chennai start to ponder about conditions on offer? It is one thing to play at home and carve out an entire strategy based on such conditions, like Chennai Super Kings have done in the past. But it is an entirely different situation when teams have to reformulate their strategies in lieu of such conditions, that too in a tournament where the margins are close.

It makes for some wonderment. Sunrisers Hyderabad have lost all three of their first three games. Royal Challengers Bangalore have won all three. Mumbai Indians have won two and lost two very close, low-scoring games in conditions alien to them. Isn’t it obvious by now that playing in Chennai is obviously going to impact the race for IPL 2021’s knockout spots?

Playing their first IPL 2021 match in Chennai, Delhi Capitals quickly adjusted to the conditions to clinch a crucial win over defending champions Mumbai Indians. Image: Sportzpics

There were two major talking points emanating from Tuesday night’s game, especially keeping in mind the above mathematical standpoint. First, Delhi Capitals flew in, didn’t even have a practice session apparently, went straight into the game, and beat the strongest side in this competition. Consequently, it sets up their status as a team to watch. Additionally, they now have only one more game to play in Chennai (against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 25 April) and even a 50-per cent return on their trip down South would be rewarding enough.

So far, Delhi have been very clever about the use of their resources. After Mumbai, they have the second-best squad in IPL 2021, and when you have different capabilities available on the bench, you mix and match them to put together the best possible solution on the field. Chris Woakes left out, only one foreign pacer, Amit Mishra brought in, Steve Smith getting another game and so on — the Capitals tore up their usual script and played according to the conditions on offer.

Leaving out the foreign pacers, barring Kagiso Rabada, made absolute sense. On a very Indian deck, you need more muscle in batting and thus Capitals boosted their batting strength. When you have someone like Smith to maneuver the bowling in middle overs, especially by countering spin, it is helpful. Shikhar Dhawan’s start once again provided the platform and Smith marshalled the chase thereafter.

Even so, it was Mishra’s inclusion that turned the game. Irrespective of what happens in the future, he will go down as one of the most effective spinners in IPL history. He has wicket-taking records and hat-tricks to his name, and for different teams. In his current avatar, Mishra is even more dangerous. He is not going to play the majority of games but will be brought in to be the joker of the bowling pack whenever conditions ask for it.

As a leg spinner varying his pace, Mishra is very potent. It is a stand-out difference from another leg spinner, like Rashid Khan, who uses higher revs and wrist positioning to bamboozle the batsmen. Mishra bowls slower, and puts more loop on the ball, to pick up his wickets. In his first spell bowling in the powerplay, he was wicket-less and gave away 10 runs. But then he picked up 4-14 in three overs to rout the Mumbai middle order on Tuesday night.

This is where the second underlying pointer emanates.

Mumbai Indians are set in their ways. It is almost like comparing them to the sun always rising and setting as per its usual routine. A proper batting line-up that doesn’t overburden Rohit Sharma, throw in a few middle-order all-rounders, a five-bowler attack including three pacers, Jasprit Bumrah bowling the 19th over, and so on — these are a few of the idiosyncrasies that Mumbai operate with.

You would think it is easier to play against them when opposing teams know so much about their strategy even before the start of any game. Wrong! For, within their set ways, Mumbai Indians have an almost poetic synergy in motion. Their methods are set not to allow their players to perform, but vice versa. Their players’ consistent and match-winning performances are what give basis to their set formulae.

Conditions in Chennai though have won over Mumbai’s consistency. So much so, they broke away from routine and picked a third full-time spinner to counter Delhi Capitals on Tuesday. When was the last time they played without three frontline pacers? No one knows, rather, it would be too cumbersome to look through pages of history. It is an occurrence with an average appearance of once per season, maybe less.

It didn’t work out, of course, because Mishra’s spell broke the back of their middle order. Losing four wickets in that passage of play, reduced to 84-6 in the 12th over, and putting only 138 runs as target meant that Delhi were already ahead. It was about making things tougher and Mumbai did precisely that. One of the key elements of their performances has been an uplifting fielding effort — they make smaller targets look big, 150 looks like 170, and 130 looks like 150. Albeit, Delhi’s batting is currently in-form to cope with such challenges.

The crux of the matter is that Mumbai Indians are now starting to suffer in Chennai. Four matches into the tournament and only one batsman has scored a half-century (Suryakumar Yadav’s 56 against Kolkata Knight Riders). The next best score is Chris Lynn’s 49 and he cannot even get a game at present. The middle-order is suffering even more — Kieron Pollard’s highest is 39 with a strike-rate 111, while Hardik Pandya has managed only 35 runs in 4 matches at a strike-rate 106. Even the young, hard-hitting Ishan Kishan is under duress — 67 runs in four innings at a strike-rate 95.

These are batsmen who would be flying high playing in better suited, batting-friendly conditions and tormenting opponents. That Mumbai have still managed to etch out two wins and lost the other two games in close battles is a testament to their strengths as a well-oiled team.

Surely though, they are now dreaming about that flight out of Chennai.

Bayern seized control at the Allianz Arena with early goals by Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Joshua Kimmich after second-placed RB Leipzig had earlier suffered a shock defeat at relegation-threatened Cologne.

With just four games to go, club world champions Bayern will be guaranteed a ninth German league title in a row with a win at Mainz on Saturday.

"I told the team before the game, that we could take a huge step towards the title, which we have done. We want to now also win in Mainz," said Bayern coach Hansi Flick.

Off the field, Bayern are in disarray since Flick dropped a bombshell on Saturday by saying he wants to be released from his contract at the end of the season.

Bayern's senior bosses responded by saying it "disapproves of the one-sided communication by Hansi Flick" and wants to focus on this week's games.

The Bavarian giants were also adamant on Tuesday that they will not join the breakaway Super League.

On the pitch, it was business as usual as Bayern quickly dominated Leverkusen and scored from their first attack.

When Thomas Mueller's shot was saved, Choupo-Moting was on hand to tap home the rebound on seven minutes.

Kimmich added Bayern's second goal on 14 minutes when David Alaba's cross only went as far as the Germany midfielder who fired home from the edge of the area.

Leverkusen raised their game after the break with Leon Bailey firing past Manuel Neuer, but his goal was ruled offside.

Choupo-Moting had the ball in the Leverkusen net for the second time with 25 minutes left but his effort was ruled offside.

Bailey's cross across the six-yard box was then fired off the crossbar by Karim Bellarabi on 69 minutes.

Eintracht Frankfurt moved up to third with a 2-0 home win over Augsburg thanks to goals by midfielder Martin Hinteregger and striker Andre Silva, who claimed his 24th league goal this season.

Schalke relegated

Bottom side Schalke had their relegation confirmed by a 1-0 defeat at Arminia Bielefeld after 30 consecutive years in Germany's top flight.

Earlier, RB Leipzig crashed to a 2-1 defeat at second-from-bottom Cologne, whose captain Jonas Hector scored the first Bundesliga brace of his career to end a miserable run of nine league games without a win.

"Cologne fought and showed passion," admitted Leipzig attacking midfielder Emil Forsberg.

"We had a few chances, but unfortunately we aren't taking advantage of them at the moment and, of course, we are disappointed about that."

After a goalless first-half in Cologne, the match burst into life after the break.

Germany international Hector headed his side into the lead just 56 seconds into the second half with the visitors' defence napping.

Leipzig hit back on 59 minutes when Malian midfielder Amadou Haidara was left unmarked to launch his shot from the edge of the area past Cologne goalkeeper Timo Horn.

Just 100 seconds after Cologne conceded the equaliser, Hector struck again when he collected a flick just outside the box, held off his marker and fired into the bottom corner.

"Today, everyone did everything for the win— that is crucial for the coming weeks," added Jonas Hector with Cologne still in one of the automatic relegation places.

The result boosts Cologne's survival hopes with games against mid-table sides Augsburg and Freiburg to come before facing strugglers Hertha Berlin away on the last day of the season.

The 49-year-old former investment banker is believed to have been one of the prime movers behind controversial proposals for a European Super League.

JP Morgan, the bank he worked for when he advised the Glazers over their purchase of Manchester United in 2005, are financing the project.

"I am extremely proud to have served United and it has been an honour to work for the world's greatest football club for the past 16 years," he said in a statement.

“The club is well positioned for the future and it will be difficult to walk away at the end of the year."

Woodward has been executive vice-chairman at Old Trafford since 2012. He took over the responsibilities of departing chief executive David Gill the following year and proved an unpopular figure with fans.

Under his tenure the club spent more than a billion pounds ($1.4 billion) but have not won the Premier League or Champions League since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

“I will treasure the memories from my time at Old Trafford, during a period when we won the Europa League, the FA Cup and the League Cup," said Woodward.

"We have invested more than £1 billion in the squad during my time here and I am particularly delighted with the progress the players have made under the astute leadership of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his coaching team in the last two years."

In a statement confirming Woodward's departure, United co-chairman Joel Glazer said: "Ed Woodward has served the club with great distinction. On behalf of everyone at United I would like to place on record our sincere thanks for his tireless work and dedication."

Woodward made no mention of the Super League in his comments and it is reported that his exit is unrelated to the controversial plans.

Manchester City, one of the 12 clubs to initially sign up to the proposed European Super League, announced they were withdrawing late on Tuesday, with Chelsea set to follow, leaving the project on the brink of collapse.

Smith has been in his role since 2018, in which time England have been crowned 50-over world champions, and will leave at the end of the month.

Silverwood will have sole responsibility for the squad selection although Test captain Joe Root and limited overs skipper Eoin Morgan will have their say on the respective starting line-ups.

File image of England coach Chris Silverwood. AFP

The revamp comes ahead of a busy year for England with the highlights a five Test series against India beginning in August, the T20 World Cup in India and a bid to regain The Ashes in Australia.

Ashley Giles, managing director of England men's cricket, was responsible for the restructuring.

He said the selection process had been tried and tested but it had to move with the times.

"The current process of selecting England teams has been in place for over 120 years," said Giles in an ECB statement.

"Even though this system has its merits, with advances in technology and a greater information gathering resource at our disposal than ever before, the restructure is in the best interests of helping England men's teams be successful."

Giles said Silverwood's extra responsibility will also put him in the spotlight even more if selections do not work out.

"The new structure also makes lines of accountability much clearer, with Chris Silverwood, as head coach, taking ultimate responsibility for picking England senior men's squads."

Giles paid tribute to 43-year-old Smith.

"I would like to personally thank Ed for his contribution to the England men's teams over the past three years," said Giles.

"Ed's input has helped deliver successes for all our England teams, and he has worked with commitment and professionalism throughout his time as national selector."

Smith said it "had been a huge privilege to work with great people" and wished England success.

Delhi Capitals defeated Mumbai Indians by six-wickets in their IPL on Tuesday, their first win over the five-time champions in five meetings.

"It (the travelling) is slightly challenging because of COVID. But I think, as a team we are not focussing on all this outside thing too much, because BCCI has done really well to give us a good bubble and travelling things.

"So we are focussing more on cricket and it is good to see people adjusting to the pitch like this, especially when you are coming from the Wankhede," Pant said at the post-match press conference.

Shikhar Dhawan (L) scored 45 as DC chased down the target of 138 in 19.1 overs against Mumbai Indians. Image: Sportzpics for IPL

Delhi promoted all-rounder Lalit Yadav and Pant said the team management is trying to groom him.

"He (Lalit) is a good youngster and we are trying to groom him and we thought on this kind of wicket, he can do wonders. Yes, good to see some maturity from him," the skipper noted.

Pant said he focuses on match scenarios than match-ups.

Asked about his match-up against Jasprit Bumrah, Pant said, "As a player, you don't focus on match-ups too much, because (it) doesn't matter what you are doing or what you have done before, every day is a new day in cricket.

"And as you can see they bowled him (Bumrah) because they have to bowl him at that time, there was no other option and I had to go for my shots because we were chasing, so I think you need to focus on the scenarios much more rather than match-ups."

Asked about the leadership aspect, Pant who replaced injured Shreyas Iyer as Delhi Capitals skipper said, "As a wicket-keeper I keep on reading the game and it has helped me a lot, but with the seniors around and Ricky Ponting in our management, I think it is going great.

He also defended rival skipper Rohit Sharma's decision to opt to bat saying he would have done the same had he won the toss.

"We were also thinking to bat first, so I don't think that it was a bad decision," Pant signed off.

Toss update: Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat Wednesday in the opening Test against Sri Lanka who are looking for a first Test win in more than a year.

Sri Lanka left out former captain Dinesh Chandimal as the experienced Angelo Mathews returned to the side having missed a recent series in the West Indies.

Both teams packed their squads with fast bowling on a greenish wicket.

Sri Lanka have not won a Test since January last year, also against Bangladesh. Since then, they have lost four and drawn three.

Bangladesh are searching for their first overseas Test win in four years.

Bangladesh: Mominul Haque (Captain), Litton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Abu Jayed, Taijul Islam, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hassan, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Saif Hassan

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (Captain), Lahiru Thirimanne, Oshada Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando

Umpires: Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Kumar Dharmasena (SL)

Television Umpire: Ravindra Wimalasiri (SL)

Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL)

With inputs from AFP 

After extremely creditable draws against Al Rayyan and Al Wahda, it would have been forgivable if some felt bullish about the Indian Super League side’s chances against the runners-up of the previous edition. But the final score of 2-1 flattered Goa who were completely outplayed by the slick passing and movement of the Iranian champions. Persepolis changed the tempo of the game at their will, slowing it down to walking pace at one point before hurtling through the gears and bearing down on the FC Goa goal in a matter of seconds.

Having named unchanged line-ups for the first two games, Goa coach Juan Ferrando made two changes, bringing in Adil Khan and Saviour Gama for Ishan Pandita and the suspended Alex Romario, resulting in a defensive system that would have made Jose Mourinho proud. Gama, a left-back by trade, played as a defensive winger on the left ahead of Sanson Pereira. Adil was deployed as a screen in front of the back four to allow Glan Martins and Edu to take up central positions just in front of him. Brandon took up a position on the wide right with Jorge Ortiz leading the line.

Persepolis went with their usual gung-ho 4-2-2-2 formation, with the wide players Mehdi Torabi and Siamak Nemati tucking in to supply creativity and allowing the full-backs to overlap. The left-back Vahid Amiri found a lot of joy down his flank, popping up in positions in and around the Goa penalty and even forcing keeper Dheeraj Singh into a save after going through on goal. With an average age of almost 30, this was a battle-hardened side led by the 39-year-old centre-back Jalal Hosseini whose headed goal proved to be the winning one.

Edu Bedia celebrates after scoring FC Goa's first AFC Champions League goal. Image: FC Goa media

Having stuck to their principles in the first two games, Goa maintained their playing style of building from the back and keeping the ball on the ground as much as possible. One such foray into the opposition half resulted in Edu Bedia winning a free-kick. From the resulting set-piece, the Spaniard got on the end of a superb delivery by Brandon to nod home the opening goal of the game. Usually, it is Edu who takes these free-kicks but the role reversal worked perfectly for Goa here. A historic goal like that deserved delirious celebrations but the Gaurs kept it to a minimum considering the strength of their opponents and the fact that there were still about 80 minutes left to play.

A few minutes later, those two combined again with Edu carrying the ball up the field and setting up Brandon to double their lead and send Goa into dreamland but Persepolis goalkeeper Hamed Lak had other ideas and he threw out a strong arm to block the shot. This was just the encouragement the Iranians needed as they regained their composure and started probing the Goan defence. It paid off immediately as James Donachie was adjudged to have fouled Isa Alkasir and the referee awarded a penalty kick. Defender Mohammed Kanani had initially picked up the ball to take the spot kick but Torabi took it off him and duly converted to draw the match level.

Last season’s Champions League runners-up kept their foot on the pedal and started forcing the Goa players into errors, especially Adil Khan, who misplaced a couple of passes one of which led to a corner that Persepolis took full advantage of. In the 24th minute, Dheeraj came out and flapped at thin air but the ball sailed away to the flank. Torabi retrieved it and his cross to the back post found the veteran Hosseini who headed it in. Adil paid the price as he was substituted for the young midfielder Amarjit Singh. As the wave of attacks by the Iranians continued, the referee awarded another penalty when Ivan Gonzalez made a late challenge on Shahriar. This time, Kanani did step forward to take the kick but his shot was saved by Dheeraj to keep the score at 2-1.

For the second half, Ferrando brought on forward Devendra Murgaonkar for Gama and around the hour mark, Ishan Pandita and Princeton Rebello also came on for Brandon and Martins. On paper, these looked like brave moves to try and gain a point but by this time, with all the substitutions, Persepolis had slowed the game down and were happy to keep the ball moving in their own half. They maintained this tempo until the end of the game showing their experience in game management as they made it three wins out of three.

The return of Rebello would have encouraged Ferrando, especially as captain Edu seems to be a major doubt after suffering an injury and being replaced by Redeem Tlang who also got some valuable minutes on board. Defender Gonzalez was another who limped out after the match had ended and the Gaurs will be hoping these two key players are fit to face the Iranians again, in the reverse fixture on Friday.

MI skipper Rphit Sharma in action against DC. Sportzpics

Experienced leg-spinner Amit Mishra (4/24) spun his web around the Mumbai Indians batsman to restrict them to sub-par 137/9 and Delhi chased the target with five balls to spare on Tuesday.

"Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has been fined after his team maintained a slow over rate during their IPL 2021 match against Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on 20 April," the IPL said in a statement.

"As it was his team's first offence of the season under the IPL's Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, Sharma was fined Rs 12 lakh," the statement added.

After their abject campaign in UAE last year, the CSK started the season in an ominous fashion, losing to Delhi Capitals by seven wickets in a one-sided affair.

But since then, the MS Dhoni-led side has come on its own with the 'Captain Cool' making the most of his resources at the batting-friendly Wankhede stadium.

Deepak Chahar's brilliance handed them their first win of the season against Punjab Kings it's been a tale of two Englishmen — Moeen Ali and Sam Curran for the CSK.

MS Dhoni (L) in action for CSK. Image: Sportzpics for IPL

Explosive all-rounder Ali has embraced the number three spot with knocks of 36 from 24 (vs Delhi Capitals), 46 off 31 (Punjab Kings) and 26 off 20 in his match-winning show against Rajasthan Royals on Monday.

He is also quietly doing the job with his off-spin with Dhoni cleverly bringing him in the mix in the non-friendly conditions.

In their chase of 189, Jos Buttler had started to look ominous and sent a good-length ball from Ravindra Jadeja into the stands as the ball had to be replaced.

Well aware that the dry ball would turn more than the dew-laden wet ball, Dhoni stepped up his attack with Jadeja and Ali from both ends.

While Jadeja dismissed the dangerous looking Buttler and Shivam Dube in one over, Ali accounted for David Miller, Riyan Parag and Chris Morris in his match-turning 3/7.

The only brightspot of their abysmal campaign in UAE, youngster Sam Curran has also made some impact both with the bat and ball.

Be it his 15-ball 34 against in a losing cause to Delhi Capitals, or his bowling in the Powerplay, Curran is giving Dhoni many options.

Against a side which will play its first match of the season at the Wankhede, smarting from two successive defeats, the Dhoni-led CSK will start as overwhelming favourites against KKR as Eoin Morgan is all set to ring in some changes to revive their campaign.

After their emphatic start against Sunrisers Hyderabad, KKR have slipped to fifth spot with defeats to Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

And in both the defeats, the Morgan-led side had the upper hands but could not capitalise on their starts.

Varun Chakravarthy had dismissed Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar in five balls to have RCB in a spot with 9/2 inside two overs. But in a bizarre decision, Morgan took the mystery spinner out of the attack and brought in Shakib-Al-Hasan as Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers powered them to 204/4.

It remains to be seen if Morgan persists with Shakib or bring in seaming Aussie all-rounder Ben Cutting in the less spin-friendly conditions.

Morgan also has persisted with the veteran Harbhajan Singh and gave him the opening overs in all the three matches. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav could be a better option.

Head coach Brendon McCullum has already hinted of making some changes after their 38-run defeat to RCB.

As for CSK, opener Ruturaj Gaikwad is enduring a terrible form with scores of 5, 5 and 10 and it remains to be seen whether he is given a longer rope by Dhoni who is not known to tinker his XI much.

Squads

KKR: Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Tim Seifert, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Shakib Al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Harbhajan Singh, Karun Nair, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer and Pawan Negi.

CSK: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Sam Curran, Josh Hazlewood, R Sai Kishore, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Krishnappa Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, M Harisankar Reddy, K Bhagath Varma and C Hari Nishaanth.

Match starts: 7.30pm IST.

Thomas Tuchel’s side were stifled inside Stamford Bridge, barely creating a clear-cut chance against the relegation-threatened visitors who nearly snatched victory in the final 15 minutes as Danny Welbeck struck the post.

Defender Ben White was sent off in stoppage time for Brighton after collecting a second yellow card.

The point moved Chelsea above West Ham on goal difference and into fourth place, the final Champions League qualification position. Chelsea and West Ham play each other on Saturday.

There was more to celebrate outside the stadium for Chelsea’s fans who had gathered before the match to protest against the club’s decision, first announced late Sunday, to help create a new, closed-off European league for elite clubs.

Kickoff was delayed by 15 minutes after Chelsea’s team bus was slowed getting into Stamford Bridge because of the protests. Petr Cech, Chelsea’s technical director, got off the bus to talk to the angry supporters, who could be heard calling him a “traitor” in video footage on social media.

Around the same time, fans were seen jumping up and down in celebration as reports filtered through that Chelsea were preparing to withdraw from the Super League.

“It was nice to see the supporters out there, it was nice to see that feeling, that emotion, and everyone's response today,” Brighton manager Graham Potter said. “It was universal in how everyone got behind the issue.”

Tuchel said he and his players had been affected by all the talk about the Super League.

“We talk of nothing else but Super League before the match,” he said. “Nobody asked about the match.”

During the game, Manchester City became the first club to confirm their withdrawal from the scheme.

Chelsea were preparing documents to tell the Super League it wants out, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Chelsea were yet to send their decision to the organisers of the new competition.

Brighton moved seven points clear of the relegation zone and have a game in hand over third-from-last Fulham.

SRH couldn't have asked for a worse start to the season as they slumped to three straight defeats, and in all occasions while chasing.

Punjab are a tad better than SRH, having registered one win out of three games to be placed at seventh in the standings, a rung above their Wednesday's opponents.

Chasing has been Sunrisers' achilles' heel so far in the league. They failed to get past a low score against Mumbai Indians in their last match.

SRH have been hit hard by the lack of depth in their playing XI and below-par Indian bench strength.

In these circumstances, the onus rests on Warner to do some magic and inspire his side to bounce back in the tournament.

A big innings is due from the SRH captain as he has scored just 93 runs from the three matches he has played so far with the 54 against Royals Challengers Bangalore being the highest.

He also needs some serious introspection before deciding his playing XI on Wednesday.

Warner and Rashid Khan are certainties in the foreign players' slots, but the absence of Kane Williamson has been badly felt as he can provide solidity to the middle-order, especially after they faltered in three consecutive chases.

Going by Wridhhiman Saha's poor form, Jonny Bairstow is the frontrunner for the wicket-keeper's position.

But what would be troubling Warner most is the lack of depth in the team's local batting resources.

It's high time the likes of Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma and Abdul Samad pulled up their socks as the likes of seasoned Kedar Jadhav and Priyam Garg are waiting in the wings for their opportunities.

SRH have also been hit hard by the poor show of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan.

Natarajan was replaced by Khaleel Ahmed in their last match and the latter did a good job to restrict Mumbai. But Bhuvneshwar continues to be on the expensive side.

Rashid has been economical but didn't look menacing so far.

Punjab too are on a losing streak after the win in their tournament opener over Rajasthan Royals. They lost to Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals.

After a batting collapse against CSK, Punjab made a significant improvement and rode on skipper KL Rahul (61) and Mayank Agarwal (69) fifties to post a challenging 195 for four against DC.

But a below-par effort from their bowlers spoiled the hardwork of the openers.

Mohammed Shami has not been in his best form so far and leaked runs but what would be a concern for KL Rahul is the performance of Australian pace duo of Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith.

Both Richardson and Meredith were expensive in all the matches they played without much success and it is time for Rahul to think of other alternatives like Chris Jordan.

Young Arshdeep Singh has been impressive for Punjab.

The Teams (from):

SRH: David Warner (C), Kane Williamson, Virat Singh, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Wriddhiman Saha, Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Sreevats Goswami, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Kedar Jadhav, J Suchit, Jason Holder, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddharth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Shahbaz Nadeem and Mujeeb ur Rahman.

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Mandeep Singh, Prabsimran Singh, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Darshan Nalkande, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Jhye Richardson, Shahrukh Khan, Riley Meredith, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar.

Match starts at 3:30 PM.

Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal were six of the 12 clubs that signed up to the breakaway competition that guaranteed spots each year and billions of dollars for founding members.

But reaction to the plans has been scathing, with politicians and football chiefs threatening to take legal action against the so-called "dirty dozen", who were told they faced potential bans from domestic and continental competitions.

City were the first to withdraw, followed by United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and finally Chelsea— just 48 hours after the Super League was first announced.

That leaves just six Spanish and Italian sides— Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus— still involved.

Manchester United announced the departure of executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, and Arsenal apologised to fans for their "mistake".

"As a result of listening to you and the wider football community over recent days we are withdrawing from the proposed Super League," an Arsenal statement said.

"We made a mistake, and we apologise for it."

The Super League said it would look at ways to rescue the venture, insisting: "The existing system does not work."

"We shall consider the most appropriate steps to reshape the project," a statement said.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said he was "delighted" and the English Football Association also welcomed the withdrawals, praising fans for "their influential and unequivocal voice".

Reigning European champions Bayern Munich and French giants Paris Saint-Germain both came out strongly opposed to the breakaway league.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson tweeted a statement on behalf of the squad, saying: "We don't like it and we don't want it to happen. This is our collective position."

On a day of intense drama, Manchester United announced that Woodward would step down from his role at the end of 2021.

Earlier, Ceferin, addressing the owners, particularly of the Premier League teams involved, said there was still time for clubs to pull out.

"Some will say it is greed, some complete ignorance of England's football culture," he said. "There's still time to change your mind. Everyone makes mistakes."

FIFA president Gianni Infantino issued a stark warning to the heavyweight clubs who had signed up to the ESL.

"It is our task to protect the European sport model, so if some elect to go their own way then they must live with the consequences of their choices," Infantino said at UEFA's congress in Switzerland.

'RIP football'

More than 1,000 fans gathered outside Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium to protest against the plan before Tuesday's Premier League match against Brighton, which ended in a 0-0 draw.

Fans held up signs reading: "RIP Football 1863 - 2021", "Created by the poor, stolen by the rich", "We want our cold nights in Stoke" and "Roman do the right thing"— in reference to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Speaking after reports emerged that Chelsea were set to pull out, supporter Tom Cunningham said he was "over the moon".

"Greed has not prospered," he said. "We are here, we're the people, multiple fans, standing against disgusting greed and we've triumphed."

British Prime Minster Boris Johnson earlier met Premier League clubs, the FA and fan groups, vowing to do all in his power to kill the ESL plan.

He tweeted, before City's decision was confirmed: "The decision by Chelsea and Manchester City is –- if confirmed –- absolutely the right one and I commend them for it."

The 20-team ESL was designed by the European giants to guarantee revenue from regular matches against one another without the risk of failing to qualify for 15 founder members.

'It's not a sport'

However, the plan was fiercely criticised by even their own players and managers for acting as a closed shop.

"It's not a sport when the relation between effort and reward doesn't exist," said Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.

"It's not a sport when success is already guaranteed, it's not a sport if it doesn't matter if you lose."

The 12 teams had signed up to share in an initial pot of more than €3.5 billion ($4.2 billion)— vastly boosting their revenues, which have been badly hit during the coronavirus pandemic.

Under the proposals, announced late Sunday, five more clubs would have had to qualify annually for the midweek competition, joining the 15 permanent members.

Currently, teams have to qualify for the Champions League each year through their national competitions, and survive a group phase before reaching the high-profile latter stages.

Chelsea were preparing documents to tell the Super League they want out of the 12-team plan, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Chelsea were yet to send their decision to the organisers of the new, largely closed competition that would split the teams away from UEFA’s existing Champions League.

Chelsea were one of six English clubs along with three elite teams from both Spain and Italy who signed up to the Super League.

The decision came as fans protested outside the club's Stamford Bridge stadium and as English opposition to the Super League intensified.

The Premier League threatened to sanction the six rebel clubs and Prime Minister Boris Johnson considered introducing laws to stop them forming a new European competition he called a “cartel."

Divisions within the Super League clubs also grew with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola saying the Super League would damage the integrity and values of sport. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has also expressed concerns about the actions of his club's owners.

The Premier League has already threatened the six Super League clubs with expulsion if they go it alone in Europe. The other 14 clubs met on Tuesday and "unanimously and vigorously" rejected the Super League plans.

“The Premier League is considering all actions available to prevent it from progressing, as well as holding those shareholders involved to account under its rules,” the English top division said in a statement.

The six clubs, driven by the American owners of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, have teamed up with the Spanish and Italian teams to rip up the structures of the European game.

Tottenham are also part of the breakaway that would see the teams guaranteed entry each year into the Super League rather than having to qualify through the previous season's Premier League placing.

“Sport is not a sport when the relationship between the effort and the success, the effort and reward doesn’t exist,” said Guardiola, whose Manchester City side leads the Premier League. “It’s not a sport. It’s not a sport when success is already guaranteed. It’s not a sport when it doesn’t matter when you lose.”

Premier League officials were also part of a meeting alongside representatives of fan groups led from Downing Street by Johnson, who told them the government would “drop a legislative bomb” on the Super League if necessary.

“I think it’s not in the interests of fans, it’s not in the interests of football," Johnson said later in a news conference.

The government could adopt the 50-plus-1 rule from Germany that gives fans the majority of voting rights, nominally to protect clubs from being controlled by private investors. The Super League aims for 15 founding Super League clubs — three places are yet to be filled — and only five spots with more open access.

“How can it be right to have a situation in which you create a kind of cartel that stops clubs competing against each other, playing against each other properly, with all the hope and excitement that gives to the fans up and down the country?" Johnson said. "I think it offends against the basic principles of competition.”

Everton decried the “preposterous arrogance" of Super League clubs. Everton’s nine titles are the fourth most by a team in the history of the English top division, and the club from Merseyside was considered part of the country’s elite in the 1980s and early 1990s.

“The backlash is understandable and deserved — and has to be listened to,” Everton's board of directors said in a statement. “This preposterous arrogance is not wanted anywhere in football outside of the clubs that have drafted this plan.”

Everton’s majority owner, British-Iranian businessman Farhad Moshiri, has spent heavily in recent years in an effort to push the team, which is managed by Carlo Ancelotti, into the group stage of the Champions League for the first time.

West Ham are also pursuing a top-four finish to qualify for the Champions League for the first time. The east London club said the Super League was an “attack on sporting integrity, undermines competition.”

Mishra (4/24) spun his web around the Mumbai Indians batsman to restrict them to sub-par 137 for 9 after the defending champions decided to bat.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan then top-scored with a 45 off 42 balls as Delhi held their nerves in the final overs to chase down the target with five balls to spare.

It was their first win over MI in the last five meetings, having lost four times last season in UAE.

Chasing 138 to win, Delhi lost opener Prithvi Shaw (7) early as he gave a return catch to Jayant Yadav (1/25).

Dhawan, who started with a cut shot for a boundary, was joined by Steve Smith (33) as the two resurrected the innings by adding 53 runs for the second wicket.

The two kept the scoreboard ticking while scoring the odd boundaries as Delhi were 39 for one after six overs.

Smith, who hammered two fours off Krunal Pandya in the ninth over, was the aggressor but a lapse in concentration saw him back in the hut as Kieron Pollard trapped him in the 10th over.

Dhawan, who hammered five fours and a six, and Lalit Yadav (22 not out) kept Delhi in the hunt.

With DC needing 48 runs from the last six overs, Dhawan smashed a six and four to bring up the 100 before perishing in the 15th over with Krunal Pandya taking a diving catch in the deep.

Top fight in a tight finish 🔥

The DC Tigers have beaten the defending champions with 6 wickets and 5 balls to spare 💙#YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2021 #DCvMI pic.twitter.com/wPf2kSnlNK

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) April 20, 2021

Skipper Rishabh Pant (7) also fell cheaply with Delhi still needing 23 runs.

Yadav and West Indian Shimron Hetmyer (14 not out) then held their nerves to took the side home.

Hetmyer cut Kieron Pollard on the first ball of the final over to get his team on a cusp of a win and the game ended when the bowler delivered a no-ball next.

Earlier, Mumbai suffered a middle-order collapse on a sluggish Chepauk track after they were 67 for 2 at one stage as Delhi led by Mishra (4/24) made a spectacular comeback.

Opting to bat, Mumbai lost opener Quinton De Kock (1) early, who edged a Marcus Stoinis (1/20) delivery to Pant in the third over.

Suryakumar Yadav (24) then joined Rohit Sharma (44), who got his first boundary through an elegant drive, which raced to deep extra cover fence in the third over.

The duo rallied the innings with their 58-run stand.

Rohit took on ace off-spinner Ravichandra Ashwin (0/30) in the fourth over which fetched 15 runs.

The Mumbai skipper hammered a boundary and a six over extra cover, while Surya also got one boundary, courtesy an outside edge.

Rohit then hit Kagiso Rabada (1/25) for a six over long-off. Surya then hit successive fours off Mishra as Mumbai raced to 55 for one after six overs.

However, Delhi pegged back the defending champions by grabbing three quick wickets.

First Avesh Khan (2/15) dismissed Surya, who nicked one to Pant and then Mishra removed Rohit and Hardik Pandya (0) in the 9th over as Mumbai slipped to 77 for 4.

Both Rohit and Hardik holed out at long on. Mumbai then lost half its side for 81 as Krunal Pandya (1) chopped an under-cutting arm ball by Lalit Yadav (1/17) onto his stumps.

Mishra then used his googly to trap Kieron Pollard (2) in front of the wicket, as MI was teetering at 84 for six.

In the end, a responsible 26 from Ishan Kishan, who became Mishra's fourth wicket, coupled with Jayant Yadav's 23 took the side beyond the 125-run mark, but as it turned out, it wasn't enough.

Livingstone has flown back home late on Monday due to bubble fatigue "accumulated over the past year".

The franchise confirmed the development and said that it respects his decision and will continue supporting the cricketer in any way it can.

"Liam Livingstone has flown back home late last night, due to bubble fatigue accumulated over the past year. We understand and respect his decision, and will continue supporting him in any way we can," the franchise said in a tweet.

RR had already lost Ben Stokes to a finger injury after their first game of the season. They are also without Jofra Archer for at least the initial phase of the tournament. Archer had undergone surgery on his hand and is back to training.

RR have so far played three matches and won one.

The Tokyo Games, scheduled to be held from 23 July to 8 August, will be the 45-year-old Mairaj's second appearance at the Olympics.

"When I see him on the court and when people say he is getting old, I say 'no. I think he is the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time). Whenever I see him, it gives me goosebumps," Mairaj, who is ranked 10th in the world in his event, said in a video posted by Sports Authority of India (SAI).

"I really want to be like him; he is my idol," Mairaj said of the 39-year-old tennis great, who has won an unprecedented 20 Grand Slams in an illustrious career.

"I always watch his (Federer's) games. I always read about him. It gives me immense pleasure...how he is still coping with that kind of pressure, with so many (good) players in tennis now.

"So, here I am, all of 45 and I have teammates who are 23 or 24 years old. And I am drawing inspiration from Federer," said Mairaj.

India is expecting medals from shooting in Tokyo following the shooters' dominant run in recent years.
"The 100-day mark is up, so I am here to congratulate all the Olympians and all the future Olympians who are going to represent Indian at the Olympics.

"I would like to tell them to give their best and bring medals home. And I will do the same: give my 100 per cent and, hopefully, we will win medals this time.

"It will not be a Rio repeat. We have a good team and all the shooters are among the best in the world," Mairaj said.

India failed to win a single medal in shooting at the Rio Games in 2016.