Maharashtra and Karnataka set up  the title clash in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy after posting  win in their last respective Super League matches Tuesday,  while Mumbai bowed out of the premier domestic T20 tournament  despite trouncing Uttar Pradesh.
Mumbai defeated Uttar Pradesh by 46 runs in their last  Super League Group B game, but that was not enough for them to  find a place in the finals.
From Group B, it was Karnataka, who made it to the  summit clash after defeating Vidarbha by six wickets.
With this win, Karnataka remained unbeaten in the  Super League stage and topped the table with 16 points.
From the Super League Group A, Maharashtra stormed  into the finals after winning all their four games. They  topped the table with 16 points.
The final of the domestic T20 championship will be  played at the Holkar Stadium here on March 14.
With the two finalists decided now, the Gujarat versus  Bengal final Group A Super League match has been reduced to a  'dead rubber'.
As per the 

Mushtaq: Karnataka, Maha set up title clash; Mumbai bow out

PTI Automatic

India's leading squash player Joshna Chinappa pulled off a sensational win over eight-time world champion Nicol David in a first round match of the USD 107,000 Women's Black Ball Squash Open here.
The Indian, playing with a lot of fire and purpose, got the better of the Malaysian legend 11-8, 11-6, 12-10 in a match played on Monday night.
It was Joshna's third win over 21st-ranked Nicol, who will retire at the end of the season. The 16th-ranked Indian had also beaten Nicol during the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
Joshna was in great touch in the first two games before Nicol bounced back to put up a fight in third. Points had gone neck and neck before the Indian outdid her opponent to earn a passage into the last 16.
Joshna now plays sixth seed Sarah-Jane Perry of England.

Joshna Chinappa beats squash legend Nicol David for third time

India's bowling coach Bharat Arun Tuesday said the team combinations being used in the ongoing ODI series against Australia may not necessarily be repeated during the World Cup in England starting May 30.
India go into the final ODI against Australia here on Wednesday aiming to complete their World Cup auditions for a couple of slots that were up for grabs.
"These are not necessarily the combinations which will be used during the World Cup but we would like to know how people perform in different situations for us to pick up a balanced team," Arun said on the eve of the final encounter.
The coach did not elaborate much but stated emphatically that the Indian team is quite sure about its combinations for the World Cup in England.
"More or less, the team is quite sure of what combination is but we would like to try out all our options before the World Cup. We want to be extremely sure (of) what we want before go into a major tournament like World Cup," the coach said.
The bowlers ...

Combinations used in Australia series may not be used during World Cup: Arun

A referee who has taken charge of World Cup qualifiers is the latest high-profile figure to be accused of plagiarism in China, joining a slew of top Communist Party officials.
A former vice president and a supreme court judge were among a half-dozen officials who borrowed from other people's work without citing them for their university theses, a recent AFP review found.
Top Chinese football referee Fu Ming has now been dragged into the scandal, triggered by his controversial performance during a top-flight match which saw state media accuse him of "bias".
The 36-year-old's decisions on Saturday in the Chinese Super League game between Shandong Luneng and Henan Jianye were criticised by fans of both sides and threw him into the spotlight.
In the aftermath Fu, one of five professional referees in Chinese football, was accused on social media of plagiarising parts of an academic paper he wrote about the sport.
Nanhang Jincheng College said in a statement on Weibo, China's version of ...

'Underhand dealings': Chinese FIFA referee in spotlight

Domestic giants Mumbai Tuesday  dished out a clinical performance to trounce Uttar Pradesh by  46 runs in their last Super League Group B game of the Syed  Mushtaq Ali Trophy here.
However, the win hasn't allowed Mumbai to make to the  finals yet.
And who makes it to the final from Group B, will  depend on the result of the Vidarbha versus Karnataka game  which is currently underway.
This time the final of the domestic T20 championship  will be played at the Holkar Stadium between the winners of  Super League Group A and Super League Group B.
Put into bat at the Emerald Heights International  School ground, Mumbai posted a massive 183/7 with 'ever  dependable' Siddhesh Lad top scoring with 62 off just 44 balls  and taking the opposition bowlers to cleansers.
After losing opener Jay Bista (0) on the first ball,  Lad and Eknath Kerkar (46 off 36 balls) conjured a 96 run  stand for the second wicket to lay the foundation of a big  total.
Then skipper Shreyas Iyer (43 off 27 balls) played 

Mushtaq: Mumbai defeat UP by 46 runs

India will have to quickly put behind a massive bowling failure, sloppy fielding and tactical mistakes to tame a resurgent Australia in the series-deciding fifth ODI here Wednesday.
The cricketing world has applauded India's current bowling attack as one of its most potent but the failure to defend a mammoth total in Mohali came as a reality check for it.
Even the ever-reliable Jasprit Bumrah was taken to cleaners by Ashton Turner with ease, though the way captain Virat Kohli handled his quota of overs did leave many perplexed.
Kohli and the Indian team definitely missed the calming presence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose understanding of game situations has been helpful in pressure situations.
Without doubt, the PCA stadium pitch was flat, offering nothing to the bowlers but a world-class attack was expected to defend a 350-plus total. The blazing knock by Turner, who was helped by the Indian team's butter-fingered fielders helped Australia turn it around.
In Ranchi the team bowled ..

Chance for World Cup aspirants to shine in series-deciding 5th ODI

Ailing world number three Alexander Zverev crashed out of the ATP Indian Wells Masters, where Novak Djokovic's third round match was suspended by rain with one game completed.
Jan-Lennard Struff, ranked 55th in the world, notched his first victory over Zverev in five tries, breaking him once in the first set and three times in the second for a 6-3, 6-1 victory.
"I've been sick for a week," said the 21-year-old Zverev, who lost the Acapulco final to Australian Nick Kyrgios the week before Indian Wells began. "That hasn't changed, unfortunately.
"I think I just got unlucky, I got a virus somewhere and that's how it is." Zverev, the owner of three Masters 1000 titles who has never made it to the quarter-finals at Indian Wells, said he would now focus on recuperating and preparing for the Miami Masters, where he'll be hoping to improve on his runner-up finish to John Isner last year.
"Now it's about getting healthy and about recovering and preparing myself for Miami, because Miami is the .

Right Struff: Ailing Zverev toppled, Djokovic rained out at Indian Wells

The Indian under-23 football team couldn't convert the chances that came its way and suffered a narrow 0-1 loss to Qatar in a preparatory match here ahead of the AFC Championship Qualifiers in Uzbekistan.
Monday evening's game was India's first under the tutelage of new coach Derrick Pereira.
Three of the starting XI players were from the Indian Arrows setup, while the likes of Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Anwar Ali, Rahul KP, and Komal Thatal were a part of the India U-17 World Cup squad two years back.
India got off the blocks early, with Mehtab Singh, Komal Thatal and Rahul KP coming close in the early exchanges.
However, it was Narender Gahlot, who had the best chance in the first half, as he jumped higher than the rest to send a powerful header towards the goal. However, it was saved by Qatari keeper Yazan Naim Hussein.
Despite the chances created by Pereira's men, it was Qatar, which got the breakthrough close to the half time break, when a Salmin Atiq pass from the right was met .

Football: India U-23 go down 0-1 to Qatar

Prajnesh Gunneswaran's terrific run at the Indian Wells Masters came to an end following a straight set defeat against big-serving Ivo Karlovic even as the left-handed Indian is confident of replicating success at the big stage consistently.
The Indian qualifier fought hard before losing 3-6 6-7(4) to the tall Croat, who fired 16 aces in the one hour and 13-minute contest.
"It was very difficult to return his big serve. I had some chances, I did not take them and that's pretty much what decided the match," Prajnesh, ranked 97, said as he could not convert any of the two break chances.
It was Prajnesh's maiden appearance at an ATP Masters event and he bagged 61 ranking points with his stupendous effort, which will catapult him to new career-best rank of 82.
"Overall, it was very good run. I am confident I will be able to do this again. Obviously time will tell. Over a period of time I should be able to deliver such results consistently. I am not sure if it will always be at the ...

Karlovic halts Prajnesh's breakthrough run; Bopanna-Shapovalov pair also ousted

Injured Kane Williamson could sit out the third Test against Bangladesh beginning Saturday in Christchurch and might have to delay his departure for the Indian Premier League (IPL), New Zealand said Tuesday.
Captain Williamson suffered a shoulder injury while fielding in Bangladesh's first innings of the second Test in Wellington, which New Zealand won on Tuesday by an innings and 12 runs.
Coach Gary Stead said scans had detected a tear to Williamson's left pectoral minor muscle in his shoulder.
"There's obviously irritation and a wee bit of bleeding, it's not a major injury," Stead said.
We're hopeful that he will recover quickly, and the thing for us is to make sure he doesn't aggravate it any more. He will come to Christchurch and we will make an assessment there on whether he plays."
With the series already won, Stead said New Zealand would take a "safety first" approach, particularly with this year's World Cup on the horizon.
"No player wants to give up their spot in the Test ...

Injured Williamson in doubt for third Test, may delay IPL departure

World number one and defending champion Naomi Osaka powered past American Danielle Collins 6-4, 6-2 on Monday to book a fourth-round meeting with resurgent Swiss Belinda Bencic at Indian Wells.
Japan's Osaka, whose second straight Grand Slam title at the Australian Open propelled her to the top of the rankings, traded breaks with Collins early in the first set.  But she got the decisive break in the ninth game, giving herself a break point with a backhand winner before pouncing on a short ball and belting a forehand winner to give herself a chance to serve for the set.
An increasingly confident Osaka broke Collins at love for a 2-1 lead in the second. She finished out the next game for a 3-1 lead and led 5-1 before Collins saved a match point to hold and make Osaka serve out the match.
Collins, trying to build on a breakout run to the Australian Open semi-finals, failed in her bid to avenge her 6-1, 6-0 loss to Osaka in their only prior meeting in Beijing last year.
And Osaka, whose ..

Osaka keeps Indian Wells title defense on track

Short-ball specialist Neil Wagner engineered an innings victory over Bangladesh in what New Zealand called "an ideal two days" in the rain-shortened second Test to wrap up the series with a game to spare.
After the first two days were washed out, the match finished in the first session of the final day in Wellington as New Zealand completed a fifth consecutive series win for the first time.
In the face of Wagner's relentless bouncer barrage, Bangladesh were all out for 209 to give New Zealand victory by an innings and 12 runs to go with their innings and 52-run win in the first Test.
"It was an ideal two days," said Tim Southee, who took over the New Zealand captain's armband after Kane Williamson left for treatment to an injured shoulder.
"With the amount of time that was lost through rain, a lot of people thought it was going to be tough to win a Test inside three days but we knew there was always going to be a little bit of assistance in the wicket.
"The batters need a lot of ...

Bouncer king Wagner's two-day demolition of Bangladesh secures series

FIFA must put human rights at the heart of any decision to increase the number of Middle East countries hosting the 2022 World Cup, leading global pressure groups urged Tuesday.
In an open letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the groups say he should state publicly that human rights would be a consideration if the sport's governing body increases the number of teams from 32 to 48.
"Given the possibility that an enlarged 2022 World Cup could potentially require additional countries to host the tournament, we remind FIFA of the commitment it has made to enshrine human rights, transparency and sustainability... in its bidding process," reads the letter.
"As such we call on you (Infantino) to publicly confirm that any assessments of potential co-hosts for 2022 would follow a process that includes these criteria."
The letter is signed by Amnesty International, Football Supporters Europe, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, Human Rights Watch, ITUC, Transparency International, the UNI ..

FIFA urged to consider human rights for 2022 World Cup expansion

Claudio Ranieri got off to a winning start as Roma coach with Stephan El Shaarawy and Patrik Schick's first-half goals enough to squeeze past lowly Empoli 2-1 on Monday to keep in touch with the Champions League places.
Eusebio Di Francesco was sacked after the team's elimination in the Champions League last-16 last week with Ranieri returning to the club he coached for 18 months until February 2011.
The 67-year-old former Roma player was welcomed back to the Stadio Olimpico with a banner reading "Good luck Mister Ranieri".
"I thank the fans, as they gave us a big hand this evening," said Ranieri.
"I didn't expect us to play better, because this was a tense team that was anxious and still dealing with recent events.
"Putting a team together when we didn't have many players, and without the bigger players, the leaders that give a sense of direction to the side, wasn't easy," added the former Leicester and Chelsea coach.
"I knew it was going to be tough."  Captain Daniele De Rossi, ...

Ranieri off to winning start with Roma

The IAAF said that it will maintain its ban on Russian athletes over doping that it imposed in 2015, following a council meeting of top officials in Qatar.
Rune Andersen, head of the doping task force for the International Association of Athletics Federations, said two issues remained unresolved -- the examination of data received from the Moscow anti-doping laboratory and the issue of outstanding costs being sought from Russia because of the scandal.
"Two key issues remain outstanding," said Andersen at a press conference in
Doha. "These need to be resolved."
He also said his task force was looking into claims that coaches from the discredited Russian athletics regime were still involved in the sport which, Andersen said, "run counter to assurances" received from Moscow.
Asked if this latest extension of the ban meant Russian athletes would not be able to compete under the flag at this year's world championships in Doha in September and October, Andersen said there was still time but 

IAAF upholds ban on Russian athletes over doping

The Santosh Trophy National Championship has been relocated to Punjab from Delhi owing to a dispute between the All India Football Federation and Delhi Soccer Association over the tournament's venue.
While the AIFF wanted to host the matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the DSA was keen on organising the tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium.
Even as the DSA assured the AIFF that the facilities at the Ambedkar Stadium would be upgraded, the apex body wanted it in writing from the concerned authority, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
"They wanted to do the tournament at JLN but hosting it there, instead of Ambedkar, defeats the whole purpose. People hardly go to the Nehru stadium and it is expensive, too.
"Moreover, I had personally given them assurances that everything will be sorted and they (MCD) were on board also but they are not obliged to give us in writing at such short notice. The AIFF was still not convinced," said DSA president Shaji Prabhakaran.
The Ambedkar has ...

Santosh Trophy moved out of Delhi due to AIFF-DSA dispute

Head coach Rahul Dravid on Monday said the purpose of exposing the India U-19 boys to bouncy wickets was served during the Quadrangular tournament here.
India under-19 'B' outclassed India U-19 'A' by 72 runs in the final to win the 50-over tournament.
"The quality of the wickets was really good at both the venues. They were challenging for the batsmen. The bounce was exceptional. Our whole idea was to expose the boys to bouncy wickets so that they play not just on flat wickets and then we can see who can stand up and perform when the conditions are challenging," said Dravid.
The bowlers dominated in the tournament with 200 crossed only five times.
"We saw almost 45  guys over the course of the four-day and one-day games. We are not really looking to give individual attention at this stage. This was a selection sort of a tournament before we narrow in on the top 30-40 players.
"It is a stage where we are looking to identify players. It is going to exciting to work with them leading to 

Idea was to expose U-19 boys to bouncy wickets: Dravid

Bengaluru FC sealed their place in the final of the Hero Indian Super League for the second successive year with a 3-0 win against NorthEast United FC in the second leg of the play-off here Monday.
The Blues, who were dominant throughout the game at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, were made to work hard by a resilient NorthEast United who were finally outdone by a 72nd-minute goal from Miku.
Late strikes from Dimas Delgado (87') and Sunil Chhetri (90+2') followed as Bengaluru overturned the 2-1 defeat in the first leg.
The aggregate score read 4-2 in favour of the Blues who will now look to land their first ever ISL title on Sunday.
After a dominant first few minutes by Bengaluru, it were NorthEast who threatened first against the run of play. Federico Gallego nicked the ball off Dimas's feet and charged at the Bengaluru defence. The Uruguayan fed Juan Mascia into the box who, with just Gurpreet Singh to beat, shot straight at the goalkeeper from a narrow angle.
With NorthEast posing a ..

Bengaluru leave it late to break NorthEast hearts

Zinedine Zidane will make a shock return as coach of Real Madrid after the club decided on Monday to sack Santiago Solari, say reports in the Spanish press.
Madrid president Florentino Perez has reportedly met with the board and resolved to dismiss Solari, with Zidane set to be his replacement, nine months after the he resigned at the end of last season.
Zidane could take training as early as Tuesday and be in charge for Madrid's La Liga game at home to Celta Vigo on Saturday.
His priority will be to secure Madrid's place in the top four after a turbulent fortnight that has seen them lose twice to Barcelona and knocked out by Ajax in the Champions League.
Zidane won that tournament in each of his three seasons in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu, as well as La Liga in 2016-17, while enjoying a strong relationship with the majority of the players.
Gareth Bale was one of the few not to see eye-to-eye with the Frenchman and Bale's future will become even more uncertain, should Zidane's ...

Zidane set for shock Madrid return - reports

Domestic giants Mumbai defeated  Vidarbha by six wickets in their Super League Group B match of  the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament here Monday.
Opting to field at the Holkar Stadium, Mumbai bowlers,  led by medium pacer Tushar Deshpande (3-28), put in a spirited  show to restrict Vidarbha to 137/8 in their alloted 20 overs.
Deshpande was ably supported by another pacer Shardul  Thakur (2-21), while Shams Mulani (1-22), Shivam Dube (1-28)  and Siddhesh Lad (1-9), too, played their part, picking up a  wicket each.
Deshpande gave early breakthrough to Mumbai when he  accounted for Vidarbha opener Atharva Taide (4).
Jitesh Sharma (20), captain Ganesh Satish (24) and  Rushabh Rathod (26) got starts, but failed to convert them  into big scores as Mumbai bowlers struck at regular intervals.
Vidarbha were reeling at 95-6, but pacer Umesh Yadav  chipped in with a blazing 26 off 12 balls, which included  three fours and two sixes, to ensure his side crossed the 130-  run mark.
Young prodigy ..

Mushtaq: Mumbai rout Vidarbha; Gujarat, Maha also post wins

The Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) has dropped plans to felicitate India captain Virat Kohli along with Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in the wake of Pulwama terror attack, which killed 40 CRPF personnel.
The DDCA had decided to felicitate the three 'Delhi legends' before the start of the final ODI between India and Australia on Wednesday.
The decision was taken by DDCA after BCCI decided to not only call off the IPL opening ceremony but also donate entire budget of the event for the welfare of the families of the martyrs.
"We had plans of felicitating Sehwag, Gambhir and Kohli but we decided against it since BCCI is also not having an opening ceremony of the IPL," DDCA President Rajat Sharma told PTI on Monday.
"We have also decided to donate Rs 10 lakh to Delhi Police's Martyrs Fund. As of now, 90 percent of the tickets that was put on public sale has been sold out," Sharma said.
The DDCA for the first time is giving couple of VIP passes to all the former ...

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