South Africa’s premier pacer Kagiso Rabada has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against India after sustaining a groin strain. The 24-year-old will be out of action for four weeks after suffering the injury during the final T20I against Australia on Wednesday. The Proteas are scheduled to travel to India for a three-match ODI series, starting on March 12 in Dharamsala.
Women’s T20 meet
Jaipur will host the third season of the Women’s T20 Challenge that will see an addition of an extra team, the BCCI announced on Saturday.
Nadal in final
Rafael Nadal used a steady stream of blistering forehand winners and a heavy dose of precision serves to book his spot in the ATP Mexico Open final with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 win over Grigor Dimitrov. He will face unseeded Taylor Fritz in Saturday's final.
Tiger to rest
Reigning Masters champion Tiger Woods will skip next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational to rest a stiff back and continue preparations for Augusta National.
5 matches postponed
Five Serie A matches which had been scheduled to go ahead behind closed doors this weekend, including the key clash between Juventus and Inter Milan, have been postponed because of the coronavirus crisis, Italy’s soccer League said on Saturday. All five games, which also include AC Milan v Genoa, Parma v Spal, Sassuolo v Brescia and Udinese v Fiorentina, will now be played on May 13, Serie A said in a statement.
Trial rule
World football’s rule-making body IFAB has given the go-ahead to trials for concussion substitutes which could take place at this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Coaching course
Former Bengal cricketers Sourashish Lahiri, Ranadeb Bose and Arindam Das will be undertaking the Level II coaching course of the BCCI at the National Cricket Academy late in March.
Offensive banner
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich fired in three goals in the opening 15 minutes en route to a 6-0 demolition of hosts Hoffenheim on Saturday in a game interrupted for 20 minutes over an offensive banner unfurled by visiting fans. The Munich club’s fans displayed the banner insulting Hoffenheim investor Dietmar Hopp in the 79th minute. The referee ordered the teams into the tunnel and some Bayern players as well as the entire club leadership walked to the stands and urged fans to take it down immediately.
Archery meet
Bengal Archery Academy, Jhargram, claimed all the prizes in the sub-junior boys’ recurve competition at the 42nd State Archery Championship, being held at Mahisadal Swimming Club. The same academy also won the first two positions in the sub-junior girls’ recurve competition.
Novak triumphs
Novak Djokovic eased past Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 to lift his fifth Dubai Tennis Championships title on Saturday, extending his unbeaten start to the 2020 season.
Barty beaten
Czech Petra Kvitova edged a seesaw battle with Australian world No.1 Ash Barty 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 at the Qatar Open on Friday to set up a title clash against Aryna Sabalenka in Doha. Belarussian Sabalenka won 6-4, 6-3 against Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia.
