German champions Bayern Munich utterly humiliated Barcelona with a stunning 8-2 victory that sent them through into the semi-finals of the Champions League in an extraordinarily emphatic manner. Thomas Mueller scored twice for a Bayern, who led 4-1 after 31 astonishing minutes, as Lionel Messi and his team mates were condemned to a thrashing that felt like the end of an era for the club.

The Tatas, already an official IPL partner, are being seen as front-runners as BCCI looks to raise over Rs 300 crore in the middle of a raging pandemic. With the Indian cricket board also set to bring in two more official partners - expanding the pool from three to five - the IPL is set to make up almost 75% of what it ended up losing in the wake of Chinese mobile manufacturer Vivo India's exit.

Punjab Cricket Association has requested former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh to come out of retirement and become a player-cum-mentor of the state team but he is yet to respond.

Doubles badminton player N Sikki Reddy and physiotherapist Kiran Challagundla on Friday underwent COVID-19 tests for a second time, a day after testing positive for the virus which forced the national camp to be halted in Hyderabad.

A majority of the country's derecognised national sports federations (NSFs) has problems in following the contentious age and tenure clause of the sports code in their functioning.

Formula One leader Lewis Hamilton went fastest in second practice for the Spanish Grand Prix on Friday with Mercedes again looking dominant after losing out to Red Bull last weekend.

All matches of this season's I-League and second division league qualifiers will be held in Kolkata with strict health and safety measures in place to deal with the COVID-19 threat, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Friday.

Suitably 'masked' in these extraordinary times, director of cricket operations of Kings XI Punjab, Anil Kumble, watched from afar as five of his players sweated it out under overcast skies at the Just Cricket ground on Friday. Always the thinking man, the former India captain believes it will be critical to manage the mental space of players.

Mercedes Formula One boss Toto Wolff cast fresh doubt on his future on Friday while signalling that the champions were now prepared to sign a new deal with commercial rights holders Liberty Media.

Education technology company Unacademy and fantasy sports Platform Dream11 have submitted their 'Expression of Interest' to become title sponsors of this year's Indian Premier League, replacing Chinese mobile phone company Vivo.

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of his first international hundred, former India batsman Sachin Tendulkar on Friday said he never knew that he would score 99 more hundred in his career after scoring his maiden ton. At the age of 17 years and 112 days, he became the third-youngest batsman to score a Test ton.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has roped in former captain Mohammad Yousuf and all-rounder Abdul Razzaq as coaches of its High Performance Centre (HPC) in Lahore.

Juggling careers in amateur and professional boxing is tough, admits star Indian boxer Vikas Krishan Yadav but the Commonwealth Games champion says it is absolutely essential to his goal of an unprecedented Olympic gold.

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday virtually launched the Fit India Freedom Run, a country-wide event that promises to become a fitness phenomenon.

India's ace wrestler Bajrang Punia says competition time lost due to the coronavirus pandemic has made it more challenging for those who are yet to qualify for the postponed Tokyo Olympics. Bajrang said grapplers like him, who have already sealed their tickets for the Olympics, have a clear goal and mind-set -- prepare for the pinnacle of the sport in the best possible manner.

Arsenal have signed Brazil winger Willian on a three-year deal, the Premier League club said on Friday. The 32-year-old joins Arsenal on a free transfer after failing to agree on a new long-term contract with Chelsea.

Defending champions Spain, England and Germany were on Friday named for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup to be held in India next year on the basis of their rankings, after the European qualifying tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Australia's senior assistant coach Andrew McDonald will miss next month's tour of England owing to a pre-existing commitment with his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals (RR), the country's cricket board said on Friday.

Players who will be coming into the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year after playing the Carribean Premier League (CPL) would have an advantage, according to former fast bowler and former Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling coach Ashish Nehra.

Tvesa Malik opened her campaign at the Ladies Scottish Open with an even par round in tough conditions to be placed Tied 22nd. Meanwhile, Aditi, who started with two-over 73, was Tied-48th.

England and Australia's IPL-bound players are likely to miss the first week of the tournament after it was announced that the two teams will play six white-ball games from September 4-16 in England. A total of 29 players from England and Australia are part of the eight IPL squads including top draws like David Warner, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Steve Smith and this year's record buy Pat Cummins.

Australia confirmed on Friday next month's limited-overs tour of England, boosting the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) bid to navigate past a financial crisis brought by the novel coronavirus.

A pair of Michael Jordan's game-worn sneakers sold for $615,000, Christie's auction house said, shattering a record set just months ago by the sale of another pair of the basketball legend's shoes. The sneakers were a pair of Air Jordan 1 Highs that the NBA megastar wore during a 1985 exhibition match in Italy when he dunked the ball so hard it shattered the glass backboard.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who is facing a criminal probe in Switzerland, hinks he is untouchable, his deposed predecessor Sepp Blatter said on Thursday.

There is little in modern football that can truly be described as a fairytale romance but RB Leipzig's journey from Germany's regional league system to the last four of the Champions League in just 11 years surely gets close.

Diego Simeone said Atletico Madrid were weighed down by the pressure and intensity of a long season as they crashed out of the Champions League on Thursday against Leipzig.

Most Australian Olympians believe protests should not be allowed in competition or on the podium, a survey showed Friday, despite calls for greater freedom of expression at the Games.

With two back-to-back T20 World Cups coming up in two years, the IPL might be a big hope for Mandeep to be back in the reckoning for an India call-up. But playing Test cricket for his country is the ultimate dream of the Punjab batsman.

The list of 258 sportspersons includes javelin-thrower Rohit Yadav, who was caught for doping by NADA in 2017 after winning the silver medal in Asian Youth Athletics Championship. Swapna, who won the women's heptathlon gold at the 2018 Asiad, has been overlooked.

BCCI and National Cricket Academy on the same page, reports suggest otherwise

Serena Williams rallied to defeat sister Venus Williams 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday in a second-round matchup of Grand Slam champions at the WTA Top Seed Open.

Sam Curran said he was shocked at James Anderson's international future being called into question after the England great returned to form with two wickets on the first day of the second Test against Pakistan at Southampton on Thursday.

Leipzig stunned Atletico Madrid 2-1 on Thursday to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time as Tyler Adams' 88th-minute winner earned them a showdown with Paris Saint-Germain.

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith responded to allegations of bias against black players by stating that he had 'personal relationship challenges' with several other players during his time in charge. Smith has been accused of allowing black players to feel isolated during his time as captain. Smith captained South Africa in a world record 108 Test matches from 2003 until 2014.

Bianca Andreescu has said she will not defend her title at the US Open in New York as the COVID-19 pandemic has compromised her ability to reach her highest level of form. The 20-year-old Canadian, who has not competed since she suffered a knee injury last October at the WTA Finals in Shenzhen, joins a growing list of high-profile players to pull out of the Aug 31-Sept 13 event.

This is absurd, there is no truth in these reports. He had some mild fever, thats all. Nothing to do with coronavirus. Hes perfectly alright and has started training. All our boys have started their training in their respective cities, Kings XI Punjab's chief executive Satish Menon told TOI. The team is all set to depart for UAE for IPL starting on Sept 19.

With batting legend Rahul Dravid at the helm, the academy has time and again insisted that it is trying to put better work policies and a clearer, more structured vision in place but that, BCCI members say, should happen only once the BCCI and the academy together acknowledge that at the moment, the NCA is a glorified government hospital where nobody wants to go.

Naresh Makani, who claims to be a life member of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) and a treasurer of the Cricket Association of Jharkhand, has lodged a complaint against BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah with the BCCIs Ethics Officer DK Jain, against the continuance of their tenure beyond what is permitted by the BCCIs new constitution.

Six-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has shrugged off a plan to restrict cars' engine modes in qualifying, saying it will have little impact on slowing his dominant Mercedes team.

Though Covid-19 brought the national badminton camp to a grinding halt and many shuttlers are in danger of contracting the virus after Sikki Reddy and physio Kiran tested positive, world champion PV Sindhu may not be in the danger zone.

Cricket South Africa's director of cricket Graeme Smith on Thursday categorically denied recent allegations levelled against him by ex-wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile around team selections during his time as captain of the national team and termed them extremely hurtful.

Sebastian Vettel will have Ferrari's full support in his battle to recover his form after a torrid start to the 2020 season - starting with a new chassis for this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix.

Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni has tested negative for COVID-19. Dhoni will now be arriving in Chennai for a one-week training camp on Friday ahead of the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League.

Naresh Makani, who claims to be a life member of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) and a treasurer of the Cricket Association of Jharkhand, has lodged a complaint against BCCI secretary Jay Shah with the BCCIs Ethics Officer DK Jain, against the continuance of his tenure beyond what is permitted by the Lodha reforms.

The 'Final Eight' format for the Champions League will not be repeated in future, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has told AFP, saying it is impossible to find space in an already packed calendar.

Former India allrounder Irfan Pathan has said Pakistan were not prepared for the bowl-out which was played between the two teams during the 2007 inaugural World T20 Group D match after the game was tied.

The novel coronavirus had hit the national badminton camp as Tokyo Olympics hopeful Sikki Reddy and physio Kiran Challagundla tested positive on Thursday. The national camp, which began after a gap of three-and-half months on August 7, is facing an abrupt closure as many shuttlers including Sai Praneeth, Kidambi Srikanth and chief coach Pullela Gopichand came in contact with these two.

Test-saving hundreds have become extinct now but Sachin Tendulkar carved out one such innings exactly 30 years ago, the seeds of which were sown during one afternoon in Sialkot, eight months prior to that gloomy Manchester day. It was on August 14, 1990, that Tendulkar scored the first of his 100 international centuries, a majestic 119 not out on a fifth day track to save the game for India.

Australian head coach Justin Langer has one piece of advice for young sportspersons across the world: stay away from social media. With the advent of social networking sites, sportspersons around the world, at times, have to deal with abusive and threatening messages online and Langer believes zero social media is the key.

Top five: Highest wicket-takers in a calendar year