Virat Kohli announced Sunday night that he will step down as captain of Indian Premier League team Royal Challengers Bangalore after the ongoing season. The announcement came as a shocker on the day the 2021 IPL season resumed in the UAE. The team had released a video with Kohli’s statement, in which he said the decision was on his mind for a while.

Only a few days earlier, Kohli had confirmed that he would not continue as captain of the Indian national T20 side after much speculation that he would. The skipper said he wants to manage his workload better and wants to focus on leading the team in the longer formats of the game.

RCB fans have long been divided on Kohli’s captaincy in the tournament with no trophies to show in his nine-year stint at the helm. Normally, a dry run like this would warrant a change in leadership, but in Kohli’s case, his numbers as a batsman have been phenomenal. The 32-year-old is the highest run-getter in the history of the IPL and also has the most centuries as captain.

Despite his individual brilliance, his 48 per cent win record and the inability to get the best out of a side that has always boasted of explosive batsmen have marred his legacy. Under him, RCB reached the playoffs in only three seasons, including one runner-up finish in 2016.

Kohli has often expressed his desire to excel as a Test batsman. With the weight of captaincy removed, he feels that he can free his mind of the rigours and demands that come with leading a team, and rediscover his batting touch. That he has not scored a century for the national team in two years now is another unwanted streak that he is keen to break.

This year has not been too kind on him, in terms of personal form. His Test batting average this year lies at a dismal 29.8 per innings in nine Tests. With RCB, in the first part of the 2021 season, he had only one 50+ score to his name. The negativity that has surrounded him is no doubt playing on his mind.

What now for RCB?

As Kohli mentioned in his statement, RCB will be going through a transitional phase with an auction coming next year. The franchise is expected to revamp the squad, but there is no doubt that Kohli will continue to be an integral part of the team. He has represented RCB since its formation in 2008, and has vowed to remain at the club until the end of his career.

Kohli’s commitment to the team is good news for fans as one can expect him to push new limits as a batsman. His decision is being seen as unselfish, and though he will not hold the title of captain, his experience will come in handy for whoever leads the team after him.

As for who would succeed him, there does not seem to be any immediate replacements available in the current squad. Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers are the only other seniors in the squad with captaincy experience, while there have been calls to groom a youngster like Devdutt Padikkal to lead the team. In all likelihood, RCB will look to rope in a leader with more international experience during the next auction.

RCB will take to the field today against Kolkata Knight Riders in what will be Kohli’s 200th IPL match. The team sits third on the table with seven games to go. Should the side go the distance and win its first-ever IPL trophy, the team management might even approach Kohli to reverse his decision.

Virat Kohli will step down as captain of his IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore at the end of the ongoing season, the Indian batting maestro announced on Sunday, two days after deciding to quit national T20 captaincy following next month's World Cup.

The 32-year-old Kohli, one of the most decorated players of the franchise, will continue to be a part of the RCB squad.

"This will be my last IPL as captain of RCB. I'll continue to be an RCB player till I play my last IPL game. I thank all the RCB fans for believing in me and supporting me," Kohli said in a statement issued by RCB.

He added, "It has been a great and an inspiring journey, captaining a talented bunch of players in the RCB squad. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the RCB management, coaches, support staff, players, and the entire RCB family, who have been instrumental in the growth of the franchise over the years.

"It wasn't an easy decision but one that has been well thought of and in the best interest of this wonderful franchise." Kohli of late hasn't been at his peak as a batsman in Tests, a format which he adores.

For close to two years now, Kohli hasn't scored a long-form century and made 563 runs at an average of 26.80 in 12 Tests during this period.

While announcing his decision to quit national T20 captaincy, he had stated that he was taking the step to manage his workload better.

 The gifted Ruturaj Gaikwad laid the foundation with an unbeaten 58-ball 88 before Dwayne Bravo led an excellent bowling display to power Chennai Super Kings to a crushing 20-run win over Mumbai Indians in the IPL in Dubai on Sunday.

Gaikwad batted through the innings to lift Chennai Super Kings from a precarious 7/3 to 156 for six as the IPL-14 resumed in the UAE after the first phase in India was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic in May.

The late spark was provided by Bravo (23 off 8 balls) as CSK recovered from a disastrous start to put up a fighting total.

Chasing 157 on a pitch where the ball often stopped on the batsmen, MI too were off to a poor start as they slipped to 37 for three in the sixth over at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Both Quinton de Kock (17) and debutant Anmolpreet Singh (16) got out after getting starts, the bowler being pacer Deepak Chahar on both occasions.

Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan too made their way back to the dugout in quick succession to leave MI in a spot of bother at 58 for four in the 10th over.

Saurabh Tiwary (50 not out) and stand-in skipper Kieron Pollard tried to forge a partnership before Josh Hazlewood had the big-hitting all-rounder from Trinidad trapped in front of the wicket.

CSK brightened their prospects further when Krunal Pandya was run out by the Dwayne Bravo-MS Dhoni combination.

Tiwary and Adam Milne tried but could not succeed, with the latter getting out to the experienced Bravo in the second ball of the 20th over.

Bravo picked up 3/25 while Chahar had 2/19 as MI ended at 136 for eight.

Earlier, the 24-year-old Gaikwad added 81 runs for the fifth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja (26) to steady the ship after they lost skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the sixth over with the score reading 24 for 4.

Gaikwad smashed nine fours and three sixes, while Bravo hit three maximums as CSK scored 112 runs in the back 10.

CSK lost four wickets in the power play, including the wickets of skipper Dhoni and the team''s seasoned run-getter Suresh Raina, as three top-order batsmen failed to open their account.

The start was inauspicious for CSK as Trent Boult dismissed Faf du Plessis in the fifth ball of the very first over when the New Zealand pace spearhead had the veteran South African caught by the backward point fielder Adam Milne, who was standing very fine, after the batsman had shaped himself up to play the cut shot.

One for one became two for two in the next over as Milne got Moeen Ali who slapped a slightly short ball straight to Saurabh Tiwary at cover.

What didn''t help Moeen was that the ball seemed to stop as the England all-rounder went for his shot.

More trouble was in store for CSK as the three-time winners lost the big wicket of Raina in the third over when the experienced left-handed batsman, who has helped the team win so many matches in the past, got out to an irresponsible shot when he miscued one while trying to attack the Kiwi seamer.

Meanwhile, Ambati Rayudu retired hurt after taking a blow on his body to make matter worse for the Super Kings.

If that was not enough, holders Mumbai Indians piled more misery on CSK by sending the veteran Dhoni back to the hut for a poor score.

The World Cup-winning Indian captain timed his shot well but, to his shock, Boult completed a well-judged catch at deep square leg, capping a forgettable powerplay for the unit from Chennai.

After that, Gaikwad and Jadeja put together invaluable runs by mixing caution with aggression to give their team a total to defend against a side that is missing two of their big players in regular skipper Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, whose seam-up bowling was missed when the Chennai duo was rebuilding their innings.

Jimmy Greaves, one of England's greatest goal-scorers who was prolific for Tottenham, Chelsea and AC Milan has died. He was 81.

With 266 goals in 379 appearances, Greaves was the all-time record scorer for Tottenham, which announced his death on Sunday.

"Throughout his wonderful playing career, Jimmy's strike rate was phenomenal," Tottenham said.

Greaves suffered a minor stroke in 2012 and his family thought he had made a full recovery until he was admitted to intensive care after a more severe stroke in May 2015.

An all-round striker equally adept with either foot or his head, Greaves scored 44 goals in just 57 matches for England.

But even though Greaves was the first player to lead scoring in England's top league for three straight seasons and hit a record six hat-tricks for England, he is arguably best known for one game he missed the World Cup final.

Greaves was England's star striker going into the 1966 tournament on home soil but was injured in a first-round match against France and surrendered his place in the lineup to Geoff Hurst.

Hurst scored the only goal in the quarterfinal win over Argentina and kept his place in Alf Ramsey's team at the expense of Greaves to earn lasting fame by scoring the first hat-trick in a World Cup final. Greaves famously sat impassively on the bench as England celebrated at the final whistle.

Substitutions were not permitted at the time and squad members didn't receive medals, unlike at World Cups since 1974. A campaign led to Greaves and 10 other members of the squad who were dubbed the "forgotten heroes" receiving medals in 2009. But Greaves sold the 18-carat medal at auction in 2014 for 44,000 pounds (USD 60,000).

"It was devastating for me that I didn't play in the final," Greaves said in the Mail on Sunday newspaper in 2009.

"I always believed that we would win the World Cup and I'd be part of it, but I wasn't.

"It wouldn't have been so important now because I would have been a substitute and probably would have got on."

James Peter Greaves was born in east London on Feb. 20, 1940, and signed for Chelsea aged 17.

At 20 years and 290 days, he became the youngest player to reach 100 league goals in English soccer and scored a club-record 41 times in the 1960-61 season to secure a lucrative move to Milan.

He scored nine goals in 12 games but failed to settle in Italy. He ended his brief stay to return to London with Tottenham, where he would spend the next nine years and hit a club-record 266 goals in 380 games.

Manager Bill Nicholson, who had just guided Spurs to the league and cup double, paid 99,999 pounds for Greaves because he was keen to spare him the pressure of being England's first 100,000-pound player.

The move apparently worked as Greaves scored a hat-trick in his opening match, a 5-2 win over Blackpool, and helped Tottenham retain the FA Cup.

Greaves was famous for being anonymous during matches before popping up to score a crucial goal.

"All Greaves did this afternoon was score four goals," Nicholson once said.

Greaves made it into England's squad for the 1962 World Cup in Chile, but his most famous deed during the tournament was when he caught a dog that ran onto the field during a match against Brazil. The animal then urinated on Greaves' shirt, endearing itself to Brazil winger Garrincha who kept it as a pet.

The following season, he scored twice in a 5-1 Cup Winners Cup win over Atletico Madrid, which made Tottenham the first British side to win a European trophy, and was the first division's leading scorer a feat he would repeat in 1964, '65 and '69.

Greaves switched to West Ham in 1970, with former England teammate Martin Peters moving the other way in a record 200,000-pound transfer, but retired at the end of the season after a record total of 357 goals in 516 league matches.

He made a brief comeback for non-league Barnet in 1978 but soon quit again and moved into television, where he co-presented the long-running Saturday show "Saint and Greavsie" in Britain with former Liverpool player Ian St John.

New Zealand players shouldn't be blamed for the cancellation of the tour of Pakistan as they were just following the advice of their government, said Kiwi pacer Mitchell McClenaghan.

The 35-year-old pacer was reacting to a sarcastic tweet by batsman Mohammed Hafeez on Saturday on eve of the departure of the New Zealand team from Pakistan.

"Come now bro. This has a bad taste to it… Don't blame the players or the organisation… blame our government. They have only acted on the advice they have received. I'm absolutely certain these young men—all wanting to prove themselves wanted to play. they had no choice," McClenaghan wrote on his Twitter handle.

On Saturday, Hafeez had taken a dig at New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for calling off their tour of Pakistan citing security threats.

"Thanks to the secutity of pakistan forces to make arrangements to @BLACKCAPS to reach at airport Safe & Sound. Wonder same route & same security but no threat today???," Hafeez had tweeted.

NZC chief executive David White said "What I can say is that we were advised this was a specific and credible threat against the team. We had several conversations with New Zealand government officials before making the decision and it was after informing the PCB of our position that we understand a telephone discussion was conducted between the respective prime ministers. Unfortunately, given the advice we'd received, there was no way we could stay in the country."

New Zealand had arrived in Pakistan on September 11 for a white-ball series after 18 years and were scheduled to play three ODIs and five T20 Internationals.

But New Zealand Cricket (NZC) called off the series abruptly on Friday just before the first One-Day International at the Rawalpindi stadium, citing they had received a serious security threat.

Even without Romelu Lukaku and Antonio Conte, Inter Milan seems intent on successfully defending its Serie A title.

The Nerazzurri completely overwhelmed visiting Bologna 6-1 on Saturday to extend their unbeaten start to the Italian league.

Substitute Edin Džeko scored two late goals after Lautaro Martinez, Milan Skriniar, Nicolò Barella and Matias Vecino gave the hosts a four-goal cushion.

Arthur Theate pulled one back for Bologna four minutes from time.

The victory provided some welcome relief following two frustrating performances for Inter: A draw at Sampdoria last weekend and a loss at home to Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Inter moved atop the standings, one point above Roma, AC Milan, Napoli—which are yet to play this weekend—and Fiorentina, which won at Genoa 2-1 earlier.

There had been concern about Inter's status after Conte surprisingly left the team in May shortly after leading the club to its first Italian league title in more than a decade.

Conte was openly concerned about the finances of Inter's Chinese owners and his lack of input in the transfer market, and his worries were confirmed when Lukaku was sold to Chelsea in August for a reported $135 million, a record transfer fee for the European champions.

Lukaku scored 64 goals in 95 matches across all competitions in his two seasons at Inter.

But under new coach Simone Inzaghi, Inter has had no trouble so far making up for losing Lukaku's goals.

With 15 goals scored in four matches, Inter has the most productive attack in the league.

"I feared this game, because after Wednesday against Real Madrid where we deserved more, there was some concern. Fortunately, we had the right approach from the start," Inzaghi said.

"Inter deserve credit, because Bologna was unbeaten."

Lautaro started things off against Bologna by redirecting a cross from Denzel Dumfries six minutes in at the San Siro for his fourth goal in as many matches.

Skriniar then rose uncontested to meet a corner with an on-target header on the half-hour mark and Barella concluded another devastating counterattack four minutes later.

After the break, Vecino scored with a tap-in, then Džeko scored through the goalkeeper's legs for his first and fired in from a sharp angle for his second.

Fiorentina revival

With three straight wins, Fiorentina seems transformed under new coach Vincenzo Italiano.

The Viola won 2-1 at Genoa with second-half goals from Riccardo Saponara and Giacomo Bonaventura.

Genoa pulled one back with a late penalty from Domenico Criscito.

Fiorentina finished 13th last season.

Italiano was a late hire after Gennaro Gattuso left Fiorentina in June, barely three weeks after taking charge of the club, due to disagreements over the transfer market.

Last season, Italiano helped Spezia avoid relegation in its Serie A debut.

Atalanta’s scoring rate

Atalanta needed a late goal from Duván Zapata to win at promoted Salernitana 1-0.

The Bergamo squad led Serie A in scoring the past three seasons by averaging more than two goals per game but has produced only four goals in four matches to start this campaign.

Still, Atalanta moved within three points of Inter.

A near-capacity crowd failed to inspire Manchester City as the English Premier League champion was held by Southampton to a frustrating 0-0 at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola's team might even have felt relieved to claim a point after referee Jon Moss overturned decisions to award Southampton a penalty and send Kyle Walker off in the second half.

Statistically, City dominated but the team lacked its normal cutting edge, perhaps underlining Guardiola's point in midweek that his players would go into the game tired after their Champions League exertions against Leipzig on Wednesday.

Raheem Sterling thought he snatched victory with a last-gasp strike but the flag was raised for offside and VAR confirmed the decision.

Guardiola issued a rallying cry to fans after the remarkable 6-3 victory over Leipzig, which took City's goal tally in its last three home games to 16, and the supporters responded by producing a vibrant atmosphere.

Yet it was not enough for the hosts, even if they controlled most of the possession and created the better chances.

Clear-cut opportunities were at a premium in the first half, though, as City failed to muster a shot on target.

Sterling, making his first Premier League start since the opening day of the season, started in the center forward position with Gabriel Jesus on the right.

The pair combined well at times but, with a stubborn Southampton blunting their threat, it was not a surprise to see them switch positions in the second period.

As well as being resilient, Saints were also positive on the break but they were unable to seriously trouble Ederson in an even start to the contest.

City eventually began to assert a measure of control and Sterling played Ilkay Gundogan in on goal with a nice ball but Alex McCarthy was quick to deal with the danger.

The hosts created further chances before the break without testing McCarthy. Jack Grealish had a dangerous cross cut out and Sterling curled an effort wide.

A low Jesus ball was then too strong for Bernardo Silva and the Brazilian also missed the target with a header.

Saints' best opportunity in the first half saw Mohamed Elyounoussi shoot tamely at Ederson but the visitors stepped up the tempo after the restart with Che Adams dragging an effort across goal.

Controversy erupted when Southampton was awarded a penalty after Walker appeared to bundle into the back of Armstrong.

Moss had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and was quick to show the red card to Walker but the referee was invited to review the whole incident again on the monitor following a VAR check. Much to the relief of City, he decided to cancel the penalty and overturn the sending off, with Armstrong appearing to foul Walker instead.

Guardiola responded to the let-off by sending on Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden from the bench in quick succession.

Still, Southampton continued to press with Nathan Redmond threatening with a weaving run into the area and Adams curling a shot wide.

City picked up the intensity in the closing minutes and thought it had found a way through when Sterling smashed home a rebound after McCarthy brilliantly kept out Foden's header. Moss ruled out the effort for offside and a tense few moments followed as VAR checked the decision but the effort did not count.

City dropped points for the second time in five games in the league, after losing at Tottenham 1-0 in the opening round. 

French newspaper L'Equipe has revealed that Lionel Messi stands to earn €110 million in three years if he stays at Paris St Germain.

According to the paper, despite moving on a free transfer from FC Barcelona to the French team, the Argentine captain will earn €30 this season, and €40 million in each of his next two seasons, thanks to a loyalty bonus.

This means that Messi will earn as much as his teammate Neymar, said the reputed sports newspaper. The Brazilian had joined PSG on a world record €222 million transfer in 2017. Neymar recently signed a contract that keeps him at the club until 2025.

The reported figures do not include individual and team bonuses.

At the time of Messi's signing in August, it was revealed that he would also receive a part of his salary in cryptocurrency. L'Equipe has reported that he will earn €1 million a year through the club's cryptocurrency, PSG Fan Token.

When PSG announced that his “welcome package” included cryptocurrency, it triggered a rally in the crypto tokens that the club first issued to its fans last year.

Messi had joined PSG towards the end of the summer transfer window after Barcelona revealed that they could not accommodate his wages, despite the player offering to take a 50 per cent pay cut.

As per his old contract with the club, which ended on June 30, Messi was reportedly earning a massive €138 million a year, excluding bonuses.

Messi ended his 20-year-long association with the club to reunite with former Barca teammate Neymar, who is said to have been influential in PSG signing him. The duo is joined by Kylian Mbappe to form one of the most expensive attacks in world football.

Since his arrival, Messi has made two appearances for PSG. He came off the bench in a Ligue One match against Rennes for his debut, followed by a full start in a surprising draw against Club Brugge in the Champions League.

Neeraj Chopra's javelin, Lovlina Borgohain's boxing gloves, P.V. Sindhu's badminton kit and a women's hockey stick are among the most-sought items in an ongoing e-auction conducted by the ministry of culture. The auction of a large collection of mementos received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had opened on September 17, his birthday.

Several Olympic stars who made history at the Tokyo Games had gifted their equipment to the prime minister. Bids for Chopra's javelin and Borgohain's gloves have already touched Rs 10 crore each, with 19 days still to go for the auction to end.

The ministry announced that the proceeds of the auction would go to Namami Gange, the Centre's project to clean and rejuvenate the river Ganga.

The gold-medal winning javelin, signed by Chopra, had the highest starting price of Rs 1 crore. Paralympic javelin gold medallist Sumit Antil's javelin was also given a base price of Rs 1 crore and is currently going for Rs 3.5 crore, as per the official auction website.

Borgohain's blue gloves, which she used to win the bronze medal in Tokyo, had a base price of Rs 80 lakh, as did Sindhu's autographed racket and bag.

There are as many as 1,300 items going under the hammer in this block. Apart from sports equipment, other mementos being auctioned include a replica of the Ram temple presented by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, models of historic buildings, famous paintings and souvenirs from foreign dignitaries received by the prime minister.

Hours within the auction going live, fencer Bhavani Devi's sabre and Paralympic shuttler Suhas Yathiraj's racquet had surprisingly attracted bids up to Rs10 crore before Chopra's javelin had even crossed the Rs 1.5 crore mark. But as it turned out, the bids were part of a prank and the culture ministry quickly removed them.

The auction is conducted on pmmemtos.gov.in. On October 7, the ministry will notify the winning bidders via email. 

His tenure set to end after next month's T20 World Cup, India head coach Ravi Shastri conceded that there would be a bit of "sadness" but he has no doubts that he is going out at the right time, having "over-achieved" during his stint.

Shastri's first stint as head coach began in 2017 before he was reappointed in 2019. The T20 World Cup starts on October 17 in the UAE.

The 59-year-old is currently in quarantine here after testing positive for COVID-19. Speaking to 'The Guardian', Shastri said to win the T20 World Cup would be special but the team has already done special things in his time.

"I believe so because I've achieved all I wanted. Five years as No.1 (in Test cricket), to win in Australia twice, to win in England.

"I spoke to Michael Atherton earlier this summer and said: 'For me, this is the ultimate – to beat Australia in Australia and win in England in Covid times.' We lead England 2-1 and the way we played at Lord's and the Oval was special," said the former player.

India were leading 2-1 against England when the fifth and final Test in Manchester was called off after a COVID-19 outbreak in the touring camp.

During Shastri's tenure, India also recorded T20 series wins in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and England.

"We've also beaten every country in the world in their own backyard in white-ball cricket. If we win the (T20) World Cup that will be the icing on the cake. There is nothing more.

"I believe one thing – never overstay your welcome. And I would say that, in terms of what I wanted to get out of the side, I've over-achieved. To beat Australia away and to lead the series in England in a COVID year? It is the most satisfying moment of my four decades in cricket."

The flamboyant coach would love to sign off with an ICC trophy, which the team has not lifted during the Shastri-Virat Kohli phase.

"We're going to give it everything. Absolutely. We've got the team to win if we play to our potential. Above all we're going to enjoy it. Forget Test match pressure. T20 cricket is meant to be enjoyed. I plan on going out on a real high," he asserted.

"Yes there will be sadness it's ending because I've worked with so many great players and personalities. We've had some great times in the dressing room. But, above all, the quality of our cricket and the results we've achieved has made it one heck of a journey," he said.

He also spoke on the emergence of Jasprit Bumrah as a lethal Test bowler in his tenure.

"No one believed Jasprit Bumrah could play Test cricket. He was a white-ball bowler. But when I took over as coach I asked myself: 'How do I take 20 wickets overseas?'

"I knew I needed four great fast bowlers because I had played so much Test cricket against the West Indies. It started in South Africa in 2018 and we lost that fantastic series 2-1. I wanted to unleash Bumrah in that first Test in Cape Town.

"I bounced the idea off Virat months before and told the selectors: 'Do not unleash him in India. I don't want the world to see him in Test cricket before Cape Town.'

"That was three years ago. Since then he's taken 101 wickets (in 24 Tests). It's remarkable." 

The IPL 2021 is all set to resume on September 19 in the UAE, months after COVID-19 cases in franchises because of bio-bubble breach forced the BCCI to suspend the tournament.

The IPL 2021, which was to be held between April 9 and May 2, will now be completed between September 19 and October 15. What makes the second leg interesting is that the T20 World Cup starts just a day after the IPL final.

Here’s a quick recap of the first leg of the tournament.

Team standings

Twenty-nine matches were held in IPL 2021 before the tournament was suspended. Among the eight teams, Delhi Capitals were at the top, followed by Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

1.       Delhi Capitals (12 points)

2.     Chennai Super Kings (10)

3.      Royal Challengers Bangalore (10)

4.     Mumbai Indians (8)

5.     Rajasthan Royals (6)

6.     Punjab Kings (6)

7.     Kolkata Knight Riders (4)

8.     Sunrisers Hyderabad (2)

Players who will be missing, and their replacements

RAJASTHAN ROYALS

Jos Buttler

The England wicket-keeper batsman will miss the second leg of the IPL because of the birth of his second child. RR have signed West Indian Evin Lewis as Buttler’s replacement.

Jofra Archer

Archer will miss the tournament because of an elbow injury which will keep him away from action for the rest of the year. New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Glenn Phillips will replace him.

Ben Stokes

Stokes has taken a temporary break from cricket because of mental health reasons. He will be replaced by West Indian Oshane Thomas.

Andrew Tye

Tye pulled out due to personal reasons. He will be replaced by South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE

Adam Zampa

The leg-spinner didn’t feature in any of the matches in the first leg. He is unavailable and will be replaced by Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga.

Daniel Sams

The Australian left-arm pacer was picked in the IPL 2020 as replacement for an injured Jason Roy. However, he will miss the remainder of the tournament and will be replaced by Sri Lankan Dushmantha Chameera.

Kane Richardson

The Australian pacer did not play any matches in the first leg, and will now miss the tournament due to personal reasons. His replacement is George Garton.

Finn Allen and Washington Sundar

Allen will be replaced by Singaporean all-rounder Tim David and Sundar by Bengal bowler Akash Deep.

PUNJAB KINGS

Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson

Meredith will miss the rest of the tournament due to a side strain and has been replaced by Australian pacer Nathan Ellis. Richardson is set to miss the IPL due to personal reasons, and will be replaced by England off-spinner Adil Rashid.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

Pat Cummins

The Australian pacer will miss the second leg for personal reasons. He will be replaced by veteran New Zealand pacer Tim Southee.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

Scott Kuggeleign

The New Zealand pacer will miss the tournament due to national commitments. His replacement is yet to be announced.

New Zealand has abandoned their tour of Pakistan minutes ahead of their first ODI in Rawalpindi, citing security concerns.

Players and staff were asked to stay in their hotel and spectators were not allowed into the stadium after the New Zealand government announced an escalation in the threat levels for Pakistan.

The Black Caps released a statement that New Zealand Cricket would be calling its players back home. “Following an escalation in the New Zealand Government threat levels for Pakistan, and advice from NZC security advisors on the ground, it has been decided the BLACKCAPS will not continue with the tour.

The teams were scheduled to play three ODIs in Rawalpindi before moving to Lahore for a five-match T20 series.

NZC chief executive David White said it was “simply not possible to continue with the tour given the advice he was receiving”. “I understand this will be a blow for the PCB, who have been wonderful hosts, but player safety is paramount and we believe this is the only responsible option,”he said in his statement.

The board went on to say that it would not comment on the details of the security threat nor the updated arrangements for the departing squad.

The Pakistan Cricket Board was left unimpressed by the unilateral decision. It released a statement in a series of tweets, expressing displeasure at the turn of events ahead of what was to be a crucial home series.

“Earlier today, the New Zealand cricket board informed us that they had been alerted to some security alert and have unilaterally decided to postpone the series. PCB and Govt of Pakistan made fool proof security arrangements for all visiting teams,”said the statement.

“We have assured the NZ cricket board of the same. The Prime Minister spoke personally to the Prime Minister of New Zealand and informed her that we have one of the best Intelligence systems in the world and that no security threat of any kind exists for the visiting team.

“The security officials with the NZ team have been satisfied with security arrangements made by the Govt of Pakistan throughout their stay here.

“PCB is willing to continue the scheduled matches. However, cricket lovers in Pakistan and around the world will be disappointed by this last minute withdrawal.”

This was to be New Zealand's first tour of Pakistan in 18 years. When the Kiwis last played an ODI series in Pakistan in 2003, it was a continuation of the 2002 series that had been curtailed because of a bomb blast at the team hotel in Karachi.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam responded to the developments by saying he was disappointed that the Kiwis chose not to go ahead with the series.

“Extremely disappointed on the abrupt postponement of the series, which could have brought the smiles back for millions of Pakistan Cricket Fans. I've full trust in the capabilities and credibility of our security agencies. They are our pride and always will be! Pakistan Zindabad!”he said in a tweet.

The PCB will be hoping that the cancellation of the tour will not affect the remaining home tours scheduled for this season.

England's men and women's teams are expected to arrive in October, followed by visits by West Indies, Australia and the New Zealand's women's teams.

Australia red-ball skipper Tim Paine, who went under the knife to fix a bulging disc in his neck earlier this week, is "extremely confident" he will be fit to lead his country in the first Ashes Test against England in December.

The 36-year-old, who had disc replacements on his C-6 and C-7 in the neck, is expected to be under recovery for six weeks while the first Ashes Test is slated to begin at the Gabba from December 8.

"As soon as this six week block is over I think I'll be good to go. I'm 36 years of age, I've done plenty of cricket training and I know my game fairly well," Paine told 'SEN Radio'.

"I'm pretty confident outside of that six-week time frame that I'd be right to go within a week if I needed to be, so that gives me plenty of time.

"I obviously won't be as fit or as strong as I would like to be, but I think if I'm moving freely then I'll give a good fist of it," he added.

The wicketkeeper batsman hopes to get in a Shield game before the marquee series.

"It's two and a half months (until the Ashes), and after that six weeks I'll get straight into my cricket and I could be ready anywhere from a week to ten days. December 8 is the first Test, and I'm extremely confident I'll be right to go before then.

"I'll hopefully get a Shield game in for Tassie beforehand, and to be hopefully on the end of a third winning Ashes would be something really special for me and the team."

Talking about the procedure, Paine said "I ended up having disc replacements on C-6 and C-7, high up in the neck. Basically, they cut a big hole in my throat, move my voice box over to the side and go in that way.

"I feel like my range is already better and I've just got to make sure the front, where the cut is, heals and I give the disc time to 'take' to the rest of my spine over the next month or so, and then get moving.

"It's a pretty slow process, if I'm totally honest. I'll be (restricted to) walking for the next couple of weeks, and doing a lot of little neck physio-type movements just to try and get the smaller muscles in my neck working again."

Paine revealed that bulging disk had led to a loss of strength in his left arm.

"I obviously had a bulging disc pushing on the nerve canal on my spine. I was having a few issues down the left side of my body.

"I was losing a lot of strength in my left arm, and I was getting a lot of sort of nerve pain down the back of my arm."

Paine feels going under the knife was the right thing to do.

"I didn't want it to become anything permanent and I think if I left it too long I think there's a chance that it could. The second one is that I wanted to be playing in the Ashes and playing good.

"I didn't want it to come good in a month and then continually flaring up in the Ashes, if it had come back as bad as it had been at times there's no way I would've been able to play if it was the morning of a Test match. I didn't want to take that risk."

The C6-C7 disc is 6th cervical disc near the lower part of the neck, near the top of the shoulders.  

Ridhima Dilawari staged a fine comeback from an early double bogey to shoot three-under 69 and get into top-15 at the Lavaux Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour Access Series (LETAS). 

Also joining her in T-13th place was Gaurika Bishnoi (72), who rallied from two bogeys in the first three holes. 

Both Indians are now one-under 143 and five behind the leader.

The 16-year-old French amateur Emma Falcher fired the round of the day to rise to the top of the leaderboard on day two.

Among other Indians, Pranavi Urs (71-74) was T-21st and Amandeep Drall (73-73) was T-28th. Vani Kapoor (75-74) at T-44th also made the cut.

However, Durga Nittur (74-78) paid the price for a triple bogey on eighth and  missed the cut.

Falcher started the day on two-under-par and began her round with three birdies and a bogey in her opening nine holes. Three further birdies on the back nine ensured a round of five-under 67.

Three players are tied for second place, two shots back on five-under-par including Finland's Emilia Tukiainen, who is seventh in the LETAS Order of Merit.

Dissapointing start fro Aditi Ashok in Portland Classic

Returning to the United States after playing in Europe, Indian golfer Aditi Ashok endured a tough start as she carded a disappointing five-over 77 in the first round of the Cambia Portland Classic.

She will need a solid second round to make the cut.

Aditi had two double bogeys and two bogeys against just one birdie as she tried to adjust to the conditions on the other side of the Atlantic.

Three players led after the first round.

Fresh off playing for the victorious European team at the Solheim Cup two weeks ago, Spain's Carlota Ciganda shot an opening-round 68 to join Pajaree Anannarukarn and Gemma Dryburgh for the lead at Oregon Golf Club.

Six players are tied for fourth at three-under, including Rolex Rankings No. 2 Jin Young Ko, who is playing for the first time since representing Korea at the Olympics in August.

Two-time Cambia Portland Classic winner Brooke Henderson is one of five players tied for 10th at two-under, a group that includes 57-year-old Laura Davies. 

Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbapp and Neymar lined up together in the near-perfect attack for Paris Saint-Germain and still could not score or deliver a win in the Champions League.

Instead, it was low-key midfielder Ander Herrera who got PSG's goal in a 1-1 draw at underrated Belgian champion Club Brugge.

Though Messi saw a first-half shot strike the crossbar, he was later shown a yellow card for a foul and Mbapp went off because of an injured left ankle.

French forwards flourished elsewhere with Sebastien Haller scoring four for Ajax in a 5-1 rout at Sporting Lisbon and Christopher Nkunku netting all of Leipzig's goals in a 6-3 loss to Manchester City.

The English clubs in action combined for two wins in matches involving 14 goals as Liverpool beat AC Milan 3-2 in the Italians' return to the competition after a seven-season gap.

There was just one goal in the games involving the Madrid clubs, and Rodrygo's 89th-minute strike won it for Real Madrid at Inter Milan. Atltico Madrid was held 0-0 at home to Porto.

Debutant Sheriff Tiraspol from the Moldovan league won 2-0 against Shakhtar Donetsk from neighboring Ukraine.

Paris misfires

Three-time European champion Messi was added to PSG's already stellar squad last month to drive the Qatar-owned club's quest to win soccer's most coveted club prize.

The Jan Breydel Stadium in Belgium was a modest venue for the Messi-Mbapp-Neymar forward line to be unveiled for the first time. They lasted just 50 minutes together, though Mbapp did create Herrera's opening goal from a sharp first-time shot in the 15th minute.

Club Brugge rose to the moment and captain Hans Vanaken leveled in the 27th.

City leads Group A after beating Leipzig 6-3 with six different scorers including record signing Jack Grealish. Leipzig defender Angelio was sent off on his return to his former club.

PSG hosts City on Sept. 28 in a rematch of last season's semifinals. The English champion advanced after winning the first leg 2-1 in Paris.

Liverpool comeback

Liverpool and AC Milan traded titles facing each other in the 2005 and 2007 Champions League finals, yet had never met at any other stage of the competition.

Their first match at Anfield was a typically rousing affair in the storied venue that thrives on European nights.

Liverpool's early surge yielded only a Trent Alexander Arnold-inspired opening goal and a penalty for Mohamed Salah saved by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Milan stunned its hosts with two quick goals just before halftime, but the lead lasted just a few minutes into the second half before Salah leveled.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson clinched a 3-2 win with a sharp half-volley shot in the 69th minute.

Atletico's returning star forward Antoine Griezmann was jeered by many home fans at the Metropolitano Stadium when he came on as a substitute in a goalless draw with Porto.

Real Madrid

Like the Liverpool-Milan game, Inter Milan-Real Madrid paired two teams that tried to break away from the Champions League by signing up to the Super League fiasco in April.

Madrid, which has refused to join the others in renouncing the project, came away from San Siro with three points from Rodrygo's late goal superbly assisted by teenage substitute Eduardo Camavinga, for a 1-0 win.

In a week when returning fans created raucous atmospheres at Champions League games, there were 37,000 in San Siro which can be at 50 per cent capacity for games.

Also in Group D, Sheriff brought the Champions League to one of the most unusual parts of Europe  the breakaway region of Transnistria which has declared independence from Moldova.

Sheriff, which advanced through four qualifying rounds, started with no Moldovan players in its lineup to face Champions League veterans Shakhtar. Brazilian full-back Cristiano created both goals in a 2-0 win, for Mali forward Adama Traore and Guinean forward Momo Yansane.

Madrid hosts Sheriff on Sept. 28.

Virat Kohli announced today that he will step down as the T20 captain after the T20 World Cup in Dubai in October. He will, however, continue to lead Team India in the 50-over and Test formats.

"Understanding workload is a very important thing and considering my immense workload over the last 8-9 years playing all three formats and captaining regularly for last five to six years, I feel I need to give myself space to be fully ready to lead Indian team in Test and ODI cricket," Kohli said in a statement on his Twitter page.

"I have given my everything to the Team during my time as T20 captain and I will continue to do so for the T20 captain and will continue to do so for the T20 team as a batsman moving forward," he further added.

The decision, Kohli said, was taken after consulting head coach Ravi Shastri, Rohit Sharma, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah.

It was reported a few days ago that Kohli will be relinquishing the T20 and ODI captaincy after the T20 World Cup, and Sharma will be taking over from him. Interestingly, BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal had dismissed these reports, saying that the Board has not discussed anything on the matter and that he will continue to captain the team in all formats.

It would be the third time Indian cricket would be implementing split captaincy. In 2007, Anil Kumble was captain of the Test team, while M.S. Dhoni led the ODI and T20I sides. In 2015, Kohli was made captain of the Test side after Dhoni retired from the format. Dhoni continued to be captain of the ODI and T20I sides until 2017.

Kohli has captained India in 45 T20 Internationals (T20Is) and 95 ODIs, winning 27 in the shortest format and 65 in ODIs.

The report on 'split captaincy' comes at a time when BCCI's decision to appoint former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as Team India mentor for the T20 World Cup, has raised several eyebrows. After the 2013 Champions Trophy win, India have lost in the knockout stages in five ICC white-ball tournaments.

The T20 World Cup begins on October 17 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman and will go on till November 14. India will open their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24.

Days after Mahendra Singh Dhoni was appointed Team India's mentor for the upcoming T20 World Cup, the former skipper is learnt to have been given another new role, albeit off the cricket field.

The Union defence ministry said on Thursday that it has constituted a high-level expert committee, under the chairmanship of former MP Baijayant Panda, for a comprehensive review of the National Cadet Corps (NCC).

Dhoni and Mahindra group chairman Anand Mahindra will be among the members of the committee.

Dhoni is paratrooper of the Territory Army unit of the Indian Army's Parachute Regiment, and is an honorary Lt. Colonel. He had also undergone training under the Para Brigade in 2015.

Indian military gives honorary ranks to people to recognise their contribution to their fields. Sachin Tendulkar is an honorary group captain of the Indian Air Force and Kapil Dev, ace-shooter Abhinav Bindra and politicians such as Sachin Pilot and Rao Birender Singh have been given honorary rank in the Army.

During his sabbatical from cricket post the 2019 ICC World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand, Dhoni had spent a number of weeks training with his unit in the Territorial Army.

Dhoni is currently with his IPL team Chennai Super Kings, gearing up for the resumption of the league from September 19 in the UAE.

Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles told Congress through tears Wednesday that the FBI and gymnastics officials turned a "blind eye" to USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar''s sexual abuse of her and hundreds of other women.

Biles told the Senate Judiciary Committee that “enough is enough” as she and three other US gymnasts spoke in stark emotional terms about the lasting toll Nassar''s crimes have taken on their lives.

The 2016 Olympic champion and a five-time world champion — widely considered to be the greatest gymnast of all time — said that she “can imagine no place that I would be less comfortable right now than sitting here in front of you." She declared herself a survivor of sexual abuse.

“I blame Larry Nassar and I also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse,” Biles said. She said USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee “knew that I was abused by their official team doctor long before I was ever made aware of their knowledge.”

Biles said a message needs to be sent: "If you allow a predator to harm children, the consequences will be swift and severe. Enough is enough.”

The hearing is part of a congressional effort to hold the FBI accountable after multiple missteps in investigating the case, including the delays that allowed the now-imprisoned Nassar to abuse other young gymnasts.

An internal investigation by the Justice Department released in July said that the FBI made fundamental errors in the probe and did not treat the case with the “utmost seriousness” after USA Gymnastics first reported the allegations to the FBI's field office in Indianapolis in 2015.

The FBI has acknowledged its own conduct was inexcusable. At least 40 girls and women said they were molested after the FBI had been made aware of the problem.

McKayla Maroney, another gold medal winning gymnast, told senators that one night when she was 15 years old, she found the doctor on top of her while she was naked — one of many times she was abused. She said she thought she was going to die that evening.

Maroney said the FBI “minimized and disregarded” her after she reported Nassar and said the agency delayed the investigation as other gymnasts were abused.

“I think for so long all of us questioned, just because someone else wasn't fully validating us, that we doubted what happened to us," Maroney said.

"And I think that makes the healing process take longer.”

Biles and Maroney were joined by Aly Raisman, another Olympic gold medalist, and gymnast Maggie Nichols. Raisman said it “disgusts me” that they are still looking for answers six years after the original allegations against Nassar were reported.

“We just can't fix a problem we don''t understand, and we can't understand the problem unless and until we have all of the facts,” Raisman said, noting the traumatic effect the abuse has had on all of them.

“Being here today is taking everything I have," she said. "My main concern is I hope I have the energy to just walk out of here. I don''t think people realize how much it affects us.”

Biles acknowledged in January 2018 that she was among the hundreds of athletes who were abused by Nassar. She is the only one of the witnesses who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — held this year after a one-year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic — but removed herself from the team finals to focus on her mental health.

She returned to earn a bronze medal on beam but told the committee the lingering trauma from her abuse at the hands of Nassar played a factor in her decision to opt out of several competitions.

Democratic and Republican senators expressed disgust over the case and said they would continue to investigate. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said it was among the most compelling and heartbreaking testimony he had ever heard.

“We have a job to do and we know it,” Durbin said.

Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said Congress must “demand real change, and real accountability, and we will not be satisfied by platitudes and vague promises about improved performance.” Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, called Nassar a “monster” and wondered how many other abusers have escaped justice, considering that even world-class athletes were ignored in this case.

FBI Director Christopher Wray and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, who conducted the July report, will testify in a second panel after the gymnasts.

Horowitz's probe was spurred by allegations that the FBI failed to promptly address complaints made in 2015 against Nassar. USA Gymnastics had conducted its own internal investigation and the organization's then-president, Stephen Penny, reported the allegations to the FBI''s field office in Indianapolis. But it was months before the bureau opened a formal investigation.

The inspector general's office found that “despite the extraordinarily serious nature” of the claims against Nassar, FBI officials in Indianapolis did not respond with the “utmost seriousness and urgency that the allegations deserved and required.”

When they did respond, the report said, FBI officials made “numerous and fundamental errors” and violated bureau policies. Among the missteps was a failure to conduct any investigative activity until more than a month after a meeting with USA Gymnastics.

The watchdog investigation also found that when the FBI's Indianapolis field office's handling of the matter came under scrutiny, officials there did not take any responsibility for the missteps and gave incomplete and inaccurate information to internal FBI inquiries to make it look like they had been diligent in their investigation.

The FBI rebuked its own employees who failed to act in the case and said it “should not have happened.” 

Thirty-two women football players from Afghanistan, who were facing threats from the Taliban, have reached Pakistan along with their families after the government issued emergency humanitarian visas to evacuate them, according to a media report on Wednesday.

The footballers belonging to the national junior girls' team had been originally due to travel to Qatar, where Afghan refugees have been housed at a facility for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but were left stranded after a bomb blast at the Kabul airport that killed 13 US service members and at least 170 Afghans on August 26.

These women were facing threats from the Taliban due to their involvement in the sport, Dawn newspaper reported.

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August. These women football players had since been in hiding to evade the Taliban, according to the report.

The move to bring the 32 footballers to Pakistan was initiated by British-based NGO Football for Peace in cooperation with the government and the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), which is not recognised by FIFA.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino had visited the Afghan refugees during his trip to Doha last week, but the global football body has been criticised for its inaction in aiding the female footballers who were still in Afghanistan.

The footballers will proceed from Peshawar to Lahore where they will be housed at the PFF headquarters.