Two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Madrid Open, an ATP 1000 masters event, due to the adductor injury sustained in Barcelona and a separate injury in his left foot.

The 21-year-old announced the decision during his pre-tournament press conference on Thursday. "We have decided to not take risks, to not worsen the situation for the future and to listen to my body. We have to take difficult decisions, but we have made the right one. I will try to rest, recover and be back on the court as soon as possible," Alcaraz said.

The Spaniard received treatment on his upper right leg during his defeat to Holger Rune in the Barcelona final last week. Alcaraz was hoping to be fit to play at the ATP Masters 1000 event but feels that the tournament has come too soon.

Mumbai Indians pacer Trent Boult has heaped praises on veteran opener Rohit Sharma after the former MI captain produced back-to-back half-centuries to power the five-time champions back into playoff contention in IPL 2025.

Speaking after MI’s dominant seven-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, Boult hailed Rohit as a "world-class" player whose form could prove crucial in the team’s quest for a record-extending sixth title.

"I think the whole side, the whole Mumbai Indians squad possesses some world-class players and obviously Rohit needs no introduction in that regard," Boult said at the post-match media interaction.

"I'm sure everyone wants to be contributing at some points, but Rohit's doing a fantastic job of late and playing nicely just at the right time. So he's going to play a huge role for us in the remaining part of the season. I think you just need to be prepared for any role," he added.

Hockey India has announced a 54-member core probable squad for the upcoming senior men’s national coaching camp, which will begin on 25th April 2025 at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru.

Following their performances at the 15th Senior Men National Championship 2025, held in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. Hockey India has selected a core group of 54 players for the upcoming national camp.

The camp will be held from April 25 to 30, during which the group will be assessed and subsequently pruned down to 40 players. The selected 40 players will then continue training in the next phase of the camp, scheduled from May 1 to 25.

Arda Guler's first-half goal kept Real Madrid in the hunt for the La Liga title with a 1-0 win away to Getafe at the Coliseum.

The Coliseum observed a minute of silence before the start of the match between Getafe and Real Madrid , corresponding to matchday 33 of La Liga , in memory of Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at the age of 88.

The Turkey international fired home from the edge of the penalty area after Getafe goalkeeper David Soria had saved from Brahim Diaz, who also started in a much-changed Madrid starting 11.

Soria made several other important saves, while Getafe worked hard but failed to seriously test Thibaut Courtois in the Madrid goal, reports.

Wednesday was an excellent day for Athletic Bilbao, with the Basque side winning a close match 1-0 at home to Las Palmas, while Villarreal, its closest rival in the battle for fourth place, lost 3-0 away to Celta Vigo.

William Saliba's costly error saw Arsenal slip to a 2-2 draw at home to Crystal Palace, leaving Liverpool a point away from Premier League glory.

First-half goals from Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard were not enough to beat Crystal Palace, as the visitors twice came from behind to claim a point at Emirates Stadium.

Only a Palace victory at the Emirates Stadium would have secured Liverpool their 20th top-flight crown without kicking a ball, but Liverpool can wrap up the title if they do not lose to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Kiwior put Arsenal ahead within the opening three minutes with an excellent header, only for Palace to level through an Eberechi Eze volley from a corner.

Leandro Trossard kept his composure inside the area to restore our lead before half-time, but Jean-Philippe Mateta capitalised on a stray pass at the back to equalise late on.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar has admitted that his side has not played good cricket at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, their home ground this season, which is the reason for their poor results at home in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025..

The Patidar-led side has been impeccable in the tournament and currently sits in third place, tied with Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on 10 points. However, Chinnaswamy Stadium has been a hurdle they need to overcome, as three of their losses have come at home. They have not won a single game at the venue this season.

Despite this, Patidar remains positive and says the unpredictable nature of the wicket at the venue is not to be used as an excuse.

“We have not played good cricket in our home matches, and you have talked about the toss, it's not in my hands, so let's see. And this time, wickets are a bit tricky and unpredictable over here, but that is not an excuse. So, we'll try to adapt to the situation and conditions as quickly as possible,” said Patidar in the pre-game conference.

Mumbai Indians won the toss and elected to field first against Sunrisers Hyderabad in match 41 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, here at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.

Hyderabad have made one change as Mohammad Shami misses out and Jaydev Unadkat come in. For Mumbai Indians, Vignesh Puthur comes in for Ashwani Kumar.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Pat Cummins said, "One change for us - Shami goes out. It is a cause for optimism, we know this surface and ground really well. We've played some really good cricket this year. It has been heartbreaking for us as well, our thoughts are with the victims and their families."

One can safely say that Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are in the same boat, as far as IPL 2025 points table and playoffs scenarios are concerned. KKR, the defending champions, are at seventh place with six points, while RR, the inaugural edition winners, are a position below them with four points.

With the race of making it to the playoffs intensifying, both teams have an uphill task at their hands. Anil Kumble, the legendary India leg-spinner who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL, believes RR, who are on a four-match losing streak, are feeling the heat of missing Sanju Samson – first due to finger injury and now side strain, as well as realising the impact of not retaining Jos Buttler.

“I felt that both games that RR lost (to Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants), they had it in hand, which (means) they shouldn't have lost those games. I mean, it happens in the T20 format. Missing Sanju Samson is a big thing. He's a key player for Rajasthan Royals. So, that's a big miss from your batting order.

On what is truly a sad day for the country, football clubs from all parts of India took to social media to express their grief following a devastating terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

Bengaluru FC confirmed that they will be observing a minute’s silence and wear black armbands as a mark of respect during their clash against Inter Kashi on Wednesday in the Round of 16 of the Kalinga Super Cup.

"Bengaluru FC stands in solidarity with the victims, their families, and all those affected in the #PahalgamAttack. A minute's silence will be observed ahead of today's #KalingaSuperCup fixture, where the Blues will wear black armbands as a mark of respect," posted BFC.

The terror attack took place in the Baisaran Valley, a scenic meadow situated in Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination about 30 miles southeast of Srinagar on Tuesday, sending shockwaves throughout the country.

Vijay Dahiya, the assistant coach of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) defended the move of promoting David Miller to number five batting spot during their eight-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals (DC), citing it as a way to reverse the team’s declining run-rate following three quick dismissals.

At the BRSABV Ekana Stadium, Miller came out to bat after Abdul Samad’s promotion didn’t yield anything substantial. But Miller could only make 14 off 15 balls as impact player Ayush Badoni slammed a quick 21-ball 36, as LSG made 159/6, which DC chased down in 17.5 overs.

Miller’s promotion also meant that skipper Rishabh Pant came out to bat at seven, and made just a two-ball duck. "I think in the T20 format, there is only one plan, and that is to have a lot of plans. Nothing is decided in this game. You try to understand how the game is going and how you will try to ride I”