Dropping shooting from 2022 CWG huge setback for India: Abhinav Bindra
NEW DELHI: Dropping shooting from 2022 Commonwealth Games will be a huge setback for India, especially for its young shooters, said the country’s only individual Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra. “No doubt, it will be a huge setback for the country and our shooters. It will hit hard on the up and coming shooters,” Bindra said at the sidelines of a felicitation ceremony of India’s Olympic medalists by the visiting International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach. (PTI)

Virender Sehwag saved the IPL by picking me: Chris Gayle
NEW DELHI: On Thursday night at Mohali’s PCA Stadium, the leading run-scorer in Twenty20 cricket lit up the IPL with the first century of season 11 – and it was an innings that rolled back the years. Chris Gayle, at the age of 38, slammed an unbeaten 104 off 63 deliveries to set up Kings XI Punjab’s third win of the season, and later when accepting the Man-of-the-Match award, thanked his new franchise’s director of cricket operations Virender Sehwag for “saving the IPL”. For the uninitiated, Gayle had been released by Royal Challengers Bangalore – who with 3420 runs from 91 matches stands at second in their all-time table – before January’s IPL player auction, and on day one of the auction had gone unsold. On the second day, KXIP made a bid for him and got the record-setting Jamaican for his base price of Rs 2 crore. (TNN)

IPL 2018, KKR vs DD: Clinical Kolkata Knight Riders crush Delhi Daredevils by 71 runs after Andre Russell carnage
KOLKATA: Andre Russell’s 12-ball 41 headlined Kolkata Knight Riders’ clinical performance as they recorded a crushing 71-run victory over Delhi Daredevils to return to winning ways in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Kolkata on Monday night.The result meant Daredevils skipper Gautam Gambhir’s ‘homecoming’ ended on a sour note. Russell’s whirlwind 41, 36 of them coming in sixes, ensured KKR overcame a slow start to post a challenging 200 for nine after they were put in by Gambhir. (Source: BCCI)

Arsene Wenger to leave Arsenal at end of season
LONDON: Arsene Wenger will bring his 22-year stay in charge of Arsenal to a close at the end of the season, the Frenchman announced on Friday. “After careful consideration and following discussions with the club, I feel it is the right time for me to step down at the end of the season,” Wenger said in a statement posted on the club’s website. “I am grateful for having had the privilege to serve the club for so many memorable years.” Wenger, 68, won three Premier League titles, leading the only side to go a full league season unbeaten in 2003-04, and lifted seven FA Cups during his tenure. (AFP)

Chelsea keep Champions League hopes alive at Burnley
LONDON: Chelsea manager Antonio Conte defended misfiring striker Alvaro Moratadespite the Spaniard missing a host of chances in a 2-1 win at Burnley on Thursday. Victory kept Chelsea’s outside chances of chasing down Tottenham Hotspur for a place in next season’s Champions League alive as they closed to within five points their London rivals with four games remaining. (AFP)

United, Spurs seek FA Cup success as last chance for silverware
LONDON: Manchester Unitedhead into Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur needing to keep their hopes of silverware alive to save their season. However, Spurs are just as hungry as they aim to end a decade-long wait for a trophy and confirm their consistent improvement under Mauricio Pochettino. (AFP)

FIFA dismisses England racism claim during World Cup
MANCHESTER
FIFA has dismissed a complaint from England’s FA about an alleged racist incident in the Under-17 World Cup final – held in India– due to a “lack of sufficient evidence”. England player Rhian Brewster recounted in a newspaper interview an insult made by a Spain player towards team mate Morgan Gibbs-White during the final in India, which England won 5-2.
The FA subsequently lodged a formal complaint with FIFA about the incident, but world soccer’s governing body said it had dismissed all charges. (REUTERS)

NBA: Durant, Warriors cruise past Spurs for 3-0 lead

SAN ANTONIO: Kevin Durant scored a game-high 26 points Thursday night as the Golden State Warriors moved within one game of a first-round playoff sweep of the San Antonio Spurs with a 110-97 victory in San Antonio. The second-seeded Warriors can advance to the Western Conference semifinals with a victory in Game 4 at San Antonio on Sunday afternoon. No team has ever rebounded from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series. (REUTERS)

LOCAL

Sporting Clube de Goa reclaim title from Salgaocar FC

DULER: Sporting Clube de Goa needed a draw to clinch the Goa Professional League title. In their penultimate match at Duler stadium on Thursday, they registered a solitary-goal win over title contenders Dempo SC and started their party much before the League comes to its conclusion. As Sporting begin their party, the Professional League will gasp for interest as it reaches the finishing line as Churchill Brothers have still five of their matches to play. Sporting Clube reclaim the title from Salgaocar FC – who were the winners last year.
Sporting Clube de Goa clinched the title with 55 points while Dempo Sports Club stay on 44 points with two matches in hand. (NT NETWORK)

Bhatikar High School emerge champions
PANJIM: Bhatikar High School defeated Mushtifund High School by 6 wickets to win the U-14 President Cup, at GCA ground Sanguem, on Thursday. Electing to bat, Mushtifund HS scored 135euns for 10 in 35 overs. Sanket Kapileshwar (28), Omkar Parab (28) and Aryan Mashelkar (19) were the top scorers for Mushtifund HS. Bhatikar HS bowled brilliantly as Deep Kavankar picked 4 wickets while Shrey Singh, Kedar Bhat, Sanat Neugi, Rohan Naik and Vishnu Warriar took a wicket each to restrict their rivals. (HERALD)