IPL 2021 Suspended due to Covid-19 and more…6 min read
Reading Time: 5 minutesAdithya G
The Top Story
IPL 2021 suspended indefinitely
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have announced that the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 has been postponed indefinitely. The cricketing body made the decision after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha tested positive for COVID-19 along with Delhi Capitals’ veteran spinner Amit Mishra. Earlier, Chennai Super Kings’ bowling coach L Balaji and Kolkata Knight Riders’ bowlers Sandeep Warrier and Varun Chakravarthy had also tested positive.
29 matches were played in the tournament that began on April 9. The final was scheduled to be played on May 30.
Cricket
Buttler’s Ton, Pollard’s Brilliance help teams succeed
Keiron Pollard single handedly helped Mumbai Indians beat arch rivals Chennai Superkings with an unbeaten 87 off just 34 deliveries. After CSK scored 218-4 in their 20 overs, MI chased down the target on the last ball of the match, scoring 125 runs off the final eight overs. What more, Pollard also picked 2 wickets while bowling in the first innings.
Jos Buttler managed to score his maiden T20 ton by putting a hopeless Sunrisers attack to the sword. Opening the batting, he raced to 124 and helped his team post a mammoth total of 220/3. His last 67 runs were scored off just 21 balls. SRH struggled with the bat and ball as they succumbed to a 55-run defeat.
After Harshal Patel’s dismal last over that went for 37 runs, Shivam Mavi delivered the most expensive first over this season. Prithvi Shaw smacked six fours and Mavi contributed a wide for the scorecard to read 25/0 after the first over. KKR were defending a total of 154 and Shaw’s performance took away any hope of an upset as the Delhi Capitals finished the game with 21 deliveries to spare.
Football
Premier League match postponed due to protests
For the first time in Premier League history, a match was postponed because of fan protests.
The game between Manchester United and Liverpool was postponed after about 200 fans broke into Old Trafford to protest against the Glazer family’s ownership of the Manchester club. Two police officers were injured during the clash.
The protests follow United’s decision, along with five other major Premier League clubs, to join the European Super League (ESL) last month, before pulling out.
Inter Milan Win Scudetto
Inter Milan broke Juventus’ streak of nine consecutive titles as manager Antonio Conte led them to their first Scudetto in 11 seasons. This Conte’s fourth Serie A title as manager. This is the 19th title in Inter’s history which makes them the second-most successful club in Italy, behind Juventus.
Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku is the star of Inter’s title winning season as he became the first player to record 20+ goals and 10+ assists in Serie A since 2004.
Ajax Reclaim Championship
Ajax were crowned Dutch league champions following a 4-0 home thrashing of Emmen which gave them an unassailable lead. This is the Amsterdam club’s 35th league title and they retain the title they won two years ago after the league was called off last year due to the pandemic.
Chelsea to Face Barcelona in UEFA Women’s Champions League Final
Goals from Pernille Harder and Fran Kirby gave Chelsea a 4-1 win and a 5-3 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich in their Women’s Champions League semifinal.
In the other semifinal Barcelona beat PSG 2-1 to secure a 3-2 aggregate win.
The Women’s Champions League final will be played in Gothenburg on May 16.
NBA
Sixers Retain Top Spot
Ben Simmons tipped in Joel Embiid’s missed shot at the buzzer to help Philadelphia 76ers defeat the San Antonio Spurs, 113-111, in overtime after the Brooklyn Nets were beaten by Milwaukee bucks.
Embiid finished the game with 34 points and 12 rebounds. Seth Curry was excellent too, scoring 22 points.
Lakers Lose Three in a Row
After their defeat to Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers were outclassed by Toronto Raptors, 121-114. They have now lost seven of their last 10.
Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry led the way for the victors with 39 points and 37 points respectively.
Thunder Suffer Worst Home Loss in History
Domantas Sabonis’ first half triple-double (26 points, 19 rebounds, and 14 assists) helped the Indiana Pacers hand Oklahoma City Thunder the worst home loss in NBA history, as they claimed a 152-95 victory.
The 57-point victory bests the previous road win total of 56 (Boston over Chicago in 2018, and Seattle over Houston in 1986).
The NBA’s largest victory margin remains 68, set by Cleveland against Miami in 1991.
F1
Lewis Hamilton Wins Portuguese Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton overtook both Valtteri Bottas and title rival Max Verstappen to win the Portuguese Grand Prix. This was his 97th Grand Prix triumph.
The win gives Hamilton an eight-point championship lead over Verstappen.
The defending champ did lose out on a fastest lap bonus point after exceeding track limits on his final tour.
Golf
Lydia Ko’s Amazing Eagle
An eagle in golf occurs when a golfer hits the ball far enough to reach the green with fewer strokes than expected.
During the ongoing Women’s World Championship in Singapore, Lydia Ko’s
shot landed just shy of the hole, ricocheted off a ball that was already on the green and rolled into the cup for an eagle.
Check out this amazing shot here
(Out-Actioned is a weekly sports bulletin)
Author’s Note: Adithya is a freelance writer and sports enthusiast.
