Cricket

Chennai, India: New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra hit an unbeaten 65 as Chennai Super Kings began their IPL season with a four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians on Sunday. Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad returned figures of 4-18 to help Chennai restrict Mumbai to 155-9 at the Chepauk Stadium. Ravindra anchored the chase, after skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad smashed 53 off 26 deliveries, and hit the winning six as Chennai won with five balls to spare. Former India captain and Chennai icon M.S. Dhoni remained the crowd favourite in his 18th straight IPL season, as the 43-year-old wicketkeeper walked out to bat for the final few balls. Chennai and Mumbai share an old rivalry, with both teams winning five titles each in the T20 tournament that began in 2008. The hosts fielded first and their bowlers justified Gaikwad's decision as fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed rattled the Mumbai top-order, including getting former skipper Rohit Sharma out for a duck in the first over. Left-arm quick Khaleel bowled South African Ryan Rickelton for 13 as he under-edged a delivery onto his stumps. Ahmad took over from Khaleel and turned on the heat with his left-arm wrist spin as he struck twice in one over and removed the dangerous Tilak Varma for 31. Wickets kept tumbling but Deepak Chahar hit a late cameo of 28 to give Chennai something to think about. Opener Ravindra put on 67 runs for the second wicket with Gaikwad as Chennai appeared set to cruise to their target. But left-arm wrist spinner Vignesh Puthur took three wickets on his IPL debut, despite never having even played state cricket before, making his presence felt by dismissing Gaikwad, Shivam Dube and Deepak Hooda -- all India internationals. Chennai wobbled when spinner Will Jacks bowled fellow Englishman Sam Curran for four, but Ravindra kept calm and with Ravindra Jadeja, who was run out for 17 in the penultimate over, helped the team get over the line. Dhoni failed to get off the mark from the two balls he faced, but watched from the non-striker's end as Ravindra smashed his New Zealand teammate Mitchell Santner into the stands to complete the win.

Football

Seoul: Paris Saint-Germain's Lee Kang-in will miss South Korea's vital home World Cup qualifier against Jordan on Tuesday after picking up an ankle injury, his national coach said. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder provided the through ball for Wolves' Hwang Hee-chan to score in a 1-1 home draw with Oman on Thursday. Lee, who has 35 caps and nine goals for his country, was substituted off five minutes from the end of the stalemate at Goyang Stadium. Lee, who had come on as a first-half substitute, rolled his left ankle, Yonhap News agency said. Coach Hong Myung-bo told reporters that Lee, together with Paik Seung-ho of Birmingham City and Jung Seung-hyun of Al Wasl in the UAE, were all out. "With Lee Kang-in, tests showed that his injury isn't as serious as we once feared," Hong said on Saturday, according to Yonhap. "I just had a talk with him and I was able to reaffirm his commitment to the national team. "However, he is just as important to his club as he is to the national team." South Korea top Asian qualifying Group B with four wins and three draws from seven games and are on course for the 2026 World Cup in North America. But they were pegged back late on by Oman, and are now only three points ahead of Jordan and Iraq with three rounds of games to go. The top two go straight to the World Cup.

Football

Rome: Serie A giants Juventus are set to sack coach Thiago Motta less than one season into his tenure, Italian media reported Sunday. According to sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport television, 42-year-old Motta will be replaced by former Juventus player Igor Tudor. The Croatian will then be tasked with securing fourth place in Serie A, the last qualifying place for the Champions League, which is crucial for Juventus' fragile finances. Juventus currently sit a disappointing fifth place in the league with just nine matches left to play. According to the Italian press, Juventus could announce Motta's departure and Tudor's arrival on Sunday. When contacted by AFP, the club declined to comment. Following an excellent 2023-24 season at the helm of Bologna, Motta arrived at Juventus to much fanfare last July, but results on the pitch since then have dampened the enthusiasm of the club's fans and directors alike. Under the Brazilian-Italian coach, Juventus have played 42 matches in all competitions, winning 18, drawing 16 and losing eight. Last month, they were knocked out of both the Champions League and the Italian Cup, which they had won in 2024, by PSV Eindhoven and Empoli, respectively. The two most recent matches under Motta were a 4-0 hammering at the hands of title contenders Atalanta -- their heaviest home loss since 1967 -- and a 3-0 defeat at eighth-placed Fiorentina.