Sports World Today, January 10, 2024: Virat Kohli To Miss 1st IND Vs AFG T20I; India U19 Share Honours With South Africa U19 In Tri-Series Final; Liverpool Vs Fulham In English League Cup - As It Happened

Today's action proved to be quite a dud in cricket as SA20's opening fixture between Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Joburg Super Kings was called-off as rains intervened. In the South Africa U-19 series final, the IND U-19 shared the honours with RSA U-19 as rains played spoilsport. Virat Kohli won't be available for the 1st IND vs AFG T20I due to personal reasons, as revealed by coach Rahul Dravid. In football, Chelsea lost the first leg of the English League Cup semi-final to Middlesborough 1-0. Follow the scores and updates of today's sporting action here. (Cricket News | Football News)

11:58 PM: And With That, We Call It A Night

Good night everyone! As more action is awaited for tomorrow!

11:56 PM: SA20 Opening Fixture Called-Off

The inaugural game of the 2024 SA20 has been called without a single bowl being bowled

11:45 PM: Still Raining At St George's Park In Gqeberha

Seems like the opening fixture at the SA20 will be a washout as it is still drizzling in Gqeberha. The side covers are being removed but the main pitch is still protected.

11:00 PM: Formula One Update

Guenther Steiner has left his role as Haas Team Principal with immediate effect. Director of Engineering Ayao Komatsu has replaced him in the role.

10:31 PM: Big Bash League Update

Brisbane Heat have become the first team to qualify for the play-offs after a thrilling one-run victory against Hobart Hurricanes in a low-scoring game at The Gabba on Wednesday. They have played nine games so far and have 16 points with seven wins under their belt and are still undefeated.

10:11 PM: Kalinga Super Cup Update

Jamshedpur FC have beaten NorthEast United FC 2-1 in their Super Cup fixture.

10:00 PM: Afghanistan Announce Their U-19 Squad For World Cup

9:23 PM: Dinesh Karthik Joins England Lions Coaching Staff For India Tour

India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik has joined the England Lions' coaching staff for the India tour 2024, which starts with a two-day practice match in Ahmedabad on Friday. During the nine-day tour, Karthik will assist the visitors as one of the batting consultants. Former England batter Ian Bell, who's currently in Australia as part of Melbourne Renegades's coaching staff in the Big Bash League, will link up with the squad on January 18.

Read more about it here

8:31 PM: SA20 Opening Match Between Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Joburg Super Kings Delayed

The SA20's opening fixture - Sunrisers Eastern Cape vs Joburg Super Kings has seen it's toss being delayed as it's raining at St. George's Park. It is unlikely to have an on schedule start.

7:29 PM: Sandeep Lamichhane Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison

In what comes as a shocking revelation in world of cricket, cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane has been sentenced to eight years in prison for a rape case by a Nepal court in which he was convicted in December 2023, as per reports in the local media.

Read more about it here

6:55 PM: Kalinga Super Cup, NorthEast United FC Take On Jamshedpur FC

In today's fixture of Kalinga Super Cup, NorthEast United FC are in action against fellow ISL opponents Jamshedpur FC.

5:30 PM: Virat Kohli To Miss 1st IND Vs AFG T20I

Indian cricket team coach Rahul Dravid has confirmed at the press-conference that Virat Kohli will miss the 1st T20I due to personal reasons. The head coach added that the veteran batter will be returning to the squad for the second and third T20I.

5:24 PM: Rahul Dravid Speaks Ahead Of IND Vs AFG 1st T20I

Indian cricket team coach Rahul Dravid has 'cleared the air' on Shreyas Iyer's unavailability for the T20I series. "Shreyas missed out due to lots of batters in the mix - no disciplinary actions, these are fake (news reports)," said Dravid.

5:10 PM: Lakshya Sen In Action At Malaysia Open

Indian badminton star, Lakshya Sen will be in action at the Malaysia Open 2024 tournament against Weng Hong Yang in the round of 32 match.

3:50 PM: IND U19 VS SA U19 Toss Delayed

Rain has pushed the toss between India U-19 and South Africa U-19 behind schedule for the final of the tri-nation series between the pair and Afghanistan. India have been in a rich vein of form recently and will be relishing their prospects in this month's U-19 Cricket World Cup. 

3:30 PM: Rashid Khan Out Of IND-AFG 

In a blow to Afghanistan national cricket team for their three-game T20 clash against India, talisman Rashid Khan has been ruled out of the series. Afghan captain Ibrahim Zadran confirmed the same, but reiterated his faith in the rest of his team. 

"He is not totally fit. He is doing his rehab. We will miss him in the series. Without Rashid there are a few players we trust," said Zadran. 

"We have many players like Mujeeb (Zadran) who have played a lot of cricket. We have trust in them. We will struggle without Rashid but one should be ready for any kind of situation." 

2:30 PM: No Issues With Harmanpreet - Healy 

Australia national cricket team star Alyssa Healy has played down rumours of a rift between herself and Indian skipper Harmanpreet Kaur after the two exchanged unpleasantries when their teams had met in a Test in Mumbai. Healy, instead, played it down as "competitive cricket". 

Read more here.  

1:30 PM: Parupalli Kashyap To Retire

The Indian shuttler confirms he is nearing the end of his time on the court, and is excited about what lies beyond it. Kashyap was recently seen giving Kidambi Srikanth instructions from the sidelines at the Malaysian Open and has confirmed his intention of continuing to coach post his retirement. 

Read more here. 

12:00 PM: FIH Enters 4-Year Agreement With Viacom18

Viacom18 and the International Hockey Federation have signed a four-year agreement to present Hockey events on the broadcaster's television and OTT offerings. As per the deal, all Hockey events - with the exception of the FIH Nations Cup - will be telecasted live on the Sports18 Network and will also be available to watch on JioCinema app and website over the next four years! 

11:00 AM: Kishan's Absence Explained? 

Ishan Kishan was puzzlingly left out of the India squad to take on Afghanistan in three T20 Internationals later this month. As per reports, the Indian batter was unhappy with his lack of game time but may face being dropped out of the squad completely in the future, with selectors beginning to "look beyond him". 

Read more here. 

10:00 AM: Smith To Bat At #1 For AUS

The Australian national cricket team opener saga has concluded with Steve Smith moved up the order to replace the outgoing David Warner. Smith will open for the Aussies when they play West Indies on January 17th while Cameron Green will fill in at Smith's old number four spot. 

Read more here.

9:00 AM: EFL Cup Round-Up

Middlesbrough 1-0 Chelsea (Leg 1 of 2) - Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea will have a mountain to climb when they welcome Middlesbrough at home next week after Michael Carrick's side took a well-earned win at home. Boro academy product Hayden Hackney scored the only goal of the game in the 36th minute, latching onto a cross and converting from close range after an unmarked run into the box, while Cole Palmer missed a gilt-edged chance for the visitors. Despite the loss, Poch remained upbeat about his team's performance and prospects, labelling their display satisfactory.

Liverpool will face Fulham in the second semi-final.

Preview!

Hello and welcome to the sports world live blog on January 10, 2024. In Cricket, SA20 kicks-off in the Rainbow Nation as a host of South African as well as international stars lock horns in T20 franchise cricket competition. In football, Liverpool take on Fulham in the second leg of the English League Cup sans Trent Alexander-Arnold who is injured. In the world of Tennis, players gear up for the year's first Grand Slam in Australian Open 2024. More updates from Dakar Rally 2024, Pro Kabaddi League and Kalinga Super Cup