Sports Highlights April 22: Indian Squash Star Saurav Ghosal Announces Retirement From Professional Circuit

After a blockbuster Sunday, Monday, April 22, began with the heartening news of India's 17-year-old Grandmaster D Gukesh winning the FIDE Candidates tournament, becoming the youngest in chess history to do so. In European football, the La Liga 'El Clasico' saw Real Madrid edging out Barcelona 3-2. In Indian Premier League, Rajasthan Royals defeated Mumbai Indians for the second time this season. Rafael Nadal confirmed that he will play at the Laver Cup in Berlin in September, possibly one of his last tournaments. Indian Squash Star Saurav Ghosal announced immediate retirement and bid farewell to the professional circuit. Yuzvendra Chahal became first bowler ever to complete 200 IPL wickets. Catch all the highlights of the day from the sports world here

India's 17-year-old Grandmaster D Gukesh has scripted history by winning the Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto to become the youngest-ever challenger to the world title. He will take on reigning world champion, China's Ding Liren, for the crown later this year.

Gukesh accumulated nine out of a possible 14 points here after drawing his final round game against American Hikaru Nakamura. He became only the second Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to win the Candidates. Five-time world champion Anand's triumph came in 2014.

Real Madrid pipped arch-rivals Barcelona 3-2 after Jude Bellingham’s stoppage-time goal in the La Liga El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Elsewhere, Paris St Germain went 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after a 4-1 win over Lyon without needing to call upon Kylian Mbappe.

In English football, Manchester United survived an almighty scare to progress to the FA Cup final on penalties, after Coventry fell agonisingly short of a sensational comeback win at Wembley. Meanwhile, in the Premier League, Liverpool moved level on points with top-of-the-table Arsenal after their 3-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.

The MVP (Most Valuable Player) award for NBA 2023-24 will be won by either the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, the Dallas Mavericks' Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The NBA announced the three finalists for the top individual honour with Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic being the top three vote-getters for the Michael Jordan trophy.

Jokic won back-to-back awards in 2020-21 and 2021-22, and should he win again he'll become the ninth player to win three or more MVPs, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Jordan and Bill Russell (five), Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James (four), and Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson (three).

Scottie Scheffler has a five stroke lead with just three holes to play after rain halted play in the RBC Heritage PGA Tour event. The US Open champion and world number one continues his great form at Hilton Head in South Carolina on the fourth day of the tournament, hitting an eagle and two birdies across 15 holes.

A storm stopped play for two and a half hours with darkness forcing a finish later today.

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has said that it stands by its decision to clear 23 Chinese swimmers to compete at the Tokyo Olympics despite testing positive for a banned heart medication, after reviewing a television documentary and newspaper reports. The world's top anti-doping regulator has issued a statement after the release of a documentary on the cases by German broadcaster ARD.

In an earlier statement that followed initial newspaper reports, WADA had said that it agreed with Chinese authorities and ruled that the swimmers' samples had been contaminated. The New York Times reported that Chinese anti-doping authorities found the results of the tests were Adverse Analytical Findings but cleared the swimmers without any penalties after finding that the samples were flagged as positive, as a result of contamination.

Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy delivered in the crunch moments, beating erstwhile joint leader Tingjie Lei of China to finish second on a superior tiebreak in the FIDE Women's Candidates tournament in Toronto. Zhongyi Tan of China expectedly topped the tables after settling for a draw with Anna Muzychuk of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, India's R Vaishali notched up her fifth consecutive victory at the expense of Kateryna Lagno of Russia to tie for the second spot before finishing fourth on tiebreak.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis has copped an INR 12 lakh fine, while Punjab Kings' stand-in captain Sam Curran has been penalised 50 per cent of his match fees for their respective offences during yesterday's matches, the Indian Premier League has announced. Du Plessis has been fined for maintaining a slow over rate during RCB's one-run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders.

Curran has been fined for a Level 1 offence under Article 2.8 of the IPL's Code of Conduct, which refers to "showing dissent at an umpire's decision", during PBKS' three-wicket defeat to Gujarat Titans.

Barcelona's star midfielder Frenkie De Jong left the field on a stretcher with a right leg injury sustained late in the first half of the La Liga El Clasico against Real Madrid. De Jong was hurt in a clash with Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde in first-half stoppage time at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Valverde came in hard for a 50-50 ball and struck De Jong's foot while trying to get to the ball.

James Harden scored 28 points to help the Los Angeles Clippers overcome Kawhi Leonard's absence and come through with a 109-97 victory over the cold-shooting Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of an NBA Western Conference quarter-finals series. Harden and Ivica Zubac each stepped up with the fourth-seeded Clippers missing Leonard due to inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee.

Zubac set a play-off career high with 20 points while grabbing 15 rebounds, while Harden went 6 of 11 from 3-point range in addition to dishing out eight assists.

Christian Horner has knocked back criticism that Max Verstappen’s stranglehold on Formula One is “boring” by describing his star driver’s unstoppable form as a “golden moment”. Verstappen claimed his fourth win from the five rounds so far this season with a commanding drive at Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix to establish a 25-point championship lead.

Horner said: "You have to appreciate success. Max is a special talent and this is a golden moment for him.

“As we have seen with every single driver in the past, it doesn’t last forever. It is about enjoying the moment and being in the moment and there are no guarantees we can give him a car like this for the next five years.

“Max is just a metronome. The pace he showed last year, he has continued that through."

Punjab Kings' bowling coach Charl Langeveldt has urged his team's middle-order batters to step up and "get more runs on the board" after their three-wicket loss to Gujarat Titans in the IPL in Mullanpur.

"We showed a lot of character with the ball. We had a good powerplay with the bat for the first time in three games but in the middle period, their spinners were too quality for our batters and we struggled.

"We just need middle order upfront to get more runs. We were probably 20 runs short on that wicket," Langeveldt said at the post-match press conference.

Newcastle striker Alan Shearer announced his retirement from football on this day in 2006. The former England captain confirmed that his career had been brought to a close at the age of 35 after sustaining a knee injury in the Wear-Tyne derby the previous week.

In what turned out to be his final game for the Magpies, Shearer scored a penalty as his side went on to win 4-1 against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. However, he was forced to call time on his playing days after tearing his medial ligament in a challenge with Julio Arca.

For most athletes, victory is usually the biggest motivator but not for history-making teen Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh, who said he got the "energy" to become the youngest Candidates chess champion thanks to his seventh-round loss to Iran's Firouzja Alireza.

The 17-year-old from Chennai, whose father is an ENT surgeon and mother a microbiologist, drew his 14th and final round game against American Hikaru Nakamura to win the prestigious tournament and become the youngest challenger for the world championship title. (PTI)

Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City chasing Rayan Ait-Nouri

The top three clubs in the Premier League, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City will battle for Wolves left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri this summer, according to the Mirror. The 22-year-old Algerian has played 28 Premier League games for Wolves this season and scored two goals and added an assist.

Meanwhile, Wolves are weighing up a number of players if their goalkeeper Jose Sa leaves in the summer. The Sun reports the clubs reported targets include Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale, Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher and Sunderland’s Anthony Patterson. (Stats Perform)

A runner from Ethiopia who reached the 3,000-meter steeplechase final at the Tokyo Olympics, and narrowly missed the world championship podium last year, has been banned for five years after testing positive for two banned substances.

Zerfe Wondemagegn admitted breaking anti-doping rules after samples she gave flagged up traces of testosterone and another substance, EPO, which can help athletes' blood transport more oxygen, the Athletics Integrity Unit said in a ruling published on Monday. (PTI)

Young Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh may be grabbing headlines after his historic win at the Candidates but away from the spotlight lies the stories of sacrifice by his parents, who had to put careers on hold, dig into their savings and also turn to crowd-funding to fuel his dream.

The 17-year-old won the Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto on Monday to become the youngest-ever challenger to the world title, bettering a record created by the legendary Garry Kasparov 40 years ago.

But the journey to the top was a tough one and involved sacrifices not only from him but his parents -- ENT surgeon Dr Rajinikanth and Padma, a microbiologist. (PTI)

Jurgen Klopp is hopeful fortune is on Liverpool’s side for the Premier League run-in after their 3-1 victory at Fulham moved them joint top of the table with Arsenal.

The Reds scored through Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota as they bounced back from Thursday’s Europa League exit to Atalanta and their Anfield defeat to Crystal Palace.

Klopp admitted the title race excites him, citing rivals Manchester City and Arsenal, much like Liverpool, will need luck during an intense period. (Stats Perform)

Rafael Nadal said on Monday that he will play at the Laver Cup in Berlin in September in what may be one of the 22-time Grand Slam champion's last tournaments.

Nadal has signaled 2024 may be his last year on tour and said last week that his second-round loss to Alex de Minaur at the Barcelona Open, which he has won 12 times, was “probably my last match here.”

“At this stage in my career I really want to go out there and make the most of every opportunity I am given," Nadal said in a statement. (AP)

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi has said that the PCB would be open to the idea of playing with India in bilateral series if they send their team to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy next year.

Talking to reporters in Lahore during a function, Naqvi was asked about the recent interview of Indian captain Rohit Sharma, in which he praised the Pakistan cricket team and said it would be "awesome" to play the neighbours from across the border in a Test series overseas.

Indian squash icon Saurav Ghosal announces immediate retirement from professional squash through an emotional Instagram post.

Kolkata-born Ghosal, a trailblazer in Indian squash, remains the only Indian man to reach the world’s top 10. He achieved this career-high ranking in April 2019 and spent six months there.

Since making his PSA debut in 2003, Ghosal has lifted 10 PSA titles, reaching 18 finals, while the 37-year-old won 281 of his 511 matches on the PSA Tour. 

Mumbai Indians won the toss and decided to bat first against Rajasthan Royals in match 38 of the Indian Premier League at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Monday.

This is the 100th match for Hardik Pandya for Mumbai Indians. Talking about the playing combination, Pandya said that Sri Lankan pacer Nuwan Thusara, Punjab batter Nehal Wadhera and veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla were drafted into the side.

Stavya Bhasin, Dhiren Patel and Hemal Jain won a gold each in their respective categories as India returned with 10 medals from the US Open Pickleball Championship. 

Overall, India won three gold, three silver and four bronze medals in the tournament held in Florida from April 14-20. (PTI)

Lucknow Super Giants are planning to bring back pace sensation Mayank Yadav in their next IPL fixture at home against Rajasthan Royals on April 27, bowling coach Morne Morkel revealed here on Monday.

Following a spectacular start to IPL with three-fors against each of Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Mayank was sidelined by "soreness in lower abdominal area" since April 7. (PTI)

Microbiologist Padma Kumari is known for her equanimity in her family but her voice was choked with emotion when she picked up the phone on Monday evening. 

Perhaps the historic triumph of her son D Gukesh, at the Candidates Chess tournament in Toronto, was yet to sink in.

But Monday was different, as her 17-year-old became the youngest ever challenger to the world title, bettering a record created by the legendary Garry Kasparov 40 years ago.

"He will be looking forward to the World Championships; it is one of the biggest tournaments in chess. But we are not looking too far ahead, as we will be celebrating this win now. We need to let this sink in first," Padma told the press. (PTI)

The rain halts the play in Jaipur. The par score for Rajasthan win is 41 runs.

Manchester City returned to the top on Sunday as they thrashed West Ham 5-0 at home, going three points clear of defending champions Chelsea, who have a game in hand – the former have three matches remaining and the latter four.

City also have a goal difference that is superior by three and can make it a six-point gap when they play rock-bottom Bristol City, who look certain to be relegated, next Sunday at Ashton Gate, with Chelsea’s next league game not until they go to Liverpool three days later. (Stats Perform)

India and Rajasthan Royals leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Monday created history by becoming the first bowler ever to complete 200 wickets in the Indian Premier League.

The right-arm spinner achieved the feat during the first innings of the IPL clash between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians here at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, dismissing Afghan batter Mohammad Nabi. (PTI)