The tournament, which has been shifted to the UAE due to five million plus COVID cases in India, is a 'TV-only event', expected to be lapped up by all and sundry who crave for cricket and Bollywood in equal measure during prime time.
Manchester City struck an early blow for the forthcoming Premier League campaign as they beat Liverpool on penalties to win the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday after an absorbing contest had finished 1-1.
The threat of West Indies being forced to field a second string side at the World Twenty20 was averted on Sunday when 12 of 13 players in the original squad signed the contracts which had caused a standoff with the board.
England wrapped up a comprehensive 232-run victory over West Indies in the third Test in St Lucia on Tuesday after home batsman Roston Chase made a century but got little help.
Mark Wood picked up his first five-wicket haul to bowl England into a commanding position on the second day of the third test against West Indies on Sunday.
Luis Suarez grabbed a hat-trick and Lionel Messi bagged two goals as Barcelona began their quest for a third straight La Liga title with a 6-2 rout of Real Betis on Saturday. Arda Turan, whose two goals against Sevilla helped Barca lift the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday, gave them an early lead at the Nou Camp before Ruben Castro equalised in the 21st minute. Barca went back in front thanks to a trademark 37th-minute goal from Messi before Suarez, La Liga's top scorer last season, made it 3-1 before halftime.
The two sides experienced contrasting fortunes in their respective tournament opener.
Mumbai Indians have signed on Dwayne Bravo, while former England batsman Mark Ramprakash rejected an offer to join in lucrative IPL.
Mumbai Indians were crowned champions of IPL season 6 when they beat Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs. Following are the statistical highlights from the match played between in Kolkata on Sunday.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between West Indies and India, in Jamaica, on Saturday.
Two goals from Arda Turan and one from Lionel Messi gave Barcelona a 3-0 win over Sevilla in the Spanish Super Cup second leg on Wednesday to seal a 5-0 aggregate victory.
Pep Guardiola has criticised the weight of the match ball used in the League Cup after his team failed to score in their fourth round match against Wolverhampton Wanderers and won 4-1 on penalties.
Chennai Super Kings are virtually through to the Indian Premier League play-offs after a comprehensive six-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore
A batsman of Russell's calibre may just prove to be the difference between the two sides.
Usain Bolt celebrated West Indies's World T20 win by recording DJ Bravo's famous 'The Champion' song, but it seems that he also mocked Chris Gayle in it.
The Indian Premier League is not only one of the world's most lucrative annual sporting properties but also among the most durable, with not even the lengthening shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic apparently able to stop the Twenty20 juggernaut.
'Shriya and I are good friends. There is nothing more to it. All the actresses are so beautiful. I like all of them. If I have to pick, it would be Jacqueline Fernandez because I have met her a few times on Jhalak. I am comfortable around her.' Dwayne Bravo gets candid.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2021's 50 Most Valuable Players.
It will be an uphill task for the defending champs given their opponents' form and formidable line-up.
Pakistan's Sohail to return home after injury ends England tour
It will interesting to see how the pitch behaves on Sunday.
His team might have registered a crushing 54-run win over Dolphins in Bangalore but Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni indicated that it would need to improve its bowling to win the Champions League Twenty20.
West Indies are reeling at 90 for the loss of three wickets at lunch on day 3, as India extended their advantage in the first Test at Antigua on Saturday. Pacer Mohammed Shami bagged his second wicket of the innings after dismissing Darren Bravo (11) at the stroke of lunch.
KKR posted a competitive 167, courtesy of Rahul Tripathi's brilliant 81 from 51 balls.
CSK has been a part of 10 out of 12 seasons of IPL and have never finished lower than semi-finals or play-offs.
Images from the T20 World Cup match between West Indies and Bangladesh, in Sharjah, on Friday.
West Indies' top players will make themselves available for the summer tour to Australia, despite their ongoing dispute with cricket administrators, local media quoted all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as saying.
India, without captain Virat Kohli and veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni, won't have it easy against T20 World champions West Indies, who are bolstered by the arrival of star players Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell.
'The last time we played each other, they won, so they're no slouches certainly'
The team that the great Brian Lara once played for will be the Caribbean's sole representation in the Champions League. The Bravo brothers -- Dwayne and Darren -- the best talents to come out of the West Indies for a while will no doubt be the star attractions.
Images from Copa America matches played on Monday.
Pep Guardiola claimed his maiden English silverware as his side thrashed Arsenal 3-0 in the League Cup final with Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva all on target in a disappointingly one-sided showpiece on Sunday.
India's young, rising stars Ruturaj Gaikwad, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan come up with world-class performances.
# Chennai Super Kings' exciting four-wicket victory is their sixth in eight matches in the Champions League Twenty20 with a success percentage of 81.25 (Lost 1 and Tied 1).
Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings head into the match after identical seven-wicket wins over Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.
One of the reasons Yuvraj retired was that he wanted to play in leagues around the world and have "some fun". At the moment, the BCCI doesn't allow an active cricketer to take part in a foreign league.
South Africa opener Dean Elgar was on Monday ruled out of the third Test against India as he suffered concussion after being hit by a bouncer from pacer Umesh Yadav.
Recently, the charismatic Kohli posted a selfie with Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sakshi's daughter, Ziva.
The home team's bowlers will be wary of Chris Gayle's power-hitting.
Marlon Samuels rode his luck to score a maiden double century as West Indies seized control of the second Test against Bangladesh in Khulna on Friday. Shivnarine Chanderpaul was unbeaten on 109 as the visitors reached 564 for four wickets at the close of the third day, a lead of 177 runs.
