Chelsea must add a new dimension to their brand of football if the champions are to mount a strong defense of the Premier League title they won in some comfort last season, said manager Jose Mourinho.
Out-of-favour India batsman Virender Sehwag and Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan will lead two MCC sides in a series of matches in the Middle East to help launch the new county season.
Manchester United are satisfied with their transfer business and under no pressure to sign a fourth player in the current window, manager Jose Mourinho said.
As Manchester United prepare to embark on a new era following Louis van Gaal;s departure, Bikash Mohapatra/Rediff.com offers a diagnosis of what went wrong with the most successful Premier League club after Sir Alex Ferguson called it a day.
As the black-tinted sports cars carrying Manchester United's millionaire footballers rolled into the club's Carrington complex for the start of pre-season training on Wednesday, no one wound down any windows to discuss the start of life under Jose Mourinho. But there was surely only one topic of conversation when the players began the hard task of proving to the new manager on the pitch that they can forge the sort of future he outlined so eloquently at his news conference the previous day.
Jose Mourinho has dropped a heavy hint that Paul Pogba's protracted transfer from Juventus to Manchester United is close to completion.
As we prepare to cruise into the New Year, Rediff.com gives you a glance back, through photos, into all the sporting moments that made the last 12 months memorable.
Former India captain and CAB president, Sourav Ganguly, is working overtime to get everything in order at Eden Gardens, which is set to host the country's first pink-ball multi-day cricket match under lights. With drone flying over him under the dazzling Eden floodlights, the iconic lefthander was seen shooting promotional with the pink Kookaburra. "Eden Gardens will hold the first day-night (four-day) match in India. It has given us many moments to celebrate, now it's getting ready to host yet another moment to remember," Ganguly said in the promotional. Later talking to media, Ganguly, who is also the BCCI technical committee chairman, said, "Pink ball is the future... This will be the ultimate form of Test cricket. What will be the use of doing something which will have little interest left."
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday.
All-rounder Marcus Stoinis was called up for Australia's two remaining Tests in India on the strength of his bowling and previous performances in the region, interim chief selector Trevor Hohns said on Thursday.
Former Australia batsman Mike Hussey feels Adam Zampa's approach to bowling reminds him of the great Anil Kumble, even as the young leg-spinner made a strong case for his selection for the upcoming Test tour of India with some impressive performance in the sub-continent last year.
The Libertadores Cup derby between Boca Juniors and River Plate was called off at halftime on Thursday after River players were sprayed with an irritant by a fan of their bitter rivals.
Six months after Afghanistan qualified for its maiden appearance in the Cricket World Cup, its success story continues to make waves and the strife-torn country has now entered into the main ODI rankings table for the first time.
Delhi's young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant batted himself into the record books as he struck the fastest ever hundred by an Indian in a first-class game by hitting a 48-ball ton against Jharkhand in a Ranji Trophy encounter in Thumba, Kerala, on Tuesday.
Gilchrist made the comments after the IPL governing council proposed to have a dedicated "no-ball" umpire to reduce the number of howlers in the lucrative league.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has criticised opposition's ongoing agitation to thwart the January 5 polls and warned that Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Khaleda Zia would be held responsible for the deaths and violence.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
After Sunday's 1-3 loss to Manchester City the calls for Jose Mourinho's ouster are only going to get louder.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The Premier League season is only a week old and the problems are already piling up for misfiring champions Chelsea after a 3-0 thrashing at Manchester City on Sunday.
Vijay Patil, has appealed to incumbent MCA and NCP chief Sharad Pawar to withdraw from the contest.
Australian Trevor Bayliss has been appointed head coach of England's national team, according to a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board on Tuesday.
'The problem with Petr is that an opponent is better than before'
'A player need to have T20 skills otherwise he is not going to survive.'
'No matter how much runs you score in the Ranji Trophy or Duleep Trophy or Irani Trophy, if you don't have T20 skills in batting or bowling you are not going to go too far.'
Former India footballer and hero of the 1956 Olympic team, Syed Abdus Salam is bed-ridden and facing a financial crisis.
Morocco and Iran's hopes of making a mark at the World Cup before a ball has been kicked, and they head into their opening match in St Petersburg on Friday knowing defeat could likely mean an early exit.
Australia pace bowler Kane Richardson is to return home for further examination on a back injury and has been replaced by Joel Paris in the squad for their final one-day match against New Zealand in Hamilton on Monday. Richardson, 24, did not play in Australia's four-wicket victory in the second match in Wellington on Saturday. "Kane Richardson's back pain hasn't subsided sufficiently to take part in the final ODI in Hamilton," a Cricket Australia spokesperson told Australian reporters in Wellington on Sunday.
Defending champions ATK Kolkata scored their maiden victory in this year's Indian Super League when they got the better of Mumbai City FC 1-0 in Mumbai on Sunday.
Chelsea wrapped up their pre-season tour of the United States on a high note by beating Barcelona in a shootout after their International Champions Cup match ended 2-2 on Tuesday.
Hockey India president Narinder Batra, however, strongly refuted the allegations, saying Gill's charges were 'baseless'.
Several politicians from West Bengal are under scrutiny for sheltering Jammat-e-Islami and Chaatra Shibir operatives, says a Intelligence Bureau note to the Home Ministry. Vicky Nanjappa reports
George Bailey stepped down as Australia's Twenty20 captain on Sunday, saying that he wants to focus on his Test career.
Chelsea begin their Premier League title defence against Swansea City on Saturday in the unusual position of heading into a new season having been significantly outspent by their rivals.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
He does not fit the bill for a prototype Mourinho midfielder. He lacks defensive attributes because he has no pace, is weak in the air, cannot tackle and is heavily reliant on his left foot.
Rediff.com brings you the second instalment of the Best Sports Photos of the Year!
'I think it's unacceptable what he does to Koscielny. He pushes him down, he hits him in the face. I do not understand Mike Dean's decision at all. Why does Diego Costa stay on the pitch and Gabriel is sent off?' 'If you want to speak about Diego Costa with me, it's just to say he played like he has to play and that's why you have full stadiums, you sell to television around the world for millions and millions because the game has to be played like that'
The destination of the Premier League trophy will not be decided when current champions Chelsea meet their immediate predecessors Manchester City.
Lewis Hamilton looked forward to more success with Mercedes after collecting his fifth Formula One world champion's trophy at the governing FIA's gala awards on Friday.
Jose Mourinho's side had paid lavish sums to bolster key areas by this time last year but, having claimed the title at a canter, the motto of this transfer window seems to be: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
