Dolphins players Kodi Nikorima and Mark Nicholls have withdrawn from their upcoming NRL clash against South Sydney as Tropical Cyclone Alfred approaches the southern Queensland coast.

Kenny Bromwich, originally named as the 18th man, has also pulled out of Friday night’s match in Sydney. Sean O’Sullivan replaces Nikorima in the lineup, while prop Josh Kerr takes Nicholls’ spot on the bench.

Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram delivered a commanding performance to break through the defenses of the usually solid Anish Giri, securing a crucial victory and taking sole lead after seven rounds at the ongoing Prague Masters chess tournament.

Meanwhile, R Praggnanandhaa settled for a draw against China’s Wei Yi, the pre-event rating favorite. With this win, Aravindh now sits atop the standings with five points out of a possible seven, holding a half-point lead over Praggnanandhaa, who remains in contention.

Celtic and Rangers will see their ticket allocations reduced for their next Scottish League Cup match at Hampden as punishment for pyrotechnics set off by fans during the past four games of the competition.

Both clubs, along with Motherwell, were charged by the SPFL after flares disrupted the semi-finals at the national stadium. The issue persisted in the December final between Celtic and Rangers, prompting further action.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar received a special gift from UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy during his official visit to the United Kingdom, a Tottenham Hotspur No. 1 jersey with his name on it.

Lammy, who represents north London’s Tottenham in Parliament, presented the jersey while hosting Jaishankar at the historic Chevening House, a key venue for diplomatic engagements.

Welcoming Jaishankar as his first official guest at Chevening, Lammy underscored the significance of 2025 in elevating UK-India relations to new heights.

FIFA has announced a total prize fund of USD 1 billion for the 32 teams competing in the men’s Club World Cup in the United States, confirming the long-anticipated details just over three months before the tournament kicks off in Miami.

The announcement follows a delayed broadcast deal with streaming service DAZN, backed by Saudi Arabian investment. European clubs, including Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain, had pushed for assurances that they would receive substantial financial rewards from the month-long competition.

However, FIFA has yet to disclose the prize money distribution.

Lyon manager Paulo Fonseca has been suspended from matchday duties until 30 November after angrily confronting referee Benoit Millot during his side’s 2-1 win over Brest on 2 March.

The 52-year-old was sent off and aggressively approached the official, leading the French Professional Football League to impose a lengthy sanction. Fonseca is barred from the bench, officials’ dressing rooms, and any official duties before, during, or after matches for nearly nine months.

Emma Raducanu will begin a trial period with Slovakian coach Vladimir Platenik as she prepares for her first-round match at Indian Wells on Thursday.

The 49-year-old previously coached Lulu Sun, who defeated Raducanu in the fourth round of Wimbledon last year, and has an extensive coaching background, having worked with Dominika Cibulkova during her run to the 2009 French Open semi-finals, as well as Russians Daria Kasatkina and Veronika Kudermetova.

The Football Associations of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have announced their intention to launch a joint bid to host the 2035 Women’s World Cup. The move comes after FIFA recommended that the tournament be staged in Europe or Africa that year.

Bidding for both the 2031 and 2035 editions will open in the final quarter of 2025.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was ousted in the first round at Indian Wells on Wednesday by France’s 70th-ranked Varvara Gracheva. Kvitova lost 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to her French opponent.

AUS captain Steve Smith has played down the narrative surrounding Team India playing all their games in Dubai.

“I’m not buying into it (India’s familiarity with pitch and condition). India obviously played some really good cricket here. The surface kind of suits their style with the spinners that they’ve got,” Smith said during the post-match press conference on Tuesday night. “And they have the seamers at their disposal for a wicket like that. They played well, they outplayed us and they deserve the victory.”

Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd has blasted the media speculation that Kyrie Irving’s heavy workload over the last month led to the nine-time All-Star’s season-ending knee injury.

Another splendid night in the first leg Round of 16 ties in the UEFA Champions League. PSG suffered a heartbreaking 0-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool despite a host of chances. Elsewhere in Portugal, Benfica could not stop 10-man FC Barcelona as the visitors snatched a vital 1-0 win. Harry Kane inspired-Bayern Munich thumped 10-man of Bayer Leverkusen. And in the earlier fixture, Inter Milan came away with a 0-2 win at Feyenoord.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of everything sports. March 6, Thursday brings another set of exciting action our way. Stay tuned for live updates.