T20 WC: Majority of players to leave for NY on May 25

New Delhi: The majority of the Indian players along with the jumbo support staff will be flying out to New York on May 25, with the rest leaving for the T20 World Cup only after the May 26 IPL final. “Earlier, departure date for first batch was May 21 but since India is playing only one warm-up game (vs Bangladesh on June 1), the players will get to spend some extra days at home,” a source said.

Barcelona
Under-pressure Xavi says he still has Barca’s trust

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said today that he still retained the club’s trust, despite a steady stream of media reports that Barca president Joan Laporta may be minded to sack him.

“I understand the noise but that changes nothing,” Xavi told reporters after a training session ahead his side’s game against Rayo Vallecano, where the Catalan side is looking to hold on to second place in the La Liga.

Sharjah
Aravindh stays in joint lead in Sharjah Masters chess

Indian GM Aravindh Chithambaram kept himself in joint lead after a draw with Iranian Amin Tabatabaei in the fourth round of Sharjah Masters chess. Chithamabaram took his tally to 3.5 points out of a possible four and shares the lead with local star AR Saleh Salem and Hans Moke Niemann of the US.

IMOLA (Italy)
Verstappen equals Senna’s record eight poles in a row

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen equalled Ayrton Senna’s record of eight successive pole positions when he set the fastest lap in qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola today.

LEVERKUSEN
Leverkusen first Bundesliga team to remain undefeated

Champions Bayer Leverkusen edged past Augsburg 2-1 on the last matchday on Saturday to become the first team in the history of the Bundesliga to complete a full season without a loss. Xabi Alonso’s treble-chasing team also stretched their European record unbeaten run across all competitions this season to 51 matches. Agencies