Getty ImagesMike PeterBBC Sport Journalist3 May 202518 CommentsIndian Premier League, BengaluruRoyal Challengers Bengaluru 213-5 (20 overs): Kohli 62 (33), Bethell 55 (33), Shepherd 53 (14); Pathirana 3-36Chennai Super Kings 211-5 (20 overs): Ayush 94 (48), Jadeja 77* (45); Ngidi 3-30Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by two runsScorecard; TableRomario Shepherd hit the second-fastest half-century in Indian Premier League history as Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Chennai Super Kings by just two runs to go top of the table.The West Indian batter was on one at the end of the 18th over, but finished with a superb 53 not out from 14 balls as RCB surged to 213-5.But bottom side Chennai almost pulled off a remarkable chase, as Ayush Mhatre (94) and Ravindra Jadeja (77 not out) put on 114 for the third wicket.Lungi Ngidi removed Ayush and Dewald Brevis with successive deliveries to leave the visitors 172-4, but Jadeja was joined by fellow veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the pair dug in to leave their side needing 15 from the final over.Yash Dayal conceded two singles and then removed Dhoni lbw for 12, but his next delivery was a waist-high no-ball that Shivam Dube smashed for six.But with only six from three balls required, Dayal recovered, his remaining deliveries going for a single each to secure a win that took RCB two points clear at the top of the IPL standings.The competition’s new leaders had got off to a strong start having been put into bat, with Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli (62) putting on an opening stand of 97.England batter Bethell hit his maiden IPL half-century, becoming the third-youngest player to pass the landmark at 21 and 192 days.He was caught by Brevis off Matheesha Pathirana for 55 just short of the halfway mark, with Chennai then putting on a strong bowling display that stalled their opponents’ innings.Having been 97-1, RCB found themselves 159-5 with 12 balls to go, but Shepherd was to step up in spectacular style.He blazed four fours and six sixes, with Khaleel Ahmed’s penultimate over going for 33 and Pathirana’s last six deliveries costing 21.Ayush, 17, almost stole the limelight, hitting 14 boundaries before he was caught in the deep by Krunal Pandya trying to reach a first IPL century with a six.Ngidi finished with figures of 3-30 after trapping Brevis lbw and having dismissed Sam Curran earlier in the innings, but Dayal took the bowling plaudits as he closed out the victory with some steely death bowling.The win sees RCB move up two places to first in the IPL table, rising above Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans, while Chennai, who are out of contention for the end of season play-offs, remain bottom with two wins from eleven games.Related topicsFranchise CricketCricket

7 hours agoChelsea’s Christopher Nkunku wants to leave the club, Aston Villa may struggle to sign Marcus Rashford if they do not qualify for Champions League football and Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen has interest from multiple clubs.France forward Christopher Nkunku, 27, has decided to leave Chelsea this summer. (Sky Sports Germany)Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko, 28, may leave Arsenal this summer with interest coming from Borussia Dortmund. (Football Insider)American midfielder Weston McKennie, 26, has reached a verbal agreement with Juventus to stay at the club until 2028. (Fabrizio Romano)Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are among a number of clubs interested in signing 20-year-old Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen. (CaughtOffside)Aston Villa will struggle to sign England forward Marcus Rashford, 27, on a permanent deal from Manchester United if they do not qualify for the Champions League. (Football Insider)Scouts from Aston Villa were in the crowd to watch Spain and Porto forward Samu Aghehowa, 20, amid interest in signing him this summer. (Record via Sports Witness)Everton are contemplating a deal to bring former striker Richarlison, 27, back to the club, with Tottenham Hotspur reportedly willing to accept a fee in the region of £40m. (GiveMeSport)Real Madrid are considering a summer move for Real Sociedad right-back Jon Aramburu, 22. (Fichajes – in Spanish)Leeds United have added AZ forward Troy Parrott, 23, to their striker shortlist following their promotion to the Premier League. (TeamTalk)Fiorentina are close to extending the contract of 20-year-old defender Pietro Comuzzo amid interest from Serie A rivals Napoli. (Tuttomercato – in Italian) Liverpool could make an extraordinary move for Real Madrid forward Rodrygo, 24, with the Brazilian open to a move away from Spain. (GiveMeSport)Ajax are willing to sell Netherlands defender Jorrel Hato, with the 19-year-old garnering interest from clubs like Chelsea. (Kick-off podcast)Related topicsFootball

Leicester striker Jamie Vardy tells Match of the Day host Gary Lineker what his time at the club has meant to him after he scored his 199th goal for the Foxes.Vardy, who will end his 13-year stay with Leicester when his contract expires in the summer, has three games left this season to reach the 200-goal milestone.REPORT: Leicester 2-0 SouthamptonAvailable to UK users only.

This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.Emily SalleyBBC Sport journalist9 hours agoPremier League champion, FA Cup winner, Leicester City legend – and now, very fleetingly, playing the role of referee.When ref David Webb sank to the floor after being accidentally shoulder barged by Jordan Ayew in Leicester’s 2-0 victory over Southampton at King Power Stadium, Jamie Vardy stepped in.As Webb clutched his face on the ground, he took the opportunity to halt a Saints attack by blowing the stricken official’s whistle.”I saw Southampton breaking down the left and with the ref down I thought I’ll blow his whistle to stop the game,” Vardy said with a smile to BBC Match of the Day.Although Webb was unable to continue – replaced by fourth official Sam Barrott – he was able to walk off the pitch unaided.Vardy, 38, was clearly in high spirits, having scored Leicester’s opener moments earlier with a crisp finish in the 17th minute.That was his 199th goal for Leicester – the club he is leaving after 13 years when his contract expires in the summer.The striker has three more games left this season to reach the 200-goal mark, make his 500th appearance for the club and cement his status as one of Leicester’s greats.”It’s been everything,” Vardy said when asked what Leicester meant to him.”It’s been mine and my family’s life for 13 years. We’ve been taken in by the fans and the whole city, and it has meant every single thing to me personally.”When it’s been your life for that long and you see the camaraderie with the fans and my team-mates for the last 13 years, it’s been unbelievable.”PA Media’Leicester will make last few games about Vardy’Not only did Vardy’s finish take him closer to that 200-goal milestone, but it ended a nine-game club goalscoring drought at home.”If there was one player to break this cycle, it had to be Jamie,” Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy said.”Goal number 199. Very important for him and the team to get us in front.”Ex-England international Vardy, who announced he would leave the club last week, said he “couldn’t tell” what his future has in store.”I am enjoying my football and I need a nice break to mentally, especially, and physically fully refresh and then we’ll see where that goes,” said Vardy, who has played 498 times for Leicester.”There’s still a few more games where hopefully there can be a few more numbers added.”It has been a disappointing final season for Vardy at Leicester, with just five wins in 35 games, while their relegation back to the Championship was confirmed on 20 April.Leicester defender Conor Coady said the Foxes would make the remaining three games of the season all about Vardy, who he said was a “pleasure to call a team-mate”.”The next few games are about him, I’m not going to beat around the bush,” Coady said. “He’s Leicester’s best ever player so we need to make sure the last couple of games are about him.”Related topicsLeicester CityPremier LeagueFootball

Getty ImagesFfion WynneBBC Sport journalist10 minutes agoAryna Sabalenka overcame a spirited fightback from Coco Gauff to claim her third Madrid Open title with a thrilling 6-3 7-6 (7-3) win. World number one Sabalenka dominated the opening set but squandered a championship point in a fluctuating second set as Gauff forced a tie-break. There was still little to separate them as Gauff recovered from 3-0 to make it 3-3 but a double fault gave 26-year-old Sabalenka the victory. Both came into the final confidently, with Belarusian Sabalenka as the world’s best and Gauff coming off the back of her stunning semi-final win over Iga Swiatek.Sabalenka made a flying start, which included 17 points won in a row, but Gauff’s brave recovery saw her take a 5-3 lead in the second set.The 21-year-old American then saved six break points to thwart Sabalenka’s comeback after she had made it 5-5. But Sabalenka held her nerve under pressure in her sixth final of 2025 so far, adding the Madrid title to her wins in Brisbane and Miami.Her previous wins in Madrid came in 2021 and 2023 and she was runner-up to Swiatek in 2024. She ties with Czech player Petra Kvitova (2011, 2015, 2018) for the most wins in the tournament. “Congratulations to Coco. I am so happy to see you back playing your best tennis,” Sabalenka said.”You are such a fighter and I love playing against you.”With my team, we have been through a lot together so thank you to them.”Gauff said to Sabalenka: “I think it’s four straight finals for you… Congratulations to you for all the success you are having.”She added: “This has been a step in the right direction for me. It is one of my favourite cities and tournaments to come to, and hopefully we can go on and win more from here.”Related topicsTennis

Getty ImagesAndrew BensonF1 Correspondent in Miami3 May 2025, 18:14 BST290 CommentsUpdated 4 minutes agoMiami Grand PrixVenue: Miami International Autodrome Dates: 2-4 May Race start: 21:00 BST on SundayCoverage: Live commentary of qualifying online; race on BBC Radio 5 Live from 20:00 BST and live text updates on BBC Sport website and appLando Norris beat McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to win a chaotic wet-dry Miami Grand Prix sprint race with help from the safety car.Piastri led from lap one after passing pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes at the first corner of the race but the safety car cost the Australian the race win.The championship leader pitted one lap before Norris as the track dried out but the safety car was sent out while Norris was pitting for his slick tyres.That slows the cars on track and gave Norris enough time to rejoin in the lead.The safety car was caused by a crash between Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin and Liam Lawson’s Racing Bull at Turn Two but that was not the only drama in the race.Max Verstappen finished fourth on the road behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who benefited from an early pit stop for dry-weather slick tyres, but was penalised 10 seconds for an unsafe release from his pit stop, which caused him to collide with Antonelli.Verstappen, whose front wing was damaged in the collision, was demoted to 17th and last by the penalty.The incident was a major blow to Antonelli’s hopes of a good result. It prevented him making his pit stop and he had to rejoin the track and do another lap before pitting again. Antonelli ended up finishing out of the points in 10th.The race started on a wet track, after a 28-minute delay because of the poor conditions.Piastri made a better launch than Antonelli, and was alongside the Mercedes on the approach to the first corner, the position already won.Antonelli claimed Piastri had pushed him off, but in fact ran wide off track on his own as Piastri assumed the lead ahead of Norris, Verstappen, and the rejoining Mercedes.Piastri pulled out a four-second lead in the the first few laps but as the track dried Norris began to come back at him and the McLarens were running nose to tail when Piastri pitted for slick tyres on lap 13 of 18.He was gaining on Norris and set to resume the lead until the accident between Alonso and Lawson, which will be investigated by stewards after the race.Briton Norris resumed with a two-second lead and, as the race finished under the safety car, the win was secured.It was almost carbon-copy of Norris’ maiden win in the grand prix here last year, when a safety car vaulted him into the lead ahead of Verstappen.”My luck in Miami seems pretty good at the minute,” Norris said, “but the pace was already pretty good. You never know when to pit, go early or late and wait for safety car. It has worked two years in a row. I would probably prefer it happened tomorrow (in the grand prix) rather than today but I’m happy.”The win narrows the gap between him and Piastri in the drivers’ championship by a single point to nine.EPAPiastri said: “I feel like I did pretty everything right, so a bit disappointed to come out in second but that’s how it goes sometimes. Racing is a tough business. Had to get my elbows out at the first corner, happy with what I did.”Hamilton had struggled for pace on the wet tyres but he pitted for his slicks on lap 11, making the decision himself, and it vaulted him up the order from sixth in the opening laps to third at the end, passing the damaged Red Bull of Verstappen on track.”I’m so happy with that,” he said. “It’s been a tough year so far but I never thought it would rain in Miami, it’s the first time we’ve all been on track in the wet here and what a race it provided us.”I made that call in the end. Because I was going nowhere.”The madcap events of the pit-stop period, safety car and Verstappen’s penalty helped Williams’ Alex Albon, seventh in the early laps, vault to fourth in the results, ahead of George Russell’s Mercedes.The final points were taken by Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, Lawson and Haas’ Oliver Bearman, who drove an excellent race to take the final point from 19th on the grid. The drama began before the start when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc hit the wall in the wet conditions on the way to the grid, damaging the car and forcing him out of the race.At the official race start time, the cars completed two laps behind the safety car to judge the conditions, before it was decided that visibility was too poor to continue.The near half-hour break allowed the track to dry sufficiently for it to become raceable. It was the first time in this race’s four-year history that rain had affected the running.Getty ImagesRelated topicsFormula 1

Ruud van Nistelrooy praises his Leicester City side after scoring at home for the first time since December 8th in a 2-0 win over struggling Southampton, he says “it’s good to finish the season with positivity.”MATCH REPORT: Vardy takes goal tally to 199 in win over SouthamptonAvailable to UK users only.

Getty ImagesMike PeterBBC Sport journalist53 minutes agoZimbabwe have recalled all-rounder Sikandar Raza for their one-off Test with England.The 39-year-old missed his country’s last two-Test series, in which they drew 1-1 with Bangladesh and lost a single match to Ireland, because of franchise cricket commitments.He now returns for Zimbabwe’s first red-ball match in England since 2003, with the four-day game taking place at Trent Bridge from 22-25 May.Raza, who is third in the ICC’s one-day international rankings for all-rounders and seventh in T20s, has been playing in the Pakistan Super League for Lahore Qalanders.He replaces Johnathan Campbell from the 15-man party that toured Bangladesh, while seamer Newman Nyamhuri comes in for leg-spinner Vincent Masekesa and Clive Madande returns from injury to take the place of Nyasha Mayavo as back-up wicketkeeper.The squad will also take on South Africa at Arundel from 3-6 June, with their opponents preparing for their World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s later in the month.England have named uncapped Essex seamer Sam Cook in their squad for the encounter in Nottingham.Zimbabwe last toured England for Tests in 2003, losing at Lord’s and Chester-le-Street.Zimbabwe squad: Craig Ervine (captain), Brian Bennett, Ben Curran, Trevor Gwandu, Clive Madande, Wessly Madhevere, Wellington Masakadza, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Victor Nyauchi, Sikandar Raza, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Nicholas Welch, Sean WilliamsRelated topicsEngland Men’s Cricket TeamZimbabweCricket