Shooter Robiul Islam and coach Sharmin Akter left Dhaka on Monday afternoon for India to take part in the Asian Shooting Championships, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from February 2 to 14, after uncertainty over their participation was finally resolved.

From Mustafizur’s IPL removal to global cricket turmoil: What next?

The spark that lit this wildfire wasn’t a war, a border clash, or even a match. It was the quiet exclusion of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from an Indian Premier League franchise in early January -- a decision that, at the time, felt like just another cricketing call. But that single move slowly snowballed into something far bigger, now culminating in Pakistan’s decision to boycott their T20 World Cup match against India on February 15 in Sri Lanka. What began as a controversial removal has transformed into a full-blown geopolitical and sporting standoff.

‘Insulted’ Benzema seeks to switch Saudi teams

Striker Karim Benzema, who is at odds with his club Al-Ittihad, has entered into negotiations to join rivals Al-Hilal, the Saudi Arabian league leaders, a source told AFP on Monday. “Negotiations are underway between the parties: Al-Hilal would like to sign Benzema for the remaining six months of his contract with Al-Ittihad, but the player’s agent is demanding a one-and-a-half-year contract,” the source told AFP.

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