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Former Leicester striker Smith was stunned by the call to remove manager Ranieri from his position on Thursday, less than a year after their magnificent title success. The Foxes sit just one point clear of the relegation zone with 13 matches to play after being crowned champions at odds of 5,000-1 last season. Desperate Leicester right to sack Ranieri “I’m flabbergasted,” Smith said to Sky Sports. “We have seen some surprising decisions over the last 10 years but this one tops the lot given his - and the players’ - amazing achievements last season....

Karnataka defeated Maharashtra by 7 wickets to register their first outright victory of the season. The defending Champions Vidarbha registered their first outright victory beating Chhattisgarh by 10 wickets. Hyderabad also registered their first outright win over Himachal Pradesh beating them by 10 wickets. Earlier in Plate Group, Meghalaya defeated Manipur, Uttarakhand cruised to their foruth successive win over Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar won their first match in Ranji Trophy beating Sikkim....

India too has its task cut out ahead of the mega tournament. With just a handful of ODI games left for the team to screen its players, the selectors would be keen on getting their bets right in the build-up to the World Cup. Most likely to enter the World Cup as one of the favourites, India seems to have covered most of its bases. Be it a super-strong top order, an experienced middle-order, a prowling pace attack or even an artful spin department, the team seems to be ticking all the right essentials....

The operators are one of the things that make Rainbow Six Siege, which recently came to Xbox Game Pass, truly special. The playable characters in the game all have their own unique set of abilities and characteristics that teams can use to fight towards victory. The newest operator is Aruni, and she is a Defender. RELATED: Rainbow Six Siege To Reveal Tachanka Rework This Week The quick 21-second video shows a laser wall being implemented underneath a doorway....

Rondo says not so fast. Rondo says it could be late January or even late February before he is ready to return from his knee injury. “It might be the end of January, late February,” Rondo told the Boston Herald after the Celtics’ 106-79 loss to the Indiana Sunday. “I’m going to come back when I get my stamina.” MORE: NBA may dump draft lottery | Curry-Barnes bet | Barnes ejected...

The LaLiga leaders visit Stamford Bridge for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday. Hazard, who has scored six goals in his past six games, shapes as being a major threat to Barca. But while Rakitic is aware of the Belgium international’s talent, he said his team could not afford to simply focus on Hazard. “For me, he is [world class],” the Croatian told a news conference....

Messi, 30, has played every match for Barca this season apart from the first three rounds of the Copa del Rey, scoring 27 goals in the process. Head coach Ernesto Valverde has sought to give Messi some rest at key times this season, notably leaving him out of the starting line-up for Champions League group games with Juventus and Sporting CP and the LaLiga derby with Espanyol. The Argentina international insisted last month he has no objection to Valverde’s rotation policy, and Rakitic believes his team-mate looks as sharp as ever, even if he tends to avoid the weights room....

Busquets was on the end of a poor challenge from Gonzalo Escalante and left the field on a stretcher after 10 minutes, with Barca later confirming the Spain international had suffered a sprained external lateral ligament in his right ankle on Sunday. It left Rakitic to fulfil much of Busquets’ usual organisational responsibility in the visitors’ midfield – something he did to fine effect as substitute Denis Suarez got his first goal for Barcelona before the break and the more familiar protagonists Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar got in on the act during the second half....

Ramos hit a three-run homer, five Tampa Bay pitchers combined on a five-hitter and the Rays beat the Detroit Tigers 5-2 Tuesday night. The Rays (47-44) moved three games above .500 for the first time since Aug. 6 last year after posting their 13th win in the last 14 home games. “I’m very excited for me and my team,” Ramos said. “I like to have fun.” Tampa Bay lost its bid for a third shutout in four games when the Tigers scored twice in the ninth....

Ramos dispatched the winning penalty as Madrid claimed the Supercopa de Espana at the expense of rivals Atletico Madrid last weekend. But the 33-year-old defender suffered a sprained ankle during the game and was expected to spend a spell on the sidelines until he emerged for training at Valdebebas on Friday. “We know the character that Sergio has,” Zidane told a pre-match news conference. “He always wants to play. He’s done everything possible this week to be available and to be ready....

According to Sports Business Daily, the 49ers will play the Rams in a 2018 regular-season game in China, with the game most likely serving as the Rams’ home opener. MORE: NFL’s foreign-born players NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy would not confirm the report, telling Sports Business Daily: “We have not announced the Rams’ opponent in the event we play a game there. We have said we are exploring playing a game there but nothing is definitive....

The Rams went to the Super Bowl last season and started the new NFL campaign 3-0, but they were upset by the Buccaneers in a high-scoring clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum. Although it was a rare setback for Los Angeles, coach McVay was not looking to evade criticism and accepted responsibility for the loss. “I’m not going to sit up here and continue to make excuses for why I’m not doing a good enough job,” he told a news conference....

How would the “arthritic component” in his left knee affect his play? Was the player regarded as arguably the best running back in the NFL just two years ago destined to share time in the Rams’ backfield? And could fantasy football owners put their faith in Gurley without getting burned? One week into the season, it’s still too early to pass definitive judgment on those questions, but Gurley’s performance and usage in the season-opening win against the Panthers, along with coach Sean McVay’s comments this week, shed some light on the situation....

The Wales international scored a hat-trick in the 5-1 Premier League thrashing of Everton at the start of the month but was forced to miss the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham due to a groin problem. Ramsey did not travel with the squad for the first leg of the Europa League last-32 tie with Ostersunds this week and Wenger also expects him to miss the return leg at Emirates Stadium....

The hosts were forced to come from behind at Emirates Stadium after Marko Arnautovic arrowed a fine 25th-minute opener into the bottom-left corner. Nacho Monreal found a swift response and West Ham felt Arnautovic’s absence after injury robbed them of the striker with an hour played. Debutant Issa Diop put through his own goal, but Ramsey and his team-mates could only rest easily when substitute Danny Welbeck found an assured finish deep into stoppage time....

Bokaro Blasters will hope to repeat their previous performance where they successfully chased down 129 against Jamshedpur Jugglers. On the other hand, Ranchi Raiders are off to a slow start in the league and have won a solitary game after three fixtures. Thus, they would be hoping to turn things around against Bokaro Blasters. And, with the league stages entering its home stretch, one reckons that the Raiders might pull off all the stops to establish a foothold in the competition, thereby setting the stage for a cracking contest against Bokaro Blasters....

During the “Monday Night Countdown” pregame show, host Suzy Kolber led a conversation about the 6-6 Sunday night tie with former quarterbacks Steve Young, Matt Hasselbeck and Trent Dilfer, former defensive back Charles Woodson and former wide receiver Randy Moss. Because Seattle’s Stephen Hauschka shanked a 28-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds remaining in overtime, about three minutes after Arizona’s Chandler Catanzaro hit the upright on his potential game-winning attempt from 24 yards, Kolber suggested the former players attempt a 26-yard field goal....

The Rangers activated Beltre from the 10-day disabled list ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers after he missed two weeks with a left hamstring strain but the four-time MLB All-Star re-aggravated the injury against the Houston Astros on Sunday. Beltre exited in the seventh inning in Houston – where the Rangers lost 6-1 to the World Series champions – after recording his third error in five games since being activated....