A total of 292 players are set to go under the hammer at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 auction, to be held on Thursday (February 18) in Chennai. While all the eight franchises will look to bolster their respective squads, players can expect a good payday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Among all the eight franchises ahead of IPL 2021 auction, Kings XI Punjab – now Punjab Kings – have the highest purse remaining at a massive INR 53.20 crore, closely followed by Rajasthan Royals, who have INR 37.85 crore&nbsp;at their helm. Fans can expect both Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals to spend heavy and sign some big-name players.&nbsp;

Ahead of the IPL 2021 auction, let us take a look at the remaining purse of all the eight franchises and number of slots they need to fill. Here's all you need to know about IPL 2021 auction.

<table border="4" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="336pt">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td colspan="7" height="20" width="448">IPL 2021/ Squad Size/Salary Cap/Available Slots</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td height="78">Franchise</td>
			<td>No of Players</td>
			<td width="64">No of Overseas Players</td>
			<td width="64">Total&nbsp; money spent (Rs.)</td>
			<td width="64">Salary cap available (Rs.)</td>
			<td>Available Slots</td>
			<td>Overseas Slots</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td height="20">CSK</td>
			<td>19</td>
			<td>7</td>
			<td>65.1</td>
			<td>19.9</td>
			<td>6</td>
			<td>1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td height="20">DC</td>
			<td>17</td>
			<td>5</td>
			<td>71.6</td>
			<td>13.4</td>
			<td>8</td>
			<td>3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td height="20">KXIP</td>
			<td>16</td>
			<td>3</td>
			<td>31.8</td>
			<td>53.2</td>
			<td>9</td>
			<td>5</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td height="20">KKR</td>
			<td>17</td>
			<td>6</td>
			<td>74.25</td>
			<td>10.75</td>
			<td>8</td>
			<td>2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td height="20">MI</td>
			<td>18</td>
			<td>4</td>
			<td>69.65</td>
			<td>15.35</td>
			<td>7</td>
			<td>4</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td height="20">RR</td>
			<td>16</td>
			<td>5</td>
			<td>47.15</td>
			<td>37.85</td>
			<td>9</td>
			<td>3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td height="20">RCB</td>
			<td>14</td>
			<td>5</td>
			<td>49.6</td>
			<td>35.4</td>
			<td>11</td>
			<td>3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td height="20">SRH</td>
			<td>22</td>
			<td>7</td>
			<td>74.25</td>
			<td>10.75</td>
			<td>3</td>
			<td>1</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

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📸📸 Snapshots from the 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣ VIVO IPL Player Auction Briefing here in Chennai. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPLAuction?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IPLAuction</a> <a href="https://t.co/U41oDD2bfp">pic.twitter.com/U41oDD2bfp</a>
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1362087021368410116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<h2>1) Mumbai Indians&nbsp;</h2>

Available slots: 7&nbsp;

Overseas slots: 4&nbsp;

Remaining purse: Rs 15.35 crore&nbsp;

Retained players: Rohit Sharma, Aditya Tare,&nbsp;Anmolpreet&nbsp;Singh, Anukul Roy, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Jasprit&nbsp;Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Quinton de Kock, Rahul Chahar, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Mohsin Khan&nbsp;

Released players: Prince Balwant Rai, Digvijay Deshmukh, Lasith Malinga, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Pattinson,&nbsp;Sherfane&nbsp;Rutherford, Mitchell&nbsp;McCleneghan&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-ms-dhoni-to-yuvraj-singh-costliest-picks-in-every-ipl-auctions-364071" hreflang="en">From MS Dhoni to Yuvraj Singh: Costliest picks in every IPL auctions</a>

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{bf21ac71-a6bc-466e-a162-d41a525b2374}{14}" paraid="675925591" >2) Chennai Super Kings&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>

Available slots: 6&nbsp;

Overseas slots: 1&nbsp;

Remaining purse: Rs 19.90 crore&nbsp;

Retained players: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo,&nbsp;Faf&nbsp;du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Sam Curran, Josh&nbsp;Hazlewood, R Sai Kishore, Robin Uthappa (traded)&nbsp;

Released players: Kedar Jadhav, Murali Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Monu Singh, Shane Watson&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-malan-to-smith-five-overseas-players-to-lookout-for-in-ipl-2021-auction-363192" hreflang="en">From Malan to Smith: Five overseas players to lookout for in IPL 2021 auction</a>

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{bf21ac71-a6bc-466e-a162-d41a525b2374}{122}" paraid="197945189" >3) Kolkata Knight Riders&nbsp;</h2>

Available slots: 8&nbsp;

Overseas slots: 2&nbsp;

Remaining purse: Rs 10.75 crore&nbsp;

Retained players: Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Kamlesh&nbsp;Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Tim Seifert&nbsp;

Released players: Chris Green, Harry Gurney, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik, Siddhesh Lad, Tom Banton&nbsp;

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{bf21ac71-a6bc-466e-a162-d41a525b2374}{230}" paraid="578989930" >4) Royal Challengers Bangalore&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>

Available slots: 11&nbsp;

Overseas slots: 3&nbsp;

Remaining purse: Rs 35.40 crore&nbsp;

Retained players: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Devdutt&nbsp;Padikkal, Md. Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar,&nbsp;Yuzvendra&nbsp;Chahal, Joshua Phillipe, Pavan Deshpande, Shahbaz Ahmed, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson,&nbsp;Daniel&nbsp;Sams (traded), Harshal Patel (traded).

Released players: Chris Morris, Shivam Dube, Aaron Finch, Umesh Yadav, Dale Steyn, Moeen Ali, Parthiv Patel, Pawan Negi,&nbsp;Isuru&nbsp;Udana, Gurkeerat Mann&nbsp;

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{d4fbed22-5c68-4cc1-8b14-93bcb1c73370}{83}" paraid="124434173" >5) Kings XI Punjab&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>

Available slots: 9&nbsp;

Overseas slots: 5&nbsp;

Remaining purse: Rs 53.20 crore&nbsp;

Retained players: KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Darshan&nbsp;Nalkande, Harpreet Brar, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Mohd. Shami, M Ashwin, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Chris Jordan,&nbsp;Prabhsimran&nbsp;Singh&nbsp;

Released players: Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, Mujeeb Zadran,&nbsp;Hardus&nbsp;Viljoen, James Neesham, Krishnappa Gowtham, Karun Nair, Jagadeesha&nbsp;Suchith, Tejinder Singh Dhillon&nbsp;

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{d4fbed22-5c68-4cc1-8b14-93bcb1c73370}{191}" paraid="2137865764" >6) Delhi Capitals&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>

Available slots: 8&nbsp;

Overseas slots: 3&nbsp;

Remaining purse: Rs 13.4 crore&nbsp;

Retained players: Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan,&nbsp;Axar&nbsp;Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso&nbsp;Rabada, Prithvi Shaw, R Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan,&nbsp;Shimron&nbsp;Hetmyer, Marcus&nbsp;Stoinis, Lalit Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Pravin Dubey, Chris&nbsp;Woakes

Released players: Alex Carey, Keemo Paul, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mohit Sharma, Jason Roy&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2021-mohammed-kaif-reveals-delhi-capitals-strategy-ahead-of-mini-auction-364354" hreflang="en">IPL 2021: Mohammed Kaif reveals Delhi Capitals' strategy ahead of mini-auction</a>

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{009a2904-5c3a-4741-86a3-9e986d089084}{44}" paraid="951538923" >7) Rajasthan Royals&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>

Available slots: 9&nbsp;

Overseas slots: 3&nbsp;

Remaining purse: Rs 37.85 crore&nbsp;

Retained players: Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Mahipal&nbsp;Lomror, Manan Vohra, Mayank&nbsp;Markande, Rahul&nbsp;Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, Kartik Tyagi, David Miller, Andrew Tye&nbsp;

Released players: Steve Smith, Akash Singh, Anirudha Joshi, Ankit Rajpoot, Oshane Thomas, Shashank Singh, Tom Curran, Varun Aaron&nbsp;

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{009a2904-5c3a-4741-86a3-9e986d089084}{152}" paraid="2123861351" >8) Sunrisers Hyderabad&nbsp;</h2>

Available slots: 3&nbsp;

Overseas slots: 1&nbsp;

Remaining purse: Rs 10.75 crore&nbsp;&nbsp;

Retained players: David Warner, Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem,&nbsp;Shreevats&nbsp;Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Mitchell Marsh, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad&nbsp;

Released players: Billy&nbsp;Stanlake, Sandeep&nbsp;Bavanaka, Fabian Allen, Sanjay Yadav, Prithviraj&nbsp;Yarra&nbsp;

A total of 292 players are set to go under the hammer at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 auction, to be held on Thursday (February 18) in Chennai. While all the eight franchises will look to bolster their respective squads, players can expect a good payday.

A total of 292 players are set to go under the hammer at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 auction, to be held on Thursday (February 18) in Chennai. While all the eight franchises will look to bolster their respective squads, players can expect a good payday. Among all the eight franchises ahead of IPL 2021 auction, Kings XI Punjab – now Punjab Kings – have the highest purse remaining at a massive INR 53.20 crore, closely followed by Rajasthan Royals, who have INR 37.85 crore at their helm. Fans can expect both Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals to spend heavy and sign some big-name players. Ahead of the IPL 2021 auction, let us take a look at the remaining purse of all the eight franchises and number of slots they need to fill. Here's all you need to know about IPL 2021 auction. IPL 2021/ Squad Size/Salary Cap/Available Slots Franchise No of Players No of Overseas Players Total money spent (Rs.) Salary cap available (Rs.) Available Slots Overseas Slots CSK 19 7 65.1 19.9 6 1 DC 17 5 71.6 13.4 8 3 KXIP 16 3 31.8 53.2 9 5 KKR 17 6 74.25 10.75 8 2 MI 18 4 69.65 15.35 7 4 RR 16 5 47.15 37.85 9 3 RCB 14 5 49.6 35.4 11 3 SRH 22 7 74.25 10.75 3 1 📸📸 Snapshots from the 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣ VIVO IPL Player Auction Briefing here in Chennai. #IPLAuction pic.twitter.com/U41oDD2bfp — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) February 17, 2021 × 1) Mumbai Indians Available slots: 7 Overseas slots: 4 Remaining purse: Rs 15.35 crore Retained players: Rohit Sharma, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Quinton de Kock, Rahul Chahar, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Mohsin Khan Released players: Prince Balwant Rai, Digvijay Deshmukh, Lasith Malinga, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Pattinson, Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell McCleneghan ALSO READ: From MS Dhoni to Yuvraj Singh: Costliest picks in every IPL auctions 2) Chennai Super Kings Available slots: 6 Overseas slots: 1 Remaining purse: Rs 19.90 crore Retained players: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Sam Curran, Josh Hazlewood, R Sai Kishore, Robin Uthappa (traded) Released players: Kedar Jadhav, Murali Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Monu Singh, Shane Watson ALSO READ: From Malan to Smith: Five overseas players to lookout for in IPL 2021 auction 3) Kolkata Knight Riders Available slots: 8 Overseas slots: 2 Remaining purse: Rs 10.75 crore Retained players: Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Tim Seifert Released players: Chris Green, Harry Gurney, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik, Siddhesh Lad, Tom Banton 4) Royal Challengers Bangalore Available slots: 11 Overseas slots: 3 Remaining purse: Rs 35.40 crore Retained players: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Md. Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Joshua Phillipe, Pavan Deshpande, Shahbaz Ahmed, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams (traded), Harshal Patel (traded). Released players: Chris Morris, Shivam Dube, Aaron Finch, Umesh Yadav, Dale Steyn, Moeen Ali, Parthiv Patel, Pawan Negi, Isuru Udana, Gurkeerat Mann 5) Kings XI Punjab Available slots: 9 Overseas slots: 5 Remaining purse: Rs 53.20 crore Retained players: KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Darshan Nalkande, Harpreet Brar, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Mohd. Shami, M Ashwin, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Chris Jordan, Prabhsimran Singh Released players: Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, Mujeeb Zadran, Hardus Viljoen, James Neesham, Krishnappa Gowtham, Karun Nair, Jagadeesha Suchith, Tejinder Singh Dhillon 6) Delhi Capitals Available slots: 8 Overseas slots: 3 Remaining purse: Rs 13.4 crore Retained players: Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Prithvi Shaw, R Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Lalit Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Pravin Dubey, Chris Woakes Released players: Alex Carey, Keemo Paul, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mohit Sharma, Jason Roy ALSO READ: IPL 2021: Mohammed Kaif reveals Delhi Capitals' strategy ahead of mini-auction 7) Rajasthan Royals Available slots: 9 Overseas slots: 3 Remaining purse: Rs 37.85 crore Retained players: Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Mayank Markande, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Anuj Rawat, Kartik Tyagi, David Miller, Andrew Tye Released players: Steve Smith, Akash Singh, Anirudha Joshi, Ankit Rajpoot, Oshane Thomas, Shashank Singh, Tom Curran, Varun Aaron 8) Sunrisers Hyderabad Available slots: 3 Overseas slots: 1 Remaining purse: Rs 10.75 crore Retained players: David Warner, Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Mitchell Marsh, Jason Holder, Abdul Samad Released players: Billy Stanlake, Sandeep Bavanaka, Fabian Allen, Sanjay Yadav, Prithviraj Yarra

IPL 2021 mini-auction: Remaining slots, available balance, retained and released players - All you need to know!

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 auction is all set to be held on Thursday (February 18)&nbsp;in Chennai. With as many as 292 players set to go under the hammer, franchises are expected to bolster their squad in a bid to boost their chances of winning the coveted IPL trophy.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Among all the eight franchises ahead of IPL 2021 auction,&nbsp;Punjab Kings have the highest purse available at INR 53.20 crore, followed by Rajasthan Royals, who have INR 37.85 crore.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Fans can expect both Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals to spend heavy and sign some big-name players.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-ms-dhoni-to-yuvraj-singh-costliest-picks-in-every-ipl-auctions-364071" hreflang="en">From MS Dhoni to Yuvraj Singh: Costliest picks in every IPL auctions</a>

Ahead of the IPL 2021 auction, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly reflected back on the success of IPL 2020, which was held in the UAE amid the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;

"It`s a small auction but I think a lot of teams will have a lot of work to do. It was unbelievable the way it went in the UAE amid all the Covid scare in the months of October and November," Ganguly told Star Sports.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-malan-to-smith-five-overseas-players-to-lookout-for-in-ipl-2021-auction-363192" hreflang="en">From Malan to Smith: Five overseas players to lookout for in IPL 2021 auction</a> 
&nbsp; 
"It got amazing ratings, the best in the last 13 years. This year it is going to be big as well. We`ll see if we can get crowds back into the IPL. That`s a decision we will have to take shortly," he said.&nbsp;

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{1677e56f-8abd-4e85-840e-f836052127f6}{36}" paraid="528024278" >When will the IPL 2021 auction take place?&nbsp;</h2>

The auction for IPL 2021 will take place in Chennai on February 18.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2021-auction-full-list-of-292-players-set-to-go-under-hammer-364384" hreflang="en">IPL 2021 Auction: Full list of 292 players set to go under hammer</a>

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{686602c0-efcf-4336-bc0d-63fbd7fbbef7}{227}" paraid="1364479027" >How can I watch the IPL 2021 auction?&nbsp;</h2>

The auction for IPL 2021 will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network from 3 pm IST.&nbsp;

<h2 lang="EN-US" paraeid="{5724bd26-0ccb-492b-8249-0f5d4ce8b2d5}{8}" paraid="462547556" >How can I watch live-streaming of&nbsp;IPL 2021 auction live?&nbsp;</h2>

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2021-mini-auction-remaining-slots-available-balance-retained-and-released-players-all-you-need-to-know-364374" hreflang="en">IPL 2021 mini-auction: Remaining slots, available balance, retained and released players - All you need to know!</a>

The auction for IPL 2021 can be live-streamed&nbsp;on Hotstar from 3 pm IST.&nbsp;

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 auction is all set to be held on Thursday (February 18) in Chennai. With as many as 292 players set to go under the hammer, franchises are expected to bolster their squad in a bid to boost their chances of winning the coveted IPL trophy.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 auction is all set to be held on Thursday (February 18) in Chennai. With as many as 292 players set to go under the hammer, franchises are expected to bolster their squad in a bid to boost their chances of winning the coveted IPL trophy. Among all the eight franchises ahead of IPL 2021 auction, Punjab Kings have the highest purse available at INR 53.20 crore, followed by Rajasthan Royals, who have INR 37.85 crore. Fans can expect both Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals to spend heavy and sign some big-name players. ALSO READ: From MS Dhoni to Yuvraj Singh: Costliest picks in every IPL auctions Ahead of the IPL 2021 auction, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly reflected back on the success of IPL 2020, which was held in the UAE amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "It`s a small auction but I think a lot of teams will have a lot of work to do. It was unbelievable the way it went in the UAE amid all the Covid scare in the months of October and November," Ganguly told Star Sports. ALSO READ: From Malan to Smith: Five overseas players to lookout for in IPL 2021 auction "It got amazing ratings, the best in the last 13 years. This year it is going to be big as well. We`ll see if we can get crowds back into the IPL. That`s a decision we will have to take shortly," he said. When will the IPL 2021 auction take place? The auction for IPL 2021 will take place in Chennai on February 18. ALSO READ: IPL 2021 Auction: Full list of 292 players set to go under hammer How can I watch the IPL 2021 auction? The auction for IPL 2021 will be telecast live on the Star Sports Network from 3 pm IST. How can I watch live-streaming of IPL 2021 auction live? ALSO READ: IPL 2021 mini-auction: Remaining slots, available balance, retained and released players - All you need to know! The auction for IPL 2021 can be live-streamed on Hotstar from 3 pm IST.

IPL 2021 Auction, Live streaming: When and where to watch Indian Premier League mini-auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 players auction is all set to be held on Thursday (February 18) in Chennai. As many as 292 players will go under the hammer&nbsp;with&nbsp;all eight IPL franchises&nbsp;looking to strengthen their squad ahead of the IPL 2021 season.&nbsp;&nbsp;

While big-name players like Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell,&nbsp;Jhye&nbsp;Richardson, Alex Hales, Moeen Ali among many others are available to be roped in by franchise during IPL 2021 auction, domestic players&nbsp;like Shahrukh Khan, Mohammed&nbsp;Azharuddeen&nbsp;are also expected to have a big day at IPL 2021 auction.&nbsp;&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2021-mini-auction-remaining-slots-available-balance-retained-and-released-players-all-you-need-to-know-364374" hreflang="en">IPL 2021 mini-auction: Remaining slots, available balance, retained and released players - All you need to know!</a>

Ahead of the IPL 2021 mini-auction, let us take a look at the list of all 292 players available.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-ms-dhoni-to-yuvraj-singh-costliest-picks-in-every-ipl-auctions-364071" hreflang="en">From MS Dhoni to Yuvraj Singh: Costliest picks in every IPL auctions</a>

<ul>
	<li>Aaron Finch</li>
	<li>Alex Hales</li>
	<li>Evin Lewis</li>
	<li>Karun Nair</li>
	<li>Jason Roy</li>
	<li>Steve Smith</li>
	<li>Hanuma Vihari</li>
	<li>Shakib Al Hasan</li>
	<li>Moeen Ali</li>
	<li>Shivam Dube</li>
	<li>Kedar Jadhav</li>
	<li>Dawid Malan</li>
	<li>Glenn Maxwell</li>
	<li>Chris Morris</li>
	<li>Sam Billings</li>
	<li>Alex Carey</li>
	<li>Kusal Perera</li>
	<li>Glenn Phillips</li>
	<li>Sheldon Cottrell</li>
	<li>Nathan Coulter‐Nile</li>
	<li>Adam Milne</li>
	<li>Mustafizur Rahman</li>
	<li>Jhye Richardson</li>
	<li>Mark Wood (OPTED OUT)</li>
	<li>Umesh Yadav</li>
	<li>Qais Ahmad</li>
	<li>Piyush Chawla</li>
	<li>Mujeeb Ur Rahman&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Adil Rashid</li>
	<li>Rahul Sharma</li>
	<li>Harbhajan Singh</li>
	<li>Ish Sodhi</li>
	<li>Sachin Baby</li>
	<li>Rahul Gahlaut</li>
	<li>C.Hari Nishaanth</li>
	<li>Rajat Patidar</li>
	<li>Himanshu Rana</li>
	<li>Himmat Singh</li>
	<li>Vishnu Solanki</li>
	<li>Ayush Badoni</li>
	<li>K Gowtham</li>
	<li>Venkatesh Iyer</li>
	<li>Shahrukh Khan</li>
	<li>Ripal Patel</li>
	<li>Atit Sheth</li>
	<li>Vivek Singh</li>
	<li>Mohammed Azharuddeen</li>
	<li>Avi Barot</li>
	<li>Kedar Devdhar</li>
	<li>Sheldon Jackson</li>
	<li>Vishnu Vinod</li>
	<li>Tushar Deshpande</li>
	<li>Riley Meredith</li>
	<li>Lukman Hussain Meriwala</li>
	<li>Ankit Singh Rajpoot</li>
	<li>Chetan Sakariya</li>
	<li>KuldeepSen</li>
	<li>Mujtaba Yousuf</li>
	<li>Tejas Baroka</li>
	<li>K.C Cariappa</li>
	<li>Sandeep Lamichhane</li>
	<li>M Siddharth</li>
	<li>Karanveer Singh</li>
	<li>Jagadeesha Suchith</li>
	<li>Midhun Sudhesan</li>
	<li>Corey Anderson</li>
	<li>Darren Bravo</li>
	<li>Devon Conway</li>
	<li>Martin Guptill</li>
	<li>Shaun Marsh</li>
	<li>Rovman Powell</li>
	<li>Cheteshwar Pujara</li>
	<li>Rassie Van Der Dussen</li>
	<li>Tom Curran</li>
	<li>Ben Cutting</li>
	<li>Moises Henriques</li>
	<li>Kyle Jamieson</li>
	<li>Marnus Labuschagne</li>
	<li>Pawan Negi</li>
	<li>Gurkeerat Singh</li>
	<li>Mitchell McClenaghan</li>
	<li>Varun Aaron</li>
	<li>Jason Behrendorff</li>
	<li>Mohit Sharma</li>
	<li>Billy Stanlake</li>
	<li>Oshane Thomas</li>
	<li>Finn Allen</li>
	<li>Harpreet Bhatia</li>
	<li>Shivam Chauhan</li>
	<li>Naushad Shaikh</li>
	<li>Pratham Singh</li>
	<li>Apoorv Wankhade</li>
	<li>Atharva Ankolekar</li>
	<li>Prayas Barman</li>
	<li>Jalaj Saxena</li>
	<li>Karan Sharma</li>
	<li>Utkarsh Singh</li>
	<li>R Sonu Yadav</li>
	<li>Dhruv Jurel</li>
	<li>Arun Karthick</li>
	<li>Nikhil Naik</li>
	<li>Smit Patel</li>
	<li>K.L Shrijith</li>
	<li>Wesley Agar</li>
	<li>Vaibhav Arora</li>
	<li>Akash Deep</li>
	<li>Ben Dwarshuis</li>
	<li>Ali Khan</li>
	<li>Kulwant Khejroliya</li>
	<li>Arzan Nagwaswalla</li>
	<li>G Periyasamy</li>
	<li>Akash Singh</li>
	<li>Prithviraj Yarra</li>
	<li>Noor Ahmad Lakanwal</li>
	<li>Karthik Meiyappan</li>
	<li>Prince Balwant Rai</li>
	<li>Pardeep Sahu</li>
	<li>Sagar Udeshi</li>
	<li>Kushaal Wadhwani</li>
	<li>Akshay Wakhare</li>
	<li>Fabian Allen</li>
	<li>Daniel Christian</li>
	<li>Colin De Grandhomme</li>
	<li>Liam Livingstone</li>
	<li>Thisara Perera</li>
	<li>Mohammad Shaifuddin</li>
	<li>David Willey</li>
	<li>Matthew Wade</li>
	<li>Ben Duckett</li>
	<li>Sean Abbott</li>
	<li>Matt Henry</li>
	<li>Chemar Holder</li>
	<li>Alzarri Joseph</li>
	<li>Obed Mccoy</li>
	<li>Liam Plunkett</li>
	<li>Tim Southee</li>
	<li>Rajesh Bishnoi</li>
	<li>Abhimanyu Easwaran</li>
	<li>Rohan Kadam</li>
	<li>Amandeep Khare</li>
	<li>Siddhesh Lad</li>
	<li>Mohammed Taha</li>
	<li>Khrievitso Kense</li>
	<li>Prerak Mankad</li>
	<li>Shams Mulani</li>
	<li>Ansh Patel</li>
	<li>Suyash Prabhudessai</li>
	<li>Parth Sahani</li>
	<li>Ankit Sharma</li>
	<li>Dhruv Shorey</li>
	<li>K.S Bharat</li>
	<li>Josh Inglis</li>
	<li>Aryan Juyal</li>
	<li>Sadiq Kirmani</li>
	<li>Rohit Sharma</li>
	<li>Sandeep Kumar Tomar</li>
	<li>Stephen Cheepurupalli</li>
	<li>Aniket Choudhary</li>
	<li>Mukesh Choudhary</li>
	<li>Nathan Ellis</li>
	<li>Sayan Ghosh</li>
	<li>Ronit More</li>
	<li>M Nidheesh</li>
	<li>M Harisankar Reddy</li>
	<li>Simarjeet Singh</li>
	<li>Kuldip Yadav</li>
	<li>Zeeshan Ansari</li>
	<li>Jon Russ Jaggesar</li>
	<li>Kevin Koththigoda</li>
	<li>Tanveer Sangha</li>
	<li>Maheesh Theekshan</li>
	<li>Vijayakanth Viyaskanth</li>
	<li>Lewis Gregory</li>
	<li>Wanindu Hasaranga</li>
	<li>Karim Janat</li>
	<li>Scott Kuggeleijn</li>
	<li>James Neesham</li>
	<li>Wayne Parnell</li>
	<li>Keemo Paul</li>
	<li>Dushmanta Chameera</li>
	<li>Fidel Edwards</li>
	<li>Beuran Hendricks</li>
	<li>Abhimanyu Mithun</li>
	<li>Reece Topley</li>
	<li>Saahil Jain</li>
	<li>Subhranshu Senapati</li>
	<li>Ravi Thakur</li>
	<li>Jake Weatherald</li>
	<li>Shubham Agrawal</li>
	<li>Rajjakuddin Ahmed</li>
	<li>Baba Aparajith</li>
	<li>George Garton</li>
	<li>Chris Green</li>
	<li>Kartik Kakade</li>
	<li>Shoaib Khan</li>
	<li>Dhruv Patel</li>
	<li>Latest Kumar Patel</li>
	<li>Arjun Tendulkar</li>
	<li>Varun Choudhary</li>
	<li>Prathamesh Dake</li>
	<li>Baltej Dhanda</li>
	<li>Brendan Doggett</li>
	<li>Saurabh Dubey</li>
	<li>Fazalhaq Farooqi</li>
	<li>Matt Kelly</li>
	<li>Chama Milind</li>
	<li>Jayden Seales</li>
	<li>Mark Steketee</li>
	<li>Tanveer Ul Haq</li>
	<li>Carlos Brathwaite</li>
	<li>Rishi Dhawan</li>
	<li>Mohammad Mahmud Ullah</li>
	<li>Andile Phehlukwayo</li>
	<li>Sherfane Rutherford</li>
	<li>Dasun Shanaka</li>
	<li>Isuru Udana</li>
	<li>Jacob Duffy</li>
	<li>Daryn Dupavillon</li>
	<li>Shannon Gabriel</li>
	<li>Morne Morkel</li>
	<li>Joel Paris</li>
	<li>Blair Tickner</li>
	<li>Subodh Bhati</li>
	<li>Jay Bista</li>
	<li>Aamir Gani</li>
	<li>Karanveer Kaushal</li>
	<li>Anustup Majumdar</li>
	<li>Dikshanshu Negi</li>
	<li>Kshitiz Sharma</li>
	<li>Shubham Singh</li>
	<li>Shashank Singh</li>
	<li>Milind Tandon</li>
	<li>Ravi Bopara</li>
	<li>George Linde</li>
	<li>Kyle Mayers</li>
	<li>Daryl Mitchell</li>
	<li>Colin Munro</li>
	<li>Dwaine Pretorius</li>
	<li>Romario Shepherd</li>
	<li>Sandeep Bavanaka</li>
	<li>Chaitanya Bishnoi</li>
	<li>Arun Chaprana</li>
	<li>Yudhvir Charak</li>
	<li>Ajay Dev Goud</li>
	<li>Umran Malik</li>
	<li>Ravi Teja Telukupalli</li>
	<li>Tanay Thyagarajan</li>
	<li>N.Tilak Varma</li>
	<li>K.Bhagath Varma</li>
	<li>Stuart Binny</li>
	<li>Hilton Cartwright</li>
	<li>James Faulkner</li>
	<li>Akeal Hosein</li>
	<li>Parvez Rasool</li>
	<li>David Wiese</li>
	<li>Jack Wildermuth</li>
	<li>Arshdeep Brar</li>
	<li>Digvijay Deshmukh</li>
	<li>Aakarshit Gomel</li>
	<li>Anirudha Joshi</li>
	<li>Azim Kazi</li>
	<li>Rahul Singh</li>
	<li>Ajay T</li>
	<li>Harsh Tyagi</li>
	<li>Nachiket Bhute</li>
	<li>Josh Clarkson</li>
	<li>Gerald Coetzee</li>
	<li>Tim David</li>
	<li>Deeparaj Gaonkar</li>
	<li>Aaron Hardie</li>
	<li>Marco Jansen</li>
	<li>Nathan McAndrew</li>
	<li>M Mohammed</li>
	<li>Govinda Poddar</li>
	<li>Pratyush Singh</li>
	<li>Jacques Snyman</li>
</ul>

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 players auction is all set to be held on Thursday (February 18) in Chennai. As many as 292 players will go under the hammer with all eight IPL franchises looking to strengthen their squad ahead of the IPL 2021 season.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 players auction is all set to be held on Thursday (February 18) in Chennai. As many as 292 players will go under the hammer with all eight IPL franchises looking to strengthen their squad ahead of the IPL 2021 season. While big-name players like Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Alex Hales, Moeen Ali among many others are available to be roped in by franchise during IPL 2021 auction, domestic players like Shahrukh Khan, Mohammed Azharuddeen are also expected to have a big day at IPL 2021 auction. ALSO READ: IPL 2021 mini-auction: Remaining slots, available balance, retained and released players - All you need to know! Ahead of the IPL 2021 mini-auction, let us take a look at the list of all 292 players available. ALSO READ: From MS Dhoni to Yuvraj Singh: Costliest picks in every IPL auctions Aaron Finch Alex Hales Evin Lewis Karun Nair Jason Roy Steve Smith Hanuma Vihari Shakib Al Hasan Moeen Ali Shivam Dube Kedar Jadhav Dawid Malan Glenn Maxwell Chris Morris Sam Billings Alex Carey Kusal Perera Glenn Phillips Sheldon Cottrell Nathan Coulter‐Nile Adam Milne Mustafizur Rahman Jhye Richardson Mark Wood (OPTED OUT) Umesh Yadav Qais Ahmad Piyush Chawla Mujeeb Ur Rahman Adil Rashid Rahul Sharma Harbhajan Singh Ish Sodhi Sachin Baby Rahul Gahlaut C.Hari Nishaanth Rajat Patidar Himanshu Rana Himmat Singh Vishnu Solanki Ayush Badoni K Gowtham Venkatesh Iyer Shahrukh Khan Ripal Patel Atit Sheth Vivek Singh Mohammed Azharuddeen Avi Barot Kedar Devdhar Sheldon Jackson Vishnu Vinod Tushar Deshpande Riley Meredith Lukman Hussain Meriwala Ankit Singh Rajpoot Chetan Sakariya KuldeepSen Mujtaba Yousuf Tejas Baroka K.C Cariappa Sandeep Lamichhane M Siddharth Karanveer Singh Jagadeesha Suchith Midhun Sudhesan Corey Anderson Darren Bravo Devon Conway Martin Guptill Shaun Marsh Rovman Powell Cheteshwar Pujara Rassie Van Der Dussen Tom Curran Ben Cutting Moises Henriques Kyle Jamieson Marnus Labuschagne Pawan Negi Gurkeerat Singh Mitchell McClenaghan Varun Aaron Jason Behrendorff Mohit Sharma Billy Stanlake Oshane Thomas Finn Allen Harpreet Bhatia Shivam Chauhan Naushad Shaikh Pratham Singh Apoorv Wankhade Atharva Ankolekar Prayas Barman Jalaj Saxena Karan Sharma Utkarsh Singh R Sonu Yadav Dhruv Jurel Arun Karthick Nikhil Naik Smit Patel K.L Shrijith Wesley Agar Vaibhav Arora Akash Deep Ben Dwarshuis Ali Khan Kulwant Khejroliya Arzan Nagwaswalla G Periyasamy Akash Singh Prithviraj Yarra Noor Ahmad Lakanwal Karthik Meiyappan Prince Balwant Rai Pardeep Sahu Sagar Udeshi Kushaal Wadhwani Akshay Wakhare Fabian Allen Daniel Christian Colin De Grandhomme Liam Livingstone Thisara Perera Mohammad Shaifuddin David Willey Matthew Wade Ben Duckett Sean Abbott Matt Henry Chemar Holder Alzarri Joseph Obed Mccoy Liam Plunkett Tim Southee Rajesh Bishnoi Abhimanyu Easwaran Rohan Kadam Amandeep Khare Siddhesh Lad Mohammed Taha Khrievitso Kense Prerak Mankad Shams Mulani Ansh Patel Suyash Prabhudessai Parth Sahani Ankit Sharma Dhruv Shorey K.S Bharat Josh Inglis Aryan Juyal Sadiq Kirmani Rohit Sharma Sandeep Kumar Tomar Stephen Cheepurupalli Aniket Choudhary Mukesh Choudhary Nathan Ellis Sayan Ghosh Ronit More M Nidheesh M Harisankar Reddy Simarjeet Singh Kuldip Yadav Zeeshan Ansari Jon Russ Jaggesar Kevin Koththigoda Tanveer Sangha Maheesh Theekshan Vijayakanth Viyaskanth Lewis Gregory Wanindu Hasaranga Karim Janat Scott Kuggeleijn James Neesham Wayne Parnell Keemo Paul Dushmanta Chameera Fidel Edwards Beuran Hendricks Abhimanyu Mithun Reece Topley Saahil Jain Subhranshu Senapati Ravi Thakur Jake Weatherald Shubham Agrawal Rajjakuddin Ahmed Baba Aparajith George Garton Chris Green Kartik Kakade Shoaib Khan Dhruv Patel Latest Kumar Patel Arjun Tendulkar Varun Choudhary Prathamesh Dake Baltej Dhanda Brendan Doggett Saurabh Dubey Fazalhaq Farooqi Matt Kelly Chama Milind Jayden Seales Mark Steketee Tanveer Ul Haq Carlos Brathwaite Rishi Dhawan Mohammad Mahmud Ullah Andile Phehlukwayo Sherfane Rutherford Dasun Shanaka Isuru Udana Jacob Duffy Daryn Dupavillon Shannon Gabriel Morne Morkel Joel Paris Blair Tickner Subodh Bhati Jay Bista Aamir Gani Karanveer Kaushal Anustup Majumdar Dikshanshu Negi Kshitiz Sharma Shubham Singh Shashank Singh Milind Tandon Ravi Bopara George Linde Kyle Mayers Daryl Mitchell Colin Munro Dwaine Pretorius Romario Shepherd Sandeep Bavanaka Chaitanya Bishnoi Arun Chaprana Yudhvir Charak Ajay Dev Goud Umran Malik Ravi Teja Telukupalli Tanay Thyagarajan N.Tilak Varma K.Bhagath Varma Stuart Binny Hilton Cartwright James Faulkner Akeal Hosein Parvez Rasool David Wiese Jack Wildermuth Arshdeep Brar Digvijay Deshmukh Aakarshit Gomel Anirudha Joshi Azim Kazi Rahul Singh Ajay T Harsh Tyagi Nachiket Bhute Josh Clarkson Gerald Coetzee Tim David Deeparaj Gaonkar Aaron Hardie Marco Jansen Nathan McAndrew M Mohammed Govinda Poddar Pratyush Singh Jacques Snyman

IPL 2021 Auction: Full list of 292 players set to go under hammer

Cristiano Ronaldo's first game for Juventus in his native Portugal ended in 2-1 defeat as FC Porto out-played the Italians for much of Wednesday's Champions League last-16, first leg tie.

Such was Juve's lacklustre performance that coach Andrea Pirlo claimed his team handed victory to their hosts on "a silver platter".

Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi put Porto ahead after just a minute at Estadio do Dragao following a Rodrigo Bentancur error.

And Mali striker Moussa Marega added a second straight after the break.

But Federico Chiesa pulled a goal back with eight minutes to go to keep Juventus afloat with the second leg in Turin on March 9.

"The approach was wrong from the first minute," said Pirlo.&nbsp;

"When you concede a goal like this it's normal that fear sets in, you lack a bit of certainty.&nbsp;

"Porto are good at closing down and after that goal it was much more difficult. We served them the match they wanted on a silver platter.

"Fortunately we scored an important goal through Chiesa and now we will focus on the return leg."

It was a below-par performance by Juventus,chasing their third Champions League title and first in 25 years.

Record Champions League goal scorer Ronaldo, 36, drew a blank against a side captained by his Portuguese international teammate Pepe, as the visitors struggled to recover from their early blunder.

"We studied Juventus well," said defender Pepe who won three Champions League titles with Ronaldo at Real Madrid.&nbsp;

"We knew that we had to press hard to keep Juventus from playing.&nbsp;In these type of games it's difficult to concede goals at home, but we played a great game."

It was a shocking start for Juventus, with Wojciech Szczesny sending the ball out to Bentancur, who passed back to the Polish goalkeeper despite Taremi being just on front of goal.

The Iranian quickly pounced to prod past Szczesny for his first Champions League goal.

Porto pressed forward with Juventus almost conceding a second on 23 minutes as Szczesny cleared straight to Sergio Oliveira whose shot was deflected away from goal.

To add to Andrea Pirlo's woes captain Giorgio Chiellini limped off 10 minutes later with defender Merih Demiral coming off the bench.

Pirlo had juggled Juve's defence with Leonardo Bonucci out injured with Alex Sandro returning, playing alongside veteran Chiellini, Matthijs de Ligt and Danilo.

Juve had to wait until four minutes before the break for their first shot on goal with an Adrien Rabiot overhead kick cleared by Porto 'keeper Agustin Marchesin, but the offside flag had already been raised.

The Italians suffered another terrible start to the second half with Marega picking up a Wilson Manafa cross to finish low past&nbsp;Szczęsny.

Ronaldo had to wait until five minutes after the break to have a shot on goal. Weston McKennie nodded the ball into the path of the Portuguese star, whose weak effort was blocked.

However, Chiesa pulled Juventus back into the tie following a Rabiot run down the right with a pull back for the Italian to finish off into the corner of the net.

"The goal will give us strength for the second leg, and it will certainly be another game," said Chiesa.&nbsp;

It was the first goal conceded by Porto in the competition at home this season for the former two-time winners.

Ronaldo had penalty appeals waved away after going down under a Sanusi Zaidu challenge late as the hosts held on for their first win over Juventus in five meetings.

Cristiano Ronaldo's first game for Juventus in his native Portugal ended in 2-1 defeat as FC Porto out-played the Italians for much of Wednesday's Champions League last-16, first leg tie.

Cristiano Ronaldo's first game for Juventus in his native Portugal ended in 2-1 defeat as FC Porto out-played the Italians for much of Wednesday's Champions League last-16, first leg tie. Such was Juve's lacklustre performance that coach Andrea Pirlo claimed his team handed victory to their hosts on "a silver platter". Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi put Porto ahead after just a minute at Estadio do Dragao following a Rodrigo Bentancur error. And Mali striker Moussa Marega added a second straight after the break. But Federico Chiesa pulled a goal back with eight minutes to go to keep Juventus afloat with the second leg in Turin on March 9. "The approach was wrong from the first minute," said Pirlo. "When you concede a goal like this it's normal that fear sets in, you lack a bit of certainty. "Porto are good at closing down and after that goal it was much more difficult. We served them the match they wanted on a silver platter. "Fortunately we scored an important goal through Chiesa and now we will focus on the return leg." It was a below-par performance by Juventus,chasing their third Champions League title and first in 25 years. Record Champions League goal scorer Ronaldo, 36, drew a blank against a side captained by his Portuguese international teammate Pepe, as the visitors struggled to recover from their early blunder. "We studied Juventus well," said defender Pepe who won three Champions League titles with Ronaldo at Real Madrid. "We knew that we had to press hard to keep Juventus from playing. In these type of games it's difficult to concede goals at home, but we played a great game." It was a shocking start for Juventus, with Wojciech Szczesny sending the ball out to Bentancur, who passed back to the Polish goalkeeper despite Taremi being just on front of goal. The Iranian quickly pounced to prod past Szczesny for his first Champions League goal. Porto pressed forward with Juventus almost conceding a second on 23 minutes as Szczesny cleared straight to Sergio Oliveira whose shot was deflected away from goal. To add to Andrea Pirlo's woes captain Giorgio Chiellini limped off 10 minutes later with defender Merih Demiral coming off the bench. Pirlo had juggled Juve's defence with Leonardo Bonucci out injured with Alex Sandro returning, playing alongside veteran Chiellini, Matthijs de Ligt and Danilo. Juve had to wait until four minutes before the break for their first shot on goal with an Adrien Rabiot overhead kick cleared by Porto 'keeper Agustin Marchesin, but the offside flag had already been raised. The Italians suffered another terrible start to the second half with Marega picking up a Wilson Manafa cross to finish low past Szczęsny. Ronaldo had to wait until five minutes after the break to have a shot on goal. Weston McKennie nodded the ball into the path of the Portuguese star, whose weak effort was blocked. However, Chiesa pulled Juventus back into the tie following a Rabiot run down the right with a pull back for the Italian to finish off into the corner of the net. "The goal will give us strength for the second leg, and it will certainly be another game," said Chiesa. It was the first goal conceded by Porto in the competition at home this season for the former two-time winners. Ronaldo had penalty appeals waved away after going down under a Sanusi Zaidu challenge late as the hosts held on for their first win over Juventus in five meetings.

Pirlo says lacklustre Juventus handed Porto victory 'on silver platter'

Erling Braut Haaland produced another deadly display of finishing with a first-half brace as Borussia Dortmund came from behind to beat Sevilla 3-2 in Spain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday.

Suso's deflected strike gave last season's Europa League winners an early lead behind closed doors at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, but Mahmoud Dahoud soon equalised before Haaland took over.

The Norway phenomenon put Dortmund in front in the 27th minute and then scored again two minutes before half-time, the goals taking him to 25 in 24 appearances this season in all competitions.

Still aged just 20, he has scored 18 times in just 13 Champions League appearances since the start of last season.

Substitute Luuk de Jong's late reply gave Sevilla cause for hope heading into the return leg on March 9, but Dortmund remain favourites to progress to the quarter-finals.

"We didn't deserve to lose, but in the end they had one of the best players in the world up front and he made the difference in three situations which could have been avoided," said Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui.

Haaland, who also set up Dahoud's equaliser, produced a performance, in the first half at least, which showcased his remarkable strength, hold-up play and pace as well as his brilliant finishing.

<h2>- Nine-game winning run ended -</h2>

It was too much for a Sevilla side who had come into this tie with high hopes, having only been beaten by La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid, away, in their previous 19 outings.

Lopetegui's team had won their previous nine matches on the bounce and had kept seven straight clean sheets before the arrival of Dortmund and Haaland.

"This was one of our best performances of the season," Dortmund coach Edin Terzic, who replaced the sacked Lucien Favre after the group phase, told Sky.

"We are pleased with the result and proud to have beaten such a team."

Sevilla have won the Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, an incredible six times since 2005, but only once have they got past the last 16 of the Champions League, when they beat Manchester United in 2018 before losing to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

The quality of Haaland was the difference here as Dortmund, having sunk to sixth in the Bundesliga on a poor run of form, came to life on their return to the Champions League.

"We had a good plan. Edin has been good and I've been talking a lot with him. He said today would be my game and that I would get my chances and I did, so it was an important win," Haaland told DAZN.

Yet the game had started well for Sevilla, with Suso opening the scoring in the seventh minute, his shot deflecting in off Mats Hummels.

Dortmund drew level in the 19th minute as Haaland showed terrific strength to hold the ball up on the right before coming infield and feeding Dahoud, who worked his way into position to fire a superb shot high into net from just outside the area.

It was the first goal Sevilla had conceded in more than 12 hours of football.

Eight minutes later they conceded again.

Haaland dropped deep, collecting possession near the halfway line, and then turned and charged towards goal, playing a pass to Jadon Sancho on the edge of the box and then continuing on to place the return ball past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

He struck again two minutes before half-time, slotting home first-time after Marco Reus had stolen the ball from the feet of Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez before bearing down on goal.

However, Sevilla dominated the second half as Dortmund sat back, and the hosts got a potentially crucial second goal six minutes from the end.

Oscar Rodriguez's high, hanging free-kick was turned into the net by De Jong, giving them something to cling to.

Erling Braut Haaland produced another deadly display of finishing with a first-half brace as Borussia Dortmund came from behind to beat Sevilla 3-2 in Spain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday.

Erling Braut Haaland produced another deadly display of finishing with a first-half brace as Borussia Dortmund came from behind to beat Sevilla 3-2 in Spain in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday. Suso's deflected strike gave last season's Europa League winners an early lead behind closed doors at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, but Mahmoud Dahoud soon equalised before Haaland took over. The Norway phenomenon put Dortmund in front in the 27th minute and then scored again two minutes before half-time, the goals taking him to 25 in 24 appearances this season in all competitions. Still aged just 20, he has scored 18 times in just 13 Champions League appearances since the start of last season. Substitute Luuk de Jong's late reply gave Sevilla cause for hope heading into the return leg on March 9, but Dortmund remain favourites to progress to the quarter-finals. "We didn't deserve to lose, but in the end they had one of the best players in the world up front and he made the difference in three situations which could have been avoided," said Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui. Haaland, who also set up Dahoud's equaliser, produced a performance, in the first half at least, which showcased his remarkable strength, hold-up play and pace as well as his brilliant finishing. - Nine-game winning run ended - It was too much for a Sevilla side who had come into this tie with high hopes, having only been beaten by La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid, away, in their previous 19 outings. Lopetegui's team had won their previous nine matches on the bounce and had kept seven straight clean sheets before the arrival of Dortmund and Haaland. "This was one of our best performances of the season," Dortmund coach Edin Terzic, who replaced the sacked Lucien Favre after the group phase, told Sky. "We are pleased with the result and proud to have beaten such a team." Sevilla have won the Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, an incredible six times since 2005, but only once have they got past the last 16 of the Champions League, when they beat Manchester United in 2018 before losing to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. The quality of Haaland was the difference here as Dortmund, having sunk to sixth in the Bundesliga on a poor run of form, came to life on their return to the Champions League. "We had a good plan. Edin has been good and I've been talking a lot with him. He said today would be my game and that I would get my chances and I did, so it was an important win," Haaland told DAZN. Yet the game had started well for Sevilla, with Suso opening the scoring in the seventh minute, his shot deflecting in off Mats Hummels. Dortmund drew level in the 19th minute as Haaland showed terrific strength to hold the ball up on the right before coming infield and feeding Dahoud, who worked his way into position to fire a superb shot high into net from just outside the area. It was the first goal Sevilla had conceded in more than 12 hours of football. Eight minutes later they conceded again. Haaland dropped deep, collecting possession near the halfway line, and then turned and charged towards goal, playing a pass to Jadon Sancho on the edge of the box and then continuing on to place the return ball past goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. He struck again two minutes before half-time, slotting home first-time after Marco Reus had stolen the ball from the feet of Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez before bearing down on goal. However, Sevilla dominated the second half as Dortmund sat back, and the hosts got a potentially crucial second goal six minutes from the end. Oscar Rodriguez's high, hanging free-kick was turned into the net by De Jong, giving them something to cling to.

'One of the best in the world' - Haaland stars as Dortmund beat Sevilla

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti said he expects Manchester City to cruise to the Premier League title after Pep Guardiola's men opened up a 10-point lead at the top of the table with a 3-1 win at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

Riyad Mahrez scored the pick of the goals in between Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva's strikes as City extended their English top-flight record winning run to 17 games.

"It is really difficult to say another name in this moment," said Ancelotti when asked if his side had just been beaten by the champions.

"They are in a good form, they have belief and they are strong. We tried to be physical but it is difficult against Rodrigo, (Ruben) Dias and (Aymeric) Laporte."

Richarlison's first-half equaliser was little consolation for seventh-placed Everton, who have now won just one of their last six league games to fall five points behind in the battle for a top-four finish.

"We don't need to have regrets tonight," added Ancelotti as he looked forward to Saturday's Merseyside derby against Liverpool.

"It's a fantastic opportunity. We know how important this game is for our supporters."

This fixture was rearranged from late December due to a coronavirus outbreak affecting multiple players at City that threatened to derail their title challenge.

Guardiola's side were eighth in the table at the time, but have not dropped a point in their 10 league games since to streak clear of the chasing pack.

The visitors were without the in-form Ilkay Gundogan due to a groin injury, while Kevin De Bruyne was fit to return from a hamstring problem but only for a late cameo appearance off the bench.

Sergio Aguero was also among the substitutes, but Gabriel Jesus has failed to make the most of his chance to shine in the absence of the Argentine for most of the season and the Brazilian had another off night in front of goal as he blazed over an early chance.

When the deadlock was broken there was a hint of fortune to it as Foden's shot deflected off Seamus Coleman to leave the helpless Jordan Pickford wrong-footed.

Ancelotti's men had shown no attacking intent until conceding, but were immediately rewarded for pushing forward after falling behind as Lucas Digne's shot came back off the post and ricocheted in off Richarlison.

A moment of the highest quality saw City restore their lead just after the hour mark.

Silva's cushioned pass teed up Mahrez on the edge of the box and his sumptuous curling effort clipped the inside of the far post on its way into the net.

"We have the quality up front but always it comes through the passes," said Guardiola. "We need a little bit more patient, the second goal is an example of that. In the end we have to try and get the players up front in a better position."

The roles were reversed for the visitors' third 13 minutes from time as Mahrez and Jesus picked out Silva on the edge of the box and his shot had too much power for Pickford..

At the other end of the table, Fulham missed the opportunity to close to within four points of survival as Burnley came back from a goal down to salvage a 1-1 draw.

Both sides struck early in the second-half of a largely uneventful game as Ashley Barnes cancelled out Ola Aina's opener for Fulham.

A point for Fulham takes Newcastle's advantage over the bottom three to six points, while Burnley remain eight points clear of the drop zone and edge up to 15th.

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti said he expects Manchester City to cruise to the Premier League title after Pep Guardiola's men opened up a 10-point lead at the top of the table with a 3-1 win at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti said he expects Manchester City to cruise to the Premier League title after Pep Guardiola's men opened up a 10-point lead at the top of the table with a 3-1 win at Goodison Park on Wednesday. Riyad Mahrez scored the pick of the goals in between Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva's strikes as City extended their English top-flight record winning run to 17 games. "It is really difficult to say another name in this moment," said Ancelotti when asked if his side had just been beaten by the champions. "They are in a good form, they have belief and they are strong. We tried to be physical but it is difficult against Rodrigo, (Ruben) Dias and (Aymeric) Laporte." Richarlison's first-half equaliser was little consolation for seventh-placed Everton, who have now won just one of their last six league games to fall five points behind in the battle for a top-four finish. "We don't need to have regrets tonight," added Ancelotti as he looked forward to Saturday's Merseyside derby against Liverpool. "It's a fantastic opportunity. We know how important this game is for our supporters." This fixture was rearranged from late December due to a coronavirus outbreak affecting multiple players at City that threatened to derail their title challenge. Guardiola's side were eighth in the table at the time, but have not dropped a point in their 10 league games since to streak clear of the chasing pack. The visitors were without the in-form Ilkay Gundogan due to a groin injury, while Kevin De Bruyne was fit to return from a hamstring problem but only for a late cameo appearance off the bench. Sergio Aguero was also among the substitutes, but Gabriel Jesus has failed to make the most of his chance to shine in the absence of the Argentine for most of the season and the Brazilian had another off night in front of goal as he blazed over an early chance. When the deadlock was broken there was a hint of fortune to it as Foden's shot deflected off Seamus Coleman to leave the helpless Jordan Pickford wrong-footed. Ancelotti's men had shown no attacking intent until conceding, but were immediately rewarded for pushing forward after falling behind as Lucas Digne's shot came back off the post and ricocheted in off Richarlison. A moment of the highest quality saw City restore their lead just after the hour mark. Silva's cushioned pass teed up Mahrez on the edge of the box and his sumptuous curling effort clipped the inside of the far post on its way into the net. "We have the quality up front but always it comes through the passes," said Guardiola. "We need a little bit more patient, the second goal is an example of that. In the end we have to try and get the players up front in a better position." The roles were reversed for the visitors' third 13 minutes from time as Mahrez and Jesus picked out Silva on the edge of the box and his shot had too much power for Pickford.. At the other end of the table, Fulham missed the opportunity to close to within four points of survival as Burnley came back from a goal down to salvage a 1-1 draw. Both sides struck early in the second-half of a largely uneventful game as Ashley Barnes cancelled out Ola Aina's opener for Fulham. A point for Fulham takes Newcastle's advantage over the bottom three to six points, while Burnley remain eight points clear of the drop zone and edge up to 15th.

Man City beat Everton to march 10 points clear

Serena Williams broke down in tears and cut short her post-match press conference after another failed bid to equal Margaret Court's record Grand Slam haul, calling her defeat to Naomi Osaka "a big error day".

The veteran American's quest to reach a ninth Australian Open final and match Court's 24 major singles titles ended in a 6-3, 6-4 semi-final mauling by the Japanese third seed.

Williams, 39, broke early for a 2-0 lead before Osaka reeled off five straight games to leave her shellshocked.

"The difference today was errors. I made so many errors," said the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

"Honestly, it was opportunities where I could have won. I could have been up 5-0. It was a big error day for me."

Pressed on what caused her to make so many mistakes, tears began to flow as she told reporters: "I don't know. I'm done," before walking out.

In a clash of power games clashed, it was Osaka who had the edge, hitting 20 winners to Williams's 12, while also committing three fewer unforced errors on 21.

Williams said she had been hitting well all tournament and had no explanation for the loss other than "too many mistakes there, easy mistakes".

Osaka's victory left Williams still stranded on 23 Grand Slam crowns, one short of Court's tally, with her last major title coming in Melbourne four years ago when she was pregnant.

Williams has lost four Slam finals since and as she walked off court put her hand over her heart, almost as if saying farewell.

Asked about it afterwards, she suggested the gesture was more about acknowledging the crowd, who were allowed back into Rod Laver Arena after a five-day snap lockdown and gave the American a rousing send-off.

"I don't know. If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone," she said.

Serena Williams broke down in tears and cut short her post-match press conference after another failed bid to equal Margaret Court's record Grand Slam haul, calling her defeat to Naomi Osaka "a big error day".

Serena Williams broke down in tears and cut short her post-match press conference after another failed bid to equal Margaret Court's record Grand Slam haul, calling her defeat to Naomi Osaka "a big error day". The veteran American's quest to reach a ninth Australian Open final and match Court's 24 major singles titles ended in a 6-3, 6-4 semi-final mauling by the Japanese third seed. Williams, 39, broke early for a 2-0 lead before Osaka reeled off five straight games to leave her shellshocked. "The difference today was errors. I made so many errors," said the 23-time Grand Slam champion. "Honestly, it was opportunities where I could have won. I could have been up 5-0. It was a big error day for me." Pressed on what caused her to make so many mistakes, tears began to flow as she told reporters: "I don't know. I'm done," before walking out. In a clash of power games clashed, it was Osaka who had the edge, hitting 20 winners to Williams's 12, while also committing three fewer unforced errors on 21. Williams said she had been hitting well all tournament and had no explanation for the loss other than "too many mistakes there, easy mistakes". Osaka's victory left Williams still stranded on 23 Grand Slam crowns, one short of Court's tally, with her last major title coming in Melbourne four years ago when she was pregnant. Williams has lost four Slam finals since and as she walked off court put her hand over her heart, almost as if saying farewell. Asked about it afterwards, she suggested the gesture was more about acknowledging the crowd, who were allowed back into Rod Laver Arena after a five-day snap lockdown and gave the American a rousing send-off. "I don't know. If I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone," she said.

'I'm done': Williams walks out in tears after semi-final defeat

Naomi Osaka emphatically ended Serena Williams's latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam crown with a straight-sets demolition in the Australian Open semi-finals Thursday.

The Japanese third seed swept past the American veteran 6-3, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena in front of thousands of fans allowed back in after Melbourne lifted a snap five-day lockdown.

She will face either American Jennifer Brady or Czech Karolina Muchova on Saturday for a fourth Slam title after her success at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and last year, and Melbourne in 2019.

The victory left Williams, who won her last major in Melbourne in 2017, stranded on 23 Grand Slam titles as she strives to match Margaret Court's all-time record.

Since winning while pregnant in Australia four years ago, Williams has lost four Slam finals, including one to Osaka in a controversial and heated 2018 US Open decider which left both women in tears.

"I hit a lot of unforced errors in the first few games, I was just really nervous and scared," said Osaka, who reeled off five games in a row in the opening set after going 2-0 down.

"But then I sort of eased my way into it and the biggest thing for me was having fun."

"For me, it's always an honour to play her and I didn't want to go out (of the tournament) really bad, so I just tried my best," she added.

<h2>- Big-match experience -</h2>

While Osaka held a 2-1 head-to-head advantage going into the blockbuster clash, 39-year-old Williams had a huge edge on big-match experience.

Ahead of the showdown, she had won all eight of her previous semi-finals at Melbourne Park stretching back 18 years to when she beat Kim Clijsters on her way to her first title in Australia.

Her first ever Grand Slam semi, against Lindsay Davenport at 1999 US Open, was played when Osaka was just one.

But the 23-year-old boasted a 100 percent win record in Slams when she got past the fourth round, and she kept it intact Thursday.

Williams worked hard on her fitness during the off-season and quickly asserted herself, breaking Osaka straight away with the Japanese sensation having issues with the sun and ball toss.

She consolidated by holding serve, with Osaka guilty of five unforced errors in the opening two games.

Osaka said before the match she still felt intimidated seeing Williams on the other side of the net, but her early nerves soon settled.

She saved a break point in the next game and got off the mark with an ace, then broke back to level the scores at 2-2 when Williams sent a forehand long.

Now well and truly in her groove, with her forehand doing most of the damage, Osaka won five games in a row, and the set, to leave Williams stunned.

She broke again on Williams's opening serve of the second set, with the American screaming: "Make a shot, make a shot!"

With the crowd roaring her on, Williams stayed in touch and Osaka's eighth double fault gave her the American a break back.

But it was a short-lived reprieve with Osaka breaking again and calmly serving out for victory.

Naomi Osaka emphatically ended Serena Williams's latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam crown with a straight-sets demolition in the Australian Open semi-finals Thursday.

Naomi Osaka emphatically ended Serena Williams's latest bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam crown with a straight-sets demolition in the Australian Open semi-finals Thursday. The Japanese third seed swept past the American veteran 6-3, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena in front of thousands of fans allowed back in after Melbourne lifted a snap five-day lockdown. She will face either American Jennifer Brady or Czech Karolina Muchova on Saturday for a fourth Slam title after her success at Flushing Meadows in 2018 and last year, and Melbourne in 2019. The victory left Williams, who won her last major in Melbourne in 2017, stranded on 23 Grand Slam titles as she strives to match Margaret Court's all-time record. Since winning while pregnant in Australia four years ago, Williams has lost four Slam finals, including one to Osaka in a controversial and heated 2018 US Open decider which left both women in tears. "I hit a lot of unforced errors in the first few games, I was just really nervous and scared," said Osaka, who reeled off five games in a row in the opening set after going 2-0 down. "But then I sort of eased my way into it and the biggest thing for me was having fun." "For me, it's always an honour to play her and I didn't want to go out (of the tournament) really bad, so I just tried my best," she added. - Big-match experience - While Osaka held a 2-1 head-to-head advantage going into the blockbuster clash, 39-year-old Williams had a huge edge on big-match experience. Ahead of the showdown, she had won all eight of her previous semi-finals at Melbourne Park stretching back 18 years to when she beat Kim Clijsters on her way to her first title in Australia. Her first ever Grand Slam semi, against Lindsay Davenport at 1999 US Open, was played when Osaka was just one. But the 23-year-old boasted a 100 percent win record in Slams when she got past the fourth round, and she kept it intact Thursday. Williams worked hard on her fitness during the off-season and quickly asserted herself, breaking Osaka straight away with the Japanese sensation having issues with the sun and ball toss. She consolidated by holding serve, with Osaka guilty of five unforced errors in the opening two games. Osaka said before the match she still felt intimidated seeing Williams on the other side of the net, but her early nerves soon settled. She saved a break point in the next game and got off the mark with an ace, then broke back to level the scores at 2-2 when Williams sent a forehand long. Now well and truly in her groove, with her forehand doing most of the damage, Osaka won five games in a row, and the set, to leave Williams stunned. She broke again on Williams's opening serve of the second set, with the American screaming: "Make a shot, make a shot!" With the crowd roaring her on, Williams stayed in touch and Osaka's eighth double fault gave her the American a break back. But it was a short-lived reprieve with Osaka breaking again and calmly serving out for victory.

Osaka shatters Williams record bid to make Australian Open final

Gareth Bale is not playing regularly at Tottenham because he is coming towards the end of his medal-strewn career, his agent Jonathan Barnett said on Wednesday.

When the Wales international rejoined Spurs on loan from Real Madrid in September, the emotional homecoming was hailed as a perfect fit for the player and the club where he rose to global stardom.

Jose Mourinho's team have been involved in 22 Premier League matches following Bale's return to the north London club but the 31-year-old has started just two of those.

Mourinho last week questioned Bale's Instagram post which suggested he was in good health despite being unavailable to feature in his side's FA Cup defeat at Everton.

Asked why Bale was not playing regularly in his second spell at Spurs, Barnett, speaking at the Financial Times' Business of Football Summit, said: "He's towards the end of his career. Really, you have to ask Mourinho that."

Barnett defended Bale's record in the game -- the Welshman has won two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues at Real Madrid.

"When they say, 'What's happened to him?' -- he's won more trophies abroad than any British player in history," the agent said.

"He's done very well financially, and he has enough money for the rest of his life. He has a very good lifestyle, so that is what has happened to him."

Bale came through the ranks at Southampton and joined Spurs as a 17-year-old in 2007 before sealing a big-money move to the Bernabeu six years later.

Addressing his initial transfer to Spurs, Barnett, who has overseen the Welshman's career, said: "With Gareth, we always knew where he wanted to be.

"We knew he had the talent so when clubs came in, the first thing we did was look at the clubs that were there and the ones to progress his career.

"We chose Tottenham for clear reasons, the path to the first team and good coaching.

"We turned down two offers for more money at the time but we spoke with him, his parents and they listened to us and he ended up at Real Madrid."

Gareth Bale is not playing regularly at Tottenham because he is coming towards the end of his medal-strewn career, his agent Jonathan Barnett said on Wednesday. When the Wales international rejoined Spurs on loan from Real Madrid in September, the emotional homecoming was hailed as a perfect fit for the player and the club where he rose to global stardom.

Gareth Bale is not playing regularly at Tottenham because he is coming towards the end of his medal-strewn career, his agent Jonathan Barnett said on Wednesday. When the Wales international rejoined Spurs on loan from Real Madrid in September, the emotional homecoming was hailed as a perfect fit for the player and the club where he rose to global stardom. Jose Mourinho's team have been involved in 22 Premier League matches following Bale's return to the north London club but the 31-year-old has started just two of those. Mourinho last week questioned Bale's Instagram post which suggested he was in good health despite being unavailable to feature in his side's FA Cup defeat at Everton. Asked why Bale was not playing regularly in his second spell at Spurs, Barnett, speaking at the Financial Times' Business of Football Summit, said: "He's towards the end of his career. Really, you have to ask Mourinho that." Barnett defended Bale's record in the game -- the Welshman has won two La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues at Real Madrid. "When they say, 'What's happened to him?' -- he's won more trophies abroad than any British player in history," the agent said. "He's done very well financially, and he has enough money for the rest of his life. He has a very good lifestyle, so that is what has happened to him." Bale came through the ranks at Southampton and joined Spurs as a 17-year-old in 2007 before sealing a big-money move to the Bernabeu six years later. Addressing his initial transfer to Spurs, Barnett, who has overseen the Welshman's career, said: "With Gareth, we always knew where he wanted to be. "We knew he had the talent so when clubs came in, the first thing we did was look at the clubs that were there and the ones to progress his career. "We chose Tottenham for clear reasons, the path to the first team and good coaching. "We turned down two offers for more money at the time but we spoke with him, his parents and they listened to us and he ended up at Real Madrid."

Bale 'towards end of career', admits agent

Spanish great Rafael Nadal said he wouldn't blame quarantine or look for other excuses on Wednesday after his Grand Slam record bid was torpedoed by an inspired Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open.

Nadal's hunt for a record 21st major title ended in five sets against the Greek fifth seed, who came back from two sets down to win 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 7-5 in 4hr 5min in the quarter-finals.

The 34-year-old was playing his first tournament of the year after back tightness, following a stint in Australian quarantine, kept him out of the ATP Cup team competition.

But he refused to blame the unusual build-up to the coronavirus-disrupted Grand Slam for his surprise defeat.

"We can find excuses or reasons, or maybe this quarantine that we need to be more time in the room than usual," he said.

"But I'm not the guy that's going to find excuses on that or going to complain about what happened, no.

"Just accept. I never considered myself an unlucky person at all. Doesn't matter the injuries that I had. I think I am a very lucky person."

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev both hit out at quarantine after their quarter-final on Tuesday, blaming it for a rash of early-season injuries.

But Nadal dismissed talk of halting the tour, or playing it in a series of "bubbles" to avoid further stints in quarantine, as suggested by Djokovic.

"There are two options: stop the tour or keep going," he said.

"It's tough for the players, of course... but on the other hand, if we stop the tour, why and how and when we will be able to come back? And a lot of jobs gonna suffer a lot."

Nadal added: "We need to think a little bit bigger... we need to find solutions and we need to adapt to this very tough times that we are facing."

Spanish great Rafael Nadal said he wouldn't blame quarantine or look for other excuses on Wednesday after his Grand Slam record bid was torpedoed by an inspired Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open.

Spanish great Rafael Nadal said he wouldn't blame quarantine or look for other excuses on Wednesday after his Grand Slam record bid was torpedoed by an inspired Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Australian Open. Nadal's hunt for a record 21st major title ended in five sets against the Greek fifth seed, who came back from two sets down to win 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 7-5 in 4hr 5min in the quarter-finals. The 34-year-old was playing his first tournament of the year after back tightness, following a stint in Australian quarantine, kept him out of the ATP Cup team competition. But he refused to blame the unusual build-up to the coronavirus-disrupted Grand Slam for his surprise defeat. "We can find excuses or reasons, or maybe this quarantine that we need to be more time in the room than usual," he said. "But I'm not the guy that's going to find excuses on that or going to complain about what happened, no. "Just accept. I never considered myself an unlucky person at all. Doesn't matter the injuries that I had. I think I am a very lucky person." Defending champion Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev both hit out at quarantine after their quarter-final on Tuesday, blaming it for a rash of early-season injuries. But Nadal dismissed talk of halting the tour, or playing it in a series of "bubbles" to avoid further stints in quarantine, as suggested by Djokovic. "There are two options: stop the tour or keep going," he said. "It's tough for the players, of course... but on the other hand, if we stop the tour, why and how and when we will be able to come back? And a lot of jobs gonna suffer a lot." Nadal added: "We need to think a little bit bigger... we need to find solutions and we need to adapt to this very tough times that we are facing."

Nadal not blaming quarantine after Australian Open shock

Ronald Koeman said Barcelona were not ready yet to win the biggest trophies but Paris Saint-Germain showed them on Tuesday how far they have to go.&nbsp;

Kylian Mbappe ran riot at Camp Nou, his hat-trick signing off one of the great invididual performances of the Champions League era and elevating his status to arguably the most dangerous player in the world.&nbsp;

The 22-year-old certainly outshone Lionel Messi, even if snap comparisons are perhaps unfair on the Argentinian, given the mismatch in the teams each had behind them.&nbsp;

This was not a contest between Mbappe and Messi nor a failure on Messi's part that his Barcelona side were overrun, outclassed and ultimately obliterated, a 4-1 defeat putting PSG within sight of the quarter-finals.&nbsp;

Instead, it was a reality check for Koeman's Barca, a brutal assessment of where they are in their recovery and a measuring of the distance still to be covered before they can rejoin Europe's elite.&nbsp;

"I know where we are," said Koeman. "We have to change but we are not at the end of this road, we are halfway through."&nbsp;

The problem for Koeman was not the result, which many had expected before Neymar's injury and a string of encouraging displays in La Liga raised false hope.&nbsp;

If the mauling by Bayern Munich last season was the end of something for Barcelona, a cycle finished and players subsequently discarded, Koeman's project is, in theory, just beginning.&nbsp;

Of those that played on Tuesday, Pedri is 18 and Sergino Dest 20, with Oscar Mingueza, Francisco Trincao and Riqui Puig all 21. Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie De Jong are both 23.&nbsp;

For some of these players, this was the biggest game of their careers and it showed, the usually immaculate Pedri miscontrolling a pass or De Jong stumbling into an opponent instead of gliding by.&nbsp;

And yet what may trouble the players, Messi and perhaps Barcelona's incoming president next month was the extent of the gap, how by the end the full-time whistle felt like a relief.&nbsp;

In an interview with Movistar television afterwards, De Jong struggled to find the words. "I don't know, there is one leg left," he said. "It will be very difficult, we all know that, but we will try."&nbsp;

<h2>- 'We have to change' -</h2>

"There is always another match," said Koeman. "But after a 1-4 (loss) at home I'm not going to lie to you, there is very little chance."&nbsp;

He had gambled on the fitness of Gerard Pique and then took him off with 12 minutes left, not for injury but preservation. "There was no need to take risks," said Koeman, who was even asked if he had the desire to carry on.&nbsp;

"Fortunately I'm a fairly honest and up-front person," Koeman said. "If I was someone who gets happy when we win and then after a result like today said I had no desire to continue, that would be crazy.&nbsp;

"I know where we are. We have to change but we're not at the end of this road, we're halfway through."&nbsp;

Before kick-off, Koeman had arrived at the stadium gates in his car, with Barcelona fans cheering as they saw him and chanting his name.&nbsp;

Since his appointment last summer, Koeman has stabilised Barca, instilled a sense of purpose and promoted youth. He inherited a mess and has brought direction.

But he will know all that is just a platform, that the weeks between now and June will be what define his season and ultimately whether he stays on as coach.&nbsp;

Barcelona are eight behind Atletico Madrid in the league, trailpoints 2-0 to Sevilla in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey and now have a mountain to climb in Paris.&nbsp;

Some sort of crescendo may be needed. Even if PSG cannot be caught in the second leg, Koeman cannot afford humiliation. Not everything can be put down to transition.&nbsp;

"I am not sad," said Koeman. "It is a path that we are trying to go down and it's not the end of this path yet. It seems I am more realistic than others." Others may not be as patient either.

Ronald Koeman said Barcelona were not ready yet to win the biggest trophies but Paris Saint-Germain showed them on Tuesday how far they have to go. Kylian Mbappe ran riot at Camp Nou, his hat-trick signing off one of the great invididual performances of the Champions League era and elevating his status to arguably the most dangerous player in the world.

Ronald Koeman said Barcelona were not ready yet to win the biggest trophies but Paris Saint-Germain showed them on Tuesday how far they have to go. Kylian Mbappe ran riot at Camp Nou, his hat-trick signing off one of the great invididual performances of the Champions League era and elevating his status to arguably the most dangerous player in the world. The 22-year-old certainly outshone Lionel Messi, even if snap comparisons are perhaps unfair on the Argentinian, given the mismatch in the teams each had behind them. This was not a contest between Mbappe and Messi nor a failure on Messi's part that his Barcelona side were overrun, outclassed and ultimately obliterated, a 4-1 defeat putting PSG within sight of the quarter-finals. Instead, it was a reality check for Koeman's Barca, a brutal assessment of where they are in their recovery and a measuring of the distance still to be covered before they can rejoin Europe's elite. "I know where we are," said Koeman. "We have to change but we are not at the end of this road, we are halfway through." The problem for Koeman was not the result, which many had expected before Neymar's injury and a string of encouraging displays in La Liga raised false hope. If the mauling by Bayern Munich last season was the end of something for Barcelona, a cycle finished and players subsequently discarded, Koeman's project is, in theory, just beginning. Of those that played on Tuesday, Pedri is 18 and Sergino Dest 20, with Oscar Mingueza, Francisco Trincao and Riqui Puig all 21. Ousmane Dembele and Frenkie De Jong are both 23. For some of these players, this was the biggest game of their careers and it showed, the usually immaculate Pedri miscontrolling a pass or De Jong stumbling into an opponent instead of gliding by. And yet what may trouble the players, Messi and perhaps Barcelona's incoming president next month was the extent of the gap, how by the end the full-time whistle felt like a relief. In an interview with Movistar television afterwards, De Jong struggled to find the words. "I don't know, there is one leg left," he said. "It will be very difficult, we all know that, but we will try." - 'We have to change' - "There is always another match," said Koeman. "But after a 1-4 (loss) at home I'm not going to lie to you, there is very little chance." He had gambled on the fitness of Gerard Pique and then took him off with 12 minutes left, not for injury but preservation. "There was no need to take risks," said Koeman, who was even asked if he had the desire to carry on. "Fortunately I'm a fairly honest and up-front person," Koeman said. "If I was someone who gets happy when we win and then after a result like today said I had no desire to continue, that would be crazy. "I know where we are. We have to change but we're not at the end of this road, we're halfway through." Before kick-off, Koeman had arrived at the stadium gates in his car, with Barcelona fans cheering as they saw him and chanting his name. Since his appointment last summer, Koeman has stabilised Barca, instilled a sense of purpose and promoted youth. He inherited a mess and has brought direction. But he will know all that is just a platform, that the weeks between now and June will be what define his season and ultimately whether he stays on as coach. Barcelona are eight behind Atletico Madrid in the league, trailpoints 2-0 to Sevilla in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey and now have a mountain to climb in Paris. Some sort of crescendo may be needed. Even if PSG cannot be caught in the second leg, Koeman cannot afford humiliation. Not everything can be put down to transition. "I am not sad," said Koeman. "It is a path that we are trying to go down and it's not the end of this path yet. It seems I am more realistic than others." Others may not be as patient either.

Koeman faces scrutiny after PSG halt Barcelona revival

Delhi Capitals have made giants strides under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer under head coach Ricky Ponting. While the Delhi franchise is yet to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy, they have one of the best squads in the cash-rich tournament and would be looking to bolster their squad when players go&nbsp;under the hammer during IPL 2021 auction on February 18 (Thursday) in Chennai.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ahead of the much-awaited IPL 2021 auction, Delhi Capitals assistant coach&nbsp;and former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif has revealed DC's plan during Thursday's mini-auction. Kaif has said that Delhi Capitals will look to get back-up players in the IPL 2021 auction in a bid to bolster their bench&nbsp;strength&nbsp;for IPL 2021.&nbsp;&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-ms-dhoni-to-yuvraj-singh-costliest-picks-in-every-ipl-auctions-364071" hreflang="en">From MS Dhoni to Yuvraj Singh: Costliest picks in every IPL auctions</a>

"We have released a few players, so we will be looking to fill those gaps. I think flexibility is the key in the auction. One can have all the plans for the auction, but things can change on the auction table," Kaif said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
"We have to take spontaneous decisions. Our main players have been playing continuously and there are no fitness issues as well. So, we'll be looking to acquire some back-up players in tomorrow's auction," he added.&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/from-malan-to-smith-five-overseas-players-to-lookout-for-in-ipl-2021-auction-363192" hreflang="en">From Malan to Smith: Five overseas players to lookout for in IPL 2021 auction</a> 
&nbsp; 
Commenting on the current squad, another assistant coach Pravin Amre said, "To be honest, if we are asked to play tomorrow also, we have a playing XI ready with us, so I think that's the successful planning, and that's what we learned from other teams also, who back their core for a long time."&nbsp;

Overall, Delhi Capitals&nbsp;have&nbsp;eight spots open, including three overseas slots.&nbsp;However, a thin purse of INR 13.4 crore, could make things tough for them if they want to sign big-name players.&nbsp;

Delhi Capitals have made giants strides under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer under head coach Ricky Ponting. While the Delhi franchise is yet to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy, they have one of the best squads in the cash-rich tournament and would be looking to bolster their squad when players go under the hammer during IPL 2021 auction on February 18 (Thursday) in Chennai.

Delhi Capitals have made giants strides under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer under head coach Ricky Ponting. While the Delhi franchise is yet to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy, they have one of the best squads in the cash-rich tournament and would be looking to bolster their squad when players go under the hammer during IPL 2021 auction on February 18 (Thursday) in Chennai. Ahead of the much-awaited IPL 2021 auction, Delhi Capitals assistant coach and former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif has revealed DC's plan during Thursday's mini-auction. Kaif has said that Delhi Capitals will look to get back-up players in the IPL 2021 auction in a bid to bolster their bench strength for IPL 2021. ALSO READ: From MS Dhoni to Yuvraj Singh: Costliest picks in every IPL auctions "We have released a few players, so we will be looking to fill those gaps. I think flexibility is the key in the auction. One can have all the plans for the auction, but things can change on the auction table," Kaif said. "We have to take spontaneous decisions. Our main players have been playing continuously and there are no fitness issues as well. So, we'll be looking to acquire some back-up players in tomorrow's auction," he added. ALSO READ: From Malan to Smith: Five overseas players to lookout for in IPL 2021 auction Commenting on the current squad, another assistant coach Pravin Amre said, "To be honest, if we are asked to play tomorrow also, we have a playing XI ready with us, so I think that's the successful planning, and that's what we learned from other teams also, who back their core for a long time." Overall, Delhi Capitals have eight spots open, including three overseas slots. However, a thin purse of INR 13.4 crore, could make things tough for them if they want to sign big-name players.

IPL 2021: Mohammed Kaif reveals Delhi Capitals' strategy ahead of mini-auction

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