Sports News Highlights: Stoinis Announces ODI Retirement Ahead Of Champions Trophy; Liverpool Set For EFL Cup Clash Against Spurs

🔜Good morning and a warm welcome to our live sports blog for the day. We have an action-packed day lined up, so stay tuned for all the updates.

🐻Real Madrid beat Leganes in a five-goal thriller at the Estadio Municipal de Burtarque to progress to the semi-finals of the Copa Del Rey on Wednesday night. Luka Modrid, Endrick, and Gonzalo Garcia were all on the score sheet for Los Blancos.

The Portuguese-born Goncalo Oliveira who represents Venezuela has been provisionally suspended for doping . The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITA) said the 29-year-old was tested on Nov. 25 while competing at an ATP 🐟Challenger event in Manzanillo, Mexico and the A sample was positive for methamphetamine.

👍Bayer Leverkusen displayed a comeback masterclass, showcasing a brilliant turnaround to book their place in the DFB-Pokal semi-finals, as they came from behind to deny Koln 3-2 at the BayArena.

🧜Daniil Medvedev failed to rally a second consecutive comeback victory after he crashed out of the Rotterdam Open, failing to beat Mattia Bellucci. Whereas, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime had to retire after two sets against Andrea Vavassori with a toe injury.

🔥India's Shrivalli Bhamidipaty and Riya Bhatia made their way into the quarterfinals after beating Mai Hontama and Kyoka Okamura from Japan at the L&T Mumbai Open along with compatriots Prarthana Thombare and Rutuja Bhosale.

Vidarbha have retained their 17-member squad to face Tamil Nadu in their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal from February 8.

Vidarbha Squad:ဣ Akshay Wadkar (c&wk), Atharva Taide, Aman Mokhade, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Akshay Karnewar, Yash Kadam, Akshay Wakhare, Aditya Thakare, Shubham Kapse, Nachiket Bhute, Siddhesh Wath (wk), Yash Thakur, Danish Malewar, Parth Rekhade, Karun Nair, Dhruv Shorey.

💙Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva called it right at the all-important toss and has opted to bat first.

Sri Lanka💫 (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva(c), Kusal Mendis(w), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Nishan Peiris, Lahiru Kumara

Australia♉ (Playing XI): Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith(c), Josh Inglis, Alex Carey(w), Beau Webster, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Kuhnemann, Nathan Lyon

꧑The NFL’s global expansion continues with Australia becoming the sixth country to host a regular-season game. After conducting site visits in Melbourne and Sydney to assess the feasibility of playing Down Under, the league has confirmed the move as part of its strategy to grow the sport internationally.

US President Donald Trump 🦄has signed an executive order that bars transgender women from competing in female categories of sports. The order outlines guidance, regulations, and legal interpretations, and tasks the Department of Education with investigating high schools suspected of not adhering to the new rule.

🦩Marcus Smith is poised to start at full-back, while Fin Smith is set to take the fly-half role for England in Saturday's Six Nations match against France at Allianz Stadium. If confirmed, this will be a first Test start for Northampton's 22-year-old Fin Smith, who has earned his previous seven caps as a substitute.

𒁃Niraj Kumar secured the gold medal in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event, while Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar took silver and Olympic bronze medallist Swapnil Kusale earned the bronze at National Games 2025.

🅷The Los Angeles Lakers made another move to bolster their team Wednesday night, acquiring center Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets. Headed to Charlotte are sharp-shooting rookie Dalton Knecht, veteran Cam Reddish, an unprotected future first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap.

🅷Ireland have won the toss and opted to bat first against Zimbabwe.

Check the Playing XIs and Preview HERE.

🎀Following the conclusion of the T20I series, India and England shift their rivalry to the 50-over format, beginning with the first ODI on Thursday, February 6, at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. England’s Jos Buttler won the toss and chose to bat first.

Get live updates for IND vs ENG HERE.

⭕Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has announced his sudden retirement from ODIs despite being named in the country's Champions Trophy squad. Citing a desire to "fully focus on the next chapter" of his career, Stoinis' decision adds to Australia's selection challenges, as the team already grapples with injuries to key players.

💟The director of the Fiji Rugby Union, Laijipa Naulivou, has been fired just days into her new role after making controversial remarks about the women’s national team having a "gay problem."

🌌The Fiji Rugby Union announced on Wednesday that her appointment was terminated, following backlash from women's rights advocates who condemned the "harmful and discriminatory" comments.

🐟Australia head coach Joe Schmidt will step down from his role with the Wallabies at the end of the Rugby Championship in October after signing a new short-term deal. Schmidt, the former Ireland boss, replaced Eddie Jones as head coach in 2023.

ඣNetherlands have edged out Thailand by a solitary wicket in the Nepal women's T20I tri-series. The Dutch side chases down a 110-run target in a last-ball thriller to emerge victorious. Netherlands and Thailand are now level with eight points each from four wins apiece, though the Dutch have played one game more. Hosts Nepal, meanwhile, are yet to open their account.

🌃It is stumps in Galle. Sri Lanka have stuttered their way to 229 for nine after 90 overs of play in the first day. Australia will surely be happy with how things have transpired after they lost the toss. But the pitch is anything but flat, so we will only know what a good score is once both teams have batted on the surface.

With that, our coverage of today's sports news and events comes to an end. Head over to our live India vs England blog HEREꦅ for real-time updates on the first ODI. We will be back tomorrow with our daily coverage of all that is current in the world of sports. Until then, goodbye.