IPL players face 3-day quarantine

Players and support staff will have to undergo a three-day hard quarantine in their hotel rooms before entering the team bubble in the IPL, according to the quarantine protocols sent to the franchises on Thursday. “After the completion of three days (72 hours) of quarantine, test will be done on the fourth day and once the negative report comes, the participant can enter the bubble,” the IPL protocol document states. The rule though would not apply to those involved in a bubble to bubble transfer. Our Bureau

Max contract

Formula One world champion Max Verstappen will stay at Red Bull until at least the end of 2028, the team said on Thursday, after signing a five-year contract extension that will make him one of the sport’s top earners alongside Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton. The Milton Keynes-based squad did not disclose the financial terms of the new deal. Reuters

Woods award

Tiger Woods, who has not swung a club in an official tournament for more than a year, on Wednesday picked up a winner’s cheque worth about £6 million. Woods was named the first winner of the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program (PIP), an initiative set up to encourage player engagement with fans and sponsors. The Times, London

Arjun champion

Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi of Telangana won the Senior National Chess Championship here on Thursday, edging out GMs D. Gukesh and P. Iniyan in a tie-breaker after the trio finished on 8.5 points each. PTI

Valencia in final

Goncalo Guedes’s stunning strike earned Valencia a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg on Wednesday to take them to the final. Reuters

WTA deal

The Women’s Tennis Association’s stance in the case of Chinese player Peng Shuai has helped the organisation land a multi-year title sponsorship deal with American medical device maker Hologic, the New York Times reported on Thursday. Reuters