 "Neither Rohit Sharma nor MS Dhoni will be captain of their respective teams, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings respectively, when they two heavyweight franchises lock horns on Sunday in Mumbai. PTI")
Sports fans, especially those who follow cricket, are in for a treat this weekend with the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) set to witness the epic showdown between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), two of the most successful teams in the history of the cash-rich league.
The MI vs CSK rivalry is one of the most intense not just in the IPL but across T20 cricket, and this year’s showdown between the two heavyweight franchises — who have won the tournament five times each — carries special significance. This will, after all, be the first edition of IPL’s very own ‘El Clasico’ that will not have either Rohit Sharma or MS Dhoni as captain.
The weekend will also have Premier League’s top three — Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City — in action as they continue to fight for the top spot in what is turning out to be yet another thrilling race to the title in the Premier League this year.
As for tennis, the Monte Carlo Masters is set to reach its conclusion on Sunday, with 24-time Grand Slam champion and reigning Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner currently on collision course. Sinner, who defeated Djokovic in the Australian Open semis, faces Stefanos Tsitsipas while ‘Djoker’ goes up against Casper Ruud in the semi-finals of the clay-court event shortly after.
Here’s a detailed look at some of the standout sporting fixtures this weekend (timings in IST)
Cricket
Indian Premier League (Star Sports/JioCinema)
Saturday: Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals in Mullanpur (7.30 pm)
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSunday: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants in Kolkata (3.30 pm); Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai (7.30 pm)
Football
Premier League (Star Sports/Hotstar)
Saturday:
Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur — 5 pm
Manchester City vs Luton Town — 7.30 pm
AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester United — 10 pm
Sunday:
Liverpool vs Crystal Palace — 6.30 pm
West Ham United vs Fulham — 6.30 pm
Arsenal vs Aston Villa — 9 pm
LaLiga (Sports18/JioCinema)
Saturday:
Atletico Madrid vs Girona — 5.30 pm
Mallorca vs Real Madrid — 10 pm
Cadiz vs Barcelona — 12.30 am
Serie A (Sports18/JioCinema)
Saturday:
Torino vs Juventus — 9.30 pm
Sunday:
Napoli vs Frosinone — 4 pm
Sassuolo vs AC Milan — 6.30 pm
Udinese vs AS Roma — 9.30 pm
Inter Milan vs Cagliari — 12.15 am
Bundesliga (Sony Sports/SonyLIV)
Saturday:
Bayern Munich vs FC Cologne — 7 pm
Borussia Monchengladbach vs Borussia Dortmund — 7 pm
RB Leipzig vs Wolfsburg — 7 pm
Stuttgart vs Eintracht Frankfurt — 10 pm
Sunday:
Bayer Leverkusen vs Werder Bremen — 9 pm
Ligue 1 (Sports18/JioCinema)
Sunday:
Lyon vs Brest — 12.15 am
Tennis
Monte-Carlo Masters
Saturday:
Men’s Singles semi-finals: Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Jannik Sinner (5 pm); Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud (7 pm)
Sunday:
Men’s Singles final: To be announced.