Sports Highlights May 23: Srikanth Kidambi Advances To Malaysia Masters Semis; Angelo Mathews Announces Test Retirement

Greetings and a very warm welcome to everyone joining us today. We will bring to you all that is current and relevant in the world of sports on Friday, May 23. Watch this space for more.

We have to matches featuring Indian players in the BWF Malaysia Masters 2025 today:

Men's singles: Srikanth Kidambi (India) vs Toma Junior Popov (France) 바카라� 1:20 PM IST

Mixed doubles: Dhruv Kapila/Tanish Crasto (India) vs Zheng Bang Jiang/Ya Xin Wei (China) 바카라� 7:30 AM IST

While the German football season may technically be over, the Bundesliga playoffs started yesterday, with the first leg being played between FC Heidenheim and Elversberg.

The visitors, who finished third in the second division, held for an away draw, and will look to make history on 27 May to become the smallest team ever to play in the German top flight. Read the full match report.

While Mt Everest has seen several stories of bravery and determination over the years, one such story from 19 May stands out. Chhonzin Angmo, from Himachal Pradesh, became the first visually impaired women in the world to scale the tallest mountain peak in the world.

The 29-year-old, hailing from a family of farmers in the Chango vaillage, is the first visually impaired Indian climber to achieve this feat, and the fifth worldwide.

The Sports Ministry has revisited the Scheme of Assistance programme for the national sports federations, increasing the diet charges for senior athletes from INR 690 to INR 1000 per day, and for junior players, from INR 480 to INR 850 per day. On top of that, a monthly allowance of INR 10,000 has been alloted to each probable athlete for non-camp days.

Meanwhile, the coaching salaries have been hiked by 50% percent, in a bid to attract the top coaches for each sporting discipline.

Lionel Messi has 860 goals to his name, behind only Cristiano Ronaldo among active players. But which goal is his favourite? Read here to find out. Hint: It's not even from his legendary left foot!

Sky Sport's Kaveh Solhekol has revealed that at least one English Premier League clubs, and multiple Championship clubs have approached Saudi Arabian billionaire Turki Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, seeking investment opportunities.

Although the GEA have never invested in English football before, Alalshikh did own Spanish club Almeria, which he bought for GBP 20 million in 2019, but sold it another Saudi group SMC this week.

India's Malaysia Masters journey begins on a sour note today as the duo of Dhruv Kapila and Tanish Crasto lost comprehensively against the Chinese pair of Jiang and Wei by 22-24, 13-21, in the mixed doubles quarter-final.

Joe Root became the fastest player to reach 13,000 Test runs after scoring 34 against Zimbabwe on 22 May. As a result, he overtook Jacques Kallis' record, as well as going over legends like Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. Read the full story.

Indian skeet shooter Razia Dhillon has won the silver medal in the women바카라�s skeet event at the ISSF Junior World Cup, after landing on 51 of 60 possible shots in the final match. She finished behind Great Britain바카라�s Phoebe Bodley-Scott (53), but overtook home favourite Annabella Hettmer.

This is the first ISSF medal at any level for Dhillon, who had earlier won a silver at the Asian Championships last year.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are targetting a top-two finish during their match against SunRisers Hyderabad tonight. But will key players, including captain Rajat Patidar, be fit enough to play?

Head coach Andy Flower has given the fitness updates regarding RCB players ahead of the make-or-break match. Read the full article.

Josh Hazlewood, who did not return to India after suffering a niggle during IPL 2025's suspension, is reportedly aiming to return to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team, ESPNcricinfo said. Read the full news report.

India U-23's new head coach Naushad Moosa has named a 29-player probable squad for the team's friendly matches in Tajikistan next month.

India U-23 Probable Squad List:

Goalkeepers: Sahil, Priyansh Dubey, Md Arbaz

Defenders: Nikhil Barla, Dippendu Biswas, Bikash Yumnam, Pramveer, Clarence Fernandes, Sajad Hussain Parray, Muhammed Saheef, Subham Bhattacharya, Suman Dey

Midfielders: Vibin Mohanan, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Vinith Venkatesh, Harsh Patre, Rahul Raju, Lalrinliana Hnamte, Macarton Louis Nickson, Manglenthang Kipgen, Chingangbam Shivaldo Singh, Mohammed Aimen, Huidrom Thoi Singh

Forwards: Parthib Sundar Gogoi, Md Suhail, Korou Singh Thingujam, Mohammed Sanan K, Alan Shaji, Joseph Sunny

After signing a new three-year deal, Brazilian forward Raphinha has said that is his "dream" to stay at FC Barcelona until the end of his career. Read the full news story.

Meanwhile, one legend who will NOT be signing a new contract is Real Madrid's Luka Modric, who has confirmed that he will be leaving Santiago Bernabeu at the end of this season, 13 years after signing from Tottenham Hotspur.

Real Madrid captain Luka Modric has confirmed that he will leave the club at the end of their FIFA Club World Cup campaign this summer. The 39-year-old Croatian midfielder, who won the Ballon d바카라�Or in 2018, will make his final appearance at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday when Real host Real Sociedad in their last La Liga match of the season.

바카라�The moment has arrived, the moment I never wanted to come,바카라� Modric wrote on Instagram. 바카라�But that바카라�s football, and in life, everything has a beginning and an end.바카라�

The BCCI announced that online ticket sales for the TATA IPL 2025 Playoffs begin on May 24, with District by Zomato as the official ticketing partner.

RuPay cardholders get 24-hour early access starting May 24 for Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator at New PCA Stadium, and from May 26 for Qualifier 2 and the Final at Narendra Modi Stadium. General sales start May 25 for the first two matches and May 27 for the last two.

The Indian Open of Surfing, the second event in the National Surfing Championship series, is set to make a comeback for its sixth edition from May 30 to June 1. Hosted by the Mantra Surf Club against the scenic backdrop of Sasihithlu Beach, the competition will be organized by the Surfing Swami Foundation, as confirmed by the Surfing Federation of India (SFI).

Professional boxer Georgia O'Connor has died at 25 after a cancer diagnosis earlier this year. The Durham native, who previously battled ulcerative colitis, won gold at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games and went unbeaten in her three pro fights. Promoter Boxxer called her "a true warrior" and mourned the loss of a talented and courageous young fighter.

India may have missed out on the World Test Championship final, but the country will still be represented on the field. Former pacer Javagal Srinath has been appointed the match referee for the marquee clash, while Nitin Menon, making his WTC final debut, will serve as the fourth umpire.

Sri Lanka's experienced all-rounder Angelo Mathews has announced his retirement from Test cricket, confirming that the opening match of the two-Test series against Bangladesh next month will be his final outing in the format. Mathews shared the news on Friday through his official social media account.

Read full story HERE.

That's the end of our live coverage of the live news and updates from the sporting world on May 23. Join us tomorrow for more such hour-by-hour updates.