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Kings relieved after first win

Underperforming Chittagong Kings heaved a sigh of relief when they beat Barisal Burners by 21 runs to record their first win in the second edition of the Bangladesh Premier League in Khulna on Thursday. Kings, the most expensively-assembled BPL franchise, who have one of the best teams on pen and paper, were under immense pressure to deliver after they lost their... Full story

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Shahriar slams ton as KRB end losing streak

Shahriar Nafees became the first Bangladeshi cricketer to score a century in the Bangladesh Premier League as Khulna Royal Bengals ended their losing streak in style with an emphatic 68-run win over Duronto Rajshahi on Thursday. Shahriar slammed 102 off 69 balls, also the first century of BPL-2, which adding with Lou Vincent’s 51-ball 89, took Royals Bengals... Full story

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Djokovic storms into final

Defending champion Novak Djokovic crushed David Ferrer to reach the Australian Open final Thursday as Victoria Azarenka ignited a timeout row in setting up a women’s title match with China’s Li Na. Full story

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BFF confirms int’l tourney in October

Bangladesh Football Federation on Thursday decided to hold an eight-nation international competition in October this year where some big teams from Asia are expected to participate, apart from hosts Bangladesh. Full story

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Pakistan offers insurance to foreign cricketers

The head of Pakistan’s cricket board Thursday offered foreign players insurance worth $2 million and up to $100,000 tax free income in a bid to lure them to join the troubled country’s new Twenty20 league. Full story

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Why worry? Li pledges to enjoy final

A smiling Li Na has pledged simply to enjoy her tennis after earning a second shot at the Australian Open title, two years after being outgunned by Kim Clijsters. The Chinese world number six said she did not... Full story

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Azarenka defends controversial timeout

Victoria Azarenka defended herself against a storm of criticism Thursday after she took a medical timeout at a crucial stage of her Australian Open semi-final defeat of teenager Sloane Stephens. Full story

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Corporate Badminton begins

The 1st Ispahani Corporate Badminton Grand Slam-2012 began on Thursday at the Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium at Paltan with 19 corporate houses participating in the meet. A total of 94 shuttlers – 78 men and 16 women – from... Full story

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Pakistan admits player warning may affect league

Pakistan Wednesday tried to brush aside security worries over its first major Twenty20 league but admitted a warning from the international players association not to take part may have an impact. Full story

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Red cards spoil Real’s progress into semis

Real Madrid survived red cards for Fabio Coentrao and Angel Di Maria, and an injury to Iker Casillas, to draw 1-1 in Valencia, and qualify for the King’s Cup semi-finals 3-1 on aggregate on Wednesday. Karim Benzema netted just before halftime to put Jose Mourinho’s side 3-0 up in the tie, before Coentrao picked up a second yellow card for a handball... Full story

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Swansea reach League Cup final

Swansea City scored another victory for the underdog as they knocked out Chelsea to reach the League Cup final but Wednesday’s second leg is more likely to be remembered for the bizarre sending off of Eden Hazard for kicking a ball-boy. Full story

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United defend spate of new sponsors

Premier League giants Manchester United have dismissed suggestions that they have diluted their brand by announcing a glut of new sponsorship deals. Just last week, United revealed they had signed agreements with Chinese... Full story

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Vintage Arsenal tear West Ham

Oliver Giroud netted a double, Lukas Podolski scored and set up three more as rampant Arsenal closed the gap on the Champions League positions by thumping West Ham United 5-1 in their rearranged Premier League match on Wednesday. Arsenal, finding a spark and much-needed self belief after successive league defeats by title-chasing Manchester City and Chelsea, ran riot with four goals in 12 mad minutes... Full story

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Real break 500m-euro mark

Real Madrid have become the first club in any sport to generate more than 500 million euros in revenue in a single year, according to the business advisory firm Deloitte. The company’s Football Money... Full story

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SOCCERLINE

Pele statue to be unveiled at Maracana A life-size, bronze statue honouring Brazilian football legend Pele is to be unveiled in June for the reopening of Rio’s renovated, iconic Maracana stadium. Renowned Brazilian sculptor Ique is currently... Full story

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Perez denies Mourinho rift report

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez angrily denied a report in Marca sports daily on Thursday that said there was a rift between coach Jose Mourinho and club captains Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos. Full story

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Casillas sidelined with thumb fracture

Real Madrid goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas fractured the thumb in his left hand during Wednesday’s King’s Cup quarter-final second leg in Valencia, the Spanish club said Thursday. The 31-year-old was forced off the pitch 16... Full story

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Llorente signs four-year deal with Juventus

Athletic Bilbao’s Spain forward Fernando Llorente will join Juventus at the end of the season after signing a four-year deal, the Italian club said on Thursday. ‘The future of Fernando Llorente is black and white,’ Juve said in... Full story

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Roma edge Inter

AS Roma defeated Inter Milan 2-1 in the Italian Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday, but face a wait of almost three months to play the second leg. Four days after the two sides drew 1-1 in Serie A, Roma were... Full story

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Buffon extends Juve deal

Italian international goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is extending his contract with Juventus by two years through to 2015, the club said Wednesday. Buffon, 34, ‘has extended his deal with the club for two further years through... Full story

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Baggio quits FIGC role

Former World Cup star Roberto Baggio has quit his post at the Italian Football Federation claiming the absence of allotted finances had stopped him carrying out his role. Baggio, known affectionately as the ‘Divine Ponytail’ during... Full story

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