Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have left the West Indies and Zimbabwe cricket teams stranded in India, delaying their return home from the T20 World Cup.
International airspace closures and widespread flight cancellations across Gulf nations, stemming from escalating conflict between Iran, the US and Israel, have disrupted some of the world’s busiest transit hubs.
Both teams had recently exited the tournament; West Indies failed to reach the semi-finals after a five-wicket loss to hosts India on Sunday, while Zimbabwe was eliminated following three defeats in their Super Eights matches against West Indies, India and South Africa.
Zimbabwe Cricket confirmed the situation in a social media post, stating: “The Zimbabwe men’s team remains safe and well in India… the squad was scheduled to return home via Dubai.”
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West Indies were knocked out of the T20 World Cup by India on Sunday (AFP via Getty Images)
Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced they are working closely with the sport’s global governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), to secure safe travel arrangements for their players and staff.
The ICC, which is headquartered in Dubai, had previously activated contingency plans for its own personnel who were also scheduled to transit through the region.
CWI reiterated their primary concern, adding: “The safety and well-being of our players, coaches, and officials remain our highest priority.”
Both team had impressed during the early stages of the tournament, with Zimbabwe beating Australia and Sri Lanka in their group, while West Indies also went through the initial group stage unbeaten after picking up an impressive win against England.
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However, they came unstuck in the Super Eights, and will not be involved in this week’s semi-finals.
The first semi-final is due to take place on Wednesday, with an unbeaten South Africa taking on New Zealand.
The following day, England and India will meet in Mumbai for the third consecutive time at the semi-final stage of the T20 World Cup.
Double Olympic medallist and world champion PV Sindhu will not be able to participate in this year’s All England Badminton Tournament. The All England Tournament is scheduled to be held in Birmingham from March 3 to 8. Because of the US-Iran conflict, PV Sindhu has been stuck in Dubai. She kept sharing updates about herself and other passengers on Instagram. Sindhu also said that the Dubai airport authorities and Emirates airlines have taken good care of her. Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary Sanjay Mishra said, “We have been in constant touch with PV Sindhu. The first and most important thing is that she is safe there. But in the current situation, she will not be able to travel to Birmingham for the All England Tournament.
“But she will participate in the Swiss Open, which is scheduled between March 10 and 15.”
He added that it is still difficult to say when the airspace will reopen, and whether Sindhu will travel directly to Switzerland from there or return to India first.
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According to the Badminton Association of India, this uncertainty is the reason Sindhu withdrew her name from the All England Badminton Championship. The double Olympic medallist and five-time world championship medallist, including a gold, had recently shown signs of returning to form. In such a situation, this is a major setback for her and for Indian badminton.
Sindhu may be out of the All England event, but Sanjay Mishra said, “Look, apart from Sindhu, many other Indian players have already reached Birmingham. India will now be represented by the likes of Dhruv Kapila, Tanisha Crasto, Rohan Kapoor, Ritvika Shivani, Malvika Bansod, Unnati Hooda, Chirag Shetty, Satwik Reddy, Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty and K Srikanth.”
The Badminton Association of India expressed hope that Sindhu may be able to leave Dubai in the next two-three days. For now, Sindhu is completely fine both mentally and physically, and is bravely handling the difficult situation
Jade Cargill has made herself a new enemy ahead of this week’s episode of WWE RAW. Tonight’s edition of the red brand will air live from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Piper Niven took a brutal shot at WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill today on social media. Niven suggested that she didn’t need to embarrass Cargill on social media because if the champion was given enough ring time, she would do it to herself. You can check out Niven’s insult in the post below.
Thanks for the submission!
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“Who tf even said anything about you?! Contrary to your belief, the world doesn’t actually revolve around you. No point to even embarrass you on this app, give you enough ringtime and you’ll do it yourself,” she wrote.
Niven is out of action with a neck injury and hasn’t been in action since her victory over Charlotte Flair on the August 22, 2025, episode of SmackDown. Rhea Ripley won the Women’s Elimination Chamber match at the PLE this past Saturday night and will be challenging Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship.
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Popular WWE star wants to take the title from Jade Cargill
SmackDown star Kiana James recently suggested that she was ready to dethrone Jade Cargill.
Speaking on TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast, James praised Cargill but claimed that she knew her weaknesses. Kiana James suggested that she would go into their title match prepared and was ready for the challenge.
“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Jade is phenomenal in her own right, and obviously she’s champion, but I think, again, the competitive edge that I have is right up here and I’ve been studying, you know, she’s been champion, and I’ve been able to see, I’ve been able to watch strengths, weaknesses, what are her go-tos, how does she work in the ring. So if I went into that match, I’m definitely prepared, and I have some tricks up my sleeve or some tricks in my handbag that I’d be more than ready to get after it with Jade.”
KIANA JAMES FLEXING ON EVERYONE RIGHT NOW #Smackdown
It will be fascinating to see if Kiana James gets the opportunity to challenge Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship in the future.
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PV Sindhu pulled out of the All England Championships on Monday, as the shuttler and her Indonesian coach Irwansyah Adi Pratama are stuck in Dubai due to the situation in West Asia.Confirming the development, Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary Sanjay Mishra told TOI that Sindhu will compete in next week’s Swiss Open Super-300 tournament. “Sindhu is not playing All England due to the situation in Dubai. She will compete in Swiss Open next week,” Mishra told TOI.
Jay Shah’s 2036 Olympic blueprint for India: ‘8 Medals won’t cut it’
As of Monday afternoon, a limited number of flights resumed operations from Abu Dhabi, but the Dubai airport is still shut.The rest of the Indian squad is in Birmingham for the Super-1000 tournament beginning Tuesday.Meanwhile, Indian shuttlers will attempt to break the 25-year-old jinx at this prestigious championship. Prakash Padukone (1980) and Pullela Gopichand (2001) were the only Indians to win the All England Championships.Saina Nehwal (2015), Lakshya Sen (2022) reached the finals, while the women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand reached the last four stage in 2022 and 2023.Lakshya may find it difficult this year as he has drawn top seed Shi Yuqi of China in the first round. Fast-rising men’s singles shuttler Ayush Shetty will begin against Alwi Farhan of Indonesia and may face Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei next.The top Indian doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty face the Malaysian duo of Aaron Tai and Kang Khai Kang Xing in the first round. A victory here may pitch them against Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi of China in the second round.Treesa and Gayatri have done well in this tournament, but they have a tough first round against Sayaka Hirota and Ayako Sakuramoto. If they beat the Japanese, they may be up against seventh-seeded Chinese duo of Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min.
Welbeck has impressed this season and is currently the club’s top goalscorer with 11 goals in 30 appearances, the latest coming in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest.
His performances have put him in contention for an England recall in the lead up to this summer’s World Cup, with boss Thomas Tuchel revealing before the qualifiers in November he gave serious consideration to handing Welbeck a place in his squad.
Tuchel names his next squad – the last before selecting his World Cup party – later this month.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler has made clear his desire to ensure Welbeck stays at the club in recent weeks.
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Welbeck joined Brighton in October 2020 after leaving Watford and has since scored 48 goals in 191 appearances.
The team from Morphettville led by Gordon Richards and Damien Moyle hold a Plan B ready if showers materialise across the weekend as predicted.
They have nominated Tapinforpar for The Dominant Advantage Handicap (1400m) over Morphettville Parks track this Saturday, although Richards views the weather prognosis unfavourably.
Assuming the rain does come, Richards stated Tapinforpar is set to be scratched in favour of the Murray Bridge program a Saturday hence.
Nevertheless, current arrangements target Saturday, with Richards reporting the gelding in excellent shape for his 1400m tilt.
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“This prep has been really good,” Richards said.
“He won first-up over 1200 (metres) at Gawler and then I thought he was caught in the wrong part of track second up and it could have been a bit of the ‘old’ second-up syndrome as well, but he didn’t get beaten very far.
He ran well the other day, but being a big horse, he had trouble negotiating through the field and then he dived late.”
Richards allowed that Tapinforpar may fare better on Morphettville’s more open expanse than at Parks, but appreciates the 1400m.
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“We’ve got him out over a mile a couple of times and he tends to over-race early and then doesn’t have the finish,” Richards said.
“The only place they have 1400-metre races is at Murray Bridge or the inner track here at Morphettville.
Murray Bridge is alright, he has raced well up there before, and our intentions were if he didn’t draw a barrier this week, we would go to the Bridge next week.
He’s drawn a good barrier, but having said that, I don’t know what’s going to happen with the rain.
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It might throw everyone’s plans into confusion.”
As Richards put it, Tapinforpar’s last preparation fell short, owing to damp surfaces.
Now, Tapinforpar has regained his dependable streak this campaign, poised for a win to breach $300,000 prizemoney.
Richards persists with jockey Connor Murtagh after his first mount on the gelding last start.
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“He’s consistent, but you seem to go up in the ratings when you run seconds or thirds without getting a picture on the wall,” Richards said.
“We’ve stuck with Connor because he rode him well the other day and the horse seemed to respond to him and he’s learned a bit about the horse also.
We’re hoping that will pay a dividend.”
Head to the betting sites for competitive racing betting markets on The Dominant Advantage Handicap.
Man Utd youngster Chido Obi was forced off the pitch after suffering a head injury playing for the U21s on Monday.
Manchester United youngster Chido Obi was substituted just a few minutes into the Under-21s’ game against Chelsea due to a head injury. Obi pressed the Chelsea goalkeeper from kick-off, and the clearance struck his head.
The youngster received medical attention and was substituted after a lengthy delay. Obi was applauded by fans as he got to his feet, and Under-21s interim manager Adam Lawrence checked if he was ok.
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It remains to be seen whether the head injury keeps the youngster out of the FA Youth Cup quarter-finals against Sunderland on March 18.
The Premier League and FA have rules on how to deal with head injuries, which outline clear ‘return to play’ guidelines for players who are suspected of having suffered a concussion. Those rules state that no player will be allowed to return to a competitive game for at least six days.
After that, players are allowed to progress by a step every 24 hours. The steps are: No physical activity, light aerobic exercise, sport specific exercise, non-contact training drills, full contact training, and then return to play (after an all-clear from the club’s medical officer).
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Obi will be assessed in the coming days, and he may face a nervous wait to see whether he passes the concussion protocols in time to feature in the Youth Cup quarter-finals at Old Trafford.
Naturally, his unsavoury behaviour outside the ring has resulted in a prolonged spell of inactivity, which is also why the WBA no longer considers him an active champion.
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The 31-year-old’s last outing saw him make a successful WBA title defence, boxing to a controversial draw against Lamont Roach in March 2025, before inking a deal to face Jake Paul in an exhibition match.
Due to allegations of domestic violence, though, Davis was ultimately removed from the event and replaced by Anthony Joshua, who scored a sixth-round finish over Paul in December.
As for the vacant WBA lightweight title, boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported via social media on Monday that the organisation will order a clash between Floyd Schofield and Lucas Badhi.
“Letters expected to go out this week but [the WBA] told me [on] Sunday it will order Floyd Schofield-Lucas Bahdi [for the] vacant 135[lb] title.”
Schofield has not fought since his blistering first-round finish over Tevin Farmer in June, when the 23-year-old cemented himself as the WBA’s leading lightweight contender.
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Placed just behind him in the rankings is Bahdi, another unbeaten operator, who comes off a unanimous decision victory over Roger Gutierrez in August.
As per the WBA’s rules and regulations, both parties will be given a 30-day negotiation window once their world title fight is ordered, with their matchup heading to a purse bid hearing if a deal cannot be reached.
CBS’s long-running partnership with the Masters (rightfully) earns the plaudits as golf TV’s most prominent handshake agreement, but it’s certainly not the only one.
NBC’s partnership with the Ryder Cup has lasted three decades, and on Monday afternoon, the network and the PGA of America announced it would continue into a fourth, announcing a media rights extension that will carry through the 2033 Ryder Cup at the Olympic Club in San Francisco.
The partnership extension — which included an associated agreement with USA Sports, the current owners/operators of Golf Channel — prolongs the PGA of America’s long-term partnership with NBC, the network which played a considerable role in building out the Ryder Cup from one of golf’s proudest exhibitions into a commercial and economic behemoth capable of sustaining two of golf’s largest governing bodies, the PGA of America and the DP World Tour.
Few golf fans know that the Ryder Cup owes a debt of gratitude to golf’s friends at Major League Baseball, and its network partners at NBC, for infusing a jolt of energy and financial viability into the event. After all, it was former MLB commissioner Bart Giamatti who opened the door for the Ryder Cup on NBC by splitting from the network in the winter of 1988 — and it was NBC who seized the newfound window of opportunity by signing a shrewd agreement with the Ryder Cup in 1990, paving the way for the famed War by the Shoreto capture the hearts and minds of golf fans nationwide, dramatically expanding the economic impact of the Cup in the process.
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As GOLF.com first profiled back in 2023, an up-and-comer in Dick Ebersol’s NBC Sports department was the first network executive to see the potential in the Ryder Cup as a TV venture. His name was Jon Miller, and he intuited an opportunity in NBC’s golf coverage. At the time, the network had lots of PGA Tour telecasts, but no major championships. While the Ryder Cup wasn’t a “major” in the traditional sense, it provided many of the components that made for compelling golf (and sports) television: two heated rivals, a pesky group of American underdogs, and a vaunted collection of European villains who’d won three straight editions of the Cup.
The Cup also had something compelling for NBC: a dearth of traditional TV partners capable of NBC’s broad cultural impact. The potential partnership was beneficial on both sides of the negotiating table: a new TV property for Ebersol’s (suddenly beleaguered) sports department, and a new TV partner for the PGA of America.
Ebersol loved Miller’s idea, and before long the contract was in ink. When the American side won in dramatic fashion the following fall at Kiawah Island, the Cup was a sports sensation, and NBC’s agreement went from ink to stone.
While NBC’s domain over the Cup might not be considered as ironclad or as vast as CBS’s with the Masters (which will enter a seventh decade in 2026), the network and the PGA of America have maintained a close relationship in the decades since that first Ryder Cup. While the rights to the Ryder Cup could go anywhere — especially as a one-off event with huge commercial potential — it is a testament to the strength of the relationship and the residual goodwill from that first leap in 1990 that NBC remains the partner of choice.
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For NBC, the announcement provides an interesting window into the latest shape of the network’s golf partnerships, which have come under increased scrutiny as Peacock continues to add sports programming by the truckload. NBC’s growth strategy in the age of streaming appears to be predicated upon the strength of sports TV rights, which have proven to be one of the few consistent vectors of attention in an increasingly fractured media economy — and the explosion of new rights to NBC (including, ironically, the return of Major League Baseball) has led some to question the long-term viability of golf on the network.
The PGA of America deal will give NBC the rights to the Cup through 2033, extending a year beyond NBC’s existing deal with the USGA, which will provide U.S. Open coverage through 2032, and three years beyond the network’s existing deal with the PGA Tour, which ends in 2030.
The US-Israel war with Iran has caused many sporting events in the region to be postponed. The conflict is also affecting other events farther afield, largely by forcing changes to travel arrangements. Some questions cannot yet be answered.
Iranian women kick off Women’s Asian Cup campaign
The 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup kicked off on Sunday – a day after the US and Israel began launching airstrikes on Iran, but also a long way away from the conflict, in Australia. On Day 2 of the tournament, on Monday, all eyes were on the Iranian team, one of 12 taking part in the Women’s Asia Cup. The Iranian women took to the pitch as scheduled and there appeared to be no outward sign of the conflict raging in their homeland. South Korea dominated the football match from the outset, perhaps to have been expected given that they sit at 21st in the FIFA women’s rankings, well above Iran at 68. South Korea won easily 3-0.
Formula 1: Australian GP to go ahead.
Formula 1 motor racing officials have sought to play down the impact of the US-Israel war with Iran on the 2026 season, which is to open with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday, March 8.
“Our next three races are in Australia, China and Japan and not in the Middle East ― those races are not for a number of weeks,” an F1 spokesman said. “As always, we closely monitor any situation like this and work closely with relevant authorities.”
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Australian Grand Prix and Formula 1 officials say next weekend’s opening race is a go despite having to make some quick travel rearrangementsImage: Chris Putnam/ZUMA/IMAGO
However, the conflict has the series scrambling to rearrange travel plans.
Travis Auld, managing director of the Australian Grand Prix, estimated that the number of people linked to the race who had to make alternative plans was around 1,000.
He said instead of flying to Australia via Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha, many had opted for Singapore or Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, tire supplier Pirelli has said that its testing of wet weather tires planned for the Sakhir circuit in Bahrain over the weekend had been scrapped for safety reasons.
Cricket: English team’s match canceled, alternative T20 travel plans
Sunday’s match between the England Lions developmental team and the Pakistan Shaheens in Abu Dhabi was cancelled, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced Saturday.
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“The safety and security of our teams and staff is our top priority,” the ECB said in a statement.
The England Lions, a developmental team, saw their match in Abu Dhabi called off on the weekendImage: Richard Wainwright/AAP/IMAGO
It also announced that while it was delaying the departure of the England women’s team to Abu Dhabi next week, the men’s team, currently playing in the Twenty20 World Cup, would travel from Sri Lanka to Mumbai for Thursday’s semifinal against India as planned.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Saturday said it was working on alternate flight plans for visiting players and officials seeking to return home from the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, due to the conflict.
Euroleague Basketball announced the cancellation of the adidas NextGen EuroLeague qualifying tournament in Abu Dhabi, citing safety concerns.
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The eight-team competition was called off during the second quarter of the opening match between Monaco and Aris Thessaloniki.
“After careful evaluation and ongoing consultation with relevant authorities and stakeholders, it was determined that cancelling the event is the most responsible course of action at this time,” the league said in a statement on Sunday.
Domestic football leagues suspended, ‘Finalissima in doubt’
Several football associations in the region have announced that they have suspended play over the conflict. Among these were the Qatar FA, which postponed all matches from Sunday, and the Persian Gulf Pro League, Iran’s top flight. The Israeli Premier League has also suspended play for the time being.
Also on Sunday, Asian soccer’s governing body postponed continental club championship playoffs scheduled in the Middle East for this week, saying AFC Champions League Elite Round of 16 games would be rescheduled.
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The ‘Finalissima’ between Spain and Argentina is scheduled for March 27 in Lusail Stadium in Doha, QatarImage: David Ramos/Getty Images
Meanwhile the “Finalissima” match slated for March 27 in Doha is in doubt. The contest is to pit European Championship winners Spain against Copa America champions Argentina.
Paralympics: Iranian, Israeli athletes qualified
One athlete each has qualified from Iran and Israel to represent their countries at the Paralympic Games in Milan Cortina, which open on Friday, March 6. Iran’s Abolfazl Khatibi is a 23-year-old para-cross-country skier, while Israel’s Sheina Vaspi, 24 is a para-alpine skier, who competed at the 2022 Paralympics in Bejing four years ago. It’s not clear how the conflict could affect their participation.
Men’s football World Cup: Will Iran participate?
Even as the women were playing their opening match at the Women’s Asian Cup, the big question on football fans’ minds all over the world is whether the Iranian men would do the same at this summer’s World Cup.
Iran’s group matches are all scheduled to be held in the United States, with two matches in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.
The president of Iran’s FA now says he can’t yet say whether the team will take part.
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