Manchester United have officially appointed Argentine manager Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach on a two-and-a-half-year contract, replacing Michael Carrick. Pochettino will take charge from November 18 after completing his responsibilities with the United States men's national team. The appointment follows United's disappointing start to the 2026–27 Premier League season, with the club sitting 18th in the relegation zone after collecting just eight points from 10 matches. Pochettino, formerly of Tottenham, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, faces the immediate challenge of reviving United's performances. His first major test is against Liverpool on November 22. (PC: AP)

New Zealand opener Will Young smashed a superb 125 off 108 balls after receiving two early lifelines from India's fielders in the fourth ODI at Mount Maunganui on Friday. Rohit Sharma and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan dropped consecutive catches when Young was batting on five. He capitalised on the opportunities, helping New Zealand post 333 runs. Tim Seifert contributed 58, while India's bowlers recovered towards the end, restricting New Zealand to 68 runs in the final 10 overs. Axar Patel led the bowling effort with two wickets, but India's early fielding mistakes proved costly. (PC: BCCI)

India suffered a historic batting collapse against New Zealand in the fourth ODI at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, on Friday, November 13. Chasing 334, the visitors lost three wickets without scoring by the end of the first over, marking the first time India had lost three batters in an ODI's opening over. Rohit Sharma was caught by Finn Allen off the first ball for a golden duck. Virat Kohli followed, bowled by Henry on the fifth ball for four-ball duck. Captain Shreyas Iyer was then trapped lbw by Henry, also without scoring. The collapse left India reeling at 0 for 3 after just six deliveries.

Manipur’s Lairenlakpam Ambekar Meetei made history on November 12 by winning India’s first-ever Youth Olympic Games boxing gold, defeating Ireland’s Jubani Kristian 3-2 in the men’s 50kg final at Dakar 2026. His victory also gave India its first gold at the ongoing edition, taking the country’s tally to nine medals: one gold, three silver and five bronze. India stood ninth in the overall standings. Shourya Ambure became the first Indian woman to win a Youth Olympics athletics medal, claiming bronze in the 100m hurdles. Gunjan reached the women’s boxing final after beating Britain’s Lily Bassett 4-1, offering India another gold opportunity. India’s best previous haul was 13 medals in 2018.

Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins was spotted having an animated conversation with his wife, Becky, on a Sydney street, attracting social media attention. The footage emerged as former Australian opener Usman Khawaja reignited the 2018 Sandpapergate controversy in his autobiography, Sabr. Khawaja alleged that the entire Australian dressing room knew about the ball-tampering plan during the South Africa Test series. David Warner supported his claims, while Mitchell Starc maintained his earlier position of having no prior knowledge. Cummins has scheduled a press conference for November 13 to address the allegations. 

Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho is set to return to competitive football at 46, joining Italian club Ravenna FC for its Serie C derby against Forli on November 15. The appearance will mark his first competitive match in more than 11 years, having last played for Brazilian side Fluminense in September 2015. Although he announced his professional retirement in 2018, Ronaldinho will now feature as both a player and stakeholder at Ravenna, owned by his friend Ignazio Cipriani. He is also targeting a major milestone, having finished his professional career with 299 goals. One more strike would take his tally to 300. (PC: AP)

Former Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri has become the first male participant in FIFA's Player Impact Programme. The initiative aims to help footballers bring positive changes to society. The second edition includes 13 players from different countries. Chhetri attended a three-day workshop in Boston, USA, in June. Players discussed ways to support education, mental health and equal access to sports. Chhetri said he was happy to join the programme and learn from other players. The participants will meet again in London and online in December to present their social projects and share their progress.  

Mumbai Indians have said they will take their time to decide on a new captain for the 2027 Indian Premier League (IPL) season after trading Hardik Pandya to Punjab Kings. The 5-time champions confirmed the move on Wednesday, with India pacer Arshdeep Singh joining Mumbai in exchange. In an official statement, the franchise said it would take a “considered approach” to evaluating its captaincy options and announce its decision at the appropriate time. Hardik led Mumbai for the last 2 seasons after replacing Rohit Sharma in 2024. Rohit, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah could be among the possible contenders. (PC: News18)

Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings have completed a major player exchange ahead of the IPL 2027 season. Former MI captain Hardik Pandya will join Punjab Kings for ₹18 crore, receiving a ₹1.65 crore increase from his previous ₹16.35 crore contract. In exchange, Indian left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh will move to Mumbai Indians, retaining his existing ₹18 crore fee. The trade ends Pandya’s second stint with Mumbai, where he captained the franchise for three seasons. Punjab expects Pandya’s all-round abilities to strengthen its squad, while Mumbai aims to improve its pace-bowling attack with Arshdeep’s arrival. (PC: X)

Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Divya helped India win their second gold medal at the 2026 ISSF World Shooting Championships in Doha on November 10. The Indian trio topped the women’s 25m pistol team event with a combined score of 1791-68x at the Lusail Shooting Complex in Qatar on Tuesday. South Korea claimed silver with 1748-66, while Vietnam took bronze with 1745-45x. The victory marked India’s first gold medal by women shooters at this edition of the championships. India’s earlier gold came in the men’s 50m pistol team event, where Amanpreet Singh, Ravinder Singh and Saurabh Chaudhary secured the top position. Bhaker and Singh also qualified for the individual event final. (PC: X)