CNN
 — 

Teenage phenom Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest ever cricketer to appear in the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he made his debut for the Rajasthan Royals on Saturday at the age of just 14 years and 23 days.

Suryavanshi, who was opening the batting for the Royals against the Lucknow Super Giants, promptly hit his first ball for six to the delight of the packed crowd at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

He eventually scored 34 off 20 balls before he was stumped by Rishabh Pant off Aiden Markram’s delivery in the ninth over, ending an 85-run partnership he shared with Yashasvi Jaiswal for the first wicket.

And as Suryavanshi walked off, television cameras caught him wiping away a tear, perhaps caught in the enormity of the moment.

The IPL is India’s most lucrative sporting competition and one of the biggest leagues in the world, valued at $12 billion in 2024, according to Reuters.

Even Google CEO Sundar Pichai congratulated Suryavanshi on his debut, posting on X: “Woke up to watch an 8th grader play in the IPL!!!! What a debut!”

Despite the history-making day for Suryavanshi, the Royals succumbed to an agonizing two-run loss against the Super Giants.

“It was important to give Vaibhav the opportunity when the right moment presented itself and I think today was the day,” Sairaj Bahutule, the Rajasthan Royals spin bowling coach, said after Saturday’s game, according to the franchise.

“Vaibhav is a great kid with a good head on his shoulders. He almost has a 360-degree game. He is courageous, brave and always wants to dominate. He doesn’t care much for who is bowling to him. His philosophy is see the ball and hit the ball.”

Before making his debut, Suryavanshi had already made history last November as the youngest player to have his rights purchased at the IPL auction. The Royals bought them for 11 million Indian rupees (around $130,000) after a bidding spree with the Delhi Capitals forced his price up.

CNN
 — 

The NBA Playoffs officially tipped off with a sizzling four-game slate on Saturday.

In the night’s finale, the Los Angeles Lakers fell to a heavy defeat in front of their home fans, losing 117-95 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of their Western Conference best-of-seven series.

The Lakers hit the halftime break reeling, down 59-48, and things only got worse as Minnesota jumped out with an 11-0 run in the third to extend the lead to 22. Anthony Edwards, who finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, torched the Lakers with a 3-pointer that stretched the lead to 27 points with just over five minutes left in the third.

But the Lakers, sparked by their new superstar Luka Dončić, refused to go quietly. A 13-3 run clawed them back into the fight, and Dončić sent the crowd at Crypto.Com Arena into a frenzy, drilling a halfcourt buzzer-beater at the end of the third to cut the deficit to 94-78.

Minnesota weathered the Lakers surge, countering with a 12-2 run in the fourth quarter to shut down any hopes of a comeback.

Jaden McDaniels led the Wolves’ charge with 25 points and nine rebounds, while Julius Randle added 16 points. The Timberwolves knocked down a franchise playoff-record 21 3-pointers.

For the Lakers, Dončić finished with eight rebounds and game-high 37 points – tying George Mikan for the second-highest haul in a Laker postseason debut. LeBron James contributed 19 points in the loss.

“I’m not sure physically we were ready, if that makes sense,” said Lakers head coach JJ Redick. “And really, when they started playing with a lot of thrust and physicality, we just didn’t respond immediately to that, and then that stretch from the start of the second through four, five minutes to go in the third.

“We lost that stretch by 34, so that’s a blowout.”

Both teams will return to the court for Game 2 on Tuesday, April 22.

Elsewhere, the New York Knicks stunned the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden, orchestrating a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter to erase an 11-point deficit and seal Game 1, 123-112.

Jalen Brunson scored a game-high 34 points, overcoming early shooting struggles and a late injury scare to hand the Pistons an NBA record-extending 14th straight playoff loss.

Brunson started the first half shooting 2-of-13 from the field, but finished 12-for-27, including eight points in the game-clinching run. In the fourth quarter, the star guard appeared to tweak his right ankle on several occasions, before going to the locker room to change his shoes

“Obviously, we didn’t end the third quarter the way we wanted to, but there was never a doubt that we’re going to just lay down and not fight,” Brunson said after the game. “We had to find a way to figure things out and keep battling and I mean, it turned around quickly.”

Both squads will return to the court on Monday in New York.

It was a back-and-forth battle between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1, with the Nuggets escaping with a 112-110 win in overtime.

The Clippers took a 15-point lead in the first half but the Nuggets battled back and by the final minutes of regulation the teams were trading the lead back and forth.

Neither team was willing to give an inch and, in the end, 48 minutes was not enough to settle things.

In overtime, the decisive moment came from an unlikely source in Christian Braun, who hit a 3-pointer with a minute left to put Denver up by four.

Pesky defense from veteran Russell Westbrook created a key turnover to let the Nuggets ice it from the free-throw line.

In the first game of the four-game slate, the Indiana Pacers’ strong first half set the pace en route to a 117-98 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

In a rematch of last year’s first-round series, the Pacers held a 67-43 lead at halftime and never looked back to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series.

Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 25 points and seven rebounds, while Tyrese Haliburton added 10 points and 12 assists in the win.

For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 points and 12 rebounds in the loss. Milwaukee was without star guard Damian Lillard, who missed the contest with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. According to reports, Lillard could come back to play in either Game 2 or 3.

CNN
 — 

As Rory McIlroy sunk to his knees in celebration, the party of all parties was about to begin.

McIlroy ended his long wait to win the Masters last Sunday, joining an exclusive list of golfers to complete golf’s career grand slam – winning each of the four majors.

And back in his native Northern Ireland, the celebrations were just about to begin, despite the late hour.

Images from inside the Holywood Golf Club clubhouse – the place where McIlroy began his golfing journey and where he is an honorary member – show the pure delight at seeing one of their own finally banish his demons, jumping to their feet and cheering as McIlroy drained his winning putt before embracing one another.

Trevor Heaven, the men’s captain at Holywood, remembers the feeling of seeing the local boy finally slip on the famous green jacket.

“Oh, it was fantastic: the emotions, the excitement, the crowd, the noise,” Heaven told CNN Sports. “People jumping up and down, people going outside because they couldn’t watch it, it was just a fantastic evening.”

It’s not been an easy journey for McIlroy, having to endure 11 years of highs and lows as he strived to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win all four majors.

Those years were filled with the joy of winning other, big-name tournaments but also the lows of injuries, near misses and high-profile collapses – none more so than at the 2011 Masters where he blew a big third-round lead to finish tied for 15th.

But the turbulent nature of his career since exploding onto the scene almost 15 years ago makes his victory at Augusta even sweeter, says Heaven.

“Over the years, he’s always gone down, he’s gone up, he’s gone down, but he’s always come back. He’s a battler,” Heaven explained. “He always gets his way around and he finds a way to win.

“This time on Sunday, when he had the disappointment on the 13th hole, he pulled it back on the 15th hole, then he pulled it back on the 17th hole, and then he had to do it all again on the playoff. It was such an achievement that it’ll go down in history as one of the greatest Masters ever.”

McIlroy’s journey into golf has become part of local folklore, beginning as an avid fan of Tiger Woods and spending long hours on the driving range honing his skills from a young age.

Heaven first encountered McIlroy when he was six years old and remembers he and Michael Bannon – another aspiring player and now McIlroy’s coach – hitting drives down the 17th hole at Holywood Golf Club.

“All the other golfers used to be coming through the course, and they used to stop and watch, and they just couldn’t believe how good he was at that age, hitting the balls down the 17th hole,” Heaven remembers.

McIlroy was always surrounded by golf, Heaven explains, beginning with his grandfather Jimmy who was a member at Holywood.

McIlroy’s parents, Gerry and Rosie, went to great lengths to ensure that McIlroy could fulfill his full potential as a golfer, as Heaven paid tribute to their dedication for providing him with an opportunity to flourish.

“When (McIlroy) was growing up as a young boy, Gerry and his mom, Rosie, they had many jobs to support Rory,” Heaven explained. “To support him on his career, to take him to all the tournaments, to travel all around Ireland so he could enter the tournaments.

“And it was such a commitment by the parents, everyone in Holywood acknowledges that, that they went through hard times to make Rory turn up at all the tournaments.”

And all the hard work and long hours have paid off with McIlroy cementing his name in the history books with his victory at this year’s Masters.

Winning at Augusta National had become the one achievement that had remained elusive for McIlroy across his golfing career, but with that weight no longer on his back, Heaven believes he can go onto bigger and better things and surpass 10 major titles – he currently has five – now that the “shackles are off.”

“I think it’s a free run over the next couple of years, and he’s so talented that when he turns up to all the golf tournaments, he’s always the favorite,” he said.

“But Rory pushes through the ‘Rory-coaster.’ He makes us wait but the excitement, the humbleness of the guy, the professionalism of the guy, the homeboy of Holywood, it’s an unbelievable achievement that he’s done, and he’s now a global superstar.”