CNN
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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
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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.”

CNN
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Shohei Ohtani missed the Los Angeles Dodgers’ game against the Texas Rangers on Friday as he stayed with his wife ahead of the birth of their first child.

“He’s on paternity. He and Mamiko are expecting at some point. That’s all I know,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters.

“I don’t know when he’s going to come back. I don’t know when they’re going to have the baby. But obviously, they are together in anticipation.”

The Japanese star is now on the paternity list, where he can stay for up to three days, according to MLB.com. If he needs more time off, he can be put on the restricted list.

There is a “chance” that Ohtani returns to the team later this weekend, Roberts said, though he added he did not know what day that could be.

“He’s a very good compartmentalizer, he loves his sleep so it’ll be interesting to see how the sleep wins out or doesn’t win out when you have a baby,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers, who defeated the Rangers 3-0 on Friday in Ohtani’s absence, have two more games in Texas on Saturday and Sunday. They then travel to Chicago to take on the Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ohtani announced in February 2024 that he had married Mamiko Tanaka, a former star for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League, though he initially kept her identity secret before releasing a photo of her two weeks later.

In December, he then announced they were expecting their first child, posting a picture on Instagram of his dog, Decoy, lying next to a sonogram picture, baby romper suit and tiny shoes.

Before going on the paternity list, Ohtani had featured in all 20 of the Dodgers’ games this season, hitting .288 with a .930 OPS and picking up where he left off after enjoying a historic 2024 season.