🗞 Record ratings

G'day sports fans,

“I think there’s a few cracks in the windscreen, so I think we can exploit them and go from there” - Latrell Mitchell spices things up a before Thursday's clash.

🇦🇺 Aussie Sport

🏏 Having arrived in Ahmedabad, the Aussies are bracing themselves for what could be the biggest crowd they’ve ever played in front of. The stadium's capacity set at 132,000.

Indian curators appear to be hedging their bets to avoid any more furore over the wickets used in the Test series against Australia.

Either that, or the Ahmedabad groundsmen are waiting to see the respective line-ups before settling on the type of pitch to use on Thursday.

Eagle-eyed journalists noticed two separate pitches were being prepared at the Narendra Modi Stadium just a day out from the start of the fourth - and final - Test.

🏉 No stranger to head knocks, Luke Keary says players cannot be trusted when it comes to playing on and has thrown his support behind the controversial practice of independent doctors being in the NRL Bunker.

While Phil Gould has blasted the introduction of independent doctors to the Bunker as "the greatest abomination perpetrated on our game in history" (nine)

🇦🇺 Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has moved to temper supporters’ expectations of young tall Sam Darcy, saying his playing time will be carefully managed in 2023. (News)

📺 Fox Sports and Kayo have recorded their highest TV ratings in history in a blockbuster start to the NRL season over the weekend. Television figures were up 17 per cent over the first weekend compared to the first round of last season

1. SHARKS V RABBITOHS: 630,000

2. DOLPHINS V ROOSTERS: 567.000

3. PANTHERS V BRONCOS: 552,000

⚽️ Football Australia CEO James Johnson says he is enthusiastic about the "exciting" prospect of the NRL's Cronulla Sharks investing in a club in his organisation's new national second tier, welcoming any investment that is willing to buy into the competition's "DNA."

The Sharks were revealed as a party to one of 32 expressions Football Australia received to take part in a second division, joining forces with NPL NSW club the Sutherland Sharks to bring national league football back to Shark Park for the first time since Sydney Olympic's brief stint as the Olympic Sharks during the old National Soccer League. (espn)

Each of South Sydney’s last seven matches against reigning premiers have gone OVER the total match points line.

Cody Walker has scored a try in each of South Sydney's last five matches against Penrith.

Stephen Crichton has scored a try in six of Penrith's last seven matches against South Sydney.

👉🏻That treble pays a tasty $10.0 on Dabble 👈🏻

🏃🏻💨 Speedy Sports News

🏉 Official team lists, updates and injury news for Round 2 of the 2023 Telstra Premiership season. (NRL)

🇦🇺 Former Hawthorn star Ben Dixon believes Sydney Swans goal sneak Tom Papley could win the Brownlow Medal (Fox)

🏉 Cronulla Sharks captain Wade Graham has been unsuccessful at the NRL judiciary and had his suspension increased to a four-match ban.

🥊 Tim Tszyu has completed an extraordinary 333 rounds of sparring in preparation for his world title fight on Sunday. (news)

🐴 I Am Invincible continues to dominate Australian bloodstock, with one of his offspring fetching $1.1m at Oaklands Junction on Sunday. (news)

🌎 World Sport

⛳️ The PGA Tour continues its Florida swing this week for THE PLAYERS Championship. Iconic TPC Sawgrass will be the host and measures as a 7,256-yard par 72 with Bermuda grass greens.

There are water hazards on 17-of-18 holes which could mean chaos. The field this week yet again is loaded with 43 of the world’s top 50 golfers set to tee it up.

Last year's winner Cam Smith won't be in the hunt for the US$4.5m winners purse following his move to the LIV tour.

The Picks: Patrick Cantlay ($17.0) - Florida resident and coming off back-to-back top-fives from off the pace. Ranks #1 in tee-to-green stats. & Tom Kim ($34.0): Two wins on tour at 20yrs old. Ranks fourth overall in driving accuracy, and 10th in scrambling. (Get on Dabble here)

⛳️ A season 2 of Full Swing will be arriving on Netflix next year, with filming already underway. Did anyone actually watch season 1? (Golf Monthly)

🏉 A two-horse race (Japan coach Jamie Joseph and six-time Super Rugby-winning coach Scott Robertson) looks to have become three with incumbent All Blacks assistant coach Joe Schmidt throwing his hat into the ring to become the new All Blacks head coach.

🏉 Hurricanes' captain Ardie Savea has received a one-game ban for his throat-slitting gesture to Melbourne Rebels halfback Ryan Louwrens during the Super Rugby Pacific clash.

⚽️ Staff at Manchester United have been assured there should be "clarity" on the club's ownership situation before the end of the season. (ESPN)

🎾 World number one Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from this week's Indian Wells Masters event with the Serb unable to enter the United States.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner, 35, had applied for special permission to enter the US because he is not vaccinated against Covid-19.

🏈 The Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith reached agreement on a deal is for three years and $105 million, and includes $52 million in the first year.

🥎 Introducing Sepak Takraw: One of the most popular sports in South East Asia.

Sepak' is Malay for kick and 'Takraw' is Thai for woven ball, and that is the game. It is essentially 3-a-side kick volleyball.

📺 Live Sports TV Guide

TODAY

07:00 - UEFA Champions Lge R16 - Chelsea v Borussia Dortmund (Stan Sport)

11:30 - NBA - Minnesota Timberwolves v Philadelphia 76ers (ESPN)

11:30 - NHL - New York Islanders v Buffalo Sabres (ESPN 2)

14:00 - NBA - Los Angeles Lakers v Memphis Grizzlies (ESPN)

14:00 - NHL - Seattle Kraken v Anaheim Ducks (ESPN 2)

15:05 - Marsh One-Day Cup Final - Western Australia v South Australia Redbacks (Fox Cricket)

19:00 - Test Match - South Africa v West Indies (Fox Sports)

THURSDAY

04:30 - EuroLeague - Maccabi Tel Aviv BC v Fenerbahce Basketball (Fox Sports More)

07:00 - UEFA Champions Lge R16 - Bayern Munich v Paris Saint-Germain (Stan Sport)

07:00 - UEFA Champions Lge R16 - Tottenham v Milan (Stan Sport)

07:00 - EuroLeague - AS Monaco Basket v Panathinaikos BC (Fox Sports More)

09:00 - Test Match - New Zealand v Sri Lanka (Fox Cricket)

11:30 - NBA - New Orleans Pelicans v Dallas Mavericks (ESPN )

14:00 - NBA - Los Angeles Clippers v Toronto Raptors (ESPN)

14:20 - Test Match - New Zealand v Sri Lanka (Fox Sports)

15:00 - Test Match - India v Australia (Fox Cricket)

19:00 - Test Match - South Africa v West Indies (Fox Sports)

20:00 - NRL - Penrith Panthers v South Sydney Rabbitohs (Fox League or Channel 9)

22:30 - Test Match - South Africa v West Indies (Fox Cricket)