The following are the top/expected stories at 2100 hours: STORIES ON WIRE: SPO-CRI-IPL-QUARANTINE On behalf of IPL-bound Australia and English players, senior star requests BCCI to reduce quarantine duration By Kushan Sarkar New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Australia and England’s IPL-bound stars, who are supposed to undergo a six-day quarantine after arriving in the UAE, have requested the BCCI to reduce the duration to three days to ensure their availability from the start of the tournament. SPO-CRI-IPL-SRH-PREVIEW Flaming Orange: What will be VVS Laxman’s strategy to beef up Sunrisers’ thin middle-order? By Aparajita Upadhyay New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Armed with a lethal top-order and a solid spin attack, Sunrisers Hyderabad as usual is an epitome of a balanced T20 side which will again be among the top four likely contenders for a play-off spot in this year’s Indian Premier League. SPO-BAD-LD VIMAL I blame Asian nations’ withdrawals for Thomas & Uber Cup postponement: Vimal Kumar By Amit Kumar Das New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Former India badminton coach Vimal Kumar on Tuesday blamed the withdrawals by Asian nations for the postponement of the Thomas and Uber Cup Final, calling it a “big setback” for the sport.

SPO-VIRUS-SAI-SOP SAI upgrades COVID-19 SOP, tells athletes to self-isolate for 15 days before joining camps New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Athletes who get the nod to train at the restarted national camps will have to undergo 15-day self-isolation before joining in, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) announced on Tuesday, “upgrading” the Standard Operating Procedure to tackle the COVID-19 threat at its facilities. SPO-SHOOT-COACHES-LD CAMP NRAI receives request from chief coaches to organise national camp By Abhishek Hore New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has received a request from the chief coaches in rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines to organise a one-month national camp for the Olympic core group to ensure better preparation.

SPO-CRI-IPL-DC-AXAR Delhi Capitals certainly have the firepower to go all the way this time: Axar Patel Dubai, Sep 15 (PTI) Delhi Capitals all-rounder Axar Patel on Tuesday said he has “ticked all the boxes” in every department and reckoned the franchise has the firepower this time to win the IPL title, which has so far eluded them. SPO-CRI-IPL-DEVDUTT Feeling good after multiple sessions, legs are moving quicker: RCB’s Padikkal Dubai, Sep 15 (PTI) Royal Challengers Bangalore’s young batsman Devdutt Padikkal says he is feeling as good about his game as it was before the COVID-19 lockdown after a good two and half weeks of skills training ahead of the IPL.

SPO-CRI-IPL-MCDONALD RR coach McDonald says ‘not sure’ about Stokes’ availability Dubai, Sep 15 (PTI) Rajasthan Royals head coach Andew McDonald says the franchise is “not sure” about the availability of star all-rounder Ben Stokes in the upcoming IPL as he is tending to his ailing father in New Zealand. SPO-HOCK-MANPREET COVID-19 episode made me mentally stronger, says hockey skipper Manpreet Bengaluru, Sep 15 (PTI) India hockey skipper Manpreet Singh says going through a stressful isolation period while recovery from coronavirus has made him a mentally strong player who is now equipped to tackle any situation on the field. SPO-PCB-ECB-BIOBUBBLE PCB seeks advice from ECB on bio-secure bubble for Zimbabwe series Karachi, Sep 15 (PTI) The PCB has sought advice from the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on creating a bio-secure environment for the forthcoming international series against Zimbabwe, starting next month.

SPO-VIRUS-LD BAD BWF postpones Thomas and Uber Cup Finals to next year after pullouts, Denmark Open to go ahead New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) The Thomas and Uber Cup in Denmark was on Tuesday postponed to next year by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) following a wave of withdrawals by top teams due to the raging COVID-19 pandemic. SPO-CRI-CSA-SASCOC CSA holds ‘positive meeting’ with SASCOC Johannesburg, Sep 15 (PTI) Suspended by the country’s Olympic body for “maladministration”, Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Tuesday said it had a “positive meeting” with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee as it looks to find a collaborative approach. SPO-CRI-LD-PATIL-DEAD Former India player SR Patil dead Mumbai, Sep 15 (PTI) Former India player Sadashiv Raoji Patil, who represented the country in one Test match, died at his residence in Kolhapur on Tuesday. SPO-MINISTRY-KHELO INDIA Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE) to come up in 6 more states New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) With an aim to tap young talent, the Sports Ministry is set to establish the Khelo India Centre of Excellence (KISCE) in six more states. The states of Assam, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya and Sikkim have been identified as the beneficiaries in the second leg.