Here at the ESPN daily blog, we bring you all the news from the dynamic world of Indian sports, from the wide variety of Olympic sports to franchise leagues.
April has plenty of sporting action taking place - which you can find listed out in ESPN India's sporting calendar.
Sumit Nagal exits the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakesh in the pre-quaters
Sumit Nagal fought hard before crashing out in the men's singles pre-quarterfinals of the Marrakech Open. The Indian lost 6-1 3-6 4-6 to Lorenzo Sonego of Italy, failing to hold on to the momentum of winning the first set with ease. Sonego, ranked 61 in the world displayed his class and experience on clay courts, defeating Nagal who reached a career-high rank of 95 recently..
As for other Indians in the Marrakech Open, the pair of Yuki Bhambri and his French partner Albano Olivetti registered a 6-3 6-4 win over the duo of Bart Stevens (Netherlands) and Petros Tsitsipas (Greece) in the pre-quarterfinals.
ISL: East Bengal boost playoff hopes with 4-2 win over Kerala Blasters
East Bengal ran out 4-2 winners against nine-man Kerala Blasters to boost their playoff hopes in a pulsating tie in Kochi. Fedor Cernych opened the scoring for the Blasters before Jeakson Singh was sent off shortly before half-time. Saul Crespo scored either side of half time to give East Bengal the lead, which was followed by a brace from Mahesh Singh with a Hijazi Maher own-goal sandwiched in between.
The result means Carles Cuadrat's side climb from 11th to 7th in the table, and are only a point behind Bengaluru FC in sixth, whom they face next on Sunday, April 7. As for the Blasters, they've confirmed their spot in the playoffs and have no chance of winning the title, which means all they have left to play for is potentially overtaking FC Goa and thus earn a home draw in the playoffs.
AIFF close investigation into alleged harassment case
Without naming names, the All India Football Federation, apparently closed a harassment investigation involving their employees.
Here's the AIFF's entire statement on the matter:
The Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the All India Football Federation, which investigated an alleged harassment case recently, has come to the following conclusion:
That the ICC is not in a position to continue the investigation as the alleged victim and the other party do not wish to pursue the matter any further.
That the ICC would not be in a position to continue the investigation as any complaint and/or further information regarding the alleged incident has been denied by the concerned individuals.
That in view of the above, the investigation was concluded as withdrawn.
What's on today?
Tennis: Sumit Nagal will play face fourth seed and world #61 Lorenzo Sonego in the second round of the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech, an ATP 250 event on clay.
Football: Kerala Blasters host East Bengal in the Indian Super League.
Chess: There is also buildup to the FIDE Candidates tournament beginning in a couple of days, which features five Indians in the fray - a first since Viswanathan Anand's era.
What happened yesterday?
Chess: Arjun Erigaisi becomes the new India no. 1
Football: AIFF suspends Deepak Sharma until further notice
Tennis: Nagal into second round at ATP 250 in Marrakech
Football: Manisha Kalyan is a champion, again
Weightlifting: Bindyarani Devi bags bronze in World Cup
ISL: Odisha defeat Punjab to keep title hopes alive