IPL 2021 - MS Dhoni-led CSK win their 4th IPL title:
Chennai Super Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs in the IPL 2021 final to lift the IPL 2021 trophy. With the IPL 2021 title, MS Dhoni's CSK outfit won the IPL trophy for the fourth time in history, having previously won the IPL tournament in 2010, 2011, and 2018. This victory was poetic as it was also MS Dhoni's 300th match as captain of a T20 team. Dhoni has 4 IPL titles to his name. This was CSK's 9th final in 14 IPL tournaments. CSK did not play 2 seasons out of the 14.

Neeraj Chopra wins Olympic gold medal and creates history
India's star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra created history to become only the second Indian sportsperson to win an individual gold medal at the Olympics, out-performing the field by some distance to immortalise himself as the first track-and-field Games medal-winner for the country. The son of a farmer who hails from Khandra village near Panipat in Haryana produced a second-round throw of 87.58m in the finals to stun the athletics world and end India's 100-year wait for a track and field medal at the Olympics.

Mohammed Shami attacked on social media after India's defeat to Pakistan
Following India's defeat to rivals Pakistan at the T20 World Cup, the entire team was slammed on social media. However, there was one cricketer who was singled out and subjected to online abuse and that was Mohammed Shami. Pacer Shami was the main target as many hate messages were posted on his Instagram account calling him a 'traitor' with many suggesting that he should not be part of the Indian team. Then team captain Virat Kohli and many Indian cricketers, current and former, came out in support of Shami and said that such statements or comments shall not be tolerated and that people should introspect on what they say.

Rohit Sharma replacing Virat Kohli as ODI captain, Rahane as test vice-captain
In December, Rohit Sharma was announced as the new ODI captain of the Indian cricket team replacing Virat Kohli. Rohit Sharma will take over the captaincy from Virat starting with the South Africa series in January 2022. Rohit was also named as India's Test vice-captain, replacing Ajinkya Rahane, as the All-India Senior Selection Committee picked an 18-member squad for the upcoming three-match Test series
against South Africa.

Lionel Messi leads Argentina to win Copa America title
Lionel Messi's Argentina beat Brazil 1-0 in the Copa America final to secure the national team's first title in 28 years and the superstar's first major international trophy. When the match ended, a tearful Messi was thrown into the air by some of his joyous teammates. Argentina's winning goal at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro came in the 22nd minute after Rodrigo de Paul made a long pass to Angel di Maria. The 33-year-old veteran striker counted on some sloppy defending from left-back Renan Lodi to take control and lob it past goalkeeper Ederson.

Italy beat England in thrilling final to win Euro 2020
The Euro 2020 final was played between England and Italy in a packed stadium at Wembley. England's Luke Shaw scored the fastest goal at the Euros in 2 mins after which Italian defender Bonucci equalised in the second half. Following 90 mins and extended time. The game went to penalty shootouts where England had an early advantage of scoring in the first two. However, their latter 3 scorers failed to find the net as Italy came back to win 3-2 on penalties and clinch their second European Championship title. 

The 'Flying Sikh' is gone
Legendary Indian athlete Milkha Singh, popularly known as 'Flying Sikh, passed away in a hospital in June due to Covid-19 related complications. Milkha Singh, who was 91, is survived by a son, ace golfer Jeev Milkha Singh, and three daughters. Just six days before Milkha Singh's passing, his wife passed away at 85 due to Covid-19 complications. Milkha Singh became popular when he clocked 45.6 seconds to finish fourth at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games. Until that time, it was the closest that an Indian athlete had come to winning an individual Olympic medal.

Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar jailed in murder case
Two-time Olympic medal-winner and professional Sushil Kumar was charged for the kidnapping, murder and culpable homicide of wrestler Sagar Dhankar. Sushil Kumar was arrested by the Delhi Police in May and was taken to Tihar jail. During the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Sushil requested prison authorities for a television set in order to be updated on the Games. His request was met as a television set was then arranged in the common area of Tihar jail. in October, Sushil Kumar sought bail in the murder case but his bail request was denied.

Simon Biles prioritises mental health
America's star gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics competition after she cited mental health as her priority. Biles had earlier removed herself from the team at the Tokyo Olympics final as she was not mentally ready to compete. After pulling out of the team event, in which she won a silver as a result of starting the final, Biles said she had to 'do what’s right for me and focus on my mental health'. 

Manika Batra brings to light match-fixing allegations against coach 
Following a fab outing at the Tokyo Olympics, table tennis player Manika Batra alleged that the national coach Soumyadeep Roy had asked her to throw away a match during the Olympic qualifiers held in March. "The national coach had pressurised me during the qualification tournament in Doha in March 2021 to concede my match to his student to enable her to qualify for Olympics - in short - to indulge in match-fixing,' she said. Responding to Table Tennis Federation of India’s show-cause notice, Manika strongly denied that she brought disrepute to the game by refusing Roy's help.

Vinesh Phogat gets suspended, apologises later
Star wrestler Vinesh Phogat was temporarily suspended by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on account of indiscipline during the Tokyo Olympics. According to reports, following her loss to Vanesa Kaladzinskaya, Vinesh Phogat did not reside at the Olympic village, During her matches, Vinesh did not wear a wrestling singlet that had the team's sponsor logo but instead opted for one with the logo of her personal sponsor. She had also expressed displeasure at not being allowed a physiotherapist to accompany her during the Tokyo Olympics. Vinesh later issued an apology to the WFI via email.

Naomi Osaka's refusal to attend press conferences
On May 26, 2021, just four days ahead of the French Open, 23-year-old tennis star Naomi Osaka, who is a four-time Grand Slam winner, announced on Twitter that she would not be indulging in any press conferences for the tournament. "I've often felt that people have no regard for athletes' mental health and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one," wrote Osaka on Twitter. "If the organizations think they can just keep saying, 'do press or you're going to be fined,' and continue to ignore the mental health of athletes that are the centerpiece of their cooperation then I just gotta laugh." Osaka added.

Quinton De Kock refuses to take a knee, apologises later
Quinton de Kock had withdrawn from South Africa's Twenty20 World Cup encounter against the West Indies and refused to take the knee citing 'personal reasons'. The keeper-batsman later on apologised for his actions. In a statement, he said, 'I would like to start by saying sorry to my teammates, and the fans back home. If me taking a knee helps to educate others, and makes the lives of others better, I am more than happy to do so.'

Tim Paine steps down as Australia skipper; takes break from cricket
Just 19 days ahead of the prestigious Ashes series, cricketer Tim Paine stepped down from his role as captain of the Australian cricket team. This announcement came following explicit messages (sexting) between himself and a former colleague at Cricket Tasmania coming to light and eventually being made public. During the conference, Paine, a father and husband, admitted to not meeting the code of conduct needed by a captain and also broke down. A week later, Tim Paine announced he would be taking an indefinite break from cricket to 'focus on his mental health and family's well-being'.

Max Verstappen wins F1 title
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won his first-ever Formula One driver's championship beating rival Lewis Hamilton in the final race at Abu Dhabi in what could be called one of the most historic seasons in F1 history.

Peng Shuai's mysterious disappearance
In November 2021, Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai had alleged that former vice-premier Zhang Gaoli, now in his 70s, forced her into sexual intercourse during an on-off relationship that spanned over several years. Shuai then went missing for 18 days. These allegations and Peng Shuai's subsequent disappearance caused ripples in the tennis world. Following a global outcry, including from tennis superstars including Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Naomi Osaka and the United Nations, Chinese state media reporters then released a flurry of footage purporting to show all is well with Peng. Later that month, Shuai appeared at a Beijing tennis tournament according to official event photos, after international pressure began mounting for information about her well-being.