Sports Bulletin on February 21: From Sourav Ganguly’s Car Accident to Kerala Reaching First-Ever Ranji Trophy Final

Friday, February 21st was an eventful day for the sporting world, especially in cricket as former skipper Sourav Ganguly's car met with an accident and there were many firsts in history of the sport.

Kerala continued their dream run by booking their first-ever Ranji Trophy final appearance, while South African wicketkeeper-batter scored his maiden ODI century during the Champions Trophy clash against Afghanistan.

There was more development in cricket as legends previewed the highly-anticipated India vs Pakistan match, and one big name player missed his team's Champions Trophy outing due to injury.

Away from cricket, Europe's top football club competition knockout round draw was made, revealing the road to Munich for teams like Real Madrid, Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and PSG among others. Here is a look at the sports bulletin on February 21:

1. Sourav Ganguly Escapes Unhurt After Car Accident

Former India captain and ex BCCI president Sourav Ganguly avoided a serious road accident when a car in his convoy collided with a truck on the Durgapur Expressway. Ganguly was en route to attend a university event in Burdwan when the accident happened. Fortunately, he escaped without any injuries.

2. Ryan Rickelton Slam Maiden ODI Century in ICC Event Debut

Wicketkeeper-batter Rickelton, who has been on the rise in the past year, marked his ICC event debut with his first-ever ODI century during South Africa's Champions Trophy 2025 opener against Afghanistan at the National Stadium in Karachi.

3. Mohammed Shami leads Indian wicket-takers list in ICC ODI events

The veteran pacer Shami surpassed legendary Zaheer Khan to become the highest wicket-taker for India in ICC ODI events (World Cup and Champions Trophy) after claiming a five-wicket haul against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday (February 20). His ICC ODI events wickets tally now stands at 60.

4. Shahid Afridi and Yuvraj Singh on factors deciding India vs Pakistan clash

Former cricketers Shahid Afridi and Yuvraj Singh had differing views regarding the potential factors that could be key in the upcoming India vs Pakistan clash in the Champions Trophy 2025.

While former Pakistan all-rounder Afridi believes many match-winners in India team will be a telling factor, former India all-rounder Yuvraj feels that even if Pakistan has fewer match-winners, one player can still take the game away.

5. Heinrich Klaasen misses Champions Trophy opener for South Africa

The wicketkeeper-batter to everyone's surprise was left out of South Africa's playing 11 in their Champions Trophy against Afghanistan on Friday (February 21). But reports later emerged that Klaasen missed the fixture as a precaution due to left elbow soft tissue injury.

6. Kerala seal historic Ranji Trophy final berth

A resilient Kerala on Friday (February 21) sealed their maiden Ranji Trophy final by taking a dramatic two-run first-innings lead over Gujarat, 68 years after making their debut in Indian cricket's premier domestic competition.

Going into the final day at 429/7, the home side, who won the Ranji title in 2016-17, needed just 29 runs to take a first innings lead. However, left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate delivered under pressure, taking all three wickets to bowl Gujarat out for 455 in 174.4 overs to leave them two runs short of the mark.

7. Vidarbha avenge Rani Trophy 2024 final loss and knockout Mumbai

Harsh Dubey and Yash Rathod starred as Vidarbha avenged last season's final defeat by beating the defending and record champions Mumbai by 80 runs in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 semifinal in Nagpur. With this, Vidarbha booked their fourth Ranji Trophy Final berth.

8. Harshit Rana on learning consistency from Bumrah

Indian pacer Harshit Rana, who has swiftly made his mark with international debuts across all three formats within a short span, credited seasoned speedster Jasprit Bumrah for shaping his consistency and adaptability at the highest level.

The 23-year-old earned his Test cap during the prestigious Border-Gavaskar series in December before making his T20I and ODI debuts in the recently-concluded white-ball series against England.

It was during India's tour of Australia, Rana had the opportunity to share the dressing room with one of the modern greats - Bumrah. The young pacer continued to impress with a three-wicket haul on ICC event debut during India's victory over Bangladesh in Champions Trophy 2025.

9. Madrid Derby Set For UEFA Champions League Round of 16, Liverpool Draw PSG

Defending champions Real Madrid will face their city rivals Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League round of 16, while Liverpool have been draw to face Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16. Several more big clashes were made after the UCL draw on Friday (February 21).

Bayern Munich were drawn against Bundesliga title challengers Bayer Leverkusen, while Barcelona will play Benfica while Arsenal were drawn against Eredivisie title challengers PSV Eindhoven. Aston Villa have been drawn against Club Brugge while 2023 runners-up Inter Milan play Feyenoord.