This Week in Sport
April continues with some fantastic sport! On Monday, the Dallas Stars host the Minnesota Wild in Game 2 of their NHL First Round Playoff series. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of their NBA First Round Playoff series. On Wednesday, the Madrid Open continues. That’s followed by the start of the NFL Draft on Thursday, and on Friday, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League.
The unmissable action continues over the weekend! On Saturday, Northampton Saints take on Bath in a major PREM Rugby clash, and on Sunday, the MotoGP season continues with the Spanish Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto.
NHL: Dallas Stars v Minnesota Wild
Monday 20th April 1:30AM GMT (21st)/8:30PM Local
American Airlines Arena, Dallas
The Dallas Stars host the Minnesota Wild in Game 2 of their NHL First Round Playoff series at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas. The Wild dominated their division rivals 6-1 in Game 1 in a familiar sight for the Stars, who have now lost the opening game in nine of their last eleven Playoff series. However, Dallas will not read too much into the omens of the lopsided loss - they have rallied to win six of the last eight series in which they dropped the first game. However, concerns remain about Dallas’ offensive capabilities and whether starting goaltender Jake Oettinger should remain between the sticks. Meanwhile, the Wild will be ecstatic with their performance, which saw four different players get on the scoresheet. Furthermore, rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt shone in his Playoff debut, making 27 saves and earning player of the game honours. Another win for the Wild would take them one step closer to their first Playoff series win since 2015, as the series shifts to Saint Paul later this week.
NBA: Los Angeles Lakers v Houston Rockets
Tuesday 21st April 2:30AM GMT (22nd)/7:30PM Local
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Lakers face the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of their NBA First Round Playoff series at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. February trade acquisition Luke Kennard was the surprise hero for the Lakers as his game and career playoff-high 27 points, including going 5-for-5 on three-pointers, led the host team to a surprising Game 1 win. LeBron James, playing in his 19th career postseason, also contributed a 19-point, 13-assist double-double as the team found a way to win without Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. Meanwhile, the late absence of Kevin Durant served as a pivotal blow to the Rockets, who saw their volume shooting go largely cold, with the team going 35-for-93 on the night. Their defensive efforts also suffered without Durant’s veteran presence, as they held the Lakers to less than 25 points in just one of the game’s four quarters. The Rockets will hope to return Durant for Game 2 and try to even the series before it moves to Houston later in the week. The question for the Lakers will be whether they can continue to win without Dončić and Reaves on the court.
ATP & WTA Tour: Madrid Open Day 2
Wednesday 22nd April 9:00AM GMT/11:00AM Local
Caja Mágica, Madrid
The Madrid Open continues on both the ATP and WTA Tour at the Caja Mágica in Madrid. All eyes will be on Jannik Sinner, who is attempting to become the first man to win the first four ATP Masters 1000 titles of a single season, as well as win a record-breaking fifth consecutive Masters level title. Sinner will not have to worry about facing rival Carlos Alcaraz, who is missing the tournament due to injury after retiring from the Barcelona Open last week. Casper Ruud stands as the defending men’s champion, but will face an uphill battle to repeat the feat as he enters as the twelfth seed. Meanwhile, defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka enters with serious momentum after winning back-to-back WTA 1000 level titles during the tour’s ‘sunshine swing’ last month. Sabalenka has made the last three Finals in Madrid, winning twice. Meanwhile, another title in Madrid for Sabalenka would give her the record for total titles, which she currently shares with Petra Kvitová. However, the WTA draw is almost at full strength, meaning that Sabalenka will likely have to see off a number of her fiercest rivals in order to add another chapter to her storied history at La Caja Mágica.
NFL: NFL Draft Day 1
Thursday 23rd April 12:00AM GMT (24th)/8:00PM Local
Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh
Round 1 of the NFL Draft takes place at the Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. The Las Vegas Raiders hold the first overall pick and, barring a historic surprise, are expected to take the Indiana Hoosiers’ Heisman-winning quarterback, Fernando Mendoza. Six teams will pick twice in the first round, headlined by the New York Giants, who will make two of the first ten selections. With a relatively shallow quarterback pool, the first round is expected to favour the offensive and defensive trenches, as well as the wide receiver position. Intriguing prospects include the Ohio State trio of linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles and safety Caleb Downs, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, edge rushers David Bailey of Texas Tech and Rueben Bain Jr. of Miami, and the draft’s most anticipated cornerback, LSU’s Mansoor Delane. Beyond any additional trades, the Raiders’ pick will be followed by the New York Jets, the Arizona Cardinals, the Tennessee Titans, and the Giants. Rounds 2 and 3 will take place on Friday, while Rounds 4 through 7 will conclude the draft on Saturday.
Indian Premier League: Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Gujarat Titans
Friday 24th April 2:00PM GMT/7:30PM Local
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The Royal Challengers are in the thick of the fight for postseason cricket, entering the week in second place behind the Punjab Kings. However, they come off a loss in their most recent match, with Phil Salt’s 63 runs not enough to stop a stellar outing by the Delhi Capitals. However, the loss was only the team’s second of the season and did not largely affect the reigning champions’ position in the standings. Meanwhile, the Titans are sixth in the standings, though they are level in points with and have a game in hand over the fourth-place Sunrisers Hyderabad. Shubman Gill’s side dropped their first two matches of the season, but have rallied from the deficit to respond with a three-game winning streak. Gill himself is leading by example, recording the second-most runs in the league this season. They also have the benefit of a warm-up match before taking on the reigning champions, as they face the ailing Mumbai Indians at home on Monday before traveling to Bengaluru for this match-up.
PREM Rugby: Northampton Saints v Bath Rugby
Saturday 25th April 4:30PM GMT/5:30PM Local
Franklin's Gardens, Northampton
Northampton Saints host Bath in a pivotal PREM Rugby clash at Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton. With five matches to go in the league’s regular season, this fixture serves as a late-season first versus second clash, with the regular season title very much still to play for. This match will hopefully serve as an opportunity for a modicum of revenge for the first-place Saints, who were eliminated from the Champions Cup by Bath in a thrilling Quarter-final earlier this month. They also enter this match defending a one-point lead in the standings, making a win key to their regular season title aspirations. They did score a twenty-point win over Bath in the reverse domestic fixture back in December, which will be extremely hard to replicate. Bath enter this match on a five-game winning streak, including that high-scoring continental thriller against the Saints. The defending champions have plenty to play for, given the tightness of the domestic title race, as well as the extant chance for continental glory. This match-up also features two of the league’s most exciting try scorers in the Saints’ Tommy Freeman and Bath’s Henry Arundell. All these factors make this game one of the most important, and unmissable, of the PREM Rugby calendar this season.
MotoGP: Spain Grand Prix
Sunday 26th April 12:00PM GMT/2:00PM Local
Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, Jerez de la Frontera
The MotoGP season continues with the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in Jerez de la Frontera. Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi has shot out to a flawless start, winning the first three races on the calendar. Prior to the start of the 2026 season, Bezzecchi had a total of six race wins across four seasons in the sport’s highest discipline. However, his lead at the top of the standings is just four points thanks to some stellar racing from his teammate, Jorge Martín. Martín has finished second in the last two races and would be even closer to Bezzecchi if he had not just missed the podium in the season’s opening race. Defending MotoGP champion Marc Márquez currently sits in fifth in the Riders’ standings, having failed to reach the podium through the first three races. Jerez will be an interesting challenge for the current standings leader, as Bezzecchi has only one podium finish - third in 2024 - at the course over his first four years in MotoGP. Interestingly, Martín has an even worse record at Jerez, where the Spaniard’s best finish is fourth. Get ready for a thrilling race on Sunday.
Photo by: MotoGP
Written and information correct on 20th April 2026 at 6AM GMT.
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