Ricky Ponting (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI: Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has praised the India national cricket team after their dominant victory in the T20 World Cup 2026, calling the current Indian side one of the strongest T20 teams ever. India secured their third T20 World Cup title with a convincing 96-run win over the New Zealand national cricket team in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The win also made India the first team to successfully defend the T20 World Cup.

Ponting praises India’s depth and consistency

Ponting highlighted India’s impressive performances in recent ICC tournaments and their strong record in white-ball cricket. According to him, the team’s combination of talent, experience and depth makes them extremely difficult to beat.“It’s really hard to argue a point against that. If you look at this, not just the T20I team but their white-ball record in ICC events over the last five or six years, it’s quite remarkable,” Ponting said on International Cricket Council’s The ICC Review.“A lot of people probably identified before this tournament started the depth and the strength that this current Indian team had, and also the experience that they have.“This is a very, very strong Indian white-ball team, not just a T20 team. Back-to-back World Cups, hats off to them.”

Experience and IPL influence

The former Australian captain believes the players’ experience from both international cricket and the Indian Premier League has helped them handle pressure situations better.“The one thing that’s probably overlooked with this current team is the amount of experience and the amount of cricket a lot of these guys have played, whether it’s international cricket or even just the IPL,” said Ponting, who is also head coach of Punjab Kings.“The IPL games are every bit as big as international games anyway, so this Indian team came in well primed with great balance and a great squad.”

Learning from a rare defeat

India had suffered a defeat against the South Africa national cricket team during the Super Eight stage, but Ponting felt the loss actually helped the team refocus.“You win 12 matches on the trot, there’s bound to be an off day. And I am glad it’s come early. It might just be the shake-up India needed,” he said. “They would have learned from that experience and won’t take things for granted.”After that loss, India bounced back strongly with powerful batting displays, scoring over 250 runs in three matches, including the semifinal and the final.“Maybe it just allowed them to regroup, get together and talk about the things that are important to them as a team,” Ponting added. “They solidified what they felt was their strongest playing XI and didn’t make many changes at the back end of the tournament.”

Tottenham Hotspur are closely monitoring the situation of Lucas Cheavlier, according to Media Foot.

Spurs are reportedly prepared to offer between €30-40 million to acquire the Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper.

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Tottenham desperately need a new number one with Guglielmo Vicario and Antonin Kinsky failing to cover themselves in glory this season.

In the Premier League, Vicario’s prevented goal stat line this season is -4.39, and he has made two errors leading to goals.

His performances led Spurs interim boss Igor Tudor to turn to Kinsky.

Unfortunately, Kinsky made three errors that led to goals in one game, prompting the Croatian tactician to recall Vicario immediately.

Signing a new goalkeeper should be at the top of the transfer priority list at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

However, going for Chevalier would be a massive transfer blunder. The Frenchman is an unimposing figure between the sticks.

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The 24-year-old is shaky on corners, set-pieces, and aerial challenges.

Tottenham have seen first-hand how shaky he is in goal. He was atrocious in the UEFA Super Cup and even worse in the Champions League group-stage match.

His handling has been weak, hence why he finds himself down the pecking order at PSG despite joining this summer for big money.

Chevalier has lost confidence and should be nowhere near Tottenham if the club wants a stable, reliable presence.

Spurs need a tested and trusted goalkeeper like Sunderland’s Robin Roefs. The Dutchman has been one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League this season.

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Roefs joined the Black Cats for around £10 million this summer, and he has proven to be worth every penny, keeping eight clean sheets in 28 league appearances.

The North London giants can snap him up for around the same figure as the one circulating for Chevalier.

He represents a wiser use of funds for Tottenham than any move for Chevalier.

Punjab FC were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Monday after a dramatic encounter that saw the hosts dominate the first half before a red card shifted the momentum in favour of the visitors.

Punjab began the match on the front foot while Goa appeared content to sit back and defend, struggling to penetrate the home side’s penalty area. The hosts created the first real opportunity inside the opening 15 minutes when a cross from the left flank found striker Luka Majcen Effiong, but the Nigerian forward could not convert the chance.

Punjab’s persistent pressure finally paid off in the 27th minute. Midfielder Kipgen delivered a perfectly weighted through ball into the box for Effiong, who showed great composure to lift the ball over the advancing goalkeeper with his left foot and guide it towards the far post to give the hosts a deserved lead.

 
Red card changed the game for the hosts
 

The game took a dramatic turn shortly after the restart. Punjab suffered a major setback in the 48th minute when Effiong was sent off following a heated altercation with an FC Goa player, leaving the hosts with ten men for the remainder of the match.

Goa quickly capitalised on the numerical advantage. Their equaliser came through Drazic, who finished off a well-worked move with a clever outside-of-the-boot strike that curled into the left corner to level the score at 1–1.

With the momentum now on their side, Goa pushed forward relentlessly and kept Punjab’s defence under constant pressure for the remainder of the match. Despite the late push, neither side could find a winner.

In the end, it felt like two points dropped for head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis and his men, who would be disappointed not to secure all three points after such a strong start.

New Balance is teaming up with the Patriots, making the brand the official and exclusive athletic footwear and apparel partner of the team and Gillette Stadium.

The partnership includes the development of a new state-of-the-art training center in New England. It will give the company a major presence across performance, facilities and community initiatives.

The Patriots’ new training complex next to Gillette Stadium will be named the New Balance Athletics Center, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday. It will open this spring, while the surrounding practice fields will be known as the New Balance Practice Fields.

The name announcement sparked reactions from NFL fans on X, with some posting jokes and humorous takes about the facility.

“That’s a brutal name,” one fan said.

“I’m going to predict that most players will not be wearing the ugly ass zero drip cleats and shoes that company makes,” a fan commented.

“It’s weird to be how the only people New Balance used to Sponser were suburban dads,” another fan said.

“Imagine being an NFL player and having to wear New Balance,” one fan wrote.

“First the stadium, now the training facility soon the New England Patriots playbook will be sponsored too,” a fan tweeted.

“Cooper Flagg to the Pats?!?!” another fan wrote.

New Balance maintains a broad global sponsorship portfolio that spans teams, leagues and athletes. Among its notable partnerships are the New York Road Runners and the NBA, along with MLB franchises such as the Red Sox and the Mets.

The brand also released collaborative product lines with prominent athletes, including Dodgers pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard.

A look at the moves the Patriots have made in free agency

The start of the new league year brought significant roster turnover to the New England Patriots. The team allowed two starters from last season, K’Lavon Chaisson and Jaylinn Hawkins, to leave in free agency, but quickly added new talent.

One of the headline additions was Kevin Byard, who reunites with Pats coach Mike Vrabel after spending six seasons together with the Titans. The veteran safety signed a one-year, $9 million contract and is expected to take over the starting job previously held by Hawkins.

Here’s the list of every free-agent signing New England has made in 2026.

WR Romeo Doubs – Four years contract ($68 million)

OG Alijah Vera-Tucker – Three years ($42 million)

DE Dre’Mont Jones – Three yrs ($39.5 million)

TE Julian Hill – Three years ($15 million)

FB Reggie Gilliam – Three years ($12 million)

S Kevin Byard – One year ($9 million)

LB K.J. Britt – One year, ($1.3 million)

S Mike Brown – One year ($1.3 million)

OLB Jesse Luketa – One year ($1.1 million)

QB Tommy DeVito – Two years ($7.4 million)

FB Jack Westover – One year ($1.1 million)