Former India left-arm fast bowler Irfan Pathan has urged caution in managing teenaged batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, adding that it’s very important for the left-hander to not let either success or failure get to his head. Sooryavanshi is yet to turn 15, but has already made big runs in his cricketing career so far, including being the fastest Indian batter to hit a century in the IPL (in just 35 balls), and was retained by Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

He’s also coming on the back of being Player of the Tournament and Player of the Final in the 2026 Men’s U19 World Cup, won by India. “It is very important for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi not to let success or failure get to his head. It’s quite a sensitive age because he is just about 15 years old. At this stage, he potentially has a 20-year professional career ahead of him.

“In today’s time, where longevity is not always a priority and careers can be short, you can still achieve a lot in 6 to 8 years. But Vaibhav could have a much longer journey. Naturally, it is important that someone consistently stays with him as a guide, a good mentor who can support him over time, the role Rahul Dravid played last year,” said Pathan on JioStar.

He also spoke about how Sooryavanshi needs to constantly improve his game to stay ahead of the opposition’s plans to counter him. “At the same time, he must keep improving his game constantly. It is possible that this season, teams may plan against him, like bowling consistently outside the off stump and keeping the ball away from his reach.

“He will need to counter that, even if it comes with the risk of getting out. Also, he might face the same challenges that Abhishek Sharma did, different types of bowling and constant variations in pace, so how he adapts and finds ways to score in those situations will be key.”

Ex-India opener Aakash Chopra said Sooryavanshi’s fearless approach must be tempered with consistency in IPL’s high-pressure environment. “‘If the first one is there to be hit, I will go for it’ is a very good philosophy. But if it happens three times that you go for the first ball and, God forbid, you don’t connect properly and get out, that is when problems start. The IPL is a different beast.

“They may not say it in as many words, but it reminds me of my playing days in England, where if you have one or two off days back-to-back, someone would come up and say, ‘Bro, time to earn your money,’ because you are being paid to score runs. That thought lingers on your mind, that you are getting paid to perform, and the IPL has a similar dynamic.

“He got some exposure last year, when Rahul Dravid was there as well, and you could see tears in his eyes after getting out in one of the games. This time, there are expectations, and he will carry that burden. Even though we are talking about him, saying that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will come and score runs, so in that regard, it is a huge season for him,” he added.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Since relocating to Victoria, trainer Phillip Stokes has achieved solid results, but cherishes any chance to race in Adelaide once more.

Morphettville serves as his hub, enabling straightforward transfers of horses interstate, and the impending Adelaide Carnival boasting four Group 1s has him eager to shine anew this year, building on Group 1 successes from the prior pair of campaigns.

This time around, his focus rests on claiming the Group 1 sprint gems of the Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) scheduled for April 25 followed by The Goodwood (1200m) a couple of weeks later courtesy of Ferivia, who begins her comeback in Saturday’s Group 3 Don Casboult Classic (1200m).

It represents Ferivia’s first start since her sixth placing in October’s Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield.

“She’s jumped out really good going into this and I feel she’s come back stronger, but I’m still not sure where her distance lies,” Stokes said.

“I know she’s got good from 1200 to 1400 (metres), so we’ve just got to work out whether we go down a Sangster-Goodwood path, or aim at something else, but I couldn’t be happier with how she is coming up.”

Ferivia’s initial foray was a winning debut at Murray Bridge in Adelaide, succeeded by a near-miss second at Sandown en route to Melbourne, then success in the Quezette Stakes held at Caulfield.

Later that season, the filly secured the Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) at Sandown against Ole Dancer and Salty Pearl.

“Before she even came over, she’d had a good preparation in Adelaide, but by the time she got to the Thousand Guineas she’d had enough,” Stokes said.

“She still ran a creditable race, and the form has been franked.

I think she is exciting.”

Following her return on Saturday, Ferivia faces branching paths, according to Stokes.

As some of his string are in Sydney for Carnival duties, the filly has the option of the P J Bell Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 4, or the R N Irwin Stakes (1100m) at Morphettville a week later.

“We’ll keep everything open as we have horses up in Sydney, so it will be easy to send her up if we think that’s the right way to go, otherwise we could go straight to Adelaide,” Stokes said.

“We’ll see how she goes on Saturday.”

Visit leading betting sites to find the keenest racing betting markets for Ferivia in the Don Casboult Classic.

The 2026 NFL Draft is now less than five weeks away, and the Minnesota Vikings are transitioning the remnants of free agency. The club has added a few new players and will onboard about 30 rookies via the draft and undrafted free agency next month. In the meantime, here’s a look at the rumor mill.

Minnesota has three talking points worth sorting before draft season fully takes over.

Minnesota has a momentous year afoot, probably needing to win a playoff game to secure the head coach’s long-term job security.

Inside the Latest Purple Rumor Mill for Minnesota

It’s the Purple Rumor Mill for March 21st, 2026.

Rumor: The Jonathan Greenard trade sweepstakes may be down to the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts.

The Greenard trade fodder has circulated for a few weeks now. The Athletic‘s Alec Lewis opined on the rumors this week, claiming on his podcast, “I think over the course of the last week or last two weeks, it probably seemed more imminent than it was. I would say that the Minnesota Vikings have been very clear from the outset that they are doing this on their terms. So they are not going to trade a talented player that they’ve really liked having, Jonathan Greenard, unless it makes a lot of sense for them to do that.”

“I would say the Philadelphia Eagles definitely still need edge rusher talent. I mean, they have Jalyx Hunt, they signed Arnold Ebiketie, they have Nolan Smith Jr., but to have another elite edge rusher, it’s part of the reason they were in on Jaelan Phillips. And then I think the Indianapolis Colts are kind of in a similar vein.”

The Eagles need EDGE help more than the Colts, so Philadelphia may be the frontrunner if a Greenard trade happens at all.

With the draft only five weeks away, what to do with Greenard is still a big question for Minnesota. It would make sense to trade him during the draft weekend. That way, general managers could quickly weigh their draft picks against the chance to snag Greenard, who’s already proven he can rush the passer and has six years in the NFL under his belt.

Money-wise, waiting until after June 1 to trade him would give Minnesota an extra $6 million in cap space, which would be helpful going into the summer. Even though many teams will probably have found their EDGE rushers by then, the extra cap room still makes a trade look enticing for Minnesota.

There’s also always the easy choice: just keep Greenard. Teams don’t find productive defenders every day, and Minnesota’s already got one locked down.

The sticking point is evidently Greenard’s contract. He’s due for a raise at $19 million per year, and his counterpart, Micah Parsons, earns $47 million out in Green Bay.

Rumor: L’Jarius Sneed is a free agent, and Minnesota should sign him to a prove-it contract.

Sneed is done in Tennessee.

ESPN’s Turron Davenport wrote Friday, “The Tennessee Titans released cornerback L’Jarius Sneed on Friday, a move that saves $11.4 million in cap space. Sneed struggled to stay on the field for Tennessee, appearing in 12 games over two seasons.”

“He had signed a four-year, $76 million contract after the Titans acquired him in a 2024 trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Titans signed defensive backs Alontae Taylor, Cor’Dale Flott and Josh Williams earlier this week to restock their cornerbacks room.”

In 2025, the Vikings went into the season thin at cornerback, counting on Byron Murphy Jr., Isaiah Rodgers, and Jeff Okudah as their main assets. Murphy Jr. and Rodgers held up, playing in 34 games combined, but Okudah had a rough go of it with two concussions, and his performance waned overall.

To make up for it, Minnesota brought up Fabian Moreau from the practice squad, and he cooked compared to Okudah.

Projecting 2026, it’s probably too optimistic to expect the same kind of health at the cornerback position. The spot usually needs more depth, so adding a veteran like Sneed or using a draft pick in April would make a lot of sense.

Sneed is affordable and looking to re-prove that he belongs in the NFL as a starter.

Rumor: Despite theories suggesting otherwise, the Vikings won’t give up on J.J. McCarthy.

Every so often, ESPN authors an article about “overreactions” around the NFL, and recently, ESPN’s Dan Graziano examined the topic from a post-free-agency angle.

On McCarthy, Graziano wrote, “J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr. are both done as starting QBs. Verdict: OVERREACTION. The Vikings signed Kyler Murray, and the Falcons signed Tua Tagovailoa, thrusting those veterans into ostensible competitions with the 10th and eighth overall picks from the 2024 draft, respectively.”

“McCarthy is coming off a terrible and injury-plagued first NFL season after missing his entire rookie season due to a knee injury. He entered the offseason healthy, but after throwing 12 interceptions and taking 27 sacks in his 10 starts last season, he has given the Vikings reason to doubt whether he’ll turn out to be the quarterback they thought he was when they moved up a spot to draft him.”

McCarthy has missed 70% of all football games since the Vikings drafted him in 2024.

Graziano continued, “Murray is very likely to end up starting ahead of McCarthy, unless a light comes on this offseason and McCarthy performs well enough in the summer to beat him out. But the Vikings aren’t ready to give up on McCarthy just yet, and they’re hoping Murray’s arrival has a positive impact on him.”

“The Atlanta story is different; my sense is the Falcons view Penix as the starter once he’s healthy and Tagovailoa is just there for coverage in case he isn’t ready.”

While McCarthy probably won’t start in September, the Vikings are in no rush to get rid of him, says Graziano.

Edwards earned the title opportunity after winning the PFL’s 2025 middleweight tournament, and was looking to become champion after two defeats by Johnny Eblen for the Bellator middleweight title.

Edwards was also looking to join brother Leon, a former UFC welterweight champion, as a title holder, but was made to pay for a number of errors.

The event was watched by a number of sports stars at cageside, including Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad earlier on Friday.

After walkouts in which a confident Edwards was jeered by the Spanish fans and a determined-looking Van Steenis was roared to the cage, the contest started with the pair trading leg kicks.

In a close first round, Edwards made his first mistake as Van Steenis reversed the action on the ground to end in top position, despite blood pouring from his left eye.

In tactics rarely used by Edwards, the Briton looked to attack with takedowns but Van Steenis got the better of the early exchanges by flipping the momentum to control where the fight went.

When Edwards opted to strike, he looked faster and more dangerous than Van Steenis, but another mistake in the third round would prove to be his downfall.

Edwards again continued to wrestle and, while trying to take Van Steenis down against the cage, the champion delivered a flurry of elbows which forced the Briton to collapse on his knees.

Seeing Edwards was in trouble, the referee stepped in to end the contest, before Van Steenis put both arms out in celebration and closed his eyes as he soaked in applause from the home fans.

It was made sweeter for the Dutch-Spaniard by winning in front of his home fans in the largest MMA event to take place in Spain.

With the UFC yet to host an event in the Spain, the PFL took advantage when Van Steenis became champion in July by building a card around him.

Van Steenis, who grew up around Benidorm before moving back to the Netherlands, said pre-fight it was a “dream come true” to compete in front of his own fans.

While it was heartbreak for the Edwards brothers, the Van Steenis siblings – which included Costello’s younger brother Gino securing his own knockout on the undercard – celebrated a fairytale night.

“It went exactly as I wanted it to,” said Van Steenis.

“I didn’t do that alone; thank you to the crowd. This is the best country in the world. We are the best country in the world.”

Edwards now faces a rebuilding job but has shown his powers of recovery previously in his career.

The PFL does not boast a particularly deep list of contenders in the middleweight division and a few wins would likely put Edwards back in title contention.

Kalle Sauerland was far from impressed with what he saw following Michael Conlan‘s defeat to Kevin Walsh.

Conlan suffered a split decision loss to Walsh at the SSE Arena in Belfast, despite many onlookers – notably the broadcast team of Tony Bellew, Carl Frampton and Barry Jones – believing that the Irishman had done enough to win the bout.

It was an uneventful contest which saw neither boxer get into a rhythm, but despite one judge scoring it 97-93 in Conlan’s favour, the other two judges scored it 96-94 to Walsh to hand the American a controversial upset win.

The fight headlined the first MFPro event, and promoter Sauerland spoke on the DAZN broadcast following the verdict, saying that he was ’embarrassed’ for the sport after Conlan didn’t get his hand raised.

“It’s times like this when you promote an event and you don’t know what to say. I’m embarrassed for the sport of boxing. I got in the ring and Mick said ‘how many rounds you reckon?’ I didn’t even count after round six, seven.

“Mick maybe gave up the first two, you could maybe give Walsh two more rounds in the entire fight, that’s me being kind. What on earth. It was a cagey fight yes, but it’s just incredible.

“It baffles me what on earth they’re watching. The swing of it between the one judge and the others. I’m lost for words. It’s embarrassing.”

Sauerland also confirmed that there is a rematch clause, but he sees no reason to activate it.

“You look at Conlan – he’s gone through a camp, he’s preparing for a world title shot, and you get two blind people scoring the fight. That’s all you can say. You cannot make it up.

“I don’t blame him for being [upset]. We’ve got a rematch option but quite [frankly] I don’t want to see the fight again. It was a very clear decision – what’s the rematch for?”

It’s currently unknown what is next for Conlan after the loss, with a decision on his future expected soon.

The Guinea Football Federation has called on the Confederation of African Football to reopen the final outcome of the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations, pointing to Morocco’s brief walkout during their decisive clash and a recent ruling involving Senegal.

Guinea’s demand comes after CAF controversially reversed the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, stripping Senegal national football team of the title despite their victory on the pitch. In that decision, CAF sanctioned Senegal for a walkout and awarded the trophy to hosts Morocco national football team 58 days after the tournament.

Reacting to the development, Guinea argued that the same disciplinary standards should be applied to past competitions. The federation specifically cited the decisive 1976 encounter between Guinea national football team and Morocco, played under a four-team round-robin format.

In that match, Guinea took the lead in the 33rd minute through Chérif Souleymane, putting them on course for the title, as Morocco only needed a draw. However, Moroccan players briefly left the pitch in protest over a refereeing decision before returning to continue the game.

Late in the match, Ahmed Makrouh scored an equaliser in the 86th minute to secure a 1-1 draw, a result that handed Morocco the title with five points, while Guinea finished second.

Guinea now insists that the incident should be reassessed using the same principles applied in the 2025 ruling. In a strong statement, the federation declared: “Give us back our 1976 AFCON trophy,” adding that sanctions should apply in any case where a team leaves the pitch during play, regardless of when it occurred.

The recent CAF decision to award Morocco a 3-0 win following Senegal’s walkout has reignited debate around historical fairness in African football. However, sports legal experts have pointed out that key regulations, including Article 84, were not in place in 1976 and are rarely enforced retrospectively.

CAF is yet to issue an official response to Guinea’s request, but observers believe the appeal could test the governing body’s readiness to revisit long-standing decisions in African football history.

Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson has sued the LPGA and USGA for its policies that prohibit biological males who underwent male puberty from competing in women’s competition.

The LPGA said in a statement it was aware of the lawsuit and would “let that process play out on the proper forum.”

“The LPGA’s gender policy was developed through a thoughtful, expert-informed process and is grounded in protecting the competitive integrity of elite women’s golf,” the statement said.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The USGA and LPGA changed gender policies for events in 2025 and beyond, declaring that players must be assigned female at birth or have transitioned to female before going through male puberty to be eligible to compete.

The 33-year-old Davidson didn’t transition until after puberty. Davidson competed in a U.S. Open qualifier and LPGA Qualifying School under a different policy in 2024, falling short in both efforts.

Davidson claimed in the lawsuit that the new policy effectively bans transgender women from competing in USGA women’s events or the LPGA because many states prevent children from taking hormones or blocking puberty.

EX-NCAA WOMEN’S RUNNER INVOLVED IN SCOTUS BATTLE OVER TRANS ATHLETES SPEAKS OUT AFTER JUDGE ADVANCES CASE

When the USGA denied Davidson entry into the qualifier, Davidson claimed the Hackensack Golf Club violated the law by saying the USGA controlled all decisions regarding eligibility. Davidson began hormone treatments in Davidson’s early 20s in 2015 and in 2021 underwent gender-affirming surgery, which was required under the LPGA’s previous gender policy. 

Davidson also filed a lawsuit against the women’s golf tour NXXT in December after it changed its policies to prevent biological males from competing against females. 

NXXT and its attorneys from America First Legal filed its motion to dismiss in February, and believe the suit will be thrown out. 

“We are asking the courts to dismiss the claims, and we’re addressing the matter,” NXXT Golf CEO Stuart McKinnon told Fox News Digital.

“This was about simply protecting women’s sports. So the goal was really clarity and competitive integrity, and, as a professional tour, we believe it was our responsibility to define those categories.”

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NXXT was one of the first women’s tours that stepped up to make a policy change. The LPGA then changed its own policy to bring about more restrictions to protect the women’s category in December 2024.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

It’s about that time. The 2026 NCAA Tournament is through its first two days, and the bracket is sure to deliver some bangers across the first and second rounds of competition over the next four days. The field of 68 teams has already shrunken to 64 as the roller coaster continues with 16 more teams set to be eliminated by the time Thursday’s action concludes.

As the home of March Madness, CBS Sports will track every game and score, keeping you apprised of notable developments in our continuously updating live NCAA Tournament bracket with matchup analysis for every game. Sometimes, though, you want to visualize the entire bracket in a schedule format, which is precisely why we are here — so you can follow not just your team but those it may compete against on its journey to the Final Four.

Follow live scores and updates from the first round of 2026 March Madness.

Don’t forget to follow along with your printable bracket as first-round games begin Thursday. A stellar 8-9 matchup of the tournament kicks off the madness as (8) Ohio State meets (9) TCU in the opening first-round showdown. There’s a bevy of top-tier teams and showdowns set across the 12 hours that games are played Thursday, and prognosticators believe a few notable upsets are in store.

Below you will find a March Madness schedule that features viewing information for each game on the slate broken down by region. It will be updated with scores, analysis and much more — all the way through the national championship.

2026 NCAA Tournament bracket, scores

All times Eastern

East

FIRST ROUND

Thursday — Greenville

Thursday — Buffalo

Friday — San Diego

Friday — Philadelphia

SECOND ROUND 

Saturday — Greenville 

• (1) Duke vs. (9) TCU | 5:15 p.m. | CBS

Saturday — Buffalo 

• (3) Michigan State vs. (6) Louisville | 2:45 p.m. | CBS

Sunday — San Diego 

• (5) St. John’s vs. (4) Kansas/(13) Cal Baptist

Sunday — Philadelphia 

• (7) UCLA vs. (2) UConn/(15) Furman

West

FIRST FOUR

Tuesday — Dayton

FIRST ROUND

Thursday — Portland

Friday — San Diego

Friday — St. Louis

SECOND ROUND 

Saturday — Portland 

• (3) Gonzaga  (11) Texas | 7:10 p.m. | TBS
• (4) Arkansas vs. (12) High Point | 9:45 p.m. | TBS

Sunday — San Diego 

• (1) Arizona vs. (9) Utah State

Sunday — St. Louis

• (2) Purdue vs. (7) Miami (FL)/(10) Missouri

Midwest

FIRST FOUR

Tuesday — Dayton

Wednesday — Dayton

FIRST ROUND

Thursday — Buffalo

Friday — St. Louis

Friday — Tampa

Friday — Philadelphia

SECOND ROUND

Saturday — Buffalo 

• (1) Michigan vs. (9) Saint Louis | 12:10 p.m. | CBS

Sunday — St. Louis 

• (2) Iowa State vs. (7) Kentucky

Sunday — Tampa 

• (4) Alabama vs. (5) Texas Tech 

Sunday — Philadelphia 

• (3) Virginia vs. (6) Tennessee

South

FIRST FOUR

Wednesday — Dayton

FIRST ROUND

Thursday — Oklahoma City

Thursday — Greenville

Thursday — Oklahoma City

Friday — Tampa

SECOND ROUND 

Saturday — Greenville 

• (3) Illinois vs. (11) VCU | 7:50 p.m. | CBS

Saturday — Oklahoma City 

• (2) Houston vs. (10) Texas A&M | 6:10 p.m. | TNT
• (4) Nebraska vs. (5) Vanderbilt | 8:45 p.m. | TNT

Sunday — Tampa 

• (1) Florida/(16) Prairie View vs.  (8) Iowa 

2026 NCAA Tournament schedule

Sweet 16

Thursday, March 26 — 7:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)

Friday, March 27 — 7:10 p.m. start (CBS, TBS)
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)

Elite Eight

Saturday, March 28 — 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Toyota Center (Houston), SAP Center (San Jose)

Sunday, March 29 — 2:15 p.m. start (CBS)
United Center (Chicago), Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)

Final Four

Saturday, April 4 — 6:09 p.m. start (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)

National Championship

Monday, April 6 — 8:50 p.m. (TBS)
Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)