Doma United FC have secured promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League after a 2-0 victory over Mighty Jets FC on Wednesday, sparking wild celebrations among their supporters.

The crucial win at the Pantami Stadium confirmed Doma United as winners of Conference C in the Nigeria National League, sealing their return to the top flight just two years after relegation.

The “Savannah Scorpions” went into the match knowing that victory would guarantee promotion, and they delivered with a composed performance in front of their home fans.

Speaking after the match, head coach Najib Mabo expressed his joy at guiding the team back to the elite division.

“It is a special moment for us. The players showed great commitment and discipline to achieve this goal. We are proud to return Doma United to the NPFL,” he said.

The young coach had earlier described the fixture as emotional due to his strong ties with Mighty Jets, a club closely linked to his late father, Ismaila Mabo.

Despite the emotional challenge, Mabo remained focused on the task, leading his side to a victory that not only secured promotion but also confirmed relegation for the Jos-based club.

Doma United’s success has been built on consistency throughout the season, with a strong home record playing a key role in their campaign.

The result triggered celebrations in Gombe, as fans and players marked a quick return to the NPFL, where the club will compete again next season.

On March 8 fireworks lit up the sky in Ahmedabad as India celebrated a memorable T20 World Cup triumph. Far away in Mumbai, Prithvi Shaw quietly stepped into a new phase of his life. Away from the roaring crowds and national euphoria, the 26-year-old got engaged to his long-time girlfriend Akriti Agarwal. It was a personal milestone which, in many ways, could redefine the trajectory of his cricketing journey.

For Shaw, the timing was critical and symbolic. A few months ago he found himself at a crossroads, unsure about what was next. Over the past couple of years, his career had drifted from the promise that once made him one of India’s brightest young stars to hopelessness. He went from a dream Test debut century in 2018 to being dropped from domestic squads and going unsold at the IPL 2025 auction.

But if there’s one thing that stands out now, it is a renewed sense of purpose—fuelled not just by ambition, but also by stability off the field.

“I’m not married yet, but I’m engaged… having the right partner makes a big difference,” Shaw says, almost candidly to a question asked by NDTV during a casual press briefing by the Delhi Capitals. He was shy, trying to gather his thoughts, admitted that it was not a question he’s used to answering. He called Agarwal his “lucky charm,” saying that their relationship has been built on effort and understanding. “We’ve both worked very hard to build this. It wasn’t easy. We understand each other’s professional lives—I’m a cricketer, she’s an actress—and that means both have to make sacrifices.”

Shaw has often been criticised for lack of discipline and focus, but on Wednesday it seemed there was a subtle but important shift. The Maharashtra batter spoke of balance, boundaries, and emotional support, perhaps missing during his more turbulent years.

There is also a sense of self-awareness. “Sometimes I still feel like a kid,” he admits, reflecting on how quickly time has passed since his early days in international cricket. “But when you have a partner who understands you, it helps. I feel I have the right person beside me.”

That emotional anchor may prove crucial as Shaw attempts what could be one of the toughest comebacks in Indian cricket.

After a disappointing run that saw him dropped from Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy squad in 2024 due to concerns over fitness and discipline, Shaw’s stock fell sharply. His struggles were further highlighted when he went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction—a significant fall for a player who was once bought for Rs 1.2 crore after leading India to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2018.

It is this second chance that now defines his mindset. And he looks forward to a chance to open for India again.

“That’s exactly why I’m playing… there’s no doubt I want to come back to the Indian team,” Shaw says with conviction. But this time, the intent is backed by action. “I feel like I’m putting in two to three times more effort than before. I’m giving 200%—not just on match days, but in practice as well.”

For Shaw, preparation is no longer just physical, it is deeply mental. He admits that stress once affected him significantly, but his approach has evolved. “Now I try to handle everything with a smile. You have to be mentally strong, especially when you go through tough phases. Life is a challenge—you can’t run away from it.”

There’s also a noticeable shift in how he views failure and expectations. Once seen as a prodigy burdened by hype, Shaw now speaks like someone who has made peace with the unpredictability of the sport. “You can’t promise anything in cricket. It could be a quick 50, a slow 50, or even a zero. What matters is giving your 100%.” So what’s new for him this season? The Mumbaikar says,“ I got engaged, that’s one big highlight! But apart from that, it’s been hard work—three times more than before. Training, mental strength… everything.”

He is wiser with a supportive partner by his side. Delhi will hope for this wisdom and the new- found calm to impact his cricket as well. 

A majority of IPL captains on Wednesday expressed their reservations about the Impact Player rule that has divided opinions since its introduction in 2023. In 2024, the BCCI had extended the Impact Player rule in the IPL until at least 2027. Yet, the strategic rule continues to be debated by fans and players alike. In the IPL Captains’ Meeting in Mumbai, the topic was discussed at length by the leaders of all 10 franchises.

“Majority of the captains gave their inputs on the Impact Player rule and expressed their reservations even though the BCCI has extended the rule till 2027. They were told it can only be reviewed after the 2027 edition and not before that,” an IPL source told PTI.

Earlier this week, Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel joined the likes of Rohit Sharma in criticising the Impact Player rule.

“I don’t like this rule as I am an all-rounder myself. Earlier we used to pick all-rounders for this role (batting and bowling). Now the team management goes with a particular batter or bowler, they say why do we need an all-rounder? Being an all-rounder myself I don’t like it, but at the same time rules are rules. We have to follow them. But personally, I don’t like it,” Axar said on Monday in his opening media interaction ahead of IPL 2026.

In 2024, Rohit had said that he was not a fan of the Impact Player concept, saying it hampered the development of all-rounders in Indian cricket. The following season, Hardik Pandya said it had become difficult to pick an all-rounder in the side unless he was equally good with both bat and ball.

Even foreign players like Glenn Phillips have said that the rule could adversely impact the future of all-rounders.

“I do feel like there could be an issue at some stage with all-rounders losing out and not being so prevalent, which then obviously has an impact on the international game – international T20s, international one-dayers,” the Black Caps cricketer told PTI last season.

Captains seek ball change after 10 overs of first innings

The BCCI last season allowed teams a one-ball change after the 10th over of the second innings to counter dew. On Wednesday, one captain proposed that teams should be allowed to change the ball after the 10th over of the first innings.

“Ball change after 10 overs of the first innings was proposed, but it did not gain a lot of traction. There is heavy dew usually in the second innings and the current rule stands,” said the source.

Clarity on training guidelines sought

The IPL captains – all Indians this time, with Ishan Kishan leading SRH in place of regular skipper Pat Cummins – also inquired with IPL officials about the training guidelines issued for the 2026 edition.

As per the guidelines shared with franchises, no practice will be allowed on match days, and “if one of the teams finishes their practice early, the other team is not allowed to use the wickets for their practice.”

“The captains wanted more clarity on the training guidelines and that was provided,” added the source

A former Aussie Rules player has come out as gay, becoming the first man in the sport to do so.

Leigh Ryswyk played one match for the Brisbane Lions in 2005 in the Australian Football League (AFL) before he was delisted due to injuries. He went on to play more than 220 games for North Adelaide in the South Australian league.

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Ryswyk shared the news in a radio interview on Wednesday, saying he had been openly gay among his friends for five years and when he told his parents, they were supportive.

It comes seven months after Mitch Brown – who played for the West Coast Eagles between 2007 and 2016 – came out as bisexual, the first time an AFL player has done so in the sport’s 129-year history.

Prior to Brown’s news, the AFL had been the only major professional men’s sport globally to never have had an openly gay or bisexual player, even after retirement.

Asked how the AFL could support current players who might want to come out, Ryswyk was optimistic.

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“I think the AFL, and the community, will wrap their arms around that player,” the 41-year-old said on Melbourne radio station Joy 94.9’s GayFL programme.

“I think the community itself, obviously the queer community, the fan base, I think in the whole they will celebrate that when the time comes.”

Ryswyk said it took him about three years to work up the courage to tell his parents.

“When you come out to your family it’s always a massive experience, there’s a lot of things going on in your head,” he said.

“I had the opportunity to sit down with mum and talk to her about it, and let her know, which was massive. She obviously was crying, I was crying, and she goes ‘I still love you’, so for me, that was a wow moment.”

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His dad was also supportive.

“I really didn’t know what to expect, but he was like, ‘I love you, it doesn’t matter, as long as you’re happy I’m happy for you’, that blew me away to be honest.”

He said his close circle of friends know about his sexuality but for many others, it would be the first time they knew.

“I’m a very private person, so it’s not all over my social media, and things like that, and that’s fine.”

Originally from Victoria, Ryswyk moved to Queensland to join the Lions and played a match against Fremantle in Perth. After a successful career with North Adelaide in the state’s league, he was inducted into the AFL Queensland Hall of Fame.

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In August last year, Brown came out as bisexual, saying that the weight of hiding his sexuality played a “huge” part in his decision to retire.

Pacer Navdeep Saini on Wednesday replaced Harshit Rana in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the IPL beginning on March 28. Both Saini and Rana have played for India and represent Delhi in domestic cricket. Rana underwent knee surgery last month that ruled him out of the T20 World Cup that India won. “Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Titans (GT) have picked Navdeep Saini and Kulwant Khejroliya respectively as player replacements for TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026,” said the IPL in a statement.

Khejroliya replaces Prithviraj Yarra in the Gujarat Titans squad.

Saini has scalped 23 wickets in 32 IPL matches played so far, in addition to 23 wickets in international cricket for India. He will join KKR for Rs 75 lakh.

“Meanwhile, Khejroliya replaces the injured Prithviraj Yarra in GT. The left-arm pacer, who has six IPL wickets to his name, has previously featured for GT, KKR, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He will join GT for Rs 30 lakh,” added the IPL statement.

Kolkata Knight Riders squad for IPL 2026 season

Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Anukul Roy, Navdeep Saini, Manish Pandey, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sunil Narine, Umran Malik, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Matheesha Pathirana, Tejasvi Singh, Kartik Tyagi, Prashant Solanki, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Sarthak Ranjan, Daksh Kamra, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep, Blessing Muzarabani.

Gujarat Titans squad for IPL 2026

Shubman Gill (captain), Sai Sudharsan, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Arshad Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Gurnoor Singh Brar, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Ashok Sharma, Jason Holder, Tom Banton, Kulwant Khejroliya, Luke Wood.

Jaylen Brown MVP Case Remains Alive As Both PTI Hosts Endorse JB’s Candidacy originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown still has a strong case for NBA MVP, especially if you ask Pardon The Interruption’s legendary co-hosts Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser. Both Wilbon and Kornheiser subtly endorsed Brown for 2025-26 MVP on Wednesday, with Wilbon’s words on JB going viral.

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“I have a vote in this,” Wilbon said. “And I will tell you it’s tightened up. My vote, and I’m not even sure the order. I think it’s Jaylen Brown one, I think it’s SGA two, and I think it’s Victor three. And then don’t talk to me about a guy who plays half the court, Luka Dončić.”

Manchester United boss Marc Skinner is confident his side can still reach the Women’s Champions League semi-finals despite defeat to Bayern Munich at Old Trafford.

Skinner’s side were edged out 3-2 in the first leg of their last-eight tie on Wednesday.

Momoko Tanikawa’s 84th-minute strike proved the difference after United replied to two Pernille Harder goals with a Maya Le Tissier penalty and Hanna Lundkvist header.

Skinner said: “I’m frustrated with all the three goals – I don’t think they had to particularly earn them. I felt that we left the spaces for Pernille Harder to run through twice.

“But what I know about this team is that they’ll be open and honest with that and obviously we’ve got another leg to try and turn it around and fix it.

“I honestly don’t think it was naivety – it was maybe a little bit of playing a high-level opponent.

“Bayern changed their game. They’re usually a possession-based team but were more direct tonight.

“We’ve felt that now and we must turn it around. We’re still in this tie for sure. Now we need to go to the Allianz and win.”

United have little time to rest before next week’s second leg as they face rivals Manchester City, the Women’s Super League leaders, on Saturday.

Skinner said: “It will challenge us, it will take us to the depths, but the carrot is there for us in both games. We expect it to be difficult.”

Opposite number Jose Barcala insisted Bayern would not be getting carried away with their victory.

He said: “We need to stay with our feet on the earth, humble and keep looking forward for the next game.

“It’s important we learn things from this game and adjust for the second leg.”

The IPL 2026 starts in three days. Despite most of the league being played in the peak Indian summer, there is no dearth of excitement among fans, with most stadiums seeing packed stands. ‘Marquee matches’ involving the big teams like Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Kolkata Knight Riders often see more fans gather at the stadiums. However, getting tickets for these ‘big matches’ seems to be a problem for some fans this time. This report is to be viewed.

The tickets for the IPL 2026 can be booked via official sites. However, even when the tickets are sold out on the official websites, they are available on some third-party sites. According to a report in Mid-Day, RCB and MI announced the sale of their home match tickets. Both teams’ tickets were reportedly sold out within minutes. However, tickets for these teams were available on third-party sites for extremely high amounts.

“The tickets for the MI vs KKR match can be found starting from Rs 6,500 on these websites and going as high as over Rs 50,000. For the MI vs RCB match, the tickets are a bit more expensive given the high demand. The tickets for the MI-RCB match start at Rs 15,000 and go as high as Rs 1 lakh for a ticket,” the report said.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans have introduced a digital ticketing model for all home matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. According to a press release from the franchise, the ticket sales are now live exclusively on BookMyShow, the franchise’s official ticketing partner, and on the Titans FAM app.

The move, which reflects operational foresight and evolving fan behaviour, will reduce the need for physical tickets by introducing secure QR-based m-tickets delivered directly to fans’ smartphones. At the world’s largest cricket stadium, where crowds often cross six figures, the shift is expected to ensure a smoother and more efficient experience for spectators

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik hailed Virat Kohli after the batter scored a 19-ball 45 in the team’s second intra-squad practice game ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season. Speaking after RCB’s second practice game on Wednesday, Dinesh Karthik praised Virat Kohli for his strong performance in the warm-up match, highlighting his consistency, evolving game plan, and relentless drive to improve. He also emphasised Kohli’s energy and influence both on the field and within the team environment.

“Good game today. The class of Virat came through quite nicely up front, played some lovely shots. The greatness about Virat is every year he comes up with a certain plan, a certain intent. You saw how he’s really upped what he wants to do. I feel this year he’ll try and get even better. That tells a lot about the person that he is. He’s always trying to push his boundaries. And also what he brings in terms of energy to the crowd, to the meetings – those are all big things, and that’s a big part of Virat’s personality as well,” Karthik said in a video posted by RCB on social media.

ohli gearing up for another banger of a season.

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DK talks about prep, intent, and the energy Virat’s bringing this season on @bigbasket_com presents RCB Bold Diaries. #PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/NpToH0uOeq

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 25, 2026

RCB held their first intra-squad warm-up match on Monday. In that match, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma scored a 37-ball 81, skipper Rajat Patidar smashed a blazing 25-ball 74, while Kohli played a quick 12-ball 29-run cameo.

Batting first, the team led by Venkatesh Iyer posted 234/7, with Jitesh (81 in 37 balls), Tim David (36 in 14 balls), Iyer (30 in 16 balls) and Virat (29 in 12 balls) dominating the scorecard. In their 20 overs, the other team, led by Krunal, fired 247 runs, with Rajat (74 in 25 balls), Padikkal (63 in 33 balls) and Krunal (58 in 33 balls) delivering standout performances.

RCB will kickstart their IPL 2026 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at home in Bengaluru on March 28.

Manchester United fan Pernille Harder scored twice against her childhood club at Old Trafford as Bayern Munich gained a precious first-leg advantage in their Champions League quarter-final tie.

REPORT: Manchester United 2-3 Bayern Munich

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