Rajasthan Royals saw their 15-year-old prodigy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, truly rise to the occasion and deliver a career-defining performance in the IPL 2026. The youngster took home the Orange Cap after emerging as the top-scoring batter this season, with 776 runs to his name. He was truly a bargain buy for the Royals, who brought him into the franchise for a fee of Rs 1.10 crore in the mega auction before last season. While Sooryavanshi’s retainer this year was the same, his actual earnings were much more, thanks to his consistent performances for the franchise.

Though Rajasthan Royals failed to qualify for the IPL final, Sooryavanshi attended the title-decider at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After the Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched the title for the second time in two years, he was called to the presentation ceremony and was honoured as the Most Valuable Player of the season.

He earned several other awards in the presentation ceremony, while also earning cash rewards associated with them. The awards and their respective cash prizes were:

– Most Valuable Player (MVP): Rs 15 lakh

– Orange Cap (Tournament Top Scorer): Rs 10 lakh

– Super Striker of the Season: Rs 10 lakh (plus the Tata Sierra)

– Super Sixes of the Season: Rs 10 lakh (for hitting 72 sixes)

– Emerging Player of the Season: Rs 10 lakh

On top of the annual retainer of Rs 1.10 crore and cash rewards, Sooryavanshi also earned a match fee of Rs 7.5 lakh for every game he featured in. In total, he played 16 games for Rajasthan this season, hence earnings a total of Rs 1.20 crore through match fee alone.

The teenager also earned cash rewards through Player of the Match and other match-day performance awards. He earned Rs 1 lakh each for individual match honours like Electric Striker of the Match or Most Sixes of the Match, which he picked up multiple times during his high-scoring campaign.

In total, his earnings from the IPL 2026 season went over Rs 2.50 crore.

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India’s women’s wrestling team delivered an outstanding performance at the U17 Asian Wrestling Championships 2026 in Da Nang, Vietnam, finishing with medals in all 10 weight categories.

The contingent secured a total of 10 medals, comprising two gold, three silver and five bronze, to achieve a perfect podium record in the competition. Diksha and Garima emerged as the standout performers by winning gold medals in their respective categories, while three other wrestlers reached the finals and settled for silver.

The remaining five Indian wrestlers added bronze medals, ensuring every member of the women’s squad returned home with a podium finish.

Diksha and Garima strike gold

India’s gold medals came through Diksha in the 43kg category and Garima in the 73kg division.

Both wrestlers produced commanding displays throughout the tournament before capping their campaigns with victories in the finals. Their performances helped India maintain its strong presence in age-group wrestling on the continental stage.

Three wrestlers claim silver medals

India added three silver medals through Nikita (49kg), Antra (65kg) and Taniya (69kg).

All three wrestlers progressed to their respective finals after impressive runs in the competition. However, they were unable to cross the final hurdle and finished as runners-up.

Taniya put up a determined effort in the gold-medal bout before losing to Khadisha Flyuk. Nikita and Antra also had to settle for silver after defeats in their championship matches.

Despite missing out on gold, their performances contributed significantly to India’s overall medal tally.

Bronze medals complete perfect podium record

Five Indian wrestlers secured bronze medals to complete a remarkable clean sweep of podium finishes for the women’s team.

Palak claimed bronze in the 40kg category by defeating Aruuke Nurbekovna Nurbekova. Anamika followed suit in the 46kg division with a victory over Inzhu Bakkozha.

In the 53kg category, Akshra secured a bronze medal after overcoming Ema Arakawa. Sakshi added another medal in the 57kg division with a win against Shiying Wang, while Manya completed India’s medal tally by defeating Aigerim Polatbay in the 61kg bronze-medal bout.

Strong showing in Vietnam

The 10-medal haul underlined India’s consistency across all weight categories at the championship. With two gold, three silver and five bronze medals, the women’s team achieved a 100 per cent podium success rate in Da Nang.

The performance marked another strong outing for India’s young wrestlers on the Asian stage and reinforced the country’s growing strength in women’s wrestling at the grassroots and age-group levels.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Christian Pulisic‘s spirits were high, or as he put it, “I felt relaxed but just energized.” Ending a months-long goalscoring drought helped in the U.S. men’s national team’s 3-2 win over Senegal on Sunday was undoubtedly a contributing factor but it was far from the only reason why the vibes were high. For the first time in a long time, it felt like things were tilting nicely in the USMNT’s favor – and not a moment too soon with the World Cup less than a fortnight away.

Roughly 18 months after Mauricio Pochettino assumed the helm of the national team, a spell that started with turbulence that has not seamlessly subsided, a cohesive vision was easy to spot. The U.S. started in electric form and had a goal by the sixth minute courtesy of Sergino Dest and even as Senegal tried to work their way back into the game, they never actually relented. It was not a perfect game, as the scoreline indicates – the errors from Miles Robinson and Chris Brady, the latter earning his first cap, to set up Sadio Mane‘s second goal is awfully indicative of that – but it answered a batch of questions of who the USMNT will be at a World Cup on home soil. The short answer? Entertaining, if all goes according to plan.

The USMNT has never historically been an attack-minded juggernaut, though many of Pochettino’s predecessors were limited by the player pool. From his breakout managerial spell in England‘s Premier League with Southampton from 2013 to 2014, though, that stylistic preference has been his trademark. Pochettino’s teams are supposed to lead with intensity, especially on the wings; it has not always worked out with the U.S. team but Sunday offered a rare flicker that it just might be a winning formula at the World Cup.

“We cannot complain or say nothing. Maybe Paraguay, Uruguay and today, it was the right attitude, the right commitment for everyone,” Pochettino said, referencing November’s 2-1 win over Paraguay and the 5-1 win over Uruguay days later. “That is the attitude that we tried to find from day one. Non-official game or official game, we need to play in this way if we want to improve.”

Pulisic on his own encapsulated that very feeling, ending a 22-game goalscoring drought after a productive week to open the USMNT’s pre-World Cup camp. The attacker always had Pochettino’s vote of confidence, though, the coach always believing it would be a matter of time. Much like the team as a whole, Pulisic’s outing – which included an assist to Dest’s goal – could not be timed better.

“The performance of Christian in the 45 minutes was really, really good,” Pochettino said. “I think he has still potential, a lot to improve but I think it is in the training from day one and I felt that was what he needed and how he played 45 minutes was the habit he created in the last week, every day training with his attitude, with his commitment, with his energy.”

The good news for the team as a whole, though, was that the goalscoring burden was always going to be shared. Pulisic earned the headlines on Sunday but Ricardo Pepi was right there with him, playing an important role in the build-up to Dest’s goal and notching the assist on Pulisic’s. It is the latest example of Pepi’s rise – nearly four years ago, he was left off Gregg Berhalter’s World Cup roster and was likely one of the final cuts but he admitted Saturday that he used the exclusion as fuel. He arrives to the World Cup in the form of his life and is angling for a starting spot once the tournament begins despite once being seen as a capable understudy to Folarin Balogun.

“I thought he was really good today,” Pulisic said about a longtime teammate. “I though he was just in a lot of good areas and he was always a bit of an outlet for us and finding good plays and making the right decisions and passes and goals will come from him, for sure, because he’s in the right places. I was really happy for him today.”

Pepi scored 19 goals for Dutch champions PSV this season, a career-best tally that may earn him a move to Premier League side Fulham this summer after a deal was nearly completed in the winter. He has seamlessly integrated himself into Pochettino’s attack-minded team despite limited exposure to it, playing just one international game in 2025 while dealing with injuries. 

“It was difficult because we didn’t have too much time to work with him because he suffered several different types of injuries and then when he was with us, he wasn’t his best,” Pochettino said. “I think now we are seeing a different player that we saw during the 18 months … I am so happy because I think exactly, with his capacity, today him, Balogun or Haji [Wright] – who didn’t play today – I think we have a group of offensive players or strikers that I really like.”

Pochettino has a wide range of options available to him in attack in three in-form forwards with varying skillsets, a perfect fit for a coach whose stylistic preferences suit those players. He may be the benefactor of great form with that trio but he decided to run with a tactical innovation of his own with Dest specifically. Dest has always been formally listed as a right back but his skillset is overtly attack-minded, Pochettino seeming to acutely understand the nuances of his crafty game with the role he assigned the player on Sunday. Dest was essentially free to do as he saw fit, his preferences allowing the USMNT to go off to the races – he pressed high up the pitch, the rest of the team charging in to overwhelm a rotated Senegal defense. He sometimes hovered in more central positions, which is why Pulisic picked him out of the opening goal in the first place, Dest coming up with a finish suitable for the role he played.

“We know he’s so dangerous in the attacking [positions],” Pulisic said. “He can defend but he’s so dangerous. It causes so many problems with his dribbling, his passing and today getting in the box, it’s a really big quality.”

Even after Senegal equalized early in the second half – and after Pochettino made 10 changes at the break – the USMNT did not relent. Their third goal came courtesy of Balogun and the U.S. ultimately outdid the visitors 15 to seven in shots and 2.66 to 1.74 in expected goals. It marks an exciting reinvention of the USMNT, who look like a Pochettino team two years after sliding into mediocrity under Berhalter’s watch.

One game does not change the narrative on this U.S. team, especially given their propensity for dramatic and unfavorable performances and results. They have slipped into a different mode this last week, though – the stress of making a World Cup team now behind them, the USMNT players seem much happier to focus on the task at hand, at long last.

“It felt good,” Pulisic said with a noticeably lighter tone than usual, even as he maintained a business-like approach to his answers. “It felt good in a lot of ways. I’m sure guys are really happy to have made the roster now and now they can just hopefully be themselves and just try to take it all in and enjoy this summer.”

Dalton Smith will receive the first ever WBC legacy belt named in honour of British boxing legend Ricky Hatton.

Smith captured the WBC super-lightweight title back in January after a knockout win over Subriel Matias, becoming the latest British fighter to earn world honours in the 140lb division.

Another man who famously held gold at super-lightweight was Hatton, who packed out arenas on both sides of the pond as he became unified world champion, claiming wins over legends such as Kostya Tszyu and Jose Luis Castillo along the way.

‘The Hitman’ sadly passed away at the age of 46 back in September, but it has now been announced that the new belt will be created to pay tribute to Hatton, and Smith is delighted to be the first recipient.

“Growing up, Ricky Hatton was my hero. Everything about him – the way he fought, the way he carried himself and the connection he had with the fans – he was what made me fall in love with boxing.

“To receive the inaugural Ricky Hatton WBC Legacy Belt, in Manchester and at the AO Arena of all places, honestly means a huge amount to me.

“Ricky inspired a generation of fighters from the North and across Britain, and to be recognised in his name is something I’m incredibly proud of.“

The belt will be presented to Smith at the Evening4Ricky event that is being held at Manchester’s AO Arena on June 7th to remember Hatton, with some of the biggest names from boxing and entertainment coming together in celebration of ‘The Hitman.’

Naomi Osaka of Japan prepares for the third round women’s singles tennis match against Iva Jovic of the U.S. at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Saturday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

PARIS — Naomi Osaka and Taylor Townsend are piling up wins on the court at the French Open.

Their success comes after drawing attention off the court for organizing a dinner for Black players before the tournament started.

“It caused a bit of a stir, which I thought was pretty funny because for so long we have been the ones that (are) the minority in a sport where we kind of stick out,” Townsend said about chatter on social media. “And now coming together all of a sudden seems like a problem.”

READ: Naomi Osaka channels Eiffel Tower with French Open outfit

While Townsend said the reaction from her Instagram post about the evening was “mostly positive,” she said there was also online criticism.

Several comments on Osaka’s and Townsend’s posts suggested the dinner as “segregation,” while another asked, “When are the white, Latino, and Asian parties?”

It all prompted Townsend to quote a lyric from the rapper Finesse2tymes: “He said, ‘It’s cool when they do it; it’s a problem when I do it.’”

Keeping in the rap theme, Townsend quoted Tupac Shakur in her post about the evening: “Some say the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice; I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots.”

Besides Osaka and Townsend, the other attendees of the dinner were 2025 French Open champion Coco Gauff, retiring Frenchman Gael Monfils, doubles specialist Asia Muhammad and retired player turned TV commentator Chris Eubanks.

“Growing up, there weren’t a lot of tennis players I could look up to that looked like me,” Osaka — whose father is from Haiti and mother is from Japan — said in her Instagram post about the dinner. “Being a minority in a sport like tennis is very isolating but the positive is that you keep tabs on everyone that … being blunt, is black. There’s a fellowship, a camaraderie.”

READ: Naomi Osaka moves into French Open third round vs Iva Jovic

“I felt like everyone in that room was a part of my family,” Osaka — who represents Japan but grew up mostly in the U.S. — added in a news conference.

For Townsend, “it wasn’t just about the culture, it was healing for us to all be able to speak about our journeys.”

While Gauff’s title defense ended with a loss to Anastasia Potapova on Saturday, Osaka has reached the fourth round in Paris for the first time in her career while showing off her taste for fashion with her elaborate walk-on outfits. American player Townsend and Czech partner Katerina Siniakova — the top-seeded doubles team — have won their opening three matches and are into the quarterfinals.

Althea Gibson broke tennis’ color barrier

Gauff beat Townsend in the opening round of singles, after which a ceremony was held on Court Philippe-Chatrier to honor the 70th anniversary of Althea Gibson’s 1956 French Open victory — the first Grand Slam title for a Black tennis player.

Gibson was also the first Black player to compete at a major tennis tournament when she fought with the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association just to get admitted in 1950 to what was then called the U.S. Nationals — now the U.S. Open.

“Taylor and I playing on Philippe-Chatrier is a direct product of Althea Gibson,” Gauff told the crowd after beating Townsend. “It just shows the importance of breaking barriers in all aspects of the world, but especially in sport. I’m very grateful for people like her and Serena and Venus (Williams), Zina Garrison for paving the way for us.”

‘Soul Food’ Sunday at Wimbledon

The dinner recalls how going back to the Harlem Renaissance, Black athletes, entertainers, musicians and writers held salons and dinners to celebrate their successes in a familial space. Such events were not meant as a slight to non-Blacks.

Katrina Adams, a former pro and then the first Black president of the U.S. Tennis Association, said she was pleased to see “an old tradition” re-emerging.

“In our era in the 80’s/90’s, we hosted ‘Soul Food’ Sunday on the middle Sunday of Wimbledon, when there was no play,” Adams said in a comment on Townsend’s post. “All the black players, got together, cooked, ate and enjoyed each other.”

Adams said players like Garrison and Lori McNeil hosted the Wimbledon gatherings for years and that she passed on the tradition to the likes of Chanda Rubin, the Williams sisters, MaliVai Washington and Roger Smith.

Townsend’s unexpected vacation with Osaka

Townsend and Osaka hardly knew each other before Osaka surprised Townsend by inviting her on a vacation last year to the Turks and Caicos.

Townsend is an extrovert and Osaka a very quiet introvert.

“I didn’t know why she invited me,” Townsend said. “(But) it ended up being the best time and Naomi and I floated in the ocean on a surfboard for three hours and talked to each other. … We’ve been friends ever since.”

Both players are mothers.

“We share a lot of the same values and principles and morals of how we go about life and how we want to treat people and what type of mothers that we want to be for our children,” Townsend said. “It goes way beyond tennis.”

Soraya Kelly knows none of this comes for free and acknowledges funding could be a stumbling block. This is where she feels that the Welsh Government could come in.

Currently the FAW’s main source of income is from commercial revenue and from international governing bodies such as Fifa and Uefa. However that situation has not been aided by the men’s team failing to qualify for this summer’s World Cup.

The Welsh Government supports the FAW at grassroots level with projects relating to matters such as stadia development and new infrastructure.

For example, to mark the historic appearance of Wales’ women at Euro 2025, the ‘Partner Support Fund‘ supported 16 grassroots, cultural, and educational organisations to boost sports participation and promote equality.

Sport Wales – the body responsible for developing and promoting sport in Wales – also provides public and lottery money to the FAW through grants, in partnership with the Welsh Government.

Any proposal for Welsh Government help to fund a new elite pathway would likely require sensitive negotiation with the FAW.

In a statement, the Welsh Government said: “Ensuring women and girls have the opportunity to take part in sport is essential to building a confident, ambitious Wales where talent is nurtured at every level. This Welsh Government is committed to working closely with governing bodies to expand opportunities and remove barriers. Women’s sport has the power to transform lives, strengthen communities and elevate Wales on the international stage.”

It added: “The Football Association of Wales leads on the governance and development of the game, including ongoing discussions on strengthening pathways such as a Wales women’s under 21 or under 23 team. Through Sport Wales, we are investing in the future of women’s sport, supporting national bodies to grow participation, develop elite talent and inspire the next generation.”

Kelly plans to launch the campaign in August and already has the backing of Race Council Cymru, Black Police Association, Her Game Too and Vale of Glamorgan MP Kanishka Narayan. She is also soon to meet UEFA vice president and former Wales captain Laura McAllister.

“I get it is down to funding. The FAW has only got a certain amount of money. So the Welsh Government needs to step in here so that there’s equality for our girls, as well as our boys, in Wales,” said Kelly.

“The boys have got it and have always had it. There’s been funding there for the boys, but not for the girls and that needs to change.

“We’ve got lots and lots of people who are really passionate about this and trying to help this pathway to develop.

“The women’s game has come on so much and how are we ever going to be able to compete against the likes of England going forward, if we don’t have that middle buffer?”