Things could not be going much better for the New York Yankees six games into the new season. They’re 5-1 and have allowed six runs total, including zero home runs. Every other team has allowed at least 12 runs and two homers, and 25 of the other 29 teams have allowed at least 20 runs. Only the 2002 San Francisco Giants and 1915 Philadelphia Phillies gave up fewer runs through their first six games; they both allowed five.

“I think this team as a whole, we’re just feeding off each other and rolling with it,” righty Cam Schlittler said following Wednesday afternoon’s win over the Seattle Mariners (NYY 5, SEA 3). “To take the series here is a good feeling, and we’ll go home confident to play on Friday.”

The Yankees have started 5-1 despite not yet playing a home game and despite two-time reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge not doing much of anything. Judge is 3 for 24 (.125) with two homers, one walk, and 11 strikeouts. The Yankees have also gotten basically nothing from the bottom of the lineup. Their 7-8-9 lineup spots have combined for a .339 OPS, the lowest in baseball. The Yankees have been carried by Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice, Giancarlo Stanton, and their pitching staff.

It’s only six games, but the Yankees are off to a hot start, particularly after an offseason in which they didn’t do much beyond re-sign their own players. Their most significant outside addition was lefty Ryan Weathers, who allowed one run in 4 ⅓ innings in his Yankees debut Monday. Otherwise, the Yankees brought back starting outfielders Bellinger and Trent Grisham, plus some role players (Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario, etc.). That’s really it.

The run-it-back approach made for a boring offseason and some fan angst. OK, a lot of fan angst. The Athletic polled more than 11,000 fans before the season and Yankees fans ranked 22nd in optimism heading into 2026. The Yankees were behind the Athletics, Miami Marlins, and Pittsburgh Pirates, among others.

That’s insane, right? That ranking reflects fatigue with manager Aaron Boone and GM Brian Cashman more than it does an objective look at the talent on the roster and the organization as a whole. The Yankees had the American League’s best run differential last season (by 54 runs) and won 94 games, only losing the AL East to the Toronto Blue Jays thanks to a tiebreaker. Fans are down because the Yankees haven’t won the World Series since 2009, not because they’re not a very good team.

The 2026 Yankees look like the 2025 Yankees plus Weathers, and that is not a bad thing. They’re returning almost all of a very good team and have some pieces on the way who will raise their ceiling. Here are four reasons to believe the 2026 Yankees will be better than the 2025 Yankees despite all the familiar faces.

1. A full season of Schlittler

The single biggest reason to believe the 2026 Yankees will be better than the 2025 Yankees is the guy they had on the mound Wednesday. Schlittler, who thoroughly dominated the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of last year’s Wild Card Series, held the Mariners to two hits in 6 ⅓ innings. He struck out seven and threw only 79 pitches while on a pitch limit after a minor back issue delayed his start to spring training. Figure Schlittler will throw 90-ish pitches next start, then 100-ish the start after that.

Two starts into his season, Schlittler has thrown 11 ⅔ scoreless innings and allowed only three baserunners. He opened the year as New York’s No. 2 starter behind Max Fried. He opened last year in Double-A. Schlittler’s meteoric rise last season took him from Double-A on Opening Day to Triple-A in June to the Bronx in July. He made 14 starts for the Yankees as a rookie, pitching to a 2.96 ERA with solid under-the-hood numbers (3.74 FIP, 4.11 xERA, etc.), and also starred in the postseason.

This season, Schlittler is in the rotation to begin the year and he’s positioned to give the Yankees 25-plus starts, depending on how they manage his workload. He’s armed with a new cutter, one that has outlier movement given its mid-90s velocity, …

… as well as upper-90s four-seamers and sinkers. Hitters have missed with more than half their swings against the four-seamer in Schlittler’s two starts. It has been straight bully ball. Schlittler threw 88% fastballs in two starts, so almost nine times out of 10. It’s a “here you go, try to hit it” approach and no one’s hit it yet. The power stuff, the precision (zero walks in two starts), and the fact he’s an imposing presence at 6-foot-6 give Schlittler a very high ceiling. We saw it in last year’s Wild Card Series.

The Yankees got only 14 regular-season starts out of Schlittler last season. He stepped into a rotation spot that had been occupied by veteran hangers-on Carlos Carrasco, Marcus Stroman, and Ryan Yarbrough. This year, Schlittler is in the rotation from Day 1. He won’t have a 0.00 ERA all year, and probably not even a sub-3.00 ERA, but Schlittler is very good. He’s showing he can be a true impact starter who you want taking the ball in the biggest games come October.

2. Cole’s return

Gerrit Cole did not throw a single pitch in 2025. He blew out his elbow in spring training and had Tommy John surgery, reducing him to a spectator and secondary pitching coach throughout the summer. Cole’s rehab has been very smooth, about as smooth as you’ll see a Tommy John rehab, and he’s on track to start a minor-league rehab assignment soon and rejoin the Yankees in late May or early June. That’s enough time for what, 20 starts? I think the Yankees would be thrilled with 20 and happy with 15.

In his two spring training starts, Cole’s fastball hummed in around 96 mph and topped out at 98.7 mph, which is exceptional velocity for the first game action after elbow reconstruction. The movement traits on his two breaking balls were right where they needed to be as well. For all intents and purposes, Cole looked like Cole in spring training. He looked like a veteran starter going through the motions in March and I say that as a positive. It was business as usual.

Sandy Alcantara is a reminder that even the very best pitchers can have hiccups in their first year back from Tommy John surgery, so it is not a given Cole returns to make an impact. He doesn’t need to come back as an ace though. The Yankees have Fried (and Schlittler?) to fill that role. Can Cole come back and be better than Weathers and Will Warren, the team’s No. 4 and 5 starters? The Yankees would love to get the ace version of Cole. If they get a 3.80 ERA version, well, that guy can help too.

Whatever the Yankees get out of Cole this year, even if it’s 10-15 starts with an ERA near 4, is something they did not get last year. There is still a lot of build-up and rehab to go, but Cole’s recovery so far has gone so well that it’s hard not to be optimistic. He’s far enough along that we can begin to reasonably assume he’ll contribute something this season. If that’s 12 starts with a 4.25 ERA, those are 12 starts that can help the Yankees and be better than whoever’s next on the rotation depth chart.

(Carlos Rodón and Clarke Schmidt are also on the mend from elbow surgery. Rodón is expected back in late April or early May after making 32 starts a year ago. Schmidt, who was limited to 14 starts last year, is unlikely to be back until August or September, which won’t be enough time to really move the needle.)

3. A full season of last year’s deadline additions

The Yankees had a low-key winter partly because they did much of their offseason shopping at last summer’s trade deadline. Setup man Camilo Doval and closer David Bednar came over at the deadline, and were not rentals. Jake Bird, who was so bad after his acquisition last summer that he was demoted to Triple-A after just three games, has given up just one hit in three appearances. Ditto third baseman Ryan McMahon and utility man José Caballero, the latter of whom is filling in at shortstop while Anthony Volpe rehabs from shoulder surgery. Those deadline trades kept the Yankees out of the bullpen and the infield markets in the offseason.

Yes, the 2026 Yankees look like the 2025 Yankees, but more specifically, they look like the post-deadline 2025 Yankees. That team had baseball’s second-best record behind the Phillies after the deadline. Bednar has really settled down in the ninth inning, and while McMahon hasn’t hit much in pinstripes, his Gold Glove-caliber defense alone makes him a big upgrade over the third basemen they’ve employed the last three years (Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza, late career Josh Donaldson and DJ LeMahieu).

The 2025 Yankees won 94 games and had the AL’s best run differential despite a shaky bullpen the first four months of the season and a black hole at third base, both offensively and defensively. Having Bednar, Doval, and McMahon at the outset this season is not as sexy and probably not as impactful as having a full year of Schlittler or a partial year of Cole, but those guys put the Yankees in better shape right now than they were at this time last season. The Yankees did their offseason shopping last July.

4. ABS challenges

One week in, the new ABS challenge system seems to be working very well league-wide. Fans at the stadium certainly appear to enjoy it based on the crowd reactions to successful challenges (or unsuccessful challenges for the visitors). The Yankees have been one of the most successful teams in ABS challenges in the early going. Here are the numbers:

The Yankees are second across the board (behind different teams). They challenge frequently, including going 5 for 5 in Tuesday’s game, and they’re successful when they do. Catcher Austin Wells is a perfect 5 for 5 behind the plate on challenges and New York’s 81% team success rate is well above the 55% league average.

With the caveat that it has only been a week, the Yankees have all the ingredients to be one of the game’s most successful ABS challenge teams. Their hitters are very disciplined and know the zone well, and their catchers are excellent pitch-framers. The entire roster controls the strike zone well. Will they stay at an 81% success rate all year? No, almost certainly not, but the Yankees will likely finish near the top of the league in total challenges and success rate.

We’ve already seen how much ABS challenges can swing an inning or a game. Last Friday, Judge challenged a called strike with a runner on second and no outs in a scoreless game. The 1-1 call was overturned into a hitter-friendly 2-0 count, then Judge hit a home run that gave the Yankees the only two runs they’d need that afternoon.

ABS challenges are a tool the 2026 Yankees figure to use well as any team in the game. They’re also a tool the 2025 Yankees did not have. Unless the Yankees are unexpectedly bad at ABS challenges (it’s possible, sure), there will be a few extra runs and wins to be had throughout the season. Even one additional win would be a lift. It’s just not something last year’s team could use. This is a rule change that appears to favor the Yankees given the roster’s top-to-bottom control of the strike zone.

The Yankees also have much improved depth this season. Cabrera (third base) and Jasson Domínguez (left field) were in the Opening Day lineup last year. This year, they’re in Triple-A. The bench includes players with strategic uses: Goldschmidt, Rosario, and Randal Grichuk, all of whom are above-average hitters against lefties. Last year’s Opening Day bench included Peraza and Pablo Reyes, two break glass in case of emergency types. The margins of the roster are much stronger.

As good as it is, the pitching staff will not continue to average one run allowed per game. There will be a crash back to Earth at some point, which will be offset by Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and a few others rising at the plate. The 2026 Yankees look a lot like the 2025 Yankees, for sure, but 2025 is 2025 and 2026 is 2026. What happened last year won’t have any bearing on this year. The Yankees have a roster now that is deeper and, thanks largely to Cole and Schlittler, possesses greater upside than last year’s team.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday night signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, the latest in a string of executive actions that aim at LGBTQ+ rights.

The move comes as the right wing in the US, and globally, has taken an increasingly aggressive stance against transgender people. 

What does the new ban on transgender women and girls say?

The order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” gives government agencies authority to penalize schools that allow transgender athletes to compete on women’s teams.

Any school that violates the order would risk losing federal funding.

“It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy,” according to the executive order.

It is unclear how the ban will be enforced at schools and in grassroots sports.

And at the top level it will affect few athletes as despite widespread debate, there are still very few trans competitors in the US.

Charlie Baker, President of the NCAA, which regulates about 500,000 college athletes in the country, said in late 2024 that his organization contained “less than 10” transgender athletes.

Trump signed an executive order last month proclaiming that it will only recognize two sexes, male and female, going forward.

Trump moves to ban transgender athletes from 2028 LA Games

The US president also said he would pressure the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to change its rules on transgender athletes ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

He said he had instructed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “make it clear” to the IOC that “we want them to change everything having to do with the Olympics.”

What are the IOC rules on transgender athletes?

In the past years, the IOC has changed its stance around transgender athletes. Rather than mandating uniform testosterone limits, it lets the international federations governing each sport set their own criteria for participation.

The IOC’s current framework, however, suggests maintaining testosterone levels below 10 nanomoles per liter for 12 months prior to competition. 

Some federations, such as the International Cycling Union (UCI) and World Aquatics, have also implemented stricter lower thresholds or additional requirements.

Trump added that he had ordered Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem to deny visa applications “made by men attempting to fraudulently enter the United States while identifying themselves as women athletes to try and get into the Games.”

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and organizers for the 2028 Olympics did not immediately respond to AP requests for comment.

Trump’s attacks on transgender policies

“Our hearts break for the trans youth who will no longer be able to know the joy of playing sports as their full and authentic selves,” Athlete Ally, a US LGBTQ+ athletic advocacy group, said in a statement. 

“We hope they will continue to feel the love and acceptance from their teammates, coaches, friends and family members that they deserve.”

Since his second term began on January 20, Trump has issued a string of orders targeting gender-nonconforming people.

He signed an order to restrict gender-affirming care for those under 19.

He also issued an order to rid what he called “transgender ideology” from the military that effectively bars transgender Americans from service.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar

Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel credited his side’s awareness and execution with the ball for setting up a six-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants, highlighting how they made the most of helpful new-ball conditions before sealing the chase through a crucial middle-overs partnership. “Game finished early, got close in the middle. The new ball was doing a bit, our chat was about a big partnership, and we finished well. Happy with bowling. We knew it swung and seamed at the start. We told that to all new bowlers, and they did well,” said Axar Patel after the match.

Mukesh Kumar set the tone with an exceptional new-ball spell, conceding less than a run a ball in the powerplay while extracting swing and seam and keeping Mitchell Marsh quiet outside off. Axar Patel then struck in trademark fashion, deceiving Aiden Markram with a skiddy, angled delivery soon after being hit for six, as DC restricted LSG to 48/2. The collapse continued with Ayush Badoni edging T Natarajan, before Lungi Ngidi produced a stunning slower ball to outfox Nicholas Pooran.

Delhi tightened their grip as Marsh fell for 35 attempting to take on Kuldeep Yadav, while debutant Mukul Choudhary showed brief promise with a quick 14 before being undone by a googly. Abdul Samad offered resistance with 36 but was eventually dismissed by Natarajan, triggering a late collapse where the rest managed just three runs. Ngidi and Natarajan led the charge with three wickets each, while Kuldeep chipped in with two, sealing a dominant bowling performance for DC.

“During the strategic time-out, we passed on the same message that we were just one good partnership away from getting ourselves into a good position. Both of them finished off well in the end. There’s a big boundary, and I felt that since the pitch was assisting pacers, I’d bowl them over me. The plan was to bring in Rizvi early. Ashutosh Sharma was also an option if the innings started well. Last year, Ashu proved himself in the first game, and this time, Rizvi. He’s been excellent at practice, glad he pulled it off tonight,” he added.

Sameer Rizvi played an important role under pressure, proving the Delhi Capitals made the right choice by selecting him as the Impact Player over options like Karun Nair and Ashutosh Sharma. After a tough start where he struggled to score, making 0 off 9 and then 5 off 13 against LSG’s strong seam bowlers, Rizvi steadied himself to build a partnership of 119 runs off 76 with Tristan Stubbs.

He took full advantage of the little spin available, attacking Shahbaz Ahmed and Aiden Markram aggressively, hitting four fours and a six in their overs. By reaching a well-earned fifty off 37 balls, Rizvi’s innings was key in shifting the momentum and putting DC in a strong position in a tough chase.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hellas Verona host Fiorentina this Saturday at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi on Match Day 31 of the Serie A.

Hellas Verona currently have 18 points and lie in 19th position. In their last game, Paolo Sammarco‘s team lost 1-0 against Atalanta (Serie A 2025/26).

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Fiorentina have 29 points to their name this season and occupy 16th position in the table. In their last fixture, Paolo Vanoli‘s team shared the spoils 1-1 with Internazionale (Serie A 2025/26).

The last meeting between the two teams ended with Hellas Verona winning 2-1.

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Hellas Verona

Fiorentina

Last starting XIs

Hellas Verona ( vs Atalanta 2026-03-22): Lorenzo Montipò, Victor Nelsson, Andrias Edmundsson, Nicolás Valentini, Rafik Belghali, Akpa Akpro, Abdou Harroui, Martin Frese, Roberto Gagliardini, Gift Orban, Kieron Bowie

Fiorentina ( vs Internazionale 2026-03-22): David de Gea, Dodô, Marin Pongracic, Luca Ranieri, Robin Gosens, Nicolò Fagioli, Fabiano Parisi, Cher Ndour, Marco Brescianini, Albert Gudmundsson, Moise Kean

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Did you know…by playmaker stats

TEAMS

• Away from home, Fiorentina currently have one defeat in their last five games.

• Away from home, Fiorentina currently have one draw in their last 12 games.

• Away from home, Fiorentina are coming off three consecutive games conceding goals.

• Away from home, Fiorentina are coming off two consecutive games without defeat.

• Away from home, Fiorentina are coming off two consecutive wins.

• Fiorentina currently have one defeat in their last six games.

• Fiorentina are coming off four consecutive games scoring goals.

• Fiorentina are coming off four consecutive games conceding goals.

• Fiorentina are coming off five consecutive games without defeat.

• At home, Hellas Verona currently have one win in their last 15 games.

• At home, Hellas Verona are coming off seven consecutive games without a win.

• At home, Hellas Verona are coming off two consecutive defeats.

• Hellas Verona currently have one win in their last 15 games.

• Hellas Verona are coming off six consecutive games conceding goals.

• Hellas Verona are coming off two consecutive games without a win.

• Hellas Verona are coming off two consecutive defeats.

HEAD TO HEAD

• Hellas Verona and Fiorentina have faced each other 85 times, with Fiorentina having the upper hand: 41 wins, compared with 21 Hellas Verona victories.

• In the Italian league, there have been 71 games between the two teams, with 18 Hellas Verona wins, 21 draws and 32 Fiorentina victories.

Gabriele Gravina has resigned as the head of Italy’s football association (FIGC) following their failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

The four-time world champions suffered another play-off final defeat when they were beaten 4-1 on penalties by Bosnia-Herzegovina on Tuesday.

No previous winner of the tournament has missed three World Cups in a row, which Italy now have after missing out on Russia in 2018 and Qatar 2022.

Also on Thursday, former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who was working closely with the men’s national team, resigned as delegation head via Instagram., external

Buffon, who was part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning side, wrote that with Gravina’s decision to go, he felt, “as an act of responsibility”, he should do the same.

“The main objective was to bring Italy back to the World Cup. And we didn’t succeed,” Buffon, 48, added.

“It’s fair to leave it to those who will come after the freedom to choose the figure they think is best to play my role.”

Gravina, 72, who is the Uefa first vice-president, announced his resignation following a meeting held at the FIGC’s headquarters in Rome.

He took the job in October 2018, with his predecessor Carlo Tavecchio having stepped down following Italy’s failure to beat Sweden in a World Cup play-off the previous year.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and actress Hailee Steinfeld welcomed their first child together, she announced in a post on her Substack.

Steinfeld’s message was short and sweet.

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Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld on the red carpet before Super Bowl LIX NFL Honors at Saenger Theatre on Feb. 6, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

“Our baby girl has arrived!!” she wrote. “We’re feeling incredibly grateful and blessed and savouring these early moments. Thank you so much for the love and well wishes.”

Allen and Steinfeld got married last May and he announced in December that the two were expecting their first child.

At the time, the NFL star expressed some appreciation for how he’s grown as a person since he arrived in Buffalo in 2018 as his life took him from a small town in California to Wyoming to the NFL and on the brink of leading a championship-starved city to a Super Bowl appearance.

“Yeah, I guess it’s like the evolution of life,” he said. “I consider this place my home. It’s where I’ve done a lot of growing up. And it’s a place that I’ll raise a family. It’s really cool.”

Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld attend the 14th Annual NFL Honors at Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Feb. 6, 2025. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

COWHERD ON TOXIC JALEN HURTS-EAGLES REPORT: FEELS LIKE ‘RUSSELL WILSON-SEAHAWKS’

As his work-life balance becomes more rigid, The Associated Press noted a curious comment he made in October during “Monday Night Football.” He was asked what Steinfeld has taught him during their relationship. He responded, “Maybe I am more than a football player.”

Allen confirmed to The Associated Press that Steinfeld’s pregnancy factored into his response.

“Overjoyed, absolutely overjoyed,” he said, while confirming that he knew he was going to be a dad before the ESPN interview occurred.

Add proud father of one to the list of accolades for Allen. He and the Bills finished 12-5 last season, but lost in the playoffs to the Denver Broncos.

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Allen had 3,668 passing yards and 25 touchdown passes. He finished third in MVP voting.

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.

Since Shakur Stevenson was stripped in early February, the WBC lightweight world title has remained vacant.

Stevenson won the belt in November 2023 by beating Edwin De Los Santos. He defended it against Artem Harutyunyan, Josh Padley and William Zepeda before moving up to super-lightweight to challenge for Teofimo Lopez’s WBO strap.

Though he expressed interest in keeping his belt and returning to 135lbs, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said that Stevenson’s team did not follow the correct protocol and failed to pay a sanctioning fee. The title was declared vacant shortly after the 28-year-old beat Lopez

Despite having an interim champion in Jadier Herrera, the sanctioning body has opted to order a fight between number one and two contenders, Lamont Roach Jr and William Zepeda, for the full title.

In its latest divisional round-up, the WBC has confirmed that the fight is being targeted for June. It is expected to land on a Golden Boy Promotions card, and the winner will be ordered to face Herrera next.

Zepeda’s second crack at the belt, after giving Stevenson what he regards as the trickiest match-up of his campaign, comes against a man who many feel should already be champion in the division.

Roach faced Gervonta Davis for the WBA belt at 135 last year, fighting to a draw which many felt was unfair on the challenger, particularly since ‘Tank’ Davis took a knee mid-fight and was not deducted a point.

The match-up is an intriguing prospect, with Mexico’s Zepeda being one of the sport’s most prolific volume punchers against a slick and smart operator in Roach. Provided there are no obstacles, an official announcement won’t be far in the future. Roach, speaking on X, has teased something ‘coming soon.’

The Oklahoma City Thunder play host to the Los Angeles Lakers in a meeting of two of the Western Conference’s top championship contenders. The Thunder hold a two-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the NBA and the West’s No. 1 playoff seed. The Lakers are currently seeded third in the West. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic are also two of the top contenders for the MVP award.

How to watch Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT

• Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

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Team records

• Los Angeles Lakers: 50-26 (No. 1 in Pacific Division)

• Oklahoma City Thunder: 60-16 (No. 1 in Northwest Division)

Odds

• Spread: Oklahoma City Thunder -9.5

• Moneyline: Oklahoma City Thunder -350 / Los Angeles Lakers +280

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), Cameron Green*, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine*, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Blessing Muzarabani*, Kartik Tyagi

Impact Subs: Finn Allen*, Manish Pandey, Tejasvi Singh, Saurabh Dubey, Rovman Powell*

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head*, Ishan Kishan (capt & wk), Heinrich Klaasen*, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, David Payne*, Jaydev Unadkat

Impact Subs: Harshal Patel, Liam Livingstone*, Eshan Malinga*, R Smaran, Sakib Hussain

Germany beat Switzerland and Ghana in their March friendlies and it’s now less than two months until their World Cup squad will be announced. Who will be in the final 26-man selection? The core group of players is clear, but who made the most of the last international break before World Cup preparation begins and who did not?

Winners

• Kai Havertz — With nearly 60 caps, Havertz is a key part of this team. Having been out with injury for a long time, his starting place was no longer secure but a return to fitness and form is timely. His combination play in Switzerland was impressive, and his roar after confidently dispatching a penalty against Ghana was the sign of a player beginning to hit his stride again. If there were any doubts about his role in the starting eleven, Havertz dispelled them swiftly in these two games.
• Florian Wirtz — Another player who is guaranteed a ticket to the United States this summer but who still excelled. His two goals and two assists in Basel speak for themselves. It was an exceptional display and in Stuttgart he helped set the tone, often brave with his choices on the ball. It felt significant that the 22-year-old delivered this display in the absence of Jamal Musiala, the player who he combined so well with at Euro 2024. It’s clear that even on his own, Wirtz can be the man for Germany when they need a spark.
• Lennart Karl — The 18-year-old looked steady off the bench in Basel, but in Stuttgart he exploded into life. Bayern Munich’s newest jewel gave German coach Julian Nagelsmann a lot of good reasons to have him in the squad this summer. The agile playmaker worked hard to win the ball back and ran at the Ghana defense at every opportunity. His desire to take on players is exciting to watch and an all-too rare a sight for Germany these days. He should have capped his performance off with a goal, but he sent the ball wide. Nevertheless, Karl looks destined to be on the plane now.

Nathaniel Brown — Perhaps it is too generous to say a player who only played 60 minutes against a largely defensive Ghana side was a winner during this international break, but such is the concern around the left-back spot for Germany that it might just be enough. The Frankfurt defender looked more than competent when called upon. A spot in the squad looks almost certain for the 22-year-old now, and given David Raum has not exactly made the spot his own, there is a possibility that even more gametime awaits Brown.

Losers

• Angelo Stiller — He might be Stuttgart’s midfield conductor and darts prodigy Luke Littler’s favorite German player, but Stiller did not make the most of an unexpected chance. Called up after injuries to others, Stiller started both games but looked a little uncertain with the ball at times. He was also slow to close down Switzerland for their opener in Basel, a point that did not go unnoticed by Julian Nagelsmann. Pascal Gross’s decent showing in Stuttgart means it looks like this World Cup might come too soon for Stiller.
• Nico Schlotterbeck — Despite starting both games and clearly being one half of the favored central defensive pairing with Jonathan Tah, the Dortmund defender struggled. He was sloppy in Switzerland, twice making mistakes in the build-up play that proved costly. In Stuttgart he was a bit more stable, but still looked a little out of sorts at times. He will travel and will likely start, but this might have given Nagelsmann food for thought over the recent decision to make Antonio Rüdiger a back-up.
• Nick Woltemade  The plan was for the Newcastle striker to gain some confidence this break after enduring a tricky spell in England. Nagelsmann even spoke about how it made more sense to play a striker needing a boost rather than one in form (Deniz Undav). Sadly, the 24-year-old wasn’t able to make the most of it. In Switzerland, he did little with his 20 minutes off the bench other than head his one chance wide. In Stuttgart, he played almost 80 minutes but still couldn’t get on the scoresheet, missing a glorious chance in the first half and then hitting the bar in the second. He will almost certainly be in squad come May, but until then he needs to rediscover his form.

Edited by: Matt Pearson