China’s Zhao Xintong pulls off a shot emmulating the late John Virgo, potting three reds at the same time in his quarter-final match-up against Shaun Murphy at the World Snooker Championship.

FOLLOW LIVE: World Snooker Championship – day 11

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Punjab Kings’ captain Shreyas Iyer (AP Photo)

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer endured a rare off day with the bat as his side slipped to its first defeat of IPL 2026, with Rajasthan Royals pulling off a successful chase of 223 in a high-scoring contest on Tuesday. Coming into the match in strong form, Iyer never quite found his rhythm. He laboured to 30 off 27 deliveries, managing just one boundary and a six, which slowed PBKS during a crucial phase of the innings. While Marcus Stoinis provided the late fireworks with a blistering unbeaten 62 from only 22 balls, taking the total to 222 for 4, it ultimately proved insufficient. Questions have since been raised around Iyer’s approach, especially with aggressive options like Marco Jansen and Nehal Wadhera waiting in the dugout but not getting an opportunity to bat. The situation has sparked debate over whether Iyer could have considered retiring himself out to accelerate the innings. Former South Africa pacer Shaun Pollock, however, felt such a move would have depended heavily on the available batting options. “It depends on who you got to come. So, if Stoinis had played two knocks like he played today, and he is still to come, you could consider. But I don’t think there was anyone down the order who you would think would have been in better form,” Pollock told Cricbuzz. Pollock also pointed to a similar situation from his time in SA20 with Pretoria Capitals. “We had an example in our SA20. We promoted Roston Chase but we had Rutherford who had been in unbelievable form and was striking at over 200. Roston had a bit of a period (of slow batting). We pulled him with two overs to go. Also, we wanted a left-hander at the crease,” he explained. “So, when you have got someone, then strategically if you’re feeling as a captain, yeah, I’m not hitting it today and you want to make a change,” he added, highlighting the tactical nature of such calls. Veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle offered a different perspective, suggesting that Iyer’s recent form may have influenced his decision to continue. “If you’re a player in form, you’re always backing yourself. So he is telling himself yeah I know but I’ll probably hit three sixes from here,” Bhogle said. Pollock further noted that retire-out decisions are becoming more frequent in modern T20 cricket. “It’s a brave call, but it is definitely happening more and more,” he said. Despite the loss, Iyer has enjoyed an impressive season so far, ranking among the top six-hitters in the tournament while leading PBKS to the top of the table. Earlier in the match, PBKS posted a formidable total riding on Stoinis’ late assault and a steady 59 from Prabhsimran Singh. However, Rajasthan Royals responded with intent. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi smashed 43 off 16 balls and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 51 off 27, giving the chase early momentum with a 51-run opening stand. The game was eventually sealed by a dominant unbeaten partnership between Donovan Ferreira and Shubham Dubey. Ferreira struck 52 off 26 balls while Dubey chipped in with a rapid 31 off just 12 deliveries, guiding Rajasthan home with four balls to spare.

Il Etait Temps successfully completed the Cheltenham-Punchestown Champion Chase double with a victory at the Co Kildare track on Tuesday.

A small but select field contested the William Hill Champion Chase over two miles, with Willie Mullins accounting for four of the field, namely Il Etait Temps, Majborough, Energumene and Blood Destiny, with Barry Connell’s former Cheltenham Festival winner, Marine Nationale the other contestant.

The enigmatic Majborough with Mark Walsh in the saddle, and the Seán Flanagan-ridden Marine Nationale dominated the early stages of the Grade 1 race as they set the tempo out front.

Cheltenham hero Il Etait Temps follows up in the @williamhillire Champion Chase! @punchestownrace pic.twitter.com/cMLNnHW5kZ

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 28, 2026

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Paul Townend on the race favourite, Il Etait Temps, and Danny Mullins on the 12-year-old Energumene, for whom it would be his final race, were third and fourth, with Brian Hayes and Blood Destiny bringing up the rear.

As the pace increased on entering the home straight, Lisgoold-born Townend came with his challenge on the grey son of the late Jukebox Jury. The victory for the French-bred never looked in doubt as he ran out a five-length victor over Marine Nationale, the only Irish-bred in the race.

“You can take nothing away from the winner.”@swflanagan7 on Marine Nationale and “a nice race” from the returning star after the pair finish second in the @williamhillire Champion Chase @punchestownrace pic.twitter.com/IVrYG7S8qz

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 28, 2026

The brave Energumene took third on his final racecourse appearance, 23 lengths behind the runner-up. Majborough was a further 10 lengths behind in fourth position, with Blood Destiny last home, a further 19 lengths adrift of the J.P. McManus-owned Majborough.

Willie Mullins pays tribute to the 12yo Energumene after the fantastic chaser is retired after his third in the William Hill Champion Chase at @punchestownrace pic.twitter.com/D0WK1XLo77

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 28, 2026

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Paris Saint-Germain secured a thrilling 5-4 victory over Bayern Munich in an action-packed UEFA Champions League semi-final clash at Parc des Princes. It was an entertaining contest filled with goals, attacking football and late drama, as PSG made the most of their chances while Bayern’s relentless pressure was not enough to complete a comeback.

The statistics reflected Bayern’s dominance in several areas, but PSG’s clinical finishing and determined defending proved decisive.

Goals and major incidents

Harry Kane gave Bayern the lead in the 17th minute from the penalty spot. PSG responded quickly as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia equalised on 24 minutes after being set up by Désiré Doué.

The home side moved ahead on 33 minutes when João Neves finished from a delivery by Ousmane Dembélé.

Bayern restored parity before the break through Michael Olise, who scored in the 41st minute after an assist from Aleksandar Pavlović.

Following a VAR review deep into stoppage time, Dembélé calmly converted a penalty in the 45th minute plus added time to hand PSG a 3-2 advantage at halftime.

PSG extended their lead shortly after the restart. Kvaratskhelia grabbed his second goal in the 56th minute from Achraf Hakimi’s assist before Dembélé added another two minutes later after a pass from Doué to make it 5-2.

Bayern fought back strongly. Dayot Upamecano reduced the deficit on 65 minutes from a Joshua Kimmich assist, while Luis Díaz scored three minutes later after combining with Kane.

Another Díaz effort in the 70th minute was ruled out following a VAR review. PSG also suffered an injury setback late on as Nuno Mendes was forced off and replaced by Lucas Hernandez.

Match statistics

Bayern controlled possession with 57 per cent and registered a higher expected goals tally of 2.51 compared to PSG’s 1.91. The German side also recorded eight shots on target, while PSG managed five.

However, PSG were ruthless in front of goal, converting every shot on target into goals.

Defensively, the French champions stood firm when it mattered most, producing 29 clearances compared to Bayern’s nine. Bayern had 52 touches inside the PSG penalty area and created six major chances, but failed to convert several key opportunities.

In goal, Manuel Neuer endured a difficult evening, failing to make a save, while Matvey Safonov made two important stops for PSG.

Standout performers

Kvaratskhelia was among PSG’s best players, earning a Sofascore rating of 8.4 after scoring twice from two shots on target. Dembélé also impressed with a rating of 8.2 after contributing two goals and an assist.

Vitinha played a key role in midfield with three key passes, while João Neves combined his goal with several defensive contributions.

For Bayern, Kane delivered another strong performance, recording a goal and an assist to finish with a match rating of 8.7. Díaz also stood out with a goal and a big chance created, while Olise added a goal and troubled PSG’s defence throughout the match.

The Grand Rapids Griffins will open the American Hockey League (AHL) playoffs with a pair of games against the Manitoba Moose at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.

The Central Division best-of-five semifinal opens Saturday and resumes Sunday with both games starting at 3 p.m.

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The Griffins, the Detroit Red Wings‘ top farm team which finished with a franchise-best 51-16-4-1 record in the regular season, were 6-1-1 against the Moose, the top AHL affiliate of the Winnipeg Jets.

The series returns to Grand Rapids for three games, including Game 3 on May 6, Game 4 on May 8, if necessary, and Game 5 on May 9, if necessary. All games at Van Andel Arena start at 7 p.m.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have returned home tied 2-2 in their Eastern Conference first-round matchup with the Montreal Canadiens, and according to coach Jon Cooper, it may not be that way if not for the play of Max Crozier.

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Game 5 takes place in Tampa on Wednesday night after a two-day break following Sunday’s 3-2 Lightning victory in Montreal in front of a boisterous bunch of Habs fans, both inside the NHL’s largest arena and outside watching on a giant screen broadcast.

If one glaring point is gleaned through four contests between the Atlantic Division foes, it is that this best-of-seven series has been the tightest of the first round’s eight matchups, about as evenly played as is mathematically possible.

In addition to splitting the four matches, each side has produced 11 goals and three of the four meetings have required extra time.

On the power play thus far, Montreal, which finished 10th during the regular season, has connected on 5 of 19 chances (26.3%). The Lightning were middling, ranking 17th this season, but have potted four goals in their 20 times on the man advantage (20%).

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When the numbers are that close, a play out of the ordinary that generally does not jump off the scoresheet can make a big difference.

Something like Crozier’s Sunday second-period high hit on Montreal’s star winger Juraj Slafkovsky, who netted a hat trick in Game 1 in Tampa on three power-plays tallies, including the game-winner in overtime.

The defenseman, who only played in 35 games due to surgery, waylaid Slafkovsky at center ice at high speed, sending the 2022 No. 1 overall selection straight to the dressing room to regroup.

The Lightning were outhit 50-28 by the Habs, but Crozier’s lone leveling body blow altered the tone.

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“The hit obviously got our bench out of their seats,” Cooper said. “But you still have to take advantage of that. We score in the last minute of the second and in the first (two minutes) of the third, and all of a sudden, the game’s completely changed.

“(Crozier’s hit) helped take the crowd out of it.”

Instead of maintaining or building on its 2-0 lead that could have resulted in a 3-1 series advantage, Montreal watched it all slip away by allowing three unanswered goals to the visitors.

Brandon Hagel hit the net for the game-tying and game-winning markers in the third to send the series back to Tampa all square.

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Montreal has relied on its top forward line of Cole Caufield (goal, three assists), Nick Suzuki (four helpers) and Slafkovsky (three tallies) for much of the offense, and second-line forward Alex Newhook said the Habs’ secondary scoring must improve.

Newhook plays with center Oliver Kapanen and right winger Ivan Demidov. Only Demidov has produced a point by assisting on Slafkovsky’s first power-play goal in Game 1’s 4-3 shocker.

“It’s something we talk over and try to find solutions (for) here throughout the series as to how,” said Newhook, who posted 13 goals and 25 points in 42 games after fracturing his ankle in mid-November. ” … Fundamentally, getting back to some basics is important this time of the year.

“I think we found some success when we’re keeping it simple and throwing it behind them. Then being able to go and win a battle.”

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Game 6, the series’ first elimination game regardless of Wednesday’s result, is Friday in Montreal.

Ted Lindsay Award finalists announced

Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov and Macklin Celebrini were named finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award on Tuesday.

The award goes each year to the most outstanding player in the NHL, as chosen by members of the NHL Players’ Association. The three finalists were among the top four points scorers in the NHL in the 2025-26 season.

Kucherov is the reigning award holder.

The date of the trophy announcement was not disclosed.

Edmonton Oilers center McDavid led the NHL in scoring with 138 points (48 goals, 90 assists) over 82 games. He is a four-time Lindsay Award recipient, most recently following the 2022-23 season, and is a seven-time finalist. Only Wayne Gretzky is a five-time winner.

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McDavid, 29, had a 20-game point streak from Dec. 4-Jan. 13, tallying 46 points (19 goals, 27 assists) in that span. He captained the Oilers to a second-place finish in the Pacific Division at 41-30-11 (93 points).

Kucherov, 32, has played for only the Tampa Bay Lightning since he entered the NHL in 2013. The forward the NHL with a points-per-game average of 1.71 and was tied for third in the league with a plus-43 rating. From Dec. 20-Jan 12, Kucherov registered 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 10 games.

This is Kucherov’s fourth time as a finalist and he has won twice – 2018-19 and 2024-25.

Celebrini, 19, was the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Sharks and recorded 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) in 82 games, which was fourth in the NHL but a San Jose franchise record. He is striving to become the first Sharks player to win the Lindsay Award. The center helped the Sharks improve to a 39-35-8 record (86 points), bettering their 20 wins and 52 points from his rookie season.

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The finalists for the remaining NHL Awards will be announced one per day. On Wednesday, the NHL will reveal the finalists for the Vezina Trophy, given to the top goaltender.

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Red Wings’ farm team to face Manitoba Moose on weekend

The battle-hardened Waterford tends to claim successes across his seasons, and Chris Waller has targeted the Hawkesbury Gold Cup as a destination for quite some period.

His most recent win was in the Group 2 Shannon Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill in September, and the seven-year-old remained sidelined after a lacklustre showing upon return in the Doncaster Prelude (1500m) on March 28.

Waller’s deputy trainer Charlie Duckworth revealed that resting Waterford for a month was a strategic choice to bypass major Sydney autumn carnival fixtures and concentrate on the upcoming Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) this Saturday.

“Literally, it was just to wait for Hawkesbury,” Duckworth said.

“He’s had four weeks between runs. He’s had a barrier trial, and he trialled at Hawkesbury.

“He’s more than capable of winning a race like that on his day.”

Waller sends a robust challenge to the Cup with Waterford accompanied by in-form Captain Furai after two straight wins, Osipenko from last year’s placings, Imperialist and Yet He Moves.

Waller controls much of the Clarendon Stakes (1400m) field with five from eight, starring The Autumn Sun’s progeny The Roaring Sun, who ended second to later stakes finisher Seraphox at Warwick Farm on debut this month.

Duckworth rates the colt as having top stakes quality and expects the race to propel him towards Brisbane’s winter carnival.

“Our best two-year-old going there is The Roaring Sun. He was narrowly beaten at Warwick Farm, caught wide the trip,” Duckworth said.

“He is a genuine Group horse, and this is a race Chris has used in the past as a stepping stone (to Queensland).”

The Clarendon Stakes roll of honour features quality gallopers like Zardozi, 2023 winner who proceeded to the VRC Oaks (2500m) victory in the ensuing spring.

Waller has repeatedly leveraged this event successfully for Brisbane campaigns with slower-maturing juveniles, exemplified by Zoustar’s 2013 success followed by the Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Doomben win and runner-up effort in the Group 1 J J Atkins (1600m).

Head to leading racing betting markets to find value in the Hawkesbury Gold Cup.

McLaren boss Zak Brown thinks Red Bull is just going through a phase of rebuilding and, with Laurent Mekies at the top, the team would eventually bounce back to the top. The Austrian squad has had a rough run lately, where the team continues to leak resources to rivals.

Since early 2024, some of the stalwarts of the team have left, and if one analyses the team, it does appear to be a pale shadow of itself, with next to no recognition of what it used to be in the past. Since early 2024, names like Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, Christian Horner, and Helmut Marko have all left the squad.

The most recent one of the high-profile exits was none other than Max Verstappen‘s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase. The new Red Bull team principal, Laurent Mekies, on his part, is up against it right now as the team will be building its own power unit that is currently a step behind the grid benchmark in Mercedes.

At the same time, the car is also a step behind. The plight of the Austrian team was put in front of Zak Brown, who admitted that the situation might not be great for Red Bull at this moment, but they were going through a phase similar to what he went through when he joined McLaren. Backing Mekies to bring the team back to the top, the American told Motorsport,

“They have to kind of do a little bit of a reset. They lost a lot of people: Christian, Wheatley, GP [Lambiase] eventually, Newey. So much what I came into, which was a different situation because they were very competitive, but the majority of the pitwall’s changed. I rate Laurent, I think he does a very good job. He’s technical, he’s young and he’s got to rebuild the people that he lost and rebuild the team.”

He added,

“I have no doubt he will, and much like McLaren had an immense amount of talent that just needed to be unlocked, I think that’s probably the same as Red Bull. They’ve been very dominant up to not very long ago, so there’s a lot of talent in there and I think he’ll just need to get it redirected.”

Foolish to write off Red Bull: McLaren boss

After the first three races of the season, a performance pattern did emerge. We had Mercedes as the benchmark, followed by both Ferrari and McLaren. Red Bull, on the other hand, appeared to be dialled in at Melbourne, but the next two tracks in China and Japan saw Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar fight in the midfield.

Zak Brown felt that counting out a team like Red Bull, and even a brand like Audi, would be foolish at this point. It was still just the start of the regulations, and it’ll take time for the grid to reach a stable pecking order. He said,

“It would be very foolish to write Red Bull off, I also think Audi’s done a very good job. So I think it would be foolish to not think the other teams are going to move up the grid quickly. Things are only going to consolidate over time, not widen. We see how quickly the sport can change and how people quickly can get competitive and then sometimes not.”

Heading into the F1 Miami GP race weekend, both McLaren and Red Bull are keeping an eye on the major upgrade packages that both outfits are bringing. If they work, the teams can make a significant jump, but at the same time, if they don’t, it could mean there’s a steep climb ahead for either of them.