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Vinesh Phogat’s Asian Games 2026 dream crushed as WFI bars her from trials | More sports News

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Vinesh Phogat’s Asian Games 2026 dream crushed as WFI bars her from trials
Vinesh Phogat (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) has announced the rules and schedule for the 2026 Asian Games wrestling selection trials, and one major outcome is that Vinesh Phogat will not be eligible to compete in them. The federation said only medal winners from the 2025 Senior National Wrestling Championship, the 2026 Senior Federation Cup, and the Under-20 National Wrestling Championship can take part. WFI also made it clear that past performance will not be considered.

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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi India debut: The calls are getting louder

Vinesh, who is preparing for a comeback after nearly 18 months, is set to compete in the National Open Ranking Tournament in the 57kg category. However, under the newly announced criteria, her previous achievements will not help her qualify for the Asian Games trials.The women’s wrestling trials will be held on May 30 at Indira Gandhi Stadium in New Delhi, while freestyle and Greco-Roman trials are scheduled for May 31 at the SAI Regional Centre in Lucknow. The competition will cover 18 Olympic weight categories across the three wrestling formats.At the same time, Vinesh has also received a warning from the International Testing Agency (ITA) after missing an out-of-competition doping test in December 2025 in Bengaluru. Athletes in the testing pool must stay available during a fixed one-hour slot for surprise testing. Vinesh explained that she was travelling for Haryana Assembly duties and dealing with personal responsibilities after the birth of her child, but the ITA rejected her explanation.“The obligation is to be both available and accessible without prior notice at the location indicated,” the ITA said in its notice. The agency added that this would count as her first “whereabouts failure” in the last 12 months. However, it is not considered a doping violation and will not stop her from competing in the upcoming Gonda tournament.

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Michelle Wie West is back. Here’s how she prepped her game

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IPL 2026: In disbelief! Yuzvendra Chahal’s reaction to dropped catches goes viral – Watch | Cricket News

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IPL 2026: In disbelief! Yuzvendra Chahal's reaction to dropped catches goes viral - Watch
Yuzvendra Chahal’s reaction to dropped catches (Screengrabs)

NEW DELHI: Punjab Kings spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had a frustrating outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad after his teammates repeatedly dropped catches off his bowling. SRH batters made full use of those missed chances and piled up a huge total of 235 on a batting-friendly Hyderabad pitch.The dropped catches became a major talking point, especially because Chahal had created several wicket-taking opportunities. However, Punjab’s poor fielding let the match slip away.

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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi India debut: The calls are getting louder

Statistics showed that six catches have now been dropped off Chahal’s bowling this IPL season — the highest for any bowler in IPL 2026.Shashank Singh was at the centre of the fielding troubles, accounting for four dropped catches this season, the second-most by any fielder in the tournament. During the SRH match, he dropped a straightforward chance offered by Heinrich Klaasen at deep backward square leg. Instead of a wicket, the ball slipped away for four runs, adding to Punjab’s misery.The dropped catch left Chahal in disbelief, with his reaction going viral across social media platforms.Watch:Klaasen and Ishan Kishan both survived after chances were missed off Chahal’s bowling and went on to punish Punjab heavily. Their innings helped SRH post a massive score that proved too difficult to chase.On a surface where bowlers had very little help, fielding mistakes became even more costly. Chahal, one of Punjab’s main wicket-taking bowlers this season, was visibly frustrated as crucial chances went begging.The sloppy fielding ultimately played a big role in SRH’s dominant performance and added another disappointing chapter to Punjab’s disappointing run of three defeats.

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Fever cuts 2026: Tracking all of Indiana’s released players

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Fever cuts 2026: Tracking all of Indiana’s released players originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 2026 WNBA regular season begins May 8 — and the league’s 15 teams are starting to trim their rosters in time for tip-off on Friday.

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Players will make their way through waivers in the coming days, as teams try to whittle down their roster sizes to the maximum 12 players allowed under the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement. Teams will have up to 48 hours to make a waiver claim if they believe there is a fit; if not, the player will reach unrestricted free agency and can sign with any organization.

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MOREWNBA roster cuts 2026: Tracking the most notable releases by team, from Hailey Van Lith to Marta Suarez

As of Wednesday morning, the Indiana Fever have cut down their roster to 13 players, following the decision to waive three guards and move 2026 draft pick Justine Pissott to a developmental pool spot.

As Indiana tries to find the optimal balance behind All-Stars Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, The Sporting News will track which players the Fever are letting go before the new season.

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Fever roster cut updates

Meghan McConnell

The Fever waived a trio of guards on Wednesday, starting with McConnell — the sister of Indiana Pacers point guard TJ McConnell.

Megan McConnell played one game for the Phoenix Mercury in 2025, accruing 13 minutes before she suffered a season-ending tibial plateau fracture. In the offseason, she played in Australia before Indiana signed her to a training camp contract.

Though McConnell did not score a single point in the preseason, the former Duquesne star could latch on with another WNBA organization given her potential — she averaged 11.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 points per game while playing for the Bendigo Spirit.

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Jessica Timmons

Timmons was just drafted by the Fever, as Indiana used the 40th overall selection in last month’s rookie draft to take the high-scoring guard out of Alabama.

Timmons, a former five-star recruit, was a strong 3-point shooter in the NCAA who averaged 16.3 points per game in her final collegiate season. She is a bit undersized at 5’8”, but given her scoring ability (16 points in three preseason games), Timmons could find her way back to the Fever via a developmental spot if no other team claims her on waivers.

Kayana Traylor

Traylor, the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft, played eight games for the Minnesota Lynx in 2023 before heading overseas for a couple years. She played professionally in France and Israel before she signed a non-guaranteed training camp deal with the Fever.

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Traylor scored 22 points with two assists and one rebound across three preseason games.

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SRH vs PBKS Highlights, IPL 2026: Cooper Connolly Ton In Vain As SRH Beat Punjab Kings To Take Top Spot In Table

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Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga, Praful Hinge, Harsh Dubey, Liam Livingstone, Sakib Hussain, Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Gerald Coetzee, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dilshan Madushanka, Krains Fuletra, Onkar Tarmale, RS Ambrish, Amit Kumar.

Punjab Kings Squad: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Nehal Wadhera, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Musheer Khan, Mitchell Owen, Ben Dwarshuis, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Shashank Singh, Yash Thakur, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Singh, Pyla Avinash, Vishal Nishad.

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Chimaev’s takedowns the biggest obstacle for Strickland at UFC 328

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While most of the discourse ahead of the highly anticipated UFC 328 main event has revolved around the animosity between Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland, it ultimately shouldn’t be much of a factor once the cage door locks on Saturday night in New Jersey’s Prudential Center.

Unless Chimaev completely abandons his typical wrestling-first game plan, the undefeated middleweight champion’s path to success against Strickland is a clear one.

Chimaev, who’s also currently the No. 3-ranked pound-for-pound talent on the UFC roster, is regarded as the most dominant grappler in mixed martial arts. His first title defence may simply come down to whether he can put Strickland in unfamiliar territory. 

Strickland, the former champion and brash 35-year-old from California, is usually able to prevent his opponents from deciding where the fight will take place.

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His above-average 76 per cent takedown defence has been tested against many of the division’s best fighters, but Chimaev is an entirely different beast when it comes to the grappling aspects of the sport.

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Chimaev landed his first of 12 total takedowns on Dricus Du Plessis within 10 seconds of the first round starting last summer at UFC 319 en route to winning the UFC middleweight title. He controlled Du Plessis for 21:40 out of 25 total minutes and landed more than 500 total strikes — albeit nearly all were pitter-patter shots and only 37 were registered as significant strikes.

Strickland has not shied away from being critical of Chimaev’s character and controversial political connections, so perhaps Chimaev will put more force behind any potential ground-and-pound strikes he throws at Strickland.

In the past 10 years, only two fighters have been able to land more than one takedown on Strickland. One was former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman when he won a three-round decision over Strickland in 2017, and the other was when Strickland lost the title to Du Plessis at UFC 297 in early 2024. 

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Strickland was taken to the mat six times by Du Plessis in that fight, but was only controlled on the ground for 2:08 out of 25 minutes. He was consistently able to get back to his feet but those takedowns were ultimately the difference in a close split decision and he lost the title.

The consensus opinion is that it’s inevitable Chimaev will take Strickland down and it’s just a matter of if he can find a submission, finish with ground strikes, or do to Strickland what he did to Du Plessis.

If Strickland can manage to work back up from underneath Chimaev, it’ll be a massive accomplishment and his primary key to victory.

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  • Watch UFC 328 on Sportsnet+

    Khamzat Chimaev puts his middleweight title on the line against former champion Sean Strickland. Watch UFC 328 on Saturday, May 9 with prelim coverage beginning 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, and pay-per-view main card starting at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

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Strickland told reporters earlier this week during a media scrum that he brought out former Bellator MMA middleweight champion Johnny Eblen to help him prepare for Chimaev’s wrestling-based style.

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“My growth as a fighter comes from a love of the sport,” Strickland said of his improvements over the years.

If he can stay on his feet long enough to find a home for his accurate and bothersome jab, maybe then he’ll be able to generate some momentum. Strickland’s cardio is proven, which could be an advantage, since Chimaev has slowed down in a couple of his fights that made it out of the first round.

Chimaev is 15-0 in MMA and 9-0 in the UFC coming off consecutive wins over past champions Usman, Du Plessis and a jaw-crushing submission of Robert Whittaker.

The 32-year-old was born and raised in Chechnya, Russia, began his MMA career while living in Sweden, and now competes under the flag of the United Arab Emirates. He has fans from all around the world, including in the New Jersey area, so even though Strickland is an American fighting in the United States, the fans in attendance might be somewhat split come fight night.

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Strickland is coming off a terrific performance against Anthony “Fluffy” Hernandez less than 80 days ago. Hernandez is also a relentless wrestler and Strickland was able to pass that test. In fairness, though, Hernandez does not have the same level of physical strength as Chimaev and Hernandez only attempted one takedown against Strickland before abandoning that game plan. 

Strickland would be wise to assume Chimaev will be far more aggressive pursuing takedowns and submissions than Hernandez.

The high-volume, defensively sound striker has landed more than 100 significant strikes in 10 of his 14 appearances since 2020.

Chimaev, on the other hand, is notoriously difficult to hit, though, since most of his fights consist of him controlling and dominating his opponents. Chimaev has only absorbed 1.04 significant strikes per 15 minutes during middleweight competition in the UFC, which is the lowest average of all active 185-pounders. He also ranks first in the division in both control time percentage and top position percentage.

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Oddsmakers have Chimaev listed as roughly a six-to-one betting favourite over Strickland ahead of UFC 328. Strickland hasn’t been this wide an underdog since he upset Israel Adesanya to initially win the title in 2023.

UFC 328 also features a men’s flyweight title fight in the co-main event when Joshua Van attempts to defend his title against Tatsuro Taira.

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Lionel Messi nearly left Barcelona after record €400M offer, ex-president claims

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Former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has claimed that the Catalan giants nearly lost Lionel Messi after the club were reportedly set to receive a record breaking €400 million offer to sign him.

Speaking in an interview with Cadena SER, Bartomeu opened up on his heavily criticized stint at Barcelona. The ex-president made a shocking revelation about a potential blockbuster offer to sign a prime Lionel Messi.

Following Neymar Jr‘s shock departure to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017, he claimed that the club were made aware of a reportedly massive offer to snatch away Messi from the club. He explained that the club became aware of a €400m operation attempting to sign the Argentine superstar. He said(via GOAL):

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“A few weeks after Neymar’s departure, rumours began to circulate that a club was preparing €400 million (£346m/$470m) for Messi – the amount of his release clause. Funds from an Arab country were transferred to accounts in Europe”

“It doesn’t matter now… that’s old news; it was years ago. There are very few clubs in England, or state-owned clubs, that can afford such sums. There was a team willing to pay €400 million. I don’t want to name names, but it wasn’t City”

Bartomeu didn’t disclose the name of the club trying to sign Messi but ruled out Manchester City. The ex-president claimed that the threat of losing the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner forced the club to draft a contract that was one of the most lucrative in sporting history. He said:

“What we did was talk to Lionel Messi and his father and discuss the matter: we had to raise the release clause,” Bartomeu explained. “At the time, the clause was 400, so we raised it to 700, which is a very high figure. If you raise the release clause, you also have to raise the player’s salary and compensation.”

The new contract effectively ended the pursuit but played a major role in Lionel Messi’s exit from the club in 2021.

Secret Barcelona contract offered to Lionel Messi before Miami switch revealed

According to SPORT(via beIN Sports), Messi reportedly received a contract offer from Barcelona before sealing his move to Inter Miami. The deal would have seen Messi return to the club, designed to give him the farewell he didn’t get in 2021. Former manager Xavi acted as a bridge between the club and Messi’s team to make the deal possible. Unfortunately, Barcelona’s massive salary limit prevented LaLiga from approving the deal. The dream ended after Xavi was informed by Lionel Messi’s father that any potential deal was impossible.