Lucknow Super Giants captain Rishabh Pant admitted that a lack of clarity around roles and constant chopping and changing within the batting order has hurt the team badly during their disappointing IPL 2026 campaign.

Speaking at the toss before LSG’s crucial clash against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow on Thursday, Pant said the franchise had struggled to maintain clarity within the squad, something he believes played a major role in their poor season.

“The only thing is moving with more clarity. We know we are the top players, but at the same time, when clarity is missing sometimes, it can happen in cricket,” Pant said.

“So most of the time, the talk is about clarity, and there are a few changes in the batting order, so hopefully we can figure out and take it for the next season,” he added.

LSG find themselves in a desperate situation heading into the match. While RCB sit third on the IPL 2026 points table with 12 points from nine matches, Lucknow have managed just four points in the same number of games and are staring at elimination from the playoff race.

A defeat against Bengaluru would make LSG the first team to be officially knocked out this season, while an RCB victory would take them to the top of the standings ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings.

Pant, who has been under immense pressure both as captain and batter, also stressed the importance of maintaining stability within a T20 side, though he admitted that the team had been forced to explore changes due to their position in the tournament.

“Having a stable environment in T20 cricket is essential, but at the same time, when the changes are needed, you should be able to change something, because every time, doing the same thing might not give you the same outcome,” Pant explained.

“So trying sometimes, especially where we stand now, trying is not a bad option for sure,” he added.

Pant also gave his assessment of the Lucknow surface before the must-win clash and predicted a comparatively better batting wicket than what teams have experienced at the venue this season.

“It looks like 180-190 wicket for sure. It’s a better wicket than a lot of the matches for sure,” he said.

The season has been equally difficult for Pant personally. The wicketkeeper-batter has struggled to make a major impact with the bat and has scored 204 runs in nine matches at an average of 25.50 and a strike rate of 128.30.

Lloyd Kennewell, fresh from wins on the first two days of the Adelaide Carnival, wants to capitalize for a huge result at Morphettville this Saturday.

On April 25, Vangogh Bankcheque succeeded at the Australasian Oaks/Sangster Stakes day, and Straand Deal notched a victory for Kennewell at the South Australian Derby program last Saturday.

A lifelong South Australian, Kennewell treasures his returns from Cranbourne and is eager to notch a home-town Group 1 to enhance his honors.

Meridius represents Kennewell in The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville Saturday, the Adelaide Carnival’s final Group 1, with Kokako in the Group 3 Proud Miss Stakes (1200m) and Howcani Resistyou in the Group 3 David Coles AM Stakes (1200m).

The gelding Meridius faces Group 1 foes for the third go, first since his juvenile year with runs in the Caulfield Guineas and Coolmore Stud Stakes in 2022’s spring carnival.

After January’s Magic Millions Carnival on the Gold Coast, two preparations have tuned Meridius for The Goodwood.

He dominated first-up at 1200m at Caulfield on March 21, then endured misfortune for third in the Group 3 Victoria Handicap (1400m) at Caulfield April 4.

“He’s going good and probably should have won the Victoria Handicap,” Kennewell said.

“He’s won there, he knows the place well and I’m keen to run him in it as well, plus I’m very happy to have some nice runners when I head back home again.”

Kennewell secured Perth star jockey Chris Parnham’s services.

Finding a suitable rider proved tough with many regulars skipping the Adelaide Goodwood day.

“There weren’t many riders going over to ride on Goodwood Day which I thought was quite interesting,” Kennewell said.

“Mark Zahra wasn’t going, neither was Craig Williams, Jamie Melham was going to ride mine, but she’s up on the Gold Coast to ride Half Yours.

“There was a lot going on with riders, so I wanted to get on the front foot and get a very good rider, and Chris is an ‘A grader’.

“We’ve got a bit of a relationship with him, so he’s going over, and we’re very happy to have him on.”

Visit racing betting markets to find the best prices for The Goodwood feature.

Ryan Tugawin celebrates at the finish. —TOUR OF LUZON PHOTO

PAOAY, Ilocos Norte—Alliances among local riders were formed, and despite being under siege all lap long, Russian ace Nikita Shulchenko kept a tight grip on the overall lead in the MPTC Tour of Luzon after another smart and spirited ride in Stage 8 won by Ryan Tugawin.

The pacesetter for the past seven stages now, Shulchenko wheeled in in 49th spot, included in a big bunch that arrived just 16 seconds behind Tugawin in the 157.4-kilometer ride from the coastal town of Pagudpud to the front of the historical San Agustin Church here.

Shulchenko’s effort assured no changes in the top three, as he still leads teammate and protector Ibrahiem Alrefai by 1:38 and 7-Eleven Roadbike Philippines’ Mervin Corpuz by 4:15 after the trio arrived together in the same group.

“I told my fellow Filipino riders that we have to help each other so that one of us would take the stage,” Tugawin, who clocked three hours, 16 minutes and 58 seconds for the win, said in Filipino after baring an alliance that was hatched in order to unseat the foreign aces at the top.

“We Filipinos need to win (stages), not just the foreigners,” he said after becoming just the second local bet after Go for Gold’s Dave Montemayor in Stage 3, to rule a lap.

Tugawin edged out Malaysia’s Ariff Danial Noor Roseidi and Go for Gold Philippines’ Marvin Mandac for lap honors, as the 36-year-old skipper of Excellent Noodles was able to break a streak of victories by foreign riders.

Tugawin heeded former champion Mark Galedo’s suggestion a day before the derby on wheels took a break on Wednesday regarding a united effort among local riders.

Mandac was one of those in the alliance on Thursday and with his help, Tugawin was able to stand on top of the podium after coming up short in Stage 5 when Shulchenko’s LCW UAE Cycle teammate Ivan Anisimov edged him at the finish in Tuguegarao.

There was a change in the bottom part of the top five, with British rider Tyler Hannay of local side Excellent Noodles and MPT DriveHub’s Nash Lim climbing to fourth and fifth, 4:34 and 4:42 back of Shulchenko, respectively.

Lagging in 19th spot despite the lap win, Tugawin hasn’t lost hope in the country’s top riders.

“I think the Filipino can still do it,” Tugawin said when asked if his stage triumph could provide some spark among the likes of Corpuz and Lim in the chase to snatch the yellow jersey from Shulchenko.

“There’s still a lot of difficult stages, like the tough climbs in Cervantes (Stage 10), Mangatarem (Stage 12) and Baguio (Stage 14). There will be plenty of changes,” he added.

But first, the remaining 76 riders will go through Friday’s Stage 9, which is a relatively flat route from Laoag to Candon, Ilocos Sur, covering a distance of 142.6 kilometers.

It will serve as a warmup to 10th stage where the riders travel from Candon to Cervantes, which will feature a climb beyond categorization in the final few kilometers.

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. (AP) — Facts and figures from the PGA Championship, to be held May 14-17 at Aronimink Golf Club:

Event: 108th PGA Championship.

Site: Aronimink GC.

Length: 7,394

Par: 70.

Field: 156 players (20 PGA professionals).

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Prize money: TBA ($19 million in 2025). Winner’s share: TBA ($3,420,000 in 2025).

Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler.

Last year: Scottie Scheffler lost a five-shot lead on the front nine and wound up winning by five shots by closing with an even-par 71. The two-time Masters champion became the first player since Seve Ballesteros to win his first three majors by three shots or more.

Last major at Aronimink: Gary Player won by one shot over Bob Goalby for his first PGA Championship in 1962.

Previous winners at Aronimink: Sei Young Kim (2020 KPMG Women’s PGA), Keegan Bradley (2018 BMW Championship), Nick Watney (2011 AT&T National), Justin Rose (2010 AT&T National), John Jacobs (2003 Senior PGA Championship).

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The odds: Scottie Scheffler (+400), Rory McIlroy (+750), Cameron Young (+1400), Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele (+1600).

Calendar Grand Slam: Masters champion Rory McIlroy can become the fifth player since 1960 — and the first since Jordan Spieth in 2015 — to win the first two majors of the year.

Career Grand Slam: Spieth tries for the 10th time to complete the career Grand Slam at the PGA Championship. Of the six men with all four majors, none got the final leg at the PGA Championship.

Key statistic: Americans have won the PGA Championship the last 10 times, the longest such streak of any major.

Noteworthy: The PGA Championship has been held at 75 golf courses in 26 states.

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Quoteworthy: “We don’t want to be the story. It should be the golf course and the players.” — Kerry Haigh, PGA of America championships director.

Television (all times EDT): Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m. to noon (ESPN+), noon to 7 p.m. (ESPN); Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. (ESPN+), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (ESPN), 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. (CBS and Paramount+).

___

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Floyd Mayweather‘s fighting future is about to become a lot clearer.

After not competing professionally since 2017 and no exhibition bouts since 2024, Mayweather looked set for a busy 2026, with three different fights all announced.

First he was lined up for an exhibition with fellow boxing legend Mike Tyson, before a shock professional rematch against former foe Manny Pacquiao was confirmed for September 19.

The American didn’t stop there, after it was then revealed that he was scheduled for another exhibition against Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis, but there has been doubt surrounding each of those fights over the past few weeks.

The clash with Tyson was initially rumoured for the Congo in April, but that date has come and gone, with various factors including an injury to ‘Iron Mike’ throwing doubt on whether it will be rescheduled.

Mayweather’s bout with Pacquiao has also faced several issues, after the pair disagreed over if it will be a professional fight or an exhibition contest, while the announced venue of The Sphere in Las Vegas is now unavailable on the originally planned date.

It appears that Mayweather is at least proceeding with one of those three fights though, after he revealed on social media the details of a press conference for the battle against Zambidis.

PRESS CONFERENCE:
FLOYD “MONEY” MAYWEATHER vs.
IRON MIKE ZAMBIDIS

WHEN: Thursday, May 7

TIME:
2:30 PM PT – Media Arrival
3:00 PM PT – Press Conference Begins

WHERE:
Mayweather Boxing Club
4020 Schiff Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89103 pic.twitter.com/Le5iXCBafz

— Floyd Mayweather (@FloydMayweather) May 7, 2026

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For now it appears that Mayweather’s focus is on the exhibition with Zambidis, but Pacquiao’s team have stated previously that the American will be in breach of contract if he proceeds with that bout, so the issues still look to be a long way from being resolved.

Far Far West has plenty of weapon options to experiment with, but the best Shotgun build in the game is something else entirely when it gets going. The combination of clip size, fire rate stacking, and the right jokers turns what is already a close-range destroyer into something that barely resembles a shotgun by the end of a run.

Here is the full breakdown for the best Shotgun build in Far Far West.

Note: The article is subjective and based on the writer’s views.

Far Far West: Best Shotgun build

The Shotgun setup

The base for this build is a fully maxed Prestige 5 Shotgun, which unlocks two extra Joker slots and five additional upgrade slots. Without those extra slots, the build simply does not reach the same ceiling. Here is how the upgrades are distributed:

• Damage: 8 bars, giving +40%
• Clip size: 16 bars, giving +160 rounds
• Accuracy: 1 bar, giving +5 (leftover point, but accuracy is the best use for it)

The clip size investment is not accidental. It is the entire reason the primary Jokers work the way they do.

Also read: How to farm Souls in Far Far West

Jokers

The Joker selection is what makes this build click:

• Overblast: Fires an extra pellet for every round missing from the magazine. The more empty the clip, the more pellets go out with every shot. This is why clip size is maxed out – more bullets means more missing rounds means more bonus pellets at the end of the magazine.
• Machine Gun: It grants 0.3% fire rate for every 50 damage dealt. This stacks continuously through a fight, and with how much damage is going out per shot, the fire rate climbs fast. Later in a run, this joker alone turns the shotgun into something that barely pauses between shots.
• Reload Mastery: It reloads an empty clip 50% faster. Since the clip empties quickly, especially when the Machine Gun Joker is firing at high speed, this Joker keeps the downtime low and ensures the Overblast pellets are always cycling.
• Ammo Supply: It gives a +5% chance for enemies to drop an ammo box on death. At this fire rate, ammo runs out faster than expected. This joker patches that gap.

Secondary weapon options

Two secondaries work well alongside this build, depending on the situation, and they are:

• Sheriff Stars goes solid with the Jump Star Joker (+2 jumps while holding the Stars) and the Scavenger Star Joker (+30% move speed and +100% pickup range). The extra mobility and pickup range make it easier to stay aggressive and collect souls and ammo mid-fight.
• Bow goes well with the Ultra Draw Joker, which charges for 4 seconds to fire a massive explosive arrow. This is particularly useful for a ghost house where the shotgun is not the ideal tool. It pertains more to utility than damage output, but it fills the gaps the shotgun leaves.

Read more: 7 best Far Far West mods worth installing

Hero build and Jokers

The hero side of the build is built around survivability and air mobility:

• Moon Gravity (x2): It offers 25% lower gravity. This build spends time in the air, so lower gravity helps with spacing and positioning.
• Soul Siphon (x2): It increases pickup range and gives +2 HP per soul collected. Since souls drop constantly during fights, this provides a steady stream of health recovery.
• Bouncing Ball: It grants +15% extra damage while airborne. Since jumps are frequent with this build, that damage bonus is almost always active.
• Rage: Upon reaching 25% HP, it releases a wave that burns nearby enemies with a 60-second cooldown. Of course, this also serves as a clear warning indicator when health is getting dangerously low.

Upgrade Spread

• Health Max: 6 bars, +30
• Spell Cooldown Reduction: 6 bars, +12%
• Speed: 2 bars, +8%
• Jump Height: 6 bars, +42

The jump height investment works directly with the Moon Gravity Joker and Bouncing Ball Joker, keeping the aerial playstyle active throughout the run.

How does the best Shotgun build in Far Far West play?

When the Machine Gun Joker starts stacking and the Overblast pellets fire at the tail end of the magazine, the output is genuinely difficult to deal with as an enemy. Finding two Camper Jokers during a run, or one Camper Joker alongside a Copy Machine, makes it even worse.

It is a strong weapon build that starts slow, builds momentum, and eventually becomes a complete problem for anything in its way.

Check out more game-related guides below: