Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be without regular captain Rajat Patidar for their crucial IPL 2026 clash against Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Sunday, with wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma set to lead the side in his absence.

According to sources, Patidar did not travel with the squad to Dharamsala and also missed both practice sessions ahead of the much-anticipated rematch of the IPL 2025 final, where RCB defeated PBKS to lift their maiden title.

“Rajat Patidar won’t be playing today. Jitesh will captain RCB for this game. Patidar was not seen in the team’s travel videos and missed training as well. He is expected to return for RCB’s final league game in Hyderabad,” a source told IANS.

Patidar has been one of Bengaluru’s standout performers this season, scoring 326 runs in 10 innings at a blistering strike rate of 195, including three half-centuries. His absence leaves a major gap in RCB’s middle order and forces the team management to rethink their batting combination for a crucial encounter.

RCB currently sit at the top of the IPL 2026 points table and another victory would officially seal their playoff qualification. The team heads into the contest with strong momentum after back-to-back wins. The Bengaluru franchise will also continue to miss English opener Phil Salt, who remains unavailable due to a finger injury. As a result, fellow England batter Jacob Bethell is expected to continue opening alongside Virat Kohli.

Playing XIIs for Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings:

RCB: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma(w/c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

PBKS: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer(c), Suryansh Shedge, Shashank Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

NLEX import Cady Lalanne shoots a jumper over TNT import Bol Bol during a PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinal game.–PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—NLEX import Cady Lalanne had his best offensive outing for the Road Warriors in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals decider against TNT at Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo on Sunday.

Yet, even that wasn’t enough to tow his squad out of trouble as TNT advanced to the semifinals after a 118-112 victory with Bol Bol leading the way again.

READ: PBA: Bol Bol, TNT knockout top seed NLEX to reach semifinals

After turning in a stellar game of his own that resulted in heartbreak, Lalanne was gracious enough to give his Tropang 5G counterpart his flowers.

“He’s 7 ‘3, man,” he said in jest after dropping a conference-high 46 points that went with 15 rebounds.

“He’s an NBA talent at 7 ‘3, moving like that, shooting shots and dribbling the ball, it’s not normal.”

Even Lalanne’s hot-shooting night and defense weren’t enough to contain Bol.

READ: PBA quarterfinals: TNT forces do-or-die game after escaping NLEX

Bol ended up with yet another double-double, recording 35 points and 13 rebounds.

“They’re a great team, they got a veteran team and veteran players who’ve played together for a long time and won championships,” Lalanne said.

“Going up against a piece and team like that you just have to execute and work hard.”

Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal LIVE Updates: The highly-anticipated Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal is underway at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are tied 0-0 after 20 minutes in the first half. Both teams are locked on 22 points at the top of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2025-26 points table, with two games to go. As a result, the winner of this match will become decisive favourites to clinch the ISL title. Historically, Mohun Bagan hold the advantage, having never lost to East Bengal in the ISL. Both clubs have left star forwards on the bench; Mohun Bagan have Dimitri Petratos and Jason Cummings among the substitutes, while East Bengal have not named top-scorer Youssef Ezzejjari in their starting XI. (MATCH CENTRE LIVE)

Here are the LIVE Updates of Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal LIVE Score, straight from Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata:

Conor McGregor poses during a ceremonial weigh in for UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena on July 09, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stacy Revere/Getty Images/AFP 

Conor McGregor will return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship Octagon for the first time in five years when he takes on Max Holloway in a non-title rematch on July 11 in Las Vegas, UFC said Saturday.

Ireland’s McGregor, a former two-weight champion and still one of UFC’s most famous and bankable fighters, hasn’t fought since suffering a broken leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier on July 10, 2021.

READ: Conor McGregor suspended 18 months over missed drug tests

July’s return at UFC 329 will be a rematch of his second UFC fight, in August of 2013, when McGregor beat Holloway in Boston despite suffering a torn knee ligament during the bout.

The 37-year-old Dubliner had withdrawn from a planned comeback fight in June of 2024 with a toe injury.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 13: Max Holloway reacts to defating Justin Gaethje in their BMF title fight at T-Mobile Arena on April 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Carmen Mandato / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

McGregor has dealt with multiple issues outside the Octagon.

In 2024 he was found liable and ordered to pay around $250,000 damages to a woman who accused him of rape in Ireland.

READ: Conor McGregor forced to withdraw from UFC 303 due to broken toe

In December, a woman who accused McGregor of sexually assaulting her at an NBA game in Miami dropped her civil lawsuit against him, authorities having already declined to pursue criminal charges.

A month earlier, McGregor was suspended for 18 months after missing three drug tests in a 12-month period, escaping a longer ban after Combat Sports Anti-Doping said he cooperated with their investigation into the missed tests.

UFC announced the bout during the first MMA promotion by YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions outfit, a card in Los Angeles highlighted by Ronda Rousey’s return against Gina Carano.

Later on Sunday, VikingsTerritory will publish “The Case for Kyler Murray” as the Minnesota Vikings’ QB1 in 2026. This is the sister edition, uplifting why J.J. McCarthy makes the most sense.

Minnesota’s original quarterback plan still has life.

The argument may not be as strong as Murray’s claim to the throne, but some still insist that McCarthy can be “that guy.”

McCarthy’s Best Stretch Offers a Decent Argument

The “why” for McCarthy as Minnesota’s QB1.

Too Soon to Mail It In

The Vikings decided McCarthy was the best option for their franchise just over two years ago. In April 2024, he was their golden boy. Per the typical timeline of quarterback development, now is too soon to quit on the guy. Patience is a virtue. Ask the former employers of Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield if they would’ve done things differently.

It’s one thing to quit on a franchise quarterback at age 25, 26, or 27. But 23? That’s wildly premature. The Vikings would basically be begging and inviting a different quarterback guru to “fix McCarthy” if they kicked him to the curb.

The Production in December 2025

McCarthy tangibly got better down the stretch of 2025; there’s no denying it. The only caveat is that he faced weaker defenses in December and January.

There are the numbers:

In the season’s first 13 weeks, McCarthy was the NFL’s single-worst quarterback. From Week 14 on, he became the fifth-best passer in the world by the numbers. Should his coaching staff really ignore that?

Youth

McCarthy is 23. Fans should’ve expected roadbumps for the young signal-caller — and roadbumps they got it.

But let’s face it: Kevin O’Connell once said that organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations. Leaving a third-year player for dead at age 23 would fall victim to the very warning O’Connell issued.

McCarthy has more than enough time to improve his mechanics and become a franchise quarterback. He. Is. 23.

The Locker Room Part Is Down

Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill recently said about McCarthy, “Even through some of the low points, I mean, we were 4-8 at one point last year. We rattled off five straight. Like, guys believe in him, and guys wanted us to figure it out and be better as an offense. You hear the term ‘lose the locker room.’ He had the locker room more than anybody I’d seen ever.”

“You want to root for him. You want to do well, and you want him to keep taking those next steps. If I was judged after my first 10 games in the NFL, I’m not playing right now. There’s a part of it where he’s still so fresh, and he’s only going to continue to get better,” continued O’Neill. “The whole attitude from us was, ‘How do we go there as an offense together?’”

O’Neill would not make that up. This suggests that McCarthy has the “leader of Men” aspect down.

The 4th Quarter Gene

Some of McCarthy’s brightest moments in 2025 occurred when the game was on the line. Indeed, he would struggle at times until the 4th quarter, which was not ideal, but during contests when nothing would go right, the youngster would find another level and lead his team when it mattered the most.

If he wholly stunk, the clutch moments probably wouldn’t show up.

It’s a sweet starting point to employ the guy who does the hard part first. That is — if the Vikings can figure out how to extract consistency from McCarthy in quarters 1, 2, and 3, he already has the spine for the 4th quarter.

The best evidence for this was Week 1 at the Chicago Bears. McCarthy looked like a raw rookie until the 4th quarter and later turned on the gas. Minnesota won the contest, and McCarthy won NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his troubles.

Sticking to the Plan

Sometimes, teams end up looking silly for quitting on a quarterback too early. The New York Jets look like clowns for drafting the aforementioned Darnold and not empowering him to succeed, especially after Darnold won a Super Bowl seven years later.

The Cleveland Browns are in quarterback hell because they gave up on Mayfield.

It may be a little fear-based, but there’s a case for sticking with McCarthy so the Vikings don’t miss out on an eventually good thing. If the quarterback-whispering head coach can’t whisper to his hand-picked guy, is he really a quarterback whisperer?

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

The SPFL has confirmed Celtic’s title-clinching victory over Hearts on Saturday was not brought to a premature conclusion, while condemning the pitch invasion that followed the last action of a thrilling and chaotic afternoon.

Fans streamed out of the stands at Celtic Park after Callum Osmand ran clear to make it 3-1 on 98 minutes.

Play did not resume, with eight minutes of stoppage time having been announced at the end of the regulation 90.

Hearts began the day one point in front and took the lead through a Lawrence Shankland header.

Celtic levelled with an Arne Engels penalty on the stroke of half-time, while Daizen Maeda fired the defending champions in front on 87 minutes.

Hearts, who had been chasing a first title since 1960, made the decision to make a hasty exit from the stadium, citing a “menacing and threatening atmosphere”.

Wales: Powell; Singleton, Cox, Keight, J. Joyce; George, Bevan; Pyrs, K. Jones, Tuipulotu, Metcalfe, Evans, Aiono, Lewis (capt), King.

Replacements: Reardon, Davies, Rose, John, A. Joyce, Lockwood, Dallavalle, Prothero

Italy: Ostuni Minuzzi; Granzotto, Sillari, Mannini, D’Incà; Madia, Stefan; Turani, Vecchini, Maris, Fedrighi, Duca, Sgorbini, Ranuccini, Giordano (capt).

Replacements: Cheli, Zanette, Dosi, Frangipani, Veronese, Bitonci, Stevanin, Muzzo.

Sin bin: Granzotto 58

The Netherlands once again enter the FIFA World Cup carrying the weight of history and expectation as they continue their pursuit of a first-ever world title. Despite producing some of football’s greatest legends, including Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, and Dennis Bergkamp, the Oranje have repeatedly fallen agonisingly short on the biggest stage.

Now under Ronald Koeman, the Dutch arrive at the 2026 World Cup with another talented squad determined to finally break the country’s long-standing curse. While the current generation may lack the iconic attacking superstars of previous eras, the Netherlands still possess quality across the pitch and remain one of Europe’s strongest contenders heading into the tournament.

The Oranje enjoyed an unbeaten qualification campaign, recording six wins and two draws while scoring 27 goals and conceding just four. Memphis Depay finished as the team’s leading scorer with eight goals, while both Depay and Cody Gakpo shared the assist lead with four each.

The Netherlands begin their World Cup campaign against Japan, immediately facing a difficult test in their quest to finally make history.

Netherlands’ Group F in FIFA World Cup 2026

• 
  Netherlands
• 
  Japan
• 
  Sweden
• 
  Tunisia

Netherlands looking to get past the semis this year

Memphis Depay heads into the 2026 FIFA World Cup as one of the Netherlands’ most experienced and influential players. The veteran forward became the Oranje’s all-time leading scorer during qualification after netting eight goals, once again proving his importance at international level. Although his club performances in recent seasons have not always matched his earlier standards, the 32-year-old continues to deliver consistently whenever he represents the national team and remains a major attacking threat for Ronald Koeman’s side.

Netherlands schedule for FIFA World Cup 2026

Netherlands Strengths

The Netherlands are expected to operate in a hybrid 4-2-3-1 system under Ronald Koeman, combining possession-based football with a more direct attacking approach when required. Staying true to the nation’s “Total Football” philosophy, the Oranje aim to control games through fluid passing sequences and intelligent movement, particularly against weaker opposition.

One of their biggest strengths lies in midfield, where technically gifted players like Frenkie de Jong, Ryan Gravenberch, and Tijjani Reijnders provide creativity, composure, and control. Defensively, the Dutch also possess strong and dynamic centre-backs capable of handling high-pressure situations while contributing comfortably in possession.

Netherlands Weaknesses

Despite their quality in midfield and defence, the Netherlands still have concerns in attack heading into the tournament. The lack of reliable depth at centre-forward remains a major issue, with the team lacking a truly elite goalscoring presence capable of consistently deciding matches at the highest level.

The wide areas have also been inconsistent throughout recent campaigns. The absence of Xavi Simons due to a serious ACL injury has further weakened the Dutch attack, removing one of their most creative and unpredictable offensive players ahead of the World Cup.

Defenders: Lutsharel Geertruida, Jeremie Frimpong, Denzel Dumfries, Jurrien Timber, Jan Paul van Hecke, Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Aké, Stefan de Vrij, Micky van de Ven, Jorrel Hato

Midfielders: Ryan Gravenberch, Tijjani Reijnders, Jerdy Schouten, Teun Koopmeiners, Kees Smit, Quinten Timber, Frenkie de Jong, Luciano Valente

Forwards: Noa Lang, Donyell Malen, Memphis Depay, Cody Gakpo, Brian Brobbey, Wout Weghorst

Only one round remains at the the 2026 PGA Championship, and by the looks of the leaderboard at the 54-hole mark, we’re in for quite a finish.

Let’s break it all down. Here are five things to know for Sunday at Aronimink.

The leader

Multiple players shared the lead for the first two rounds, but there is just one player at the top of the leaderboard heading into Round 4: Alex Smalley. At six under par, Smalley has a two-shot lead on the field. The 29-year-old has never won on the PGA Tour but has been on quite a run for the last few weeks, finishing no worse than T21 in his last five tournaments, including a runner-up finish alongside Hayden Springer at the Zurich Classic.

The contenders

Chasing Smalley is an incredible collection of contenders, with 22 total players who are within five shots of Smalley’s lead. That group includes major winners Jon Rahm (-4), Patrick Reed (-3), Rory McIlroy (-3), Xander Schauffele (-3), Hideki Matsuyama (-2), Cameron Smith (-2), Martin Kaymer (-2), Justin Rose (-2), Scottie Scheffler (-1) and Brooks Koepka (-1).

Scottie’s big task

The defending champ got off to a promising start in Round 1, sharing the lead at three under par. But two straight rounds of 71 on Friday and Saturday have left him with an uphill battle on Sunday: five shots back, with a giant group of talented players to muscle through. Not impossible, but admittedly not likely.

Rory chasing more history

No matter what happens on Sunday, the fact that Rory McIlroy has a chance to win this major is pretty stunning. His opening round was grim indeed — a four-over 74, good enough for T105 on the leaderboard after Round 1. But McIlroy bounced back on Friday with a 67 to get himself to within five shots of the lead with two rounds remaining. And he kept the pedal down on Saturday with a third-round 66. Now, McIlroy is three under overall, three shots back, with a chance to win a seventh career major and keep dreams of a calendar-year slam alive.

Action-packed timeline

Given the sheer number of big names in he mix for the final round, CBS cameras will have their work cut out for them. Scheffler’s twosome tees off at 12:05 p.m. ET followed by 13 more pairings until you get to the last tee time of the day, Smalley and Matti Schmid at 2:35 p.m. ET. That’s a two-and-a-half-hour time block of legitimate contenders!

Who will emerge as the victor? The day seems destined for drama. Don’t miss it! Click here for everything you need to know to watch the final-round action at the 2026 PGA Championship.

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