Extraordinary things are expected from the Mumbai Indians, but the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season was fairly ordinary for the five-time champions. Be it Jasprit Bumrah‘s failure to pick up wickets, Suryakumar Yadav‘s barren run with the bat, or Hardik Pandya‘s captaincy, there were several factors that led to MI loitering at the No. 9 spot in the points table. To add insult to injury, Mumbai also lost their final game of the campaign against the Rajasthan Royals, despite looking in pole position to win the contest at one point.

Mumbai needed 60 runs from 34 balls to claim a victory in their final match and bow out on a high, but a lower-order collapse saw them restricted to just 175/9. Sharing his opinion on MI’s underwhelming show this year, Ravichandran Ashwin refused to mince his words.

Mumbai were 148/5 at one point, with Hardik and Suryakumar batting in the middle. It looked as though the chase was a mere formality from that stage, but catastrophe unfolded as the team kept losing wickets from then on.

“At the Wankhede Stadium, if you need 60 runs off 34 balls, I think Mumbai Indians would usually chase it down. But the problem was… yes, that’s where things went wrong. Hardik hit well today, even against the spinners. If you remember, for Gujarat Titans, Hardik used to bat at number four or sometimes number five, and he used to take down the spinners,” Ashwin said in a video on his YouTube channel.

READ | “Gave Hardik Best Opportunity, Tried Everything”: MI Coach’s Blunt Verdict 

Ashwin feels that MI have looked quite ‘strange’ this year under Hardik. While a few players have had injury issues, most of them haven’t looked like themselves, which Ashwin feels is a big problem. In fact, Ashwin thinks it wouldn’t be a surprise if the next campaign ends on a similar note for Mumbai.

“I think I said it in the commentary box too, Hardik looks like he has a small problem with the hard-length ball. I don’t know why, could be fatigue, could be an injury. I said something about this last time too. He got out, mishitting a short, slower ball from Jofra Archer. I think the game turned right there because the partnership of Hardik and Surya would have chased that down, but they were just not able to accelerate.

“This Mumbai Indians team felt a bit strange. I don’t know. It cannot be easy. Given their quality, maybe they can come back and play well next year, but I won’t be surprised if they find it tough for one more year. Because of the way their team is structured, it looks like a lot of people are not at their best. I don’t know what it is, but they are not looking at their best. So, I was surprised this year, but next year I won’t be surprised. Next year, even if Mumbai Indians give a middling performance, I wouldn’t be surprised. It has been a very disappointing performance,” he said.

Ashwin didn’t spare Bumrah either, highlighting his deplorable bowling average of over 100 this year.

“Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t playing today either. It was never going to be easy. It was RR’s game to lose, and RR won. I mean, credit where it’s due. Jasprit Bumrah not playing was also a bit of a help for Punjab… wait, do you know this record? This is the first time in the history of the IPL that a bowler has played a full season and averaged over 100, and that’s Jasprit Bumrah! If I had told anyone this…”

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The first-ever Enhanced Games — widely dubbed the “Steroid Olympics” — take place Sunday in Las Vegas, where elite sprinters, swimmers and weightlifters will vie for world records while taking banned performance-enhancing drugs.

Teddy Atlas has offered his expert insight on the controversial ending between Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven.

The closing stages of the heavyweight showdown between Usyk and Verhoeven has been a hot topic over the past 24 hours, with some of boxing’s biggest names weighing in with their views on how things unfolded.

It was an extremely underwhelming performance from Usyk, who, heading into the contest, was expected to deal with kickboxing legend Verhoeven with relative ease, though it certainly didn’t transpire that way.

As the fight entered the championship rounds, the Ukrainian was behind on a lot of people’s scorecards, but he managed to find the big shot he needed by dropping Verhoeven at the end of round 11.

The Dutchman got back to his feet, but as Usyk went in for the kill, referee Mark Lyson decided to stop the bout, which has caused a lot of controversy amongst a large number of boxing fans, especially as the bell appeared to ring before the stoppage occurred.

Well-respected analyst and trainer Atlas has revealed his thoughts on the matter, posting on social media to state that while he thinks Usyk may have got the knockout anyway, he thinks it was a poor decision from the referee.

“Yes terrible job by ref stopping fight after the bell, also horrible TV production not showing a clock. Usyk would have stopped him in 12th though.”

There have since been plenty of calls for a rematch between Usyk and Verhoeven, but it appears that the Ukrainian could now head into a long-awaited clash against WBC mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel.

The New York Knicks are one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999, and if the mobs around Madison Square Garden after victories are any indication, it will be pandemonium in New York City if it happens.

Furthermore, a ticket to get into “The Garden” for the Finals is bound to be pricy, as they have throughout the playoffs. But no one may have expected what two courtside seats have already sold for.

Sports business reporter Darren Rovell confirmed a sale of two courtside tickets at MSG for the NBA Finals that went for a whopping $279,804.   

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Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks celebrates after making a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter in Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 21, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

The purchase was made on StubHub, the secondary ticket company, for what would be the Knicks’ first home game in the Finals. That would be Game 3, as the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs both have higher seeds than the Knicks in these NBA Playoffs.

Jaw-dropping is an understatement for a price of that magnitude, but that’s also have crazy it has been to see potential history for one of the most storied franchises in the sport.

NEW YORK READY TO COMBUST AS NYPD SHUT DOWN KNICKS WATCH PARTY OUTSIDE MADISON SQUARE GARDEN

It’s been 53 years since the Knicks last won an NBA title, dating back to the years with Walt “Clyde Frazier,” Phil Jackson, Dick Barnett, Willis Reed and Bill Bradley. The Knicks won two titles in 1970 and 1973, as Red Holzman’s squad was etched in basketball lore forever.

Since that 1973 victory, the Knicks have been to the NBA Finals just twice, the first in 1994 when the Houston Rockets secured a Game 7 victory, 90-84, to crush New York’s dreams.

Miles McBride and Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks celebrate after McBride’s 3-pointer against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter in Game Four of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa., on May 10, 2026. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Then, in 1999, the likes of Patrick Ewing, Latrell Sprewell, Allan Houston and current Knicks coach Rick Brunson, the father of All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, made it back to the Finals and faced off against a potential opponent this year — the Spurs.

But Tim Duncan and company got the job done in just five games, defeating the Knicks, 78-77, in Game 5 to celebrate their title on the MSG hardwood.

Knicks fans are hoping that’s not the case this time around, but they have to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers one more time after taking a commanding 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals after a road win on Saturday night. New York has now won 10 straight playoff games, and their only two losses in the First Round against the Atlanta Hawks came by one point.

As a result, fans are already looking at tickets for that Game 3 in the Garden. As of Sunday night, the cheapest ticket to get into the building on StubHub is going for $3,554 in Section 418.

New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson reacts after scoring during the second half of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers in New York, New York, on May 19, 2026. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)

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For comparison, the cheapest ticket for a potential Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Paycor Center — the home of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who lead the Spurs, 2-1, in the Western Conference Finals — is $1,252 on StubHub. The one floor seat available is going for $32,106 as of Sunday night.

The Knicks could earn their spot in the NBA Finals on Memorial Day, where they take on the Cavaliers in Game 4 in Cleveland at 8 p.m.

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Bella Belen (left) and Alyssa Solomon during their heydays as the top 1-2 punch in the UAAP for National U. —UAAP MEDIA

The winner of the sweepstakes for Alyssa Solomon, the consensus top overall pick in the coming PVL Rookie Draft, will be known on Monday when Capital1, Galeries Tower, ZUS Coffee and Choco Mucho put the fate of their respective franchises on ping pong balls at TV5 Media Center.

Set at 6:30 p.m., any of the four teams will get a fortune-changing pick in the prolific Solomon, the former National University star in the UAAP, with Capital1 having the highest chance with a 40-percent probability, followed by Galeries with 30, ZUS Coffee with 20, and first-time lottery team Choco Mucho with 10 percent.

Last year, the Solar Spikers only had a 30 percent chance and after luckily drawing the top overall pick, they turned it into Bella Belen, Solomon’s NU teammate and now the face of the Capital1 franchise.

And should Capital1 be second time lucky, it could own the best 1-2 punch ever to come out of the UAAP in years, which could come in handy with newly acquired Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos, the ex-Cignal standouts who found their way to the Solar Spikers’ camp.

The best setter in the pool, Lams Lamina, also an ex-NU star, is also a prospective lottery pick who could also come in handy for Capital1 with Belen, Gandler and Santos already making up the offense.

Solomon on Friday made the surprise announcement of entering the 2026 Draft Class following a Japan SV.League stint with powerhouse Osaka Marvelous and a historic silver-medal run with Alas Pilipinas in last year’s AVC Women’s Cup.

Her agent at Hustle and Groove, though, previously told the Inquirer that the 6-foot-1 opposite spiker isn’t closing her doors on overseas opportunities, with aspirants still allowed to withdraw from the proceedings until June 1.

Solomon could be the missing piece for Galeries, which drafted Jean Asis at No. 2 last year or even for the struggling teams like ZUS Coffee, which placed last in the All-Filipino after a runner-up finish in the Reinforced Conference, and Choco Mucho.

Besides Solomon and Lamina, University of Santo Tomas captain and two-time UAAP Best Libero Detdet Pepito and four-time UAAP Best Middle Blocker Niña Ytang from the University of the Philippines have already thrown their hats into the pool.

Also declaring for the draft are Far Eastern University setter Tin Ubaldo, UP’s Irah Jaboneta and Joan Monares, UST’s Jonah Perdido and Xyza Gula, Ateneo playmaker Taks Fujimoto and Adamson’s Barbie Jamili.

League commissioner Sherwin Malonzo will do the lottery, alongside a representative from the Games and Amusements Board.

Hours before the balls drop, the PVL will release the complete, approved list of draft applicants eligible for the mandatory Rookie Draft Combine, scheduled for May 28 to May 29 at the Gameville Ballpark in Mandaluyong City. INQ

NEW DELHI: Former Karnataka Ranji cricketer SL Akshay died on Sunday after reportedly suffering a heart attack while playing a local division cricket match in Bengaluru. The 39-year-old, who was from Shivamogga, had earlier represented Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy and also featured in the Karnataka Premier League, now called the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20.According to reports, Akshay was playing a third-division match at a ground in KR Puram. During fielding in the afternoon, he suddenly complained of chest pain. He was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared that he had been brought dead.Akshay’s death shocked the Karnataka cricket fraternity, with many former players and officials expressing grief. Former India cricketer Dodda Ganesh shared an emotional message on X. “Terrible terrible news for the cricket community. SL Akshay, 39, a fast bowler, whom I saw from close quarters from his U19 days has passed away today while playing a division match,” he wrote. “Just don’t have words to express my grief. A soft spoken guy who played for Karnataka in 2011/12 with decent success, is no more. RIP Akshay.”The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) also paid tribute to Akshay and remembered his role in developing young talent after his playing career. In a statement, KSCA said, “Akshay represented Karnataka with distinction at the first-class level and, even beyond his playing career, continued to serve the game with unwavering passion and dedication. As a junior-level coach, he played a pivotal role in nurturing and mentoring young cricketers, leaving an enduring impact on the development of cricketing talent in the State.”