Rivers United reached the next round of the President Federation Cup after beating Rangers International 3-2 in a thrilling match played in Uyo on Monday.
The Port Harcourt club made a bright start and took the lead after just five minutes. Chijioke Mbaoma finished well to put Rivers United ahead.
Rivers United continued to control the game and scored a second goal in the 34th minute. Wisdom Samuel cut inside and fired a low shot into the bottom corner to give his side a 2-0 lead at half-time.
Advertisement
Rangers International came out stronger in the second half and almost gifted Rivers a third goal in the 50th minute. A poor back pass from Monday Daniel fell to Mbaoma, but goalkeeper Lucky Jimoh reacted quickly to make the save.
The NPFL champions pulled one back on the hour mark after winning a penalty. Godwin Obaje stepped up and scored with a powerful strike to make it 2-1.
Rangers International completed their comeback in the 71st minute when Precious Agu reacted fastest inside the box and scored from close range to level the match at 2-2.
Advertisement
With extra time looking likely, Rivers United grabbed a dramatic winner deep into stoppage time. The goal led to protests from Rangers International players, who believed their goalkeeper had been fouled in the build-up.
After speaking with his officials, the referee allowed the goal to stand, giving Rivers United a 3-2 lead.
Despite the complaints from Rangers International, Rivers United held on to secure victory and knock the NPFL champions out of the competition.
The win sends Rivers United into the Round of 16 of the President Federation Cup, while Rangers International bow out after fighting back from two goals down.
Jonas Vingegaard sealed his Giro d’Italia triumph on Sunday, riding into Rome in pink on the final stage won by home hero Jonathan Milan, and becoming the only active rider to have claimed all three Grand Tours.
Dane Vingegaard rolled into the Italian capital to add the Giro to a pair of Tour de France titles in 2022 and 2023 and the Vuelta a Espana from 2025, the triple crown of road cycling‘s three-week showpieces.
Tadej Pogacar has won the Tour de France four times as well as the Giro, but he has yet to win the Vuelta.
The Visma–Lease a Bike rider Vingegaard is just the eighth man to win all three, joining Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx and Vincenzo Nibali in reaching one of road cycling’s hardest goals.
Advertisement
“Winning all three is very special for me, it’s difficult to find the words to describe it,” Vingegaard told Italian broadcaster RAI.
Vingegaard added that he would stay in Rome for a few days with his family before returning to Denmark to begin preparations for the Tour de France and a showdown with Pogacar, cycling’s biggest star and his key rival for the Grande Boucle, which begins on July 4.
“It all depends on how you come out of the Giro,” added Vingegaard.
“If you’re completely exhausted and need two weeks of rest afterwards, it’s not ideal. But I’m not completely exhausted.”
Advertisement
Visma chief Richard Plugge said that his team is a “yellow jersey organisation” and is confident Vingegaard will contend for overall victory on the Tour.
“Jonas is getting even stronger after this. We planned it so that he will be at his peak in the Tour de France, so we’re looking forward to that fight,” said Plugge.
Vingegaard dominance
Vingegaard didn’t have Pogacar to contend with on the Giro, which he won without ever really looking like being challenged.
The 29-year-old had little to do on Sunday beyond look at the ancient monuments of Rome’s historic centre after finishing the hard work with a classic mountain stage win the day before.
Advertisement
He finishes the Tour with five stage wins and a gap of five minutes and 22 seconds over Austrian Felix Gall in second. Australian Jai Hindley was third.
Afonso Eulalio of Portugal won the white jersey as best young rider, and wore the overall leader’s pink jersey for eight stages after claiming a massive lead on a drenched stage five.
Italin veteran Giulio Ciccone won the mountains classification and French rookie Paul Magnier won the sprint points jersey due to his three stage wins.
For Milan, crossing the line first in Rome after a typically powerful late burst salvaged his Giro, the Italian winning his first stage of this year’s edition of his home Grand Tour.
Advertisement
“I’m pleased to have finished my Giro this way,” Milan told RAI.
“It’s important in terms of just winning something. It wasn’t easy always being close but not quite getting there.”
Milan, who beat countryman Giovanni Lonardi and Paul Penhoet to the line, finished the Giro 47 points behind Magnier.
Manchester United could be set for a welcome financial windfall from Mason Greenwood
Manchester United could be set for a financial windfall from Marseille striker Mason Greenwood, with the French club facing the possibility of being ‘kicked out of Europe.’ L’Equipe claim that expulsion from the Europa League is a real possibility due to the club’s precarious financial situation, and a wage cap could be imposed on Les Olympiens by French football’s financial watchdog.
Greenwood has emerged as a top transfer target for Fenerbahce’s two presidential candidates, and the former Reds striker has endured a difficult couple of months at the Ligue 1 side. Marseille’s new sporting director, Gregory Lorenzi, says the club are willing to listen to offers, while BBC Sport claims both Aziz Yildirim and Hakan Safi, who are vying for the club presidency of the Turkish club, are keen on signing Greenwood this summer.
Advertisement
An announcement is due to be made regarding the presidential candidates on Sunday. It’s reported that personal terms would not be an issue for the former United forward, who has had to rebuild his career since leaving Old Trafford.
Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our United WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our United Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.
Greenwood was charged with attempted rape and assault in 2023 before those charges were eventually dropped due to “the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light.”
United carried out their own internal investigation and sold Greenwood to the Ligue 1 club in 2024 for £26.6m, agreeing a sizeable sell-on clause with the French side.
Advertisement
The 24-year-old has scored 48 goals in 81 appearances for Marseille and finished last season as the joint-second highest goal scorer, behind Rennes’ Esteban Lepaul.
Greenwood has also been linked with a move to Serie A side AS Roma in recent days, and it’s increasingly likely he’ll leave Marseille this summer. The striker will no doubt be even more inclined to leave should the French side lose Europa League football next season.
Marseille have reported net losses of €157 million (£136m) over the last three seasons and are at serious risk of sanctions, unless they improve their position. UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body will examine their situation on Tuesday, with sanctions possibly set to follow.
In an interview with L’Equipe, Lorenzi said: “He [Greenwood] is one of the players that we are really thinking about [with regard to] their future. If an opportunity presents itself, naturally, we will think about it.
“But there is the club’s position [and] that of the player. It is also up to us to manage internally to find the best possible solution for all parties.”
Reports in France claim a fee in the region of £47.5 million will be enough to convince Marseille to cash in on Greenwood, who has three years left on his current contract.
Advertisement
Fenerbahce finished last as runners-up for the fifth year in a row and will play Champions League football next season.
Other reports claim the Turkish side are also keen on Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy, AC Milan’s Rafael Leao, former Liverpool winer Mohamed Salah and Atletico Madrid’s Alexander Sorloth.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Irfan Pathan has picked his Indian bowling combination for the one-off Test against Afghanistan. He opined that Shubman Gill and company would play Harsh Dubey and Washington Sundar as the two spinners ahead of Kuldeep Yadav.
India and Afghanistan will lock horns in a solitary Test in New Chandigarh from Saturday, June 6, onwards. Kuldeep, Dubey, Washington, and Manav Suthar are the four frontline spinners in the 15-member Indian squad.
In a discussion on the Star Sports show ‘Follow the Blues’, former India spinner Anil Kumble picked Mohammed Siraj, Gurnoor Brar, Kuldeep, and Dubey as his four specialist bowlers for the Test against Afghanistan. While concurring with Kumble on the other three picks, Pathan reckoned that Washington would play ahead of Kuldeep to provide additional batting depth.
Advertisement
“Absolutely copy-paste, except on one point, because the Indian team likes to bat till No. 8. That’s how they play. So maybe in place of Kuldeep Yadav, at No. 6, No. 7, and No. 8 – Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar,” he said.
The former India all-rounder added that Brar could play ahead of either Siraj or Prasidh Krishna.
“Harsh Dubey coming at No. 9 and then Gurnoor Brar and one of the fast bowlers, either Siraj or Prasidh Krishna, whichever way they want to go,” Pathan observed.
Kuldeep Yadav picked up eight wickets at an average of 28.63 in two Tests in India’s last series against South Africa. Washington Sundar managed a solitary wicket at an average of 128.00 in those two Tests.
“If Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Kumar Reddy bat at those numbers, you will get a lot of flexibility” – Irfan Pathan on No. 6 and No. 7 positions ahead of IND vs AFG 2026 Test
In the same discussion, Irfan Pathan was asked how much focus would be there on deciding the No. 6 and No. 7 positions in the Test against Afghanistan.
Advertisement
“That focus will be there. When you play against Sri Lanka and other big teams, your experienced players will come. However, if Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Kumar Reddy bat at those numbers, you will get a lot of flexibility. Along with that, they will also get that much experience,” he responded.
The analyst added that Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Kumar Reddy would enhance the Indian team management’s confidence if they succeed at those positions.
“Nitish Kumar Reddy has scored a hundred in Australia. That’s not a small feat. Not many people have gone as a youngster and scored a hundred in Australia. So he has the ability. At the same time, Dhruv Jurel has the ability as well. If he can score runs against Afghanistan, that will give a lot of confidence to the team management,” Pathan observed.
Dhruv Jurel has scored 459 runs at an average of 35.30 in nine Tests. Nitish Kumar Reddy has aggregated 396 runs at an average of 26.40 in 10 Tests.
After getting pinned by Willow Nightingale during their AEW Women’s World Tag Team Title match at Worlds End 2025, Mercedes Mone looked to make an example out of The Babe with The Power by challenging her to a TBS Title match days later on Dynamite: New Year’s Smash. Unfortunately for the erstwhile Sasha Banks, she ended up losing the belt, her only singles championship in the company, to her long-time rival.
After crashing Willow’s victory celebration a week later, and getting humiliated by Nightingale and her friends Harley Cameron and Kris Statlander, Mercedes announced that she was leaving All Elite Wrestling for an indefinite period of time, promising to exact vengeance on her enemies when she returns. After a brief hiatus, Mone returned to in-ring action in March when she launched her international “Mone Madness” tour to defend her various independent circuit titles.
Advertisement
However, her expedition turned out to be disastrous for her belt collection, as she lost championship after championship over the next few weeks, dropping her CMLL World Women’s Title to Persephone, the Bestya Women’s Title to Swan, the EWA Women’s Title to Mila Smidt, the BODYSLAM and DW Women’s Titles to Alexxis Falcon, the PTW Women’s Title to Diana Strong, and the WPW Women’s Title to Jody Threat, before vacating the APAC Women’s Title in April.
In an interview from March, Mercedes had announced that she would be returning “home” to AEW after her match for the WPW Women’s Title in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. However, despite immense audience anticipation, “Ultimo” Mone did not make her All Elite Wrestling comeback either at Dynasty 2026 or at Double or Nothing last month. Although many expect her to show up as Alex Windsor’s Wild Card opponent for her 2026 Owen Hart Cup quarterfinal bout, she was initially not even booked for the tournament.
Notably, the “Iron Willed” Englishwoman did dethrone Mercedes for the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Title this past December, so a rematch between the two could feasibly take place this coming Wednesday on Dynamite. However, some believe that this will not be the case, as the promotion has not teased or foreshadowed her return in any significant way. This fact has also birthed a lot of conjecture as to why Tony Khan has not brought Mone back on television yet.
With all of the above in mind, let us consider three potential reasons why the AEW head honcho may not have booked The CEO’s All Elite Wrestling return yet.
Advertisement
#1. Creative disagreements between Mercedes Mone and Tony Khan
Mercedes Mone’s journey in All Elite Wrestling saw the former WWE superstar immediately establishing herself as a top name in the company, dethroning Willow Nightingale for the TBS Championship in her very first AEW match at Double or Nothing 2024. She embarked on a dominant run with the title, which she defended against several of the promotion’s best and brightest, including Skye Blue, Nyla Rose, Hikaru Shida, Britt Baker, Emi Sakura, Queen Aminata, Anna Jay, Kris Statlander, Yuka Sakazaki, Harley Cameron and Billie Starkz.
Mercedes was not content with one belt, however, and at Forbidden Door 2024, she captured the NJPW Strong Women’s Title from Stephanie Vaquer, and the RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Title from Mina Shirakawa at Wrestle Dynasty 2025. While regularly defending all the championships in her possession, Mone also proceeded to win the 2025 Owen Hart Cup, and earned a shot at Toni Storm’s AEW Women’s World Title at All In: Texas. Unfortunately for The Boss, she was unable to unseat The Timeless One, who handed Mone her first singles loss in the company.
Despite her setback at All In last year, Mercedes continued collecting belts from across the world and from different promotions, eventually breaking the legendary Ultimo Dragon’s record to become “Ultimo” Mone. However, the AEW Women’s Title continued to elude her, as she once again failed to secure the championship, this time from Kris Statlander at Full Gear 2025. This loss proved to be a turning point for Mercedes’ character arc, as it marked the beginning of her downward spiral.
This was evident from the fact that not long after, Mone lost the ROH Women’s World TV Title to Red Velvet, and the RevPro British Women’s Title to Alex Windsor. At Worlds End 2025, she and Athena failed to beat The Babes of Wrath for the Women’s Tag Team Titles in a bout that saw Mercedes getting pinned. As mentioned before, this led to her losing her TBS Title to Willow Nightingale on Dynamite: New Year’s Smash.
Advertisement
With no more titles left to her name, Mercedes Mone does not have much to lose except her reputation as one of the all-time greats. Naturally, viewers are excited to see whether the star will be brought back to AEW programming as a heel bent on exacting revenge on her rivals, or as a sympathetic babyface looking to redeem her career and bounce back to winning ways. It is possible, however, that Mercedes and Tony Khan are not on the same page over how the next chapter of her story should play out, which could potentially account for her ongoing absence.
#2. Mercedes Mone might be nursing an undisclosed injury
Injuries are common in professional wrestling because of the physicality and danger inherent in the sport. A number of prominent AEW names are currently sidelined due to various injuries, including “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes, “Switchblade” Jay White, Gabe Kidd of The Dogs, the Conglomeration’s Hologram, “The Walking Weapon” Josh Alexander, “The Golden Star” Kota Ibushi, Private Party’s Marq Quen, MegaBad member Penelope Ford, and following her recent announcement, former TBS Champion Willow Nightingale as well.
An injured Mercedes Mone being carried to the back after NJPW Resurgence 2023 (Image via Instagram @luchaoutsiders)
Mercedes Mone is no stranger to major injuries, having suffered a near-career-ending one at NJPW Resurgence 2023, incidentally during a match against Willow where she severely hurt her foot. Although no official reports or updates have been shared along those lines, it is possible that the former multi-time champion continues to be away from AEW programming because she is currently on the mend from an injury as well. If this is the case, then Tony Khan keeping her away from TV until she is fully recovered is arguably not an unsound decision.
#3. Tony Khan wants to save Mercedes Mone’s return for AEW All In
Earlier this year, Thekla unseated Kris Statlander in a Strap Match to become the new AEW Women’s World Champion. The Toxic Spider has since retained her belt against Thunder Rosa, against Stat Daddy in a two-out-of-three-falls rematch, against Mina Shirakawa, and against both members of The Brawling Birds. The Austrian has held on to the title using all the means at her disposal, and last month at Double or Nothing 2026, she survived three other challengers (and former champions) in the form of Statlander, Jamie Hayter and Hikaru Shida.
With only two pay-per-views left till All In: London, and considering her popularity among audiences, it is possible that Thekla might be headed to Wembley Stadium with the Women’s World Title still around her waist, to defend it against the winner of the 2026 Women’s Owen Hart Cup. Unless she happens to be the mystery wild card entrant set to face Alex Windsor in the tourney, Mercedes Mone may lose out on her chance to compete for the belt at All In. Fan speculations suggest that Athena or Persephone could end up winning the tournament in that case.
Advertisement
Regardless of whoever it is who will be competing for the AEW Women’s World Championship in August, it is possible that the winner of the bout will be confronted by the returning Mercedes Mone post-match. If the champion is a babyface (like Persephone or Athena), then The CEO could return as a heel and target her for the belt. The reverse could be the case if the winning champion turns out to be a heel, like Thekla, although Mercedes could still pull of a swerve on The Idol Killer by having The Sisters of Sin turn on her at the event.
AEW All In will air from London, England this year- Source: allelitewrestling.com
Regardless of how it is booked, saving Mone’s comeback for AEW All In would definitely guarantee a monstrous reaction from the live crowd, and bring her hiatus to a truly spectacular end as well.
Why did you not like this content?
Advertisement
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
Get all the hottest wrestling news FIRST by clicking here
NEW DELHI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s sensational IPL 2026 campaign has sparked a growing debate over whether the 15-year-old batting prodigy should be fast-tracked into India’s senior T20I side. The teenager from Bihar’s Samastipur took the tournament by storm, smashing 776 runs in 16 matches at a staggering strike rate of 237.31. He also rewrote the record books by hitting 72 sixes during the season, finishing as the Orange Cap winner and the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.With Sooryavanshi already part of the India A squad touring Sri Lanka, calls for his inclusion in India’s upcoming T20I series against Ireland later this month have only grown louder. Several former cricketers have backed the youngster for an immediate promotion to the senior side. India are scheduled to play two T20Is in Ireland, starting June 26. Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar, however, has urged caution.“Vaibhav would be the next in line after the incumbents, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. But I would like to see Vaibhav play in similar batting conditions to those in the IPL, if they pick him for India at all,” Manjrekar told Sportstar.The former India cricketer believes it would be premature to expose Sooryavanshi to challenging overseas conditions straight away.“Would not be a great idea to put him straight into, you know, foreign kind of, on a foreign pitch, like New Zealand, South Africa, overseas. He might go out there and repeat what he has done in the IPL. But, yeah, it’s a tough one when you look at the contenders. Whether Gill is in front or Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, it’s a tough call to make. So, let it happen organically and see how it goes,” he said.Manjrekar also pointed out how quickly perceptions can change in T20 cricket.“Few months and things changed. No one talking about Abhishek Sharma,” he remarked.While impressed by Sooryavanshi’s explosive batting, Manjrekar said the youngster’s long-term future should be guided by his own ambitions rather than public expectations.“If he wants to just be a T20 sensation and focus on T20 cricket, so be it. And that shouldn’t be held against him. But then you’ll be judged only as a T20 phenomenal player. He plays 50-over cricket, and I think there’s great value in certain conditions for him to bat in the first 10 overs and do what Rohit Sharma did in the 2023 World Cup. Even better than Rohit,” Manjrekar said.The former batter also highlighted several aspects of Sooryavanshi’s game that have stood out during his breakthrough season.“For me, my problem with predicting the future of a certain player, you see the potential. What I will take from his performances is phenomenal for somebody who’s really young and he’s got some hitting talent, he’s got some great ball sense. He also has the range as we saw in the last show, you know, he hits it everywhere around the park.”Manjrekar was particularly impressed by the youngster’s fearless approach and willingness to put the team’s interests ahead of personal milestones.“Three times he’s got out in the 90s. So he’s somebody who doesn’t care about hundreds and every time he’s got out playing the big shot. So that’s the thing to like about. If somebody is selfless and doesn’t care about milestones, he’s not going to be wasting too many balls.”He also noted Sooryavanshi’s maturity in adapting to match situations.“Even in that final playoff game you could see him just, you know, toning down his batting a little bit because Rajasthan Royals were losing wickets. So there are a lot of things to like about.”For now, Manjrekar believes the cricketing world should enjoy the teenager’s rise without rushing to draw conclusions about his future.“But what I can say with surety at this stage is that he had a phenomenal IPL season. Tremendous batting performances, consistency, big scores and for someone so young, you know, well done. I’m sure he must have been the most dangerous batter this season for any opposition.“And I’m just going to stop there and see how this story unfolds going forward,” he said.
India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is all set to reach the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru on June 2. Pandya is likely to spend over a week at the facility before joining India ODI squad for the Afghanistan series on June 11.The 32-year-old, who last played in the format back in the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand in March 2025. He was named in the ODI squad picked on May 19 but “subject to fitness clearance”.It is learnt that the BCCI medical team had instructed both Rohit Sharma and Pandya to report to the CoE but there is no clarity on the former at this stage. Pandya is likely to undergo fitness drills and match simulations over the next week.India Test team begins training in Mullanpur. Meanwhile, India Test squad will have their first training session ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur from June 6. The team will train in the afternoon – from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM – and their opponents Afghanistan had a morning session – from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM.There is a possibility of a late addition to the Test camp with the selectors adding Auqib Nabi to the group. The reason of his addition is not known at this stage but he is likely to train with the team this week.India’s Test Squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (vice-captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Devdutt Padikkal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh Dubey, Dhruv Jurel (wicket-keeper)India’s ODI Squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rohit Sharma*, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-captain), KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya*, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Prince Yadav, Gurnoor Brar, Harsh DubeyNotes:*Subject to fitness clearance.The first ODI has been rescheduled and will now be played on June 13, 2026.
The EFL’s commission said it was “deplorable” of the club to have used junior staff members to “conduct the clandestine observations”.
Solak admitted that such a culture was “unacceptable”, but he blamed “a huge amount of misunderstanding, ignorance and arrogance, we have dysfunctions in the club, but we will actually make an effort for people to understand that whoever orders them to do something, that is putting them out of their comfort zone, they have every right to refuse”.
When asked about the analyst intern who had been sent to spy on opposition training sessions, and who had been caught doing so at Middlesbrough, Solak said: “I don’t see really this culture when somebody is really making junior staff do something they don’t want.
“I believe that our junior intern felt personally it’s wrong, and he didn’t feel right for doing this, and I think he should have expressed that stronger. I’m pretty sure that if [he had] come to us, the top management, actually it would be the seniors who would be punished, not him.
Advertisement
“I have a lot of pity. I’m sorry for what he had to go through. And we obviously would like him to stay in the club and we offered him a prolonged job with the club.”
Solak also said that had the intern spied on Middlesbrough when Eckert had wanted, EFL rules banning the practice up to 72 hours before a match would not have been breached.
“Tonda, not directly, through somebody, told them to go to Middlesbrough on Monday, just to check whether one player is fit or not,” Solak said.
“If they [went] when they were told, actually, it wouldn’t be an offence. It would be outside of 72 hours. They decided not to go… so they left three days later, [and] went straight into the forbidden time.
Advertisement
“But one thing is striking me when I’m reading this. They couldn’t really fear Tonda that much if they are so easily able to just not obey to the orders.”
It has been reported that some of Southampton’s players want to leave and may even consider taking legal action against the club over lost promotion bonuses. The team beat Middlesbrough over two legs to reach the play-off final, before they were ejected from the competition.
Solak said: “Honestly, it’s on them to decide. I had a very open conversation with them, and they were actually very nice. And you could see that they are hurting. But through that, they still behaved as gentlemen. You go through things, but life is fair.
“If you are a player of Southampton that really has quality to play in Premier League, I’m pretty sure you’ll play in Premier League this season or the next.”
After Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s sensational breakthrough season, IPL founder and former chairman Lalit Modi made a bold prediction for the teenage prodigy, claiming that he could become the biggest superstar on the planet.The 15-year-old emerged as one of the biggest stories of IPL 2026, finishing as the tournament’s leading run-scorer and grabbing headlines throughout the season with his fearless batting and remarkable temperament. His performances earned widespread praise from across the cricketing fraternity, with several former players and experts hailing him as a generational talent.Now, following the conclusion of the 19th edition of the IPL, Modi has added his name to the growing list of admirers, backing the Rajasthan Royals youngster to achieve unprecedented heights in the sport.Speaking to Wisden, Modi predicted that Sooryavanshi could one day score a double century in T20 cricket and even become a bigger celebrity than the world’s biggest film stars.“I am looking forward to that day (Sooryavanshi’s double ton). You will make a 200, I promise you. Don’t let money get into your head. You will become the number one superstar on the planet, bigger than any Hollywood and Bollywood star on the planet,” Modi said.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s season to remember
At just 15 years, Rajasthan Royals (RR) prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi rewrote cricket history by producing a truly generational “season to remember” in IPL 2026. The teenage opener utterly dominated the tournament, becoming the youngest Orange Cap winner and Most Valuable Player (MVP) in IPL history while shattering multiple long-standing records.
Orange Cap: Finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 776 runs.
Most Valuable Player (MVP): Topped the tournament’s impact charts with 436.5 points.
Emerging Player of the Season: Recognized as the standout young talent.
Super Striker of the Season: Maintained a mind-boggling tournament strike rate of 237.30.
Super Sixes of the Season: Smashed a record-breaking 72 sixes
Across 16 matches, he accumulated 776 runs at an average of 48.50. His strike rate is the highest ever recorded by any Orange Cap winner in the 19-year history of the league.
2 min read Last Updated : Jun 02 2026 | 11:41 AM IST
Anna Kalinskaya of Russia made it to the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time by defeating Anastasia Potapova of Austria 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10-7) on Monday.
Their contest on Court Suzanne-Lenglen stretched to almost three hours after Potapova failed to serve out the match twice in the decider and Kalinskaya overturned a 4-1 deficit in the super tiebreak.
It will be 22nd-ranked Kalinskaya’s second quarterfinal at a major after she advanced that deep at the 2024 Australian Open.
Advertisement
Despite pre-tournament men’s favorite Jannik Sinner losing in the second round, Italian fans will have at least one player in the quarterfinals.
Tenth-seeded Flavio Cobolli advanced to the second Grand Slam quarterfinal of his career – and also his first here – after beating American Zachary Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5).
His next opponent will be the winner of a fourth-round match later Monday between No. 4 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and unseeded Alejandro Tabilo.
Advertisement
Big-serving Matteo Berrettini, the other Italian left in the men’s and in the women’s draw, faces Juan Manuel Cerundolo later Monday.
Also later, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, last year’s runner-up, takes on Naomi Osaka in a match between four-time Grand Slam winners. It is the first women’s night match at the French Open in three years.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day before Germany depart for America, Julian Nagelsmann’s team comprehensively beat Finland in Mainz thanks to an outstanding performance by striker Deniz Undav. The Stuttgart forward scored twice and assisted one to help deliver the expected result.
“We can keep going like this,” Nagelsmann said afterwards. “One of our strengths is that we always look like we can score.”
There’s not a lot to make of these games. Less than two weeks out from a World Cup is not the time to experiment tactically, and most starters are rested. These games are almost always about players avoiding injury and squad players pushing to start.
A confidence-boosting win
Jamal Musiala scored, which will be a big boost to his and the team’s confidence after the Bayern Munich man’s long injury layoff.
Lennart Karl was exceptional, and were it not for the post he might have a goal to his name. The Bayern teenager is pushing to start, remarkably, and in terms of squad places has moved Leroy Sane further down the pecking order.
Advertisement
Nathaniel Brown’s attacking efforts — defensively he was hardly called into action — made Nagelsmann feel vindicated about his choice as he, too, delivered enough food for thought when it comes to which left back will start.
But otherwise, how much of true value can be taken from such a victory against the 73rd best team in the world? A brief look at recent history suggests that a pinch of salt is required.
With all of that in mind, the win and performance in Mainz is great but it also doesn’t necessarily mean anything in terms of how Germany will fare in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Undav keeps delivering
If anything, Deniz Undav was once again the story.
For the striker who was publicly dismissed by Nagelsmann in March despite scoring the winner, a move that the head coach later apologized for, to deliver another match-winning performance certainly makes his case to start even stronger. Furthermore, his jovial manners makes him an invaluable member of the squad as he, in some ways, has replaced the jokes and smiles that Thomas Müller once brought this group.
“If you score two goals and provide an assist, you don’t play yourself out of the team,” said Nagelsmann afterwards. Kai Havertz remains the starter, and his goal in Arsenal’s Champions League final defeat further underlines his big-game prowess, but having Undav as an alternative off the bench is quickly beginning to look like a real boost to Germany’s chances.
And so Germany will head to the airport, destination Chicago, as they prepare for one last friendly against hosts the USA before they settle into their base camp in North Carolina. From the end of that friendly to their World Cup opener against Curacao in Houston are just eight days. Germany’s World Cup adventure is already up and running.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login