Abhishek Sharma scythed through a hapless Delhi Capitals bowling attack with a scintillating unbeaten century as Sunrisers Hyderabad posted an imposing 242 for 2 on a placid track in an IPL match on Tuesday. Abhishek (135 not out off 68 balls) was at his imperious best as neither Nitish Rana‘s off-breaks (0/55 in 4 overs) bothered him nor did Lungi Ngidi‘s dipping slower ones (0/41 in 4 overs) have any effect on his strokeplay, as he smashed 10 sixes along with an equal number of boundaries.

Even with a relatively off-colour Travis Head (37 off 26 balls) for company, he added 97 runs for the opening stand. Then skipper Ishan Kishan (25 off 13 balls) joined the party, adding another 79 runs for the second wicket in just 5.5 overs to create a perfect launchpad for the final assault.

Towards the end, as Abhishek seemed a bit tired, Heinrich Klaasen chanced his arm to hit a quickfire 37 not out off 13 balls.

Delhi Capitals’ ploy of starting with an off-spinner – that too a mediocre part-timer like Nitish Rana (0/55 in 4 overs) – backfired badly, as he was given four overs in which he was hit for half a dozen sixes, all by left-handed batters.

DC Not at Their Tactical Best

The DC coaching staff, headlined by Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao and head coach Hemang Badani, have not exactly been at their tactical best throughout the tournament, and Tuesday was one such occasion. Rana bowled a tidy first over, but the second went for 20, and after the strategic time-out, he was again given two more overs, one of which went for 23.

Even skipper Axar Patel (1/23 in 2 overs) will have some answering to do as to why, as a frontline spinner, he did not complete his quota and why Kuldeep Yadav (0/30 in 2 overs) was not trusted after one bad over (22 runs), while someone like Rana was persisted with.

In all, the two-and-a-half spinners (the half being Rana) used by DC went for 108 runs in their combined eight overs.

The Powerplay yielded 67 runs, but DC completely lost the plot during the middle phase between overs 7 and 15, in which 116 runs were conceded – an unacceptable return.

The hallmark of Abhishek’s innings was how he adjusted the downswing of his bat depending on the bowler, especially Ngidi, whom he played late and in front of the wicket. It seemed Abhishek was in the mood to exhibit his range-hitting skills, with most of his sixes struck in front of the wicket.

It was a slightly slower century by his standards. Even then, Abhishek managed a strike rate north of 200, bringing up his hundred in 47 balls. But he did not stop there as Sunrisers Hyderabad reached a total that looks almost improbable to chase, given the batting depth that DC possess

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Deontay Wilder could soon be presented with a world title opportunity, but only if the relevant champion retains his belt.

The 40-year-old comes off a split decision victory over Derek Chisora, with whom he engaged in a chaotic 12-round battle at London’s O2 Arena earlier this month.

Two knockdowns proved decisive as he triumphed over his fellow veteran, who has since made a U-turn on his retirement promise and demanded a rematch.

Whether their second encounter comes to fruition, it remains to be seen, but Wilder is nonetheless likely to remain in the sport for a little while longer.

In fact, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ could potentially be awarded the opportunity to become a two-time world champion, entering his first title fight since suffering an 11th-round stoppage defeat to Tyson Fury in 2021.

This, however, hinges on a number of factors, including the outcome of Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois, which takes place at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on May 9.

Should he emerge victorious against Dubois, which is no foregone conclusion, then Wardley would be open to defending his WBO world title against Wilder.

At the same time, though, the 31-year-old has told Fight Hub TV that he would only be interested in facing the American if a potential undisputed showdown with Oleksandr Usyk fails to materialise.

“Of course I would definitely entertain a Deontay Wilder fight. Priority number one is Daniel Dubois, come through that fight and get rid of him then it would be Oleksandr Usyk, that would be my aim but if that fight doesn’t materialise or just isn’t doable, then yeah, third on the list would be Deontay Wilder.”

It remains to be seen whether Usyk, who still holds the WBC, IBF and WBA titles, will entertain a unification fight with the Wardley-Dubois winner after he takes on Rico Verhoeven on May 23.

The U.S. Department of the Interior has addressed a recent report that Secretary Doug Burgum is pushing for former President Teddy Roosevelt to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the department compared Roosevelt’s impact in saving American football to President Donald Trump’s recent executive action to reforming college sports.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the department compared Roosevelt’s impact on American football to President Donald Trump’s recent executive action to reforming college sports

The New York Post reported Saturday that Burgum made the comments about Roosevelt’s Hall of Fame candidacy at a Bank of America reception on Thursday.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell speaks during a press conference after Super Bowl LX at Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2026. (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire)

“Roger Goodell was in the White House in the Oval Office, I had a chance to be with him there, because we, the National Park Service, control the National Mall,” Burgum reportedly said. “The draft for the NFL is being held on the Mall a year from now (and) the Capitol will be in the background.

“Keep it a secret. Keep your fingers crossed, but I think we’re going to see Theodore Roosevelt inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame….it’s going to be announced on the Mall when Roger Goodell is conducting the draft.”

Teddy Roosevelt is credited with saving football in 1905–1906 by forcing college leaders to reform the game’s rules after frequent injury-related deaths of players. 

MICHIGAN HOLDS OFF UCONN TO CAPTURE FIRST MEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL TITLE SINCE 1989

President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order during the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy presentation with the Navy Midshipmen football team in the East Room of the White House in Washington, District of Columbia, on March 20, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)

The reforms led to the creation of the forward pass and the banning of dangerous formations.

Meanwhile, Trump has passed several executive orders aimed at regulating NIL, while protecting non-revenue sports and women’s sports amid growing financial pressure for universities to invest in revenue programs like football and basketball.

Trump signed executive order on April 3 titled “Urgent National Action to Save College Sports,” aimed at curbing the influence of NIL collectives and transfer portal freedom. The order proposes strict five-year eligibility limits, caps transfers, and threatens to pull federal funding from institutions not following NCAA rules to establish a uniform national framework.

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President Donald Trump arrives at a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House, Friday, March 6, 2026, in Washington. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)

Trump has also taken executive action to mandate that revenue-sharing models implemented by universities must preserve or expand scholarships and opportunities for women’s and Olympic sports, preventing them from being reduced to pay football or basketball players.

In February of last year, trump signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order that redefined Title IX to mean that “sex” is based on reproductive biology and genetics at birth. This explicitly banned transgender women from competing in women’s college sports.

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Cole Palmer was linked with a shock move to Manchester United in the January transfer window before Liam Rosenior dubbed him untouchable, but one thing could change matters

Paul Merson believes that Cole Palmer will move to Manchester United if Chelsea fail to secure Champions League qualification for 2026/27. The Wythenshawe-born talent was the talk of the town during the January transfer window, with Unired linked with a shock move for him.

Rumours suggested that the Manchester City academy graduate was unsettled in the capital, and that he could return to the north west once more to don United red. However, such reports were rubbished by Liam Rosenior, who explained that Palmer is content at Stamford Bridge.

The head coach, who took the reins from Enzo Maresca earlier this year, also claimed that the 23-year-old – who is contracted with Chelsea until 2033 – is untouchable given his lengthy deal and the fee that the Blues would command to let him leave.

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However, as the season draws to a close, Merson believes that United could be an attractive move this summer should Chelsea fail to secure Champions League football. Speaking with Sky Sports, the pundit said: “If Chelsea don’t beat Brighton on Tuesday, they could be 11th by the end of the week.

“And do I expect them to beat Brighton on Tuesday? No. The only consolation is if they beat Brighton, then Nottingham Forest – then they have Liverpool in a must-win game.

“At that point you never know. But Chelsea don’t play any other team in the top five apart from that.

“So you don’t have the chance to gain any other points, and that’s good news if you’re a team in the top five, with five games to go. No Champions League football will be a kick in the teeth for Chelsea.

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“Do you think Cole Palmer will be at Chelsea playing in the Europa Conference League? I don’t think so. Manchester United will get into the Champions League, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was playing there next season.”

It comes as Chelsea currently sit sixth in the Premier League table as they head into their final five matches of the season, level with both Brentford and Bournemouth on points (48) but ahead in terms of goal difference.

Considering Liverpool are currently seven points clear of the Blues in fifth, breaking into the top five by the end of the season could be a considerably tough task – while there’s still opportunity for Chelsea to drop down the table by next month’s finale with Sunderland AFC.

Manchester United, on the other hand, have enjoyed a new lease of life under Michael Carrick over the course of the second-half of the season – sitting 10 points clear of Chelsea in third with Champions League football for 2026/27 all but guaranteed.

On the lookout for reinforcement to their engine room this summer given Casemiro will leave the club at the end of the season, the Reds have been linked with a wealth of talent as of recent.

However, if Merson’s opinion is anything to go off, then Palmer could be target No. 1 over the next couple of months, albeit with a systematic rejig given Bruno Fernandes has, as always, thrived in the pocket this term.

Abhishek Sharma‘s explosive second Indian Premier League (IPL) century, supported by a quick-fire cameo from Heinrich Klaasen, powered Sunrisers Hyderabad to a commanding 242/2 against Delhi Capitals on Tuesday in Hyderabad. Sharma remained unbeaten on 135, his second-highest score in the tournament, hammering 10 towering sixes and carrying his bat through a dominant innings. While Klaasen played a vital and fiery hand, smashing 37 off just 13 balls, including three sixes and four fours.

SRH owner Kavya Maran was ectatic after the ton by Abshiek as was the star opener’s father Raj Kumar Sharma. 

Incredible knock, iconic celebration

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After being put in to bat, Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head gave Sunrisers Hyderabad a flying start, scoring nine runs in the opening over.

Nitish Rana responded with a tight second over, conceding just six runs, but the momentum quickly shifted back as both openers struck a boundary each off Mukesh Kumar in the next over.

Lungi Ngidi came into the attack in the fourth over but was taken for 10 runs. The pressure mounted in the following over when Sharma and Head took charge against Rana, scoring 20 runs to bring up a brisk 50-run opening partnership.

Sharma capped off an impressive powerplay by smashing a six off the final ball, guiding SRH to a commanding 67 without loss at the end of the fielding restrictions.

DC skipper Axar Patel, featuring in his 100th match for the franchise, delivered a tight over immediately after the powerplay, conceding just seven runs. He was well supported by Kuldeep Yadav, who followed up with another disciplined over, giving away only eight runs.

In Patel’s second over, Sharma and Head slammed him for a six each before the DC skipper got the better of Head for 37, bringing SRH skipper Ishan Kishan to the crease.

In the same over, Sharma brought up his fifty in 25 balls – the slowest fifty of his six IPL fifties in Hyderabad.

Sharma also completed 2,000 IPL runs for SRH, joining David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson in the elite list.

Sharma and Kishan launched an attack on Yadav as the duo slammed 22 runs in the 11th over. Continuing to take on the DC bowlers, Sharma brought up his second IPL hundred in the 15th over.

In the same over, SRH skipper Kishan was run out for 25; however, Sharma thumped Rana for 23 runs to take SRH’s total to 183/2.

Sharma blazed his way to his second IPL century in 47 balls. It was the 25-year-old’s ninth T20 century overall, equalling Virat Kohli‘s record for the most centuries by an Indian in men’s T20 cricket.

This also marked the second instance of Abhishek Sharma smashing 10 sixes in an IPL innings, making him only the second batter to achieve the feat multiple times after Chris Gayle, who has done it four times.

Sunrisers Hyderabad surged past the 200-run mark by the end of the 17th over, with Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen at the crease.

Klaasen continued the onslaught, smashing two sixes off Lungi Ngidi in the 18th over to add another 14 runs to SRH’s total.

Klaasen also became the third-fastest player to reach 100 IPL sixes in terms of innings (52), behind Gayle (37) and Andre Russell (47), and the seventh-fastest in terms of balls faced (1,072).

T. Natarajan bowled an outstanding 19th over, conceding just six runs. SRH finished their innings on 242/2, with Klaasen and Sharma collecting 20 runs in the final over.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Abhishek Sharma (AP Photo)

Abhishek Sharma delivered a breathtaking display of power-hitting, smashing his second IPL century to headline Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting masterclass against Delhi Capitals.After DC opted to bowl first, Abhishek turned the decision into a nightmare, racing to a stunning hundred in just 47 balls. He remained unbeaten on 135 off 68 deliveries, an innings packed with 10 towering sixes, as SRH piled up a massive 242 for 2 in their 20 overs.The knock marked Abhishek’s second IPL hundred and underlined his growing stature in T20 cricket. It was also the second time he has struck 10 sixes in a single IPL innings, making him only the second player after Chris Gayle to achieve the feat multiple times.