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Arsenal’s win over Chelsea confirmed that there have already been more set-piece goals this season than in the entirety of the last campaign. There are clear reasons for that rise, from tactical evolution to calendar congestion, as the game’s powerbrokers weigh up what it means – not just for “the product”, but for how this increasingly unpredictable season will ultimately be decided.
For all of the discussion around set-pieces, and what almost seems to be a moral debate about how football should be played, there have been moments when Arsenal have embraced the perception. The squad have come in after some wins singing a particular fan chant: “Set piece again, ole ole.”
That wasn’t quite the case after the 2-1 win over Chelsea, which keeps them top of the table by five points, albeit with a game more played than Manchester City. Instead, there was a sense of resolve.
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The match might not have been the most aesthetically enrapturing, but it was absorbing – precisely because of the tension from the title race.
These are the two sides of the Premier League right now: holding in the box, but still holding attention.
This is about much more than Arsenal, after all. As the team that have scored most from set-pieces, and duly lead the table, they merely typify a trend.
That trend is certainly difficult to dispute now. Set-piece centrality is more than a tactical fad, as has been discussed in this newsletter already this season. The last week alone represents an extreme.
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As early as Monday, we had the rugby lineout-style jostling that characterised Manchester United’s 1-0 win at Everton. By Sunday evening, and those three strikes at Arsenal, it was confirmed that this season has already seen more set-piece goals than the entirety of 2024-25 – and that with a quarter of the campaign still left to play.
There is a distinctive reason for this, but also some indication it’s a bit overplayed. Some of the images are unedifying. Put simply, you would much rather watch matches replete with skill and creativity rather than groups of players huddling together in the area while grappling. Through balls over throw-ins, individual brilliance over in-swinging corners.
Such scenes stand out all the more when you consider the billions of expenditure, and Thursday’s giddy talk about “Premflix” in Singapore, as well as the sense of a “product” that just keeps selling itself.
And yet it was only 24 hours before Arsenal’s crucial win – with set-pieces central – that the discussion revolved around a sensational set of Saturday 3pm games. Vintage Premier League; maximum chaos.
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How couldn’t it? Jordan Pickford secured a 3-2 away win for Everton with a magnificent match-winning save, amid an increasingly erratic season for Newcastle United. Meanwhile, Burnley 3-4 Brentford was utter mayhem, although the pedantic, VAR-dominated way it ended also played into a theme.
By the same token, Arsenal-Chelsea was the marquee Sunday match, so ended up shaping a lot of impressions. A huge factor in the game playing out how it did, however, was simply because these are two highly tactical coaches in what has been a highly intense calendar. It is somewhat inevitable that such games are going to be won on the margins.
Hence Liam Rosenior’s frustration at his team’s errors in that area – albeit with some gripes about the officiating. The Chelsea manager didn’t call them “marking assignments” this time, but admitted it is something he has to get more up to speed on. His team are at least good at attacking set-pieces, which is indicative.
This trend has been accentuated by the fact that club analysts have all realised there is still significant “opportunity” in “restarts”.
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After years when the positional game – in other words, Pep Guardiola’s ideology – dictated that it was strategically more advantageous to keep possession and play short corners, it is now seen as one of those areas where new attacking approaches have outpaced defensive responses. There is a mismatch, which probably means this is going to continue in some form for some time. The probabilities have changed.
Approaches have changed with it. Look at Liverpool, who made it seven set-pieces in a row this weekend to also make it three wins on the spin – the second-best run in the Premier League at the moment.
That came after a summer when the club hierarchy decided to specifically lean into individual creativity when many rivals pivoted towards other collective approaches and set-pieces. Those individuals have nevertheless had adjustment issues, though.
And if you cannot beat them…
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Mikel Arteta would, of course, insist that he himself is a disciple of the positional game, but that augmenting the ideology with set-pieces is itself a counter-response to deep defences. Liverpool might have found that against West Ham United. Arteta was meanwhile quick to point out after the Chelsea win that “we haven’t scored set-pieces for a few weeks now, but we scored so many in open play – today was an option”.
Much more relevant than such a pre-emptive argument might have been the Basque’s explanation for why they ceded so much play to Chelsea late on. “To train game context in those scenarios is becoming really difficult because we don’t have time to train.”
This is by now an increasingly worn argument, but it is always worth repeating. As the football calendar continues to demand more and more commitment, something has to give. That is naturally going to be high-quality general play.
This is what the game’s stakeholders are not getting. This is what greedy club leaderships are not getting.
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Time and space to properly train at elite level is the cost of so much calendar congestion.
Other stakeholders are conscious, though. The weekend’s IFAB meeting showed lawmakers want to eliminate such grappling from the game, amid the introduction of time limits.
The Premier League is expected to assess this for next season, although some club figures already point out there was supposed to be a crackdown this season.
They are conscious of “the product”.
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And there is another point to be made – that other side that some stakeholders also do not get. For all the attempt to position football as an “entertainment product”, it has never been that. It is something unique, which is also why it has never been just “a business”. So much is driven by deep emotional investment, regardless of what events on the pitch actually look like. You can throw up a dour 0-0 draw and people keep coming back for other reasons.
So it is with this season. Some of the football is underwhelming, but the storylines may yet be off the scale.
We have already got the title race. The Champions League race is now increasingly charged, especially after Manchester United and Liverpool gathered pace just as Aston Villa dropped points – and Chelsea try to figure out where they are.
Almost the entire mid-table can dream of Europe, with clubs like Brentford and Bournemouth maybe enjoying historic opportunities. There is then the relegation battle, which is really looking like it is going to involve a storyline on the scale of Tottenham Hotspur’s battle for survival.
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And all of this while the football has not been all that.
There is evidently no set way of doing this.
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Injury woes continue for the Houston Astros, exacerbating a 6-10 start that currently has them sharing the worst record in Major League Baseball. The Astros have lost seven consecutive games going into Monday’s matchup with the Seattle Mariners.
Shortstop Jeremy Peña was placed on the 10-day injured list with a Grade 1 right hamstring strain. Pitcher Tatsuya Imai is joining several starting pitchers on the IL with right arm fatigue.
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Peña left Saturday’s 8-7 loss to the Mariners in the fourth inning with what was described as tightness at the back of his right knee. He underwent an imaging exam on Sunday to determine the severity of the injury and a mild strain was discovered.
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Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena was off to a slow start due to a fractured right ring finger during the spring. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images)
After batting 1-for-3 on Saturday, Peña’s triple-slash line is .256/.304/.349 with four extra-base hits in 46 plate appearances. Though it’s early in the season and Peña has only played in 10 games, those numbers are a notable decline from the .304 batting average and .840 OPS he posted last year.
However, his preparations during the spring were sidetracked by a fractured right ring finger that prevented him from playing for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.
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The 28-year-old was also limited to 125 games last season with a fractured rib (sustained when he was hit by a pitch) and left oblique injuries.
Tatsuya Imai is third Astros starting pitcher to go on IL
The Astros feared that an IL stint for Imai was imminent when he was sent back to Houston on Saturday to evaluate what the team called “right arm fatigue.”
Houston has already placed starting pitchers Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier on the injured list, both with strained right shoulders. Brown is expected to be out until May, while Javier will be re-evaluated in two weeks. Going back to Friday, the Astros play 13 straight games without a day off, putting more pressure on an undermanned pitching staff.
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Imai faced the Mariners on Friday for his third start of the season but lasted only one-third of an inning. Pitching against eight batters, the right-hander allowed three runs on one hit and four walks in an eventual 9-6 defeat. He threw only 17 of his 37 pitches for strikes in the performance.
Following the game, Imai complained of the hard mound at T-Mobile Park and the cooler weather than he was accustomed to pitching in Japan. The temperature was 64 degrees at first pitch in Seattle.
In his three starts, the 27-year-old has walked 11 batters in 8 1/3 innings, adding 13 strikeouts. He’s allowed seven runs on seven hits, resulting in a 7.27 ERA. The Astros were hoping for better production from a pitcher signed to a three-year contract that could pay him up to $63 million.
However, Imai showed what he was capable of in his second start, throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Athletics with nine strikeouts.
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During his eight seasons pitching for the Seibu Lions in Nippon Professional Baseball, Imai compiled a 3.15 ERA and 58-45 record in 159 appearances with a strikeout rate of 8.5 per nine innings. But his walk rate of 4.4 hinted at the concerns that have manifested thus far in his MLB career.
Kobbie Mainoo has not been named in the Man United squad against Leeds due to injury and Michael Carrick spoke about the knock suffered by the midfielder ahead of kick-off against Leeds.
Michael Carrick described the knock picked up by Kobbie Mainoo in training this week as a “small issue” and doesn’t believe the injury is serious. Mainoo has not been named in the United squad tonight as they look to strengthen their grip on a Champions League spot by beating Leeds.
United interim head coach Carrick has made four changes for the game, with Noussair Mazraoui coming in for Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez replacing the suspended Harry Maguire, Benjamin Sesko replacing Bryan Mbeumo and Manuel Ugarte starting in place of Mainoo.
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Carrick spoke to Sky Sports ahead of the game and he was asked to give an update on Mainoo’s situation.
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“Over the last day or so in training, he just picked up a small issue,” he said. “So it seems not too bad, but it wasn’t worth pushing it tonight with the games coming up. Manu (Ugarte) came on against Bournemouth and did really well at the end of the game and played for Uruguay so he’s in good shape and we took that decision to take Kobbie out of it.”
When asked whether bringing Ugarte in for Mainoo had influenced the decision to start with Benjamin Sesko up front, Carrick said: “No, that’s not something that we spoke about. Just bringing Ben in, we’ve got a choice of forwards and it’s a nice position to be in.
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“Bryan’s the one tonight that will come on and help us finish the game strong. He gives us good flexibility, so it wasn’t to do with that, Kobbie’s (injury) was a little bit later than that so it doesn’t change how we approach the game.”
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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
United will move 10 points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea if they can beat Leeds this evening. With the Premier League set to receive five spots in next season’s Champions League, United would be on the brink of securing qualification for the competition if they can win this evening.
That is because of a potential showdown with unified three-belt champion, Dmitry Bivol, who holds all of the required titles in order for WBC ruler, Benavidez, to claim the undisputed crown.
Additionally at 175lbs, Benavidez may finally a secure a clash with perennial rival, Canelo Alvarez, and wants a fan-friendly barnstormer with former undisputed champion Artur Beterbiev for good measure.
In an interview with ESPN KnockOut, the Mexican-American was quizzed on which of those three fights he deemed to be the toughest, but declared that he is capable of knocking out each of those men on the same night before saying at least one, Canelo, doesn’t want the challenge.
“I knock out all three on the same night … All of those fighters are tough. That is the highest level in the entire sport, but I believe 100% in what I can be.”
Canelo boasts one of the best chins in the business, while Bivol’s elite movement makes it hard for opponents to even test his. Though skillful in his own right, Beterbiev’s offence is often his defence, getting to opponents with fearsome power before they can reach him. If ‘El Monstro’ managed to deliver on the promise above, he would be in the argument for being the best active fighter in the world.
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Benavidez – who has 25 knockouts from 31 wins, the most recent being a relentless battering of Anthony Yarde – first faces ‘Zurdo’ on Saturday May 2, at the T-Moblie Arena in Las Vegas. Another standout performance will see fans demand the big fights keep coming.
Scottie Scheffler finished just behind Rory McIlroy at the Masters this weekend, finishing just a stroke behind the back-to-back green jacket winner.
Scheffler took issue with the conditions at Augusta National Golf Course and expressed as much after wrapping up the fourth round of the tournament on Sunday evening, telling reporters he wasn’t “in charge of the course setup.”
Scottie Scheffler walks to the green on the 18th hole during the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., on April 11, 2026.(David J. Phillip/AP)
“I would’ve liked it to have been a little bit more equal in terms of the firmness on Thursday and Friday. I was a bit surprised at how soft things were on Friday afternoon, especially as it got late in the day. But the weather also changes, like it was a bit windy on Thursday,” he said, via Golf.com.
“So who knows, it’s just that’s part of the game. We play an outdoor sport, and you don’t know how conditions are gonna change — especially course conditions. Overall, like I said, just Friday for me, going out early, not being able to shoot an under-par round, that definitely hurt my chances. I think I started the weekend maybe 12 back, so to get within one was a pretty good run.”
Scheffler said his second round “probably hurt” his chances of winning the tournament the most. He shot a 74 that day with four bogeys before storming back into contention.
Scottie Scheffler finishes his final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 12, 2026.(David J. Phillip/AP)
“We went out on Thursday, Thursday afternoon were some of the most challenging conditions we had all week,” he said. “I didn’t see many birdies out there Thursday afternoon, so going out on Friday, whatever they did to the greens to soften them up, they did some stuff, and I just wasn’t able to take advantage of that going on early on Friday.
“And then you saw the barrage of birdies that Rory made and Cam Young and a bunch of guys made on Friday late in the day, and I think I finished maybe two over par on Friday. So that day probably hurt the most in terms of my chances to win.”
Scheffler made 12 birdies and two eagles in the tournament. But he also settled for five bogeys over the four rounds.
Scottie Scheffler watches a shot during the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2026.(Gerald Herbert/AP)
April has rarely been a quiet month for Formula One (F1). This year, it has been forced into one. The cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix amid the ongoing war in West Asia has reduced the calendar to 22 races and, more unusually, created a five-week gap before the season resumes in Miami on May 1.
For a sport that rarely pauses, the break has shifted attention away from immediate results and towards the early shape of the season, and what those first few races are beginning to indicate rather than simply produce.
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At the centre of that shift is Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
At 19 years and just over seven months, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team driver became the youngest championship leader in Formula One history after his victory at the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29. The record, built on back-to-back wins early in the season, is easy to isolate. What it reflects is less a spike in performance than a profile that already appears suited to how the current grid is operating. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been quick to temper expectations, noting after Antonelli’s early win that it was “too early” to frame the season in championship terms and pointing instead to the need for consistency across a full campaign.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was quick to temper expectations, noting after Antonelli’s early win that it was “too early” to frame the season in championship terms and pointing instead to the need for consistency across a full campaign
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Antonelli’s early races have not been built on dominance across every phase of the weekend. If anything, they have exposed a split profile. Over a stint, his pace has remained controlled, with minimal correction, stable tyre usage and an ability to hold the racing line rather than fluctuate within it. It is the kind of repeatability that usually arrives with experience, but here appears pre-conditioned.
The opening phase of races, however, tells a different story. Revised power unit behaviour has made starts less predictable. Without the MGU-H, which earlier helped smooth power delivery, and with greater reliance on hybrid systems, getting off the line is now less controlled, making traction trickier and early position changes more common. Across the opening rounds, Ferrari-powered cars have collectively gained positions on the opening lap, while Mercedes-powered entries have struggled to consistently hold ground, underlining how sensitive the start phase has become under the new configuration. Antonelli has mirrored that trend, frequently losing positions in the run to the first corner even when starting from the front.
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The contrast is instructive. Modern F1 is increasingly operating across two distinct phases. The start has become compressed and high-variance, shaped by reaction time, clutch performance and energy deployment within a few seconds. The race that follows rewards something else: control, tyre management and the ability to operate within narrowing margins over a sustained run. Increasingly, it is the latter that determines outcomes.
Antonelli already appears more fluent in that second phase.
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The margins have tightened in both directions. If Antonelli’s control has stood out, so have the consequences of error. Oliver Bearman’s high-speed crash earlier in the season, described as “frightening” and followed by an FIA defence of its safety procedures, brought renewed attention to how the current regulations are playing out in race conditions, even as some drivers and teams have raised concerns over how they are behaving under pressure. With power delivery and car balance shifting more abruptly in certain phases, particularly under braking and initial acceleration, small misjudgements can escalate quickly, leaving limited room for recovery once control is lost.
Hass-Ferrari F1 Team driver, Bearman’s high-speed crash earlier in the season, described as “frightening” and followed by an FIA defence of its safety procedures, brought renewed attention to how current regulations are playing out in race conditions
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That alignment is not incidental. Antonelli’s progression has been tightly managed within Mercedes’ development system, combining early identification with accelerated movement through the junior ladder, including a direct step into Formula 2, the category directly below F1. More significantly, it has been supported by extensive simulator work and private testing in older F1 machinery. The programme has included substantial mileage in previous-generation cars across multiple circuits, effectively replicating race conditions away from competitive weekends.
By the time Antonelli reached the grid, much of what once defined a rookie adjustment period had already been internalised. The result is a driver who does not appear to be learning the category in real time, even if certain phases, most visibly the start, remain in development.
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That profile begins to align closely with how recent championships have been constructed. Drivers such as Max Verstappen have built success on sustained race pace and error minimisation rather than isolated bursts of speed, a model that increasingly defines the modern title fight.
Antonelli’s early performances sit within that framework. His gains have not depended on overextension, and his losses have tended to stabilise rather than compound. That balance, control over volatility rather than its absence, is already visible and increasingly valuable in a field where margins are narrowing.
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The gap in April has allowed that pattern to come into clearer focus. It does not resolve into a conclusion. It does, however, suggest something more immediate. Antonelli’s rise is not only a function of speed or circumstance. It reflects a point of alignment between how drivers are now prepared and what Formula One is beginning to demand of them.
In a season still taking shape, that alignment may prove as significant as any early result.
The Minnesota Vikings employ a speedy cornerback named Isaiah Rodgers, and he used to work with a guy who’s now on the trade block: Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II. Rodgers wasn’t shy this week about recruiting Moore II on social media to join the Vikings.
Minnesota still needs cornerback help, and Moore checks the experience box fast.
Moore II won’t be too difficult to get, and if Minnesota is in the mood, he could serve as CB depth in 2026.
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Moore Might Make Sense as a Short-Term Secondary Fix
Get to know Moore II, who now lives in the trade rumor mill.
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II (23) jumps a route and races downfield for a pick six, flipping early momentum during a divisional matchup. Sep 21, 2025 showcased his instincts at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, where Moore read the quarterback cleanly and finished the play with speed and awareness. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images.
Colts to Trade Moore II
Moore II’s days in Indianapolis are numbered, and with the draft just 10 days away, he’ll be shipped elsewhere before too long.
NFL.com’s Kevin Patra wrote Friday, “Kenny Moore’s nine-year career in Indianapolis appears to be at an end. The Colts and Moore mutually agreed to seek a trade, ESPN reported Friday. Turning 31 in August, Moore has long been an underrated slot defender able to stick with shifty receivers, jump short routes and stick his nose in against the run.”
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“He’s coming off a down season, in which he missed three games due to injury. There were also scheme-fit concerns in Lou Anarumo’s system. The Colts have spent the offseason looking to get younger on defense, which aligns with the decision to seek a trade for Moore. 2025 third-round pick Justin Walley, who missed his rookie campaign due to a training camp ACL tear, would be first in line to replace Moore’s nickel reps.”
Nine years was quite the run with Moore II in Indianapolis. For context, he was a rookie the same year as former Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (2017).
The Rodgers Recruitment
Rodgers turned pro in 2020 as a 6th-Round selection by the Colts. He stayed in Indianapolis for three seasons before a gambling suspension rattled his career. He later landed with the Philadelphia Eagles and then the Vikings.
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But Rodgers crossed paths with Moore II for three seasons, between 2020 and 2022, and the two are evidently pals.
Rodgers rolled around this recruiting pitch on Instagram:
The Vikings signed James Pierre from the Pittsburgh Steelers in March, and for now, he’s on deck to hold the CB3 job. But if Minnesota prefers more CB depth than previous years, a trade for Moorre II cannot be ruled out, especially with Rodgers pounding the table for him.
Moore II’s Production
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Moore is a career-long starter and earned a Pro Bowl appearance in 2021. Here’s his passer rating allowed resume:
Think of it this way: had the Vikings not signed Pierre in March, a Moore II trade would feel perfect right now.
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II (23) walks off the field following an overtime victory, capping a hard-fought divisional battle at Lucas Oil Stadium. Jan 5, 2025 captured the aftermath as the Colts secured a 26-23 win over Jacksonville, with Moore contributing steady coverage throughout the tense finish. Mandatory Credit: Christine Tannous-Imagn Images.
Horeshoe Heroes‘ Lee Vowell on a Moore II trade: “Moore’s cap hit next season is $13,110,000, per Over the Cap, and trading him would save the team $7,060,000. That doesn’t mean Ballard has a plan for what to do with the savings. The Colts have cash to spend as the Jones and Pierce deals have a lower cap hit in year one. With the newly created cap, Ballard has done very little.”
“Kenny Moore has remained among the better nickelbacks in the NFL. He could be upgraded, maybe, but the team has no obvious replacements of his quality. Moore being available in a trade makes two players the Indianapolis Colts are open to shopping.”
The Colts and Vikings actually have a lot of defensive back overlap: Rodgers plays for the Vikings, while Camryn Bynum and Mekhi Blackmon are on Indianapolis’s roster.
Vowell added, “Quarterback Anthony Richardson is the other, but has had no takers yet. As for what the Colts can get for Moore? Likely, not a lot. He is now 32 years old and is restricted to a position. Should the team get a fifth-round pick for him, that might be a massive win.”
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The Trade Price
Moore II will turn 31 in August, and his production last year showed dependability and a decent overall baseline. He’s not a hot commodity anymore; nobody is sprinting to the phone to acquire a 31-year-old cornerback, especially when a general manager can sign free agents like Trevon Diggs and L’Jarius Sneed without the hassle of donating a draft pick to Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II (23) celebrates after getting to the quarterback, highlighting his versatility as a blitzing defender early in the game. Oct 26, 2025 featured an aggressive defensive start at Lucas Oil Stadium, where Moore helped disrupt Tennessee’s offense with pressure and timely playmaking. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images.
Still, after the draft, a team will realize it didn’t quite get what it wanted at cornerback, and a 6th-Round pick can probably get the Moore II trade over the finish line.
Otherwise, Moore II will be a free agent in 2027. He can finish his career with a team of his choosing.
Praful Hinge caused mayhem in the Rajasthan Royals batting lineup on Monday. Playing his first IPL match, the Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer picked up the wickets of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the second ball, Dhruv Jurel on the third ball, and Lhuan-dre Pretorius on the final ball of the first over. Hinge could hardly have imagined a better debut in the IPL. With SRH’s bowling in the doldrums, the side drafted in the youngster, and he repaid the faith in emphatic fashion. Hinge was not done after his first over outburst. In his second over, Hinge took the wicket of RR captain Riyan Parag too. So far. Hinge has played 10 first-class matches (27 wickets), six List A games (five wickets).
“Praful Hinge is a young right-arm seamer from Vidarbha who has steadily built his reputation in red-ball cricket. In just 10 first-class matches, the 24-year-old has claimed 27 wickets at an average of 26.7, highlighting his ability as a workhorse. His exposure to T20 cricket has been limited so far, but he made a tidy impression in his only appearance. Opening the bowling alongside Umesh Yadav, Hinge returned figures of 1 for 23 in four overs against Andhra,” according to iplt20.com.
“Sunrisers Hyderabad brought him in for INR 30 lakh ahead of IPL 2026, adding him as a backup pace option,” it added.
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Earlier, in the match, skipper Ishan Kishan blazed away to a scintillating 44-ball 91 before a late charge by Nitish Reddy and Salil Arora lifted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 216 for six against Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match here on Monday.
SRH skipper Kishan looked in sublime touch during his stay in the middle, hitting eight fours and six sixes while sharing 88 runs with Heinrich Klaasen (40 off 26 balls).
Towards the end, Reddy smashed a 13-ball 28 and Salil Arora remained not out on 24 off 13 balls to prop up SRH.
At the start of SRH innings, Abhishek Sharma looked to go for a big shot on the first ball and danced down the wicket, only to manage a slice off a Jofra Archer (2/37 in 4 overs) delivery for Ravi Bishnoi to complete a neat catch in the deep.
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Kishan flicked Archer over short fine leg for a four and then deposited one into the stands over deep mid wicket for a six.
In the next over, Kishan cleared third man for a maximum against Nandre Burger. He then whacked Sandeep Sharma over his head for a big six and followed that up with a four off Tushar Deshpande through the midwicket region.
Even as Kishan found the boundaries with ease, Travis Head was struggling to get going and his stay came to an end when RR skipper Riyan Parag had him caught in the deep by Donovan Ferreira for a rusty 18-ball 18. It was a bold move by Parag to bring himself in right after the powerplay, and it paid dividends.
Unperturbed by Head’s dismissal, Kishan went about his task with absolute clarity and reached his 50 in 30 balls, with a huge six over deep midwicket off leg-spinner Bishnoi.
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Thanks to the flurry of boundaries by Kishan, SRH’s 100 was up in 10.3 overs with Deshpande leaking 21 runs in that over.
Klaasen lofted Bishnoi over long-on for a six, following it up with a four off Archer.
Kishan then collected three successive boundaries off Archer to move to 91, even as the lights went off briefly inside the stadium.
Going for one too many, Kishan miscued an attempted pull and Sandeep held on to the ball off his own bowling despite a collision with wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Abhishek Sharma made an unwanted record, overtaking Rohit Sharma for the most ducks by an Indian batter in a calendar year, when he registered his seventh duck of 2026 during the Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR). Abhishek’s hot-and-cold run in IPL 2026 and T20Is this year continued with a golden duck against RR.
The explosive batter attempted to go big on a short ball from Jofra Archer but was caught by Ravi Bishnoi. This marked his seventh duck in 18 innings this year.
He surpassed Rohit Sharma’s record of six ducks in 32 innings in 2018, as well as Sanju Samson’s six ducks in 32 innings in 2024.
In five innings in the ongoing IPL, Abhishek has scored 129 runs at an average of 25.80 and a strike rate of 215.80, including one half-century. His best score is 74.
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Prior to this, he endured a poor debut at the T20 World Cup. The world’s No. 1 batter was unable to live up to sky-high expectations after a stellar run in 2025, scoring just 141 runs in eight innings at an average of 17.62 and a strike rate of 158.42, with two fifties – including one in the final against New Zealand in a winning effort.
In 18 T20Is this year, Abhishek has scored 452 runs in 18 innings at an average of 26.58 and a strike rate of 203.60, with five half-centuries and seven ducks. His highest score is 84.
Coming to the match, RR won the toss and elected to bat first.
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Mar 14, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago White Sox second baseman Lenyn Sosa against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Toronto Blue Jays acquired infielder Lenyn Sosa from the Chicago White Sox on Monday in exchange for minor league outfielder Jordan Rich and a player to be named later or cash.
To open a spot on the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays transferred right-hander Shane Bieber (elbow) to the 60-day injured list.
Sosa, 26, was batting .212 with three RBIs in 12 games for the White Sox this season. In parts of five seasons, all in Chicago, Sosa is a .245 career hitter with 37 home runs and 128 RBIs in 315 games. He hit 22 homers and drove in 75 runs, both career highs, last season.
Rich, 18, was drafted in the 17th round by the Blue Jays in 2025 out of high school in Florida. A left-handed hitter, Rich was assigned to the Arizona Complex League.
Canelo Alvarez has been named as the top dog at super-middleweight, but has been told he must face the next generation of contenders in order to retain his status.
It was a legacy-defining performance that saw ‘Bud’ move up two weight classes and claim all four major belts, before ultimately hanging up his gloves.
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But with Crawford now removed from the equation, many would regard Canelo as the division’s number one fighter, even though the Mexican is yet to reclaim any of his world titles.
That much could change this September, when he is set to headline in Saudi Arabia, while the current world super-middleweight champions include Christian Mbilli, Osleys Iglesias and Jose Armando Resendiz.
Hamzah Sheeraz, meanwhile, is scheduled to face Alem Begic for the vacant WBO world title on May 23, featuring on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven.
Sheeraz has not fought since last July, when he secured a fifth-round finish over Edgar Berlanga, but the 26-year-old is now on the cusp of becoming a world champion in only his second outing at super-middleweight.
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Acknowledging Canelo’s achievements, Sheeraz, who has yet to taste defeat and has 18 knockouts from his 22 victories, hopes to eventually prove himself against the four-division world champion, telling Inside the Ring that he is “gunning” for the opportunity.
“You could say he is [still No.1 at 168lbs], because of what he’s done.
“But, at the same time, you’ve got these young guns coming through, like myself, and I think it’s time for him to give us the opportunity against him to prove ourselves, and take over that No.1 spot.
“We’re all gunning for it, and hopefully I do get that opportunity one day.”
While Sheeraz represents a potential option, many believe that Canelo is more likely to face Mbilli, the WBC world champion, in his first fight since losing to Crawford.
NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru allrounder Tim David has been fined for “disobeying” an umpire’s instruction during his team’s IPL 2026 clash against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
The incident occurred in the 18th over of RCB’s innings when David launched Hardik Pandya for a towering six over deep mid-wicket. The sheer force of the hit altered the shape of the ball, prompting the umpire to call for a replacement.
When a box of used balls was brought out, David picked one up and began toying with it. Despite repeated requests from the umpire to return the ball, he continued handling it for a brief period, clearly frustrating the official. The umpire was seen asking for the ball multiple times and appeared visibly irritated.
After a short delay, David eventually handed the ball back.
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“Tim David, Batter, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), has been fined 25% of his match fee and has also accumulated one Demerit Point for breaching Level 1 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct for Players and Team Officials during Match No. 20 against Mumbai Indians (MI),” the IPL said in a statement.
“He wanted to have a look at the ball and did not hand it over despite being repeatedly asked to do so. The second incident occurred during the 20th over (19.2), when he again did not hand over the ball to the umpires, amounting to repeated failure to comply with the instructions or directives of the umpires,” it added.
“David was found to have breached Article 2.4 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which relates to ‘disobeying an umpire’s instruction during a match.’ David admitted to the offence and accepted the Match Referee’s sanction,” the release said.
RCB rode on half-centuries from captain Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli to post a formidable 240/4 – the second-highest total of the season.
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In response, Mumbai Indians managed 222/5, as RCB sealed an 18-run victory.
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