The ceremonial groundbreaking of the Knight Riders Cricket Ground took place on April 22 in Pomona, California, marking a significant step in cricket’s expansion across the United States. During the event, ICC chief executive Sanjog Gupta described the venue as “cricket’s home for LA28,” underlining its importance for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The development follows the recent confirmation that Los Angeles Knight Riders (LAKR) will host their Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 matches at this newly established home venue. According to a statement from the Knight Riders franchise, the project represents “a landmark moment for cricket in the United States,” while also positioning Los Angeles as a central hub for the sport’s rapid growth ahead of cricket’s Olympic return after 128 years.

ICC Leadership Highlights Global Vision

Jay Shah, chairman of the ICC, emphasized the broader significance of the project in a statement: “These are very exciting times for the game of cricket as it makes giant strides in establishing itself as a global sport. Our focus has been on expanding the footprint of cricket and being part of the Olympic movement is something that brings both pride and dreams with it.”

Venue to Host LAKR Matches in MLC 2026

In its initial phase, the Fairplex-based stadium will serve as the home ground for LAKR during the 2026 MLC season. A total of seven matches are scheduled at the venue, including LAKR’s first three home fixtures, set to take place between July 1 and July 5.

Shah Rukh Khan Envisions a Cultural Hub

Shah Rukh Khan, co-owner of Knight Riders Sports, spoke about the broader ambition behind the project: “Today isn’t just about breaking ground, but about beginning a dream – bringing cricket, the second most-watched sport in the world, into the heart of Los Angeles’ sporting identity.”

He added: “Through our long-term partnership with Fairplex, we aim to create not just a cricket ground, but a space of energy, community, and belonging.”

Building Cricket’s Future in the US

Knight Riders Sports CEO Venky Mysore described the initiative as a transformative moment for the sport in America:

“This is a defining moment – not just for the Knight Riders, but for cricket in America. We see strong potential to grow the game and connect with the community in Southern California to lead this next phase of cricket’s growth in the US.”

“Cricket’s Home for LA28”

Sanjog Gupta reiterated the venue’s long-term importance, particularly in the lead-up to the Olympics: “The journey over the next two years will see many such milestones which enhance the sense of occasion, culture and community, as cricket’s home for LA28 is built in Pomona.”

“With the inclusion in the Olympic Games and other regional multi-sport events, cricket has already stepped into a new era of global growth powered by improved accessibility, elevated visibility and stronger institutional support.” he said while highlighting cricket’s global momentum.

Notable Attendees

The ceremony was attended by several key figures, including Pomona mayor Tim Sandoval and LA28 vice-president of sports Niccolo Campriani, reflecting strong local and organizational support for the project.

The Minnesota Vikings ended the Round 1 mystery on Thursday night, selecting defensive tackle Caleb Banks from Florida, a boom-or-bust defender with All-Pro upside — and recent injury history. While fans debate the merits of that pick, it’s time to look ahead to Friday night, when Minnesota will make its first 2nd-Round draft selection in four years.

Friday night brings a clean board and several realistic paths.

The following is a list of players who are the most realistic to end up with the Vikings at Pick No. 49.

DB and Pass-Catcher Stand Out after Minnesota’s 1st-Round Surprise

A peek at Friday night for the purple team. No. 1 = most realistic Vikings pick.

8. Eli Stowers (TE, Vanderbilt)

Minnesota missed out on Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq — the New York Jets ruined that dream — but Stowers would be a sweet consolation prize. Unlike Sadiq, Stowers doesn’t run-block as much as the Vikings’ coaching staff would probably like, but he’s a gifted athlete with a wide receiver’s hands.

If Minnesota wants to prepare for life after T.J. Hockenson in 2027 or 2028, Stowers should be the 2nd-Round pick.

7. Jermod McCoy (CB, Tennessee)

McCoy didn’t hear his name called Thursday night, a downer for the Volunteer, whose draft stock was probably ravaged by injury concerns. McCoy didn’t play in 2025 due to a torn ACL.

When he’s healthy, McCoy is a Top 15 pick. There’s a chance that he falls to No. 49.

6. Jake Golday (LB, Cincinnati)

Golday has a lean frame, but that’s about the only knock on his game. He has the height (6’5″) and speed (4.62) to be a problem in the NFL. Golday is as durable as they come, and he played a ton of college football at Central Arkansas and Cincinnati.

He earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors in 2025. The Bearcat should be on the board for the Vikings in Round 2. Golday and Vikings’ ILB3 Ivan Pace Jr. attended the same college.

5. Anthony Hill Jr. (LB, Texas)

The Vikings’ starting linebackers, Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson, will be over 30 when the regular season kicks off. If they want speed and youth — Hill Jr. is 21 — this Longhorn should be the pick. Cashman is basically guaranteed to miss at least four games per season due to injury, and no one is too sure if Wilson’s success in 2025 was a flash in the pan.

Hill Jr. is a turnover-forcing menace.

4. Germie Bernard (WR, Alabama)

Beyond Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, the Vikings’ WR receiver depth quickly thins. Tai Felton is still attempting to carve out an offensive role after a rookie year spent primarily on special teams, which has probably created a clear opportunity for another receiver.

Felton’s development is a key factor. Minnesota invested a 3rd-Round pick in him last year, typically signifying an expectation for early contributions, yet his offensive role failed to materialize. How the team interprets this — whether as a planned redshirt year or a misjudgment — will determine their aggressiveness in pursuing another receiver.

If the team decides to add another receiver, Bernard presents a compelling option. Last season, he demonstrated consistent production in a major program, recording 862 yards on 64 catches and 9 touchdowns.

Physically, Bernard stands at 6’1,” 200 pounds, with 4.48 speed. He offers polished route-running, reliable hands, and strong deep-ball tracking. While his long speed is considered average, Kyler Murray and Co. could benefit from improving his contested-catch ability.

3. Brandon Cisse (DB, South Carolina)

Here’s what to know about Cisse:

• He’s 20. Youth, youth, and more youth.
• He has 4.33 speed.
• He can play inside and outside in Brian Flores’s defense.
• He loves playing man-to-man coverage.

The only downside? He’s 5’11” and 189 pounds. The rest is a fit for the Vikings’ defense.

2. Treydan Stukes (CB, Arizona)

Unlike Cisse, Stukes is old for a rookie. He’ll be 25 when the regular season gets rolling. That could be a non-starter for many teams. Some players at that age are negotiating contract extensions beyond their rookie deal.

Still, Stukes could be deployed in Flores’s defense as a cornerback or safety. He has that much versatility. Stukes is also known for his work ethic and can be perceived as a “locker room guy,” like Minnesota’s Round 1 pick (Banks).

1. Colton Hood (CB, Tennessee)

Minnesota has long sought a young cornerback to secure a starting role. That search continues, and Hood appears to be a strong candidate to finally fill that need. Turning 21 this year, he possesses the outside cornerback skills highly valued in the modern NFL. Furthermore, he could earn significant early playing time if he adapts quickly.

Hood is scrappy, fast, and is a press-man savant. He tops the list because the Vikings need a young cornerback, and he’ll probably be the best one available when Minnesota is called to the podium.

The Vikings haven’t drafted a corner with long-term staying power in a decade. The last examples were Trae Waynes in 2015 and Mackensie Alexander in 2016. It’s time to draft a competent one.

The 2026 Chevron Championship continues on Friday, April 24, with the second round at Memorial Park in Houston, Texas. You can find full Chevron Championship tee times for Friday’s second round at the bottom of this post.

Featured tee time for Round 2

Heading into the first major of the year, Jeeno Thitikul and Nelly Korda have been getting much of the attention, and rightfully so. The two top-ranked players are expected to contend at this week’s Chevron Championship.

But don’t sleep on Lydia Ko. The longtime LPGA veteran and current World No. 8 has three major titles on her resume, including her most recent major triumph at the 2024 AIG Women’s Open. But Ko is also a past Chevron champion, having captured her second major title there in 2016.

The 23-time LPGA winner is hoping this week brings her major win No. 4. After teeing off early on Thursday, she’ll switch to the afternoon wave for Friday’s second round.

Ko will tee off for Round 2 on Friday at 2:39 p.m. ET alongside Lexi Thompson and Patty Tavatanakit.

You can watch Friday’s second round of the Chevron Championship on Golf Channel from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. ET and then 6-8 p.m. ET. Peacock will offer a live simulcast of Golf Channel’s Friday TV coverage beginning at 11 a.m. ET.

You can check out the complete Round 2 tee times for the 2026 Chevron Championship below.

2026 Chevron Championship tee times for Friday: Round 2 (ET)

8:15 a.m. (10th tee) – Linnea Strom, Chanettee Wannasaen, Yuri Yoshida
8:15 a.m. (1st tee) – Albane Valenzuela, Suvichaya Vinijchaitham, Jessica Porvasnik
8:27 a.m. (10th tee) – Perrine Delacour, Yuka Saso, Gurleen Kaur
8:27 a.m. (1st tee) – In Gee Chun, Austin Ernst, Youmin Hwang
8:39 a.m. (10th tee) – Jenny Shin, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Erica Shepherd
8:39 a.m. (1st tee) – Nastasia Nadaud, Ilhee Lee, Chiara Tamburlini
8:51 a.m. (10th tee) – Allisen Corpuz, Miranda Wang, Weiwei Zhang
8:51 a.m. (1st tee) – Lucy Li, Anna Nordqvist, Nanna Koerstz Madsen
9:03 a.m. (10th tee) – Cassie Porter, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, Minami Katsu
9:03 a.m. (1st tee) – Stacy Lewis, Yani Tseng, Grace Kim
9:15 a.m. (10th tee) – Madelene Sagstrom, Ayaka Furue, Leona Maguire
9:15 a.m. (1st tee) – Lauren Coughlin, Lottie Woad, Chizzy Iwai
9:27 a.m. (10th tee) – A Lim Kim, Jenny Bae, Esther Henseleit
9:27 a.m. (1st tee) – Brooke M. Henderson, Jeeno Thitikul, Ruoning Yin
9:39 a.m. (10th tee) – Mi Hyang Lee, Angel Yin, Yealimi Noh
9:39 a.m. (1st tee) – Mao Saigo, Nelly Korda, Lilia Vu
9:51 a.m. (10th tee) – Laney Frye, Peiyun Chien, Nataliya Guseva
9:51 a.m. (1st tee) – Asterisk Talley (a), Ryann O’Toole, Robyn Choi
10:03 a.m. (10th tee) – Rose Zhang, Melanie Green, Ashleigh Buhai
10:03 a.m. (1st tee) – Farah O’Keefe (a), Paula Reto, Gabriela Ruffels
10:15 a.m. (10th tee) – Yunseo Yang (a), Megan Khang, Julia Lopez Ramirez
10:15 a.m. (1st tee) – Pajaree Anannarukarn, Saki Baba, Shauna Liu (a)
1:15 p.m. (10th tee) – Ingrid Lindblad, Yuna Nishimura, Gemma Dryburgh
1:15 p.m. (1st tee) – Moriya Jutanugarn, Shuri Sakuma, Jungmin Hong
1:27 p.m. (10th tee) – Carla Tejedo Mulet, Akie Iwai, Alexa Pano
1:27 p.m. (1st tee) – Celine Boutier, Sophia Schubert, Manon De Roey
1:39 p.m. (10th tee) – Benedetta Moresco, Paula Martin Sampedro (a), Yan Liu
1:39 p.m. (1st tee) – Dewi Weber, Mary Liu, Frida Kinhult
1:51 p.m. (10th tee) – Amy Yang, Jin Hee Im, Auston Kim
1:51 p.m. (1st tee) – Lindy Duncan, Carlota Ciganda, Aditi Ashok
2:03 p.m. (10th tee) – Brittany Lincicome, Jin Young Ko, Jennifer Kupcho
2:03 p.m. (1st tee) – Somi Lee, Rio Takeda, Ariya Jutanugarn
2:15 p.m. (10th tee) – Hannah Green, Hyo Joo Kim, Charley Hull
2:15 p.m. (1st tee) – Linn Grant, Yu Liu, Haeran Ryu
2:27 p.m. (10th tee) – Maja Stark, Minjee Lee, Miyu Yamashita
2:27 p.m. (1st tee) – Ina Yoon, Nasa Hataoka, Jing Yan
2:39 p.m. (10th tee) – Lexi Thompson, Patty Tavatanakit, Lydia Ko
2:39 p.m. (1st tee) – Hye-Jin Choi, Sei Young Kim, Andrea Lee
2:51 p.m. (10th tee) – Megha Ganne (a), Shannon Tan, Yana Wilson
2:51 p.m. (1st tee) – Narin An, Erika Hara, Pornanong Phatlum
3:03 p.m. (10th tee) – Kiara Romero (a), Mimi Rhodes, Karis Davidson
3:03 p.m. (1st tee) – Jasmine Suwannapura, Sora Kamiya, Stephanie Kyriacou
3:15 p.m. (10th tee) – Wei-Ling Hsu, Gaby Lopez, Alison Lee
3:15 p.m. (1st tee) – Andrea Revuelta (a), Ruixin Liu, Brooke Matthews

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Praful Hinge (PTI Photo)

HYDERABAD: Praful Hinge, the 24-year-old Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer, became an overnight sensation after his performance against Rajasthan Royals. He set the tone with a wicket off his second ball — that of teen wonder Vaibhav Sooryavanshi — and scalped two more in the over.Despite the dream debut, he says life remains the same.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Yes, I planned to bowl a bouncer to dismiss Sooryavanshi. I played with him in the U-23 match once and got his wicket with a short ball. I tried it again and it worked. I didn’t know that I would take four wickets in my very first match. I came to know about the record (three wickets in first over) only after the match. However, I am not feeling my life has changed a lot after that. I am trying to stay away from social media and focus on training,” Hinge said.He also credited the team management for believing in him. “I learnt a lot from training with senior players in the team. We keep talking to them and they teach us a lot. The support from our coach and captain was clear. T20 is a batters’ game. As a bowler, whatever we do, do it with heart and enjoy the moment. That is the only advice from coach and captain,” he added.Hinge idolises Pat Cummins and was a total fanboy when he first met him at the SRH camp. “When I first met him, I told him how big a fan I was. He was very welcoming. I told him that I used to watch his bowling videos and train. He told me that he will work with him and help with bowling. That was very motivating,” he revealed. Hinge also said that he was motivated by his father Prakash — a former employee of the Maharashtra electricity department — and sister, a chartered accountant. “I wanted to do something that made my family happy. When I started I had no idea what domestic cricket was. I first played with a leather ball at the age of 13.“Since then, playing for the country was my only dream. Once I got into a two-month summer camp, I began understanding the process. I played all the age groups and made my debut for the state team just last year,” he added.He also credited Glenn McGrath and Varun Aaron for his progress. “When I was with the MRF Pace Foundation, McGrath helped me with my action. But Aaron helped me a lot too. As a fast bowler, he knows what it takes to be successful and he guided me.”(Hinge spoke on JioStar Press Room after his IPL debut)

With under fifty days to go for kick-off, the 2026 FIFA World Cup has found itself at the centre of an unexpected geopolitical storm. US President Donald Trump has publicly suggested that Iran’s presence at the tournament may be inappropriate, even hinting at safety concerns, while voices in football circles speculate about a possible replacement with Italy national football team emerging as a contender if a vacancy arises.

At the heart of the issue is Iran national football team’s refusal to play matches in the United States, where all their group fixtures are scheduled.  The team has proposed shifting games to Mexico, but FIFA has rejected the idea, citing logistical challenges. Whether Iran ultimately participates, and what happens if they don’t, is quickly becoming one of the biggest uncertainties ahead of the tournament.

Political Deadlock Deepens

Tensions escalated after failed diplomatic talks between the US and Iran in Islamabad. Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, took a firm stance, declaring that participation in the US was not possible under current circumstances. His remarks reflected broader political grievances, adding fuel to an already sensitive situation.

Trump responded bluntly on social media, stating that Iran’s presence might not be appropriate “for their own safety.” Despite the rhetoric, Iran has stopped short of officially withdrawing, instead pushing for a venue change in hopes that FIFA might reconsider.

Why a Mexico Switch Isn’t Feasible

Relocating Iran’s matches to Mexico appears unrealistic at this stage. The tournament draw, finalized months ago, has already set in motion extensive planning, from travel arrangements and team bases to ticket sales and logistics.

Any change would also require agreement from other group-stage teams, Belgium national football team, New Zealand national football team, and Egypt national football team, making the process even more complicated.

Additionally, concerns around playing conditions in Mexico, particularly at the iconic Estadio Azteca, have been raised due to altitude and heat. Hosting extra fixtures at short notice would also strain local infrastructure.

Knockout Complications Loom

The situation could become even more complex if Iran progresses to the knockout stages, where a potential clash with the United States could force further schedule reshuffling. Given these cascading complications, FIFA’s reluctance to alter venues was always expected.

A Delicate Balancing Act for FIFA

Selecting a replacement, if needed, would not be straightforward. FIFA would need to navigate competing interests among its member nations while maintaining diplomatic balance. Influential countries such as China and Russia are reportedly in favour of Iran’s inclusion, adding another layer of complexity.

Infantino’s close rapport with Trump has also drawn scrutiny, with some questioning whether politics could influence sporting decisions. Ultimately, FIFA faces the difficult task of managing a situation where sport and geopolitics are tightly intertwined.

Rare but Not Unprecedented

Withdrawals after qualification are uncommon in modern World Cups. The last notable instance dates back to the 1950 FIFA World Cup, when multiple teams, including Turkey, France, Scotland, and India, opted out.

There have been moments of protest as well. Ahead of the 1978 FIFA World Cup, several teams considered boycotting due to political concerns, though none ultimately withdrew. Dutch legend Johan Cruyff was a notable absentee.

Earlier editions saw more frequent disruptions, including withdrawals in 1938 and reduced participation in 1934, but such scenarios are rare in the modern era.

FIFA having full control over the situation

FIFA regulations provide broad discretion in such cases. Clause 6.7 of the tournament guidelines states that if a team withdraws or is excluded, FIFA can decide on a replacement at its own discretion.

This ambiguity has sparked widespread speculation. Teams like Bolivia national football team, Italy national football team, and United Arab Emirates national football team have all been mentioned as possible candidates, depending on how FIFA interprets its rules.

Bolivia may emerge as a contender after falling short in the intercontinental playoffs, while Italy could come into consideration as the highest-ranked side that didn’t qualify. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates remain in the mix, having been one of the teams affected during Iran’s qualification pathway.