Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may not have got a big score with the bat for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone in Chennai, but the teenager has shown tactical acumen with his sharp observations. The East Zone vice-captain plotted a couple of South Zone wickets as the teenage sensation played a key role in the dismissals of Ricky Bhui and star batter Smaran Ravichandran in the Duleep Trophy final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Sooryavanshi insisted on a review to overturn the umpire’s not-out call for Bhui’s caught-behind appeal and then used Mohammed Shami late before tea for the scalp of Ravichandran, the highest run-scorer of the previous Ranji Trophy season.

VAIBHAV SOORYAVANSHI × DRS! A brilliant review from the 15-year-old in the Duleep Trophy semifinal paid off, showcasing remarkable composure and cricketing awareness.

#VaibhavSooryavanshi #DuleepTrophy #Cricket pic.twitter.com/gdek11H7hl

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— Vartika (@Vartika04688652) September 8, 2026

After East Zone put up a mountain of 708 on the back of captain Ishan Kishan‘s 270, they struck early with the ball in the first session of Day 2. Mukesh Kumar zipped one down the leg side as Bhui tried guiding it to the leg side. East Zone appealed, but the umpire remained unmoved, prompting Sooryavanshi to urge Ishan to go for the review. As it turned out, there was a spike when the ball was next to the bat, with Kumar Kushagra taking the catch behind.

BCCI Domestic also took note of Sooryavanshi’s suggestion. “Take it… take it. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Review. The vice-captain urges the captain to take the review, and it turns out to be successful,” BCCI Domestic wrote in a social media post.

Meanwhile, Sooryavanshi helped his team with another wicket later. With Mukesh and Mohammed Shami doing the damage, South Zone were 174/4 with only a few minutes remaining before tea. The 15-year-old was standing in as captain as Ishan went off the field briefly.

He brought Shami on for a quick burst before the break, and the veteran Indian seamer duly repaid the faith when he dismissed Ravichandran. Shami nicked the Karnataka batter off behind as he attempted a drive outside off stump. The edge was not picked up by the umpire, but Kushagra urged Sooryavanshi to take the review, and they got the big wicket after UltraEdge confirmed a spike.

Shami had previously walked off the field after bowling seven overs and just two after lunch, as he looked tired and needed treatment to his neck from the physio. He came back later and was utilised well by Sooryavanshi in the final few minutes before tea as South Zone slipped to 176/5 at the break.

East Zone had earlier made 708 on the back of a stellar 270 from Ishan. Kumar Kushagra (101), Shikhar Mohan (85), and Abhimanyu Easwaran (72) also contributed valuable knocks.

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Aaron Judge returned to the New York Yankees after a 99-day absence caused by a broken rib, starting in right field and batting third Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies.

A three-time AL MVP, Judge had missed 84 games since his last appearance on May 31. The 34-year-old skipped a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment.

Judge entered hitting .248 with 17 homers, 38 RBIs and a .907 OPS. He was initially injured attempting to avoid second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. during an unsuccessful try for a diving catch at Houston on April 26 and batted .263 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 31 games before going on the injured list. 

He had just one homer in 18 games before the IL stint. New York was 36-23 after Judge last played on May 31 and went 45-39 in his absence. 

The Yankees hit .243 with 86 homers and a .770 OPS in 59 games through May 31 but .227 with 107 homers and a .681 OPS while Judge was sidelined. Their batting average during that stretch ranked 29th among the 30 major league teams, ahead of Seattle at .225.

New York entered 81-62, four games behind of AL East-leading Tampa Bay and two games in front of Boston (80-65) for the top AL wild card. The Yankees hold a potential tiebreaker over the Red Sox after winning the season series.

Judge hit a career-high .331 with 53 homers and 114 RBIs in 152 games last year, winning his third MVP and first batting title. He missed 10 games from July 26 to Aug. 4 with a flexor strain in his right elbow that he sustained on a throw to home plate July 22 in Toronto. He underwent a plasma-rich platelet injection and did not require offseason surgery.

Judge skipped a rehab assignment in 2023 when he missed 42 games with a fractured right big toe after crashing into the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium. He hit .245 with 18 homers, 35 RBIs and a .965 OPS over 57 games after his return.

Reporting by the Associated Press.

Hyrox founders Christian Toetzke and Moritz Fürste have regained majority control of the fitness racing business as part of a deal which has seen Infront Sports and Media sell its majority stake to a consortium led by consumer-focused private equity giant L Catterton.

Investment company WndrCo – founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg and Sujay Jaswa – is also participating, with L Catterton and WndrCo joining Hyrox as minority partners.

The deal comes as reported by HCM on 26 July, when regulatory filings revealed L Catterton was seeking to acquire Hyrox World GmbH from Infront. HCM followed up on 18 August, reporting that the transaction was progressing and expected to see Infront and its backer, Wanda Group, exit the business.

Financial terms have not been disclosed, although Bloomberg has reported a valuation of around €600 million (US$697 million, £514 million).

Although below some of the more speculative estimates circulated during the sale process, the figure represents a substantial valuation for a business founded only nine years ago.

Hyrox staged its first event in Hamburg in 2017 with just 650 competitors. HCM reported in August that revenues reached around €135 million (US$157 million, £116 million) in 2025, with EBITDA understood to be around €30 million, representing a margin of approximately 20 per cent.

Revenues are forecast to approach €300 million (US$348 million, £257 million) in 2026 as participation moves towards two million, putting Hyrox on a steep growth trajectory. At the reported €600 million valuation, the business is valued at around 20 times estimated 2025 EBITDA.

The model has also enabled Hyrox to scale without the property cost base of a conventional health club operator, while building revenues from race entries, sponsorship, merchandise and a rapidly expanding network of affiliated gyms.

Toetzke confirmed the ownership structure following completion, saying he and Fürste had “officially reclaimed majority ownership of Hyrox”, with L Catterton and WndrCo becoming minority partners supporting the next phase of growth.

Fürste described the acquisition as “a pivotal next step in the rapid evolution of the Hyrox success story”, saying retaining influence over the future direction of the company had always been a priority for the founders.

Toetzke said the focus would now turn to further international expansion and establishing hybrid racing as a recognised sport, with Olympic ambitions among the longer-term priorities.

“In the years ahead, our priorities will be firmly focused on our Olympic aspirations,” he said.

L Catterton partner Miray Topay said the firm believes Hyrox has created a new sporting category.

“Christian and Moritz haven’t just created a race, they’ve created a category,” she said.

L Catterton manages around US$40 billion (£29.5 billion, €34.4 billion) in equity capital and has extensive fitness and wellness experience, with past and current investments including Equinox, Peloton, CorePower Yoga, EGYM and Solidcore.

Infront first invested in Hyrox in December 2019 and became majority owner in October 2022, backing a period of rapid international expansion.

During the 2025/26 season, Hyrox staged more than 100 events, attracting over 1.4 million participants and more than 1.5 million spectators.

The company is continuing to expand its geographic reach, event capacity, affiliate gym network, training offer and commercial partnerships, while developing its Youngstars format and pursuing its longer-term ambition of Olympic recognition.

Infront CEO Philippe Blatter said Hyrox had delivered “strong returns” and that the transaction followed a strategic review, allowing Infront to realise the value created during its ownership while giving Hyrox backing for its next stage of development.

FOOTNOTE

L Catterton partner Miray Topay will be a keynote speaker at the HCM Invest salon on 21 October in London.

HCM Invest is an invitation-only event. Register your interest in attending here.

Alexandra Eala, of the Philippines, celebrates after a point against Iva Jovic, of the United States, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

As her tennis season winds down, Alex Eala was confronted with a question about how she managed her meteoric rise to superstardom: What has she learned from the sharp growth spurt that catapulted her to global fame?

In typical fashion, Eala reframed the question.

“What have I not learned this year?” she asked.

A year after she burst into mainstream tennis consciousness with a strong performance at the 2025 Miami Open, the Filipino tennis icon tore through milestone after milestone, enhancing her resume with career-high rankings and breakthrough victories.

“[W]ith, I guess, this experience, or the experiences that I’ve had this year, I was put in so many situations and, I guess, so many firsts. And with those situations come new lessons,” Eala said after exiting the US Open, the final Grand Slam event of the year.

“I learn about myself. I learn about how to act. I learn about what’s the best way for me to handle an obstacle.”

The 21-year-old Eala lost to American Iva Jovic, her close friend, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, at Arthur Ashe Stadium, which was filled to the brim with loud fans—mostly roaring for Eala—who supercharged the atmosphere of an already highly anticipated showdown between two of the sport’s rising stars.

The defeat sent Eala into a quick break before she sees action in the Singapore Open later this month. After that, it’s off to Japan to represent the Philippines in the Asian Games.

But even after absorbing her third defeat in as many matches to Jovic, the daughter of Serbian and Croatian parents who grew up in California, Eala felt she proved her evolution as a player was on schedule.

“I do think that I’ve grown as a player since the last time that we played each other. And I definitely think that [in] this match, I had my chances, and I was able to set myself up for some opportunities, which was great,” the world No. 18 said.

“I think I’m happy with the match. I think in general, of course, there is disappointment in losing. But yeah, trying to see the positive side, I think it was a really good match. I think the level was really high.”

“I think that what I know for sure is that I left everything out there. I fought through the ups and downs. I guess there were moments when I wasn’t playing so well, and moments where I was playing really well,” she added.

If Eala wins the Asian Games singles gold, she will book a spot at the 2028 Olympics. But even without that feat, it already has been a big year for Eala. She beat defending champion Iga Świątek to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon, the first Filipino to achieve that feat. She won her first WTA title at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington. She has whipped past top-10 players with regularity.

She proved she is a force to reckon with on the women’s tour, and not just a big-ticket superstar who packs tournament venues.

And she will carry important lessons as she continues her growth.

“I learn about what effect my decisions have further down the line. And those themes stick with tennis, yes, but also in life,” Eala said. “So that’s … a summary of what I learned in the past year.” INQ

Oleksandr Usyk has responded to Tyson Fury’s latest calls for a trilogy.

Fury, despite having signed to face Anthony Joshua next, has recently been expressing his disappointment that the fight has not yet been announced.

Telling fans that he believes ‘AJ’ is scared to fight, ‘The Gypsy King’ has instead targeted a third fight against Usyk.

Despite his team saying that he was no ‘back up plan’, and also representing the interests of Joshua, the former undisputed champion himself has now shown his interest, posting footage of himself on a treadmill saying:

“Hey Tyson, I’m coming for you, my brother.”

The video was alongside a caption reading, “Are you still thinking about me, Tyson Fury?” and the Brit quickly responded.

“Oleksandr, you’re a real man. I love that about you. You’re my brother from another mother. A proper fighting man. You’re still a rabbit, and I’m the Greedy Belly, 100%. But, at the end of the day, you’re a fighting man and I respect that to the hilt.

“This man’s fought me twice, let’s do the trilogy. Let’s get it on like Donkey Kong. Two real men who will fight at the drop of the hat. Proved it a thousand times.

“I am sick to death of s**thouses, making a million demands and promises and delivering absolutely nothing … [Usyk and I] will meet again in the trilogy, coming very soon. I need it all back.”

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Usyk has beaten Fury twice, winning and then defending all four heavyweight titles, first by split decision and then unanimously in the rematch.

He recently vacated all belts and is understood to be in negotiations for a farewell fight against former WBC champion Deontay Wilder.

Despite this back and forth, Fury’s most likely next fight remains Joshua. However, the hold-up, due to a dispute on the targeted location, does not yet seem resolved.

Joshua’s team are standing strong on their signed agreement for it to take place in the UK, while the backers of the event – Saudi Arabia’s Sela and Netflix – want a new contract for it to happen in New York.

In the wake of Western Michigan’s controversial Hail Mary loss at Michigan over the weekend and the fallout that has ensued, the MAC is asking the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and College Football Playoff to consider recognizing the Broncos as the actual winner of the contest during the evaluation and deliberation process when ranking teams for the postseason this fall.

That’s right — despite Western Michigan’s 13-12 loss in Ann Arbor, the MAC believes there’s enough evidence to support the idea that the Big Ten did not properly follow replay protocol and that the CFP selection committee should view the result differently.

The MAC’s statement, attributed to commissioner Jon Steinbrecher, reads:

“After further study and investigation, it is now evident that replay protocol was not properly followed in determining whether time remaining on the game clock at the conclusion of the Western Michigan vs. Michigan football game.

The establish replay protocol requires that the game lock displayed on the rotary feed be used in determining whether time remaining. Instead, the Big Ten Conference replay crew relied upon the clock feed embedded within its replay system. As a result, one second was placed back on the game clock and an additional play was awarded.

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This was not a judgment regarding the proper amount of time to place on the clock. It was an error in the application of the established replay protocol covering this specific end-of-game timing situation. Had the protocol been properly followed and the program feed-clock been used, no additional play would have been awarded and Western Michigan would have won the game, 12-7.

As a result, the MAC has submitted formal appeals to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff. The MAC is requesting that those bodies recognize Western Michigan as the actual winner of the game for purposes of respective rankings, evaluation and selection deliberations, and take such corrective action as may be within their authority.”

Western Michigan voiced support for Steinbrecher’s actions on Tuesday.

“Being bitter doesn’t make you better and this should not be mistaken for weakness or agreement,” WMU president Russ Kavalhuna said in a statement. “We can show respect for the game while also asking serious questions; I’ve done both, and I’ll keep doing both.”

Instead of harping on the disputed end-of-game call, Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor is moving forward from the loss.

“When I walked into the locker room, the first thing I told them was I’m proud of them, and I love them, and they should hold their head high for what they did last night,” Taylor said. “And they should. And whether you win or lose that game, that does not take away how they played and what they put on full display. And that was evident.” 

Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor said Sunday that he didn’t want the game’s narrative to center around a single call or the fact that many believe his team was “shafted” by the officiating crew.

“Gut-wrenching, heartbreaking loss on the final play. So a lot of emotion and a physical football game,” Taylor said. “They’re going to come in hurting today, and I think they’re still going to be reeling when they get in. But it’s, again, not what happens to you, but how you respond to it, and I think that’s my message to our staff: ‘What are the things we need to be better at from a coaches standpoint and a players standpoint?’”

In the final seconds of Saturday’s game, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood tossed a pass that sailed out of bounds as the broadcast’s game clock expired, signaling the end of the contest and what appeared to be a 12-7 win for Western Michigan.

However, after Broncos players and coaches ran onto the field in celebration, the officiating crew announced that the game’s final play was under review. Another second was added to the game clock, giving Michigan and Underwood another final heave.

Underwood’s pass was caught by a leaping JJ Buchanan just beyond the goal line on a game-winning 47-yard touchdown.

Previously ranked No. 16 in the preseason, Michigan (1-0) dropped out of Tuesday’s updated AP Top 25 poll after the win.

No longer saffron? The Indian hockey team will resort back to its traditional blue jersey in the Asian Games, according to a report. Ahead of the Hockey World Cup last month, Hockey India had chosen saffron as the jersey colour. It led to widespread backlash as the move away from the traditional blue was questioned by former men’s team captain Viren Rasquinha. Hockey India had then stated that the decision to change the primary uniform colour was made because the previous blue kits merged visually with the blue synthetic playing surface.

Hockey India also pointed out that changes to the national team’s jersey colour were not unprecedented, citing the use of yellow during the 2014 FIH Hockey World Cup and sky blue with a different design during the 2018 edition.

HI president Dilip Tirkey raised further questions and said the decision was taken without the knowledge of the federation’s elected leadership or Executive Board.

However, for the Asian Games, India’s first-choice kit will be blue. “The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) asked us our preferred choice of kit, and HI has given its first preference as blue, with the secondary colour being saffron,” HI treasurer Shekar Manoharan said.

“IOA asked us about our preference of colour for kit, we gave blue as primary and saffron as the second one. As I had already said before the World Cup that the colour change is not permanent,” Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said on the sidelines of the Asian Games contingent send-off on Tuesday.

Another top Hockey India official added, “The kits for Asian Games, Olympics and CWG are designed by IOA and they ask preference from every federation. So we gave our choice, it has nothing to do with the controversy surrounding jersey colour ahead of World Cup.”

The Asian Games will be an important assignment for the Indian teams, with the tournament also offering a crucial opportunity to secure qualification to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and strengthen their position on the continental stage.

The governing body had earlier said suggestions were sought regarding potential alternative colours. Ultimately, saffron was selected as the base colour because it features on the country’s national flag.

“In light of the above, the coaches and players suggested alternative colours, such as yellow or saffron. After careful consideration, saffron was finalised. Apart from addressing the technical requirement, saffron holds deep significance as one of the colours of our National Flag, symbolising courage, sacrifice, and national pride.”

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Wasim Akram and Imran Khan

Wasim Akram has become the latest high-profile cricketing figure to publicly voice concern over the health of his former Pakistan captain and close friend Imran Khan, insisting that his legal status should not come in the way of ensuring he receives proper medical care.Imran, 73, has been in jail since 2022 after being convicted in multiple corruption cases, charges he denies. Akram, however, said that while legal proceedings must take their course, there should be no compromise when it comes to his former mentor’s health.“I haven’t spoken to him for three years. It’s so unfortunate, politically, what’s happening with him. The court of law is the court of law. But as far as his health is concerned, there can be no compromise on that,” Akram told The Athletic.The former Pakistan fast bowler also made an emotional plea while stressing that his comments were rooted in his relationship with Imran as a friend, rather than politics.“I’m speaking from the heart as someone who is worried about him as a person. Convicted or not convicted. Jail or no jail. We need to safeguard his health. We don’t know what’s happening, the government are saying his health apparently is fine. But I’m worried. I miss him a lot,” he said.

‘Here in Pakistan? I’m not so sure’

Akram also questioned whether enough was being done inside Pakistan to address concerns surrounding Imran’s health, pointing to international efforts seeking better conditions for the former Pakistan captain.“There’s a movement in England and elsewhere (to improve Imran’s conditions) but here (in Pakistan)? I’m not so sure,” said Wasim.The comments come amid growing international concern over Imran’s reported health and access to medical care. Last week, West Indies great Brian Lara joined a growing list of former international captains who have called for proper treatment and humane conditions for the 1992 World Cup-winning captain.As many as 22 international captains have written an open letter to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, seeking proper medical care and humane treatment for Imran. Australian captain Pat Cummins has also echoed the concerns, while Lara described Imran as “a legend of our game” who deserved “basic humanity”.Former Pakistan players have also spoken out. Javed Miandad made an emotional plea for Imran’s release and urged the differences between the former prime minister and the government to be resolved, with Moin Khan and Ramiz Raja subsequently expressing concerns over his wellbeing.Akram also referred to an interview given by Imran’s sons, Sulaiman and Kasim, during the ongoing England-Pakistan series, in which they expressed fears for their father’s safety in prison.“There was a bit of uproar here [in Pakistan] after that. I then read that the Pakistani government came up with how many visits Imran has had, with all the numbers included, with all the phone calls he has had. But, you know, it’s difficult to believe, and hard to know what to believe right now,” Akram said.His comments come after a court ordered Imran to be admitted to a specific hospital and allowed access to his personal physician and sister.