Sports
How Rishabh Pant’s Rs 27 crore LSG move turned into an IPL disaster in just two seasons
Rishabh Pant’s two-year stint as Lucknow Super Giants captain has come under an abrupt cloud after the wicketkeeper-batter stepped down from the leadership role following another disastrous IPL season for the franchise. Bought for a record-breaking Rs 27 crore ahead of IPL 2025, Pant arrived in Lucknow as the face of a new era. However, the move has so far turned into one of the most underwhelming chapters in recent IPL history.
LSG confirmed on Friday that Pant had requested to be relieved of captaincy duties, and the franchise accepted the decision with immediate effect. The announcement came after Lucknow finished at the bottom of the IPL 2026 points table, extending their playoff drought to two consecutive seasons under Pant’s leadership.
When LSG broke the bank for Pant at the IPL mega auction, the expectations were enormous. The franchise made him the most expensive player in IPL auction history and immediately handed him the captaincy role, hoping he would lead the team into a new era. However, neither the results nor Pant’s own performances matched the hype surrounding the signing.
In IPL 2025, LSG finished seventh on the points table and failed to qualify for the playoffs. Pant endured a poor season with the bat, scoring just 269 runs at an average of 24.45 and a strike rate of 133.17. His unbeaten 118 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Lucknow’s final league game saved his numbers from looking even worse and remained the only standout moment in an otherwise forgettable campaign.
Things did not improve much in IPL 2026 either. Lucknow managed to win only four matches all season and finished last in the standings. Pant’s struggles with form continued despite constant changes in his batting role. Over the course of the season, he batted as an opener, at No. 3 and even at No. 4, highlighting the uncertainty around both his position and confidence.
Pant eventually finished IPL 2026 with 312 runs in 14 matches. While those numbers were slightly better than the previous season, they still fell far short of expectations for a player carrying a Rs 27 crore price tag. He averaged 33.61 with a strike rate of 146.79 and managed only one fifty-plus score throughout the campaign.
Beyond the IPL, Pant’s position in India’s white-ball setup has also weakened significantly over the last year. KL Rahul has firmly cemented his spot in India’s ODI side, while Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson have surged ahead in the T20 pecking order. Samson, in particular, strengthened his claim after a sensational T20 World Cup campaign where he scored 321 runs and won the Player of the Tournament award. Kishan, meanwhile, has returned to India’s ODI squad, further pushing Pant down the queue.
The selectors have also removed Pant from the role of India’s Test vice-captain, with KL Rahul now taking over the responsibility. The decision was widely seen as another indication that Pant’s standing within the national setup is no longer as secure as it once appeared.
With Pant now stepping away from captaincy at LSG, the franchise is expected to begin a fresh rebuild. Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh have emerged as the leading contenders to replace him as skipper heading into the next IPL season.
Anyang JKJ Red Boosters’s Rhenz Abando during a game in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). –KBL PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Rhenz Abando isn’t going anywhere just yet.
The Anyang JKJ Red Boosters confirmed on Friday that Abando has re-signed with the club for the 2026-27 season in the Korean Basketball League.
READ: KBL: Rhenz Abando back with Anyang Red Boosters
Abando was a key part of Anyang’s run this year, where they got eliminated in the semifinals at the hands of the Busan KCC Egis.
In the four-game semifinal series, the former Letran Knights standout averaged 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
For the season, Abando posted averages of 7.6 points and 3.7 rebounds while helping the Red Boosters finish with a 35-19 record.
Anyang finished as the second seed at the end of the preliminaries.
Abando wasn’t the only one who made moves in the KBL recently.
JD Cagulangan parted ways with Suwon KT Sonicboom to make way for Migs Oczon.
Meanwhile, Justin Gutang and Carl Tamayo both re-signed with the Seoul Samsung Thunders and Changwon LG Sakers, respectively.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.
Spanish tennis player Rafael Jodar has vehemently denied pushing a ball girl during his third-round victory at the French Open, an incident that sparked debate after footage circulated online.
The moment, captured between sets of his match against American Alex Michelsen on Friday, showed Jodar throwing a water bottle into his box just as a ball girl walked into his path. While social media footage appeared inconclusive, the girl momentarily lost her footing before regaining balance.
Jodar was quick to dismiss any suggestion of contact.
“I didn’t touch her,” he stated. “No, no, no. I could never do that.”
He explained that he was gesturing to his father, who was in his player’s box, to hand him items after a toilet break.
“I didn’t push her or anything. I was telling my dad to give me the things that he was going to give me after a toilet break when I was coming back,” Jodar clarified after the match.
“She was in the middle, so I think she was trying to get out of the way. She was going backwards, but I think she, like, fell, but not because I push(ed) her.”
The 27th seed attributed the ball girl’s stumble to the court cover.
“It was right behind her. So when she was walking backwards, she fell with that,” he said, emphasising his respect for the young helpers.
“I appreciate all the work that the ball kids are doing. I know it’s difficult with the heat and the conditions to stay there, so I appreciate. I could never, you know, push a ball kid.”
Despite the controversy, Jodar went on to secure a hard-fought 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory, advancing to the fourth round of a major tournament for the first time in his career.
Following his win on Friday, Jodar will now face fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the next round for a place in the quarter-finals.
This year’s men’s tournament will see a new grand slam champion crowned after Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat by Joao Fonseca on Friday evening at Roland Garros.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
American midfielder Brenden Aaronson had a good excuse to miss the U.S. World Cup team’s training session Friday — he was getting married.
The Leeds midfielder is marrying longtime girlfriend Milana D’Ambra, a daughter of Saint Joseph’s men’s soccer coach Don D’Ambra.
Aaronson, also a member of the 2022 U.S. World Cup squad, left camp after Thursday’s session and was due back in time for training Saturday.
A 25-year-old with Leeds in the Premier League, Aaronson is part of a well-known U.S. soccer family from Medford, New Jersey. His brother Paxten is with Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids and sister Jaden played for Villanova as a freshman last fall. Their father, Rusty, is sporting director of Real Futbol Academy in Medford.
The U.S. team allowed star Christian Pulisic to skip training to attend his Hershey High School prom on May 27, 2016, at the Hershey Hotel in Pennsylvania, then return for the following day’s Copa América match against Bolivia in Kansas City, Kansas.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo reacts during his second round match against France’s Moise Kouame at the 2026 French Open.
French Open organizers on Friday said a “significant sanction” will be imposed on Adolfo Daniel Vallejo after the player said his second-round match should not have been umpired by a woman.
The sanction will be a fine, with the amount not announced.
Buoyed by the home crowd, French teenage prodigy Moise Kouame staved off a late rally to record a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) victory over Vallejo on Thursday. Vallejo led 5-2 in the deciding set before the 17-year-old Kouame battled back to end the match in just less than five hours.
Vallejo, a 22-year-old from Paraguay, took issue with the time Kouame was allowed to take between points and argued that umpire Ana Carvalho did not control the crowd, which loudly cheered for the teen.
“This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man. It’s very difficult for a woman to do it,” Vallejo told Clay magazine. “It has to be refereed by a man, because it’s a very demanding crowd and you need a lot of strength to go against the crowd.”
The French Tennis Federation and Roland Garros organizers deemed Vallejo’s comments as “unacceptable.”
“The competence of an umpire is not determined by their gender, but by their professionalism and ability to officiate at the highest level,” the organizers said. “The outcome of a sporting event, whether positive or negative, can never justify or excuse such remarks. The tournament organizers will impose a significant sanction on Adolfo Vallejo in the form of a fine.
“The Roland-Garros tournament strongly condemns all sexist remarks, regardless of who makes them, and offers its support to the match umpire and, more broadly, to all the tournament’s umpiring officials.” Vallejo, who is ranked 71st in the world, posted in Spanish on X that his words had been misconstrued.
“I never spoke about women in general, I spoke about the referee specifically, who didn’t handle the crowd at any point during the match,” Vallejo wrote. “That said, I also didn’t say that I lost because of her. I congratulated the opponent and it’s normal for the crowd to cheer for the home player.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
IPL 2026 Orange Cap and Purple Cap after Qualifier 2: Sooryavanshi stays on top, Rabada surges ahead | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: The IPL 2026 Orange Cap and Purple Cap races witnessed another dramatic twist after Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 on Friday to set up a summit clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.Despite Rajasthan Royals crashing out of the tournament, teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued to hold the Orange Cap with another breathtaking knock. The 15-year-old smashed 96 off just 47 balls in New Chandigarh, taking his tally to 776 runs from 16 matches this season.However, his heroic effort was not enough to take RR into the final.The biggest threat to Sooryavanshi’s Orange Cap now comes from Gujarat Titans’ opening duo of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, who once again starred in a crucial chase.Gill hammered a stunning century in Qualifier 2 to climb to second spot in the standings with 722 runs, while Sudharsan’s fluent half-century helped him move to third with 710 runs.With GT now advancing to the IPL 2026 final against RCB in Ahmedabad on Sunday, both Gill and Sudharsan will get one final opportunity to overtake Sooryavanshi in the race for the tournament’s highest run-scorer award.The top five run-getters list is currently dominated by batters from playoff teams. Sunrisers Hyderabad stars Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan occupy fourth and fifth spots respectively, with 624 and 602 runs.RCB batting icon Virat Kohli remains in contention as well. Kohli currently sits sixth with exactly 600 runs and could still make a late surge in the standings during the final.
IPL 2026 Orange Cap after GT vs RR
| Runs | M | Ave. | SR | 100s/50s | |
| Sooryavanshi | 776 | 16 | 48.50 | 237.30 | 1/5 |
| Gill | 722 | 15 | 48.13 | 163.71 | 1/6 |
| Sudharsan | 710 | 16 | 47.33 | 159.55 | 1/8 |
| Klaasen | 624 | 15 | 48.00 | 160.00 | 0/6 |
| Kishan | 602 | 15 | 40.13 | 182.42 | 0/6 |
Rabada overtakes Bhuvneshwar in Purple Cap race
The Purple Cap standings also saw a major change after Gujarat Titans pacer Kagiso Rabada delivered another impactful spell in Qualifier 2.Rabada picked up 2/35 against Rajasthan Royals to jump to the top of the wicket-takers’ chart with 28 wickets from 16 matches.The South African speedster now leads RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar by two wickets heading into Sunday’s title clash. Bhuvneshwar is second in the standings with 26 wickets and will have a direct chance to challenge Rabada in the final.Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Jofra Archer finished his campaign in third place with 25 wickets from 16 games.Chennai Super Kings pacer Anshul Kamboj occupies fourth spot with 21 wickets, while Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Eshan Malinga rounds off the top five with 20 wickets from 15 matches.
IPL 2026 Purple Cap after GT vs RR
| Wickets | M | Ave. | Econ. | |
| Rabada | 28 | 16 | 20.78 | 9.43 |
| Bhuvi | 26 | 15 | 18.15 | 8.00 |
| Archer | 25 | 16 | 22.36 | 9.31 |
| Kamboj | 21 | 14 | 25.23 | 10.52 |
| Malinga | 20 | 15 | 25.35 | 9.33 |
With one match left in the tournament, both the Orange Cap and Purple Cap races remain wide open heading into what promises to be a blockbuster IPL 2026 final.
OKLAHOMA CITY — As the only unseeded team in the Women’s College World Series, Mississippi State softball is hoping to gain some extra luck from broccoli.
The vegetable has become the Bulldogs’ rally prop after a fan named Broccoli Guy started dancing while holding it at the Eugene Regional. Mississippi State embraced the fun trend and has brought broccoli to hold in the dugout for its games, beginning with the regional final.
Advertisement
“We saw his energy, and I think he helped loosen the team up at the regional,” MSU coach Samantha Ricketts said of Broccoli Guy. “… I think he really represents the way that we go about our business. It’s just being true to ourselves and having fun.”
Mississippi State (43-20) is playing in its first Women’s College World Series and lost its opener against Texas Tech 8-0 in a five-inning run-rule game.
The Bulldogs will take on No. 2 seed Texas (47-12) on May 29 (6 p.m. CT, ESPN) at Devon Park in an elimination game.
NCAA makes exception, allows broccoli at WCWS
Throughout the NCAA Softball Tournament, Mississippi State’s use of broccoli has been limited to the players in the dugout.
Advertisement
However, that changed at the Women’s College World Series. Although outside food is on the list of prohibited items at Devon Park, the NCAA is making an exception for fans bringing in broccoli.
Who is Broccoli Guy?
Broccoli Guy’s real name is Jim Stewart Allen. He’s a sports fan from Washington who brings broccoli to games and dances in the stands. He’s been spotted at games for the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Storm, Seattle Kraken, Seattle Sea Wolves and the Washington Huskies.
Why is Broccoli Guy a Mississippi State softball fan?
Broccoli Guy started cheering for Mississippi State during the Eugene Regional of the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs brought broccoli to use as a good luck charm for their regional final game against Saint Mary’s. The Bulldogs won 5-0 and advanced to the super regionals for just the second time.
Advertisement
Allen showed up again to support Mississippi State at Oklahoma during the super regionals. Before Game 3 against the Sooners, the Bulldogs posted pictures and videos of broccoli on social media, hoping it would bring them more luck. MSU won 6-0 to qualify for the Women’s College World Series for the first time.
Broccoli Guy GoFundMe
Charles Ammon, the father of MSU pitcher Leila Ammon, started a GoFundMe to help cover and reimburse Allen’s travel expenses over the last two weeks. Several MSU players and their parents have donated. MSU coach Samantha Ricketts donated $500. As of May 27, the fundraiser had received 129 donations totaling $5,475, surpassing its goal of $5,000.
“We wanted to continue to make sure he knew he was a big part of this journey for us,” Ricketts said of the donations. “… He’s a special ed teacher back in the Pacific Northwest, and just knowing what he was investing and giving up to be here, we wanted to do our part to help continue the run and get him into Devon Park this weekend.”
2026 Women’s College World Series schedule
All times CT
Advertisement
-
May 28
-
Game 1: Texas Tech 8, Mississippi State 0
-
Game 2: Tennessee 6, Texas 3
-
Game 3: Alabama 6, UCLA 3
-
Game 4: Nebraska 5, Arkansas 3
-
-
May 29
-
Game 5: Mississippi State vs Texas Tech (6 p.m., ESPN2)
-
Game 6: UCLA vs Arkansas (8:30 p.m., ESPN2)
-
-
May 30
-
Game 7: Texas Tech vs Tennessee (2 p.m., ABC)
-
Game 8: Alabama vs Nebraska (6 p.m., ESPN)
-
-
May 31
-
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs Game 8 loser (2 p.m., ABC)
-
Game 10: Game 6 winner vs Game 7 loser (6 p.m., ESPN2)
-
-
June 1
-
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs Game 9 winner (11 a.m., ESPN)
-
Game 12 (if necessary): Game 7 winner vs Game 9 winner (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
-
Game 13: Game 8 winner vs Game 10 winner (6 p.m., ESPN2)
-
Game 14 (if necessary): Game 8 winner vs Game 10 winner (8:30 p.m., ESPN2)
-
-
June 3
-
Finals Game 1 (7 p.m., ESPN)
-
-
June 4
-
Finals Game 2 (7 p.m., ESPN)
-
-
June 5
-
If necessary, finals Game 3 (7 p.m., ESPN)
-
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why does Mississippi State softball have broccoli in dugout at WCWS?
Novak Djokovic’s latest quest for a record 25th Grand Slam ended with a defeat to Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca in the third round of the French Open on Friday.
The 19-year-old Fonseca rallied from two sets down for the second straight match to stun Djokovic, winning 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 after four hours and 53 minutes.
Fonseca is through to the last 16 of a major for the first time. He will next play two-time Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud or American 24th seed Tommy Paul.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and AP)
David Benavidez has been linked with a major opportunity, which could materialise later this year if Turki Alalshikh convinces both sides to reach an agreement.
‘The Mexican Monster’ comes off a star-making performance, dethroning Gilberto Ramirez earlier this month to become a three-division world champion.
He did so via a sixth-round stoppage at 200lbs, where, despite it being his first assignment at the weight, he managed to claim the WBO and WBA titles.
Since then, Benavidez has doubled down on his desire to face Dmitry Bivol, who must first defeat IBF mandatory challenger Michael Eifert on Saturday.
Should he emerge triumphant, as most expect him to, then Bivol would likely be open to an undisputed showdown with Benavidez, who still holds the WBC light-heavyweight title.
Alternatively, though, Benavidez could remain at cruiserweight and collide with Jai Opetaia, who comes off a dominant points victory over Brandon Glanton in March.
This happened to be the Australian’s first fight under Dana White’s promotional banner, which ultimately saw him claim the inaugural Zuffa belt after being stripped of his IBF world title.
Regardless of his championship status, however, Opetaia is widely considered the top dog at 200lbs, where it appears as though he is in talks for a Benavidez clash.
Taking to social media, the 30-year-old’s manager, Tasman Fighters, posted a picture of Opetaia and Alalshikh, including the headline: ‘Turki to make Opetaia vs Benavidez’.
Turki to unleash the #BEAST in 2026 👀 pic.twitter.com/FIoUnSgBk1
— Tasman Fighters (@tasmanfighters) May 25, 2026
In contrast, however, the father and trainer of ‘The Mexican Monster’ has suggested that Opetaia’s team is not returning his calls.
San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Sean Sweeney is reportedly finalizing a deal to be the franchise’s next head coach, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Friday.
Sweeney, 41, takes over in Orlando after Jamahl Mosley was let go following the playoffs.
Manny Pacquiao has revealed who he deems to be his top five fighters of all time.
His ultimate favourite went to Roy Jones Jr, and on one hand, it is easy to see why ‘Pac Man’, like so many others, idolises a pound-for-pound legend who could turn on a sixpence like no other boxer.
Jones’ overall style, however, was vastly different to that of the Filipino, who is known more for his quick bursts than relying on razor-sharp reflexes.
In that sense, Pacquiao’s style could perhaps be likened to that of a typical Mexican, specifically when considering his aggression on the front foot.
It should not come as a surprise, then, that Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar De La Hoya happen to be two of his other favourite fighters.
Pacquiao did, of course, stop De La Hoya in round eight of their 2008 encounter, only this came at a time when the ‘Golden Boy’ was both weight drained and past his prime.
As for his other two favourite fighters, it may come as a surprise that he named Sugar Ray Leonard who, again, had tremendous speed but employed a drastically different style to that of Pacquiao.
Finally, the 47-year-old tells Vibe that former two-weight world champion Ricardo Lopez, who campaigned at minimum and light-flyweight, before retiring with an unbeaten record, is another of his all-time favourites.
“I liked Sugar Ray Leonard and Julio Cesar Chavez. Roy Jones Jr – that’s my favourite. Oscar De La Hoya. Those are fighters that I liked to watch. Also, there’s a small guy, a [lower-division champion] like [Ricardo] Lopez.”
Pacquiao’s list of legends – perhaps excluding Lopez – could quite easily be applied to almost any fighter who rattles off their selection of all-time favourites.
Rhenz Abando re-signs with Anyang for next KBL season
Court Temporarily Freezes Trump’s $1.776 Billion ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Slush Fund To Figure Out WTF Is Going On
Chelsea’s entire world collapses as devastating events unfold in EastEnders | Soaps
Steven Gerrard disagrees with Gary Neville over ‘shock’ Chelsea and Arsenal claim | Football
US brings back mandatory military draft registration
Register Renaming | Hackaday
Dark Side of Billionaire that no one knows ! #business #rudranshsharma #billionaire #money #finance
XRP Repricing: How It Happens #xrp #crypto @digitalassetinvestor
Yahoo Finance Live: Daily Market Coverage – May 27, 2026 9AM-11AM (ET)
-
Business5 days agoNYT Strands Answers May 24 2026 Revealed for Puzzle No. 812 Theme Summer Essentials
-
Politics4 days agoBridgerton Season 5: Cast, Release Date And Everything We Know So Far
-
Crypto World6 days agoRobinhood crypto COO Tanya Denisova exits
-
Tech4 days agoMicrosoft’s quiet Claude Code retreat and the real cost of enterprise AI
-
Business3 days agoSelena Gomez Reportedly Upset Over Benny Blanco’s Comments on Her ‘Terrible’ Diet
-
Crypto World3 days agoMicron Crosses $1 Trillion Market Cap as AI Demand Reshapes Memory Sector
-
Business4 days agoBTS Sells Out Four Las Vegas Shows at Allegiant Stadium for ARIRANG World Tour
-
Tech2 days ago
The Samsung pay deal is the moment Korean unions changed register
-
Tech4 days agoWestone Audio and Etymotic Acquired by Fidelity Collective in Major IEM Market Move
-
Tech16 hours agoWaymo dominates autonomous vehicle registrations as Tesla trails behind
-
Tech3 days agoMillions of AI agents imperiled by critical vulnerability in open source package
-
Crypto World4 days agoNvidia (NVDA) CEO Calls on Super Micro to Strengthen Export Controls Amid Smuggling Probe
-
Tech4 days agoChina assigns ID codes to 28,000+ humanoid robots
-
Crypto World2 days ago
SpaceX’s $2 Trillion IPO: Why Tech Giants Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL), and Microsoft (MSFT) May Face Pressure
-
Tech3 days agoNASA taps Blue Origin to deliver lunar rovers for Moon Base initiative
-
Entertainment4 days ago‘Breaking Bad’ Star’s Easy-to-Binge 6-Part Crime Series Spin-Off Is Finally Heading to Free Streaming
-
Crypto World5 days ago
Brian Armstrong Outlines Crypto Vision for the Future Financial System
-
NewsBeat2 days agoIsrael says it has killed new Hamas military leader in Gaza City airstrikes
-
Business4 days agoYatra Online, Inc. 2026 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation (NASDAQ:YTRA) 2026-05-25
-
Crypto World3 days agoSpain blocks prediction markets Polymarket Kalshi
You must be logged in to post a comment Login