RCB’s Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli run between the wickets (PTI Photo)

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has raised concerns over Jacob Bethell’s form ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s clash against Gujarat Titans on April 30, suggesting the youngster could be feeling the heat after a quiet start to his stint this season.Bethell, who came into the side for the injured Phil Salt, has featured in the last two matches but hasn’t managed to convert his starts. Scores of 14 off 10 and 20 off 11 have shown glimpses, but Chopra believes that won’t be enough to satisfy expectations within the camp.Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said the team combination does not necessarily need a change, but added that Bethell’s performances will be under scrutiny. He also referenced Alastair Cook’s earlier remarks about the youngster’s playing time, pointing out the irony of him getting opportunities but failing to make a strong impact.“Don’t change anything, although there will be slight pressure on Jacob Bethell because some time back, Alastair Cook was asking him to return if he was not being played. He is playing, but he isn’t scoring runs. He is playing cameos. That’s not good enough. So that is one thing they would want to change,” Chopra said.Chopra also questioned how RCB are utilising Romario Shepherd, noting a lack of clarity around his role. He highlighted that Shepherd has been expensive with the ball and hasn’t had enough chances to contribute with the bat, making his presence somewhat ineffective in the current setup.“They still don’t know what Romario Shepherd’s role is because he gets hit a lot when he comes to bowl, and he is not getting to bat at all. This is another incredible part that all teams are playing with 12, they are playing with 11, and are winning despite that,” he observed.Turning his attention to Gujarat, Chopra identified two major concerns that could hold them back. The first, he said, is their heavy reliance on the top order, particularly Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler. According to him, the team’s fortunes are closely tied to whether this trio delivers.“GT, you have two issues. It includes your dependency on the top three, which will remain. You cannot do anything about that. Sai Sudharsan scored runs that day (away game against RCB) and needs to score runs today as well, or else Shubman Gill or Jos Buttler should score runs,” he said.The second issue Chopra flagged was Gujarat’s struggles at the death. He pointed out that their scoring rate in the final four overs has been underwhelming, with 42 being their highest return in that phase so far.“Your problem is that you don’t score runs in the last four overs. The highest you have scored is 42. If 42 is a team’s highest in the last four overs, it means you have a problem. You will have to address that problem. How will you progress if you don’t address that?” he added.With both teams carrying specific concerns into the contest, the upcoming clash could hinge on whether individuals like Bethell step up and whether Gujarat can fix their finishing issues in time.

The Red Devils secure one of their gems!

In the works for several weeks, Kobbie Mainoo’s contract extension with Manchester United is now official!

The Red Devils announced the extension of their 21-year-old gem until 2031.

David Pfieffer is recreating the strategy that succeeded with Oh Diamond Lil in springtime to bag the pretty mare an additional stakes conquest in the Hawkesbury Crown.

On her fresh start in September, the five-year-old set the pace all the way to capture the Group 3 Tibbie Stakes (1400m) at Newcastle, and Pfieffer is optimistic of replication over the same span at Hawkesbury this Saturday.

“She looks good, and her first-up record is quite good,” Pfieffer said.

“She won first-up at Scone last year, and when she won the Tibbie at Newcastle she was first-up.

“I think she is well placed.”

Oh Diamond Lil, by So You Think, has been masterfully prepared by Pfieffer for seven wins across 17 races.

Complementing her stakes success at Newcastle, she trailed Group 1 star Stefi Magnetica by fewer than three lengths in The Invitation (1400m) at Randwick in October, and was fourth past the post to Verona Rose in the Inglis Bracelet (1600m) at Flemington subsequently.

Pfieffer is certain she has reported back in fine fettle or superior and is keen for her to boost her achievements from Hawkesbury onwards.

Plans include the Dark Jewel Classic (1400m) at Scone on May 16 as her next engagement, before a Queensland winter carnival slate possibly featuring the Magic Millions National Classic (1600m) at Eagle Farm on June 6.

“She’s got a lovely string of races coming up for her,” Pfieffer said.

With his Warwick Farm outfit, the trainer has produced superb results: 11 winners and 16 placings from 50 recent runners, featuring debut winner Call Me Zeus at Kembla Grange on Wednesday.

His last 20 have yielded five triumphs and eight further minors.

“Everything is racing well. If they’re not winning, they’re running placings,” Pfieffer said.

“Probably too many seconds for my liking lately.

“But as long as they’re racing well, running up to their mark and winning prizemoney, they’re keeping their owners happy.”

Oh Diamond Lil leads Hawkesbury Crown (1300m) wagering at $3.60 favourite, from Surfin’ Bird ($4.60) on NSW debut post four Victorian wins from six, and Chidiac ($5) from the Country Championships Final.

Secure the best betting sites promotions ahead of the Hawkesbury Crown showdown.

Two English Premier League foes do battle on Thursday, April 30, in the UEFA Europa League semifinals when Nottingham Forest hosts Aston Villa in the first leg of their tie. Forest ranks just 16th in the EPL table, five points ahead of the relegation zone, but they have their eyes on a prize if they can advance to the May 20 final in Istanbul, Turkey. Villa are fifth in the EPL table entering Thursday. The Villans demolished Bologna by a 7-1 aggregate in the prior round, while Forest topped Porto by a 2-1 aggregate score. You can catch Nottingham Forest vs. Aston Villa on Paramount+.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET at City Ground in West Bridgford, England. Forest are +160 home favorites on the 90-minute money line (wager $100 to win $160) in the latest Nottingham Forest vs. Aston Villa odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. Villa are +185 underdogs (wager $100 to win $185) and a draw is priced at +225. The match total is set at 2.5 goals (Over +100, Under -130). Before you place any wagers on the UEFA Europa League or Aston Villa vs. Nottingham Forest, make sure you see what SportsLine soccer expert Jon Eimer is wagering for the contest.

Bet on Aston Villa vs. Nottingham Forest using the latest DraftKings promo code

Eimer finished 2023 as SportsLine’s No. 1 soccer expert, posting a 248-234-12 record (+25.93 units) on SportsLine article picks. Eimer has been red-hot in 2025, posting a profit in multiple leagues, including the Premier League, Champions League, La Liga and more. Anyone following his soccer betting picks could have seen huge returns at sportsbooks and on betting apps. 

Here are Eimer’s best bets and analysis for Nottingham Forest vs. Aston Villa on Thursday, April 30.

Nottingham Forest vs. Aston Villa best bets

• Nottingham Forest draw no bet (-125, 1 unit)
• Forest first team to score (-110, 1 unit) 

Nottingham Forest’s absurd change in form

Nottingham Forest have had an absolute roller coaster of a season. They’ve gone through struggles both on and off the pitch as they’ve rotated through managers and dealt with injuries. While they’ve had their troubles this season, their form over the last couple months has been their saving grace. 

Forest are unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions, picking up some massive points to help avoid relegation, while also taking down Midtjylland and Porto in Europa play to advance to this stage. Morgan Gibbs-White continues to perform and help this team advance, and especially when playing at home, Forest should have enough to get at least a draw out of Aston VIlla in this first leg.

Use the latest BetMGM promo code to wager on Aston Villa vs. Nottingham Forest and other Europa League matches.

Aston Villa’s struggles on the road

This is a classic matchup between two sides that should get the best of each other specifically on their home legs. Nottingham Forest have been great at home, as has Aston Villa. The big problem for Aston VIlla though, is their poor away form. This team is an almost unstoppable force at Villa Park, but it struggles on the road. 

Villa lost to Fulham in an extremely important EPL match, drew with Forest last time on the road, lost to Man United and Wolves. I can’t back VIlla on the road, and expect them to try to keep this close with the goal of winning in the second leg.

CHICAGO — Twenty-three days ago, Angel Reese was still a member of the Chicago Sky. On Wednesday night, she was playing against them. 

Most preseason games pass without fanfare, but there was a large and enthusiastic crowd inside Wintrust Arena for Reese’s return to Chicago, which doubled as her unofficial debut with the Atlanta Dream after a stunning April 6 trade. Reese finished with eight points, seven rebounds, two assists and three steals in 13 minutes in the Dream’s 87-78 victory, but the result hardly mattered. 

This was a night for Sky fans to pay their respects to their former star, and for Reese to close a chapter of her career. 

“Angel, when you’re back in Chicago we love you!” read one fan’s sign. There were other signs sharing the same sentiment, and dozens of Reese jerseys and shirts scattered throughout the crowd. One kid was even rocking a Washington Wizards jersey bearing Reese’s brother Julian’s number 15. 

At the first timeout, the Sky played a tribute video for Reese on the jumbotron, which drew a standing ovation. 

“Just being grateful for my opportunities that I did have here my first two years, a lot of positives,” Reese said. “The fans came out and showed a lot of support for both teams. I’m really happy and grateful, and happy to be here with Atlanta now.”

After the final buzzer, Reese shared a hug with Sky coach Tyler Marsh on the court and waved to the crowd as she made her way to the visitors’ locker room for the first time. 

“It was honestly the first time seeing her since the trade, so I was just telling her to ‘go be great, go kill it,’” Marsh said. “She’s with a championship-caliber team, so you saw some of her talents and things that she can do with them tonight. She fits in perfectly and she’ll be great.”

Reese, the No. 7 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, spent her first two seasons with the Sky. She quickly established herself as the best rebounder in the league — her 13.1 rebounds per game as a rookie remain a league record — and the face of the franchise. But while Reese was an All-Star in each of her first two seasons, the Sky went a combined 23-61 and missed the playoffs in both seasons. 

Why Angel Reese trade is great for her, the Dream, the WNBA… and her rivalry with Caitlin Clark

Lindsay Gibbs

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Near the end of last season, Reese gave a controversial interview to the Chicago Tribune in which she publicly criticized the front office, coaching staff and her teammates. 

“I’m not settling for the same s— we did this year,” Reese said in September. “We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me.

“I’m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that’s what I’m going to do this offseason. So it’s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can’t settle for what we have this year.”

She eventually apologized and was suspended for half a game. Between that suspension, a league suspension for accumulating too many technical fouls and a back injury, Reese missed Chicago’s final four games. 

During Team USA training camp in December, Reese said she would not request a trade and planned to return to the Sky, but the two sides eventually agreed to part ways. On April 6, the opening day of the WNBA’s free agency period, the Sky traded Reese to the Dream for their 2027 and 2028 first-round picks — a return that was widely panned as too little for a player of Reese’s caliber. 

“I think it was just best for me to move on, and I think it was helpful for both of us,” Reese said at shootaround early on Wednesday.

Now, Reese will team up with All-Stars Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard and Brionna Jones on a Dream squad that won a franchise-record 30 games last season, but lost in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta hopes Reese will be the missing piece that helps them become a true title contender. 

The early signs are promising. 

“Everybody keeps asking me how I feel, but we’ve been practicing for a week and a half, and it feels like a month, it feels like two months,” Reese said postgame. “It’s been super seamless as I think everybody can see and an easy adjustment for me because I think my teammates and my coaches put a lot of confidence in me.”

“They want me to take the shots that sometimes I’m not confident maybe to take,” Reese continued. “But I was able to come out tonight and take shots that I was not comfortable taking and they still patted me on the back for it and still uplifted me in ways that I probably didn’t have before, so I’m just really grateful for all of it.”

Following a huge furore after he was caught on camera vaping inside the team dressing room during an IPL 2026 match, Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag was on Thursday fined 25 per cent of his match fee for bringing the game into “disrepute”. The incident happened during an IPL game against Punjab Kings in Mullanpur. “Riyan Parag, captain of Rajasthan Royals, 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. 40 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against Punjab Kings,” the BCCI said in a statement.

“Riyan was found to have breached Article 2.21 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which relates to conduct that brings the game into disrepute. The incident occurred during the second innings when Riyan was seen using a vape inside the dressing room.

“Riyan admitted to the offence and accepted the sanction imposed by the match referee, Amit Sharma.”

Interestingly, the statement added that action may also be taken against RR, its officials, and players.

“The BCCI is also exploring other options to initiate proceedings for stringent action against the erring team, its officials, and player(s) to ensure that the reputation of the IPL remains intact,” the BCCI said.

When PTI reached out to BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia regarding possible action against Rajasthan Royals, he said: “As it is written clearly in the statement, we are exploring what action to take against the team. It is not decided yet.”

The Indian government had banned e-cigarettes in 2019, prohibiting their production, sale, and distribution. As per the law, an offender faces imprisonment of up to one year and/or a fine of Rs 1 lakh for a first-time offence.

“Article 2.21 of the IPL Code of Conduct is intended to cover all types of conduct that bring the game into disrepute and which are not specifically and adequately covered by the offences set out elsewhere in this Code of Conduct, including Article 2.20,” the IPL Code of Conduct states.

“By way of example, Article 2.21 may (depending upon the seriousness and context of the breach) prohibit, without limitation, the following: (a) public acts of misconduct; (b) unruly public behaviour; and (c) inappropriate comments which are detrimental to the interests of the game.

“When assessing the seriousness of the offence, the context of the particular situation, and whether it was deliberate, reckless, negligent, avoidable, and/or accidental shall be considered.

“Further, the person lodging the report shall determine where on the range of severity the conduct lies (with the range of severity starting at conduct of a minor nature-hence a Level 1 offence-up to conduct of an extremely serious nature-hence a Level 4 offence).” Since it is a Level 1 offence, there was no need for a hearing

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Riyan Parag (Image credit: X)

NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag has found himself in big trouble after he was allegedly using a vape-like device in the dressing room during Rajasthan Royals’ match against Punjab Kings at the Mullanpur Cricket Stadium. Parag’s visual of vaping quickly went viral, sparking a buzz on social media, with many questioning the discipline of youngsters as well as the legality of such devices under Indian law.Now, a women’s group on Thursday demanded an inquiry into visuals purportedly showing Parag using a vape-like device during an IPL match, questioned the use of the product, and sought a thorough investigation into the incident. Mothers Against Vaping, a collective of mothers advocating against the promotion of new-age nicotine devices such as vapes and e-cigarettes, raised the concern.Parag’s incident took place on April 28 during a match between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings when a camera captured him using a vape-like device while sitting in the dressing room during the live match.