NEW DELHI: Punjab Kings (PBKS) suffered their fifth straight defeat in IPL 2026 as Mumbai Indians (MI) registered a six-wicket win in a crucial clash on Thursday in Dharamsala. Shardul Thakur’s four-wicket haul and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 75 helped Mumbai chase down 201 in 19.5 overs and further dent Punjab’s playoff hopes.Batting first after being put in, Punjab got off to a strong start through Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh. The pair added 50 runs in 33 balls, taking the side to 55 for 1 in the powerplay. Priyansh made 27 before Deepak Chahar cleaned him up in the sixth over.Prabhsimran then added another 57 runs with Cooper Connolly as Punjab crossed the 100-run mark in the 12th over. The opener made 57 and reached his fifty with a single before hitting another six off Shardul Thakur over backward square leg.However, Mumbai fought back strongly in the middle overs. Shardul, who had conceded 15 runs in his first over, removed Prabhsimran and skipper Shreyas Iyer (4) within three balls to shift momentum.Most wins in 200+ chases in T20s

Raj Bawa also contributed by dismissing Connolly and then taking a sharp catch at short midwicket to remove Suryansh Shedge off Shardul’s bowling. Punjab kept losing wickets as Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen departed cheaply.Despite the collapse, Azmatullah Omarzai played an important hand in the death overs. He scored 38 off 17 balls with two sixes and a four. Vishnu Vinod and Xavier Bartlett also chipped in as Punjab collected 53 runs in the final three overs to finish at 200 for 8.For Mumbai, Deepak Chahar took 2 for 36 while Shardul finished with 4 for 39.Chasing 201, Mumbai began aggressively through Ryan Rickelton, who attacked from the start despite Rohit Sharma struggling at the other end. Rickelton smashed 48 off 23 balls with four fours and four sixes as Mumbai raced to 59 without loss.Punjab pulled things back briefly after removing Rickelton, Naman Dhir and Rohit Sharma. Yuzvendra Chahal bowled a tight spell and dismissed Rohit as Mumbai slipped to 89 for 3.Tilak Varma then steadied the innings. He added 61 runs with Sherfane Rutherford, who scored 20, before taking charge in the closing overs. Punjab had a chance to dismiss Tilak, but Marco Jansen dropped a difficult catch off Arshdeep Singh’s bowling.With 72 needed from the last five overs, Tilak and Rutherford attacked Chahal and collected 20 runs in one over. Even after Rutherford fell, Tilak continued the chase confidently.He hit Marco Jansen for two sixes and a four in the 18th over, which went for 22 runs and pushed Mumbai ahead in the game. Needing 15 runs in the final over, Tilak finished the chase with two sixes.Tilak remained unbeaten on 75 off 33 balls as Mumbai reached 201 for 4 in 19.5 overs.The defeat left Punjab needing wins in both their remaining matches to stay alive in the race for the playoffs.

Sir Alex Ferguson has an alternative role when it comes to Manchester United manager searches

Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Michael Carrick’s anticipated appointment as Manchester United’s permanent manager.

United have considered alternative candidates but Carrick has consistently been viewed as the leading contender. Significantly, as reported by the Mirror this week, co-owners the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe agree that he merits remaining in the role. That support extends to the club’s most successful ever manager, Ferguson.

Since stepping down in 2013, the Scot was frequently consulted on managerial matters. While that hasn’t occurred on this occasion, it is understood he supports the likely permanent appointment of Carrick.

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Carrick would become the seventh permanent manager since Ferguson’s retirement. Ferguson personally selected his successor, David Moyes, but has been less involved in recent years. He supported Jose Mourinho’s appointment in 2026, jokingly advising the Portuguese manager to “bring an umbrella” for Manchester’s wet weather.

Mourinho said of Ferguson at the time: “His opinion is an important opinion for me in the same way that many legends in this club love the club and are in the punditry industry, so every opinion will be important for me.”

Ferguson also seemed to establish a strong rapport with Erik ten Hag, dining out with the Dutch manager. Although Ferguson, a non-executive director, hasn’t been formally consulted lately, he has been informed of developments concerning Carrick.

The former Middlesbrough manager has exceeded all expectations since taking charge in January, following the conclusion to Ruben Amorim’s troubled tenure.

Carrick has overseen a dramatic turnaround in both atmosphere and performances, with United securing Champions League football with three games to spare and closing in on a third-place Premier League finish.

That remarkable revival has placed the club’s former midfielder, captain and coach in the driving seat to retain the position, with discussions understood to be ongoing ahead of the season’s conclusion.

Carrick also enjoys backing from several of his former United colleagues, amongst them Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand. Rooney has urged the club to appoint Carrick as soon as possible, given what promises to be a hectic summer of transfer activity as Carrick looks to reshape the squad.

Speaking on the BBC, Rooney said: “I think for the club to announce him, I think they need to do it swiftly because they need to get players in. They need to get players to improve that team.”

Meanwhile, Ferdinand told talkSPORT: “He’s earned the right to manage Manchester United. He’s taken us to third convincingly. On that alone, he deserves an opportunity.”

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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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.

Carlo Ancelotti has extended his contract as Brazil manager, committing to lead the national team through to the 2030 World Cup.

The Italian took the Selecao job after leaving Real Madrid at the end of the 2024-25 season, and has since guided them to this summer’s finals in the US, Mexico and Canada.

Despite suffering six defeats during their CONMEBOL qualifying campaign, the former Chelsea and Everton boss secured a fifth-place finish.

Brazil are drawn into Group C, alongside Scotland, Morocco and Haiti, with Ancelotti aiming to guide the South American nation to their first World Cup success since 2002.

Speaking on the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) website, Ancelotti expressed his dedication: “I arrived in Brazil a year ago. From the first minute, I understood what football means to this country.

“For a year, we have been working to bring the Brazilian national team back to the top of the world, but the CBF and I want more: more victories, more time, more work.

“We are very happy to announce that we will continue together for another four years. We will go together until the 2030 World Cup. I want to thank the CBF for their trust. Thank you, Brazil, for the warm welcome and for all the affection.”

Brazil have won the World Cup on five occasions, making them the most successful nation in the tournament’s history. However, it has been almost a quarter of a century since their last triumph.

They have been eliminated at the quarter-final stage in the last two World Cups, losing to Belgium in 2018 before being knocked out on penalties by Croatia four years ago.

Brazil did reach the semi-finals of their home World Cup in 2014, but they suffered humiliation in the last four as they were thrashed 7-1 by eventual champions Germany.

In the Premier League, Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium and are now just two points behind Arsenal in the title race.

In Italy, Inter Milan won the Italian Cup with a 2-0 victory over Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico, completing the third league and cup double in the club’s history.

In Spain, Alavés defeated Barcelona 1-0, reigniting the relegation battle in La Liga with just two matches remaining in a very tight table.

In tennis, Casper Ruud and Iga Swiatek both reached the semi-finals in Rome, while Elina Svitolina produced an upset against Elena Rybakina (2-6, 6-4, 6-4).

In the EuroLeague, Valencia qualified for the Final Four after eliminating Panathinaikos (81-64).

For the first time, the football World Cup final in July will feature a star-studded Super Bowl-style halftime show. FIFA has announced that the concert will be headlined by no less than Madonna, Shakira and boys-band BTS. Story by Emerald Maxwell.

Home favourite Davide Ballerini won his first Grand Tour stage as he avoided a late crash to win stage six of the Giro d’Italia.

The XDS-Astana rider successfully dodged a late pile-up which took out several of the stage favourites and held off the chasing Jasper Stuyven for victory on the cobbles in Naples.

Stuyven’s teammate Paul Magnier, who has already won two stages of this year’s race, was third. The Frenchman nearly slipped himself as he tried to dodge riders on the ground, but managed to pick up speed again despite nearly coming to a stop and led in the chasing riders.

Dylan Groenewegen and Jonathan Milan were both caught out in the crash, with Groenewegen’s lead-out rider one of the first to slip on a tricky right-hander only a few hundred metres from the finish.

Wednesday’s stage five was notable for its torrid conditions, with torrential downpour and cold temperatures making for a miserable day on the bike.

Luckily the showers mostly cleared in time for stage six, with the riders racing under sunshine for most of the 141km run from Paestum to Naples.

Setting off near Paestum’s Ancient Greek temples, the riders had a relatively uncomplicated parcours to traverse: a nearly pan-flat stretch along the coast before rolling into Naples and swinging onto a cobbled stretch for the expected bunch sprint.

An early breakaway consisting of Alpecin-PremierTech teammates Luca Vergallito and Edward Planckaert was quickly out of the blocks, soon joined by Mattia Bais of Team Polti-VisitMalta and the Bardiani CSF 7 Saber pair of Martin Marcellusi and Manuele Tarozzi.

Bais was quickest to the top of the only climb of the day, the category 4 Cava de’ Tirreni, while Planckaert was dropped and absorbed by the peloton.

The remaining four escapees persevered but were kept on a short lead by the sprinters’ teams, who controlled proceedings throughout and finally caught them with 35km to go.

The clouds that had threatened to break all day finally did as the riders sped through central Naples, with the rain making the final cobbled section especially slick and treacherous.

Multiple riders slipped on the final corner, with Groenewegen and Milan the most notable to be caught out and unable to contest the sprint.

Bahrain-Victorious’ Afonso Eulalio remains in the overall race leader’s pink jersey, with no change in the general classification standings.

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