India women’s kabaddi captain Pushpa Rana is confident the team can successfully defend its gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with the defending champions treating the expectations surrounding them as motivation rather than pressure.

Leading a 12-member squad in her first assignment as captain, Rana said India have prepared by studying opponents, analysing past performances and addressing the areas identified by the coaching staff.

The team will begin its campaign against Bangladesh on September 21 before taking on Iran and Japan in Group A. Rana said the squad is determined to carry forward the success of previous generations.

Rana sees gold-medal expectations as motivation

India have won 11 Asian Games gold medals in kabaddi, including three in the women’s event, and will enter Aichi-Nagoya as the defending champions. At the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, India beat Chinese Taipei 26-25 in a closely fought final.

Rana said the history created by the senior players has given the current squad an added sense of responsibility, but the players are embracing that responsibility positively.

“When our seniors have already done a good job, they have made their own history, so it is up to us to maintain that momentum. So, we see it as motivation, we don’t see it as pressure. We are also working hard to maintain that momentum,” Rana said.

India step up preparations ahead of campaign

Rana said the team’s preparation has involved both match-specific training and detailed analysis of its opponents. The players have also been working on weaknesses highlighted by the coaching staff from their previous performances.

“First of all, we practise according to the situation. We also analyse the videos of the upcoming matches. Our coaches also tell us about the shortcomings of the past and what needs to be improved. And now we are working on that. I think our team is well prepared,” she said.

The captain will also have senior players to lean on as she takes charge of the side. Rana has previously served as vice-captain and said the experience of players such as Ritu Negi and Sonali Shingate will be valuable as she settles into the leadership role.

“I rely a lot on the seniors because they are already captains like Ritu Negi and Sonali Shingate. So, their advice is very important to me,” Rana said.

She also singled out Chinese Taipei as one of the teams India will need to keep an eye on, given their narrow defeat in the Hangzhou final.

Kajla hopes gold can inspire more girls

Pooja Kajla, meanwhile, believes another Asian Games gold would have significance beyond the medal itself. The Arjuna awardee said the success of Indian women across different sports can encourage more young girls to take up sport.

“First of all, it is very important to win gold at the Asian Games. Along with that, as we talk about the girls of the cricket World Cup, there are also juniors who are very inspired by the success of Indian women in sport,” Kajla said.

“If we bring gold, then small children get inspired by us and they will also ask their parents to let them play,” she added.

Kajla also credited the team’s strength and conditioning camp, organised jointly by the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) and Mashal Sports, the organisers of the Pro Kabaddi League, for improving the players’ understanding of recovery.

“They gave us a few more classes on sleep and recovery. So, I got to learn a lot from there,” she said.

India begin title defence against Bangladesh

The women’s kabaddi competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will begin on September 21. India have been placed in Group A and will open their campaign against Bangladesh.

The defending champions will then face Iran on September 23 before completing their group-stage fixtures against hosts Japan on September 24. The semi-finals are scheduled for September 25, followed by the gold medal match on September 26.

India’s 12-member women’s kabaddi squad is led by Pushpa Rana and includes Ritu Negi, Sonali Shingate, Sanju Devi, Pooja Kajla, Ritu Sheoran, Jyoti Thakur, Pinki Roy, Manisha Kumari, Bhavna Thakur, Raj Rani and Nikita Kumari.

Blackjack has one of the shortest rule sets in any casino, which is part of why the game of 21 has branched into so many forms. Get closer to 21 than the dealer without going bust, and that idea holds at every table.

What changes between variations is the detail around it, and that is where the arithmetic lives. Irish players will find a dozen or more versions side by side in one lobby, so knowing what separates them turns picking a table into a decision.

What changes from table to table

Almost every variation adjusts one of five things: how many decks sit in the shoe, whether the dealer takes a hole card (dealt face-down and hidden from other players), when doubling and splitting are allowed, whether the dealer stands or hits on soft 17, and what a Blackjack pays. That last one matters most. A table paying 6:5 rather than the standard 3:2 costs more across a session than most of the rule tweaks advertised alongside it.

Where the variety sits in Ireland

Ireland has no conventional licensed casino sector. Land-based gaming runs through private members’ clubs, concentrated in Dublin, whose floors usually carry one or two tables on classic rules. Oversight of the wider sector falls to the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), set up under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024. The breadth sits online instead, where an online blackjack lobby stocks software versions and live studio tables at once.

European blackjack

The default across Irish-facing lobbies, and the sensible starting point. Two decks, the dealer stands on soft 17, and doubling is usually restricted to hard totals of nine, 10 or 11.

The defining feature is the missing hole card: the dealer draws a second card only once every player has acted, so a doubled or split stake is lost in full if the dealer then completes a Blackjack. Played with the basic strategy tables, the house edge sits under 0.5%, among the lowest figures in the casino, though no method removes it.

Blackjack Switch

Two hands are dealt and you may swap the second card of each. Turning 10-6 and 5-10 into 10-10 and 5-6 is a real gift, so the game takes that value back elsewhere: a dealer total of 22 pushes instead of busting, and a blackjack pays 1:1 rather than 3:2. Swap only when both hands improve.

Spanish 21

Played with 48-card decks, all four 10-spot cards removed from each. In exchange the player rules are unusually generous: late surrender, doubling after a split, a bonus for reaching 21 with five cards or more, and a player 21 that always beats a dealer 21. The missing 10s pay for that, because good totals get harder to reach.

Live dealer formats

Studio tables are where the newer ideas appear. Infinite Blackjack seats any number of players on one hand, so nobody waits for a place.

Speed Blackjack deals to whoever acts fastest, which suits players who already know the tables. Power Blackjack allows doubling, tripling or quadrupling on any two cards, with all nines and 10s stripped from the shoe. Free Bet Blackjack covers certain doubles and splits, offset again by a dealer push on 22. Lightning Blackjack charges a fee on every hand and applies a random multiplier to winning ones.

Side bets and the house edge

Perfect Pairs pays when your first two cards match, more when the pair is suited. 21+3 pays when your two cards and the dealer’s up-card form a poker hand. Both are optional extras rather than games in their own right, and both carry a house edge several times higher than the hand they attach to. Treat them as decoration.

Choosing a table

Read the rules panel first. Every reputable operator publishes one. Stay with European or classic rules until basic strategy is second nature, then take on one variation at a time so each rule change is visible. Set a deposit limit and a session length before you sit down, use the reality checks your operator offers, and keep in mind that no variation is beatable over the long run. Gaming is for over-18s only.

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Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and director Mark Walter have sold their stakes in the club to majority owner Clearlake Capital.

Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss has also sold his stake, meaning Clearlake – led by co-founders Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano – have now acquired full control of the club.

Boehly, Walter and Wyss each had a 12.8% stake, with Clearlake previously owning 61.5% of the Blues.

American Boehly will leave his role as chairman, a position he has held since 2022, when the consortium bought the club for £2.3bn from Roman Abramovich, who was sanctioned by the UK government in March 2022 over alleged links to Russian president Vladimir Putin – something he has denied.

BBC Sport reported in August that Boehly and Walter were exploring selling their stakes.

Multiple sources said talks started within Chelsea‘s ownership group after a rift, first apparent in 2024, led both sides to explore buying each other out.

Boehly, who is a co-owner of baseball franchise the Los Angeles Dodgers, said it had been an “honour” to serve as Chelsea chairman.

“I would like to thank the many who helped secure a bright future for the club, including the English Premier League, the coaches and players, the talented leadership and staff at Chelsea, and the legions of dedicated fans,” he added.

“I have valued my partnership with Clearlake and the wider ownership group, and the collective decisions and investment we have made to support the immediate and long-term success of the club. I am confident that Chelsea is well positioned for continued success under Clearlake’s leadership.”

Since the takeover in 2022, Chelsea‘s highest Premier League finish is fourth in 2024-25, with the club also winning the Uefa Conference League and Fifa Club World Cup that season.

The club have also had a remarkably high turnover of players over the past four years, with the initial strategy focusing on signing young players to long-term contracts.

Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season and appointed Xabi Alonso as their manager in the summer.

Eghbali and Feliciano thanked Boehly for his “time and contribution” as chairman, saying he will “always be a part of the Chelsea story and family”.

They added their focus is to “continue investing in the club’s infrastructure, sporting performance, player development and delivering long-term success for Chelsea and the club’s supporters”.

Chelsea have ongoing plans either to redevelop Stamford Bridge or move to a new stadium, which sources say had created tension at times between Boehly’s camp and Clearlake.

A club statement said there will be “no changes to the day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy at the club” as a result of Clearlake assuming full control.

Walter, the co-owner and chief executive of global finance firm Guggenheim Partners, where Boehly also began his financial career, last month sold the Los Angeles Lakers for a record $12.5bn (£9.23bn) – a year after buying a majority stake in the NBA franchise.

Separately, US federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating companies in Walter’s business empire.

Medallists at the 2026 Asian Games will receive a direct route to the 2027 World Boxing Championships as part of the Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) selection policy for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualification cycle.

The Asian Games medallists will be the main entries in their respective weight categories for the World Championships in Kazakhstan, which will serve as the first qualifying event for the 2028 Olympics.

The BFI’s four-stage pathway will then move through the Asian Qualifier in China and two World Qualifying Tournaments in 2028. The policy is aimed at creating a structured selection process while giving Indian boxers multiple opportunities to secure Olympic quotas.

Asian Games medallists get priority

Under the selection criteria announced by the BFI, a medallist at the 2026 Asian Games will be selected as the main entry in the corresponding weight category for the 2027 World Boxing Championships.

The gold medallist from the 10th Elite National Championships will serve as the reserve in that category. This gives Asian Games medallists a clear advantage in the first stage of India’s qualification pathway for Los Angeles 2028.

The BFI said the selection policy has been framed to maintain fairness and transparency while ensuring that performances at major international competitions are given due importance.

World Championships first step towards LA 2028

The 2027 World Boxing Championships in Kazakhstan will be the first qualifying event in the four-stage pathway established under the qualification system developed by World Boxing and approved by the International Olympic Committee.

The Asian Qualifier in China will follow the World Championships, while two further World Qualifying Tournaments are scheduled to be held in 2028 in Italy and Hungary.

The BFI has said the selection criteria for 2027-28 are a continuation of the framework issued on December 8, 2025, and have been aligned with the Olympic qualification system.

The federation’s approach also provides a pathway for boxers who come close to securing an Olympic quota at the World Championships.

Boxers get further opportunities after Worlds

Boxers who reach the quota-bout round at the World Championships but fail to secure an Olympic quota will receive direct entry to the Asian Qualifier.

The remaining places will be decided through a Ranking Selection Trial among elite national campers after the boxers enter the National Coaching Camp through the prescribed selection pathways.

A similar mechanism will be used for the two World Qualifying Tournaments in 2028, giving boxers who remain in contention additional opportunities to compete for Olympic quotas.

BFI president Ajay Singh said the policy was designed to give Indian boxers a clear route to Los Angeles while placing emphasis on sustained performances at the National Coaching Camp and World Boxing qualification events.

“This policy has been framed to give our boxers a clear and structured route to Los Angeles 2028, built around consistent performance at the National Coaching Camp and at World Boxing’s qualification events,” Singh said.

National camp to include multiple pathways

The National Coaching Camp will initially include the medallists of the 10th Elite National Championships, Asian Games medallists and wild-card selections made by the BFI Selection Committee, in accordance with the provisions of the policy.

The selection structure also covers non-Olympic weight categories. In those categories, the gold medallist from the 10th Elite National Championships will be the main entry for the 2027 World Championships, while the silver medallist will serve as the reserve.

The BFI’s selection framework therefore links performances at the Asian Games and national championships with subsequent international qualification opportunities, with the 2027 World Championships marking the first major step on India’s road to the Los Angeles Olympics.

After watching the Dallas Cowboys start off the 2026 NFL season with a loss to the New York Giants, one former “America’s Team” star is taking shots at team owner Jerry Jones.

Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens, who spent two of his 15 years in the NFL with Dallas, took time on his newly launched “Get To The Point” podcast to speak on the 83-year-old Jones, whom he believes is too worried about headlines and keeping his franchise relevant than actually winning a Super Bowl like he says he wants.

In fact, he invoked President Donald Trump while discussing Jones’ mindset.

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before a game against the Minnesota Vikings at AT&T Stadium on Dec. 14, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)

“At the end of the day, he’s not worried about wins and losses,” Owens said of Jones. “Fans out there, it’s not about wins and losses for him. It’s about the bottom line and the bottom dollar. As long as you guys keep buying Dallas Cowboy merch, he’s raking in dollars. As long as he’s putting a decent product on the field and giving you guys hope that every year is the year, you guys keep buying it.

“He’s just like Donald Trump – he’ll just say anything, and a lot of people are eating it up and think it’s going to be true. Stop it.”

Owens continued by saying that Jones is selling Cowboys fans “a fantasy,” and even claimed that the longtime owner is showing signs of “narcissism” as he has noted many times he won’t ever relinquish his power atop the Cowboys’ organizational chart.

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“Jerry Jones is really selling all these Cowboy fans. He’s selling them a fantasy. He’s selling them a dream,” Owens said. “Jerry, I cannot deny, he is a great salesman. He needs to relinquish some of the control that he has with the team and allow some other people to step in place.”

To Owens’ point, Jones has taken the Cowboys to new heights since purchasing the team for $140 million in February 1989. Success quickly followed, as the Cowboys won the Super Bowl in 1993, 1994 and 1996, which restored the team’s previous glory after Dallas won Super Bowl VI (1972) and Super Bowl XII (1978) prior to Jones’ ownership.

Former wide receiver Terrell Owens gestures to the crowd before the game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Dec. 6, 2021. (Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports)

But the Cowboys have not made it back to the Super Bowl since that 1996 win, and the supporters of “America’s Team” are desperate to see it happen. Each season, it feels the Cowboys have the chance to do so, but they’ve either fallen short in the playoffs, or worse, missed the postseason entirely.

However, the Cowboys remain one of the most valued teams in all of American sports since Jones purchased the club. According to Sportico, the team is valued at an estimated $15.5 billion if he were to sell it today. Forbes recently valued the franchise higher at $17 billion.

Either way, it’s the most valuable team in the NFL.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones looks on before the game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 28, 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)

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But is Jones too worried about that bottom line, as Owens mentioned, instead of winning? He did admit disappointment about how the season began in Week 1, but he said that the team remains “optimistic” for its playoff and Super Bowl chances in 2026.

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Michael Carrick labelled Manchester United’s historic collapse against Brighton & Hove Albion “unacceptable” as he took the blame their elimination from the Carabao Cup.

For the first time since 1976, United lost at Old Trafford after going 2-0 up as Brighton staged a remarkable comeback to win 3-2.

Carrick said he did not feel under pressure after United’s poor start to the season but admitted there were no excuses for their capitulation against Fabian Hurzeler’s side.

He said: “We can’t accept that as a group. I take responsibility for it. The game today for what it is, if we fully accept it, I totally take responsibility. We can’t put ourselves in that position after being ahead in the game and the game finishing like it did.

“The feeling at the start of the game to the feeling at the end of the game couldn’t have been further apart. So we’ve got to accept that the game can’t go in that direction from where we were.”

There is increased scrutiny on Carrick, who was given the head coach’s job in the summer, but only on a two-year contract. He insisted: “I don’t feel under pressure. Either way, that doesn’t bother me one bit. When we win, people say I’m doing a good job, and if we don’t win or we don’t get results, then a lot of it’s on me. So I accept that, I’m not hiding away from any of that. That is what it is.”

Carrick accepted United’s problems have spiralled in the last couple of weeks, as they conceded a 96th-minute equaliser to Everton and then lost a Manchester derby.

He explained: “A couple of smallish things end up accumulating into, it feels bigger. It’s happened over a period of a couple of weeks where there’s a lot of frustration and disappointment around and we need to flip that and start winning games again.”

Carrick admitted United, who travel to Fulham next, need a response as soon as possible but is confident he can get improved results.

“We have to find the answers for Sunday,” he said. “Of course we can turn it around. We’ve got some really good players and it feels bad at the moment because we haven’t had a great week, you know, or two or three weeks. But it doesn’t mean you can’t win another game of football quickly.”