South Africa’s Marco Jansen celebrates with teammates the wicket of India’s Tilak Varma (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

India endured a nightmare start to their Super 8 campaign in the T20 World Cup as South Africa handed them a crushing 76-run defeat at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday night. Chasing 187/7, the hosts’ batting unit collapsed without offering much resistance, turning what was a crucial fixture into a one-sided contest.The slide began immediately when Ishan Kishan was dismissed for a duck in the opening over. From there, the innings never stabilised. Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar all failed to make meaningful contributions. Dube top-scored with 42 but consumed 37 deliveries, underlining India’s struggle to keep pace with the required rate. It was, by all accounts, a deeply disappointing display.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar criticised the batting approach, pointing to the contrast with how South Africa rebuilt their innings.“Yes, if you look at the way Dewald Brevis and David Miller rebuilt the South African innings, they played a lot more shots in the ‘V’, especially when the short ball was used. They adjusted really well. They realised the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat as quickly as expected — it was holding up slightly in the surface. Having seen how they constructed their innings and built that partnership, that was the kind of approach that was needed, rather than simply throwing the bat at just about everything,” Gavaskar told Star Sports after the match.South Africa themselves had been under pressure at 20/3 before Miller and Brevis steadied the ship. After settling in, the pair shifted gears and targeted the Indian attack. Varun Chakaravarthy (1/47) bore the brunt, while Hardik Pandya (0/45) and Shivam Dube (1/32 in 2 overs) also proved expensive.Proteas great Shaun Pollock echoed Gavaskar’s assessment, stressing India’s inability to adjust to the conditions.“I don’t think there was enough adaptability from India’s perspective. South Africa had already played three matches on this ground, so they had a very good understanding of how the surface behaved. They struggled in the first four or five overs and had to adjust, and it was only once the Brevis–Miller partnership got going that they were able to play their shots more freely,” he said.The heavy defeat has left India’s net run rate at -3.800, significantly complicating their path to the semi-finals. They must now defeat Zimbabwe and the West Indies, and do so convincingly, to revive their chances. Group 1 remains wide open, but the pressure is mounting on Suryakumar Yadav’s side.

Former world champion Tim Bradley has weighed in on a fight between Shakur Stevenson and Ryan Garcia after both starred in dominant world title wins.

Stevenson moved up to super-lightweight to dethrone Teofimo Lopez, becoming a four-weight world champion in the process. Lopez barely won a round on the scorecards, and the same fate befell Mario Barrios against Garcia this weekend in Las Vegas. With that victory, Garcia became the WBC welterweight world champion.

Post-fight, he called out Stevenson and, from ringside, Stevenson said he was all in.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Bradley addressed the proposed fight and can see no route to victory for Garcia, despite him being the naturally bigger man.

“Everybody keeps talking about this Ryan Garcia-Shakur Stevenson fight. Boy, I’m here to let y’all know that this s**t is gonna be easier [for Shakur] than the Teofimo Lopez fight, because it’s about skills inside that damn ring.

“Ryan can have all the speed in the world, Shakur got speed. He can have all the power in the world. Yeah. But when he can’t land, that s**t don’t mean nothing – and he ain’t gonna land on Shakur. It’s not gonna happen. It’s gonna be like taking candy from a damn baby.”

The match-up, despite willingness from both men, has its obstacles, not least the 144lbs catchweight Stevenson is demanding. Garcia may also want to keep his world title, and Stevenson’s relationship with the WBC crashed recently when he was stripped of his own belt for not paying a sanctioning fee. If it doesn’t happen, there’s no doubt that both will be in good fights next anyway, such is the strength of the competition in and around those weight classes.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has criticised Erling Haaland in the past but was full of praise after their game with Newcastle.

Pep Guardiola made sure every Manchester City player knew how good Erling Haaland’s defensive work was against Newcastle. The Norwegian striker could not add to his goal tally on Saturday night but provided an assist for Nico O’Reilly and put in a monster shift in defence, winning more duels (12) than he ever has in a Premier League game.

The effort brought Haaland to the floor by full-time but he was soon mobbed by teammates and Guardiola highlighted the No.9 to the whole squad. While he has been critical of the forward’s workrate in other games this season, there was only praise on Saturday as City took their opportunity to increase the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the table.

“I’m not a big fan to put Erling to defend, but he helped us, and I know after that how the people hug him and celebrate him and say they’re grateful to help us because Newcastle allowed us to do that,” said Guardiola. “I am only sad for him because there are a lot of actions that could make the last pass to him and didn’t find him and it’s difficult for him, run, run, run and fight.

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“They don’t give the balls to [him] to score goals, but sometimes the game is like that, and he’s an incredible, generous player, so today is a performance and I’ll never forget what Erling has done for us. Sometimes I’m a critic to him, but today I said without you it would not be possible. Erling has been outstanding today. Outstanding.”

Haaland was given the extra responsibility of being a captain this season, having signed a long-term extension to his deal at the Etihad. He is also one of the few players left in the group who have won multiple league titles with City, and other players look to him to set the example.

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“We need everyone there to defend, and we need everyone to attack,” said Nico O’Reilly. “And Erling can do that. He’s a very big part of this, too. Erling is world class – he can do it all and it’s so important for us to have someone like this in our team who can do it at one end and can also do it at the other end.”

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The Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday, January 30th, three and a half weeks after the regular season ended and about five days after Sam Darnold’s Seattle Seahawks won the NFC Championship.

Most believe Adofo-Mensah lost his job due to continuous poor drafting habits and the decision to let Darnold slip away, who won a Super Bowl two weeks ago. Fans will miss one thing about Adofo-Mensah, though — and that may not even realize it yet. The man loved to trade, and the Vikings’ trading frequency figures to plummet.

If Minnesota feels quieter this spring, it may be intentional from the top of the front office.

Life goes on, but the offseason probably won’t be as busy with Adofo-Mensah unemployed.

Minnesota’s Trade Volume May Be Headed Down

The fascination with “trading just to trade” is likely kaput.

Kwesi Loved to Trade; Kwesi No Longer Works for the Vikings

While his trades often didn’t work out swimmingly — Adofo-Mensah offloaded Harrison Phillips and Mehki Blackmon last summer for peanuts while grabbing elderly Adam Thielen in a deal centered around a 4th-Round pick — Adofo-Mensah was always busy. Working the phones became part of his on-screen persona, and there was never a dull moment for fans.

He also wasn’t afraid to shoot for the stars, trading for players early in his tenure who possessed high-round draft capital upside in Jalen Reagor and Ross Blacklock.

If you enjoyed the allure of Adofo-Mensah habitually seeking trades, you’re going to experience a downturn. Unless Kevin O’Connell, Brian Flores, and Rob Brzezinski share the same trade ardor, Minnesota’s operation risks becoming “boring” regarding trades.

That doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but you should expect a sharp decline in trades. The sheer volume.

The ‘Value’ Philosophy

Before last year’s draft, Adofo-Mensah spoke at length about his philosophy.

“A lot of times, it’s impact and that impact can be one great player or multiple good players, also realizing that it’s uncertain and you don’t know necessarily for sure that the one player is going to be good and all those different dynamics so, that’s really the conversation you have,” he told reporters in April 2025.

“Right now, at this point in the draft, we try and make sure our board is correct in terms of how we view things. You’ve got to prepare yourself. You’re picking 24th you better be able to call 24 and have 24 names that you’re willing to stand up and clap and feel great about. So that’s the first and foremost in the foundation of how we build this thing. The trades and all those things, scenarios, they come.”

Adofo-Mensah basically wanted to accrue the top talent at the most reasonable cost — in his estimation.

He added, “Moving over to the charts and different evaluations, it’s a difficult exercise. It’s something that I’ve been fascinated by. I built the chart myself, I’ve seen other different charts, and they all take different assumptions or quite frankly, this is a hard exercise.”

“How do you value a great player in a great position? You could assign a number to it, right? When you assign that number to it, does that incorporate the scarcity of that type of player? If you don’t get that player in the draft, you can’t typically get that player in for agency so, how do you put a number on that aspect of it? It’s in different people or different ways of doing that.”

It’s unclear who Minnesota might hire as the next full-time general manager, but that person may have a “shoot from the hip” style compared to Adofo-Mensah.

The Draft Always Busy

Adofo-Mensah moved all over the board on draft weekend. Sometimes, it actually felt strange when he didn’t trade out of his organic spot, wheeling and dealing to bank more picks and throws at the dartboard.

Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, there was a point on the calendar when the Vikings held zero of their original picks; all had been traded in one way or another.

Much like trading in the spring or summer, the draft might feel mundane per movement around the board.

A Return to Normalcy

Adofo-Mensah’s predecessor, Rick Spielman, also traded quite fiendishly, establishing a reputation late in his tenure for stockpiling late-round draft picks — that usually amounted to nothing. Indeed, Minnesota has employed back-to-back general managers who enjoy the art of the deal.

The next guy, whether it’s Brzezinski on a full-time contract or a general manager to be named later, will probably be “normal.” Vikings fans have grown accustomed to a flurry of trades in the offseason, spanning March to early November.

Those days may be kaput.

BENGALURU: An SOS call from a Karnataka teammate a month ago prompted KL Rahul to join the former champions for their final Ranji Trophy league match against Punjab, as the side faced a must-win clash in Mohali after a heavy home defeat to Madhya Pradesh left them close to elimination.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Rahul was initially expected to link up only for the knockouts, but he advanced his return ahead of the Punjab fixture. In three matches, he has scored 457 runs, including two centuries and two half-centuries, at an average of 91.40.

His contribution extended beyond runs. In a dressing room that included five Test players, Rahul was the most experienced, and his calm authority, clarity of thought and willingness to engage with younger teammates added a different dimension to Karnataka’s campaign. Head coach Yere Goud pointed to Rahul’s influence within the squad. “Rahul has made a huge impact. We have young players like R Smaran and KV Aneesh, and he talks to them about handling certain situations. So him being there has given confidence,” Goud said.As Karnataka head into the Ranji Trophy final against Jammu and Kashmir in Hubballi starting Tuesday, the team will draw on Rahul’s consistency and record in previous title wins. He has struck tons in the last two finals that Karnataka have won.Players said Rahul’s everyday conversations left a mark, with many having watched his rise from age-group cricket to becoming an all-format international. Earlier this season, when he played a couple of Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, younger players described the experience as surreal.Wicketkeeper-batter Kruthik Krishna said Rahul’s versatility and approach offered invaluable lessons. “There’s so much to learn from him. He has done everything possible as a batter, opening, batting at No 6 or No 7, and he is also a keeper. So having him is a boost. I can learn how to plan and shape my innings, and that’s irrespective of the performance. That simplifies your game a lot rather than you thinking about the pitch, the opposition and all of that. I’ve had a lot of conversations with him,” Kruthik said.For younger cricketers, exposure to Rahul’s preparation methods and mental approach proved valuable, with an emphasis on temperament, understanding phases of a game, reading match situations and responding rather than reacting.Among those learning was the season’s top run-getter, R Smaran, who has logged 950 runs so far. He said Rahul’s guidance extended across formats. “We’ve had a lot of conversations about how you can go about the game, not only in the Ranji Trophy but also in the shorter formats. We were really glad that we had him in the team for a couple of matches during the Vijay Hazare as well,” Smaran said, adding with a smile, “Till the time that we have him in the Karnataka dressing room, I would like to keep picking his brains.”Smaran said Rahul shared inputs with players across roles. “He’s the kind of guy who prioritises the state when he’s playing for us. He has a lot of inputs to give to youngsters in the team, be it a bowler, keeper or batter.”

The sight of Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen celebrating his country’s first Winter Olympic gold medal by dancing a samba on the Stelvio snow was all it took to emphasise the success of the far-flung Milan and Cortina Games.

Ambitiously staged in so many different locations, they will serve as a blueprint for future editions – starting with the French Alps in four years’ time – for how to host a Games without losing its essential snow-bound setting.

Moreover, with Braathen’s win and Great Britain’s belated emergence as a bona-fide snow sports nation, the Games showed how far they have evolved from the era of upturned Jamaican bobsleds, hapless Kenyan skiers and a certain ski-jumper with fogged-up glasses.

In short, they illustrated why proposals to include more summer sports in the Winter Games programme – an option being investigated by an International Olympic Committee working group – are flawed and unnecessary.

As a global sporting spectacle, the Winter Olympics are undeniably unique, and those who pine for a programme packed with high-octane, jeopardy-filled, elite-level snow and ice sports got their answer in Milan and Cortina.

Purists called Lillehammer in 1994 the last great Winter Games, before its increasing size and skyrocketing commercial interests made small alpine settings unworkable, sending it to a slew of relatively sultry city bases like Vancouver, Sochi and Beijing.

In 2026, the Winter Olympics went back to the future. Livigno, piled with snow and accessible only via precarious alpine passes, and Bormio, with its winding, ice-streaked cobbled streets, felt like a throwback to a less corporate time.

Yet the sport itself remained unaffected by logistical issues. Superstars like Eileen Gu and Chloe Kim revelled in the wintry conditions, while NHL stars brightened up the grey skies that lumbered over Milan by returning for the first time in 12 years.

As usual, the Winter Games also revelled in an off-beat array of news stories, topped with allegations that ski jumpers were using penis injections in order to fly higher, and Norwegian Sturla Holm Laegreid’s tearful post-medal admission that he had cheated on his girlfriend.

Celebrities were also out in force, with Jake Paul in Milan to cheer Dutch fiancee Jutta Leerdam to speed skating gold, Snoop Dogg as ubiquitous as ever as a roving correspondent for NBC, and Flavor Flav in town as chief cheerleader of the United States bobsleigh team.

It was a historic Games for Team GB, which might have scraped into its broad medal target of four to eight, but did so with three golds, two of which came within hours of each other on an inevitably entitled ‘Super Sunday’.

Matt Weston became the first British Winter Olympian to win two medals at the same Games – and two golds – in skeleton, while Charlotte Bankes and Huw Nightingale combined for a scarcely fathomable mixed snowboard-cross gold on an exhilarating afternoon in Livigno.

It was only in the context of those remarkable highs that there was a touch of disappointment about the final weekend’s haul, Bruce Mouat’s curlers falling short against Canada, and Zoe Atkin landing freestyle bronze after leading in qualifying.

There were plenty of what-might-have-beens, not least a record five fourth places, including two for Aberdeen freestyle skier Kirsty Muir, and Mia Brookes, who crashed and burned in slopestyle but felt all the better for having given it a shot.

They might have left Italy medal-less, but Muir and Brookes epitomise the exciting, gung-ho approach with which kids will take to the indoor slopes and snow-domes in the wake of their sport’s fleeing, quadrennial moment in the spotlight.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, is the message Milan and Cortina ought to have rammed home to the IOC.

Just give us snow, and never mind sambas: the Winter Games deserves to continue dancing to its own, uniquely exhilarating beat.

Rob Brzezinski is in charge of the Minnesota Vikings for the next few months after the organization claimed it would hire an official replacement general manager for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who was terminated at the end of January, after the 2026 NFL Draft. In the meantime, Brzezinski, often known as the “money guy” for the Vikings, must solve three main problems.

Free agency is close, and Minnesota’s priorities are clear for a new and interim GM.

That process for Brzezinski starts as early as now, as free agency is just two weeks away.

Three Urgent Roster Fixes Facing Minnesota

A look at Brzezinski’s main to-do list, listed in order of importance (No. 1 = most important problem to solve).

3. Find a New Running Back

The Vikings’ offense would likely benefit from prioritizing the running game. Minnesota needs a running back strategy focused on reliability, durability, and efficiency per carry; currently, their approach feels like a short-term fix. While Aaron Jones has been a dependable veteran, his age (32 in the 2026 season) raises concerns about his long-term effectiveness.

This necessitates a crucial decision for Brzezinski and head coach Kevin O’Connell. They could acquire an established veteran, such as Travis Etienne or Breece Hall. Alternatively, they could return to the draft to find a potential star running back, a strategy they haven’t employed since selecting Dalvin Cook in 2017.

In 2025, the running game was adequate but lacked the dominance needed to consistently challenge opposing defenses. To establish a Top 10 offense, Minnesota needs a true workhorse RB1, a fundamental component rather than a mere luxury.

O’Connell’s offensive system thrives when a strong rushing attack keeps defenses honest, which depends on a halfback capable of handling a significant workload while still delivering explosive plays.

Ideally, because Minnesota is cash-strapped, it will finally draft a running back before the end of Round 4 in April, which could translate to Jonah Coleman (Washington), Jadarian Price (Notre Dame), or Nick Singleton (Penn State), to name a few.

In the event that Jeremiyah Love from Notre Dame slid to No. 18, that would be the no-brainer to end all no-brainers for the Vikings.

2. Fix the Defensive Secondary — Probably with Youth

The Vikings’ secondary had two primary issues:

1. Harrison Smith may retire. If he does not, he’ll retire after the 2026 season. The Vikings need a replacement for Smith sooner rather than later.
2. In 2025, Minnesota got away with unusually skimpy cornerback depth. That probably won’t work again in 2026.

Minnesota’s pass defense did not struggle in 2025, but with the personnel, the group might’ve gotten “lucky” at times.

To eventually replace Smith and to successfully draft a cornerback of any kind for the first time since Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander a decade ago, Brzezinski and Flores probably have to find rookie cornerbacks and safeties to feed the defensive depth chart in the long term.

SI.com‘s Joe Nelson recently recommended the free-agent signing of Seattle Seahawks safety Coby Bryant, “With Harrison Smith likely retiring, the Vikings need more talent at safety alongside Josh Metellus, Theo Jackson, Jay Ward, and Tavierre Thomas. If Minnesota doesn’t think Jackson can be an every-week starter, then Bryant is the kind of player they should pursue.”

“Bryant switched from corner to safety in 2024, and he’s been a stud ever since. This season, he had four interceptions on a stout, Super Bowl-winning Seattle defense. At a projected contract of three years and $30 million, his $10 million annual average value would compare to Smith’s 2025 cap hit of $9.9 million.”

The veteran safety logged a 65.5 Pro Football Focus grade in 2025 and is 26 years old.

Nelson continued, “He makes even more sense if the Vikings want to stay young (he’s 27) and avoid paying a higher price for safeties like Kam Curl (he’s 27 with a projected four-year, $65 million price tag) and Kevin Byard (he’s 33 and projected to receive a two-year, $25 million deal).”

“Another option would be to trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has experience in Flores’ defense and was one of the top-rated safeties in the league this past season.”

1. Sign or Trade for Another QB to Compete with J.J. McCarthy

From the beginning of the offseason, Adofo-Mensah (before his termination) and Kevin O’Connell announced that the Vikings would spend the offseason creating a deeper quarterback room than last year, which included J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, Max Brosmer, John Wolford, Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell, and Brett Rypien from March through December.

If the organziation is serious, that means Brzezinski isn’t far away from acquiring a newcomer, likely someone with more youth or talent than Wentz, the primary backup in 2025.

The most popular candidates are these men:

• Derek Carr (trade)
• Kirk Cousins
• Jimmy Garoppolo
• Mac Jones (trade)
• Will Levis (trade)
• Marcus Mariota
• Kyler Murray (trade)
• Anthony Richardson (trade)
• Aaron Rodgers
• Geno Smith (trade)
• Malik Willis

Brzezinski, with O’Connell’s input, must pick one. O’Connell’s job security may depend on it.