A total of two matches took place on Sunday, but the IPL 2026 points table saw only two teams swapping their positions. In the day game, Kolkata Knight Riders registered a comeback win by four wickets against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens. With the win, the three-time champions rose to the ninth spot, with Mumbai Indians slipping to the bottom position in the points table. In the night game, Punjab Kings outplayed Lucknow Super Giants by a massive margin of 54 runs to retain their top position. Despite the loss, LSG remained in the eighth spot.

Explosive knocks from opener Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly helped table-toppers Punjab Kings hammer Lucknow Super Giants by 54 runs to stay unbeaten this season. Arya struck 93 off 37 balls, while fellow left-hander Connolly hit 87 to power Punjab to this season’s highest total of 254/7 after being invited to bat first in Chandigarh.

In reply, Lucknow managed just 200/5 as Punjab consolidated their top spot in the 10-team table with five wins and one no-result in six matches. An early reprieve for Connolly proved costly for Lucknow after skipper Rishabh Pant decided not to review an lbw call in the second over from Mohsin Khan, with replays suggesting the ball would have hit the stumps. Australia’s Connolly was on four at the time and went on to add 182 runs for the second wicket with Arya as the duo bludgeoned the opposition attack with 16 sixes between them.

“It was exceptional, some of the shots were jaw-dropping,” said Punjab skipper Shreyas Iyer. “I was just talking to Cooper and Priyansh; we were challenging each other on who will hit the most sixes this season. They are up for it.”

Arya reached his second fifty of the season in just 19 balls, and soon the Lucknow attack had no answers for the batting blitz. Connolly went after Aiden Markram with three straight sixes, and Arya finished the over with two more in a 32-run 13th over as Punjab threatened to breach 300. However, pace bowler Prince Yadav dismissed Connolly, and Arya fell three balls later in the next over to miss out on a century.

Mohsin Khan then dismissed Iyer for five, but Australia’s Marcus Stoinis steered the team to a mammoth total with a 16-ball 29. Mitchell Marsh, who hit 40, and Ayush Badoni (35) handed Lucknow a brisk start, while Pant struck 43. However, regular wickets and the ever-increasing run rate kept the side behind the chase. Markram hit a valiant 42 off 22 balls, but despite a few dropped catches by Punjab fielders, Lucknow suffered their third straight loss.

“Definitely, we believe in this team for sure,” said Pant. “But at the same time, when the opposition is playing well, like Punjab is playing now, you’ve got to give credit to them for playing good, hard cricket.”

In the first match of the day, Rinku Singh hit an unbeaten 53 to lead Kolkata Knight Riders to their first win of the IPL season as they beat Rajasthan Royals by four wickets. Rajasthan posted 155/9 as their batting faltered after 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi top-scored with 46 at Eden Gardens. Three-time champions Kolkata slipped to 85/6 before the left-handed Rinku steered the team home with two balls to spare.

(With AFP inputs)

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Mazu, the standout eight-year-old, preserves his blistering speed and love for racing, leading all the way to bag his hat-trick in the Group 3 $250,000 Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) on Saturday.

Joe Pride’s veteran had prior Hall Mark successes on heavy tracks suited to his style, but he adapted superbly to the firm conditions, recording a swift 1m 8.19s for the win.

The result showcased Pride’s training prowess from various angles, most notably with the stable locking the trifecta as King’s Secret and Private Eye filled the next two berths, separated by less than half a length among the three.

The trainer’s fourth participant, Kerguelen, was a length-and-a-half behind in fifth.

“To train the trifecta in any race, particularly a Group 3, is very satisfying,” Pride said. “All four of my horses ran great races.

“But Mazu, what a fantastic old warrior he is. We’ve won three of these in-a-row and done it on a dry track today.

“I think this track’s got a little bit of give in it because In Flight won here last week and she has a similar record where her best form is on wet tracks.”

Rachel King guided the $3.70 chance Mazu to a brave head verdict over $7.50 shot King’s Secret, as $3.30 market leader Private Eye surged late for third, a short neck back.

“I think he knows this is his race; he loves it,” King said of Mazu.

“I was concerned with the firmer deck today, I just didn’t know how he’d let down on it.

“But that last 50m, he pinned his ears back and he just wanted to beat them.

“I love seeing an older horse like that, even if he only wins one race a year, he deserves it.”

At Randwick, the Hall Mark Stakes provided Pride’s second feature trifecta in succession, emulating Chris Waller’s trio of Fireball over Campione D’Italia and Diameter in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes.

Mazu now has 10 wins from 46 attempts, elevating his stake money to $10.8 million courtesy of owners Triple Crown Syndications via Chris Ward and Sam Manion.

Pride assessed the runs of each sprinter in turn, opening with Mazu. “Mazu’s grumpy, he’s not the kind of guy you want to hang out with on a long-term sort of basis,” Pride said.”It has to be all on his terms and we let him do that. He does everything as he wants, we don’t tell him what he has to do. He’s enjoying his racing and hopefully there’s another season or two left in him.

“We might give him a break. He doesn’t do much in Brisbane generally, but we’ll get him home and have a look at him.

“King’s Secret was really good. I think, out of the race, he’s probably the real eye-catcher because he’s not ready for all this yet, but I thought it was terrific.

“Private Eye’s probably looking for that a little bit further. Maybe just being a bit older, being first up is not as big an advantage as it used to be, but I thought he was good to the line.

“Kerguelen was super, he was really good from the back – so I couldn’t be happier with how it has worked out for the stable.”

Fans can check racing betting markets for similar sprint showdowns via online bookmakers.

Punjab Kings’ captain Shreyas Iyer (PTI Photo)

Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer was left impressed after Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly produced a stunning batting display to power their side to a 54-run win over Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday. Arya, one of the country’s most talked about T20 batting talents alongside Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, smashed 93 off 37 balls, while Connolly, the highly rated Australian next-gen batter, struck 87 off 45 deliveries. Their 182-run partnership off just 80 balls laid the foundation for PBKS posting a massive 254 for 7. In reply, LSG could only manage 200 for 5 despite a fighting 43 from Rishabh Pant and 40 from Mitchell Marsh. Iyer was full of praise for the duo’s intent and mindset. He called the performance “exceptional” and said “some of the shots were jaw dropping”, highlighting the courage and composure shown at the crease. He also revealed a light-hearted challenge within the group, saying he had been “just talking to Cooper and Priyansh” about who would hit the most sixes this season, adding that both were “up for it”. The PBKS captain stressed the team environment gives young batters full freedom. “When you just let them be, go out and express themselves, they deliver,” he said, adding that he does not dictate how they should construct their innings as they follow their own routines and processes. Iyer also credited the support system around the team, mentioning Ricky Ponting’s involvement before games while he chips in with inputs. On the bowling group, he said PBKS have a largely international-quality attack and pointed to their execution levels as key to the win, while admitting the team takes “a lot of satisfaction” from reading and adapting to the wicket. The victory underlined PBKS’ growing confidence this season, built on aggressive intent and clarity in roles, as they continue to push towards a stronger campaign after finishing runners-up in 2025.

The New York Giants grabbed headlines on Saturday after trading away standout defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for a No. 10 pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

The trade now gives Giants two top 10 picks for Thursday’s draft. However, the Bengals trading away the No. 10 pick for Lawrence has surprised several NFL coaches, per Connor Hughes.

The NFL analyst reported that the coaches are “stunned” with the Bengals giving away top 10 pick for a “very good player” who is not worth the No. 10 pick.

“Talking to several coaches around the NFL right now … they are STUNNED the #Giants got what they did for Dexter Lawrence. All agree: Very good player, but not worth No. 10. Age, injury and concerns regarding his conditioning pointed out.

“Also that you need to limit the number of snaps he plays to maximize his production; really just a one position player. Needless to say: Great return for #NYG.”

The Giants were expected to move on from Lawrence, who was reportedly disgruntled over failed contract negotiations. The Bengals signed him on a one-year, $28 million extension after his trade on Sunday.

Also Read: “Cincinnati is a complete dumpster fire”: NFL insider torches Bengals front office for trading No. 10 draft pick to Giants for Dexter Lawrence

Also Read: “Horrible trade” “Super Bowl window will never open again”: NFL fans rip Bengals for sending #10 pick to Giants for Dexter Lawrence

Bengals reportedly offered the “most” for Dexter Lawrence

While the Bengals traded for the veteran Pro Bowler, no their team reportedly offered a higher price than Cinccinati for Dexter Lawrence, a Giants source told ESPN.

“They offered the most,” the Giants source said. “Nobody was going to beat the 10th pick.”

The Giants were expected to fetch a late first-round pick or an early second-round pick for Lawrence, but the Bengals have raised a few eyebrows with their offer.