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‘Take the next plane’: Michael Vaughan asks Jacob Bethell to leave IPL before playoffs | Cricket News

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'Take the next plane': Michael Vaughan asks Jacob Bethell to leave IPL before playoffs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Jacob Bethell (ANI Photo)

Former England captain Michael Vaughan has urged young all-rounder Jacob Bethell to return home from the Indian Premier League 2026 amid injury concerns and uncertainty over his place in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru playing XI ahead of the playoffs.Bethell entered IPL 2026 with significant expectations following his impressive performances for England earlier in the year. However, the youngster has struggled to make a major impact during the tournament, managing just 163 runs in nine matches in what has been a difficult campaign for the left-hander.The English batter was also ruled out of RCB’s final league-stage clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 22 due to a finger injury. His absence forced RCB to reshuffle their batting order, with Venkatesh Iyer opening alongside Virat Kohli while the franchise awaited the return of fellow Englishman Phil Salt for the playoffs. Captain Rajat Patidar returned to the XI after recovering from a finger injury of his own.With England set to begin their Test summer against New Zealand national cricket team on June 4, Vaughan believes Bethell should prioritize recovery and national duty over remaining with RCB if he is unlikely to feature in the knockout stage.Speaking on Cricbuzz, Vaughan said:“If Jacob Bethell’s injured, he should be on the next plane home to England. England plays a Test match on June 4th, making sure that England has a look at him before potentially, to see if he is fit or not going to be fit for the Test match against New Zealand. I would think he’s better off back in the UK, just getting assessed.”Vaughan acknowledged the value of the IPL experience for young cricketers but stressed that England’s preparations should now take priority.“I’m being a bit old school, I guess they’ll say he’s got to stay till the end, but if he’s not going to play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, England have got a training camp this next week. He should be back home in the UK.”The former England skipper also highlighted the learning experience Bethell has already gained from spending two seasons in the IPL environment.“You know I’m a big believer in the IPL. If you’re going to play, it grows your game massively. And obviously, when you’re a young player in the dressing room with lights, I completely get it.”“As a young player, he was here last year, so he learned a lot. This year, he’s played a little bit, but hasn’t had a huge amount of success. But if he is injured, England has a training camp this week. Baz McCullum arrives in the UK on Sunday morning, and I think the training camp starts Monday. He should be back in the UK with the team.”

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URC EPCR Qualification Explained As Connacht Face European Twist

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The race for qualification to next season’s EPCR Investec Champions Cup has become one of the most confusing and fascinating subplots of the BKT United Rugby Championship season.

While supporters naturally assume the top eight teams in the final URC standings qualify automatically for Europe’s top competition, the reality is far more complicated due to EPCR regulations surrounding trophy winners.

Under normal circumstances, the top eight teams in the final BKT URC table secure qualification for the following season’s Investec Champions Cup.

However, EPCR rules also guarantee Champions Cup qualification for any club that wins either the Investec Champions Cup or the EPCR Challenge Cup, even if that side finishes outside the league qualification positions.

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How Ulster Could Change Everything

The current complication centres around Ulster, who finished ninth in the URC standings but have reached this weekend’s EPCR Challenge Cup Final.

If Ulster win the Challenge Cup, they automatically qualify for next season’s Investec Champions Cup despite finishing outside the URC top eight.

That qualification place would come from the URC’s allocation of eight Champions Cup spots.

As things currently stand, that would mean Connacht, who occupy eighth place, would lose their Champions Cup place and instead drop into the EPCR Challenge Cup.

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The Further Connacht Twist

However, the story does not end there.

If Connacht were then to go on and win the BKT United Rugby Championship title itself, they would qualify automatically for the Investec Champions Cup as URC champions.

In that scenario, Connacht would effectively regain a Champions Cup place despite losing the original top-eight allocation.

That would then create another shift in qualification places, with the side that finished seventh in the table — the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions — dropping into the EPCR Challenge Cup instead.

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Why The System Is Causing Confusion

The situation has created considerable confusion among supporters because league finishing position alone no longer guarantees European qualification.

Instead, qualification is now directly tied to a combination of:

  • Final URC table positions
  • EPCR Challenge Cup winners
  • Investec Champions Cup winners
  • URC playoff winners

As a result, teams can technically finish inside the top eight and still miss out on Champions Cup rugby depending on results elsewhere.

For Connacht supporters especially, the permutations have added another dramatic layer to an already tense playoff campaign.

The URC is expected to formally confirm all final EPCR qualification places once the remaining European and URC knockout fixtures are completed.

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Potential Qualification Scenarios

  • Ulster lose Challenge Cup Final: Top eight URC teams qualify normally.

  • Ulster win Challenge Cup Final: Ulster qualify for Champions Cup and Connacht drop into Challenge Cup.

  • Ulster win Challenge Cup + Connacht win URC: Connacht regain Champions Cup qualification as URC champions, while the Lions would move into the Challenge Cup.


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Zia Cooke and Flau’jae Johnson have career games as Storm beat Sun

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SEATTLE — Zia Cooke scored 16 of her career-high 25 points in the first half, rookie Flau’jae Johnson had her best game of the season and the Seattle Storm beat the Connecticut Sun 77-59 on Friday night.

Johnson, the No. 8 pick in the recent WNBA draft, had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists, all season bests. Natisha Hiedeman added 11 points for the Storm (2-4), who avenged a last-second loss to the Sun on Wednesday. Seattle won 89-82 at Connecticut in the second game of the season.

Diamond Miller had 13 points for Connecticut (1-6) and Aaliyah Edwards scored 10. Brittney Griner missed her fourth straight game with a rib injury.

Seattle, which trailed 21-19 after one quarter, took a 37-28 lead at halftime as Cooke outscored the Sun in the second quarter 8-7.

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The Storm led by 16 in the third quarter but the Sun cut the deficit to seven points when they opened the fourth with a three-pointer. Cooke made a free throw and Johnson hit a three-pointer and the Sun never cut the deficit to single digits after that.

The Sun made nine baskets in the first quarter and totaled 11 over the final three quarters, finishing at 35 per cent.

The Storm were short-handed in the front court with Dominique Malonga missing her third straight game in concussion protocol. Veteran Ezi Magbegor has yet to play and Awa Fam, the recent No. 3 pick, just arrived in Seattle from Spain. There has been no announcement when Fam, who helped Valencia win the Spanish League championship, would make her debut.

To help Seattle, Joyner Holmes was signed earlier in the day and she had two points, five rebounds and three blocks in 15 minutes.

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Sun: At Golden State on Monday for the third game of a five-game western road trip.

Storm: Stay home for a second straight two-game set with Washington beginning Sunday.

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Former AEW champion saves Damian Priest from dangerous situation

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Damian Priest was put in a dangerous situation tonight on WWE SmackDown. However, a former AEW champion saved him.

Royce Keys has been turning a lot of heads ever since he made his WWE debut at the 2026 Royal Rumble. Royce even won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on SmackDown before WrestleMania 42. Hence, Solo Sikoa has been interested in recruiting him to the MFTs. However, Keys hasn’t shown any interest in joining Solo’s faction. Last week on SmackDown, Royce competed against Gunther in a number one contender’s match for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Solo came out to ringside to help Keys and even handed him a steel chair. However, Keys threw the chair at Solo. This distraction helped Gunther win the match.

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Tonight on WWE SmackDown, Damian Priest faced off against Solo Sikoa in a singles match. After Solo won the match, the MFTs continued to assault Priest. Royce Keys came out to make the save, and he sent Tama Tonga and Talla Tonga out of the ring. He then came face-to-face with Solo, who backed out of the ring. When the former AEW star went to help Priest up, the former World Champion grabbed him by the throat, but stopped after realizing it was Keys.

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Dominik Mysterio never wants to take Damian Priest’s finishing move

Damian Priest’s finishing move is the South of Heaven chokeslam. It is a variation of the infamous chokeslam. However, Priest manages to get a bit more impact since he falls to a seated position when hitting the move. Therefore, Dominik Mysterio never wants to be on the receiving end of it.

During an interview with GiveMeSport, Dominik said that he doesn’t want to take the South of Heaven chokeslam since it is not fun.

“Probably Damian Priest’s South of Heaven. He’s just so tall, and he gets you even higher up there, so your bump is actually like 10 feet tall. So he’s just, it’s not a fun one for sure.”

It will be interesting to see what’s next for Priest.