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• 32 Thoughts: The Podcast

  Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.

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Virat Kohli hail Dhurandhar 2 (Agency Image)

A day after Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026, star batter Virat Kohli switched gears off the field and shared his glowing review of the blockbuster film Dhurandhar 2. Taking to social media, Kohli heaped praise on director Aditya Dhar and lead actor Ranveer Singh, describing the film as an unparalleled cinematic experience.

Virat Kohli’s Instagram story for Dhurandhar.

“Saw the film today and dare I say that I’ve never ever seen a cinematic experience like this made in India. It brought out every kind of emotion to the surface and I didn’t flinch once for almost 4 hours. @adityadharfilms your talent and conviction is reflected in what you’ve created. Hats off to you. You’re a genius. And although all actors were great in their roles BUT @ranveersingh you have attained a different level after this movie and your performance was beyond brilliant. Absolutely WOW,” he posted. Released on March 19, Dhurandhar 2 has enjoyed a sensational run at the box office. As per Jio Studios, the film has grossed ₹1622 crore worldwide so far, including ₹1228 crore domestically and ₹394 crore overseas. Its net domestic collection stands at ₹1041 crore, underlining its massive success. The film opened strongly with ₹102.55 crore on day one, followed by ₹80.72 crore and ₹113 crore on the next two days. It continued its impressive run over the weekend, collecting ₹114.85 crore on March 22 before seeing a drop to ₹65 crore on the first Monday. Through the first week, it maintained steady collections between ₹40 crore and ₹60 crore, while Day 18 alone brought in ₹28.75 crore across 14,229 shows in India. Kohli was not the only one impressed. Actor Anushka Sharma also shared her appreciation for the film and her former co-star Ranveer Singh, applauding both the storytelling and performances.

Anushka’s Instagram story for Dhurandhar.

“What a fantastic film you’ve made @adityadharfilms! It takes so much conviction to make an almost 4 hr long film. Gripping and immersive, meticulously crafted, the film holds your attention through and through. You are a fiercely original and assured filmmaker @ranveersingh You seized a once-in- a-lifetime character and delivered a solid, flawless performance @actormaddy @rampal72 @therakeshbedi sir and each and every fantastic actor in the film – Every performance lands perfectly; the film is unthinkable without each of you. Many congratulations to everyone behind this one.” With praise pouring in from both the cricketing and film worlds, Dhurandhar 2 continues to dominate headlines as one of the biggest cinematic successes in recent times.

Tim Bradley has weighed in ahead of Naoya Inoue‘s upcoming battle with Junto Nakatani.

Arguably the biggest fight in the history of Japanese boxing takes place next month when the undisputed super-bantamweight crown is on the line at the Tokyo Dome on May 2.

A victory for three-division champion Nakatani would see him match the achievements of Inoue, who is a four-division champion, having also become undisputed bantamweight world champion along with light flyweight and super-flyweight world champion.

Nakatani has reigned as flyweight, super-flyweight and bantamweight world champion, and the general consensus within the boxing world is that he could present the biggest threat to Inoue has in his career so far.

Hall of Fame inductee Bradley certainly agrees, as speaking to ProBoxTV, he says that Nakatani is more than capable of coming out on top.

“I believe that Nakatani has the possibility or has the ability to beat Naoya Inoue. I’m going to tell y’all right now, this is the guy. This is the one guy that I believe in the lower classes has everything it takes to beat Inoue.”

A win for Inoue would solidify his status as one of, if not the pound-for-pound best fighters in the world, with many fans already putting him at the top of their list following the retirement of Terence Crawford in December.

Crawford himself has offered his take on the battle against Nakatani, revealing that he sees it as a 50-50 fight. The now-retired superstar also said he would like to be in attendance for the event, and many other big names are expected to feel the same.

Liverpool target Real Madrid midfielder, Juventus chase Manchester United man, Manchester City midfielder has European suitors.

Liverpool are on red alert with Real Madrid now open to selling France midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 23, who is a long-term target for the Reds. (L’Equipe – in French), external

Barcelona and Juventus are among the clubs who want to sign Manchester City and Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva, 31, on a free transfer this summer. (Sky Sports), external

Juventus believe that qualifying for the Champions League will put them in pole position to sign Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte, 24, who is valued at around £35m by his club Manchester United. (Corriere dello Sport – in Italian), external

Arsenal have the edge over Liverpool in the pursuit for RB Leipzig and Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, 19. (Caught Offside), external

Tottenham will not entertain offers below 50m euros (£43.6m) for their captain Cristian Romero, with the Argentina defender wanted by Atletico Madrid. (Fichajes , external– in Spanish), external

If Brazil forward Vinicius Jr, 25, elects to leave Real Madrid, only Paris St-Germain or the Premier League remain as realistic options. (ESPN), external

Newcastle will rival clubs around Europe for Werder Bremen and Germany U21s defender Karim Coulibaly, 18. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Liverpool and Manchester United have stepped up their interest in Monaco and France winger Maghnes Akliouche, 24. (Teamtalk), external

Borussia Dortmund are interested in Strasbourg and Belgium’s Diego Moreira, 21, but Chelsea have a buy-back clause for the left-sided player. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Roma are keen on Midtjylland duo Dario Osorio, 22, and Franculino, 21, with the Chile winger and Guinea-Bissau forward valued at a combined 55m euros (£48m). (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

If you’re surprised that Michael Malone will be the next coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, that’s understandable. Unlike Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, another candidate for the job, and unlike Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens, who wasn’t interested in it, Malone isn’t one of the names that is typically tossed around when a major college program has a coaching vacancy. He has worked in college basketball before, having served an assistant coach at Oakland, Providence and Manhattan and the director of basketball administration at Virginia, but that seven-year stretch ended when he joined the New York Knicks‘ coaching staff 25 years ago. Malone has spent the vast majority of his professional life in the NBA.

Malone has a connection to UNC, though. His daughter Bridget is a freshman on the volleyball team, and as a result he has spent significant time in Chapel Hill. He has attended the basketball team’s practices, and, last October, he appeared on the Tar Heels’ official podcast. While he didn’t attend North Carolina himself — he played point guard for Loyola (Maryland) — he said on that podcast that his father, the late coach Brendan Malone, talked to him about Dean Smith from when he was a little kid. 

“I’ve always been a Carolina fan,” he said. “And when she decided to come here, that made it even that much more special because now I’m ‘Go Heels’ for everything. I root for all the teams. I have fallen in love with Chapel Hill.”

OK, so Malone loves Chapel Hill. And he won an NBA championship in 2023 as the coach of the Denver Nuggets. What else should college fans know about him, though? Let’s start with the reputation he had long before he got to Denver. 

Malone is an old-school, defense-first guy, right?

That was certainly the book on him before he got to Denver. Malone’s father was a disciplinarian, and when Malone was an assistant coach under Mike Brown in Cleveland, Monty Williams in New Orleans and Mark Jackson in Golden State. he was in charge of the defense.

“I would say that even though I’m a young coach in the NBA, in terms of tenure for NBA head coaches, I’d say I also have a lot of old school about me,” Malone told Mike Olsen, then of Denver Stiffs, in 2016. “I value discipline. I know it worked for me when I played, and maybe it’s because I grew up with it in the household, but I responded best to coaches that were hard on me, disciplined me and didn’t take the easy route. That was good for me, and at the end of the day, that’s what I believe in, as obviously that’s my approach.”

In that 2016 interview, Malone then brought up his relationship with DeMarcus Cousins, who clashed with numerous coaches in Sacramento but got along swimmingly with Malone. The Kings’ decision to fire Malone (early in the 2014-15 season, while Cousins was out with viral meningitis) rubbed their franchise player the wrong way and aged terribly. Malone was in the early stages of establishing a culture in Sacramento, and Cousins, who clashed with many other Kings coaches, had bought in.

In 2017, three years after Malone had kicked him out of a practice, Cousins recounted the story to Kevin Arnovitz, then of ESPN:

It’s an afternoon in early 2014, midway through the season, and Mike Malone, first-year coach of the Kings, is conducting a particularly brutal practice. Malone was hired by the Kings the previous June, and Cousins has experienced practices like this before. “Mike has his days,” Cousins says. “You’ve seen him on the sidelines, veins popping out of his head … overly frustrated, mad at the world. This was one of those days.”

Cousins is having one of those days too, dead tired from what seems to have been an almost intentionally sadistic practice. And when Malone yells at the team to line up to run sprints, Cousins turns defiant: “F— this, man. I’m not running!”

And then, as Cousins recalls, “every bit of 5-9 Mike Malone comes up to me and says, ‘Motherf—er, you’re going to run or you’re going to get the f— out of my practice, you big p—y!’ And I say, ‘I ain’t running, Mike!’”

Malone promptly shows Cousins the door.

Cousins went on to tell ESPN that, while Malone could get mad, it was never personal. “Mike was real,” Cousins said. “Mike held everyone accountable, most of all himself. That’s all that matters. That’s all it’s about.” In the same story, Malone said that Cousins “always knew that I cared about him and loved him.” Malone added: “Once you earn his trust, he’ll go to war for you. I think pretty early in our relationship I earned his trust.”

The Nuggets hired Malone in 2015. The year before he got there, ESPN published a feature, also by Arnovitz, entitled “The downfall of the Denver Nuggets,” in which the roster is described as a “menagerie of mismatched parts” and the organization is described as “rudderless.” Malone gave the franchise a sense of stability. 

At first, the improvements were incremental. Then, after “Jokmas” — Dec. 15, 2016, the day that Malone decided to make 21-year-old Nikola Jokić the starting center and play through him — everything changed, Malone’s rep included. The way Denver played offensively in the years that followed, it would be inaccurate to describe him as merely a hard-nosed, defensive-minded culture builder.

What was so special about his Nuggets teams?

Jokić, mainly. Also, Jamal Murray. Malone, however, gave them the platform to perfect their two-man game. He earned their trust, empowered them and challenged them. Every year, Denver’s offense got less conventional. As Jokić evolved, so did the Nuggets. By the end of Malone’s tenure, their franchise player was not just the best passing big man in NBA history, he was truly positionless. Unlike other “point-centers” who make plays from the high post, Jokić ran pick-and-rolls like a guard and came off pindowns like a wing.

During Jokić’s first few seasons, Malone had to get on him to assert himself as a scorer. “Sometimes I don’t think [Jokić] realizes how good he is,” Malone said at media day in 2018. “And how great a player he is. There were times last year where we’d talk about other big men in the NBA. He would say, ‘I don’t think I’m as good as this guy or that guy,’ and I’d look at him like, ‘Are you crazy?’” To this day, Jokić is not one to talk himself up, but for years he has played like he knows he’s unstoppable. Malone, who knew opposing coaches would otherwise guard Jokić one-on-one and dare him to beat them on his own, deserves some of the credit for this.

Malone rode a horse in Jokić’s hometown of Sombor, Serbia, in the summertime, and he spent years both getting to know Jokić and trying to maximize his particular brand of basketball genius. By the time the Nuggets were contenders, their movement-oriented offense was a reflection of their superstar’s unprecedented combination of skills. Teammates quickly learned that, by simply cutting to the basket at opportune times, they could feast off of Jokić’s passes. Rather than drilling lots of set plays in practice, Denver worked on concepts. One exercise, as then–assistant coach David Adelman told The Ringer’s Michael Pina in 2023: five-on-zero, 18 seconds on the clock, no pick-and-rolls, no shooting until the clock hits five. 

“You get all kinds of cutting and moving, and that in a sense can be its own play,” Adelman said.

Malone’s Nuggets were unpredictable and unconventional. They built an elite offense that stood up to playoff scrutiny despite being one of the league’s slowest and most 3-point-averse teams. They were tough enough to get the stops they needed during their 2023 title run, but they were special because they picked opposing defenses apart.

What are the knocks on Malone?

Well, his relationship with then–Nuggets GM Calvin Booth deteriorated to the point that they were barely speaking, which led to both of them getting fired around this time last year. “Everybody in the organization was miserable,” a team source told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne in one of the many stories documenting the rift between the two.

Some tension between a team’s coach and front office is inevitable. It can even be healthy. This was clearly not, though, and Malone must take some of the blame for that. He was resistant to playing certain young players Booth wanted him to develop — in hindsight, Booth was right to be high on Peyton Watson in particular — and, year after year, he played his starting five an enormous amount of minutes together, which was good for those players’ chemistry and not necessarily optimal for everybody else.

If it wasn’t already clear by now, Malone is intense. And by the end of his tenure in Denver, many players had reportedly grown tired of his yelling. The team seemed to be tuning him out on the court, too.

Generally speaking, if you think of any negative trait usually associated with a self-described “old school” coaches, it has probably been used to describe Malone at some point. He’s a loud, fiery and sometimes stubborn guy. He is demanding. This can work, and it did in Denver for almost 10 full seasons. But it can also wear thin.

If you’re optimistic about the Tar Heels’ hire, you can point to the success of UConn‘s Dan Hurley, who makes Malone look chill by comparison. Malone has a track record of connecting with star players, which should serve him well as a recruiter. He showed with the Nuggets, too, that he was a more creative offensive coach than he was previously given credit for, and there’s no reason that can’t translate to the college level. 

If you’re against the hire, though, you can point to the simple fact that this is not the NBA and he won’t have the luxury of coaching anybody on Jokić’s level. The players he coaches in Chapel Hill will make mistakes and test his patience more than the young pros in Denver did. Maybe he’s ready for that, but it’s definitely going to be an adjustment.

Each offseason, the Minnesota Vikings usually have at least one player heavy in the NFL’s trade rumor mill, and since early March, Jonathan Greenard has filled the role. Greenard wants a new contract, and if Minnesota cannot afford his asking price, he could be shipped elsewhere this spring or summer. Thanks to ESPN, there’s a new trade theory, this time linking Greenard to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Minnesota could cash out for draft capital, though moving its top edge rusher would create a major hole.

Most Vikings fans would rather retain Greenard, but for a fair price, Minnesota may be able to draft a younger outside linebacker and reset the clock.

A Greenard-to-Chiefs Trade Would Force a Massive Vikings Pivot

Greenard to the Chiefs? It could work, apparently.

The ESPN Proposal for Greenard to KC

Examining the draft, Bill Barnwell sized up a trade apiece for each team, landing on Greenard to Kansas City with Andy Reid’s team.

Barnwell explained, “Chiefs get: 1-18, 3-97, Edge Jonathan Greenard. Vikings get: 1-9, Edge Felix Anudike-Uzomah. This trade would value the difference between Greenard and Anudike-Uzomah — a former first-round pick who hasn’t impressed with the Chiefs — as being worth the 54th pick, according to the Johnson chart, in a typical draft.”

“The Vikings would move up from No. 18 to No. 9 and put defensive coordinator Brian Flores in line to add one of the premier defensive backs in this year’s class. The idea of Downs in a Flores defense is tantalizing, but the Vikings could also go for LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane here. Trading Greenard would open cap space and create a spot in the starting lineup for Dallas Turner, who filled in for Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel when they were hurt last season.”

The Vikings haven’t picked as high as No. 9 in a draft since 2014 when they netted linebacker Anthony Barr.

Who’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah?

Anudike-Uzomah joined the Chiefs in Round 1 three years ago — the same night that Jordan Addison became a Viking. To date, he has not wholly lived up to expectations. The Chiefs have not exercised his fifth-year contractual option, and the deadline is three weeks away.

The Kansas State alumnus missed all of 2025 with a hamstring injury and wasn’t very productive before that season. He’s appeared in 34 games, starting only 3, and has logged 3 sacks, 14 quarterback hits, and 8 tackles for loss.

Here’s his miniature Pro Football Focus resume:

• 2025: DNP
• 2024: 61.2
• 2023: 53.4

Anudike-Uzomah especially struggles with tackling.

Fair or Unfair Deal?

The deal would be fair for the Vikings if the beholder still believes in Anudike-Uzomah. If he’s a dud, all bets are off.

Still, trading from No. 18 to No. 9 is the equivalent of the 45th overall pick in the draft, also known as a mid-2nd-Rounder. If one subtracts Anudike-Uzomah and the Vikings’ 3rd-Rounder from the deal, the scale roughly evens out.

A better deal for Minnesota, if Kansas City is flexible, might look like this:

Barnwell added about his trade idea, “One other way to address that need would be to add a star in Greenard, who racked up 12 sacks and 22 knockdowns with the Vikings in 2024 before injuries wrecked his 2025 campaign.”

“Greenard will turn 29 in May, so he should still have a couple of years of impactful pass rushing before the Chiefs would need to worry about moving on. Greenard has two years and $37.9 million remaining on his deal, and though Brett Veach & Co. would have to address that contract with a meaningful raise, Greenard could still be an easily justifiable addition for the Chiefs, given their perennial role as Super Bowl contenders.”

The Vikings’ Would-Be Plans at No. 9

So, just what in the world would the Vikings do with Pick No. 9? It’s a rim-rattling trade, meaning there would have to be a target of purple affection.

At that spot, Minnesota would presumably target one of these players:

• Mansoor Delane (CB, LSU)
• Jeremiyah Love (RB, Notre Dame)
• Caleb Downs (S, Ohio State)

Delane may not be that much of a slam-dunk prospect to trade Greenard. It’s debateable. Love, on the other hand, is considered a Top 2 or Top 3 player in the draft, only driven down the board by his position: running backs aren’t considered overly important anymore.

Downs would be worth the squeeze, but a general manager must ask himself if trading Greenard for a safety is worth it. The safety position — similar to running back — is not often referred to as a premium one.

The NFL draft is 24 days away. It’s also worth noting that the Vikings could simply keep Greenard and pay him.

The Michigan Wolverines will look to end the Big Ten’s 26-year men’s basketball title drought when they battle the UConn Huskies in the 2026 NCAA Tournament National Championship Game on Monday night. Michigan State was the last Big Ten team to earn the crown, defeating Florida in 2000. The Huskies (34-5), who have won six national titles, all since 1999, advanced with a 71-62 win over Illinois in Saturday’s national semifinal. The Wolverines (36-3), who are looking for their second national title and first since 1989, defeated Arizona 91-73 on Saturday. Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg does not carry an injury designation despite hurting his ankle and knee in the Final Four win over Arizona. The same is true for UConn’s Solo Ball (foot).

Tipoff from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is set for 8:49 p.m. ET. The Wolverines are 6.5-point favorites in the latest UConn vs. Michigan odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 146.5, up two points from the opening Michigan vs. UConn line. Before making any Michigan vs. UConn picks, check out the UConn vs. Michigan predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 Final Four on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks.

Now, the model has simulated UConn vs. Michigan 10,000 times and just revealed its college basketball picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several college basketball odds and college basketball lines for Michigan vs. UConn:

Top UConn vs. Michigan predictions

After 10,000 simulations of UConn vs. Michigan, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (146.5 points). The Over hit in the last five Michigan games. The Over has hit in 11 of Connecticut’s last 18 games against teams averaging more than 72 points per game. Michigan has the eighth-most explosive offense in Division I, averaging 87.8 points per game.

The model projects the Huskies to have five players score 11.6 points or more, led by Tarris Reed Jr., who is projected to score 14.8 points. The Wolverines, meanwhile, are expected to be led in scoring by Lendeborg, who is projected to score 16.2 points, one of just four players to score 10.9 points or more. The model is projecting 151 combined points as the Over clears in 62% of simulations. You can get the spread pick at SportsLine.

How to make Michigan vs. UConn picks

Now, the model simulated every possession of UConn vs. Michigan 10,000 times and says one side of the spread hits 60% of the time. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Michigan vs. UConn, and which side of the spread hits 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the UConn vs. Michigan spread to back, all from the advanced model that just simulated this game 10,000 times, and find out.

NEW DELHI: In a shocking turn of events, an umpire was stabbed to death following a dispute over a run-out decision during a local cricket match in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, as reported by NDTV.The victim, Dola Ajith Babu, along with his friend Budumuri Chiranjeevi, was officiating at a local ground when the incident occurred.The incident took place on Sunday evening after an argument broke out between players from two teams over a run-out call.“Ajith Babu and Chiranjeevi intervened and settled the issue on the field. However, one of the spectators, Kanta Kishore, became angry and started abusing the umpires and players,” Circle Inspector Malleswara Rao said.“After the match ended, Ajith Babu, Chiranjeevi and a few friends went to a spot nearby. As soon as they reached the spot, another argument broke out. Kishore suddenly pulled out a knife and attacked the two umpires,” Rao said.Ajith was stabbed by Kishore and collapsed at the spot. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment, but doctors declared him dead.Chiranjeevi also sustained injuries in the attack.Ajith’s father, Dola Appala Raju, has lodged a murder complaint against Kishore.Ajith’s brother (not named) alleged that the accused, a resident of a neighbouring colony, was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the attack.He further claimed that the dispute over a single run had been resolved earlier after intervention by village elders, but the accused later planned the attack.“… In the match, there was an argument over one run. The argument became heated, and the person who attempted the murder was not a cricket player. He is a resident of Vinayak Nagar. He came in between the argument and used abusive words, which led to a serious argument between both teams. Later, village elders came and settled the issue there itself. After everything, in the evening, they were under the influence of alcohol and planned this attack. He carried a knife in his pocket and came to the Padigadli junction and called Chiranjeevi” the victim’s brother told NDTV.“He started shouting and arguing. Suddenly, he took the knife out of his pocket and stabbed Dola Ajith in the chest. We tried to catch Kishore, but he ran away. We took Ajith Babu to VIMS Hospital, but no doctors were available, so we shifted him to Apollo. Around 8.15 pm, doctors declared him dead,” he added.

Victor Osimhen has opened up on a difficult period in his early career, revealing that two Belgian clubs turned him down due to health issues.

The Super Eagles striker explained that he was rejected after suffering from malaria and typhoid shortly after arriving in Europe.

He said he first travelled to Belgium for a possible move, but the deal failed because of his illness. After returning to Germany to continue training, another Belgian club showed interest in signing him.

Osimhen completed his medical tests successfully, but the move still did not go through. According to him, the club’s president decided against the transfer because another Belgian side had earlier refused to sign him.

Despite the disappointment, the Nigerian forward said he remained focused and chose to move on from the setback.

At the time, Osimhen was trying to settle at Wolfsburg, where injuries and limited playing time made things more difficult for him.

His breakthrough eventually came when he joined Sporting Charleroi on loan in 2018. The move proved to be a turning point in his career.

He made his debut from the bench in a league match and quickly found his form. Osimhen went on to score 12 league goals, helping to revive his career and putting himself back on track for success in Europe.