Mumbai Indians coach Mahela Jayawardene attended what was probably the most difficult press conference of the season, as the five-time champions were officially eliminated from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 playoffs race on Sunday. MI did well to post a challenging total of 166/7 on a tricky wicket, but RCB were able to chase down the target on the final ball of the match. As the result confirmed Mumbai’s exit from the tournament, Jaywardene had to face some tough questions, including the ‘politics’ of benching some of the struggling senior stars. When asked during the press conference about what went wrong for the franchise this season, Jayawardene struggled to sum it all up.

“The season is disappointing. We’ve had our opportunities, but we were not good enough. We were not consistent enough with the ball or the bat, and that showed in the margins. We were probably two or three wins away from being in the same group of contenders to get into the playoffs, but we didn’t get those wins, and today was another classic example where we fell short,” the Sri Lankan legend said.

“It’s difficult for me to sum up a season right now; I have to give it some thought and figure out exactly what happened. But yeah, we were not good enough with our skills and execution this season,” he added.

It isn’t like the Mumbai Indians to shuffle their squad every other game, but this campaign saw constant chopping and changing. However, Jayawardene explained that most changes were forced.

“I don’t think it was chopping and changing. What probably you guys didn’t know is that we had a lot of injuries and a lot of niggles-guys getting injured or being unavailable. So, those were mostly forced changes. Tactically, we would have changed very few during the season. I would have loved to have our main core guys consistently out there. But there are no excuses. I think we had a quality squad. It’s just that we had to put our hands up and say that we were not good enough overall. We just need to continue to play good cricket. The message to the boys is to continue to do that,” he said.

The Debate Over Benching ‘Core’ Indian Players

While skipper Hardik Pandya‘s absence from the game was labelled as a ‘back spasm’ issue, several players were backed by the management despite a poor run of form. One of those players is Suryakumar Yadav, the team’s designated vice-captain, who scored only 195 runs in 11 matches this campaign.

When Jayawardene was asked if benching some of the out-of-form senior players had become a ‘political decision’, he ruled it out. The former Sri Lanka captain said that he saw how hard the core group was trying and gave them his full trust and confidence.

“I don’t think it is,” Jayawardene said when asked if it became a “political decision” to bench out-of-form senior players. “When you know the quality, you know they’re also trying to do their best. If I knew it was something to do with a lack of effort, I would have spoken to them, but the commitment and the effort they’re putting in is unbelievable. With Ro getting injured and coming back to bat the way he did-all that sums it up. The core group is quite valuable for us; you can’t just keep changing. We went with the trust and the confidence that we had in them. There was no reason for us to sideline them because they just came from a World Cup, and they had a really good World Cup, winning it and all that. As a unit, we haven’t been good enough.”

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Arsenal took a huge step towards securing the Premier League title in a dramatic late finish at West Ham.

They did, however, need some help from a very late VAR intervention.

Further down the football pyramid Rochdale got their reward for an impressive season with a hugely-important Wembley win.

Arteta praises ‘brave’ officials for VAR call

Mikel Arteta congratulated the “brave” match officials for overturning an “obvious error” in Arsenal’s controversial 1-0 win against West Ham which edges them closer to a first Premier League title in 22 years.

Leandro Trossard fired Arteta’s side ahead with just seven minutes remaining before Callum Wilson appeared to deal a hammer blow to the Gunners’ championship aspirations – and a crucial boost to West Ham’s hopes of survival – in stoppage time.

But after referee Chis Kavanagh was sent to the on-pitch monitor by VAR, and then watched an extraordinary 17 replays of the flashpoint, he elected to chalk off the equaliser, with Pablo Felipe adjudged to have fouled Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

West Ham were furious with the decision, but for Arsenal it takes them five points clear of City, and leaves them only two matches away from the title.

And Arteta said: “It was a call from the ref that is very brave, but very consistent with what they’ve been talking about all season.

“When I have to be critical, I have been. And today I have to praise them, at least for giving the option to a referee to decide, away from the lights and the chaos, to give clarity to him to make the right call.

“And when you look at the action in that way, it is an obvious error.”

‘Biggest VAR moment in history’ – Neville

Gary Neville felt the VAR system passed its biggest test yet after a dramatic late intervention in Arsenal’s victory over West Ham on Sunday.

The relegation-threatened Hammers looked to have snatched a 1-1 draw against the title-chasing Gunners when Callum Wilson struck in stoppage time at the London Stadium.

But after a long review, in a decision that has significant ramifications at both ends of the table, the goal was disallowed for a foul on Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya by Pablo.

“This is an earthquake, a tremor of a moment,” said former Manchester United and England defender Neville.

“It is probably the biggest moment in VAR history in the Premier League. This is massive.

“I think it’s a foul – but have VAR got the nerve, the guts, the courage to make the decision? This is massive for refereeing in this country. This is too big to get wrong.”

Moyes sees Europe slipping away

David Moyes admitted Everton’s hopes of qualifying for Europe are drifting away after they twice threw away the lead to draw 2-2 with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

Jean-Philippe Mateta swept in 14 minutes from time to rescue Palace as two points slipped away in the visitors’ hunt for a top-seven finish.

“I’d hoped we can get us to a level where we can be competitive again at European level. It’s not gone yet but it’s drifting away from us at the moment,” said Moyes.

“I’m using the word ‘disappointing’ again that we couldn’t hang on, especially after we went 2-1 up.

“Our key finishers this season, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Iliman Ndiaye, they’re just both going slightly off the ball as far as their finishing goes.”

Runners-up Rochdale book EFL return

Rochdale produced a dramatic late fightback from 2-0 down to clinch promotion back to the EFL with a penalty shoot-out victory over Boreham Wood.

The Wood looked set for glory in the Enterprise National League play-off final at Wembley after striking in each half through Matt Rush and the lively Abdul Abdulmalik.

Dale, who were denied automatic promotion in heartbreaking fashion on the final day of the regular season, pulled one back in the 78th minute through Tyler Smith and Mani Dieseruvwe’s header made it 2-2 deep into stoppage time.

Neither side could find a winner in extra time but Rochdale prevailed 3-1 on penalties after goalkeeper Oliver Whatmuff, on loan from Manchester City, saved from Callum Reynolds and Rush before Cameron Coxe hit the crossbar.

What’s on today?

Tottenham have the chance to take a huge step towards Premier League safety at home to now-safe Leeds as a win would put them four points clear of 18th-placed West Ham with two matches remaining.

Millwall will hope to benefit from home advantage as they host Hull with their Championship play-off semi-final second leg goalless.

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV is set to take place in just two weeks’ time. The Stamford-based promotion held Backlash this weekend, and will air another special event soon, in what will be a stacked calendar.

The show will take place at Fort Wayne, Indiana, just a week before the roster travels to Europe for Clash in Italy, the next premium live event after Backlash. So far, no matches have been announced for the upcoming edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event.

However, there have been several hints about the potential card based on the recent booking decisions made by the company. With that in mind, here are our predictions for the match card.

#5. Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Sol Ruca

Big Time Becks is set to have a program with Sol Ruca, after the NXT star’s full-time move to the main roster was confirmed last week on RAW. With Ruca signing a contract and having Lunch as her first feud, a title match doesn’t seem too far away.

In fact, it could happen as soon as Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV, if the tension between them reaches a breaking point within the next two weeks. While the title changing hands is unlikely since Lynch only just defeated AJ Lee to reclaim it at WrestleMania 42, it might still put Sol Ruca over with a dominant performance.

#4. Oba Femi Open Challenge

After defeating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 42 and sending him into retirement, Oba Femi has been hosting an open challenge on RAW. The Ruler has defeated Grayson Waller and Otis on the Monday Night Show so far, and his open challenge will likely continue over the next few weeks.

Perhaps the former NXT Champion could have a special edition of his open challenge at Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV. Instead of having another member of the WWE main roster answer it, someone from NXT or even TNA might make a surprise appearance.

To shock the fans even more, WWE could bring back Omos to feud with Oba Femi, considering the former is only working AAA for the time being. Their match could end in a no contest, marking the beginning of a new feud.

#3. WWE Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Jacy Jayne

Jacy Jayne and Fatal Influence have quickly become a major problem for Rhea Ripley on SmackDown. As part of the main roster call-ups after WrestleMania 42, the faction is already feuding with three former world champions in Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair and Ripley.

Jayne seems poised to get a shot at Ripley in the near future. And by the looks of things, she might not have to wait till Clash in Italy to get her chance. Perhaps the title match could be made official for Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV in two weeks, setting up The Eradicator’s first title defense since dethroning Jade Cargill at WrestleMania 42. However, the chances of it happening depend on how the storyline is booked in the coming weeks on SmackDown.

#2. Intercontinental Championship: Penta vs. Ethan Page

Ethan Page was called up to the main roster on RAW after WrestleMania 42 and immediately made it clear that he had his eyes on the Intercontinental Championship. Page defeated Ethan Page in his first night on the WWE main roster, and has made a significant case to challenge Penta for the Intercontinental Championship.

All Ego could be given his shot at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV, and he could face the luchador in a singles match for the Intercontinental Title. Despite Penta being one of the most popular stars on RAW, he might be booked to lose the title after a decent reign.

It would benefit Page more and build him up as a credible heel, and on the other hand, Penta doesn’t need the title anymore to retain his credibility and connection with the fans. As a result, a shock title change could happen at SNME in two weeks with Page possibly winning his first singles main roster title.

#1. The Vision vs. Seth Rollins and the Street Profits

Bron Breakker convincingly defeated Seth Rollins in his first match back in WWE in months at Backlash. The former Intercontinental Champion has had the upper hand against his former teammate throughout the build-up to their match, and was able to overcome him at the PLE as well.

Now, Breakker might involve his faction, with Logan Paul and Austin Theory helping him beat up Seth Rollins on RAW. The Street Profits could come out to neutralize The Vision, potentially leading to a six-man tag team match at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event XLIV.

Despite having friction, the Street Profits and Seth Rollins could put aside their differences to battle a common enemy. They could join forces to battle the faction, with the Profits getting the win in the main event.