Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Sports

Tuesday March 3 Top College Basketball Betting Picks and Predictions

Published

on

Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. (0) celebrates winning a NCAA basketball game between Tennessee and Alabama at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Feb. 28, 2026.Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. (0) celebrates winning a NCAA basketball game between Tennessee and Alabama at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Feb. 28, 2026.

March Madness is right around the corner.

These are Deadspin’s top college basketball bets on Tuesday March 3.

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Georgia Bulldogs

The Crimson Tide continue to go a bit overlooked because of some early-season losses. They don’t have any bad losses, though, and it’s clear they struggle against teams with high-level bigs. The only game that they lost against a team without a dominant frontcourt was Vanderbilt, but Devin McGlockton and AK Okereke combined for 20 points and 20 rebounds.

The Bulldogs have flashed this season, but they lack consistency. More importantly, Georgia doesn’t have the size to make Alabama struggle here.

Somto Cyril is a solid option, but he’s consistently in foul trouble, and he generally doesn’t play big minutes. If he’s off the floor, Georgia is entirely too small to take advantage of this matchup. Dylan James isn’t going to give this team the same problems as some of the other bigs they’ve faced.

Advertisement

Ultimately, this game is going to be a track meet between two teams that focus on offense. The difference is that Alabama has more players they can consistently rely on, and I prefer their coaching by a wide margin.

We’re getting a great price here because it’s always difficult to win on the road in the SEC, but I’m backing the more talented team here.

Where to Bet: Alabama moneyline | -120 at BetMGM

Our Current Best Offers

Advertisement

1

Underdog
Underdog

Claim your Special Pick via Code + First Time Deposit up to $250 in bonus!

T&Cs apply, 18+

2

ParlayPlay
ParlayPlay

100% up to $100

T&Cs apply, 18+

Advertisement

3

OwnersBox
OwnersBox

100% up to $500

T&Cs apply, 18+

4

FanDuel Fantasy
FanDuel Fantasy

$65 value with just a $10+ deposit

T&Cs apply, 18+

Advertisement

BYU vs. Cincinnati

This is one of the most interesting matchups on the slate. Cincinnati doesn’t have any room for error at this point if they want to make March Madness. They need to win their final two games and make a run in the tournament. BYU is firmly in the NCAA Tournament, but they’re playing for important seeding.

The Bearcats feature an outstanding defense, and I don’t trust BYU’s shooters. Day Day Thomas is an elite on-ball defender, and he should help neutralize Robert Wright in this matchup. Without Richie Saunders, they don’t have the shooters to consistently find points in this matchup.

On the other side, Cincinnati’s found a new way to play offense. They’re playing through Moustapha Thiam, who’s been outstanding in recent games. They’ve also been running plenty of sets with Baba Miller and Thiam as the pick-and-roll options together.

AJ Dybantsa is the type of player who can keep a team in any game. He’s taking on a massive role without Saunders, but Cincinnati has multiple bodies they can throw at him.

Advertisement

Although I prefer the high-end stars of BYU, it’s going to be tough without Saunders. Cincinnati has solid depth with several players who can make key shots while they play through their bigs.

I’m backing the home team that needs the win over a road team that wants it.

Where to Bet: Cincinnati moneyline | -130 at DraftKings Sportsbook

Our Current Best Offers

Advertisement

1

Underdog
Underdog

Claim your Special Pick via Code + First Time Deposit up to $250 in bonus!

T&Cs apply, 18+

2

ParlayPlay
ParlayPlay

100% up to $100

T&Cs apply, 18+

Advertisement

3

OwnersBox
OwnersBox

100% up to $500

T&Cs apply, 18+

4

FanDuel Fantasy
FanDuel Fantasy

$65 value with just a $10+ deposit

T&Cs apply, 18+

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Sports

John Terry attends Colchester United game after takeover report

Published

on

Former Chelsea and England defender John Terry attended Colchester United’s League Two fixture on Tuesday amid reports that he is part of a consortium looking to take over the club.

The Sun reported on Monday, external that the group had submitted a £14m offer for the club, which was put up for sale last year by chairman Robbie Cowling.

Terry was greeted by supporters when he arrived at the Jobserve Community Stadium before watching Colchester beat Accrington Stanley 2-1.

His nephew Frankie Terry, also a defender, played 90 minutes for the U’s in what was a third straight win for the club as they moved up to 12th.

Advertisement

Cowling has confirmed that “detailed discussions” are ongoing but said he was “not in a position to comment on any specific individuals or companies involved”.

Speaking after the game, manager Danny Cowley told BBC Essex: “It felt like a big night for the players, first and foremost, but also the club – I thought our supporters were incredible.

“I am really proud that in front of the eyes of many we are able to show a top version of what is a wonderful football club.

“We know this is a brilliant football club because we live it every day – there are some brilliant people at this club.

Advertisement

“We genuinely believe it has such high potential and we do need just a springboard to push on from and that is what we hope is on its way.

“I am so excited for our supporters. It is not easy supporting lower league clubs and Colchester United have not had it easy.

“Since Nicky [Cowley, brother] and I have been here we have been able to stabilise and find a good level of consistency but we all want more and I believe there are really exciting times ahead.”

When asked if he had met John Terry, Cowley added: “I will talk about Frankie, because he was great tonight and he would have done his family proud, that is for sure.”

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Astros take advantage of Rockies’ errors to snap 8-game skid

Published

on

MLB: Colorado Rockies at Houston AstrosApr 14, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros first baseman Christian Walker (8) hits a home run during the second inning against the Colorado Rockies at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Christian Walker recorded three hits and a pair of RBIs, and the Houston Astros parlayed a six-run third inning into a 7-6 victory over the visiting Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.

The Astros snapped an eight-game losing skid, their longest since 2013, with the win. The Rockies, who swept a three-game set from Houston last week, suffered their fifth straight loss.

Houston took advantage of two fielding errors by Rockies second baseman Willi Castro to chase right-hander Michael Lorenzen (1-2) in the bottom of the third.

Castro dropped an infield pop-up from Jose Altuve after Christian Vazquez opened the third with a double. Lorenzen balked both runners into scoring position and Yordan Alvarez followed with a game-tying, two-run double down the right-field line.

Walker, whose solo homer in the second shaved the deficit to 3-1, added a fielder’s choice grounder that plated Alvarez.

Advertisement

Cam Smith and Vazquez added RBI singles that pushed the Astros to a 7-3 lead after Carlos Correa scored when Castro failed to field a sharp grounder from Joey Loperfido.

Lorenzen allowed seven runs (two earned) on six hits and one walk with three strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings.

Hunter Goodman recorded his sixth career multi-homer game, with his second blast leading off the fifth and drawing the Rockies to within 7-5.

Advertisement

Troy Johnston delivered a pinch-RBI single in the eighth, but Astros reliever Enyel De Los Santos faced one batter and stranded runners on the corners to close the ninth for his first save this season.

The Rockies pounced on Astros left-hander Colton Gordon, who made his season debut for injury-ravaged Houston. Colorado rallied with the bases loaded and two outs in both the first and second innings, with Goodman smacking his third homer of the season for a 1-0 lead in the first.

An inning later, after Gordon retired TJ Rumfield and Ezequiel Tovar to open the second, Jordan Beck and Kyle Karros laced consecutive two-out singles before Jake McCarthy delivered a two-run triple to straightaway center that extended the Colorado lead to 3-0.

Gordon did not survive the fourth. He surrendered a two-out solo homer to Beck before loading the bases and ceding the mound to reliever AJ Blubaugh, who induced pinch hitter Mickey Moniak to hit an inning-ending infield popup.

Advertisement

–Field Level Media

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Manny Pacquiao names the current champion most like himself: “I like the way he fights”

Published

on

Manny Pacquiao has revealed which current world champion, from a stylistic perspective, comes closest to replicating the ferocity and speed with which he once fought.

In his prime, the Filipino icon was known largely for his razor-sharp footwork and blistering combinations, fighting almost like a ninja with his in-and-out movement.

Perhaps his most formidable display came against Ricky Hatton in 2009, when Pacquiao landed a crushing left hook to halt proceedings in the second round.

Advertisement

He would then, of course, go on to become an eight-division world champion, claiming an astonishing feat that may never be replicated.

But while Pacquiao, in that sense, is unlike any other fighter in the history of this sport, the 47-year-old has nonetheless identified similarities between his style and that of Naoya Inoue.

Like a prime ‘Pac Man’, the undisputed super-bantamweight king typically controls fights with his educated feet, rarely allowing his opponent to gain even a shred of momentum.

And this particular advantage, it seems, was inspired by Pacquiao, who has told Inside the Ring that Inoue is the closest current fighter to replicating his style.

Advertisement

“I like Inoue; I like the way he fights. Oh yeah [Inoue is the closest to me right now]. I can say closest to me, because when he started I went to Japan and he asked me about the proper punches, techniques, [and] things like that.

“I told him that the most important [attribute] in boxing is footwork. When you have [good] footwork, you can do a lot of things.”

Another similarity shared by Pacquiao and Inoue is their devastating power, which the latter has utilised to craft a 32-0 (27 KOs) record and become a four-division world champion.

In his next outing, on May 2, ‘The Monster’ will attempt to retain his four major belts against Junto Nakatani, who represents arguably his toughest opponent as a professional.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

🚨 América v Nashville line-ups confirmed

Published

on

The Eagles will play their first international match at Banorte Stadium, and what better stage to chase a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal, where they are level with Nashville at 0-0 on the scoreboard.

América XI

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

England found a different way to beat Spain – but one quality still shone through

Published

on

Spain will be sick of the sight of England. The Lionesses famously won Euro 2025 after only leading during the knockout stages of the tournament for four minutes and 52 minutes, including against Spain in the final where Hannah Hampton saved two penalties and Chloe Kelly stuck in the shoot-out to retain England’s crown. After surviving, it felt like the Lionesses kept standing for long enough to just pinch the trophy at the last.

So when Lauren Hemp swivelled in the box to fire the Lionesses ahead inside three minutes of their World Cup qualifier at Wembley, Sarina Wiegman’s side were faced with the complete opposite of what they managed to overcome in Switzerland last summer. Rather than chasing the game and requiring a comeback to get over the line, they would have to be more controlled and embrace facing elite opposition from ahead, while defending their lead for almost the entire match.

Turns out, the European champions got the same result in their rematch with the world champions, a crucial victory that leaves them in control of their qualifying group with three wins from three. Once again, when they needed her, Hampton stood up with another big moment against Spain as she denied Edna Imade’s late header. “A crucial save,” Wiegman said. The new centre-back pairing of Lotte Wubben-Moy and Esme Morgan, with captain Leah Williamson injured and Jess Carter on the bench, were outstanding too. “They were ready,” Wiegman noted. “They haven’t played that much together but they showed up today. They should be proud of themselves and I am too.”

(Getty)

Spain were missing the ingenuity of the brilliant Aitana Bonmati, who has been absent since December with a broken leg. They tended to move sideways, but the world champions still possessed the technical quality and attacking talent to hurt an opposition like England from all angles. “Against Spain you need to defend as a team really well,” Wiegman said. “When it’s hard you have to fight and communicate and stick together – we did that. As a team we’ve really fought today.” The resilience of Euro 2025 from “proper England” was on display again.

But there was more to England’s performance than that. Wiegman had a plan to match Spain player-for-player when Cata Coll had the ball from goal-kicks. They signalled an intention to press Spain in their half but then drop deep once their opponents crossed the halfway line. It was a counter-attacking approach that meant England invited pressure and placed a lot of responsibility on Wubben-Moy and Morgan but it also allowed the Lionesses to enjoy one of their lesser-seen strengths and set up to hit Spain quickly on the break.

It made Spain “uncomfortable” in the moments Wiegman’s side got out, the manager said. In the in-form Alessia Russo, England have not just a threat leading the line but a forward whose all-round game has significantly improved and can play with her back to goal. They have pure speed and directness in Hemp and a flowing, confident dribbler in Lauren James who is able to carry for great distances on her own. Add in Lucy Bronze’s drive from right back and Hampton’s ability to chip diagonal passes out to the touchline and England had many options themselves in which they could suddenly play out from.

Advertisement

England had enough chances to avoid the nerves that would come and put Spain away they were unable to create a more convincing scoreline. Hemp hit the post in the first-half after a clever flick from Bronze, before Russo and James had chances to add a second on the counter-attack. The best opportunity of all fell to Lucia Kendall, the 21-year-old who was playing in her biggest game yet for England, but she fired over to leave Wiegman almost tearing her hair out on the touchline.

(Reuters)

Wiegman knew how important a second goal could be. There was always the danger that England would drop too deep, too soon after taking the lead so early in the game and they had to survive a difficult period at the start of the second half where Olga Carmona’s shot deflected off Bronze onto the bar and Vicky Lopez curled against the post.

Carmona had struck against England before, in the World Cup final in Sydney, but this time the fine margins were on England’s side. The full-back’s shot bounced down but stayed out but only by a few inches and goal-line technology was required, not for the first time, just to be sure it hadn’t crossed. Hampton was then needed to make stops but, with Mary Earps watching on from Wembley after being warmly greeted onto the pitch for her retirement celebration, the goalkeeper was able to deny Spain just as she did in Basel during the Euro 2025 final. The best came in the 90th minute from a corner as she sprung to her right to keep out Imade’s header from six yards.

Hannah Hampton made a crucial late save from Spain's Edna Imade
Hannah Hampton made a crucial late save from Spain’s Edna Imade (PA)

Wiegman had more tools at her disposal. In James, Egland could call up on her mercurial forward who was cruelly forced off, unfit, during the Euros final. James had been key to England’s previous win over Spain across 90 minutes in the Nations League last February, and she was deployed in the same position on the left wing that allowed her to control and decide England’s tempo. With such fluid and carefree movement on the ball, James toyed with Spain at times and led them on a merry dance. Behind her, Keira Walsh, captain on the night she won her 100th cap, and Georgia Stanway worked well with Kendall in hurrying Spain and bringing bite on the edge of their box.

By the end, Hemp’s goal felt like a distant memory. It came from a corner, a set-piece ultimately making the difference. Hemp was sharp in the box with an acrobatic finish after Russo’s flick from the ground kept the ball alive. The presence of goal-line technology ensured referee Tess Olofsson did not have a difficult decision to make while Spain’s protests fell on deaf ears when Alexia Putellas was unable to clear from the line. There was a scare, much later, when Alex Greenwood left Lopez open at the back post before Hampton was booked for time-wasting in stoppage time. As they did at Euros, England got it done.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Shooter’s delight as Clippers face Warriors in play-in

Published

on

NBA: Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles ClippersJan 5, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors in the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

California counterparts meet Wednesday in a do-or-die start to the Western Conference play-in, as the No. 9 seed Los Angeles Clippers welcome the 10th-seeded Golden State Warriors to Inglewood, Calif.

Los Angeles finished 42-40 in the regular season and fell into the 9/10 matchup by virtue of dropping a pair of late-season contests to the Portland Trail Blazers, including a 116-97 decision last Friday.

That loss at Portland effectively locked the Clippers into the No. 9 seed and they will need two play-in victories to qualify for the playoff field.

Golden State finished the regular season at 37-45 and had been firmly established as the West’s No. 10 team.

Drawing Los Angeles leaves Golden State preparing for Kawhi Leonard, the six-time All-NBA forward. Leonard heads into the play-in round averaging career bests in scoring at 27.9 points per game and 3-pointers made per contest at 2.6.

Advertisement

“He’s always been a great player. I don’t know how much he’s changed since we saw him in the (NBA) Finals in (2019),” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said, referencing Leonard’s Finals MVP performance for the Toronto Raptors against the Warriors seven years ago.

Leonard, who has dealt with knee issues throughout his seven years with the Clippers, appeared in 65 regular-season games, his second-most with the team. His presence helped Los Angeles battle back from a 6-21 start to the season and go 36-19 since Dec. 20.

Included in that stretch were three Los Angeles wins over Golden State, including a 115-110 Clippers win on Sunday to close the regular season.

Advertisement

Leonard sat out Sunday’s game while spark plug Bennedict Mathurin snapped out of a recent cold spell to score 20 points off the bench. Mathurin also had nine rebounds and eight assists in a significant bounce-back from his scoreless outing Friday at Portland.

“Just being in attack mode. … When we get stops, we need him to go a little bit faster, because he’s one of the best guys in transition,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said of expectations for Mathurin going into the play-in game.

Transition opportunities and pace of play both figure to be keys for Wednesday’s matchup, Lue said following the win on Sunday. The coach noted Golden State “can embarrass you” if teams fail to match the Warriors’ tempo.

Golden State scored 114.6 points per game in an injury-plagued campaign, but allowed 115.2 and committed 15.7 turnovers, its second most since 2007-08.

Advertisement

However, the Warriors ranked second in the NBA by making 1,286 3-pointers during the regular season. That came even with former two-time Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry sidelined for 39 games. He recently returned from a knee injury and moves forward on a minutes restriction.

“He’s had four games now where he’s stretched almost up to 30,” Kerr said. “With the two days off, he should be able to get at least that (Wednesday).”

Curry made 190 3-pointers on the campaign, which was a team-high despite his limited availability.

Brandin Podziemski hit 153 from deep while playing all 82 games. Moses Moody, the third-most prolific shooter on the squad, sustained a season-ending knee injury in March, contributing to a heightened role for De’Anthony Melton.

Advertisement

Melton and big man Kristaps Porzingis moved into the Golden State starting lineup at the conclusion of the regular season.

–Field Level Media

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

WTA roundup: All seeded players advance in Stuttgart, Rouen

Published

on

Tennis: Miami OpenMar 26, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic hits a shot against Coco Gauff of the United States in the semi-finals of the women’s singles at the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Seventh-seeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic and Russian eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova both advanced in routine fashion to the Round of 16 on Tuesday at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.

Muchova cruised past qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovic of Russia, 6-2, 6-4, while Alexandrova dispatched of Gabriela Knutson of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-2 on the clay of the WTA 500 event.

Those two were the only seeded players in action on the second day of competition. In other matches, Belgium’s Elise Mertens won a 6-3, 6-4 decision over Germany’s Ella Seidel; Canada’s Leylah Fernandez broke Alexandra Eala of the Philippines four times en route to a 6-1, 6-4 triumph; Germany’s Eva Lys edged Spain’s Paula Badosa, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4; and Russia’s Diana Shnaider overwhelmed German wild-card entry Tamara Korpatsch, 6-3, 6-1.

Shnaider will face top-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan on Thursday in the round of 16.

Advertisement

Rouen Metropolitan Open

Top-seeded Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine needed only 77 minutes to defeat France’s Diane Parry 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the Round of 16 in Rouen, France. Kostyuk capitalized on 5 of 6 break points and won 24 of 41 points (53.7%) on Parry’s service.

The three other seeded players in action on the clay also advanced, but needed three sets to get to the finish line. No. 3 Jaqueline Cristian of Romania needed nearly three hours to subdue France’s Tiantosa Rajaonah, 2-6, 7-6 (6), 7-5 and No. 4 Hailey Baptiste rallied past France’s Jessika Ponchet, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-2. Seventh-seeded Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy survived a three-set challenge from Russia’s Alina Charaeva, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

In other matches, Dominika Salkova of the Czech Republic bested Russia’s Anna Blinkova, 7-5, 6-1; Russia’s Iryna Shymanovich defeated the Czech Republic’s Linda Fruhvirtova, 6-3, 7-5; Caty McNally rallied past Katie Volynets, 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 in an All-American showdown; and China’s Xinyu Wang edged France’s Chloe Paquet, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, in a battle of qualifiers.

Advertisement

–Field Level Media

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Trail Blazers vs. Suns prediction, odds, spread, time: 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament picks for Tuesday

Published

on

The No. 7 seed in the Western Conference of the 2026 NBA playoffs will be decided when the Portland Trail Blazers visit the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. It is the 7/8 matchup in the 2026 NBA Play-In Tournament, with the winner notching the 7-seed and facing San Antonio in the first round, while the loser will play the Warriors vs. Clippers winner for the 8-seed. Phoenix (45-37) has alternated wins and losses over its last six, prevailing on Sunday over Oklahoma City, 135-103. Portland (42-40) is coming off back-to-back wins and defeated Sacramento, 122-110, on Sunday. Jerami Grant (calf) is questionable for Portland. 

Tipoff is at 10 p.m. ET at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. The latest Blazers vs. Suns odds have Phoenix as a 3.5-point favorite, while the over/under for total points scored is 216.5. Before making any Suns vs. Blazers picks, check out the Suns vs. Blazers predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

Visit our DraftKings promo code review to see their latest offers and get started.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model entered the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 23-9 roll (72%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.    

Advertisement

Now, the model has simulated Suns vs. Trail Blazers 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Blazers vs. Suns:

Suns vs. Trail Blazers spread:    

Phoenix -3.5 at DraftKings    

Suns vs. Trail Blazers over/under:    

Advertisement

216.5 points

Suns vs. Trail Blazers money line:

Suns -151, Blazers +126

Suns vs. Trail Blazers picks:    

Advertisement

See picks at SportsLine

Suns vs. Trail Blazers streaming:

Prime Video

Visit our Kalshi promo code review to see their latest offers and get started.

Advertisement

Top Trail Blazers vs. Suns predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Suns vs. Blazers, SportsLine’s model is going Under on the total (216.5) in over-under betting. No team in the Western Conference played to the Under more often than Phoenix this season. The Under went 45-37 for Phoenix, with that 55% clip being the fourth-highest in the NBA. The last matchup between these two went under and in a major way, with just 169 combined points in their Feb. 22 contest, which had an O/U of 222.5.

As for Portland, it has heavily leaned under as of late as six of its last eight games have failed to eclipse the total. Additionally, matchups between these two in Arizona have a tendency to be low-scoring affairs as each of their last four meetings in Phoenix have gone under. Both teams are forecasted to allow at least 5 fewer points than what they gave up in the regular season, as postseason games tend to slow down in terms of pace of play. The model has the Under hitting in 65% of simulations. See the Trail Blazers vs. Suns spread pick at SportsLine.

How to make Suns vs. Trail Blazers picks

After simulating each possession 10,000 times, the model also says one side of the spread hits nearly 70% of the time. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks

So who wins Suns vs. Blazers, and which side of the spread hits in nearly 70% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Trail Blazers vs. Suns line to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.

Advertisement

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

CSK Outclass KKR To Climb Above MI In Latest IPL 2026 Points Table

Published

on




Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL season went from bad to worse as Chennai Super Kings demolished them by 32 runs on a tricky surface, exposing head coach Abhishek Nayar‘s poor planning and skipper Ajinkya Rahane‘s archaic approach in Chennai on Tuesday. On a two-paced track, CSK, after a blazing powerplay that fetched them 72 runs, managed a decent 192 for five, which was around 20 runs short of par but proved good enough to outclass KKR, who were restricted to 160 for seven in their allotted 20 overs.

Rahane’s team lost wickets in a cluster as left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad (3/21 in four overs) wreaked havoc, blowing away the middle order to ensure a comfortable win.

Latest and Breaking News on NDTV

On a pitch where the ball gripped, Noor was more than a handful as he removed Rahane, Rinku Singh (6) and Cameron Green (0), with KKR slumping from 79 for two to 90 for six.

Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein (1/26 in four overs) was also more than decent, keeping the batters in check.

Advertisement

Rahane (28 off 22 balls) and Raghuvanshi (27 off 19 balls) adding 50 runs in just over five overs was an eyesore, as their approach was reminiscent of how batters chased such targets a decade ago.

Mumbai men Rahane and Raghuvanshi batting in the KKR top four has proven to be an unmitigated disaster for the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side, which has now lost four of its first five games.

But the bulk of the responsibility for KKR’s disastrous show lies at Abhishek Nayar’s doorstep.

Meanwhile, CSK are back on track with two wins.

Advertisement

Rahane was unhappy when asked about his powerplay batting, but his age-old weakness against slow bowlers was exploited expertly by CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Credit should also go to pacers Anshul Kamboj and Khaleel Ahmed, who removed the two players who could have made the chase look easy – Finn Allen (1) and Sunil Narine (24 off 17 balls).

Another pair of impactful players, Rovman Powell (31 off 22) and Ramandeep Singh (35* off 23), entered the fray too late, with the damage already done.

Earlier, after Sanju Samson (48 off 32 balls) and Ayush Mhatre (38 off 17 balls) took CSK to 72 for two at the end of the powerplay, off-spinner Narine (1/21 in four overs), slow left-armer Anukul Roy (1/21 in three overs) and Varun Chakravarthy (0/26 in three overs) conceded just 68 runs in the 10 overs they bowled collectively, while picking up two wickets.

Advertisement

In the 14 overs after the powerplay, CSK managed only 120 runs at under nine runs per over, largely due to the control exerted by the KKR spinners.

At the death, Kartik Tyagi (2/35 in four overs) bowled with pace in the high 140s and cleverly mixed in slower deliveries outside the batter’s arc to make scoring difficult.

Dewald Brevis (41 off 29 balls) showed glimpses of his class, while Sarfaraz Khan (23 off 18 balls) once again displayed his cheeky cricketing smarts in a half-century-plus stand.

At the start, Samson teed off with three boundaries, including a streaky one off Vaibhav Arora in his opening over.

Advertisement

However, it was U-19 World Cup-winning captain Mhatre who upped the ante straightaway with back-to-back sixes off Cameron Green, apart from hitting a couple of boundaries.

The standout was a Kapil Dev-style Nataraja shot behind square. He also struck another open-chested six over mid-wicket. Mhatre’s knock gave the CSK innings the required momentum, even as Samson played second fiddle during that phase.

While Samson’s innings could be termed far from smooth, he did show his touch with a straight six off Kartik Tyagi, who later returned with a sharp 148.1 kph off-cutter to breach his defence.

The Chepauk track was two-paced in nature, with the odd ball gripping and coming onto the bat late. The KKR trio of Anukul, Narine and Chakravarthy found enough purchase to put the brakes on run-scoring after the powerplay, with Tyagi complementing them brilliantly

Advertisement


Featured Video Of The Day


Delhi vs Mumbai IPL 2026: Fans Flood Arun Jaitley Stadium for High-Voltage Clash

Topics mentioned in this article

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

10 golfers (besides Rory McIlroy) who won the 2026 Masters

Published

on

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025