File photo of Ravindra Jadeja.© AFP

Kelly Cates, Joe Hart and Danny Murphy discuss why Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson is “the favourite” to be in the starting XI for England in this summer’s World Cup.

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Mumbai Indians will once again head into the Indian Premier League 2026 season as one of the strongest contenders on paper, boasting a star-studded lineup featuring Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Tilak Varma. Despite their formidable squad, the five-time champions have not lifted the trophy since their last triumph in 2020.

The franchise underwent a major shift in 2024 when Hardik Pandya returned from Gujarat Titans and took over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma. The transition did not go smoothly, with fan backlash and on-field struggles culminating in a last-place finish that season. The following year saw improvement, as Mumbai reached the playoffs, but their campaign ended in Qualifier 2 with a defeat to Punjab Kings, led by Shreyas Iyer.

Ahead of the 2026 season, former India selector Kris Srikkanth has weighed in on the leadership debate, suggesting a potential shift in captaincy. He believes that Suryakumar Yadav, fresh from leading India to T20 World Cup success, could be given the reins to see if it changes the team’s fortunes.

“They have to come together again, the franchise owners and the team management with Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya, and set this right again. They should ask Surya to lead this year to see if there is a change of luck. They can always appoint Surya as the captain anytime. They don’t need to announce it right now,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

He further highlighted the unusual dynamic within the squad, pointing out that multiple World Cup-winning leaders are currently playing under Hardik.

“It’s a funny situation. Hardik Pandya is a good captain. But, yes, they have two T20 World Cup-winning captains playing under him now. It’s some internal policy within their setup that they have to sort out. From the outside, the obvious choice should be Suryakumar Yadav. But this might be a franchise policy,” he added.

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Describing it as a “strange situation”, Srikkanth suggested that clarity could emerge if Hardik himself opts to step aside.

“It’s a strange situation, as Hardik played under Rohit and Surya to help India win the World Cup. Otherwise, Hardik should himself say no to captaincy and allow Surya to lead. If Hardik himself says this to the management, things will get resolved. He should say, ‘Let Surya lead and I’ll support’. That’s one way of solving it,” said Srikkanth.

Mumbai Indians will kick off their IPL 2026 campaign on March 29, facing Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

First Published: Mar 23 2026 | 9:42 AM IST

Braian Sanchez scored a brace to help Bengaluru FC register a 3-1 win over Inter Kashi FC in an Indian Super League match here on Sunday.

The win took BFC to fourth position in the points table and three points behind the leaders, Mumbai City FC.

Rahul Bheke achieved a personal milestone as he made his 100th appearance for BFC.

Ashique Kuruniyan gave BFC the lead in the 20th minute before Sanchez struck in the 69th and 90+8th minute. Alfred Moya scored the lone goal for Inter Kashi in the 38th minute.

BFC faced an early setback before kick-off, as Ryan Williams picked up a slight muscle strain during warmup and was replaced by Namgyal Bhutia on the flank for his first start in the ISL this season.

After finding their rhythm and dominating possession in the opening minutes, BFC broke the deadlock in the 20th minute of the game, when Ashique pounced on a loose ball after an error from the Inter Kashi backline, and finished it off with a powerful left footed shot into the roof of the net.

The lead for BFC did not last long, as Alfred made the most of a Poojary slip that put him through one-on-one with BFC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh, who despite getting a hand to it could not keep Alfred out as Inter Kashi drew level in the 38th minute.

At the break, it was all square as both teams headed into the tunnel. 

BFC made one change before the second half as Suresh Wangjam replaced Fanai in the middle of the park, who was on a yellow card, received in the first half.

Sunil Chhetri came close to giving BFC the lead in the 53rd minute as a ball fell kindly to his feet at the top of the circle, but he fired a left-footed shot straight to the Kashi goalkeeper.

In the 69th minute, after Ashique drew a foul on the left flank, Siroj’s set piece delivery was not gathered by Tarres, and Sanchez was present to head it in to put BFC ahead with a little over 20 minutes to play.

With Inter Kashi pushing for an equaliser, the pressure got to them in the last minute of play as their goalie played a false pass to Braian, who chipped it first time over him to give Bengaluru FC a 3-1 win on the road.

Jockey rotations caused by penalties and away fixtures have returned the reins to Beau Mertens on Sabaj heading into the Australian Cup.

Price had broken the unwelcome news to Mertens earlier, stating Mark Zahra would pilot Sabaj in Saturday’s Group 1 at Flemington.

The plan flipped soon after Zahra’s careless riding ban from Caulfield Heath midweek, compounded by a Saturday whip infringement suspension that bars him.

“If only I had waited, I would have been a good bloke, instead I’ve covered myself in shame,” Price said.

“I had to put my arm around Beau again as there are riders going left, right and centre.”

Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr’s charge Sabaj lines up for the Australian Cup off a fourth-place effort in the March 7 All-Star Mile (1600m) over Flemington.

Ahead that afternoon were Australian Cup foes Tom Kitten and Pride Of Jenni, as Birdman prepares via a triumph in the March 14 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield.

Price mentioned enthusiasm for testing Sabaj at the 2000m distance.

“He’s a big clean-winded horse and we’ve been working him for 2000 metres,” Price said.

“I think he’ll show up, but he’s got to be good enough on the day. He’s a nice, sound horse, and he seems to go on all types of ground.

“If Jenni turns up, she will be unbeatable and Birdman, he’s coming through the 1800-metre race.

“It’s a competitive race, he likes Flemington. It will be a small field, he’s a relaxed horse, so he should travel good.”

Prior to the All-Star Mile, Sabaj suffered a minor interruption, causing the team to adjust their strategy.

Initial thoughts were Blamey Stakes (1600m) then Peter Young Stakes, yet that was shelved.

“My question on the horse starting in the Australian Cup is he has to be good enough on the day to win a 2000-metre weight-for-age race,” Price said.

“I do think it’s a better option than the Doncaster Mile and it’s staring us in the face, so we might as well try it.”

Beyond Saturday, options include the Sydney Carnival’s closing stages up north or Queensland Winter Carnival events for Sabaj, per Price.

Backers eyeing the Australian Cup should review racing betting markets from trusted betting sites.

There was a spiritual pull for Bellamy returning to Wales.

Born in Cardiff, he spent most of his playing career outside of his homeland, representing the likes of Liverpool and Newcastle.

As a coach, Bellamy followed Vincent Kompany to Anderlecht and Burnley, describing his time with the now Bayern Munich boss as an “education”.

The former Manchester City team-mates remain good friends and speak frequently, but Bellamy felt it was time to become a head coach in his own right when his country came calling.

Despite only being an assistant to Kompany at Burnley, Bellamy took a substantial pay cut to take charge of Wales.

This, however, was a job like no other. As well as the obvious emotional ties, Bellamy had unfinished business.

He never got the chance to play at a major international tournament but, as head coach, he aims to put that right by qualifying for this summer’s World Cup.

“You always have that buzz of chasing something, like I want qualification, I want to be at major tournaments,” Bellamy says.

“But how do we do it? I’ve got loads of flaws, but the team needs to play with intensity, play with balls.

“As long as you have belief, that’s the motivation. That’s why you do so much work, why you look at opposition.

“As a footballer for Wales, I didn’t really feel belief, I just felt hope. Italy [when Wales won 2-1 in 2002 in a European Championship qualifier] was different because we took the game to them. We were brilliant but there weren’t many nights like that.”

Bellamy scored the winning goal when Wales last faced Italy in Cardiff, a momentous occasion at a sold-out Millennium Stadium.

The teams will meet again if they win their respective World Cup play-off semi-finals on Thursday, with the final to be played at Cardiff City Stadium the following Tuesday.

Much like Bellamy himself, Welsh football is unrecognisable from that memorable night 24 years ago.

Having been absent from major tournaments since the 1958 World Cup, Wales not only qualified for Euro 2016 but reached the semi-finals in France, three years after Bellamy retired.

They followed that by getting to the knockout stages at Euro 2020 and then qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.

Bellamy wants to build on that success – and take his country to new heights.

“Euro 2016, that moment was like, ‘We are here’. That gave belief and I want to carry that on,” he says.

“We do punch well above our weight but that’s where we want to be. We need to do it continuously. I like expectations.

“This is what it takes to be a Wales player. To wear this shirt, these are the qualities you have to have. I believe we have a chance to consistently be at major tournaments.”

With that, Bellamy turns back to his laptop. The cursor hovers over files labelled ‘Italy’ and ‘Northern Ireland’ – Wales’ potential play-off final opponents – and then back to ‘Bosnia’.

Whether or not Wales get to the World Cup this summer, it will not be down to a lack of preparation.

SAN DIEGO — For a few brief moments, the ninth-seeded Aggies caught a glimpse of advancing to the Sweet Sixteen next weekend up the road in San Jose.

Despite finding themselves down by 18 points early in the second half of Sunday night’s second-round game against No. 1 seed Arizona, Utah State clawed its way back into the game with its defense and managed to close the gap to just four points on three occasions.

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But each time the Aggies got to within a couple of scores, the feisty Wildcats scored on their subsequent possessions to keep their opponents at bay and eventually ended Utah State’s season with a 78-66 victory at Viejas Arena.

“It hurts. I don’t want to take the uniform off,” USU graduate guard Drake Allen said quietly. “Knowing it’s going to be my last time wearing it means so much. And it really feels like a family. Everybody in Logan feels like one big family.”

Utah State (29-7) might have been able to get over the hump were not for a brutal performance from the 3-point line. But after going 1 for 12 from long distance in the first half, the Aggies finished just 8 for 32 from beyond the 3-point arc.

“When you can’t find it — the ball won’t go in from 3 — you’ve got to get to the rim,” USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “And I was really proud of our effort around the rim. I thought we were pretty efficient.

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“But to beat a No. 1 seed when you’re a No. 9 seed, you’ve got to make those 3s. And our guys knew that.”

The Aggies knew that going up against the significantly larger Wildcats (34-2) was going to be a challenge, but Calhoun’s crew still ended up with three more field goals than Arizona and Utah State (39.1%) notched an overall field goal percentage that was nearly identical to that of the Cats (39.3%).

But in addition to a rough night from 3-point range, the Aggies were outrebounded by a stunning 54-26 margin, and the Wildcats also shot 28 more free throws.

“So far, they’re 2-0 in this tournament, and they live in the paint,” Calhoun said of Arizona. “They chew the paint up. They play ’80s, ’90s basketball. The number of physical plays in the game — we haven’t seen that all year.

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“… But our guys did a tremendous job, I thought, the last nine minutes of really locking in on some of those details. You’ve got to be at least eight or 10 difference in the rebounding. It can’t be 28. And if you’re not going to rebound, you’ve got to make shots. So, it was just a couple of margins that we couldn’t overcome.”

Senior forward Garry Clark came off the bench to give the Aggies a huge lift, going 6 of 8 from the field, scoring 13 points and snagging six rebounds in just 18 minutes. Senior guard MJ Collins Jr. (12 points) and Allen (11 points) were the only other USU players to score in double figures.

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The Aggies’ one-two scoring punch of Collins and junior guard Mason Falslev (8 points) went a combined 7 of 26 from the field and 4 of 15 from 3-point range in the loss.

Thanks to Clark, Utah State’s bench outscored Arizona’s 27-10. But then, the Wildcats’ starters totaled 68 points by themselves, with guards Jaden Bradley (18 points) and Brayden Burries (16 points) leading the way.

Burries also delivered one of the biggest blows to the Aggies’ chances of an upset with 2:18 left and Utah State still within six points. The freshman guard buried a 3-pointer with 6-foot-9 USU wing Adlan Elamin closing in on him, extending Arizona’s advantage to 73-64.

“Obviously, Burries’ 3 was a dagger,” Calhoun declared. “I thought we played that possession really well. It was just a six-point game. … There’s a lot of plays through a 40-minute game that could impact it. And I thought that 3 by him was just a big-time shot in a big moment, and that kind of carried Arizona to the win.”

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Burries ended up going 3 of 3 from 3-point range while the rest of the Wildcats went 4 of 13 from long range.

“I think Brayden’s a winner, and he has ultimate confidence,” Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said. “It’s been a joy to coach him. … He’s a laid-back, kind-of-unassuming guy, but he has a killer in him. And that’s a beautiful attribute.”

The Wildcats, who have won 11 straight games, also got 14 points from freshman forward Koa Peat, and 11 points and 14 rebounds from junior Motiejust Krivas. The 7–foot-2 center blocked three shots, caused the Aggies’ offense and all sorts of problems and went 7 of 8 from the free-throw line to help Arizona advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in Lloyd’s five seasons in Tucson.

Conversely, Utah State still hasn’t won two games in the same NCAA Tournament since 1970. But despite never holding the lead — Burries buried a 3-pointer just 24 seconds into the game — trailing 33-24 at halftime and falling behind by 18 points early in the second half, the Aggies still gave their fans hope.

After a 10-foot jumpier by Burries forced Calhoun into calling a timeout with his team trailing 51-33 with 14:43 left, Utah State turned up the intensity defensively, holding Arizona without a field goal for over seven minutes while creating turnovers with its full-court defense.

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Two free throws by Elamin pulled the Aggies to within 56-51 at the 7:22 mark, and a 3-pointer by Allen closed the gap to just four points a minute later. But a putback by Krivas — one of Arizona’s 21 offensive rebounds — stretched the Cats’ lead back to 60-54.

Two more free throws from Elamin got USU back to four points once again, but those two points were offset when Arizona finally broke the Aggies’ press, leading to a 3-point play by Bradley. Following a missed 3-pointer by USU forward Karson Templin, Falslev came up with one of his three steals, which led to the Aggies getting back to within four points for a third and final time.

Allen enjoyed the moment, turning towards the Aggies’ fan section to celebrate Utah State getting back to 63-59 with just over five minutes to go. But his joy was short-lived, and USU’s momentum soon disappeared when Bradley scored the next three points of the game.

Although Allen did managed to slice through Arizona’s big men for a layup that left Utah State down 66-61, four free throws by Krivas and Burries’ clutch 3-pointer carried Arizona to the victory and brought Utah State’s spectacular season to an end.

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“I think it’s very hard for a season to end anytime; it just comes abruptly,” Calhoun noted. “Its one of those things that you don’t ever want to end. You just want to coach these guys another day, another game.

“We wanted to get to San Jose, but we weren’t able to do it.”

World number two Luke Humphries joked his win at the Belgian Darts Open would help in his bid to become “the second-best player in the world”.

Double defending champion Luke Littler’s shock 6-5 exit to Dutchman Niels Zonneveld in the last 16 paved the way for Humphries to clinch his ninth European Tour title with an 8-6 win over Jonny Clayton.

The 31-year-old scraped past Chris Dobey 6-5 in the quarter-finals but destroyed Michael van Gerwen 7-2 in the semis.

“It’s one of them things where I feel my game’s been there, then it’s not, then it is,” Humphries said on stage after his win.

“Usually in those circumstances I close the game out a lot better, but when you’re not winning as much they become harder and you feel the nerves.

“I’m just dedicated and working so hard to push every dart player and be the best version of myself.

“I’m going to keep trying to be the second-best player in the world – apparently.”