New Delhi: For the first time as captain in IPL 2026 Yashasvi JaiswalAnd it ended in a crushing defeat. but the disappointment was clearly visible Rajasthan Royals Rajasthan Royals faced a stand-in captain after their massive 77-run defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday.Jaiswal said after the match, “(How difficult it was when GT had such a good start) I think we were just thinking about bowling in good areas and they were batting quite well. So we were just thinking about how we can get the boundaries or the big shots down. So I think it was quite good from them.”
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captain Shubman Gill Tej played an inning of 84 runs, while Sai Sudarshan played a brilliant inning of 55 runs to give Gujarat Titans a spectacular 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals.After being sent in to bat, Gill and Sudarshan made a partnership of 118 runs for the first wicket, giving GT a huge score of 229 runs for 4 wickets. In the end, Washington Sundar gave the final touch to the team by scoring unbeaten 37 runs in 20 balls.Right-arm medium pacer Brijesh Sharma (2/47) was the best bowler for Rajasthan Royals, while Yashraj Punja (1/37) and Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket each.Defending the big score, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan produced impressive figures of 4/33, while Jason Holder (3/12) and Kagiso Rabada (2/33) also played key roles as RR were bowled out for 152 in 16.3 overs.“Nothing special (what went wrong tonight?),” he said. “I think we have to look at what we can do better and just focus on the next game, what we can do and what we can learn from this game.”Jaiswal also defended the star pacer jofra archerWhose holiday it was. Archer bowled the first over for RR and gave 18 runs in a spell of 11 balls.“No, this is cricket (talks about Archer being off the radar today). We all know there are some days when you are there, there are some days when you are not able to bowl the way you want to. But he is doing very well for us. So I think he will come back very strong.This was RR’s second consecutive defeat and with this defeat it has slipped to fifth place in the points table. They now have 12 points from 11 matches with 6 wins and 5 losses and a net run rate of +0.082.Their next match will be against Delhi Capitals on May 17.
Aryna Sabalenka revealed she was struggling with a lower back problem during her Italian Open clash against Sorana Cristea. On Saturday, the world No. 1 suffered an unexpected defeat from the Romanian in the third round. Defeat in Rome 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. The defeat was Sabalenka’s second consecutive upset after her previous defeat to American Hailey Baptiste at the Madrid Open.
During the deciding set, Sabalenka took a medical timeout after appearing to be struggling with a left hip problem. The Belarusian later explained that the discomfort stemmed from his lower back and hip area, which limited his movement and full rotation during shots. She said she will now take a few days off to focus on recovery before the French Open later this month.
Sabalenka said in the post-match press conference, “I would say it’s probably my lower back that’s limiting my hip that’s limiting my full rotation. I think we’ll just take a few days off and focus on recovery. That’s the plan for now.”
‘My body was limiting me’
Sabalenka admitted that her level dropped after a strong start and said that physical discomfort prevented her from performing at her best. He also praised Cristea’s offensive performance and described it as a difficult but valuable learning experience.
“Yes, I felt like I didn’t play well from start to finish. I started really well, but then my level dropped. It felt like my body was preventing me from performing at the highest level. She stepped in and played incredible tennis, and didn’t really give me many chances. It was tough, but I think we never lose, we only learn, so it’s OK,” Sabalenka said.
How Sabalenka fell apart against Cristea
Against Sorana Cristea, Sabalenka looked strongly dominant early on, sweeping the first set and going 2–0 up in the second. But her rhythm gradually faded as unforced errors began to pile up, giving Cirstea a chance to gain momentum and confidence.
As the competition progressed, Sabalenka’s frustration became clear. Although she managed to make a brief comeback from 4-5 down in the deciding set, Cristea held her composure in the decisive moments and pulled off a stunning upset.
Sabalenka will enter the French Open under increasing pressure after consecutive crushing defeats in Madrid and Rome. After squandering six match points against Hailey Baptiste in Madrid, the world No. 1 again struggled with errors on clay, raising concerns over her consistency and preparation ahead of Roland Garros, where she is still in search of her first title.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Mohammed Siraj (Image Credit: BCCI/IPL)
New Delhi: The way bowlers have started celebrating the wicket of Vaibhav Suryavanshi says a lot about the fear that the 15-year-old has already instilled among the opposition teams in IPL 2026. The youngster has developed a reputation for devastating bowling attacks and destroying the economy rates of bowlers with his fearless batting. During the match between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royalsthe manner in which Mohammad Siraj Suryavanshi’s wicket celebration shows how dangerous the teenager has become.Siraj’s outing started in the worst possible way. While bowling his first over of the match, Suryavanshi hit him for a powerful six over long-on. Shortly after, the youngster also hit the ball on his boot and was visible in pain. After receiving treatment from the physio, Suryavanshi quickly returned to work and started attacking the bowlers without any hesitation.
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After this, the aggressive batsman took on Kagiso Rabada in the next over and hit two big sixes on him and put Gujarat Titans under pressure at the very beginning of the innings.When Siraj returned for his second over – the third of the innings – Suryavanshi continued the attack. The young player hit three fours on the first four balls of the over, due to which Siraj looked quite disappointed. The fast bowler then had a brief discussion with the GT captain Shubman Gill Before completely changing your perspective.Gujarat Titans head coach also caught on broadcast camera Ashish Nehra Pointing out from the dugout moments before his dismissal, the tactical move ultimately worked perfectly for Mohammed Siraj against Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Nehra was seen giving Siraj a signal to change his approach and use his game awareness to beat the batsman.Siraj responded with a fast, furious bouncer clocking at 146.6 kilometers per hour. Suryavanshi attempted a pull shot but could only get the edge and Arshad Khan completed a brilliant catch safely.After dismissing the dangerous youngster, Siraj celebrated wildly and gave an animated farewell underlining the importance of the wicket. Watch:Earlier, Gujarat Titans scored a mammoth score of 229/4 thanks to captain Shubman Gill’s quickfire innings of 84 runs in 44 balls with the help of nine fours and three sixes. Sai Sudarshan contributed 55 runs from 36 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes during the 118-run opening partnership. Washington Sundar also played an important role and remained unbeaten on 37 runs in 20 balls.For Rajasthan Royals, Brijesh Sharma was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/47, while Yashraj Punja and Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket each.
Before the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Raipur on Sunday, May 10, Mumbai Indians have given latest information about captain Hardik Pandya and vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav.
Initially, no players traveled with the team for the match. Pandya missed Previous win over Lucknow Supergiants due to back spasmsHe was absent when the team assembled at Terminal 1. Meanwhile, regular stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav stayed back with his wife to welcome their newborn daughter. Hardik joined the team in Raipur on Thursday, May 7.
“Hardik continues to be evaluated by the medical team and they will keep us updated on his progress,” a Mumbai Indians spokesperson said ahead of the RCB match. “The sun is coming tomorrow.”
There is a big threat of rain in Raipur before the MI vs RCB match. Today it is raining with strong winds, due to which the entire field has been covered. pic.twitter.com/PAQMK8bi8h– (@Rushiiii_12) 9 May 2026
Is MI out already?
It is important to win the match against RCBAnd the absence of both the leaders could open the door for former captain Rohit Sharma to step in and lead the team, which is currently second-last in the points table. However, with Suryakumar expected to join the team before the game, he is likely to lead the side if Hardik remains unavailable due to injury.
Sherfane Rutherford told reporters during the press conference, “Individually, as players, it’s important to control what we can control. We have no control over selection, so we just try to keep our minds in the right place, keep working, be consistent, do what’s best for you and leave the selection until the end.”
Mumbai Indians are currently ninth in the table with six points and still have an outside chance of qualifying for the playoffs with only four matches left.
Rutherford said, “We have to win every game. We know what’s ahead of us and what we need to do to get into the top four or give ourselves the best chance, so we just have to win the next four games. It’s that simple.”
The stakes remain very high, with Mumbai Indians having to win all their remaining matches and rely on other results to stay in the playoff race.
New Delhi: There have been many broadcasting mistakes over the years, but the one that happened during the first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh will definitely stand out. During the opening Test in Dhaka, the broadcasters mistakenly displayed India’s scorecard instead of Pakistan’s playing XI.The error occurred after Pakistan won the toss and decided to field at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. While the broadcasters were supposed to show Pakistan’s playing XI, they mistakenly showed India’s scorecard which included players like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Verma, Shivam Dubey, Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh and Mukesh Kumar.The incident reportedly occurred during the live telecast when scenes involving the Indian team were shown instead of match graphics of the Pakistan vs Bangladesh Test.Although the video of the mistake is no longer available on social media, fans immediately took screenshots and photos of the moment, which soon went viral on various platforms.The broadcast mistake soon turned into an online meme fest, with fans flooding social media with reactions and jokes.So far, there has been no official explanation from the broadcasters regarding the glitch.Meanwhile, Pakistan bowled out Bangladesh for 413 after electing to field first. Nazmul Hossain Shanto scored a brilliant century, while Mominul Haq contributed 91 runs. Shento brought up his ninth Test century with the help of 12 fours and two sixes in just 129 balls to entertain the home crowd at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
On the flight from Shanghai to the resort city of Sanya, I found myself wrestling with a bit of an internal debate. Was I really looking forward to the postcard-perfect sun, surf and sand of Hainan Island, or was I really prepared for the intensity of the first Asian Beach Games I ever covered?
As the plane banked across the bay to its landing path, the view below was, frankly, confusing. Clusters of private yachts lined up on the wharves like expensive toys, evoking the polished, untouched aura of a rich man’s playground. But that illusion of a comfortable holiday did not last for the first hour. Once I was actually on the ground, the sand slipped from beneath my feet, revealing a much harsher, more honest reality.
Sanya is often called the “Hawaii of the East”, a place where you go to relax. However, for the 31-member Indian contingent and their continental teammates at the 2026 Asian Beach Games (April 22-30), the white sands of the Phoenix Islands were no place for a holiday. If you had to sum up the entire essence of sports in one word, it would be difficult.
For beginners, beach games are often dismissed with little laughter. We associate the word “beach” with holidays, long breaks and putting our feet up. But after spending a few days watching everything from handball and water polo to beach athletics in a relentless, merciless sun, the perspective changes rapidly. It quickly became clear that sand is not just a surface; This is a test of the human spirit.
In tennis, we pay attention to the nuances of clay versus grass. Why should sand be treated differently? Scientifically speaking, running on sand requires almost twice as much energy as running on stable ground. Every step you take is met with resistance, and every step toward a longer jump or a higher jump is like playing poker against the instability of the sand.
Boonson set the stage on fire with his performance (Credit: Sandeep Mishra)
Take aquathlon, which forces athletes to move from the fast, rhythmic pace of road running to the surging waves of the ocean. Or look at beach athletics, where Thailand’s sprint sensation Puripol Boonson, the only Southeast Asian to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m (a time of 9.94 at the 2025 SEA Games) was an absolute marvel to watch.
Even on rolled and flattened sand, his movements required a kind of cat-like precision. On synthetic tracks, you can trust the surface to give you something back, a bit of bounce to help your next move. On sand, if you dig your heels in too deep, the beach just eats up your momentum.
Running on sand requires twice as much effort as running on a stable track (courtesy: Sandeep Mishra)
While scoreboards are meant to decide history, it was the raw human emotion that really defined the atmosphere in Sanya. I watched Iranian shot-put gold medalist Hassan Ajmibakhtiyarvand completely collapse. Here was a man built like a mountain, yet he collapsed on the sand after his winning throw of 20.17 metres.
Her tears weren’t actually celebratory; They were the tears of a man representing a nation in deep turmoil. I remembered the lines of the Iranian poet Ahmed Shamloo: “The mountain is not separate from the earth.” On that beach, there was Mount Ajamibakhtiyarvand, and it was carrying the emotional weight of Iran’s conflict.
Hassan Ajmibakhtiyarvand bore the brunt of Iran’s fightback to seal a sensational win (Courtesy: Sandeep Mishra)
In stark contrast was the pure joy of Sri Lanka’s expert Hewa Pedige. After winning the gold medal in 50kg beach wrestling, the Air Force athlete didn’t just celebrate; He put his medal around his coach’s neck and touched his feet in deep respect. In that fleeting moment, even the waves seemed to calm down. That chant of gratitude felt as grand and important as any Olympic stadium in Paris or Los Angeles.
For the Indian contingent, the sand taught us, providing lessons outside the world in which we train and compete. Under the leadership of Ritu, the women’s Kabaddi team showed everyone why they are the best. In a thrilling final against a strong Sri Lankan team, they overcame a slight half-time deficit to win 47–31 and clinch their sixth consecutive title.
“We never play on sand, so this win is really satisfying,” Ritu said after the final.
However, the story took a different turn for Brijendra Singh Chaudhary’s men’s team. Despite an impressive performance in the final, which included a crushing 50–27 win over rivals Pakistan, they came up against a strong Iranian side and ultimately lost 44–31. Brijendra’s thoughts after the match were honest and telling,
“Sometimes we take the surface for granted.”
It was a clear admission that perhaps, somewhere in his mind, he did not tolerate sand, or the Iranians’ incredible adaptability to it.
The sand pits also produced some of India’s most “dogged” individual performances. Priya (over 70kg) registered a convincing 3-2 win over Mongolia’s Zorigat, with the kind of fatigue that only sand can create on her face. Meanwhile, Pushpa Yadav (60kg) put up a strong performance against local Chinese favorite Mengyu Xie and showed determination to defeat her 3-0, leaving the home crowd speechless.
However, the most practical lesson from Sanya was much more than the final medal tally in which, for the record, hosts China topped the table with 55 medals (24 gold, 18 silver, 13 bronze), while India finished sixth with 6 medals (3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze).
Grit was the word that defined the Asian Beach Games (Credits: Sandeep Mishra)
Watching athletes from Palestine, Iran and Lebanon compete while their home countries were literally burning was a life-booklet in resilience. Most of us feel a real increase in anxiety if our flight is delayed by an hour; These competitors live in a reality where every single ring of their phone can bring devastating, life-changing news.
On sand, winning and losing take on a completely different dimension. It works like a balm, where after the fight is over you can hug your opponent and walk away with your head held high. Isn’t it always about shared dignity, especially for people coming from fragmented lands?
Sand is our most natural, least expensive resource, and given the success we have seen in Sanya, more needs to be done with it. Imagine the Asian Beach Athletics Championships, or dedicated beach events for wrestling and boxing, becoming standalone fixtures under different national federations. The infrastructure is provided by nature.
These games proved that sports is not an escape from the difficulties of life; This is a place where you actually face them and overcome them. Be it the Qatari pair of world stars Samba Sherif and Janko Ahmed, the Asian Games champions and Tokyo Olympics bronze medalists turning beach volleyball into a rock-and-roll spectacle, or an Indian wrestler digging his toes in for a final takedown, the message was clear. Sand is not any other surface. This is your ally. And it highlights your patience.
BAN vs PAK Live Score, 1st Test Day 2: Bangladesh national cricket team dominated the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan national cricket team at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka and finished strongly at 301/4 at stumps on Friday.
After electing to bowl first, Pakistan made an ideal start as fast bowlers Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali restricted Bangladesh to 31/2 inside 11 overs. Afridi dismissed Mahmudul Hasan Joy for 8 runs, while Hasan Ali dismissed Shadman Islam for 13 runs.
However, the early successes proved to be Pakistan’s only major success for a long time as Nazmul Hussain Shanto and Mominul Haq carried the innings forward with a brilliant 170-run partnership for the third wicket.
Shanto played an aggressive role in the stand, scoring 101 runs with the help of 12 fours and two sixes, while Mominul led the innings with a composed 91 runs. Together they frustrated Pakistan’s bowling attack during the middle session and shifted the momentum strongly in Bangladesh’s favour.
Pakistan finally broke the situation in the 53rd over when Mohammad Abbas had Shanto out LBW soon after completing his brilliant century. Then Bangladesh’s score was 201/3.
Mominul continued to pile on the runs and made another important partnership of 75 runs with Mushfiqur Rahim, but missed his century after falling to Noman Ali for 91 runs in the 74th over.
At the end of the game, Mushfiqur remained unbeaten on 48 runs, while Liton Das remained unbeaten on 8 runs and the pair made an unbroken 25-run partnership to take Bangladesh past 300 runs.
Pakistan’s bowlers struggled to maintain control for most of the day, with Abbas emerging as the choice of attack with figures of 1/51 and the best economy among the visiting bowlers. Due to slow over rate, Pakistan also failed to complete its full quota of overs and could play only 85 overs.
Bangladesh will now aim to score over 400 in the first innings on the second day, while Pakistan will hope that the second new ball can help them strike early and get themselves back into the contest.
Kolkata Knight Riders continue their remarkable comeback in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Having started their campaign without a win in their first six matches, they appeared to be on the verge of an early exit from the tournament. However, Ajinkya Rahane’s team has now reached seventh place in the points table after registering four consecutive wins.
on friday Knight Riders defeated Delhi Capitals by eight wickets At Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Chasing the target of 143 runs, the three-time champion team completed the target in just 14.2 overs. The spin trio of Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Anukul Roy strangled the DC batting lineup before Finn Allen’s brilliant 47-ball century gave KKR an emphatic win.
Rahane had previously faced criticism for his captaincy when KKR was struggling and looked completely out of sorts. However, the veteran has shown tremendous composure and leadership to keep KKR in the playoff race. Now the big question is, what else does KKR need to do to secure a place in the playoffs and how difficult will the road ahead be from here.
KKR can still go ahead easily
2026 is the sixth edition of the season IPL Featuring 10 teams. On every previous occasion, teams with 16 or more points have qualified for the playoffs without relying on net run rate calculations.
If KKR manages to win their remaining four matches, they will add eight more points to their account and finish with 17 points overall, which should secure direct qualification without relying on complicated permutations and combinations. However, if they lose another game, net run rate may come into the equation.
Knight Riders will next face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Wednesday, May 13 at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. A win in that encounter will keep KKR firmly in the race for a playoff spot, while also putting additional pressure on other teams fighting for a top-four finish.
Akshar Patel Admittedly, both the batting and bowling units disappointed Delhi Capitals after they suffered an eight-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2026 on Friday. The defeat left DC’s playoff hopes hanging in the balance, with the captain also indicating that the team has already started thinking about next season.Delhi Capitals could only manage 142/8 at home before KKR chased down the target in 14.2 overs. finn allen At the same time, he scored an unbeaten 100 runs. cameron green KKR remained unbeaten on 33 runs while chasing the easy target.DC are currently eighth in the table with eight points from 11 matches. After registering their fourth consecutive win, KKR moved to seventh place with nine points from 10 matches.After the match, Akshar said, “For now, we will go back and think about our mistakes. After that, there is obviously still a long journey ahead and next year will also come. “So we will think about what plans we can make for next year and what approach we should take.”He said, “Based on this, we can also look at the players sitting on the bench and decide who can be given a chance and what changes we can make.”Akshar said that the score of 142 was not enough and also pointed out the mistakes made by the bowlers while defending.“I think the runs were definitely below average and also the spinners made some mistakes. Looking at the way the pitch behaved, I think the spinners made mistakes.”“At the same time, we lost five wickets in two-three overs, and I think that’s where the momentum went away from us. Maybe that’s something we need to think about because the same thing happened against CSK… We started well, and then suddenly wickets kept falling,” he said.The DC captain said that the team needs to handle the pressure better when wickets fall quickly.“Look, you can’t solve it in a complicated way. So, I think it’s about applying the right mindset. Even if you lose one or two wickets, you can still spend time at the crease and play through it. I think what needs to be implemented is that, when wickets are falling in clusters, you need to withstand the pressure for an over or two,” Axar said.
In 2024, Novak Djokovic said that facing Dino Prismic in the opening round of the Australian Open felt like playing against himself in the mirror. At that time, Djokovic prevailed in four sets. But two years later, Prizmik turned the tables and knocked the Serbian out of the Italian Open 2026.
On Friday, Djokovic suffered a shocking exit in the second round in Rome, losing to the Croatian qualifier. The 24-time Grand Slam champion suffered a 6-2, 2-6, 4-6 defeat in his opening match of the tournament, one of the most disappointing defeats of his 2026 season.
Djokovic entered the Italian Open seeded third and received a bye into the first round, meaning his match against 20-year-old Prizmik was technically his opening match of the tournament.
The defeat was particularly surprising given Djokovic’s remarkable record in Rome, where he has won six titles and rarely struggled in the opening rounds. Actually, this was the first time that Djokovic lost his opening match at the Italian Open.
Dino Prismic hits a tremendous backhand against Novak Djokovic in Rome.
Preparing amazing things against your biggest tennis hero.
The Serbian made a strong start to the match and looked in complete control during the opening set. Djokovic combined his trademark baseline consistency with delicate drop shots and sharp returns to win the first set 6–2. Prismic made 13 unforced errors in the opening match and initially looked overwhelmed by the occasion.
However, the momentum changed dramatically in the second set. Prizmik began to strike the ball with much greater confidence, repeatedly testing Djokovic’s movement with heavy groundstrokes.
At the same time, Djokovic’s level dropped significantly. The Serb looked physically uncomfortable and even vomited on the court during the match. Djokovic looked unwell and was struggling badly with his movement after the first set.
Prizmik took full advantage of Djokovic’s struggles and won four consecutive games at the start of the second set to eventually level the contest. The Croatian, who had already impressed by defeating World No. 6 Ben Shelton in Madrid, continued to play fearless tennis in the deciding game.
Djokovic attempted to mount a comeback in the third set, but his usually reliable ground game looked unusually shaky. Prismic remained composed during key moments and ultimately earned the biggest win of his young career. The Croatian arrived in Rome with his career-highest ranking of No. 79 and has now recorded two wins over top-10 players in recent weeks.
Concerns before French Open
This defeat has once again raised concerns over Djokovic’s physical condition before the French Open. The Serbian had not played since Indian Wells after suffering a shoulder injury in March that caused him to miss tournaments in Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid.
At 38, Djokovic is still chasing a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title, but his lack of match fitness and recurring physical problems have made his preparations more difficult. With young stars like Jannik Sinner dominating the ATP Tour, Djokovic is now under increasing pressure to recapture his best form before Roland Garros begins later this month.
