Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are on the verge of finally replicating the most dramatic English Premier League title triumph in the history of the competition after beating Burnley to top the table. This significant change marks the first time since the opening week of the season that City have taken the top spot, ending a remarkable streak where Arsenal remained on top for more than 200 consecutive days.

The defining moment of the week came when Manchester City secured a narrow, nervy 1–0 win at Turf Moor on Wednesday, a result which also saw Burnley relegated. Erling Haaland provided the decisive breakthrough by scoring the only goal of the match.

While Guardiola’s men were assured of victory Ending the day in first place for the first time since August, the City manager was clearly frustrated by his team’s inability to take advantage of dominance and win by a very large margin.

“We played a really good game; unfortunately, we missed a lot of chances. We defended better in the second half. In the second half, we had less problems,” Guardiola said during his post-match interview, as quoted by Yahoo Sports.

As it stands, Guardiola’s team is level with Arsenal on points and goal difference. City currently sit top on goals scored alone, with just five games remaining for both title contenders. Historically, civilians have been clinical finishers; They never failed to go on and secure the trophy even after leading the table at the 33-game mark or beyond.

Echoes of the 2011–12 season are heard in this chase, This is the only time in Premier League history that a team has won the title on goal difference. In that great campaign, Manchester City won the trophy by defeating their cross-town rivals Manchester United in the final seconds of the season.

Although City were unable to make any big statements against Burnley, they did enough to advance in this high-stakes race. After Sunday’s 2-1 win over Arsenal, The match was widely publicized as a title decider, with City now appearing to have the more favorable run-in.

“Now we have the FA Cup on Saturday, and after that, we have five games. The only chance is to win all the games,” Guardiola said.

Meanwhile, Arsenal face a tough schedule, including a tough trip to Newcastle and a Champions League travel commitment to face Atletico Madrid. With the final stop, the door on either side is open to receive the silverware.

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Rohit Sharma (Photo Courtesy: Mumbai Indians)

As Mumbai Indians prepare to face Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on April 23, 2026, there is uncertainty over the availability of Rohit Sharma, who is recovering from a hamstring injury.The decision on Rohit’s participation will be taken just before the toss, with the team management keeping a close eye on his fitness ahead of the high-profile clash. Encouraging signals are coming from the Mumbai Indians camp. Rohit was seen batting in the nets during a controlled training session on Wednesday. However, ESPNcricinfo suggests that he mostly endured throwdowns and avoided big shots during his 25-minute stint, indicating a cautious approach in his recovery.He has already been ruled out of MI’s last two matches against Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans due to the injury he suffered on April 12 earlier this month. If Rohit is deemed fit for batting but not for fielding, MI can use him as an impact player to manage their workload. This will allow the team to utilize his batting strength without the risk of putting too much strain on his hamstrings.If Rohit is unavailable, Danish Malewar is likely to continue as the opening batsman with Quinton de Kock filling in during his absence.

A key figure against CSK

Rohit Sharma is the leading run-scorer in the history of the Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings rivalry with 913 runs in 31 matches. Having crossed 500 IPL runs alone against CSK at the Wankhede Stadium, they have a significant advantage at the venue today.Mumbai Indians (MI) currently lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) 21-18 in their total of 39 head-to-head encounters in the IPL till April 2026. Including their matches from the discontinued Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20), the record is 22–19 in 41 meetings. These teams have met in a record four IPL finals (2010, 2013, 2015 and 2019). MI has won three of those four championship encounters (2013, 2015 and 2019). Although MI is historically ahead, CSK have been more successful recently, winning 5 of their last 6 meetings between 2022 and early 2025. ​​MI won the most recent match on 20 April 2025 by 9 wickets.

The latest controversy has emerged ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with a proposal by a prominent US official putting Iran’s involvement in the spotlight. According to a report in the Financial Times, an envoy of Donald Trump has suggested that Italy should replace Iran in the tournament.

The suggestion, reportedly made to Gianni Infantino, has added a political dimension to an already sensitive situation involving travel concerns and geopolitical tensions. Iran previously raised the possibility of moving its matches away from the United States due to the ongoing conflict, but FIFA has so far said the schedule will remain unchanged.

US special envoy Paolo Zampolli confirmed the suggestion while speaking to the Financial Times, describing it as both a football and personal aspiration.

“I confirm that I have suggested to Trump and (FIFA President Gianni) Infantino that Italy replace Iran at the World Cup. I am an Italian native and it would be a dream to see the Azzurri in a US-hosted tournament. With four titles, they have the pedigree to justify their inclusion,” Zampolli said.

The proposal has also attracted attention due to Italy’s absence from the tournament. The four-time world champions failed to qualify after losing the playoff, This marks the third consecutive time they have missed the World Cup, an astonishing feat for one of football’s traditional powerhouses.

However, the idea remains only a suggestion at this stage, with no official response from FIFA or other governing bodies.

Will Iran play FIFA World Cup 2026?

For now, Iran is still scheduled to participate in the tournament. The team has already qualified and is set to play its group-stage matches in the United States, with matches scheduled to take place in Los Angeles and Seattle.

Despite earlier concerns about travel and requests to move matches to Mexico, FIFA has indicated that all games will take place as planned. Gianni Infantino also confirmed during a recent visit to the Iranian camp that preparations are continuing as usual.

Iranian officials have taken a similar stance and said the team will abide by FIFA’s final decision while continuing their preparations for the tournament.

Can Italy replace Iran in the FIFA World Cup?

Any potential replacement will ultimately be decided by FIFA.. Under tournament rules, if a qualified nation withdraws the governing body has the right to select a replacement team.

However, this process is not straightforward. Typically, continental unions insist on replacement from within their region. In this case, the Asian Football Confederation would likely argue for another Asian team to take Iran’s place.

This makes Italy’s inclusion very unlikely unless FIFA makes an extraordinary call. Despite their history and four World Cup titles, Italy were unable to qualify via the standard route, weakening their case.

The tournament is scheduled to start on June 11, but for now the situation remains unchanged. Iran is still part of the competition, and any decision to change this will require significant developments in the coming weeks.

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Jofra Archer of Rajasthan Royals (ANI photo)

jofra archer He etched his name in the history of Rajasthan Royals with his match-winning magic, making him the franchise’s leading wicket-taker in the IPL.Archer’s figures of 3/20 against Lucknow Super Giants not only sealed an impressive 40-run win but also took his tally of wickets for Rajasthan to 68, overtaking Yuzvendra Chahal (66) to reach the top spot. He now leads the list which includes people like Siddharth Trivedi (65). shane watson (61) and Shane Warne (57).It was a historic performance on the night where Rajasthan’s bowlers once again carried the team. Defending only 159 runs, Royals put up a clinical effort to bowl out LSG for 119 runs in 18 overs, which was recorded as the lowest score successfully defended in a complete, uninterrupted game in IPL 2026.Whereas Mohammed Shami and mohsin khan Combined to dismantle the Rajasthan top order first, it was Archer who ensured there would be no comeback in the chase. His pace and bounce proved too much for the LSG middle order, including the crucial wicket of Aiden Markram on a rising ball.LSG’s goal never gained momentum. Mitchell Marsh struggled alone, scoring 55, but poor shot selection and routine wickets derailed the innings. Rishabh PantEarly dismissal of. The contributions of Nicholas Pooran and others never materialised, as Rajasthan continued to strike at regular intervals.Earlier, Rajasthan struggled with the batting and their top order collapsed once again. it was Ravindra Jadeja Who saved the innings by scoring 43 not out off 29 balls, ensuring they had something to defend.However, in the end the night belonged to Archer. Not just for his spell, but for a milestone that underlines his impact in Royals colors – he is now officially their most successful wicket-taker in IPL history.

India posted their highest ever score against South Africa but still suffered a nine-wicket defeat at the hands of the home side, with skipper Laura Wolvaardt scoring a brilliant century in the third Women’s T20 International against South Africa here on Wednesday.

In this way, South Africa took an unassailable 3-0 lead and won the five-match series. The remaining two WT20Is in Johannesburg and Benoni are now irrelevant.

INDW vs SAW: Highlights of 3rd T20 match

Electing to bat, India scored 192 for 4 – their highest ever score against South Africa – with captain Harmanpreet Kaur and opener Shafali Verma scoring 66 and 64 runs respectively.

But, South Africa captain Wolvaardt scored 115 runs in just 53 balls, while her opening partner Sune Luus scored unbeaten 64 runs in 42 balls against the poor Indian bowlers and easily achieved the target of 193 runs with 21 balls to spare and took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. South Africa reached 193 runs for 1 wicket in 16.3 overs.

This was the third highest successful run chase in women’s T20I history after West Indies and England scored 212 and 198 runs against Australia and India respectively in 2023 and 2018.

Wolvaardt, who has been in top form in the series after scoring 51 and 54 in the first two matches, toyed with the Indian bowlers, hitting 14 fours and five sixes.

Luus, who scored 13 and 57 runs in the first two matches, hit six fours and two sixes.

The South African pair were put together at 183 runs for the first wicket before Wolvaardt was out in the 16th over.

India’s experienced all-rounder Deepti Sharma once again failed with the ball in search of her first wicket in the series. She returned with figures of 0/46 in 3.3 overs on Wednesday.

Earlier, captain Harmanpreet Kaur and opener Shafali Verma scored half-centuries, helping India score 192 runs for 4 wickets with a better batting performance.

Shafali continued her brilliant performance and scored her second consecutive half-century while Harmanpreet’s first half-century in the series. He scored unbeaten 47 and 12 runs in the first two matches, losing which India fell 0-2 in the five-match series.

Harmanpreet scored 66 runs in 38 balls in which she hit seven fours and three sixes.

Shafali, who has scored 34 and 57 in the first two matches of the five-match series for India, displayed solid batting and scored 64 runs from 46 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes.

She made a partnership of 68 runs for the first wicket with her senior partner Smriti Mandhana (37 runs on 25 balls) and 73 runs for the third wicket with Harmanpreet. She tried to take a catch on Nadine de Klerk’s Nonkululeko Mlaba short ball in the 16th over.

Harmanpreet, who was playing dangerously early on, then took charge and hit some powerful hits. She was run out on the last ball of the Indian innings.

Richa Ghosh remained unbeaten after scoring 18 runs on 10 balls.

Star opener Smriti Mandhana got the start but once again failed to score big. Mandhana was going strong in Shafali’s company as the opening pair had scored 51 runs without any loss at the end of the powerplay.

But the course of the game changed when Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues (0) were out on two consecutive balls in the ninth over bowled by Mlaba.

Mandhana failed to cross the boundary and was out after scoring 37 runs in 25 balls. She and Shefali were together till 68 runs.

On the next ball, Jemimah Rodrigues failed to control her sweep shot and was out for a duck as India’s score suddenly dropped to 68 for 2.

Brief Score:

India: 192 for 4 in 20 overs (Shafali Verma 64, Harmanpreet Kaur 66; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2/31).

South Africa: 193 runs for 1 wicket in 16.3 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 115, Sune Luus 64 not out; Shreyanka Patil 1/30).

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