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IPL 2026: Mumbai’s homeboy Shardul Thakur makes memorable MI debut

IPL 2026: Mumbai’s homeboy Shardul Thakur makes memorable MI debut

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He has been part of the Indian Premier League for over a decade. Besides representing five franchises till the last season, he has featured in two title-winning campaigns. Yet, Shardul Thakur would have felt a few butterflies while marking his run-up on Sunday evening.

For the first time, he was turning out for Mumbai Indians — his home franchise. And Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy captain made it a memorable outing, returning Player-of-the-Match figures of three for 39 in four overs against Kolkata Knight Riders, one of his former teams.

On a flat Wankhede track where batters dominated and bowlers struggled to make an impact, Shardul’s variations in pace proved decisive. Mixing slower balls, knuckle balls and change-ups, he struck in each of his first three overs to pull things back after KKR’s explosive start.

Also read | Why didn’t Cameron Green bowl for Kolkata Knight Riders against Mumbai Indians?

“Firstly, he has the skills. He reads the game really well and keeps it simple,” said KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane, who has shared the Mumbai and India dressing room with Shardul. Rahane pointed out that the conditions demanded smarter variations rather than outright pace, and credited Shardul’s experience for executing those plans effectively.

Despite his experience, Mumbai Indians did not pursue Shardul aggressively at any of the auctions. Instead, he arrived via a trade from Lucknow Super Giants during the pre-auction window — a move head coach Mahela Jayawardene described as ‘tactical’.

“To use Allah (Ghazanfar), and with Hardik also bowling up front, we couldn’t have too many new-ball bowlers. I needed options for the middle and the back end. That was the thinking when we traded Shardul,” Jayawardene said.

The move paid immediate dividends. Shardul’s clever spell ensured KKR were kept within reach — a target that Mumbai Indians chased down comfortably.

If the opening night was any indication, Shardul’s long-awaited stint with his home franchise could well turn into a happy homecoming.

Published on Mar 30, 2026

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Deadspin | Cincinnati rallies late to force eventful draw vs. Fire Apr 18, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson (12) (center) heads the ball clear away from Chicago Fire FC midfielder Dje D’avilla (42) during the first half of an MLS match at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images FC Cincinnati scored twice in the final 15 minutes of regulation to earn a 3-3 draw against the visiting Chicago Fire Saturday evening. Hugo Cuypers found the net twice for Chicago, extending his team lead to six goals on the season. But Cincinnati (2-4-2, 8 points) used goals in the 79th and 86th minutes to end the Fire’s (4-2-2, 14 points) three-match MLS winning streak. The match was a battle, with 41 total shots, 16 shots on goal, 20 combined fouls and seven combined yellow cards. After a scoreless 25 minutes to start, both teams heated up offensively, combining for three goals in the next 20 minutes plus stoppage time. Cuypers got the scoring, connecting on a right-footed shot with assists from Philip Zinckernagel and Jack Elliott to give the Fire a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute. In the 42nd minute, Cincinnati striker Tom Barlow tied the match when the rebound of Chris Brady’s save of Bryan Ramirez’s shot fell to his feet at the edge of the 6-yard box. It looked like that 1-1 tie would hold going into halftime, but Cincinnati’s Samuel Gidi picked up a costly foul on Cuypers in the third minute of stoppage time. Zinckernagel took advantage with a right-footed penalty shot that got past Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano and gave the Fire a 2-1 lead. Things went from bad to worse for Cincinnati three minutes into the second half when Cuypers scored again to increase the Fire’s lead to 3-1. Just when time was starting to dwindle, Cincinnati roared back. Evander, who scored 18 goals a season ago, notched his first goal of the season in the 79th minute on a penalty kick set up by Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s foul of Gerardo Valenzuela on his run into the box. Cincinnati then leveled in the 86th minute on an own goal from Chicago’s Dje D’Avilla directly off an Evander free kick. Despite an extended 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time, neither team could find the net, with Brady making his eighth save to keep the game level. Celentano finished with three saves. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Cincinnati #rallies #late #force #eventful #draw #FireApr 18, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson (12) (center) heads the ball clear away from Chicago Fire FC midfielder Dje D’avilla (42) during the first half of an MLS match at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images

FC Cincinnati scored twice in the final 15 minutes of regulation to earn a 3-3 draw against the visiting Chicago Fire Saturday evening.

Hugo Cuypers found the net twice for Chicago, extending his team lead to six goals on the season. But Cincinnati (2-4-2, 8 points) used goals in the 79th and 86th minutes to end the Fire’s (4-2-2, 14 points) three-match MLS winning streak.

The match was a battle, with 41 total shots, 16 shots on goal, 20 combined fouls and seven combined yellow cards.

After a scoreless 25 minutes to start, both teams heated up offensively, combining for three goals in the next 20 minutes plus stoppage time.

Cuypers got the scoring, connecting on a right-footed shot with assists from Philip Zinckernagel and Jack Elliott to give the Fire a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute.

In the 42nd minute, Cincinnati striker Tom Barlow tied the match when the rebound of Chris Brady’s save of Bryan Ramirez’s shot fell to his feet at the edge of the 6-yard box.


It looked like that 1-1 tie would hold going into halftime, but Cincinnati’s Samuel Gidi picked up a costly foul on Cuypers in the third minute of stoppage time. Zinckernagel took advantage with a right-footed penalty shot that got past Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano and gave the Fire a 2-1 lead.

Things went from bad to worse for Cincinnati three minutes into the second half when Cuypers scored again to increase the Fire’s lead to 3-1.

Just when time was starting to dwindle, Cincinnati roared back. Evander, who scored 18 goals a season ago, notched his first goal of the season in the 79th minute on a penalty kick set up by Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s foul of Gerardo Valenzuela on his run into the box.

Cincinnati then leveled in the 86th minute on an own goal from Chicago’s Dje D’Avilla directly off an Evander free kick.

Despite an extended 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time, neither team could find the net, with Brady making his eighth save to keep the game level.

Celentano finished with three saves.

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Cincinnati #rallies #late #force #eventful #draw #Fire">Deadspin | Cincinnati rallies late to force eventful draw vs. Fire Apr 18, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson (12) (center) heads the ball clear away from Chicago Fire FC midfielder Dje D’avilla (42) during the first half of an MLS match at TQL Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images FC Cincinnati scored twice in the final 15 minutes of regulation to earn a 3-3 draw against the visiting Chicago Fire Saturday evening. Hugo Cuypers found the net twice for Chicago, extending his team lead to six goals on the season. But Cincinnati (2-4-2, 8 points) used goals in the 79th and 86th minutes to end the Fire’s (4-2-2, 14 points) three-match MLS winning streak. The match was a battle, with 41 total shots, 16 shots on goal, 20 combined fouls and seven combined yellow cards. After a scoreless 25 minutes to start, both teams heated up offensively, combining for three goals in the next 20 minutes plus stoppage time. Cuypers got the scoring, connecting on a right-footed shot with assists from Philip Zinckernagel and Jack Elliott to give the Fire a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute. In the 42nd minute, Cincinnati striker Tom Barlow tied the match when the rebound of Chris Brady’s save of Bryan Ramirez’s shot fell to his feet at the edge of the 6-yard box. It looked like that 1-1 tie would hold going into halftime, but Cincinnati’s Samuel Gidi picked up a costly foul on Cuypers in the third minute of stoppage time. Zinckernagel took advantage with a right-footed penalty shot that got past Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano and gave the Fire a 2-1 lead. Things went from bad to worse for Cincinnati three minutes into the second half when Cuypers scored again to increase the Fire’s lead to 3-1. Just when time was starting to dwindle, Cincinnati roared back. Evander, who scored 18 goals a season ago, notched his first goal of the season in the 79th minute on a penalty kick set up by Mbekezeli Mbokazi’s foul of Gerardo Valenzuela on his run into the box. Cincinnati then leveled in the 86th minute on an own goal from Chicago’s Dje D’Avilla directly off an Evander free kick. Despite an extended 10 minutes of second-half stoppage time, neither team could find the net, with Brady making his eighth save to keep the game level. Celentano finished with three saves. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Cincinnati #rallies #late #force #eventful #draw #Fire

AZ Alkmaar delivered a dominant performance to win the Dutch ​Cup final on Sunday, hammering NEC ‌Nijmegen 5-1 at the Feyenoord Stadium ​in Rotterdam.

AZ took a deserved ⁠lead after 32 minutes as left back Mees de Wit netted from close range ‌after a mazy run to the byline from left wing ‌Ro-Zangelo Daal.

It added two more after ‌the ⁠break from Sven Mijnans in ⁠the 67th minute and Peer Koopmeiners six minutes after that.

NEC pulled one back in the ​78th minute through ‌Japanese striker Koki Ogawa.

Mijnans had the ball in the net again five minutes from time but it was ‌ruled out for offside in ​the build-up, but at the start of stoppage time, newly-⁠capped Dutch international Kees Smit chipped NEC goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen to make it ‌4-1.

There was still time for one more from Ireland international Troy Parrott five minutes into stoppage time, with his close-range shot taking a wicked deflection.

It was AZ’s fifth Dutch Cup ‌final victory but first in 13 years, ​while NEC has now lost all six finals it has appeared ⁠in.

Cup success means AZ qualifies for ⁠the league phase of next season’s Europa League. It was eliminated ‌last Thursday in the Conference League quarterfinal by Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk.

Published on Apr 20, 2026

#Parrott #Koopmeiners #shine #Alkmaar #wins #KNVB #Cup #years">Parrott, Koopmeiners shine as AZ Alkmaar wins KNVB Cup after 13 years AZ Alkmaar delivered a dominant performance to win the Dutch ​Cup final on Sunday, hammering NEC ‌Nijmegen 5-1 at the Feyenoord Stadium ​in Rotterdam.AZ took a deserved ⁠lead after 32 minutes as left back Mees de Wit netted from close range ‌after a mazy run to the byline from left wing ‌Ro-Zangelo Daal.It added two more after ‌the ⁠break from Sven Mijnans in ⁠the 67th minute and Peer Koopmeiners six minutes after that.NEC pulled one back in the ​78th minute through ‌Japanese striker Koki Ogawa.Mijnans had the ball in the net again five minutes from time but it was ‌ruled out for offside in ​the build-up, but at the start of stoppage time, newly-⁠capped Dutch international Kees Smit chipped NEC goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen to make it ‌4-1.There was still time for one more from Ireland international Troy Parrott five minutes into stoppage time, with his close-range shot taking a wicked deflection.It was AZ’s fifth Dutch Cup ‌final victory but first in 13 years, ​while NEC has now lost all six finals it has appeared ⁠in.Cup success means AZ qualifies for ⁠the league phase of next season’s Europa League. It was eliminated ‌last Thursday in the Conference League quarterfinal by Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk.Published on Apr 20, 2026 #Parrott #Koopmeiners #shine #Alkmaar #wins #KNVB #Cup #years

Deadspin | Charlotte FC score late, edge New York City FC Apr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder Maximiliano Moralez (10) fights for the ball against Charlotte FC midfielder Ashley Westwood (8) during the first half at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images Idan Toklomati and Kerwin Vargas scored second-half goals as Charlotte FC slipped past New York City FC 2-1 on Saturday night for their first road win in three tries this season. Kristijan Kahlina had seven saves for Charlotte (4-2-2, 14 points), which avenged a three-match series loss to NYCFC in the opening round of the MLS playoffs last fall. Charlotte FC, which has lost just once in their last six league matches, is tied for third place in the Eastern Conference. Nicolas Fernandez scored in the third minute of stoppage time in the second half for slumping New York City (3-3-2, 11 points) which has not won in its last four games against MLS competition. Matthew Freese had two saves for NYCFC, which has surrendered eight goals during their four-game skid. After a scoreless first half, Charlotte struck in the 54th minute as Wilfried Zaha maneuvered through traffic in the middle of the field and created a window to send a pass downfield. Harry Toffolo passed forward to an open Toklomati, who tapped a right-footed shot past the onrushing Freese. It was the third goal this season for Toklomati and the third assist for Toffolo as Charlotte scored for just the second time this season in a road match after playing six straight games at home in all competitions. Zaha was the missing piece for Charlotte on April 11 in a 2-1 loss to first-place Nashville SC as he was serving a red-card suspension. The second goal for Charlotte came in the 90th minute as Pep Biel crossed to Vargas, who fired a left-footed shot inside the left post for his second goal this season. New York City answered in stoppage time as Fernandez took a feed across the box from Hannes Wolf and scored with a left-footed blast from just outside the box to the top right corner. NYCFC dominated the scoreless first half with its pressing defense and the creative, well-timed attacks of Maxi Moralez and Agustin Ojeada. While New York City fired 10 shots in the period, Charlotte took just one. For the match, NYCFC outshot Charlotte 23-8, which gave 19-year-old forward Rodolfo Akolo his first MLS start. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Charlotte #score #late #edge #York #CityApr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder Maximiliano Moralez (10) fights for the ball against Charlotte FC midfielder Ashley Westwood (8) during the first half at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images

Idan Toklomati and Kerwin Vargas scored second-half goals as Charlotte FC slipped past New York City FC 2-1 on Saturday night for their first road win in three tries this season.

Kristijan Kahlina had seven saves for Charlotte (4-2-2, 14 points), which avenged a three-match series loss to NYCFC in the opening round of the MLS playoffs last fall.

Charlotte FC, which has lost just once in their last six league matches, is tied for third place in the Eastern Conference.

Nicolas Fernandez scored in the third minute of stoppage time in the second half for slumping New York City (3-3-2, 11 points) which has not won in its last four games against MLS competition.

Matthew Freese had two saves for NYCFC, which has surrendered eight goals during their four-game skid.

After a scoreless first half, Charlotte struck in the 54th minute as Wilfried Zaha maneuvered through traffic in the middle of the field and created a window to send a pass downfield.


Harry Toffolo passed forward to an open Toklomati, who tapped a right-footed shot past the onrushing Freese.

It was the third goal this season for Toklomati and the third assist for Toffolo as Charlotte scored for just the second time this season in a road match after playing six straight games at home in all competitions.

Zaha was the missing piece for Charlotte on April 11 in a 2-1 loss to first-place Nashville SC as he was serving a red-card suspension.

The second goal for Charlotte came in the 90th minute as Pep Biel crossed to Vargas, who fired a left-footed shot inside the left post for his second goal this season.

New York City answered in stoppage time as Fernandez took a feed across the box from Hannes Wolf and scored with a left-footed blast from just outside the box to the top right corner.

NYCFC dominated the scoreless first half with its pressing defense and the creative, well-timed attacks of Maxi Moralez and Agustin Ojeada. While New York City fired 10 shots in the period, Charlotte took just one.

For the match, NYCFC outshot Charlotte 23-8, which gave 19-year-old forward Rodolfo Akolo his first MLS start.


–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Charlotte #score #late #edge #York #City">Deadspin | Charlotte FC score late, edge New York City FC Apr 18, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York City FC midfielder Maximiliano Moralez (10) fights for the ball against Charlotte FC midfielder Ashley Westwood (8) during the first half at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Smith-Imagn Images Idan Toklomati and Kerwin Vargas scored second-half goals as Charlotte FC slipped past New York City FC 2-1 on Saturday night for their first road win in three tries this season. Kristijan Kahlina had seven saves for Charlotte (4-2-2, 14 points), which avenged a three-match series loss to NYCFC in the opening round of the MLS playoffs last fall. Charlotte FC, which has lost just once in their last six league matches, is tied for third place in the Eastern Conference. Nicolas Fernandez scored in the third minute of stoppage time in the second half for slumping New York City (3-3-2, 11 points) which has not won in its last four games against MLS competition. Matthew Freese had two saves for NYCFC, which has surrendered eight goals during their four-game skid. After a scoreless first half, Charlotte struck in the 54th minute as Wilfried Zaha maneuvered through traffic in the middle of the field and created a window to send a pass downfield. Harry Toffolo passed forward to an open Toklomati, who tapped a right-footed shot past the onrushing Freese. It was the third goal this season for Toklomati and the third assist for Toffolo as Charlotte scored for just the second time this season in a road match after playing six straight games at home in all competitions. Zaha was the missing piece for Charlotte on April 11 in a 2-1 loss to first-place Nashville SC as he was serving a red-card suspension. The second goal for Charlotte came in the 90th minute as Pep Biel crossed to Vargas, who fired a left-footed shot inside the left post for his second goal this season. New York City answered in stoppage time as Fernandez took a feed across the box from Hannes Wolf and scored with a left-footed blast from just outside the box to the top right corner. NYCFC dominated the scoreless first half with its pressing defense and the creative, well-timed attacks of Maxi Moralez and Agustin Ojeada. While New York City fired 10 shots in the period, Charlotte took just one. For the match, NYCFC outshot Charlotte 23-8, which gave 19-year-old forward Rodolfo Akolo his first MLS start. –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Charlotte #score #late #edge #York #City

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