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Women’s Candidates winner R. Vaishali returns home to lukewarm welcome in Chennai After 14 rounds of draining, exacting chess, and a final-round victory over former World Rapid and Blitz champion Kateryna Lagno to win the FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026, Grandmaster R. Vaishali returned home in the early hours of Sunday.Despite the odd hour and the restrictions in place owing to the Tamil Nadu Assembly election week, the welcome was relatively subdued, though around 50 students from Velammal were still at the airport to receive her.Carrying placards with messages for the newly crowned challenger, they gathered to greet her, cut a cake and pose for photographs. Nearby stood Vaishali’s family. Her father, Rameshbabu, watched quietly from a corner, taking it all in, before Vaishali spotted him, rushed across and posed with her family and the winner’s medal. The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath For Vaishali, the moment completion of a full circle.Back in 2013, as a 12-year-old, she had been in attendance when Viswanathan Anand faced Magnus Carlsen in Chennai for the World Championship title. More than a decade later, she now finds herself on the verge of that same stage.“It is a dream moment for me. I’m very happy. I’ve followed many World Championship matches, and now I’ll be playing one. I’m really looking forward to it,” Vaishali told Sportstar on her arrival in the city.The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, with multiple players still in contention deep into the tournament.Going into the final round, Vaishali needed to beat Lagno, while Bibisara Assaubayeva, who eventually finished second, had to either lose or draw against fellow Indian Divya Deshmukh. Divya held Bibisara, leaving Vaishali needing a win over Lagno to clinch the title that very day.“Before the tournament, we had worked on different openings, and we had narrowed it down to two that we thought could come up in the final round. As expected, one of them did, and thankfully it worked out,” said Grandmaster M. Pranesh, who travelled with Vaishali as a sparring partner.The opening was the Sicilian Dragon. Lagno gave up a pawn early to generate attacking chances against Vaishali’s king, but Vaishali defended precisely, stayed calm under pressure and gradually turned the position in her favour, using her bishop actively to keep Lagno’s queen under watch.“It was a very close tournament. It could have gone either way, and I won the last game, which was very crucial in that situation,” Vaishali said.Her path to the title had been anything but smooth. Vaishali began with four consecutive draws and then suffered a loss to Zhu Jiner in Round 5. When the two met again in Round 12, Vaishali went in with a one-point lead, only to lose once more. Yet that defeat, paradoxically, would come to be seen by her camp as a turning point rather than a setback.“The second loss was actually crucial,” said coach R.B. Ramesh. “She went into Round 12 with a one-point lead and then lost to Zhu, which brought them level. I told her to treat it as if she had drawn the game, because she was still in joint lead going into Round 13 against Tan Zhongyi. The idea was to take it positively and move on.”Almost everyone around Vaishali in Cyprus echoed that view. The loss to Zhu did not derail her campaign. If anything, it released some of the tension that had built up around the burden of leading and allowed her to reset for the final push.Now comes the biggest match of her career: a World Championship clash against reigning champion Ju Wenjun. The two met at last year’s Norway Chess Women, where their classical game ended in a draw before Vaishali won the Armageddon tiebreak, her first victory over Ju in any format. R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath “I have played only a few classical games against her, and I’m very excited to face her for the title next,” Vaishali said.For Ramesh and the team around her, the scale of what lies ahead is still sinking in. Planning, he said, will begin soon, with discussions around building a support team, identifying areas of improvement and deciding the structure of the training camp, likely from the first week of May.“It will be her first match on such a big stage, and even for all of us it will be a new experience,” Ramesh said. “We will take suggestions from experienced people around us, listen to feedback and then move forward from there.”Published on Apr 19, 2026 #Womens #Candidates #winner #Vaishali #returns #home #lukewarm #Chennai

Women’s Candidates winner R. Vaishali returns home to lukewarm welcome in Chennai

After 14 rounds of draining, exacting chess, and a final-round victory over former World Rapid and Blitz champion Kateryna Lagno to win the FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026, Grandmaster R. Vaishali returned home in the early hours of Sunday.

Despite the odd hour and the restrictions in place owing to the Tamil Nadu Assembly election week, the welcome was relatively subdued, though around 50 students from Velammal were still at the airport to receive her.

Carrying placards with messages for the newly crowned challenger, they gathered to greet her, cut a cake and pose for photographs. Nearby stood Vaishali’s family. Her father, Rameshbabu, watched quietly from a corner, taking it all in, before Vaishali spotted him, rushed across and posed with her family and the winner’s medal.

Women’s Candidates winner R. Vaishali returns home to lukewarm welcome in Chennai After 14 rounds of draining, exacting chess, and a final-round victory over former World Rapid and Blitz champion Kateryna Lagno to win the FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026, Grandmaster R. Vaishali returned home in the early hours of Sunday.Despite the odd hour and the restrictions in place owing to the Tamil Nadu Assembly election week, the welcome was relatively subdued, though around 50 students from Velammal were still at the airport to receive her.Carrying placards with messages for the newly crowned challenger, they gathered to greet her, cut a cake and pose for photographs. Nearby stood Vaishali’s family. Her father, Rameshbabu, watched quietly from a corner, taking it all in, before Vaishali spotted him, rushed across and posed with her family and the winner’s medal. The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath For Vaishali, the moment completion of a full circle.Back in 2013, as a 12-year-old, she had been in attendance when Viswanathan Anand faced Magnus Carlsen in Chennai for the World Championship title. More than a decade later, she now finds herself on the verge of that same stage.“It is a dream moment for me. I’m very happy. I’ve followed many World Championship matches, and now I’ll be playing one. I’m really looking forward to it,” Vaishali told Sportstar on her arrival in the city.The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, with multiple players still in contention deep into the tournament.Going into the final round, Vaishali needed to beat Lagno, while Bibisara Assaubayeva, who eventually finished second, had to either lose or draw against fellow Indian Divya Deshmukh. Divya held Bibisara, leaving Vaishali needing a win over Lagno to clinch the title that very day.“Before the tournament, we had worked on different openings, and we had narrowed it down to two that we thought could come up in the final round. As expected, one of them did, and thankfully it worked out,” said Grandmaster M. Pranesh, who travelled with Vaishali as a sparring partner.The opening was the Sicilian Dragon. Lagno gave up a pawn early to generate attacking chances against Vaishali’s king, but Vaishali defended precisely, stayed calm under pressure and gradually turned the position in her favour, using her bishop actively to keep Lagno’s queen under watch.“It was a very close tournament. It could have gone either way, and I won the last game, which was very crucial in that situation,” Vaishali said.Her path to the title had been anything but smooth. Vaishali began with four consecutive draws and then suffered a loss to Zhu Jiner in Round 5. When the two met again in Round 12, Vaishali went in with a one-point lead, only to lose once more. Yet that defeat, paradoxically, would come to be seen by her camp as a turning point rather than a setback.“The second loss was actually crucial,” said coach R.B. Ramesh. “She went into Round 12 with a one-point lead and then lost to Zhu, which brought them level. I told her to treat it as if she had drawn the game, because she was still in joint lead going into Round 13 against Tan Zhongyi. The idea was to take it positively and move on.”Almost everyone around Vaishali in Cyprus echoed that view. The loss to Zhu did not derail her campaign. If anything, it released some of the tension that had built up around the burden of leading and allowed her to reset for the final push.Now comes the biggest match of her career: a World Championship clash against reigning champion Ju Wenjun. The two met at last year’s Norway Chess Women, where their classical game ended in a draw before Vaishali won the Armageddon tiebreak, her first victory over Ju in any format. R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath “I have played only a few classical games against her, and I’m very excited to face her for the title next,” Vaishali said.For Ramesh and the team around her, the scale of what lies ahead is still sinking in. Planning, he said, will begin soon, with discussions around building a support team, identifying areas of improvement and deciding the structure of the training camp, likely from the first week of May.“It will be her first match on such a big stage, and even for all of us it will be a new experience,” Ramesh said. “We will take suggestions from experienced people around us, listen to feedback and then move forward from there.”Published on Apr 19, 2026 #Womens #Candidates #winner #Vaishali #returns #home #lukewarm #Chennai

The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath

lightbox-info

The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath

For Vaishali, the moment completion of a full circle.

Back in 2013, as a 12-year-old, she had been in attendance when Viswanathan Anand faced Magnus Carlsen in Chennai for the World Championship title. More than a decade later, she now finds herself on the verge of that same stage.

“It is a dream moment for me. I’m very happy. I’ve followed many World Championship matches, and now I’ll be playing one. I’m really looking forward to it,” Vaishali told Sportstar on her arrival in the city.

The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, with multiple players still in contention deep into the tournament.

Going into the final round, Vaishali needed to beat Lagno, while Bibisara Assaubayeva, who eventually finished second, had to either lose or draw against fellow Indian Divya Deshmukh. Divya held Bibisara, leaving Vaishali needing a win over Lagno to clinch the title that very day.

“Before the tournament, we had worked on different openings, and we had narrowed it down to two that we thought could come up in the final round. As expected, one of them did, and thankfully it worked out,” said Grandmaster M. Pranesh, who travelled with Vaishali as a sparring partner.

The opening was the Sicilian Dragon. Lagno gave up a pawn early to generate attacking chances against Vaishali’s king, but Vaishali defended precisely, stayed calm under pressure and gradually turned the position in her favour, using her bishop actively to keep Lagno’s queen under watch.

“It was a very close tournament. It could have gone either way, and I won the last game, which was very crucial in that situation,” Vaishali said.

Her path to the title had been anything but smooth. Vaishali began with four consecutive draws and then suffered a loss to Zhu Jiner in Round 5. When the two met again in Round 12, Vaishali went in with a one-point lead, only to lose once more. Yet that defeat, paradoxically, would come to be seen by her camp as a turning point rather than a setback.

“The second loss was actually crucial,” said coach R.B. Ramesh. “She went into Round 12 with a one-point lead and then lost to Zhu, which brought them level. I told her to treat it as if she had drawn the game, because she was still in joint lead going into Round 13 against Tan Zhongyi. The idea was to take it positively and move on.”

Almost everyone around Vaishali in Cyprus echoed that view. The loss to Zhu did not derail her campaign. If anything, it released some of the tension that had built up around the burden of leading and allowed her to reset for the final push.

Now comes the biggest match of her career: a World Championship clash against reigning champion Ju Wenjun. The two met at last year’s Norway Chess Women, where their classical game ended in a draw before Vaishali won the Armageddon tiebreak, her first victory over Ju in any format.

R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun.

R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath

lightbox-info

R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun. | Photo Credit: M. Srinath

“I have played only a few classical games against her, and I’m very excited to face her for the title next,” Vaishali said.

For Ramesh and the team around her, the scale of what lies ahead is still sinking in. Planning, he said, will begin soon, with discussions around building a support team, identifying areas of improvement and deciding the structure of the training camp, likely from the first week of May.

“It will be her first match on such a big stage, and even for all of us it will be a new experience,” Ramesh said. “We will take suggestions from experienced people around us, listen to feedback and then move forward from there.”

Published on Apr 19, 2026

#Womens #Candidates #winner #Vaishali #returns #home #lukewarm #Chennai

Sports news , , , , , , , ,

After 14 rounds of draining, exacting chess, and a final-round victory over former World Rapid and Blitz champion Kateryna Lagno to win the FIDE Women’s Candidates 2026, Grandmaster R. Vaishali returned home in the early hours of Sunday.

Despite the odd hour and the restrictions in place owing to the Tamil Nadu Assembly election week, the welcome was relatively subdued, though around 50 students from Velammal were still at the airport to receive her.

Carrying placards with messages for the newly crowned challenger, they gathered to greet her, cut a cake and pose for photographs. Nearby stood Vaishali’s family. Her father, Rameshbabu, watched quietly from a corner, taking it all in, before Vaishali spotted him, rushed across and posed with her family and the winner’s medal.

The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus.
| Photo Credit:
M. Srinath

lightbox-info

The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, and Vaishali’s patience and resilience saw her finally lift the title in Cyprus.
| Photo Credit:
M. Srinath

For Vaishali, the moment completion of a full circle.

Back in 2013, as a 12-year-old, she had been in attendance when Viswanathan Anand faced Magnus Carlsen in Chennai for the World Championship title. More than a decade later, she now finds herself on the verge of that same stage.

“It is a dream moment for me. I’m very happy. I’ve followed many World Championship matches, and now I’ll be playing one. I’m really looking forward to it,” Vaishali told Sportstar on her arrival in the city.

The Women’s Candidates remained open almost until the very end, with multiple players still in contention deep into the tournament.

Going into the final round, Vaishali needed to beat Lagno, while Bibisara Assaubayeva, who eventually finished second, had to either lose or draw against fellow Indian Divya Deshmukh. Divya held Bibisara, leaving Vaishali needing a win over Lagno to clinch the title that very day.

“Before the tournament, we had worked on different openings, and we had narrowed it down to two that we thought could come up in the final round. As expected, one of them did, and thankfully it worked out,” said Grandmaster M. Pranesh, who travelled with Vaishali as a sparring partner.

The opening was the Sicilian Dragon. Lagno gave up a pawn early to generate attacking chances against Vaishali’s king, but Vaishali defended precisely, stayed calm under pressure and gradually turned the position in her favour, using her bishop actively to keep Lagno’s queen under watch.

“It was a very close tournament. It could have gone either way, and I won the last game, which was very crucial in that situation,” Vaishali said.

Her path to the title had been anything but smooth. Vaishali began with four consecutive draws and then suffered a loss to Zhu Jiner in Round 5. When the two met again in Round 12, Vaishali went in with a one-point lead, only to lose once more. Yet that defeat, paradoxically, would come to be seen by her camp as a turning point rather than a setback.

“The second loss was actually crucial,” said coach R.B. Ramesh. “She went into Round 12 with a one-point lead and then lost to Zhu, which brought them level. I told her to treat it as if she had drawn the game, because she was still in joint lead going into Round 13 against Tan Zhongyi. The idea was to take it positively and move on.”

Almost everyone around Vaishali in Cyprus echoed that view. The loss to Zhu did not derail her campaign. If anything, it released some of the tension that had built up around the burden of leading and allowed her to reset for the final push.

Now comes the biggest match of her career: a World Championship clash against reigning champion Ju Wenjun. The two met at last year’s Norway Chess Women, where their classical game ended in a draw before Vaishali won the Armageddon tiebreak, her first victory over Ju in any format.

R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun.

R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun.
| Photo Credit:
M. Srinath

lightbox-info

R. Vaishali’s challenges will only go steeper from here, for her next big match is against reigning world champion Ju Wenjun.
| Photo Credit:
M. Srinath

“I have played only a few classical games against her, and I’m very excited to face her for the title next,” Vaishali said.

For Ramesh and the team around her, the scale of what lies ahead is still sinking in. Planning, he said, will begin soon, with discussions around building a support team, identifying areas of improvement and deciding the structure of the training camp, likely from the first week of May.

“It will be her first match on such a big stage, and even for all of us it will be a new experience,” Ramesh said. “We will take suggestions from experienced people around us, listen to feedback and then move forward from there.”

Published on Apr 19, 2026

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Deadspin | Wild handle Avalanche first postseason loss in dominant fashion May 9, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Parker Kelly (17) on a breakaway against Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt (30) in the first period of game three of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber each finished with a goal and two assists as the Minnesota Wild pulled away for a 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Saturday night in Saint Paul, Minn. Quinn Hughes tallied a goal and an assist for Minnesota, which pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Ryan Hartman and Matt Boldy also scored for the Wild. Nathan MacKinnon scored the only goal for Colorado, which lost for the first time in the postseason after entering with a 6-0 record. Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt turned aside 34 of 35 shots to earn the victory. Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood allowed three goals on 12 shots before he was replaced in the second period. Mackenzie Blackwood saw his first action of the postseason and stopped 12 of 13 shots in backup duty. The teams will reconvene for Game 4 on Monday night in Minnesota. Minnesota grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period. Kaprizov opened the scoring with 4:49 remaining in the first period. He raced toward the net, took a pass from Faber and finished with a wrist shot from the left side of the crease. Hughes scored less than two minutes later to give the Wild a two-goal advantage. He handled the puck from the left circle to the top of the slot and fired a wrist shot through traffic for the power-play goal. Another power-play goal gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead with 15:37 left in the second period. Hartman parked in front of the crease and knocked in a shot from the point by Mats Zuccarello. The Avalanche got on the scoreboard with 6:49 remaining in the second period. Wallstedt stopped Colorado’s initial shot, but MacKinnon spotted the rebound and punched it in for the power-play goal. The Wild needed only 20 seconds to respond. Faber scored on a deflection to increase the Wild’s lead to 4-1 with 6:29 to go in the second period. Boldy capped the scoring with an empty-net goal with 3.3 seconds remaining. -Field Level Media #Deadspin #Wild #handle #Avalanche #postseason #loss #dominant #fashionMay 9, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Parker Kelly (17) on a breakaway against Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt (30) in the first period of game three of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber each finished with a goal and two assists as the Minnesota Wild pulled away for a 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Saturday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

Quinn Hughes tallied a goal and an assist for Minnesota, which pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Ryan Hartman and Matt Boldy also scored for the Wild.

Nathan MacKinnon scored the only goal for Colorado, which lost for the first time in the postseason after entering with a 6-0 record.

Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt turned aside 34 of 35 shots to earn the victory.

Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood allowed three goals on 12 shots before he was replaced in the second period. Mackenzie Blackwood saw his first action of the postseason and stopped 12 of 13 shots in backup duty.

The teams will reconvene for Game 4 on Monday night in Minnesota.


Minnesota grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period. Kaprizov opened the scoring with 4:49 remaining in the first period. He raced toward the net, took a pass from Faber and finished with a wrist shot from the left side of the crease.

Hughes scored less than two minutes later to give the Wild a two-goal advantage. He handled the puck from the left circle to the top of the slot and fired a wrist shot through traffic for the power-play goal.

Another power-play goal gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead with 15:37 left in the second period. Hartman parked in front of the crease and knocked in a shot from the point by Mats Zuccarello.

The Avalanche got on the scoreboard with 6:49 remaining in the second period. Wallstedt stopped Colorado’s initial shot, but MacKinnon spotted the rebound and punched it in for the power-play goal.

The Wild needed only 20 seconds to respond. Faber scored on a deflection to increase the Wild’s lead to 4-1 with 6:29 to go in the second period.

Boldy capped the scoring with an empty-net goal with 3.3 seconds remaining.

-Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Wild #handle #Avalanche #postseason #loss #dominant #fashion">Deadspin | Wild handle Avalanche first postseason loss in dominant fashion May 9, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Colorado Avalanche center Parker Kelly (17) on a breakaway against Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt (30) in the first period of game three of the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber each finished with a goal and two assists as the Minnesota Wild pulled away for a 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Saturday night in Saint Paul, Minn. Quinn Hughes tallied a goal and an assist for Minnesota, which pulled within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Ryan Hartman and Matt Boldy also scored for the Wild. Nathan MacKinnon scored the only goal for Colorado, which lost for the first time in the postseason after entering with a 6-0 record. Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt turned aside 34 of 35 shots to earn the victory. Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood allowed three goals on 12 shots before he was replaced in the second period. Mackenzie Blackwood saw his first action of the postseason and stopped 12 of 13 shots in backup duty. The teams will reconvene for Game 4 on Monday night in Minnesota. Minnesota grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period. Kaprizov opened the scoring with 4:49 remaining in the first period. He raced toward the net, took a pass from Faber and finished with a wrist shot from the left side of the crease. Hughes scored less than two minutes later to give the Wild a two-goal advantage. He handled the puck from the left circle to the top of the slot and fired a wrist shot through traffic for the power-play goal. Another power-play goal gave Minnesota a 3-0 lead with 15:37 left in the second period. Hartman parked in front of the crease and knocked in a shot from the point by Mats Zuccarello. The Avalanche got on the scoreboard with 6:49 remaining in the second period. Wallstedt stopped Colorado’s initial shot, but MacKinnon spotted the rebound and punched it in for the power-play goal. The Wild needed only 20 seconds to respond. Faber scored on a deflection to increase the Wild’s lead to 4-1 with 6:29 to go in the second period. Boldy capped the scoring with an empty-net goal with 3.3 seconds remaining. -Field Level Media #Deadspin #Wild #handle #Avalanche #postseason #loss #dominant #fashion

Of the 10-15 programs that had the greatest impact on men’s college basketball over the past couple of decades, perhaps none entered the post-COVID world with a more uncertain long-term future than Florida.

From 2014 through 2o24, Florida participated in a total of just five NCAA Tournaments. It was never seeded better than fourth, and it made the tournament’s second weekend just one time.

There was a general belief that UF was a program that had experienced a few nice moments over the years, caught lightning in a bottle for a brief stretch in the mid-2000s, and now was poised to live out the remainder of its basketball existence as a notable also-ran.

Such an existence would not have been atypical for Florida.

On a football-crazy campus, Gator basketball was always fighting an uphill battle when it came to trying to capture the complete attention of its fan base before late December. Before Billy Donovan arrived in Gainesville in 1996, the sport wasn’t even a post-holiday hobby.

Despite playing in a power conference since the inception of the SEC in 1932, Florida had played in just five NCAA Tournaments in its history. It had advanced past the opening weekend just twice before Donovan was hired.

The hiring of Donovan, who was just 31-years-old and (despite his slicked back hair) looked like he could have passed for 21, didn’t make much of an impact in the college basketball world initially. Donovan was a name, sure, but that was more from his playing days at Providence and his tight-knit relationship with his college coach, Rick Pitino. After spending five seasons as an assistant at Kentucky under Pitino, Donovan was hired as the head coach at Marshall where he went 35-20 over two seasons and never flirted with an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Despite the lack of anything resembling an initial splash, the hiring of Donovan ushered in an era of success in Gainesville that no one saw coming.

Under the direction of “Billy the Kid,” Florida made 14 trips to the Big Dance, won six SEC championships, advanced to the Final Four four times, and until 12 months ago, was the most recent program to win back-to-back national championships (2006-07).

As it tends to do, all that success came hand-in-hand with rumors of bigger and better things for the man responsible. Openings at programs like Kentucky and UCLA and a brief commitment by Donovan to become the new head coach of the Orlando Magic forced Florida fans to come face-to-face with the question of what their national powerhouse of a basketball program would look like without the man receiving the lion’s share of the credit for its rapid ascension.

They got to face that world head on when Donovan was finally lured away by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. The departure came after a woeful 16-17 campaign, Donovan’s first losing season as a head coach since his second year in Gainesville.

Florida handed the keys to its car to Mike White. Like Donovan before him, White had been a head coach at just one stop prior to UF (Louisiana Tech), and had never coached a game in the NCAA Tournament. That was just about where the similarities ended.

The program didn’t fall off a cliff in the years immediately following Donovan’s departure, but it didn’t soar either. White took Florida to the NCAA Tournament in four straight years from 2017-2021, winning at least one game in the Big Dance each time. But there was just one trip past the second round, the team was never a serious contender for an SEC championship, and the Gators were just 10-15 in the month of March between 2017 and 2022. That’s when White pulled a “you can’t fire me, I quit” and bolted for Georgia.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin quickly turned his attention to Todd Golden, a head coach with a familiar profile.

Golden was 36, looked significantly younger, and had a forward-thinking approach to the game at basketball. At San Francisco, Golden had preached “Nerd Ball,” a term coined by previous USF head coach Kyle Smith, whom Golden worked under for three seasons. Emphasizing analytics and internal “hustle stats” specific to the program, Golden won 57 games in three seasons with the Dons, leading them to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection in 2022.

Questions from Gator fans about whether or not the approach could work at the power conference level were not initially met with a comforting answer. Florida went 16-17 in year one, losing in the first round of the NIT. They made the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed a year later, losing to Colorado in the first round.

The 2024-25 season was supposed to be another small step forward for Golden and company. The Gators were No. 21 in the preseason AP top 25 poll, and picked to finish sixth in the SEC.

In an era of unprecedented roster turnover, Golden banked on roster retention being the key to a season of overachievement. He had been able to convince the five-player nucleus of his 2023-24 team, including All-American Walter Clayton Jr., to return to Gainesville for at least one more season.

“For us going from years two to three, one of the advantages that we thought we had going into the off-season was that we had some good young guys in our program,” Golden said at SEC Media Day before the season. “But it all starts with the retention, and it all starts with that continuity, and any team that’s able to build continuity within their program I think is going to be a better chance of being successful.”

Golden added that if his team could advance in the NCAA Tournament and finish the season ranked higher than its preseason ranking of 21, it would be a nice way to show the fans that the program is back on the right track. They did far more than that, winning a school-record 36 games, rolling to the national championship, and making Golden the youngest head coach since the legendary Jim Valvano to cut down the nets.

With the historic win over Houston in the title game, “football school” Florida became one of just 10 men’s college basketball programs to win three or more national championships, and joined UConn as the only two programs in the sport to win more than two titles over the last 20 years.

But could the lightning be kept in the bottle a bit longer this time?

Golden lost the three leading scorers from his national title team to graduation, but was able to convince all three members of his stellar frontcourt to return to Gainesville for another year. The additions of transfer guards Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) struggled to gel early in the season but found their stride during conference play. The Gators won 11 consecutive games to end the regular season and, ultimately, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. The dream of back-to-back titles for the second time in two decades came crashing to a halt with a stunning 1-point loss to Iowa in the second round.

Any concern that the window on Florida’s second run of elite success might be closing got shut down almost immediately after the team’s tournament exit.

Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Huagh — widely considered to be the best frontcourt trio in the country — all announced that they would be spurning the NBA and the transfer portal in favor of returning to Florida for one more shot at a second title. Fland, who was stellar for the Gators down the stretch of the 2025-26 season, also announced that he was returning, citing “unfinished business.” Golden is also bringing back top reserve guard Urban Klavzar, and though he needs a waiver to play, is also potentially getting back guard Denzel Aberdeen, a key reserve on the 2025 championship team who spent last season at Kentucky.

This unprecedented level of roster retention in the transfer portal/NIL era has made the Gators nearly everyone’s “way too early” No. 1 team for the 2026-27 season.

Golden isn’t the only head coach to talk about the importance of roster retention in this brave, new world of college hoops, but he’s executed the concoction of that “secret sauce” better than anyone in the country has over the past three years. The result is Florida basketball potentially being positioned for its best run of sustained success ever, one that could push it even further up the all-time college basketball totem pole.

#Florida #figure #college #basketballs #secret #sauce #national #championship #favorites">Florida figure out college basketball’s ‘secret sauce,’ and it makes them national championship favorites Of the 10-15 programs that had the greatest impact on men’s college basketball over the past couple of decades, perhaps none entered the post-COVID world with a more uncertain long-term future than Florida.From 2014 through 2o24, Florida participated in a total of just five NCAA Tournaments. It was never seeded better than fourth, and it made the tournament’s second weekend just one time.There was a general belief that UF was a program that had experienced a few nice moments over the years, caught lightning in a bottle for a brief stretch in the mid-2000s, and now was poised to live out the remainder of its basketball existence as a notable also-ran.Such an existence would not have been atypical for Florida.On a football-crazy campus, Gator basketball was always fighting an uphill battle when it came to trying to capture the complete attention of its fan base before late December. Before Billy Donovan arrived in Gainesville in 1996, the sport wasn’t even a post-holiday hobby.Despite playing in a power conference since the inception of the SEC in 1932, Florida had played in just five NCAA Tournaments in its history. It had advanced past the opening weekend just twice before Donovan was hired.The hiring of Donovan, who was just 31-years-old and (despite his slicked back hair) looked like he could have passed for 21, didn’t make much of an impact in the college basketball world initially. Donovan was a name, sure, but that was more from his playing days at Providence and his tight-knit relationship with his college coach, Rick Pitino. After spending five seasons as an assistant at Kentucky under Pitino, Donovan was hired as the head coach at Marshall where he went 35-20 over two seasons and never flirted with an NCAA Tournament appearance.Despite the lack of anything resembling an initial splash, the hiring of Donovan ushered in an era of success in Gainesville that no one saw coming.Under the direction of “Billy the Kid,” Florida made 14 trips to the Big Dance, won six SEC championships, advanced to the Final Four four times, and until 12 months ago, was the most recent program to win back-to-back national championships (2006-07).As it tends to do, all that success came hand-in-hand with rumors of bigger and better things for the man responsible. Openings at programs like Kentucky and UCLA and a brief commitment by Donovan to become the new head coach of the Orlando Magic forced Florida fans to come face-to-face with the question of what their national powerhouse of a basketball program would look like without the man receiving the lion’s share of the credit for its rapid ascension.They got to face that world head on when Donovan was finally lured away by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. The departure came after a woeful 16-17 campaign, Donovan’s first losing season as a head coach since his second year in Gainesville.Florida handed the keys to its car to Mike White. Like Donovan before him, White had been a head coach at just one stop prior to UF (Louisiana Tech), and had never coached a game in the NCAA Tournament. That was just about where the similarities ended.The program didn’t fall off a cliff in the years immediately following Donovan’s departure, but it didn’t soar either. White took Florida to the NCAA Tournament in four straight years from 2017-2021, winning at least one game in the Big Dance each time. But there was just one trip past the second round, the team was never a serious contender for an SEC championship, and the Gators were just 10-15 in the month of March between 2017 and 2022. That’s when White pulled a “you can’t fire me, I quit” and bolted for Georgia.Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin quickly turned his attention to Todd Golden, a head coach with a familiar profile.Golden was 36, looked significantly younger, and had a forward-thinking approach to the game at basketball. At San Francisco, Golden had preached “Nerd Ball,” a term coined by previous USF head coach Kyle Smith, whom Golden worked under for three seasons. Emphasizing analytics and internal “hustle stats” specific to the program, Golden won 57 games in three seasons with the Dons, leading them to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection in 2022.Questions from Gator fans about whether or not the approach could work at the power conference level were not initially met with a comforting answer. Florida went 16-17 in year one, losing in the first round of the NIT. They made the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed a year later, losing to Colorado in the first round.The 2024-25 season was supposed to be another small step forward for Golden and company. The Gators were No. 21 in the preseason AP top 25 poll, and picked to finish sixth in the SEC.In an era of unprecedented roster turnover, Golden banked on roster retention being the key to a season of overachievement. He had been able to convince the five-player nucleus of his 2023-24 team, including All-American Walter Clayton Jr., to return to Gainesville for at least one more season.“For us going from years two to three, one of the advantages that we thought we had going into the off-season was that we had some good young guys in our program,” Golden said at SEC Media Day before the season. “But it all starts with the retention, and it all starts with that continuity, and any team that’s able to build continuity within their program I think is going to be a better chance of being successful.”Golden added that if his team could advance in the NCAA Tournament and finish the season ranked higher than its preseason ranking of 21, it would be a nice way to show the fans that the program is back on the right track. They did far more than that, winning a school-record 36 games, rolling to the national championship, and making Golden the youngest head coach since the legendary Jim Valvano to cut down the nets.With the historic win over Houston in the title game, “football school” Florida became one of just 10 men’s college basketball programs to win three or more national championships, and joined UConn as the only two programs in the sport to win more than two titles over the last 20 years.But could the lightning be kept in the bottle a bit longer this time?Golden lost the three leading scorers from his national title team to graduation, but was able to convince all three members of his stellar frontcourt to return to Gainesville for another year. The additions of transfer guards Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) struggled to gel early in the season but found their stride during conference play. The Gators won 11 consecutive games to end the regular season and, ultimately, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. The dream of back-to-back titles for the second time in two decades came crashing to a halt with a stunning 1-point loss to Iowa in the second round.Any concern that the window on Florida’s second run of elite success might be closing got shut down almost immediately after the team’s tournament exit.Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Huagh — widely considered to be the best frontcourt trio in the country — all announced that they would be spurning the NBA and the transfer portal in favor of returning to Florida for one more shot at a second title. Fland, who was stellar for the Gators down the stretch of the 2025-26 season, also announced that he was returning, citing “unfinished business.” Golden is also bringing back top reserve guard Urban Klavzar, and though he needs a waiver to play, is also potentially getting back guard Denzel Aberdeen, a key reserve on the 2025 championship team who spent last season at Kentucky.This unprecedented level of roster retention in the transfer portal/NIL era has made the Gators nearly everyone’s “way too early” No. 1 team for the 2026-27 season.Golden isn’t the only head coach to talk about the importance of roster retention in this brave, new world of college hoops, but he’s executed the concoction of that “secret sauce” better than anyone in the country has over the past three years. The result is Florida basketball potentially being positioned for its best run of sustained success ever, one that could push it even further up the all-time college basketball totem pole. #Florida #figure #college #basketballs #secret #sauce #national #championship #favorites

way too early” No. 1 team for the 2026-27 season.

Golden isn’t the only head coach to talk about the importance of roster retention in this brave, new world of college hoops, but he’s executed the concoction of that “secret sauce” better than anyone in the country has over the past three years. The result is Florida basketball potentially being positioned for its best run of sustained success ever, one that could push it even further up the all-time college basketball totem pole.

#Florida #figure #college #basketballs #secret #sauce #national #championship #favorites">Florida figure out college basketball’s ‘secret sauce,’ and it makes them national championship favorites

Of the 10-15 programs that had the greatest impact on men’s college basketball over the past couple of decades, perhaps none entered the post-COVID world with a more uncertain long-term future than Florida.

From 2014 through 2o24, Florida participated in a total of just five NCAA Tournaments. It was never seeded better than fourth, and it made the tournament’s second weekend just one time.

There was a general belief that UF was a program that had experienced a few nice moments over the years, caught lightning in a bottle for a brief stretch in the mid-2000s, and now was poised to live out the remainder of its basketball existence as a notable also-ran.

Such an existence would not have been atypical for Florida.

On a football-crazy campus, Gator basketball was always fighting an uphill battle when it came to trying to capture the complete attention of its fan base before late December. Before Billy Donovan arrived in Gainesville in 1996, the sport wasn’t even a post-holiday hobby.

Despite playing in a power conference since the inception of the SEC in 1932, Florida had played in just five NCAA Tournaments in its history. It had advanced past the opening weekend just twice before Donovan was hired.

The hiring of Donovan, who was just 31-years-old and (despite his slicked back hair) looked like he could have passed for 21, didn’t make much of an impact in the college basketball world initially. Donovan was a name, sure, but that was more from his playing days at Providence and his tight-knit relationship with his college coach, Rick Pitino. After spending five seasons as an assistant at Kentucky under Pitino, Donovan was hired as the head coach at Marshall where he went 35-20 over two seasons and never flirted with an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Despite the lack of anything resembling an initial splash, the hiring of Donovan ushered in an era of success in Gainesville that no one saw coming.

Under the direction of “Billy the Kid,” Florida made 14 trips to the Big Dance, won six SEC championships, advanced to the Final Four four times, and until 12 months ago, was the most recent program to win back-to-back national championships (2006-07).

As it tends to do, all that success came hand-in-hand with rumors of bigger and better things for the man responsible. Openings at programs like Kentucky and UCLA and a brief commitment by Donovan to become the new head coach of the Orlando Magic forced Florida fans to come face-to-face with the question of what their national powerhouse of a basketball program would look like without the man receiving the lion’s share of the credit for its rapid ascension.

They got to face that world head on when Donovan was finally lured away by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. The departure came after a woeful 16-17 campaign, Donovan’s first losing season as a head coach since his second year in Gainesville.

Florida handed the keys to its car to Mike White. Like Donovan before him, White had been a head coach at just one stop prior to UF (Louisiana Tech), and had never coached a game in the NCAA Tournament. That was just about where the similarities ended.

The program didn’t fall off a cliff in the years immediately following Donovan’s departure, but it didn’t soar either. White took Florida to the NCAA Tournament in four straight years from 2017-2021, winning at least one game in the Big Dance each time. But there was just one trip past the second round, the team was never a serious contender for an SEC championship, and the Gators were just 10-15 in the month of March between 2017 and 2022. That’s when White pulled a “you can’t fire me, I quit” and bolted for Georgia.

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin quickly turned his attention to Todd Golden, a head coach with a familiar profile.

Golden was 36, looked significantly younger, and had a forward-thinking approach to the game at basketball. At San Francisco, Golden had preached “Nerd Ball,” a term coined by previous USF head coach Kyle Smith, whom Golden worked under for three seasons. Emphasizing analytics and internal “hustle stats” specific to the program, Golden won 57 games in three seasons with the Dons, leading them to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection in 2022.

Questions from Gator fans about whether or not the approach could work at the power conference level were not initially met with a comforting answer. Florida went 16-17 in year one, losing in the first round of the NIT. They made the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed a year later, losing to Colorado in the first round.

The 2024-25 season was supposed to be another small step forward for Golden and company. The Gators were No. 21 in the preseason AP top 25 poll, and picked to finish sixth in the SEC.

In an era of unprecedented roster turnover, Golden banked on roster retention being the key to a season of overachievement. He had been able to convince the five-player nucleus of his 2023-24 team, including All-American Walter Clayton Jr., to return to Gainesville for at least one more season.

“For us going from years two to three, one of the advantages that we thought we had going into the off-season was that we had some good young guys in our program,” Golden said at SEC Media Day before the season. “But it all starts with the retention, and it all starts with that continuity, and any team that’s able to build continuity within their program I think is going to be a better chance of being successful.”

Golden added that if his team could advance in the NCAA Tournament and finish the season ranked higher than its preseason ranking of 21, it would be a nice way to show the fans that the program is back on the right track. They did far more than that, winning a school-record 36 games, rolling to the national championship, and making Golden the youngest head coach since the legendary Jim Valvano to cut down the nets.

With the historic win over Houston in the title game, “football school” Florida became one of just 10 men’s college basketball programs to win three or more national championships, and joined UConn as the only two programs in the sport to win more than two titles over the last 20 years.

But could the lightning be kept in the bottle a bit longer this time?

Golden lost the three leading scorers from his national title team to graduation, but was able to convince all three members of his stellar frontcourt to return to Gainesville for another year. The additions of transfer guards Boogie Fland (Arkansas) and Xaivian Lee (Princeton) struggled to gel early in the season but found their stride during conference play. The Gators won 11 consecutive games to end the regular season and, ultimately, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year. The dream of back-to-back titles for the second time in two decades came crashing to a halt with a stunning 1-point loss to Iowa in the second round.

Any concern that the window on Florida’s second run of elite success might be closing got shut down almost immediately after the team’s tournament exit.

Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Huagh — widely considered to be the best frontcourt trio in the country — all announced that they would be spurning the NBA and the transfer portal in favor of returning to Florida for one more shot at a second title. Fland, who was stellar for the Gators down the stretch of the 2025-26 season, also announced that he was returning, citing “unfinished business.” Golden is also bringing back top reserve guard Urban Klavzar, and though he needs a waiver to play, is also potentially getting back guard Denzel Aberdeen, a key reserve on the 2025 championship team who spent last season at Kentucky.

This unprecedented level of roster retention in the transfer portal/NIL era has made the Gators nearly everyone’s “way too early” No. 1 team for the 2026-27 season.

Golden isn’t the only head coach to talk about the importance of roster retention in this brave, new world of college hoops, but he’s executed the concoction of that “secret sauce” better than anyone in the country has over the past three years. The result is Florida basketball potentially being positioned for its best run of sustained success ever, one that could push it even further up the all-time college basketball totem pole.

#Florida #figure #college #basketballs #secret #sauce #national #championship #favorites

Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden credited his side’s consistency-driven approach and potent bowling attack after their comprehensive 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, while Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness in a crucial stage of the tournament.

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to top form with a four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill struck a sublime 84 to propel Gujarat Titans to 229 for four before bundling Rajasthan out for 152 in 16.3 overs here on Saturday.

The victory, Gujarat’s fourth on the trot, took it to 14 points alongside table-topper Sunrisers Hyderabad and strengthened its playoff chances.

Hayden said Gujarat’s success this season stemmed from clarity in roles rather than relying on flamboyance.

“We’ve constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. It’s not exactly going to set the world on fire with star power. It’s more about staying in the game and being consistent in the game,” Hayden said at the post-match press conference.

ALSO READ | Chennai Super Kings’ Playoffs push faces Lucknow hurdle

Gill and Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with a commanding 118-run opening stand, while Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the finishing touches in the death overs.

Hayden described Gujarat’s pace battery, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, as the backbone of the side.

“Velocity matters. There’s no chance 150-plus bowling is easy to play. The best sides in this tournament are built around defensive bowling units and we’ve got that covered nicely,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness after a long break between matches. “We just weren’t at our best tonight,” Bond said at the post-match press conference.

“I think after seven or eight days off, you can come back a little off the pace and it certainly looked like that tonight. We just weren’t quite as sharp as what we needed to be.”

The defeat dented Rajasthan’s playoff hopes despite the side remaining in contention with three league matches left.

Bond said Rajasthan had been competitive through most of the season but admitted they had failed to capitalise on key moments.

“We were 6-4 coming into this game and with perhaps some better fielding we would have won a couple more. We’re good enough to win three games in a row and still make the playoffs, but we have to play better than we did tonight,” he said.

Published on May 10, 2026

#VIDEO #Hayden #lauds #GTs #consistency #Rashid #magic #sinks">VIDEO | Hayden lauds GT’s ‘consistency’ as Rashid magic sinks RR Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden credited his side’s consistency-driven approach and potent bowling attack after their comprehensive 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, while Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness in a crucial stage of the tournament.Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to top form with a four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill struck a sublime 84 to propel Gujarat Titans to 229 for four before bundling Rajasthan out for 152 in 16.3 overs here on Saturday.The victory, Gujarat’s fourth on the trot, took it to 14 points alongside table-topper Sunrisers Hyderabad and strengthened its playoff chances.Hayden said Gujarat’s success this season stemmed from clarity in roles rather than relying on flamboyance.“We’ve constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. It’s not exactly going to set the world on fire with star power. It’s more about staying in the game and being consistent in the game,” Hayden said at the post-match press conference.ALSO READ | Chennai Super Kings’ Playoffs push faces Lucknow hurdleGill and Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with a commanding 118-run opening stand, while Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the finishing touches in the death overs.Hayden described Gujarat’s pace battery, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, as the backbone of the side.“Velocity matters. There’s no chance 150-plus bowling is easy to play. The best sides in this tournament are built around defensive bowling units and we’ve got that covered nicely,” he said.Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness after a long break between matches. “We just weren’t at our best tonight,” Bond said at the post-match press conference.“I think after seven or eight days off, you can come back a little off the pace and it certainly looked like that tonight. We just weren’t quite as sharp as what we needed to be.”The defeat dented Rajasthan’s playoff hopes despite the side remaining in contention with three league matches left.Bond said Rajasthan had been competitive through most of the season but admitted they had failed to capitalise on key moments.“We were 6-4 coming into this game and with perhaps some better fielding we would have won a couple more. We’re good enough to win three games in a row and still make the playoffs, but we have to play better than we did tonight,” he said.Published on May 10, 2026 #VIDEO #Hayden #lauds #GTs #consistency #Rashid #magic #sinks

comprehensive 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, while Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness in a crucial stage of the tournament.

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to top form with a four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill struck a sublime 84 to propel Gujarat Titans to 229 for four before bundling Rajasthan out for 152 in 16.3 overs here on Saturday.

The victory, Gujarat’s fourth on the trot, took it to 14 points alongside table-topper Sunrisers Hyderabad and strengthened its playoff chances.

Hayden said Gujarat’s success this season stemmed from clarity in roles rather than relying on flamboyance.

“We’ve constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. It’s not exactly going to set the world on fire with star power. It’s more about staying in the game and being consistent in the game,” Hayden said at the post-match press conference.

ALSO READ | Chennai Super Kings’ Playoffs push faces Lucknow hurdle

Gill and Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with a commanding 118-run opening stand, while Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the finishing touches in the death overs.

Hayden described Gujarat’s pace battery, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, as the backbone of the side.

“Velocity matters. There’s no chance 150-plus bowling is easy to play. The best sides in this tournament are built around defensive bowling units and we’ve got that covered nicely,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness after a long break between matches. “We just weren’t at our best tonight,” Bond said at the post-match press conference.

“I think after seven or eight days off, you can come back a little off the pace and it certainly looked like that tonight. We just weren’t quite as sharp as what we needed to be.”

The defeat dented Rajasthan’s playoff hopes despite the side remaining in contention with three league matches left.

Bond said Rajasthan had been competitive through most of the season but admitted they had failed to capitalise on key moments.

“We were 6-4 coming into this game and with perhaps some better fielding we would have won a couple more. We’re good enough to win three games in a row and still make the playoffs, but we have to play better than we did tonight,” he said.

Published on May 10, 2026

#VIDEO #Hayden #lauds #GTs #consistency #Rashid #magic #sinks">VIDEO | Hayden lauds GT’s ‘consistency’ as Rashid magic sinks RR

Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden credited his side’s consistency-driven approach and potent bowling attack after their comprehensive 77-run win over Rajasthan Royals, while Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness in a crucial stage of the tournament.

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan returned to top form with a four-wicket haul after skipper Shubman Gill struck a sublime 84 to propel Gujarat Titans to 229 for four before bundling Rajasthan out for 152 in 16.3 overs here on Saturday.

The victory, Gujarat’s fourth on the trot, took it to 14 points alongside table-topper Sunrisers Hyderabad and strengthened its playoff chances.

Hayden said Gujarat’s success this season stemmed from clarity in roles rather than relying on flamboyance.

“We’ve constructed a line-up that revolves around consistency. It’s not exactly going to set the world on fire with star power. It’s more about staying in the game and being consistent in the game,” Hayden said at the post-match press conference.

ALSO READ | Chennai Super Kings’ Playoffs push faces Lucknow hurdle

Gill and Sai Sudharsan laid the platform with a commanding 118-run opening stand, while Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia provided the finishing touches in the death overs.

Hayden described Gujarat’s pace battery, spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, as the backbone of the side.

“Velocity matters. There’s no chance 150-plus bowling is easy to play. The best sides in this tournament are built around defensive bowling units and we’ve got that covered nicely,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals bowling coach Shane Bond admitted his side lacked sharpness after a long break between matches. “We just weren’t at our best tonight,” Bond said at the post-match press conference.

“I think after seven or eight days off, you can come back a little off the pace and it certainly looked like that tonight. We just weren’t quite as sharp as what we needed to be.”

The defeat dented Rajasthan’s playoff hopes despite the side remaining in contention with three league matches left.

Bond said Rajasthan had been competitive through most of the season but admitted they had failed to capitalise on key moments.

“We were 6-4 coming into this game and with perhaps some better fielding we would have won a couple more. We’re good enough to win three games in a row and still make the playoffs, but we have to play better than we did tonight,” he said.

Published on May 10, 2026

#VIDEO #Hayden #lauds #GTs #consistency #Rashid #magic #sinks

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