Rajasthan unleash Suryavanshi, 14, as youngest IPL player but lose thriller
Suryavanshi stole the limelight after belting his first ball for six in a much-awaited debut after he was bought for $130,500
Updated 19 April 2025
AFP
JAIPUR: Vaibhav Suryavanshi made an explosive 34 off 20 balls as he became the youngest player in IPL history aged just 14 on Saturday but finished on the losing side as Lucknow Super Giants beat Rajasthan Royals by two runs.
In the first match of the day, England’s Jos Buttler smashed an unbeaten 97 to power Gujarat Titans to the top of the IPL table with a seven-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad’s intense heat.
But it was the evening game that drew eyeballs after Rajasthan turned to Suryavanshi as their impact substitute and he opened the batting alongside India star Yashasvi Jaiswal following Lucknow’s 180-5.
Suryavanshi stole the limelight after belting his first ball for six in a much-awaited debut after he was bought for $130,500 in the November auction when he was still just 13.
Jaiswal and Suryavanshi, who hit three sixes and two fours in an electrifying knock, put on 85 for the first wicket before the youngster was stumped by Rishabh Pant off the bowling of South Africa international Aiden Markram.
Stand-in captain Riyan Parag came in and made 39 but Rajasthan lost their way as he departed shortly after Jaiswal fell for 74.
Avesh Khan dismissed both in the 18th over to turn the match on its head and Rajasthan finished on 178-5 after the Lucknow fast bowler defended nine off the last over to pull off a stunning victory for his team in Jaipur.
“These kind of matches build character,” Lucknow skipper Pant said after his team moved up to fourth in the 10-team table. “It was an amazing win. As a team, this is going to take us to a different level.”
Shimron Hetmyer scored 12 before he fell to Avesh on the third ball of the 20th over and despite David Miller dropping a catch in the deep, Avesh held his nerve with his yorkers and disciplined bowling to return figures of 3-37.
Avesh’s heroics took some of the attention away from Suryavanshi, who was handed his chance after Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson was ruled out due to injury.
He was added as an impact player for the match and then replaced medium-pace bowler Sandeep Sharma in the chase.
The baby-faced Suryavanshi, called “Boss Baby” — a popular animated film — by the TV commentators, impressed in batting with Jaiswal, who recorded his third straight half-century, but their efforts ultimately came in a losing cause.
Earlier, Markram’s 66 and a 50 by impact player Ayush Badoni helped Lucknow set a target of 181 after they elected to bat first.
In the afternoon match, Gujarat rode on Buttler’s 54-ball knock laced with 11 fours and four sixes to achieve their target of 204 with four balls to spare at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler and impact substitute Sherfane Rutherford, a left-hand West Indies batter who hit 43, put on a key stand of 119 to steer Gujarat to their fifth win in seven matches and top of the standings
Rutherford fell in the 19th over. Delhi’s left-arm quick Mitchell Starc needed to defend 10 off the final six balls but the left-handed Rahul Tewatia finished off with a six and four.
Buttler, who hit his third half-century of the season, was left three short of a hundred that would have put him level with Virat Kohli’s record eight IPL tons.
Gujarat, who won the IPL in their debut season in 2022, elected to field first on a hot afternoon as the temperature soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
“I think it (heat) takes you by the surprise how draining it is,” said player of the match Buttler.
“I certainly felt that while batting, cramping up and stuff. But that’s part of the game to be fit and be able to perform under pressure in the heat.”
Delhi reached 203-8 but the total could have been more had it not been for four wickets by Gujarat pace bowler Prasidh Krishna, who now leads this season’s bowling chart with 14 scalps.
French Open odds against tennis great Novak Djokovic as time running out for record 25th Slam
The 38-year-old Serbian’s bid for a fourth French Open crown looks more unlikely than in many years
Djokovic struggling for form since his run to the Australian Open semifinals back in January before retiring injured
Updated 1 min 15 sec ago
Reuters
BERLIN: If there is one tennis player who knows how to beat the odds when they are stacked against him, it is 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. The 38-year-old Serbian’s bid for a fourth French Open crown looks more unlikely than in many years, with Djokovic struggling for form since his run to the Australian Open semifinals back in January before retiring injured. Since then Djokovic, who has 99 tour titles to his name and is in the twilight of a glorious career, has reached only one final and has not lifted a trophy this year. After two early losses in Monte Carlo and Madrid, it was clear that Djokovic’s attempt to claim a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam could be his hardest yet. “(It is) kind of a new reality for me, I have to say, trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament,” Djokovic said after his early Madrid exit. He was expected to jumpstart his clay campaign in Rome before returning to Paris, where he won Olympic gold last year, but he skipped the Italian Open without giving a reason. Instead he picked up a surprise wild card for the Geneva Open this week, in what looks like a last-ditch attempt to get some more matches on clay under his belt before Paris. News of the wild card came as Djokovic split with his coach Andy Murray after only a few months working together. Djokovic appointed fellow former world number one Murray ahead of this year’s Australian Open and the Serb said at the Qatar Open in February that he would continue working with the Scot for an indefinite period. That time, however, ended abruptly last week with the Djokovic-Murray partnership yielding no titles and one losing final in Miami. Their partnership is now officially over as Djokovic heads toward the French Open in a cloud of uncertainty over his form and future. The world number six has struggled to assert his dominance after winning three out of the four Grand Slams in 2023. There is even more uncertainty over his chances of reaching the last major goal in his illustrious career: adding that elusive 25th record Grand Slam to his collection to move past Margaret Court on the all-time winners’ list.
Dubai to stage final Rugby World Cup 2027 qualifier in November 2025
The event will decide the 24th and final team to secure a spot at the expanded global showpiece in Australia
Updated 39 min 8 sec ago
Arab News
DUBAI: The road to Rugby World Cup 2027 will culminate in Dubai, with the UAE city set to host the Final Qualification Tournament at The Sevens Stadium from Nov. 8-18, 2025.
The event will decide the 24th and final team to secure a spot at the expanded global showpiece in Australia.
Four teams will compete in a round-robin format across three match days, with the highest-ranked side at the end of the tournament booking their place at the World Cup. Belgium is the first nation confirmed for the Dubai qualifier, having finished fifth in the 2025 Rugby Europe Championship.
The remaining three teams will emerge from ongoing regional qualification campaigns, including the Rugby Africa Cup, Asia Rugby Championship, Sudamerica Rugby Championship, and the Pacific Nations Cup. Representing four continents, the participants will highlight the global reach and growing competitiveness of the sport.
World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson welcomed Dubai’s selection as host of the final qualifier, describing the tournament as a pivotal point in the international rugby calendar.
“The Final Qualification Tournament is always a thrilling, do-or-die moment in the build-up to Rugby World Cup — and it’s fitting that we bring it to a world-class destination like Dubai,” Robinson said.
He added: “As we head toward the most inclusive and globally representative tournament ever, with 24 teams competing in an expanded format and at least one nation from each of our regional associations, this final step on the ‘Journey to Australia 2027’ will be a celebration of ambition, resilience and the global spirit of rugby. We cannot wait to see which team earns the final place and joins us for what promises to be a unique celebration of rugby and Australia in 2027.”
The 2027 event in Australia will mark a new era for the sport. With 24 teams, a round of 16 stage, and a total of 52 matches, it will be the largest Rugby World Cup to date, aimed at increasing opportunities for emerging nations and enhancing the overall fan experience.
For the first time in the professional era, the pool draw will take place with all 24 teams confirmed. Scheduled for December 2025, the draw will be based on the official World Rugby Men’s Rankings at the close of the November international window, offering a more accurate and current reflection of team performance.
All international fixtures in 2025 — excluding matches during the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia — will influence the rankings and, ultimately, the pool seedings. Every result could be decisive in shaping the composition of the six pools for Rugby World Cup 2027.
As the global qualification process reaches its final chapter, all eyes will turn to Dubai this November. The tournament promises high-stakes rugby and a fitting finale to the long journey toward what is expected to be the most inclusive and competitive Rugby World Cup in history.
Is the world of sports ready for the Enhanced Games?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed spoke to Arab News about investing in the controversial competition that does away with testing for performance-enhancing substances
Updated 22 May 2025
Ali Khaled
In modern parlance, it is what techies would call a “disruptor,” to say the least.
It will take a lot more, however, for sporting fans of earlier generations to get their heads around the concept of the Enhanced Games, which were officially announced on Wednesday and will take place next year in Las Vegas.
Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al-Saud, founder and CEO of KBW Ventures and chairman of the Kingdom’s Sports For All Federation, is the region’s first, and to date only, investor in the tournament that allows athletes to use performance-enhancing substances without being subjected to testing.
Prince Khaled — nicknamed the “Tech Prince” for his investments in startups, among many other fields — is bullish about the potential of the Enhanced Games when asked if the sports world is ready for such a controversial step.
“Look, I like to think of myself as a progressive investor, venture capital typically backs very nascent ideas,” he told Arab News.
Aron D’Souza, left, and Christian Angermayer, co-founders of the Enhanced Games. (Supplied)
“You are always looking for the big idea, the society-changing concept. Then, you attempt to predict and really visualize how and where and when that big idea will prove relevant to the wider world.
“As someone who is pretty involved in sports on both personal and business levels, I think there is a segment of the world who would like to push the limits of human potential,” Prince Khaled said.
“How fast? How far? How long? All questions in sport that someone like me is curious about, and very eager to see. I want to see real-world application, and a competitive approach.”
He accepts that this idea, with all the ethical points and counterpoints it evokes, might take a long time to be accepted in mainstream sports.
“Is the world ready? The world wasn’t ready for most fresh concepts. At the most basic level people weren’t even ready for ride-hailing, now it is considered a must for many all over the world, he said.
“So, whether it is transportation or AI or art or biotechnology or in this case, sport and biohacking, the world is usually not ready for things that have not been done before. That doesn’t mean they should never be done.
“Elite athletes who have never been granted the opportunity to experiment with body autonomy and enhancement exploration can now sign up if they so choose,” said Prince Khaled.
“If you want to talk sports in specific, I also think the world wasn’t ready for MMA, but it’s now one of the biggest crowd draws out there.”
The reaction from the sports community at large has, unsurprisingly, been a negative one.
Four-time Olympic Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev. (Supplied)
In February of last year, a joint statement issued by the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency condemning the games was supported by The International Fair Play Committee.
“Well, it is voluntary, and it’s like for like. The Games is for those who choose to enroll and compete with enhancements. It is ethical; the ethics rests in equality, safety and transparency.
“There is a disclosure protocol, and everyone knows that everyone else is applying the same types of enhancements and experimenting with biohacking.
“I don’t think I have to justify investing in what I see as a form of competitive sport,” he added. “As long as everyone involved is aware, then it is fair and transparent.”
Prince Khaled is known to be the Middle East North Africa face of venture capital, with investments across artificial intelligence, biotechnology, agricultural and food technology, as well as in the sports-adjacent sector, robotics and broadcast technologies.
One of his biotechnology bets, Colossal Biosciences, recently made headlines with its reported $10.2 billion valuation.
“I met the co-founder of Enhanced Games (Aron D’Souza) at a private conclave staged by FII (Future Investment Initiative) last year in Riyadh. This was my first exposure to the idea of the Enhanced Games.
“It was a closed-door working group held to discuss democratizing access to healthy aging solutions. Some of the foremost figures were present; from stakeholders from the Saudi Health in All Policies committee, to scientists, to entrepreneurs and investors.”
“I do think the Enhanced Games can play an important role here; how better to analyze the effects of enhancement than on elite athletes? People who are in the best possible shape physically that they can be naturally, and then build on that,” he said.
“When your baseline is elite athlete level, then we can really see what biohacking and these enhancements can do.
“I do think it is ethical, because there is no subjectivity and no varying board rules, and because it is upfront and clear about the idea that everyone is competing with their own approach to enhancement.”
Certainly the games seem to appeal to athletes either coming to the end of their careers or ones for whom Olympic and international success remain out of reach. Established figures, including Australian swimming coach Brett Hawke, have backed the idea.
At the age of 31, four-time Olympic Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev will take part in the Enhanced Games, having received a $1 million prize for breaking the long-standing 50-meter freestyle world record with a time of 20.89 seconds.
“Being the first to break a world record at the Enhanced Games means a lot to me. I’m proud to lead the way,” said the athlete who specialized in sprint and butterfly events, and earned a silver in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championship in South Korea.
However, having not consistently been at the top of the sport, he sees these Games as an opportunity to make up for missed opportunities.
“One year at the Enhanced Games could earn me more than six Olympic cycles combined,” Gkolomeev told Arab News. “I’ve never had this kind of support; doctors, nutritionists, therapists, all working to make me better.”
Prince Khaled accepts that participation will depend entirely on the choices of the individual athletes and their particular circumstances.
“There are athletes who are not going to want to join, and then there are those who will be the early adopters,” he said. “At launch, there is already a record-breaker, who just won a million dollars.
“Is this going to make everyone rush to sign up? No, but this will definitely spark some honest and much-needed discussions about the irregularities between sporting rules and different governing bodies, and the allegations of unfair treatment levied against some athletes over others.”
“Democratizing access to aging solutions is what first interested me in the Games, and then I began to think of the implications on sport.
“I’m sure you know about the politics involved when deciding which athletes were accused of using enhancements, in several instances countries felt their athletes were unfairly targeted.
“At the Enhanced Games, this political maneuvering is completely removed from the equation. I bet if you ask the athletes that felt they were wrongly maligned, they would be pretty quick to agree that politics played a role.”
In its statement last year, the International Fair Play Committee said the Games “represent a potentially catastrophic healthcare risk” to the athletes.
The Enhanced Games’ website meanwhile promises medical vigilance and safe participation for the athletes. Critics will rightly question just where the line is drawn in terms of the use of performance-enhancing substances.
“To my knowledge, there are two cohorts, one is enhanced with their own resources and medical guidance, and one cohort that is officially under the Enhanced Games,” said Prince Khaled.
“For the second cohort, there is a full treatment protocol lined up for athletes.
“They will definitely have better medical guidance and access to the latest in monitoring methodologies and technologies with the Enhanced Games than they have ever had in their professional sporting careers.”
“Everyone knows one of the biggest barriers to elite athletics is cost,” he added. “The Enhanced Games is bringing the best medical and scientific protocols and giving the athletes access to that.
“To bring this conversation full circle, this is something enabled by funding, and in venture capital, funding is, most of the time, allocated to groundbreaking entities and ideas.”
Prince Khaled said he is a “cautious believer in biohacking” which is, simply stated, the optimization of nutrition to enhance energy, cognitive function, and overall health and well-being.
“I think longevity medicine and healthspan and various other biotechnology sectors are burgeoning for a reason.
“KBW Ventures is invested in biotechnology, health tech, medtech, and with the Enhanced Games, I consider it kind of an ultimate biohacking opportunity for elite athletes,” he said.
“I expect that so much valuable scientific data on reversing biological age, and repair and so much more is going to come out of the Enhanced Games,” Prince Khaled added.
“On a separate note, the athletes that participate in the Games have to undergo what is termed health testing, ensuring that they are fit to compete. They also need to disclose everything that they are using to enhance their performance.”
At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, the world of athletics was shaken to its core when Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of the gold medal he had won with a world record time of 9.79 seconds.
Author Richard Moore’s “The Dirtiest Race in History” remains a seminal read on the events of Sept. 24, 1988. Since then, many other athletes have been banned from participating, or stripped of medals, for similar offences with increasingly less fanfare and shock.
But is the world ready now to consign such considerations to history?
The clock is now ticking toward the first Enhanced Game. It remains a tough, if not almost impossible sell, for a sporting community brought up on the concepts of fair play and the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs.
Whether the world is ready for these Games, and how the future will judge these developments, remain open questions.
Choke or comeback? Pacers rally late, stun Knicks in OT
Reggie Miller famously flashed the gesture toward Knicks superfan Spike Lee while leading a Pacers comeback in a playoff game in 1994
Updated 22 May 2025
Reuters
Tyrese Haliburton was a bit premature after he mimicked Hall of Famer Reggie Miller’s infamous “choke” sign at Madison Square Garden.
Nevertheless, Haliburton and his Indiana Pacers teammates made certain the gesture didn’t come back to haunt them in a 138-135 victory in overtime over the New York Knicks on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Haliburton scored 31 points and Aaron Nesmith added 30, highlighting an 8-for-9 performance from 3-point range by making five treys during the final 3 1/2 minutes of regulation. That surge allowed the fourth-seeded Pacers to overcome a 14-point deficit in the final 2:39 of the fourth quarter.
“It’s unreal,” Nesmith said of his sizzling shooting. “It’s probably the best feeling in the world for me. I love it when that basket feels like an ocean and anything you toss up, you feel like it’s going to go in. It’s so much fun.”
Haliburton appeared to win it following a friendly carom off the rim on an apparent 3-pointer at the buzzer, only for replays to show that his toe was on the line. That made it a 2-pointer and forced overtime.
When he thought the game was over, Haliburton made the choke sign in the direction of the Knicks’ bench.
“I thought it was a 3. I tried to hit the celly. It didn’t work. But we finished it in overtime,” Haliburton said.
Miller famously flashed the gesture toward Knicks superfan Spike Lee while leading a Pacers comeback in a playoff game in 1994.
The third-seeded Knicks will look to bounce back in Game 2 of the best-of-seven series on Friday in New York.
“In the playoffs, when you win it’s the best thing ever. When you lose it’s the worst thing ever,” said Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who finished with 43 points.
“The best way to deal with all of that is to stay level-headed. Making sure we have each other’s backs.”
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle also kept it in perspective after the game.
“It’s a long series. We’re not gonna get too excited about this,” he said. “We’ve got things to clean up. They’ve got things to clean up. Game 2’s gonna be another war.”
Andrew Nembhard sank a 3-pointer and two layups in OT, the last lay-in giving Indiana a 136-135 lead with 26.7 seconds to play. An attempted pass to Brunson deflected off his fingers and out of bounds, and former Knick Obi Toppin’s dunk extended the advantage to three with 10.9 seconds left.
Brunson and teammate Karl-Anthony Towns misfired on 3-point attempts in the final moments.
Pascal Siakam scored 17 points, Nembhard finished with 15 and Myles Turner added 14 for the Pacers. Haliburton handed out 11 assists.
Towns collected 35 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks.
Towns sank 4 of 8 shots from 3-point range, a big improvement after he made just 3 of 19 attempts from beyond the arc in New York’s six-game series victory over the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals.
Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby each scored 16 points in the loss.
Brunson committed his fifth foul with 10:05 remaining in the fourth quarter and retreated to the bench after T.J. McConnell made a free throw to pull Indiana within 94-92.
New York, however, went on a 14-0 run in Brunson’s absence, with Anunoby draining a 3-pointer and a short jumper to ignite the spurt. The Pacers did themselves no favors by fouling Miles McBride and Towns on 3-point attempts, with the duo combining to make 5 of 6 free throws.
“I feel like our intensity dropped,” said New York’s Josh Hart, who amassed eight points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. “We started playing slower. Playing more into their hands.”
Dustin Poirier to close UFC career with Max Holloway trilogy title fight
Both fighters are coming off losses in title fights
Updated 22 May 2025
Reuters
Louisiana native Dustin Poirier is locked for a UFC BMF title fight in his home state to conclude his career, as New Orleans will host Poirier’s battle with title-holder Max Holloway to highlight the July 19 card at the Smoothie King Center.
This will be the third battle between the lightweight combatants, the 36-year-old Poirier, who hails from Lafayette, Louisiana, taking the first two contests.
Both fighters are coming off losses in title fights, however. Poirier (30-9) submitted to Islam Makhachev last June, while the 33-year-old Holloway (26-8) lost in knockout fashion to Ilia Topuria in October.
“For Dustin Poirier to be able to finish his remarkable UFC career in New Orleans is special,” UFC executive vice president Peter Dropick said in a news release. “Thank you to the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, New Orleans & Company and Smoothie King Center for helping us make this happen.
“It’s been 10 years since we’ve held an event in New Orleans, we know the fans are ready for us to be back!“
The Octagon will also play host to ranked middleweights No 10 Marvin Vettori (19-8-1) and No. 11 Brendan Allen (24-7), who will do battle for the first time in an official capacity at UFC 318.
The two were slated to fight at UFC Vegas 90 last April, though Vettori pulled out. A few months later, the pair squared off (unofficially) in a brawl at a Florida casino.
Their ranked billing remains hotly anticipated.
The rest of the lineup includes newly announced fights between Kyler Phillips (12-3) and Vinicius Oliveira (22-3) at the bantamweight level, Jimmy Crute (12-4-2) facing Marcin Prachnio (17-8) in light heavyweight and Carli Judice (4-2) battling Nicolle Caliari (8-3) at women’s fly. Other fights include:
--No. 7 Amanda Ribas vs. No. 10 Tabatha Ricci in strawweight
--Neil Magny vs. Gunnar Nelson in welterweight
--Adam Fuitt vs. Islam Dulatov in welterweight
--Ikram Aliskerov vs. Brunno Ferreira in middleweight
