Former India cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara has hailed Abhishek Sharma as a special talent with class written all over, after the Sunrisers Hyderabad opener tore into the Delhi Capitals attack in an IPL match.

A closer look at Sadiq's strengths, weaknesses and overall projection as an NFL prospect

The College Baseball Foundation named Florida shortstop Brendan Lawson a top-50 semifinalist for the Brooks Wallace Award on Wednesday.Named after former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980 and died of leukemia at age 27, the award honors the nation's top shortstop. The award originally focused on the overall outstanding player, but shifted focus to shortstops in 2009."Narrowing our list to even 50 is a difficult task to take on as there are so many deserving shortstops at midseason, said Larry Wallace, co-chair of the Brooks Wallace Award. All these kids are piling up big offensive numbers with power. But just as important are the defensive skills and how well they field their position.Lawson is slashing .322/.533/.696 with a team-high 1.264 OPS and 11 home runs. He has scored 41 runs, driven in 34 runs, walked 43 times and stolen 10 bases over 37 games. Lawson leads the SEC in walks and on-base percentage and ranks third and ninth nationally in those categories, respectively.What makes Lawson's number even more impressive is that they come after a 10-for-52 slump over the last 16 games. Less than a month ago, Lawson was batting .409. He dealt with an illness during this down stretch and is hopeful to return to form down the stretch.Follow us@GatorsWireon X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page onFacebookto follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida SS Brendan Lawson on Brooks Wallace Award semifinalist list

If youre looking for NFL Draft wagers 24 hours before the first round, I've got some harsh realities for you: The pickings are slim. Numbers have moved. The juice for these wagers can be out of control. But dont worry. I still have a few wagers that are playable today. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. David Bailey second pick in the draft Flip-flop. Flip-flop. Flip-flop. That is how the odds for the second pick of this draft have moved over the last 48 hours. Ohio States Arvell Reese was nearly -300 to be the second pick of the draft earlier this week. Then, Bailey steamed ahead of him and became the favorite. Now its back to Reese as I'm writing this, so targeting Bailey is worth a wager, with the number still playable. I have a draft guy whos been spot-on over the years, including nailing Travon Walker as the first pick in the draft back in 2022. He told me a month ago he thinks the Jets are taking Bailey with this pick. I have wagered on that outcome. Youre welcome to tail me or mumble under your breath that Im a dummy and dont know anything. Schematically, drafting Bailey second makes sense. The Jets need immediate pass rush help and Bailey is an edge defender. Reese is a fantastic football player, but hes a hybrid player for now. Do the Jets want someone who needs to grow into the position over a pass rusher whos more traditional and ready now? That is why I like Bailey to go second overall. PICK: David Bailey second pick in the NFL Draft Over 11.5 Big Ten players drafted in first round The Big Ten has at least 10 players going in the first round four from Ohio State, two from Oregon, two from Indiana and one player from USC, Washington and Penn State. I'm no math major, but thats 11 Big Ten players that have good odds of being called up to the stage on Thursday. The question becomes who'll be the 12th of the bunch. Will it be DAngelo Ponds or Kayden McDonald? Maybe Gabe Jacus is a surprise first-round pick? I just need one of them to win the wager. Out of everything available now, this is playable. PICK: Over 11.5 Big Ten players drafted in first round (+144)

British tennis great Andy Murray has opened up about his coaching journey after retirement, revealing he remains open to returning to the role in the future.

The facility, a decade in the making, will jointly house the Red Bulls' first team, MLS Next Pro team and academy for the first time

Think of any great pitcher in modern MLB history. None of them had a start to the season quite like Los Angeles Angels right-hander Jos Soriano.With five scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, Soriano lowered his ERA to 0.24. Thats not just the best mark in the league, its the best by any pitcher in MLB history through their first six starts to the season (min. 30 innings), according to MLB.coms Sarah Langs.Soriano is also the only pitcher in MLB history to allow only one run in his first six starts of the season, per the Angels. The Angels are now 6-0 in his starts, with a 7-3 win over the Blue Jays.Jos Soriano, Dirty 96mph Sinker. pic.twitter.com/JLOX5zRKkJ Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 22, 2026Sorianos lone earned run came against the Atlanta Braves on April 6, when fellow breakout player Drake Baldwin knocked a solo homer off him in the first inning. Here is that homer:Daily Drake highlight! #BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/MAMHWQkSgC Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 7, 2026The obvious comparison is Los Angeles Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuelas legendary run to open the 1981 season, in which he threw eight straight complete games to begin the year and ended up winning the Cy Young Award, Rookie of the Year and a World Series title. In that case, however, Valenzuela allowed a run in two of his first six starts, making his ERA 0.33.Obviously, most teams and fans would take Valenzuelas run over Sorianos given the innings discrepancy (54 to 37 2/3), but those two 1981 runs give Soriano the ERA edge.Who is Jos Soriano, the Angels budding ace?Soriano is in his fourth MLB season and had been a solid enough pitcher for the Angels at age 27, with a 3.89 career ERA entering 2026. Both his strikeout and walk rates werent what you would call impressive, but an arsenal headlined by a high-velocity sinker gave him an elite 66% groundball rate in 2025, per Baseball Savant.Now, Soriano is getting strikeouts, while still getting groundballs. As of Wednesday evening, his 30.7% strikeout rate is 11th best among 82 qualified MLB pitchers. Per Baseball Savant, batters have only managed two hits, both singles, off his sinker in his first five starts, while his knuckle curve, his second-most used pitch, has caused hitters to whiff on 50% of swings.Thats dominant stuff from a pitcher not many fans outside Orange County had heard of entering this season.Will Soriano keep it up? No starting pitcher can sustain an ERA below 1.00, but his peripherals certainly indicate the Angels at least have a well above-average pitcher on their hands. Hitters will try to make adjustments, but pitchers with both high strikeout rates and high groundball rates, all backed by high velocity, tend to do quite well in MLB.

Juan Soto is back in the New York Mets' lineup and boy do they need him. The star slugger was reinstated from the 10-day injured list with the reeling Mets on a 12-game losing streak heading into Wednesday night's game against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field. Soto, who missed 15 games with a right calf strain, was set to bat second as the designated hitter. To open a roster spot, third-string catcher Hayden Senger was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse following Tuesday night's 5-3 loss to Minnesota. New York (7-16) had been outscored 67-22 during the skid while batting .194 with a .284 slugging percentage. The slide began with a 7-2 loss to Arizona on April 8. Soto exited early from a 10-3 victory at San Francisco on April 3, and the Mets won their next three games without him before descending into a tailspin. It's their longest slide since losing 12 straight games in August 2002. New York had not dropped 13 in a row since a 15-game skid in August 1982. The club record is 17 consecutive defeats during the franchise's inaugural season in 1962. Reporting by the Associated Press.

Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling coach Varun Aaron brushed aside any lack of maturity on the part of Abhishek Sharma even when he was going through a lean patch.

SportsLine's model reveals its Phoenix Suns vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Game 2 picks