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The Country versus Club debate has resurfaced once again after Varun Chakravarthy bowled his full quota of overs for Kolkata Knight Riders against Gujarat Titans in an IPL match on Saturday despite carrying a hairline fracture.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 21: Denny Hamlin poses for a photo during NASCAR Production Days at Charlotte Convention Center on January 21, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)Getty ImagesTo most of the NASCAR fandom, and indeed those inside the industry, Denny Hamlin is a seasoned veteran, a battle-scarred statesman who speaks his mind as freely as he drives a race car. He walks through the NASCAR garage like a man who owns part of it. Which, technically, he does.What many forget is that more than two decades ago he arrived as a skinny, wild-eyed kid from Virginia simply trying to survive in NASCARs deep end. Hamlin first appeared on the scene in 2004, dipping his toes into the Cup Series waters while trying not to make too many waves.Then came 2006.Early in his first full NASCAR Cup Series season at Pocono Raceway, Hamlin scored his first pole and went on to lead 83 laps on his way to his first career win. He would do it again later that same rookie season, once more winning from the pole at Pocono. It was almost as if someone had shoved a child prodigy behind a grand piano at Carnegie Hall or in this case, onto a triangle-shaped racetrack in the mountains of Pennsylvania and watched him play a Rachmaninoff concerto without breaking a sweat.Since then, Hamlin has added 59 more victories for a total of 61 and counting in NASCARs top series, including three Daytona 500 wins. Add in another 20 victories in NASCARs lower touring divisions and the rsum starts looking less like a racing career and more like someone accidentally left the video game settings on easy.He has also become a team owner with 23XI Racing alongside NBA legend Michael Jordan, all while continuing to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing.The Voice NASCAR Cant IgnoreDuring the week, unlike some drivers who disappear into the shadows between races, Hamlin willingly steps into the spotlight. His weekly podcast has become one of the most popular in the sport and serves as a platform for the 46-year-old to speak openly about NASCAR: the good, the bad and, occasionally, the sort of chaos that makes you wonder if the whole thing is held together with duct tape and caffeine.For Hamlin, the moment he stopped giving safe corporate answers came around 2009, the first season after teammate Tony Stewart left Joe Gibbs Racing to launch his own team. Suddenly Hamlin, then just 29 years old, became the veteran voice inside the organization. Still, he admits he was never particularly built for silence.TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 06: Co-owners of 23XI Racing, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx One Rate Toyota, and NBA Hall of Famer, Michael Jordan talk on the grid after the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 06, 2024 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)Getty ImagesYou know, I've always kind of been this way, Hamlin says with a grin. I mean, if you ask my mother, she would say that she would prefer that I didn't say some of the things that I said at times. But, you know, it's just, it's my personality and I can't change it.That personality is fueled by a genuine love for the sport he has spent most of his life around.I'm passionate about the sport, he says. Its something that I grew up watching as a kid and it's been part of my life for 40 years. I mean, legit 40 years from going to my very first race to now being a part of it for the latter half. So we want to see this thing being one of the top two or three sports in America, like it should be.And, somewhat astonishingly, he gets very little, if any, harsh feedback from the people he is sometimes most critical of: NASCAR executives. There was some pushback when the podcast first launched, but Hamlin made it clear nearly from the beginning that honesty and authenticity were non-negotiable.I remember early on when I started the podcast, probably within a year or so, I had a sit down with those guys at NASCAR, Hamlin says. I said, listen, people tune in because they know that they're going to get an honest take. It might not be the right take, but they're going to get an honest take.Hamlin explained that most of what he says publicly helps promote and grow the sport, but criticism would occasionally come with the territory. And early on he told those executives that it wasnt always going to be sunshine and roses. I said, you know, 80% of it is going to be great and fluff and you'll love it, he says. And it's grown the sport and it's doing all the things. And there's going to be 20% that you guys have got to be the big boys, right? And you're going to have to understand that you know, sometimes when you turn on the TV in the morning, you hear, the talking heads talking about the refs blew this call or that call. You just got to be the league and you have to understand that that's just part of it. You're going to have to deal with the 20% because you're going to get 80% of it that's really going to be better for your sport.Perhaps the most interesting part of Hamlins evolution is that becoming louder about NASCAR also made him more understanding of it.Owning 23XI Racing didnt simply add another title to his rsum. It fundamentally changed how he viewed the sport he had spent decades criticizing, defending and trying to improve.It certainly changed my perspective, Hamlin says. Obviously, when you see it as a driver, you do see it through one lens, right?As a driver, much of the business side remained hidden behind the curtain. Drivers drove. Team executives worried about politics, budgets, manufacturer relationships and the endless tug-of-war with NASCAR itself.You don't, as the driver, you're kind of sheltered DARLINGTON, SC - MAY 08: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, celebrates with his mother Mary Lou in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup series SHOWTIME Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on May 8, 2010 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images)Getty Imagesfrom seeing some of that stuff, he says. They just want you to concentrate on doing your craft to the best of your ability.Ownership changed that almost immediately.Yes, as I became an owner and got to sit in on a lot of meetings and whatnot, I realized pretty quickly that, okay, and if anything, I think it was better for NASCAR for me to become an owner because now I'm seeing things now I know why NASCAR's doing that. Now I know why the teams are pushing for this, even though as a driver, I might want something different.That broader perspective may explain why Hamlins criticisms rarely sound like post-race whining. He sounds less like a frustrated driver and more like someone trying to protect the long-term health of a business he genuinely cares about.Part of that mentality traces back to the veterans he watched early in his career. Hamlin points to Stewart and Jeff Gordon as the figures who once commanded the garage whenever they spoke.I just feel like those two ran the series in one way, shape or form, Hamlin says.But as those stars retired and younger drivers arrived, Hamlin sensed something missing.You got some younger guys coming in, he says. They're not as comfortable, as much in their own skin. And, you know, the ability to feel stable within their career and their job. So, you know, they're less apt to speak their minds.By then, Hamlin had already spent a decade in the Cup Series. Silence no longer felt like an option.I just felt like an obligation to keep this thing going in the right direction.From Driver To Power BrokerIronically, the same blunt honesty that occasionally frustrates NASCAR executives has also become attractive to sponsors in an era where fans can spot rehearsed corporate polish from about three zip codes away.That is a balance, Hamlin says of maintaining authenticity while representing sponsors. I think first of all, you have to have a brand that's very comfortable in who you are.Hamlin credits longtime sponsor FedEx for embracing that personality throughout much of his career and says Progressive has taken a similar approach through its latest campaign, The Car Lives, which imagines Hamlins No. 11 Toyota suddenly developing opinions of its own.I truly believe so, Hamlin says when asked whether modern sponsors prefer athletes who show personality instead of polished restraint. I believe that fans understand when someone is authentic.For Hamlin, sponsor relationships are no longer just about logos plastered across sheet metal flying around at 190 mph.I created a friendship with them, he says of the Progressive campaign. It was really awesome to see. And that was one of the funnest days that I've had doing a production shoot with a sponsor. And for them to activate beyond just that sticker on the car, that's what drives the value for these companies.Which brings Hamlin to perhaps the most surprising realization of all.DOVER, DELAWARE - MAY 15: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Progressive Insurance Toyota, walks the grid during NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race pit road qualifying entry/exit practice at Dover Motor Speedway on May 15, 2026 in Dover, Delaware. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)Getty ImagesNot the wins. Not the Daytona 500 trophies. Not even becoming one of NASCARs loudest voices.Its the businessman he somehow became along the way.I never went to college, Hamlin says with a laugh. So I certainly am not book smartYou know, in school, I just felt like I didn't put a whole lot of effort in because, listen, all I wanted to do was drive a car for a living. I didn't think you had to be really smart to do that.Its been a journey of learning and adapting to his environment die Denny Hamlin. Self-taught lessons at 200 miles an hour and he has graduated as a valedictorian.Thats why the younger version of himself that kid who arrived in NASCAR two decades ago simply wanting to drive race cars would never have imagined owning a team or managing a company.Starting a race team, never would have believed it, he says. Never would have understood what it took to run a business, to manage people, to manage relationships.Then comes the line that may explain Denny Hamlin better than anything else he said all afternoon, and perhaps the reason he has managed to remain relevant through every version of modern NASCAR.It's just the ability to adapt and learn to every situation.This article was originally published on Forbes.com

Chelsea moved quickly to hire former Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso, but what will he bring to the club?

St George Illawarras Damien Cook had the magic in Brisbane but none of the luck, as a clunky Penrith overcame the Dragons 28-6 at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday night.

He was interviewing Jordan Pickford for BBC's The Wayne Rooney Show ahead of the final at Wembley, undertaking a series of goalkeeper drills on Everton's training ground.

Napoleon Solo reemerged as a colt to watch with a victory in the Preakness Stakes.Now trainer Chad Summers wants a shot at Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo, whose absence left an underwhelming field at Laurel Park this weekend.We wish he was here in the Preakness. We were rooting for them when they were thinking about it, Summers said. Unfortunately they didn't make it here. That's fine. Hopefully we can see him down the road somewhere.Napoleon Solo held off Iron Honor down the stretch on Saturday, rebounding from a pair of fifth-place showings for his first victory of the year. Golden Tempo was held out of the race, leaving a wide-open field of 14 horses to contest the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, which was held at Laurel Park this year because Pimlico in Baltimore is being rebuilt.Taj Mahal was the top choice at 9-2 the longest odds for a Preakness favorite since the race moved to its current distance of 1 3/16 miles in 1925. Iron Honor had been the morning line favorite at 9-2, but he was an 8-1 shot by the time the horses entered the starting gate.Taj Mahal broke to the lead early and covered the first quarter-mile in 22.66 seconds, but the pace quickly slowed and trainer Brittany Russells unbeaten colt couldnt hold on. He was passed by Napoleon Solo (7-1) near the top of the stretch. Iron Honor was a threat late but came up 1 1/4 lengths short.He was a bit wide on both turns and it probably took the starch out of him a little bit when it mattered late, said Chad Brown, Iron Honors trainer.Chip Honcho (11-1) was third.Previously a rowdy event with throngs of fans and live music on the infield, the Preakness was contested in a subdued atmosphere this year at Laurel, with attendance capped at 4,800. The track's future is uncertain it may be converted into a training facility.Its a shame and its a tragedy that racetracks like Aqueduct and Laurel are no longer going to be around, because theyre foundation racetracks, Summers said. I would just hope that we get the opportunity as an industry to rally and save some of these tracks. We cant allow this to keep happening, and theres only going to be three or four tracks left at the end of the day.The Preakness has long served multiple purposes: Its obviously a necessity for a horse to win the Triple Crown, but its also a second chance of sorts for those that didnt make it to the Derby for one reason or another. This time, it was primarily the latter when only three horses that ran in the Derby showed up.So it came to be that Napoleon Solo and Iron Honor, who hadnt raced since finishing fifth and seventh in the Wood Memorial in early April, went head to head again for much higher stakes.Third-place Chip Honcho was coming off its own fifth-place finish in the Louisiana Derby in March.Napoleon Solo finished in 1 minute, 58.69 seconds and paid $17.80 on a $2 bet. It was the first victory in a Triple Crown race for both Summers and jockey Paco Lopez.The colt won his first two starts last year by impressive margins, prevailing in the Champagne Stakes by 6 1/2 lengths in October. He couldn't maintain that form, however, finishing fifth in both the Fountain of Youth and Wood Memorial this year.All year long, fifth place, fifth place. Everyone said he wasnt as good as he was in the Champagne, Summers said. This was a win here. People will say it wasnt against the best of the best. Well find out the rest of the year.Now Napoleon Solo is being pointed toward the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park in July.The three horses who did race in both the Derby and Preakness this year Ocelli (7-1), Incredibolt (5-1) and Robusta (25-1) finished fourth, fifth and ninth Saturday.The race included its maximum of 14 horses, marking its largest field since 14 also ran in the 2011 edition.Taj Mahal had run all three of his races at Laurel, which likely played a role as bettors made him the slight favorite over Incredibolt. Russell was trying to become the first female trainer to win the Preakness two weeks after Cherie DeVaux achieved that milestone at the Derby but Taj Mahal fell back to 10th after leading much of the way.He got away good, and they were moving along fine, but the winner also sat right on his flank, Russell said. He did what we thought he would do. He just didn't kick on.___AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing

Texans co-director of college scouting John Ritcher has been hired by the New York Giants for a similar role and title in their personnel department, per league sources.Ritcher, previously a national scout and Southeast area scout for the Texans, overlapped with Giants general manager Joe Schoen with the Miami Dolphins.Ritcher was with the Texans for the past eight seasons.He worked for the Arizona Cardinals for six seasons.He was previously a scouting assistant with the Dolphins in 2011.Before he joined the Dolphins, Ritcher worked at Florida State as a strength and conditioning coach and coached tight ends.He played fullback and linebacker in the Arena Football League with the Georgia Force.Ritcher played tight end at North Carolina State, catching 16 passes for 138 yards and one touchdown.Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com

Conor McGregor is set to step back into the octagon for the first time in five years when he takes on Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11.The welterweight contest will unfold at Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena, for the Irish fighter's first bout since 2021.The two fighters previously met at featherweight back in 2013, with McGregor emerging victorious via a points decision.Holloway, now 34, presents a tough challenge for McGregor's return, having competed consistently at the elite level of lightweight in recent years.TRENDINGStoriesVideosYour SayMcGregor's last appearance in the UFC ended devastatingly when he suffered a broken leg during his defeat to Dustin Poirier four years ago.The Irishman had been scheduled to make his long-awaited return against American fighter Michael Chandler last year, but that bout fell through when McGregor withdrew just over a fortnight before the event after sustaining a broken toe.Since his professional debut in 2008, McGregor has accumulated a record of 22 victories and six losses.The former two-weight world champion made history as the UFC's first fighter to hold titles in two divisions simultaneously.LATEST SPORTS NEWSChelsea confirm appointment of Xabi Alonso as new manager at Stamford BridgeMan City star Antoine Semenyo scores sensational FA Cup winner as Chelsea land horror recordBritain formally backs plans to host Olympics in the north of EnglandMcGregor's return comes after serving an 18-month suspension for breaching the UFC's anti-doping regulations.The ban was imposed following three missed drug tests within a 12-month period in 2024.Backdated to his third missed test in September 2024, the suspension came to an end in March this year.Since completing his ban, McGregor has undergone extensive scrutiny from Combat Sports Anti-Doping authorities.The Irishman has been subjected to 11 tests by CSAD in 2025 alone a figure that exceeds any other competitor on the UFC roster.The UFC 329 card also features several British fighters looking to make their mark in Las Vegas.Liverpool's Paddy Pimblett will face French opponent Benoit Saint-Denis in what will be his first outing since suffering defeat against Justin Gaethje at the start of the year.Flyweight Lone'er Kavanagh, another British competitor, has been matched against Brandon Royval on the same bill.Meanwhile, featherweight Luke Riley brings an unblemished professional record into his contest with Kai Kamaka.The presence of three British fighters on such a high-profile card underscores the growing strength of UK talent within the UFC's ranks.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter

Many predicted a transatlantic SNL would crash and burn - but as its run comes to a close, the consensus from fans and critics has been mostly positive.