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IPL 2026, RR vs DC: Will Mitchell Starc play today? Munaf Patel drops big hint
Delhi’s bowling coach Munaf Patel confirmed that the left-arm quick is available for selection after recovering from injury, though stopped short of guaranteeing his place in the playing XI.
“He is available from tomorrow. Our best bowler will definitely play, but the final decision will be taken tomorrow. His coming back definitely helps,” Munaf said on the eve of the match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Starc’s return a timely boost for struggling attack
Starc, who was sidelined with shoulder and elbow issues, only rejoined the squad recently and is set to feature in his first competitive game since January. His inclusion could not come at a better time for DC, whose bowling unit has struggled for consistency this season.
Munaf emphasised how crucial a strong bowling attack is in T20 cricket, especially in high-scoring conditions.
“I always say this: a match can be won by batters, but a tournament is won by bowlers. If bowlers bowl well, you can win the tournament. Batters can win you a game, but without good bowling, you cannot win consistently,” he asserted.
With Starc likely to replace one of the overseas pacers, DC will hope his experience adds control, particularly in the powerplay where they have often leaked runs.
‘No panic’: Munaf backs approach despite recent setbacks
DC head into the contest after a turbulent run, including being bowled out for just 75 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. However, Munaf dismissed suggestions that the batting unit was rattled.
“No, we were not nervous. We were playing with a different approach. The wicket was doing a bit, and they bowled well. It is not like if you lose one game, you become nervous in the next game,” he said.
The DC have had a rollercoaster campaign so far, swinging between a 250-plus total in one match and a batting collapse in the next. With three wins and four losses, they find themselves in a must-win phase.
“In do-or-die situations, the approach has to be 100 percent. You know if you lose one or two games, you are out. So as a unit, you have to give everything,” Munaf added.
Strategy under wraps as DC aim turnaround
Facing a confident RR side boasting in-form batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, DC will need to be at their best.
Munaf, however, kept tactical plans close to his chest. “If I tell you the strategy now, they will be ready tomorrow,” he said with a smile.
He also ruled out sweeping changes to the lineup. “There won’t be too many changes. We have experienced players. It’s not like you lose and start changing everything.”
FPL talking point - five players who could make the difference
With only four weeks of the season remaining, targeting players with low ownership can shoot you up your mini-league. sport-newz.biz
Here are five players, selected by Fantasy Premier League expert Gianni Buttice, who might just give you the advantage over your rival managers.
Dango Ouattara (2% owned)
Gianni: Brentford are a reliable source of big chances and when they're not falling to Igor Thiago, it's often Dango Ouattara presented with the opportunity. The Bees still have lots to play for and will be strong favourites in their home games against West Ham and Crystal Palace. Dango comes with the added benefit of taking corners and has played 90 minutes in his past three games.
Jeremy Doku (3% owned)
Gianni: The forgotten man of the Manchester City attack. With both Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo more than 50% owned and Cherki super-popular of late too, Jeremy Doku should not be underestimated. He's a cheap route to the best attack in the league and a difference maker for manager Pep Guardiola. The title race could come down to goal difference and Doku will be given complete licence in what could be an all-out attack approach to the run-in for City.
Daniel Munoz (8% owned)
Gianni: European distraction is a concern this weekend - given Crystal Palace have a Conference League semi-final to think about - and they could rotate heavily against Bournemouth. But with a double gameweek 36, wing-back Daniel Munoz will be in high demand soon. A tally of four goals and three assists is impressive for someone listed in FPL as a defender.
James Hill (8% owned)
Gianni: Since he came in to the Bournemouth starting line-up in gameweek 19, James Hill has achieved a defensive contribution in 12 of 16 matches. He's also managed three assists and not missed a single minute. Those are outstanding numbers for a defender priced at £4m for FPL managers at the start of the season. Bournemouth too are chasing Europe and have plenty to play for with a good fixture run ahead.
Danny Welbeck (8% owned)
Gianni: Brighton have shown excellent form of late and have put themselves in a strong position to qualify for Europe - they are sixth in the league and have favourable fixtures to come which include Newcastle, Wolves and Leeds. It means many will expect their goalscoring run to continue. The Seagulls have scored 10 in their past five matches and have plenty of firepower up top with Danny Welbeck often the target.
Statman Dave's pick - Bruno Guimaraes (4.5% owned)
A favourite from earlier in the season. Prior to his injury, Bruno Guimaraes was the sixth-top points scorer in Fantasy Premier League from gameweeks one to 26.
He's the cheapest of the top point scorers, and has nine goals and six assists in 23 FPL matches and 19 bonus points, putting him third-highest among midfielders.
The only issue is that Newcastle are in terrible form right now. They have won two of their past 11 games in which Guimaraes has not started. He is massively important for them to play well.
Gibbs-White delivers, but has the time to pick him passed?
Statman Dave's differential pick for gameweek 34 was Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White, and it proved to be an inspired choice.
The midfielder scored 20 FPL points thanks to a goal and an assist in Forest's 5-0 win against Sunderland.
"That's my favourite pick of the season. That was so nice to watch Forest score early, him get involved with the goals, great performance," Statman Dave said on BBC Sport's FPL Podcast.
"First half, they scored four goals from four shots on target. It was an absolute dream.
"But I would say: Don't pick him now. Chelsea next away, Newcastle home, Manchester United away and then Bournemouth at home. Those are some tough fixtures, interspersed with the Europa League semi-finals."
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Nicolas Jackson’s camp were hopeful of permanent Bayern Munich deal
As the season progressed for Bayern Munich, it became more and more clear that the club did not have any intention of making a permanent purchase of Nicolas Jackson, who has been on loan from Chelsea this season. There was a €65 million buy-on option in his loan deal from Stamford Bridge after what had been a rather hectic end to the summer transfer for the Senegalese international. At first, the deal was on and looked to be smooth sailing, then it was off, back on, back off, and then finally on again while the striker waited in Munich in the final hours of the transfer window.
Bayern’s hierarchy and former club president Uli Hoeneß had made it clear they felt it was unrealistic Jackson would meet the clause requirements in the buy-on option of the loan deal that stipulated he would get 45+ minutes in 40+ games this season. Serving as Harry Kane’s backup, it was clear from the start of the season that it would be highly unlikely this would happen, and it expectedly hasn’t.
Per information from The Athletic (via @iMiaSanMia), Jackson’s camp had been remaining subtly hopeful that a permanent buy could be made by Bayern and the striker could make a full transfer away from Chelsea, knowing that it likely would’ve meant a lot of renegotiations of specific terms and conditions with the Blues. They felt that Jackson has done an adequate job of serving as Kane’s backup in Bayern’s attack and Vincent Kompany has also given a handful of starts across all competitions. From his total of 30 appearances across all competitions so far this season, Jackson has tallied 10 goals and 4 assists in addition to winning the African Cup of Nations with Senegal, though Morocco has successfully disputed the result of the final with the CAF.
As things stand, Chelsea still feel Jackson’s market value is somewhere around 60 million pounds, but Bayern’s standpoint is that trying to find a backup striker for Kane in the transfer market is the more feasible option than the 65-million-euro purchase option of Jackson. That, by no means, is going to be an easy task for Bayern, but they have found success in similar scenarios before a la signing Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to serve as a backup to Robert Lewandowski — the Cameroon striker did so to great effect during his tenure in Munich.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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Philadelphia vs Carolina Game One time set for Saturday
Live from Raleighwood, it’ll be Saturday Night.
Ever since Philadelphia ended their series against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, fans had been waiting for when the Flyers/Canes series would get started. Informed speculation had noted that ABC had an 8 PM slot for Saturday Night, also a traditional spot for “Hockey Night in Canada.” The thinking was that if either Minnesota/Dallas or Edmonton/Anaheim needed a Game 7 that’s when they would play, and if both series ended the league might go ahead and start the Canes versus the Flyers.
Well, Minnesota ended Dallas’ season and then Anaheim wrapped up their series against the Oilers. As the Canes and the Flyers would be the most rested—you could have started Colorado against Minnesota in Denver but that would have given the Wild just one day off—and the league decided they didn’t want to skip Saturday night, that just left for one option:
Note there’s no word on the rest of the schedule as the other half of the East still may not be determined before the end of the day Sunday with Montreal/Tampa and Boston/Buffalo set to play their own Game Six on Friday. While Colorado and Minnesota is now set, the other Western matchup is still up in the air as Anaheim now waits for the Utah/Las Vegas winner—which also may not be set until Sunday. Should the other East series not start until Tuesday—which is the earliest they could if either or both go seven—then the league will probably build in a long break between games in order to let the other series catch up. Whether that would be between games one and two, or two and three is unknown.
The night also promises to be a busy one for the city of Philadelphia, as the 76ers defeated Boston on Thursday Night to force a decisive Game Seven to be played on Saturday Night. That tip is scheduled for 7:30 in Boston, and it’s going to be the only NBA game that day that will follow the Kentucky Derby.
Philadelphia was told on Wednesday that they might play Saturday, so the team likely made plans in case that happened. The Hurricanes are set to practice at 11 AM Friday Morning at Lenovo center, and with an 8 PM puck drop both teams will likely go through a full morning skate on Saturday.
The normal tailgating scene may be a bit subdued as the weather is forecast to be grey and rainy, perhaps heavy, but there’s little doubt the start time will allow for a packed and raucous atmosphere as the Canes play for the first time in a week.
McDaniels on the attention he's getting: "When it's …
Oh No He Didn't: Jaden McDaniels on the attention he's getting: "When it's the home team I don't mind it...but when it's other people it's nonsense. I don't really care for it. I'll take all the love, all the chants and stuff. I appreciate the fans though"
Jaden on the attention he's getting:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 1, 2026
"When it's the home team I don't mind it...but when it's other people it's nonsense. I don't really care for it. I'll take all the love, all the chants and stuff. I appreciate the fans though" pic.twitter.com/SgT3fYPpEW
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: McDaniels on the attention he's getting: "When it's …