PSG beat Lens 2-0, secure fifth successive Ligue 1 title

Paris [France], May 14 (ANI): Paris Saint-Germain secured their fifth successive Ligue 1 title, beating Lens 2-0 in a clash of top-two teams on Wednesday.

Now, following this win, PSG, with 24 wins in 33 matches and 76 points, is nine points ahead of Lens, who have 21 wins in 33 matches. They needed just a point out of this match to bag the title, but they walked out with their full quota of points. realschule-moosburg.de

Georgia winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened the goal tally in the 29th minute, before a second-half stoppage-time goal from Ibrahim Mbaye made sure that the title stayed with PSG.

Manager Luis Enrique has a chance to secure a historic treble this season. Prior to the Ligue 1 win, they had already won the Super Cup and will be defending their UEFA Champions League title in Budapest against Arsenal on May 30, with the latter also eyeing a double of Premier League and UCL titles.

Following the win, the club’s president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, said, as quoted by the club’s official website, “We are very proud of this 14th French league title, which, for the first time in the club’s history, is our fifth in a row. Congratulations to the players, to Luis Enrique, to Luis Campos and to all of the backroom staff for the exceptional job that they have done."

“This success is the result of a top-notch team effort from everyone at Paris Saint-Germain and of the strength of our academy, particularly with five young players making their professional debuts. At Paris Saint-Germain, the real star is the team, supported by our amazing fans everywhere we go. Our focus is now fully on our upcoming assignment in Budapest, with even more work to be done as we continue to make history together," he signed off. (ANI)

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The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have one foot inside the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs after securing a win over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Raipur on Wednesday, May 13. The defending champions secured a six-wicket win over their opponents after Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 105 from just 60 balls.

According to Star Sports, RCB now have a whopping 92.6 per cent chance of finishing the league phase within the top four. This makes them one of the favourites to finish in the top two, giving teams two chances to make it through to the finals in Ahmedabad on May 31.

It is worth mentioning that RCB do not have the highest qualification percentage despite their convincing win against the Knight Riders. That honour goes to the Gujarat Titans (GT), who have a qualification chance of 94.8 per cent following a run of five consecutive victories. The 2022 champions are currently second in the standings with 16 points from 12 matches, the same as RCB. Rajat Patidar’s side, however, have a much superior net run rate.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) come next with a qualification probability of 64.7 and 62.8 per cent, respectively. The Kings are still deemed to be one of the four favourites to make it into the latter stages of the tournament despite their recent run of four straight losses. However, they still have 13 points with three matches in hand.

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) were the early-season pace-setters but have since had a drop in form. The 2008 champions have 12 points from 11 matches and currently find themselves sixth in the standings, with two successive defeats. They are behind the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in both the points table and qualification probability, with 40.6 per cent compared to the five-time champions, 41.7.

As things stand, the Delhi Capitals and KKR still have a mathematical chance of qualifying for the playoffs, but will require an absolute miracle to make that happen. Both sides have a probability of just 1.0 and 1.8 per cent of finishing in the top four.

Former West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard’s wife Jenna penned a heartfelt note for him on his 39th birthday on May 12.

Jenna, 39, runs a company that sells cricket equipment, uploaded a series of pictures with the former batting all-rounder to her 1.8 lakh followers on Instagram. “Happy birthday, my love. The kids and I love you dearly. You mean so much to us — our role model, hero, amazing father and incredible husband,” she captioned the post. The couple have two sons Kaydon and Kylon, and a daughter Janiya.

Pollard is the batting coach of Mumbai Indians, who are at ninth place in the IPL table with six points, and have failed to qualify for the Playoffs.

It has been a challenging period for five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians without regular skipper Hardik Pandya, but the game moves on, all-rounder Corbin Bosch said here on Wednesday.

A narrow loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur on Sunday knocked MI out of Playoffs contention this season, with Pandya missing the match due to a back spasm.

Pandya has missed three games so far.

Corbin Bosch

“It’s obviously been tough. Hardik is not only a leader but a fantastic cricketer as well. We’ve missed his presence when it comes to the on-field stuff,” Bosch told reporters on the eve of MI’s contest against Punjab Kings.

“I’m sure the people that are making decisions and the people that are looking after him are trying to do the best for him and for the team itself.

“It has been tricky but at the same time the game does move forward and we still need to play cricket so it’s one of those things,” Bosch added.

MI are languishing in the second-last spot in the 10-team points table, and all-rounder Bosch said the team’s struggles this season stem from their inability to put together a complete performance. “One day it’s been the bowlers who would do well and the batters struggle a little bit or the [next day] the batters do well and the bowlers struggle,” he said.

Meanwhile, PBKS assistant bowling coach Trevor Gonsalves said the side remains focused on cricketing matters and is not distracted by the noise around the team.

PBKS, who are placed fourth with 13 points, have attracted attention on social media because of the off-field conduct of some of their players. “Yes, today social media plays a big role [and] the news [in media] plays a big role. How the big players handle themselves against all these things is absolutely important,” Gonsalves said.

Two
No. of matches MI have won under Hardik Pandya’s leadership this season; they have lost six

Zero
No. of games MI have won vs PBKS in their last three ties

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Former England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor, one of the greatest to have graced the women’s game, has been appointed fielding coach of the senior men’s Test team for the upcoming series against New Zealand, ECB’s Director of Cricket Rob Key announced on Wednesday.

Taylor, 37, who played 226 matches across formats, has also worked with the England Lions (England A) team under Andrew Flintoff, and her impressive performance there has earned her a promotion to the senior team’s support staff.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever