Welsh netball’s leading women’s team will lose ‘Cardiff’ from their title for the 2026 Netball Super League (NSL) season and host games in Liverpool as well as the Welsh capital.
Previously known as LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons, the city name has been removed and they are now LexisNexis Dragons and will play home games at Cardiff’s House of Sport and Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena.
The Welsh side finished bottom of the revamped NSL last season – winning only two of their 14 matches – and there have been question marks about the franchise’s finances.
BBC Sport Wales had been told that players were informed in the off-season that they may not have had a team to play for this coming campaign if Dragons did not secure the required funding.
After making a cameoduring Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s2020 halftime show in Miami, Bad Bunny will return to the Super Bowl stage next year — this time, as the headlining act.
The 2026 Super Bowl LX will take place Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The Puerto Rican hitmaker’s performance is expected to be the first fully Spanish-language performance on the stage, and he’s the first Latino man to headline.
The announcement came after Bad Bunny, full name Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, said he would not tour his latest album, “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” to the continental U.S. due to the ongoing threat of ICE arresting his concertgoers. “There was the issue of — like, f— ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about,” he told i-D magazine.
Instead, the Grammy-winning artist’s No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí (I Don’t Want to Leave Here) residency — which took place at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan — broughtan estimated $733 million to Puerto Rico as600,000-plus tourists came to the island for his concert.
As an unincorporated territory of the United States, Puerto Rico still has an ICE presence. In June 2025, Benito posted footageon his Instagram stories of an ICE raid in progress in Carolina, showcasing agents arresting alleged undocumented immigrants.
Yet since announcing his Super Bowl halftime show, the singer hasn’t voiced concerns about ICE. His post on X, which strays from his previous remarks on avoiding the States as a stance against ICE, reads: “I’ve been thinking about it these days, and after discussing it with my team, I think I’ll do just one date in the United States.”
As Santa Clara County is a sanctuary jurisdiction, Lina Baroudi, an immigration attorney in San Jose, believes local law enforcement is unlikely to cooperate with ICE. “Federal agents can operate independently. Sanctuary laws don’t prevent them from entering public spaces or executing federal warrants,” she says.
Between January and July in the Bay Area, ICE made 2,640 arrests— a 123% increase compared with 2024. “By June 2025, around 60% of ICE daily arrests in California were of people without criminal charges or convictions,” Baroudi says. The agency has historically had an increased presence in cities hosting the Super Bowl. ICE will likely be prohibited from operating inside the stadium, but ICE can operate in public spaces such as the parking lot, where fans may gather to hear the performance.
And yet, given the Trump administration’s hostility toward immigrants and Spanish speakers in the U.S., it feels especially poignant that the country’s biggest sporting event of the year will showcase a performance sung entirely in Spanish.
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” Bad Bunny said in a statement. “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”
The NFL has made a concerted effort over the years to globalize American football, with a special focus on building a fan base in Latin America; it recently enlisted Colombian pop starKarol G to perform at a halftime show in Brazil. Given that the Latine buying power in the U.S. is estimated at $3.6 trillion, tapping Bad Bunny as the headliner is a strategic move toward the league’s international expansion.
Year after year, since 2022, artists have broken the record for the highest viewership during a Super Bowl halftime show. During the 2025 Super Bowl, Kendrick Lamar drew the largest audience ever, with 133.5 million people tuning in for his performance, surpassing the actual game’s viewership.
While the Bad Bunny halftime show has the potential to break viewership records, bring in new audiences and educate viewers on the Puerto Rico he loves — it also poses a potential security risk for his Latine fans in attendance, who deserve solidarity and increased institutional support.
The NFL announced the musical headliner for Super Bowl LX’s halftime show, and — much to MAGA’s chagrin — it’s not Kid Rock.
Music’s most lucrative spot went to a relevant artist who actually sells albums: Bad Bunny. Letting the Puerto Rican rapper and singer turned global megastar perform 2026’s halftime show gifts right-wing influencers with a fresh conduit for the old grievance that woke culture has permeated every crevice of American culture, especially the Super Bowl.
Their proof: The NFL chose a predominantly Spanish-language artist who is known to wear women’s dresses, who endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024, and who has decried this year’s immigration sweeps. Clearly, this decision was designed to irk them rather than serve Bad Bunny’s millions and millions of fans.
“The NFL is self-destructing year after year,” conservative commentator Benny Johnson wrote on X. He said of Bad Bunny: “Massive Trump hater. Anti-ICE activist. No songs in English.”
Other critics accused the reggaeton artist of flip-flopping, particularly following Bad Bunny’s statements earlier this month that he would not include any mainland U.S. dates on his Debí Tirar Más Fotos world tour out of concern that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents might target and detain his fans.
“There were many reasons why I didn’t show up in the U.S., and none of them were out of hate — I’ve performed there many times,” he said to I-D magazine. “But there was the issue of — like, f—ing ICE could be outside [my concert]. And it’s something that we were talking about and very concerned about.”
The artist, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, explained his decision to join the long list of Super Bowl halftime notables in a short statement following the NFL’s announcement Sunday.
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself,” he said. “It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown … this is for my people, my culture and our history. Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”
Bad Bunny in glasses, not a dress.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP)
The year-after-year decision to cast top-ranking pop artists and music legends in the featured Super Bowl halftime spot is hardly a mystery. They are stars that sell or performers that appeal to millions. But that dull reality hasn’t stopped the characterizations that the Bad Bunny decision is a deep state conspiracy, designed to rot American households from the inside out.
“Barack Obama’s best friend Jay-Z runs the Super Bowl selection process through his company Roc Nation which has an exclusive contract with the NFL. This is who chooses the halftime show, the most-watched musical performance in America,” wrote alt-right figure Jack Posobiec.
The NFL in 2019 partnered with rapper Jay Z’s entertainment and sports company, Roc Nation, to produce its Super Bowl halftime shows. The first show under the new partnership featured 2020’s Latin music in performances by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. Since then the institution’s halftime performances have largely featured hip-hop artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna and the OG trio of Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Eminem.
Lamar’s 2025 politically charged performance was the source of condemnation from the right. Clad in red, white and blue, his predominantly Black dance crew assembled in an American flag formation. And guest star Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, called out the nation’s systemic racism. Lamar had already rankled the right with 2017’s “The Heart Part 4,” where he referred to Trump as a “chump.”
Kendrick Lamar performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 59.
(Frank Franklin II / AP)
It’s one of many moments over the last decade that have galvanized conservative factions around calls to boycott the Super Bowl, or at least publicly bash the event. Beyoncé’s 2016 Super Bowl halftime show was once such flash point, where she performed “Formation” featuring dancers in Black Panther-inspired outfits and paid tribute to the Black Lives Matter movement.
At least those complaints were rooted in a performance that actually happened, as opposed to claims that the NFL was manipulating games for the Kansas City Chiefs to enable tight end Travis Kelce and his then-girlfriend (now fiancée) Taylor Swift to endorse Joe Biden. Sure, totally feasible.
Yet there should be no secret around why the Super Bowl hasn’t featured wildly popular, globally celebrated MAGA-promoting performers: There aren’t any. It’s no wonder Kid Rock and Lee Greenwood always seem to be the entertainment of choice for Trump rallies.
Bad Bunny is the most-streamed male artist on Spotify, running just behind the platform’s most-streamed artist of all time, Swift. As of Sunday, his release “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS” became the first album of 2025 to surpass 7 billion streams on Spotify. And the 31-year-old artist just finished a sold-out, month-long residency at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Though the Super Bowl is still five months away, those who aren’t among the haters can enjoy an early kick off: Bad Bunny is scheduled to host the new season opener of “SNL” this weekend.
Bad Bunny will headline the halftime show at next year’s Super Bowl LX, organizers announced Sunday.
This will be the Puerto Rican musician’s second time at the Super Bowl following his appearance with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez during halftime of 2020’s game.
“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself. It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown,” Bad Bunny — whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — said in a statement, noting that “this is for my people, my culture and our history.
“Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el halftime show del Super Bowl,” he added in Spanish, which translates to a request to tell your grandma that he’s playing the Super Bowl.
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Roc Nation, the sprawling entertainment company founded by Jay-Z, will again produce the event. The company partnered with the NFL in 2019 to consult on live music events and social justice initiatives, including producing and selecting performers for the Super Bowl halftime show.
“What Benito has done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring,” Jay-Z said in the statement. “We are honored to have him on the world’s biggest stage.”
While the big game is an anticipated event for football fans, the halftime spectacle is just as much of an eagerly awaited cultural affair, drawing considerable speculation annually about which star will take what’s widely regarded as music’s biggest stage.
Names that made the rounds this year included Adele and Taylor Swift, with the latter hitting overdrive earlier this month when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made an appearance on “Today” and said, “We would always love to have Taylor play. She is a special, special talent, and obviously she would be welcome at any time.” When asked if talks were in the works with the singer, who is engaged to Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, Goodell tried to sidestep the question before responding, “It’s a maybe.”
Bad Bunny’s headlining gig — announced during halftime of Sunday’s Packers-Cowboys match-up at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex. — follows Kendrick Lamar’s performance at this past February’s Super Bowl LIX. Ratings for the Compton-born MC’s halftime show, in which he famously dissed the Canadian rapper Drake and launched a TikTok craze over his flared Celine jeans and “Not Like Us” shuffle, were the highest of all time, according to Nielsen, which said the telecast drew more than 127.7 million viewers. It also earned him an Emmy for music direction, an award he shared with co-music director Tony Russell.
Super Bowl LX will take place Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., and will air on NBC.
India take all the way by Sri Lanka in final Super Fours match before Sunday’s Asia Cup final against Pakistan.
Published On 26 Sep 202526 Sep 2025
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Defending champions India survived Pathum Nissanka’s blistering hundred and some intense Super Over drama before beating Sri Lanka in a dead rubber to maintain their unbeaten run in the Asia Cup on Friday.
With India having already secured their place in Sunday’s final against Pakistan and Sri Lanka eliminated, the Super Fours clash was of merely academic interest, but it turned out to be the most exciting game of this year’s tournament.
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Sri Lanka gave a good account of themselves and matched India’s 202-5 to force the Super Over after Nissanka (107) smashed the first individual hundred of this year’s tournament.
Sri Lanka, however, managed only two runs in the Super Over before losing both the wickets in five deliveries from Arshdeep Singh.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav took three runs from the first delivery from Wanindu Hasaranga to seal their victory matter-of-factly.
Earlier, put into bat, 20-overs world champions India racked up the tournament’s first 200-plus total riding opener Abhishek Sharma’s third consecutive fifty in the tournament.
Abhishek, the world’s top-ranked T20 batter, maintained his red-hot form with a sizzling 61 off 31 balls.
Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka in action with India’s Kusal Mendis [Raghed Waked/Reuters]
Opening partner Shubman Gill fell for four,
and skipper Suryakumar’s (12) slump in form continued, but India did not really suffer as Abhishek raced to a 22-ball fifty.
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka removed Abhishek, but Tilak Varma, who made 49 not out, and Sanju Samson (39) maintained the pressure on the Sri Lankan bowlers.
In their chase, Sri Lanka lost Kusal Mendis for a duck in the first over, but cruised to 72-1 after the six powerplay overs.
India rested pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, while Hardik Pandya bowled just one over before leaving the field.
Nissanka needed 25 balls to bring up his fifty, and Kusal Perera (58) could not be denied his half-century either.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy broke the 127-run stand when he dismissed Perera.
Nissanka raced to a 52-ball hundred, but fell in the first ball of the last over, which ended with Sri Lanka also on 202-5, forcing the Super Over.
Super Typhoon Ragasa, among the most powerful storms to strike Asia in recent years, has hurled waves higher than lampposts across Hong Kong’s promenades and churned coastal waters along southern China after leaving a trail of devastation in Taiwan and the Philippines.
The death toll in Taiwan reached 14 after floodwaters submerged roads and swept away vehicles, while 10 fatalities were confirmed in the northern Philippines.
In Guangdong province, China’s southern economic hub, more than two million residents were evacuated, according to state-run Xinhua news agency.
As Ragasa continues its westward trajectory, authorities suspended select train services in the Guangxi region on Thursday. Chinese officials have allocated tens of millions of dollars towards disaster relief efforts.
Initially, schools, factories and transportation services were suspended across approximately 12 cities, but some areas farther from the landfall site began preparations to resume operations as wind intensity diminished.
Before reaching China, Ragasa inflicted casualties and destruction in Taiwan and the Philippines as it tracked between the two territories.
In Taiwan, the death toll reached 14 after torrential rain caused a barrier lake in Hualien County to overflow on Tuesday, unleashing muddy floodwaters that destroyed a bridge and transformed Guangfu township roads into violent currents carrying away vehicles and furniture.
Of Guangfu’s approximately 8,450 residents, more than half were able to seek refuge on higher floors or elevated terrain.
Rescue teams established contact with more than 100 previously unreachable individuals in Hualien and conducted door-to-door checks on the remaining 17 residents. Across the self-ruled island, 32 people sustained injuries.
In the northern Philippines, at least 10 deaths were reported, including seven fishermen who drowned on Monday when massive waves and fierce winds capsized their boat off Santa Ana in northern Cagayan province. Five additional fishermen remain missing, according to provincial officials.
Nearly 700,000 people were affected by the catastrophic storm, with 25,000 seeking shelter in government emergency facilities.
The semiconductor industry is the beating heart of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. Developing AI models wouldn’t be possible without powerful chips and advanced networking equipment, and for them to continue getting “smarter,” semiconductor suppliers will have to deliver more and more computing capacity.
For that reason, Nvidia(NVDA -0.82%) CEO Jensen Huang expects data center operators to spend up to $4 trillion on upgrading their infrastructure to meet demand from AI developers by 2030. Nvidia will be a major beneficiary of that spending over the next five years, but so will many of its peers and competitors.
Here are five semiconductor stocks to buy right now.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Nvidia
Let’s start with the most obvious pick. Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPUs) for data centers are the gold standard for AI development. The company just started shipping a new GPU called the GB300, which is based on its Blackwell Ultra architecture, and it’s up to 50 times more powerful in certain configurations than its flagship H100 chip, which dominated the market in 2023 and most of 2024.
The latest AI reasoning models consume significantly more tokens (words and symbols) than older one-shot large language models (LLMs), because they spend more time “thinking” in the background to weed out errors before generating outputs. This calls for more computing power, which is expected to drive explosive demand for the GB300 from the best AI developers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta Platforms, and xAI.
Nvidia generated a record $41.1 billion in data center revenue during its fiscal 2026’s second quarter (ended July 27), which was up 56% year over year. That number also grew by a staggering 1,081% compared to the same quarter in fiscal 2023, which was right before the AI revolution started gathering momentum. If AI infrastructure spending really does hit $4 trillion over the next five years, Nvidia will probably be one of the best stocks investors can own.
2. Broadcom
Broadcom(AVGO 0.15%) supplies AI accelerators (a type of data center chip) to at least three hyperscalers, including Alphabet. These chips have become a popular alternative to GPUs because they can be customized to suit the needs of each customer, so they offer more flexibility.
Broadcom is also a top supplier of networking equipment. Its Ethernet switches regulate how fast data travels between chips and devices, and its new Tomahawk Ultra variant delivers industry-leading low latency and high throughput, which facilitates faster processing speeds with less data loss.
Broadcom’s AI semiconductor revenue soared by 63% to $5.2 billion during its most recent quarter, but it might just be getting warmed up. The company says its three hyperscale customers plan to deploy over 1 million AI accelerators each in 2027, creating a $90 billion opportunity. Separately, a new mystery customer recently placed a $10 billion order for accelerators, and Wall Street is speculating it could be OpenAI.
3. Advanced Micro Devices
Advanced Micro Devices(AMD -0.03%) supplies chips for some of the world’s most popular consumer electronics, from Sony‘s PlayStation 5, to the infotainment systems inside Tesla‘s electric vehicles. However, the company is now laser-focused on catching up to chipmakers like Nvidia in the AI data center business.
AMD’s latest MI350 series of GPUs are based on a new architecture called Compute DNA 4, and they are 35 times faster than its previous generation that launched less than two years ago. Next year, AMD will start shipping the MI400 series, which will be paired with specialized hardware and software systems to create a fully integrated data center rack called Helios, delivering a tenfold improvement in performance relative to the MI350 series.
This highlights how quickly AMD is progressing from a technological perspective. The company is slowly capturing market share already, but these new chips could cement its position as a real player in the data center space for the long term.
4. Micron Technology
GPUs wouldn’t be as efficient without high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which stores data in a ready state to accelerate processing speeds. Simply put, more HBM capacity allows the GPU to unleash its maximum performance, which is essential in data-intensive AI workloads.
Micron Technology‘s (MU -2.83%) HBM3E solution for the data center offers industry-leading capacity and energy efficiency, and it’s embedded in Nvidia’s Blackwell Ultra GPUs and also AMD’s MI350 series. But the company will raise the bar again next year with its HBM4 solution, which will offer 60% more performance and 20% less power consumption.
Simply put, investors who believe Nvidia and AMD will sell truckloads of data center GPUs over the next five years should also be bullish on Micron’s business.
But it gets better, because some smaller AI workloads are slowly migrating to personal computers and smartphones, so they also require higher memory capacities. That’s great news for Micron because it’s a major player in those markets, too.
5. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
Finally, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing(TSM -0.58%) could be the ultimate picks-and-shovels play as AI infrastructure spending ramps up. It’s the world’s largest semiconductor fabricator, and Nvidia, Broadcom, and AMD are just a few of its top clients.
Taiwan Semi offers unmatched expertise when it comes to manufacturing the most advanced chips. It works with the smallest nodes in the industry, so it can pack more transistors into each chip which is the key to unlocking processing power and energy efficiency. That is an ideal combination when it comes to AI GPUs.
Investors who own Taiwan Semi stock won’t be too concerned about which chip giant wins the AI race, because whether it’s Nvidia, Broadcom, or AMD, the demand for manufacturing capacity is only heading in one direction: up.
Ford axed the cheery Ka runabout six years ago. Yet Kia is still shifting the dinky Picanto by the boatload.
I dunno. Them crazy Koreans giving people what they actually want.
Right, let’s discuss the cars you see on these pages today.
The yellow car is called K4. That’s a five-door petrol hatch from £25k. Well-equipped. Fizzy 1-litre or 1.6 turbo petrols. Seven-year warranty. As with any Kia. Undercuts a VolkswagenGolf by £3k.
EV6 Kia EV6 GT is a ridiculously fast SUV that even boils your kettle – but can it beat £158k Porsche 911 in drag race
The blue car is called EV4. That’s a five-door electric hatch from £35k, before any electric car grant. Looks great. Drives sweetly.
The chassis could easily handle more power. Iron Man and Mickey Mouse integrated in the onboard computer.
I’m serious.
You can personalise the central screen and satnav with your favourite movie characters. The kids will love that.
Then watch Netflix or play arcade games, if you ever need to stop to recharge.
I say IF because the biggest 81kWh battery will do 390 miles by the official WLTP test. Closer to 320 miles in the real world.
Still more than most people do in a week. And way more than a Vauxhall Astra Electric can manage.
Everything is super easy
The regular EV4 has a 273-mile battery and recharges in a 30-minute tea-and-pee break.
Driving impressions. You sit nice and low in this car. We like that. It rides nicely (multi-link rear axle).
We designed this car thinking about the European customer because they love to drive
Kia engineer
Handles nicely (also multi-link rear axle). Accelerates smoothly. Everything is super easy.
If you want to feel more involved, use the braking regen paddles on the steering wheel to mimic changing down gears for a bend.
I reckon the four-wheel-drive GT due next year is going to be a lot of fun.
A Kia engineer told me: “We designed this car thinking about the European customer because they love to drive.”
Too right.
The cabin is copy-and-paste Kia’s other award-winning EVs. Which means a nice mix of screens and hard controls, cup holders and chargers for everyone, lots of recycled materials, and lots of S P A C and E.
Like 10cm more legroom in the back than a Tesla Model 3. Like a wide-opening boot that swallows loads more stuff than a Focus, Golf or Astra.
That’s the benefit of a ground-up electric car. It’s no bigger on the outside. But you get a next-size-up cabin.
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The K4 is a five-door petrol hatch from £25k that’s well-equipped, zippy, and £3k cheaper than a GolfCredit: Supplied
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The fugly EV4 Fastback. I reckon the designers were rushing to get to the pubCredit: Supplied
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You can personalise the central screen and satnav with your favourite movie charactersCredit: Supplied
Put simply, EV4 is a peach.
Now for the car I’m less bothered about. The fugly EV4 Fastback. I reckon the designers were rushing to get to the pub. Either that or they finished it after they’d been to the pub.
I’m sure someone will like it.
It does have a bigger boot and the biggest battery as standard.
But it costs £41k.
At least Kia is doing Ford’s old job by giving everyone lots of choice.
Rescuers worked through the night to evacuate residents in the northern Philippines as Super Typhoon Ragasa triggered flooding and landslides in the region. Thousands have been displaced by the strongest storm of the year.
Who: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka What: T20 Asia Cup 2025 Super Fours When: Tuesday, September 23 at 6:30pm (14:30 GMT) Where: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) How to follow:Al Jazeera Sport will have live build-up from 11:00 GMT ahead of our comprehensive text commentary stream of the match.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka meet in their Super Fours match at the T20 Asia Cup 2025 knowing that a loss in Abu Dhabi could jeopardise their place in the tournament.
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Both former champions have lost their opening games in the second phase of the regional competition, and the match on Tuesday will offer them a chance to revive their campaign for the final.
The top two teams from the round-robin style Super Fours will qualify for the final in Dubai on Sunday.
Bangladesh and India, the other Super Fours teams, each have two points on the board after their respective wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Six-time winners Sri Lanka were edged by the Tigers by four wickets in a closely fought match on Saturday, while Pakistan were handed a second defeat in eight days at the hands of India on Sunday.
Charith Asalanka’s team were unbeaten in Group B and will start as favourites against Pakistan, whom they have beaten in their last five T20 international (T20I) meetings.
For two-time champions Pakistan, the match will offer a chance to restore some pride after their two heavy losses against archrivals India.
Players to watch: Pakistan
Fakhar Zaman: The veteran batter has made a return to the team after a long, injury-forced layoff. And while he hasn’t posted big scores on a consistent basis, Zaman is known to demoralise opposition bowlers once he gets in the flow. The longer the opener stays at the crease, the better Pakistan’s chances of posting a big target or chasing one down.
Abrar Ahmed: The bespectacled leg-spinner has been Pakistan’s most economical bowler in the tournament despite picking up only four wickets in his four Asia Cup games so far. His tight spells often force opposition batters to attack the other bowlers and lose wickets at the other end, making Abrar a key figure in Pakistan’s lineup.
Players to watch: Sri Lanka
Pathum Nissanka: The Sri Lankan opener is enjoying an exceptional run of form and has scored a minimum of 30 runs in 16 of his last 25 innings in T20Is at a strike rate of 124. At the Asia Cup 2025, Nissanka is second on the run-scoring charts with 146 runs in four matches, 27 runs behind India’s exceptional batter Abhishek Sharma.
Wanindu Hasaranga: Hasaranga’s place in the Sri Lankan side has been blighted by frequent injuries, but the leg-spin bowling all-rounder remains a key member of the team. He has taken five wickets in five Asia Cup 2025 matches at an economy rate of under six. Hasaranga enjoys playing against Pakistan and has taken 14 wickets and scored 61 runs in his five matches against the 2012 Asian champions.
Super Fours points table and qualification scenario
India sit on top of the Super Fours table with two points and a net run rate (NRR) of 0.689, followed by Bangladesh, who have the same number of points but an NRR of 0.121.
The winner of Tuesday’s match could rank anywhere from first to third, based on their NRR, and the losing team, while still not out, must win their last match by a big margin and hope the other results go their way.
While Pakistan lead Sri Lanka in their overall T20I results, the Lions have been the dominant team in the format in the past six years.
Pakistan have beaten Sri Lanka 13 out of 23 times, but their last T20I win against the Lions came in 2019.
Form guide: Pakistan
Pakistan have blown hot and cold in the T20 Asia Cup, having won against lower-ranked teams Oman and the UAE while losing both their matches against defending champions India.
As always, it is difficult to predict which Pakistan team – hot or cold – will turn up on match day.
Last five results (most recent first): L W L W W
Form guide: Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka beat all three of their Group B opponents prior to the Super Fours loss against Bangladesh, but have had a mixed bag of results in T20Is in 2025. They beat Zimbabwe 2-1 in their bilateral series but lost 2-1 to Bangladesh a few weeks earlier.
Last five results (most recent first): L W W W W
Team news: Pakistan
Pakistan have, predictably, made a few changes to their playing XIs over the course of the tournament, and not all of them have paid off.
Belligerent batter Hasan Nawaz’s exclusion from the team that faced India on Sunday was met with criticism, especially as the player replacing him – Hussain Talat – did not improve on Nawaz’s performances.
Salman Agha’s team have also switched between playing two spinners and pace bowlers.
Nawaz and spinner Sufiyan Muqeem could return against Sri Lanka.
Predicted XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (captain), Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Hasan Nawaz/Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi/Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Muqeem
Team news: Sri Lanka
Lower-order batter Kamil Mishara’s spot in the playing XI will be under scrutiny, given his low strike rate and scores in the last three matches. Janith Liyanage could replace Mishara on Tuesday.
Abhishek’s innings helps India chase 172 with seven balls to spare in their Super Fours cricket match against Pakistan in Dubai.
Published On 21 Sep 202521 Sep 2025
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A 105-run opening stand between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill helped defending champions India beat Pakistan by six wickets in their Asia Cup Super Four match, a second victory over their archrivals in the Twenty20 cricket tournament.
Put in to bat first in the match on Sunday, Pakistan set India a target of 172, which they reached with seven balls remaining.
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There was no handshake between the teams’ players yet again, with the match played amid lingering tensions between the two nations in the wake of a military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.
There was clear tension between both sets of players it threatened to bubble over in India’s innings as Pakistan’s fast bowler Haris Rauf appeared to exchage heated words with Sharma and Gill.
Put in to bat first, Pakistan had a 72-run partnership between Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub for the second wicket that laid the foundation for its innings after Fakhar Zaman (15) fell early.
Farhan, who was dropped in the first over by Sharma, completed his half-century in 34 balls, steering Pakistan to 91-1 after 10 overs.
But Pakistan could not hit a single boundary in the next six overs as Ayub (21), Hussain Talat (10) and Farhan (58 off 45) got out in quick succession.
Unbeaten knocks from captain Salman Ali Agha (17 off 13) and Faheem Ashraf (20 off 8) added 42 runs in the last three overs to help Pakistan reach a competitive 171-5.
Sharma announced his intentions by hitting Shaheen Shah Afridi for a six on the first ball, and hit four boundaries and four sixes to complete his half-century in 24 balls.
India seemed to be cruising to a quick victory until Gill (47 off 28) was bowled by Faheem Ashraf in the 10th over.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav fell to Haris Rauf (2-26) for a duck in the very next over, and Sharma (74 off 39) was dismissed by Abrar Ahmed soon after, temporarily throttling India’s chase.
But India, who beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the group stage, still got over the line, with Tilak Varma (30 off 19) hitting Afridi for a six and a four in the final two balls of the innings.
Pakistan will face Sri Lanka on Tuesday, with both sides looking for their first win in the Super Four, a day before India play Bangladesh, who beat Sri Lanka on Saturday.
The Super Fours stage of the Asia Cup opens with Bangladesh beating Sri Lanka by four wickets in Dubai.
Published On 20 Sep 202520 Sep 2025
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Attacking half-centuries from Saif Hassan and Towhid Hridoy helped Bangladesh stun Sri Lanka by four wickets in the opening Super Four match at the Asia Cup.
Hassan scored 61 runs off 45 balls, with two fours and four sixes, and Hridoy hit 58 off 37 with two sixes, as Bangladesh won with a ball to spare after a dramatic final over on Saturday.
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With five runs needed off the last six balls, Jaker Ali hit Dasun Shanaka for a first-ball four, and then was bowled. Shanaka then sent back Mahedi Hasan for a two-ball duck.
On the penultimate delivery, Nasum Ahmed and Shamim Hossain, 14 not out off 12, ran hard to end Sri Lanka’s unbeaten run.
Bangladesh finished with 169-6 for its third-highest successful chase in Twenty20s.
Earlier, Shanaka’s 64 not out off 37 balls helped power Sri Lanka to 168-7.
India and Pakistan face off in the next Super Four game on Sunday — their second clash in the tournament after the controversial no-handshakes group match.
Despite a quick opening stand between Pathum Nissanka (22) and Kusal Mendis (34), Sri Lanka was reduced to 65-3 in 9.1 overs after Mahedi Hasan struck twice.
Bangladesh’s Saif Hassan plays a shot during the Asia Cup cricket match [Altaf Qadri/AP]
Shanaka then took charge and scored 50 off 30 balls, including two fours and five sixes. He hit six sixes in all, and put up 57 off 27 balls with Charith Asalanka for the fifth wicket.
In the 19th over, Asalanka was dropped and then run out off the same delivery in his 21 off 12 balls. Shanaka, also dropped, stayed unbeaten till the end.
Vital momentum was lost in the over by the run out and Mustafizur Rahman two wickets.
Tanzid Hasan was bowled for a two-ball duck, but it did not deter his partner, who counterattacked Sri Lanka. Bangladesh skipper Litton Das (23) shared 59 off 34 balls for the second wicket.
Bangladesh was 59-1 in the powerplay with Saif Hassan leading. He reached 50 off 36 balls.
Hassan and Hridoy combined for 54 as Bangladesh’s chase gained momentum.
Hridoy guided the chase towards the finish line with 50 off 31 balls. He was trapped in the 19th over by Dushmantha Chameera, but Shamin Hossain helped to finish off the game despite the final over drama.
It was Bangladesh’s first successful 160-plus chase in 16 attempts — the previous instance was in March 2024, also against Sri Lanka.
Who: India vs Pakistan What: T20 Asia Cup Super Fours When: Sunday, September 21 at 14:30 GMT Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, UAE How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 09:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
It will be a case of “here we go again” as bitter rivals India and Pakistan meet on the cricket field for the second time in eight days at the T20 Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai.
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The stakes will be higher this time as their clash on Sunday takes place in the Super Fours stage, and the winning side will take one step closer to the final, while the losers will move further away from the tournament decider.
India will start as favourites for multiple reasons, not least their seven-wicket thrashing of Pakistan in their Group A match on September 14.
In addition to their status as the ICC’s top-ranked men’s T20 team, Suryakumar Yadav’s side are the tournament’s defending champions and the reigning T20 champions.
For Pakistan, a lot more than two points will be on the line as they will look to put aside not only the embarrassing defeat but also events that transpired following their thumping loss, as India’s players walked off the field without partaking in the customary post-match handshake.
Here’s what you need to know about the match:
What happened in the last India vs Pakistan match?
India stamped their authority on the match with the first ball, as Pakistan’s opener Saim Ayub Ayub was caught out at point off Hardik Pandya’s bowling and wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris followed suit in the next over as India’s star bowler Jasprit Bumrah struck.
It wasn’t until Shaheen Shah Afridi and leg-spin bowler Sufiyan Muqeem hit four fours and two sixes that Pakistan crossed the 100-run mark in their 19th over and finished at 128.
The target was never going to be enough for a power-packed Indian batting lineup, and opener Abhishek Sharma took the match away from Pakistan with his belligerent innings of 31 runs off 13 balls.
Yadav followed suit with 47 runs off 37 balls as India won their second match of the tournament.
India walked away with two points and walked off without shaking hands with the Pakistan team, as is the norm after every cricket match.
Abhishek Sharma was India’s star batter in the match against Pakistan [Raghed Waked/Reuters]
What happened after the match?
Yadav walked off the field alongside his batting partner, Shivam Dube, without approaching the Pakistani captain and team for the traditional post-match handshakes.
Pakistan’s players trudged off in a group and waited for the Indian squad and support staff to come out and shake hands, as is the norm at the end of cricket matches.
However, the Indian contingent only shook hands with each other before walking into their dressing room and shutting the door as the waiting Pakistan players looked on.
India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav, left, and batting partner Shivam Dube, right, leave the field after their win in the Asia Cup cricket match against Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium [Fatima Shbair/AP]
Why did India’s players not shake hands with the Pakistani team?
“A few things in life are above sportsman’s spirit,” India’s captain Yadav said when asked to clarify his team’s actions.
“We stand with all the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and with their families, and dedicate this win to our brave armed forces who took part in Operation Sindoor.”
Yadav was referring to the Indian armed forces’ multiple missile attacks on six locations inside Pakistan.
How did Pakistan respond?
Pakistan’s manager Naveed Akram Cheema lodged a protest against the Indian cricket team’s actions with Pycroft, who is an ICC accredited match referee.
Additionally, Pakistan captain Agha did not speak at the post-match captain’s chat with the host broadcaster, in a mark of protest.
Three days later, Pakistani officials deliberated pulling out of the tournament as a mark of protest, causing a delayed start to their match against the UAE.
Pakistan’s players arrived late for their match against the UAE [Altaf Qadri/AP]
Why is India ‘hosting’ the Asia Cup in the UAE?
India was slated to host the tournament as per the hosting rights schedule, and while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remains the official host of the tournament, it is being played in the UAE due to the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.
What’s the weather forecast for India vs Pakistan in Dubai?
The weather forecast for Sunday is hot and humid, with highs of 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) and partial cloud cover.
It will get slightly cooler in the evening as the match will start just after sunset, and the temperature will drop to 31C (88F).
India and Pakistan have mutually agreed to face each other only at neutral venues [File: Eranga Jayawardena/AP Photo]
How many times has Pakistan won the Asia Cup?
Pakistan have lifted the trophy on two occasions – in 2000 and 2012 – and qualified for the final five times.
India are seven-time Asia Cup champions, with 11 appearances in the final.
How many times has India beaten Pakistan in the Asia Cup?
In their 20 clashes in the Asia Cup, India have beaten Pakistan 11 times and lost to their neighbours on six occasions. Three matches, including the group-stage match in 2023, were abandoned due to poor weather.
When was the last time Pakistan beat India?
Pakistan’s last Asia Cup win over India came in the 2022 edition in the UAE. Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 71 runs in the Super Four clash, but it was Mohammad Nawaz’s 20-ball-41 that took Pakistan over the line in the run chase.
Mohammad Rizwan was the top scorer in Pakistan’s win over India in 2022 [File: Satish Kumar/Reuters]
India vs Pakistan: Head-to-head in T20Is
Since the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the countries have met in 14 T20Is. India has won 11 times, including the first match in 2007, which was tied and then decided in a Super Over.
Two of Pakistan’s three wins came in Dubai.
Players to watch: India
Abhishek Sharma: The fact that the young top-order batter has managed to carve a spot in a highly competitive T20 Indian batting lineup is enough to mark Sharma as one to watch in the Asia Cup. The 24-year-old boasts the highest career strike rate of 198 among all batters in T20s and backs it up with two centuries and half-centuries in the format.
Varun Chakaravarthy: The 34-year-old leg-spin bowler’s second foray into the Indian side has reaped him big rewards as he has taken 35 wickets in 20 T20I matches.
Players to watch: Pakistan
Hasan Nawaz: Pakistan have often been criticised for their batters’ inability to match modern-day T20 batting strike rates, but in Nawaz, they seem to have found a solution to this problem. The 23-year-old has a strike rate of 174, with a T20 hundred and two fifties in his 16 matches.
Sufiyan Muqeem: The left-arm wrist spinner has taken 27 wickets in his 19 T20Is since making his debut less than two years ago and has become a mainstay of the bowling lineup in limited-overs cricket.
Sufiyan Muqeem has become a mainstay of Pakistan’s bowling attack in T20Is [File: Rick Rycroft/AP Photo]
Form guide: India
India are unbeaten in the Asia Cup and have not lost a T20 series since winning the World Cup in June 2024.
Last five results (most recent first): W-W-W-W-W
Form guide: Pakistan
Pakistan’s form in T20s has been mixed of late and but they head into the marquee clash with a series win in the bag.
Last five results (most recent first): W-L-W-W-L
Team news: India
After resting a couple of their star bowlers in the game against Oman, the holders are expected to go back to the same team that beat Pakistan in the group stage.
Despite the loss on Sunday, Pakistan are expected to field the same XI and will hope the result goes their way this time.
Predicted XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Salman Agha (captain), Hasan Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Muqeem.
Where can I buy tickets for India vs Pakistan?
A selection of seats, starting at $95 apiece for the general stand and going up to $8,767 for a four-person hospitality box, is still available on the tournament’s official ticketing website, Platinumlist, and at the stadium’s ticketing office.
Eight-run cricket win keeps Bangladesh in the running for the next phase, while Afghanistan must beat Sri Lanka to make it.
Published On 16 Sep 202516 Sep 2025
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Bangladesh have kept themselves in contention for the next round of cricket’s Asia Cup 2025 by defeating Afghanistan by eight runs in their Group B encounter in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.
Afghanistan came close to securing their place in the Super Four stage and knocking out Bangladesh, but fell short in their chase of 155 on Tuesday.
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The Bangladeshi pacers kept Afghanistan’s batters in check with regular wickets as Mustafizur Rahman (3-28 in four overs), Nasum Ahmed (2-11 in four overs) and Taskin Ahmed (2-34 in four overs) applied the brakes on Afghanistan’s innings.
Apart from Rahmanullah Gurbaz 35 (31) and Azmatullah Omarzai 30 (16), none of the Afghan batters could move into the 30s.
Captain Rashid Khan’s flurry at the end of the innings – 20 (11) – did look threatening for Bangladesh at one point, but once he was dismissed, Afghanistan’s chances were all but gone.
Despite a couple of late sixes from spinner Noor Ahmad, Afghanistan fell short and were dismissed for 145 in their 20 overs.
Earlier, Tanzid Hasan top-scored for Bangladesh with a half-century (52 off 31) to help set up a challenging target of 154-5 in 20 overs.
Rashid and Noor took two wickets apiece for Afghanistan.
Bangladesh have now played all three of their group games and will await the result of Afghanistan’s all-important match against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
Sri Lanka are at top spot with four points, and Bangladesh move to second place with four points.
The Tigers will hope that Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan to open their path to the Super Fours.
Should Afghanistan win, the net run rate could come into play as a deciding factor.
An unbeatable advantage makes this stock a popular one among billionaire investors.
Philippe Laffont was known for successfully investing in technology stocks before he founded Coatue Management, a technology-focused hedge fund, in 1999. Since then, he has grown the fund’s size to more $35 billion in assets under management.
Laffont has his finger on the pulse of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. His contrarian investment in Super Micro Computer, a company that manufactures high-end servers for data centers, turned some heads earlier this year.
Image source: Getty Images.
Coatue bought into Supermicro at a controversial moment, but it seems Laffont had a change of heart. At the end of June, there were zero shares of the custom server builder in its portfolio.
While Coatue was disposing of Supermicro with its left hand, it was buying up shares of Intuitive Surgical(ISRG -1.34%) with its right. The hedge fund snapped up 39,512 shares of the robot-assisted surgery pioneer in the second quarter.
Intuitive Surgical stock has tumbled this year, but Laffont has reasons to expect a rebound. Here’s a look at what they are to see whether this stock could be a good fit for your portfolio.
An unbeatable advantage
When the market closed on Sept. 12, 2025, shares of Intuitive Surgical were up 19,390% since its initial public offering (IPO) 25 years ago. A few years before its IPO, the Food and Drug Administration made the company’s da Vinci robotic surgical system the first one with clearance to assist with minimally invasive abdominal surgeries.
Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, and Stryker market surgical robots, but they entered the market after Intuitive Surgical. The pioneer is still the largest member of its industry. At the end of 2024, there were 11,040 Intuitive Surgical systems installed in hospitals worldwide.
Intuitive’s massive installed base of machines isn’t sitting idle either. Surgical teams trained to use da Vinci systems performed 2.7 million procedures last year. Plus, Ion, its more recently launched lung tumor biopsy machine, performed 95,000 procedures last year.
To date, competing systems generally address procedures that don’t already employ da Vinci systems, such as knee replacements and spinal surgeries. Hospital systems can spend more than $1 million installing a da Vinci system and then an even larger sum supporting and training the professionals who will use it. That’s a huge advantage over newer surgical systems that competitors probably won’t be able to overcome.
Placing systems and training surgeons to use them generates revenue for Intuitive, but these aren’t the main sources. Around 84% of total revenue last year came from recurring sources such as instruments and accessories that must be replaced before each procedure.
Why Intuitive Surgical stock is down
Intuitive Surgical has been a terrific stock for its long-term shareholders, but it’s been a stinker this year. It’s down about 26% from a peak it set in February.
Fear that tariffs will pressure profit margins has been a weight on Intuitive Surgical’s stock price. When reporting second-quarter results in July, management reduced its adjusted gross profit margin expectation to a range between 66% and 67%. That would be a minor decline from the 69.1% gross margin reported last year, but this temporary setback is hardly a reason to avoid the stock.
Earlier this year, Medtronic submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration to perform urology procedures with its Hugo RAS system. Roughly one-fifth of all procedures performed with da Vinci machines last year were in the urology category.
Investors concerned that the Hugo system will pull market share from da Vinci should know that its launch overseas hasn’t been very successful. It’s been authorized for sale in the European Union since 2021, but Medtronic still doesn’t tell investors how much revenue Hugo’s generating in its quarterly reports.
Time to buy?
In the U.S., hospitals considering a new surgical system for urologic surgeries could have a new option from Medtronic by the end of the year. Luckily for Intuitive Surgical, the da Vinci 5 system, which launched in March 2024, already makes Medtronic’s Hugo system seem outdated.
Despite tariff pressure, investors can expect significant growth from Intuitive Surgical. Management is forecasting overall procedure growth of 15.5% to 17.0% this year. High switching costs for hospitals could lead to procedure growth that continues rising for another decade or two.
With a stock price that’s been trading at 55.3 times forward earnings expectations, investors are already expecting profit growth at a double-digit percentage for years to come. Intuitive Surgical stock could fall hard if Medtronic or another competitor begins pressuring sales growth in the years ahead.
Given Hugo’s performance in the E.U., threats from well-heeled competitors appear toothless. Adding some shares to a diverse portfolio now could be the right move for investors with a high risk tolerance.
Cory Renauer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Intuitive Surgical. The Motley Fool recommends Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $75 calls on Medtronic and short January 2026 $85 calls on Medtronic. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Mario is headed to outer space for his next cinematic adventure.
Nintendo held a supersized livestream of announcements Friday commemorating the 40th anniversary of “Super Mario Bros.”: The first game in the popular franchise was released in Japan in September 1985. Among the news items shared by the company’s video game maestro Shigeru Miyamoto is that the sequel to “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is officially titled “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” The follow-up to the 2023 blockbuster is slated to hit theaters in April.
“What kinds of adventures do you think Mario and his friends will have in space?” Miyamoto, who created Nintendo’s iconic mustachioed hero, said during Nintendo Direct after sharing a brief teaser for the film. “This movie will be the main event of the ‘Super Mario Bros.’ 40th anniversary.”
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is another collaboration between Nintendo and the animation studio Illumination. During the livestreamed announcement, producer and Illumination chief executive Chris Meledandri shared that “while the ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ games are the core inspiration for our story, this next film holds surprises for fans of every Mario era.”
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” directors Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath are once again at the helm for “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” Also returning are cast members Chris Pratt (Mario), Anya Taylor-Joy (Princess Peach), Charlie Day (Luigi), Jack Black (Bowser), Keegan-Michael Key (Toad) and Kevin Michael Richardson (Kamek), as well as composer Brian Tyler.
The announcement did not mention whether Lumalee — the cheerfully nihilistic star-shaped blue being that Luigi meets during “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” — will return for the sequel, but the teaser did include a glimpse of a yellow Luma. So it’s impossible not to hope that the character will have some sort of role in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” since the star-shaped creatures appear in both the 2007 video game “Super Mario Galaxy” and its 2010 sequel. While the character in the movie had memorable one-liners about “the sweet relief of death” and how “hope is an illusion,” in the games these blue Lumas are more helpful merchants of life.
New characters likely to debut in the sequel include Rosalina, a sort of guardian of the cosmos and caretaker of the Lumas who first appeared in the “Super Mario Galaxy” game, as well as Yoshi, the dinosaur-like character who can grab faraway objects — and foes — with his tongue. Yoshi was teased in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s” post-credits scene.
The success of films like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which grossed more than $1.3 billion worldwide, is among the reasons Hollywood has recently pivoted to more video-game inspired fare. The “Super Mario” movie sequel was first announced in 2024.
It’s week two of the NFL season and after two thrilling games won by the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers last week, we now have a Super Bowl rematch. The NFL just knows how to create these match-ups.
The Kansas City Chiefs host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and this is going to be very interesting because it’s definitely a revenge game. The Eagles beat the Chiefs 40-22 in the Super Bowl and nullified them till late in the third quarter.
I think the biggest difference between the two teams is their roster. You look at the Eagles, they have Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown. You can keep listing all these great players, and I just don’t know who the Chiefs have any more. It’s Patrick Mahomes… then what is that supporting cast?
That leaves Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster as the main receivers, which puts a lot of pressure on because the Chiefs’ run game has not been terrific at all.
The Chargers game was very much the Mahomes show. At one point, he had more carries than anybody else on the field. He put his body on the line multiple times – those hits add up, and you don’t want to see your superstar quarterback risking his health so early in the season.
Mahomes had six scrambles and the Chiefs only ran it 11 other times. Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt combined for 41 yards with 10 of those carries, and that’s just not sustainable.
After the Eagles, the Chiefs face the New York Giants and then the Baltimore Ravens so, realistically, they could have a 1-3 record after four weeks.
Baltimore is a huge game and with the Ravens losing to the Bills last week, they’re going to have a lot to prove as well, to show that they want to be on top.
The Eagles have a tough run defence, and the Giants have a good defence too, so I think that will be telling, to see how the Chiefs are able to run the ball. These two games stacked together, the Chiefs almost have to think about how they are going to prepare themselves to ensure they’re firing on all cylinders for the Ravens.
Last year, the Chiefs won so many one-score games, and they’re going to have to be much better to do that again. They may be out for revenge against the Eagles but I don’t think they have it in them… yet.
Rashee Rice is a huge part of their offensive scheme and, without Worthy, they don’t have any deep threat either so, I hate to say it, but I really struggle to see what they’ll be able to do. I don’t see what their answers are right now.
In the off-season, the Chiefs lost Joe Thuney, who was huge for them on defence, but they did draft a left tackle in the first round, Josh Simmons, to help protect Mahomes more, and brought in another offensive tackle in Jaylon Moore, so they are doing the right things to create strength on the offensive line.
They need to because the AFC West is the toughest it’s been in a long time – none of it is given this year. The Chargers beat the Chiefs, the Las Vegas Raiders have got better and Bo Nix has only got stronger with the Denver Broncos.
I still think the Chiefs will make the play-offs but if they carry on like this, I would be concerned.
