KL Rahul, the Punjab Kings captain, feels there should be a provision to change a wet ball during the second innings of a T20 game, especially in dewy conditions else the bowling team faces a "huge disadvantage".

Defending 195 against the Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, the Kings' bowlers struggled with the dew, forcing Rahul to even check with the umpires if the ball could be changed. The playing conditions didn't allow that and the Capitals went on to win the game with ten balls to spare.

"I think that [the ball change] will really be fair to the team bowling second, and I am not just saying that because I am on the losing side," Rahul told Star Sports at the post-match presentation. "I think that's only fair that the team bowling second doesn't have such a huge disadvantage. Our bowlers try and practice their skills with the wet ball, but when you go out in the middle with the pressure it's always difficult. I did ask the umpires to change the ball a couple of times, but again, it's not in the rulebook, so that's how the game goes, we've got to take it."

The dew has been a big factor at the Wankhede, making it easier to chase totals in night games as the ball comes better on to the bat in the second innings. Moreover, spinners too struggle to grip the wet ball and find it hard to get any purchase from the surface, as was seen on Sunday when the ball slipped from Jalaj Saxena's hand during his delivery stride and landed behind him. Rahul said his side expected those challenges but it's not easy to overcome them.

"It was not something that was unexpected. When we come to Wankhede, we know that bowling second is always a challenge. We, as a bowling unit, tried to prepare for such conditions as well, but, again, it does get a bit difficult in a game situation, and especially when you are bowling against quality batters."

Mayank Agarwal, who scored a brilliant 36-ball 69 for the Kings, also said that dew made batting easier in the second innings.

"It wasn't as easy [in the first innings] as it looked in the second innings," Agarwal said at the press conference after the game. "I thought the Delhi Capitals batted exceedingly well and also there was as dew factor. We cannot do much about it as players. It just boils down to execution under pressure and practising that. That's as much as you can do as a player. Those are the things that are in our control. Obviously, we cannot do much apart from that."

In the five games played so far at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL 2021, the side winning the toss has opted to chase every single time. On four occasions, they ended up winning the game. The Rajasthan Royals, the only side to lose after winning the toss, came within a shot of chasing down 222 against the Kings.

The Kings have played their three games at the Wankhede so far and were asked to bat first on all three occasions after losing the toss.

After the Chennai Super Kings' first game this season, their captain MS Dhoni had also stated that 7.30pm IST starts were giving an advantage to the team bowling first. His reason: when you start at 8pm, the dew has already set in, thus not giving the chasing side any real advantage.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Even Trevor Lawrence thinks he's likely going to be the Jacksonville Jaguars' choice at the top of the NFL draft.

The former Clemson standout acknowledged that during a Sunday evening tweet in which he thanked Jaguars fans for purchasing a wedding gift and raising more than $11,000 for him to donate to a charity of his choice. Lawrence wrote that he and his wife, Marissa, will donate $20,000 to charities in Jacksonville and that they "hope to be a part of your community soon."

"Soon" will likely mean April 29, shortly after the draft begins at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN and the ESPN app). The Jaguars have the first overall pick, and the expectation since the 2020 season ended is the team will select Lawrence, whom ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. ranks as his fourth-highest-graded quarterback prospect behind John Elway, Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning.

Jaguars coach Urban Meyer told NBCSports.com last month that taking Lawrence with the first overall pick is "the direction we're going."

Jaguars fans put together a social media campaign to raise money to purchase a gift for Lawrence's wedding. The total donations raised reached $11,203, according to one of the organizers of the fund-raising drive.

Twelve of Europe's top clubs announced on Sunday they were launching a breakaway Super League, headed by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.

AC Milan, Arsenal FC, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Barcelona, Internazionale, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur have all joined as founding clubs, the statements added.

Madrid president Perez said: "We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world. Football is the only global sport in the world with more than four billion fans and our responsibility as big clubs is to respond to their desires."

As part of the move, the clubs included would withdraw from the European Club Association and games would be played in the middle of the week, with the Super League governed by the founding clubs, the club statements indicated.

The agreement provides that the founding clubs will receive an upfront net grant of approximately €3.5 billion ($4.19 billion) in aggregate, the statements said.

ESPN sources said earlier on Sunday that up to 15 of Europe's biggest clubs are in talks to launch a so-called European Super League, planned to start in time for the 2023-24 season.

If the initiative is successful, which has already been rebuked by FIFA and numerous FAs throughout Europe, it would threaten the existence of the Champions League -- football's biggest club competition -- with UEFA due to announce on Monday a new 36-team format for the tournament designed to stave off attempts by the game's top clubs to break away.

- Marcotti: What a breakaway Super League would mean
- Stream LIVE games and replays on ESPN+ (U.S. only)

A women's Super League competition is also planned to be launched after the men's league is up and running, the statement said.

The format of the competition would be two groups of 10 playing home and away fixtures with the top three in each group qualifying for the quarter-finals. A play-off involving fourth and fifth placed teams will complete the final eight.

Juventus president Andrea Agnelli, vice-chairman of the new league, said the move would secure the long-term future of the game.

"Our 12 founder clubs represent billions of fans across the globe and 99 European trophies. We have come together at this critical moment, enabling European competition to be transformed, putting the game we love on a sustainable footing for the long-term future, substantially increasing solidarity, and giving fans and amateur players a regular flow of headline fixtures that will feed their passion for the game while providing them with engaging role models."

FIFA said on Sunday it disapproved of the breakaway competition called the European Super League as it was outside of international football structures.

"Against this background, FIFA can only express its disapproval to a 'closed European breakaway league' outside of the international football structures," a statement from football's world governing body read.

ESPN has been told by a person familiar with the blueprint that the proposed framework involves a total of 20 teams, with 15 permanent members who cannot be relegated.

Sources have told ESPN that New York-based investment bank JP Morgan will underwrite the project, with $6 billion distributed as loans to the teams.

Under pressure from the European Club Association, UEFA has drawn up plans to reshape the Champions League format, with the new-look competition due to be unveiled Monday, ahead of UEFA's executive committee summit in Switzerland this week.

UEFA criticised the plans in a statement and said: "UEFA, the English Football Association and the Premier League, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and LaLiga, and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and Lega Serie A have learned that a few English, Spanish and Italian clubs may be planning to announce their creation of a closed, so-called Super League.

"If this were to happen, we wish to reiterate that we - UEFA, the English FA, RFEF, FIGC, the Premier League, LaLiga, Lega Serie A, but also FIFA and all our member associations - will remain united in our efforts to stop this cynical project, a project that is founded on the self-interest of a few clubs at a time when society needs solidarity more than ever.

"We will consider all measures available to us, at all levels, both judicial and sporting in order to prevent this happening. Football is based on open competitions and sporting merit; it cannot be any other way.

"As previously announced by FIFA and the six Federations, the clubs concerned will be banned from playing in any other competition at domestic, European or world level, and their players could be denied the opportunity to represent their national teams.

"We thank those clubs in other countries, especially the French and German clubs, who have refused to sign up to this. We call on all lovers of football, supporters and politicians, to join us in fighting against such a project if it were to be announced. This persistent self-interest of a few has been going on for too long. Enough is enough."

Planned to come into force in 2024, the remodelled Champions League would involve 36 teams playing 10 group games rather than six. The biggest clubs would also receive an increased share of prize money.

Sources told ESPN that UEFA plan to press ahead with their announcement Monday, and that any breakaway league remains a distant prospect, with national associations UEFA and FIFA both needing to sanction the proposal.

Meanwhile, the European Clubs' Association issued a statement in which it reiterated commitment to working with UEFA on competition reform, adding that a "closed super league model ... would be strongly opposed."

Serie A called an emergency board meeting on Sunday to discuss a newspaper report saying broadcaster DAZN is involved in new plans for the breakaway league, a source told Reuters.

The meeting was called by league president Paolo Dal Pino, and Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport reported that DAZN, which is owned by billionaire Len Blavatnik's Access Industries, has been working on the formation of the league for some time.

The report claims the meeting is being attended remotely, with the three Serie A clubs who could potentially be part of the new project: Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan.

FIFA has earlier said that players who feature in any breakaway European Super League would be banned from playing in FIFA competitions, including the World Cup.

It caps a tumultuous week for Serie A after seven clubs submitted a written request for Dal Pino to resign over issues that include his management of plans to sell a stake in the league's media business.

The plans to expand the Champions League are also likely to meet opposition from supporters; ESPN reported last week that fans' groups have already registered their anger over UEFA's proposed changes.

On Sunday, a statement from the Premier League condemned the breakaway plans.

It read: "The Premier League condemns any proposal that attacks the principles of open competition and sporting merit which are at the heart of the domestic and European football pyramid.

Fans of any club in England and across Europe can currently dream that their team may climb to the top and play against the best. We believe that the concept of a European Super League would destroy this dream.

"The Premier League is proud to run a competitive and compelling football competition that has made it the most widely watched league in the world. Our success has enabled us to make an unrivalled financial contribution to the domestic football pyramid.

"A European Super League will undermine the appeal of the whole game, and have a deeply damaging impact on the immediate and future prospects of the Premier League and its member clubs, and all those in football who rely on our funding and solidarity to prosper.

"We will work with fans, The FA, EFL, PFA and LMA, as well as other stakeholders, at home and abroad, to defend the integrity and future prospects of English football in the best interests of the game."

Information from Reuters was also included in this report.

New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said his team "deserved to lose" after two mistakes at the end of regulation led to a 122-112 overtime loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday afternoon.

The Pelicans led by three with 7.8 seconds to go at the end of regulation, and the instructions from the bench were to foul whenever the first Knick put the ball on the floor. That didn't happen and New Orleans ended up giving up a game-tying 3-pointer that sent the game to the extra frame.

Eric Bledsoe failed to foul Derrick Rose on the drive and Lonzo Ball made the mistake of trying to rotate to stop the drive, leaving Reggie Bullock open behind the 3-point line.

"We screwed up that entire play. It wasn't just [Ball]," Van Gundy said. "There were two mistakes on that play. They know what they are. We deserved to lose. When you do that, you deserve to lose. It's not like somebody threw in a tough one. We deserved to lose."

When asked about the drive, Bledsoe said he "wasn't paying attention" and had a "lack of focus," adding that he should have fouled Rose as soon as he took a dribble. It wasn't clear if Bledsoe wasn't paying attention in the huddle or if he wasn't paying attention once his man got the ball, but the mistake proved costly nonetheless.

Van Gundy pointed to another Sunday afternoon game earlier in the season for how the Pelicans wanted to operate on the final play. On Feb. 21 in New Orleans, the Pelicans overcame a 24-point deficit to beat the Boston Celtics. Up 118-115 with 8.3 seconds left in that game, Pelicans guard Josh Hart -- who is out with a torn UCL in his right thumb -- fouled Celtics forward Jayson Tatum after Tatum's first dribble on the perimeter.

Tatum ended up missing both free throws and the Pelicans walked away with a 120-115 win. That wasn't the case this time around.

"Today was really frustrating because I thought our guys played really, really hard," Van Gundy said. "I really did. I thought we fought hard. We were right there. And all you gotta do is execute for 7.8 seconds. You're just supposed to come out of the timeout, do what we're supposed to, put the game away, and we don't do it."

He added: "Our lack of concentration coming out of timeouts both offensively and defensively to do and execute what we're supposed to do is not good enough. We're good enough to compete with people but we don't do the things that it takes at the end of games to win. Part of that's the learning experience but today, no excuse whatsoever today. None. None.

"I don't care if you're a senior in high school, you can execute what we were supposed to be doing with 7.8 seconds to go. No excuse whatsoever."

Van Gundy said he addressed the team after the game to make sure there was "clarity" if the situation rises again. Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram said the message was that the team needs to be smarter at the end of games and be focused coming out of timeouts.

"We know that's a mistake we can't make," Ingram said of the Bullock 3-pointer.

Zion Williamson, who scored 34 points in his NBA Madison Square Garden debut, said the team has to learn from the mistake.

"The message was received but it's one of those things where you gotta be focused," Williamson said. "Even when you leave the timeout, you gotta be focused to know that once the person puts the ball on the floor to get the quick foul. ... We fought back, we were down a lot, we fought back into the game.

"I think it was one of those things where everybody was playing hard. Nobody wasn't playing hard. Everybody was playing hard. You just gotta concentrate and be focused on the exact thing to do."

The Pelicans, who trailed by as many as 15 before taking the lead, fell to 25-32 with the loss and are now three games back of the 10th and final spot in the Western Conference play-in tournament.

CINCINNATI -- Shane Bieber kept up his record strikeout run, fanning 13 and pitching the Cleveland Indians past the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 on Sunday.

Bieber (2-1) became the first pitcher in big league history to begin the season with four straight starts with at least 10 strikeouts since the mound was moved to its current distance back in 1893.

"That's why you call guys aces. And he certainly has lived up to that," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He's really accountable for what he needs to do."

The 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner has 48 strikeouts this year, matching Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan for the most through the first four starts of a season. Bieber has fanned at least eight in 16 straight starts, one short of Randy Johnson's major league mark.

"He's the complete package as a pitcher," Reds manager David Bell said. "He has it all. He deserves all the credit today. We got a few runs off him, but not enough."

Bieber went eight innings, allowing three runs and six hits with two walks.

"I felt a little slow, a little sluggish at the beginning of the game but was able to get through it and kind of get on a roll there at the end," Bieber said.

Emmanuel Clase struck out the side in the ninth, again hitting 100 mph with his heater.

The Indians hit three home runs, all with two outs, to salvage a win in the all-Ohio series.

Roberto Perez hit a three-run homer off Wade Miley (2-1) over the center-field wall with two on in the fourth inning for a 4-0 lead.

Jose Ramirez launched a solo drive into the upper deck in the first. Jordan Luplow had a two-run homer in the seventh.

Wade Miley (2-1) took the loss for the Reds, lasting five innings and striking out five.

Joey Votto had three hits, including a two-run double in the Reds' fifth. Tyler Naquin homered off Bieber in the eighth.

"We had some good at bats against [Bieber], but he got out of trouble by making really good pitches," Reds left fielder Jesse Winker said. "My last at-bat against him [in the seventh inning], he made some unbelievable pitches.

"He's a Cy Young winner for sure."

Reds third baseman Mike Moustakas missed his third straight game with a non-COVID illness. Kyle Farmer started in his place. OF Shogo Akiyama (hamstring) is back with the team, but he is not expected to play until at least May.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Roger Federer has confirmed he will play in this year's French Open as he continues his return from injury.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner made his return after 14 months out at last month's Qatar Open but has not played since.

On Sunday, he said will play the clay-court Geneva Open in May followed by Roland Garros, which begins on 30 May.

Federer, who won his only French Open title in 2009, overcame Britain's Dan Evans in his comeback match in Doha last month but was then beaten by Nikoloz Basilashvili in the next round.

After losing to Novak Djokovic in the 2020 Australian Open, he had an operation on his right knee and after a further setback was ruled out of the entire coronavirus-hit season.

He had hoped to return at this year's Australian Open in January but "ran out of time" to regain fitness.

Federer sat out three consecutive French Opens from 2016 because of injury and a wish to manage his workload but returned in 2019, reaching the semi-finals.

Rafael Nadal won last year's men's singles title at Roland Garros to equal Federer's haul of 20 Grand Slams.

England captain Owen Farrell returned for Saracens to lead them to a big Championship win at Doncaster.

Eight tries saw Sarries end Doncaster's unbeaten start and move them a point behind the Knights in third place.

Aled Davies with a brace, Alex Lewington, Sean Maitland, Itoje, Michael Rhodes, Tom Woolstencroft and Tom Whiteley all got on the scoresheet.

Doncaster scored two late tries through Jack Davies and Jack Spittle but they were beaten for the first time in six games.

Farrell played 53 minutes, kicking three conversions as Saracens scored five tries before half-time. His neat grubber kick also set Scotland international Maitland clear for an early try at Castle Park.

All of the England players were withdrawn by the final quarter after Itoje had added to his two tries against Bedford last Sunday with their third score of the first half, a pick-and-go from close range.

Daly, starting at outside centre, also played a key role in setting up scrum-half Davies' second try while Farrell and Mako Vunipola combined with breaks to set up Rhodes' score.

Saracens have now won four out of five matches after losing their opening-round fixture at Cornish Pirates.

They will need to finish in the top two of the table after the round-robin stage of 10 matches to qualify for the promotion play-off in June.

They host unbeaten leaders Ealing Trailfinders next Sunday in their bid to make an immediate return to the Premiership.

Doncaster: McBryde; Evans, Foley, Edwards, Spittle; Olver, Warr; Cade, Hunter, Foster, Challinor, Sexton, Joyce, Graham, Volpi.

Replacements: Roberts, Pieterse, Jones, Britton, Smith, Mitchell, Newey, Davies.

Saracens: Obatoyinbo; Lewington, Daly, Tompkins, Maitland; Farrell, Davies; Mako Vunipola, George, Koch, Itoje, Swinson, Rhodes, Reffell, B Vunipola.

Replacements: Woolstencroft, Barrington, Clarey, Hunter-Hill, Christie, Whiteley, Manu Vunipola, Morris.

Ben Spencer converted a late try to give Bath victory over Leicester Tigers and keep alive their hopes of a top-four Premiership finish.

Matias Moroni's score and another Ford penalty extended the lead, but Bath had hope when Miles Reid crashed over.

Trailing 20-14 with three minutes left, Muir crossed in the left-hand corner and Spencer calmly added the extras.

Bath leapfrog Leicester to go seventh and move 10 points off a play-off place, while Leicester are 12 points behind fourth-placed Harlequins.

Late Bath rally denies Tigers

In warm and sunny conditions, Bath had more territory and possession in the first half, but Leicester took advantage of their opportunities through the boot of England international Ford.

Tigers looked on course for a rare away win at the Rec when slick hands spread the ball wide for Argentina centre Moroni to score, and Ford extended their lead to 10 points midway through the second period.

But Bath rallied in the final 15 minutes as Reid capped a spell of pressure and Spencer converted to cut the deficit to three points.

Ford's fifth penalty of the afternoon gave the visitors some breathing space, but Jasper Wiese gave away a penalty which allowed the hosts to kick into the corner and set the platform for Muir's late score.

The two clubs could yet meet in the final of the European Challenge Cup, but the prospect of a play-off place now looks more distant for Leicester, whose wait goes on for a first league win at Bath since March 2011.

Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper told BBC Radio Bristol:

"It was always going to be a proper nip-and-tuck game.

"What we did throughout was stick to a structured way that we wanted to play.

"In the first half we gave the ball away a bit too easily in the final third, but in the second half we controlled the game.

"Ben stepped up and kicked the match-winning conversion. It was the wrong side for him and as wide as it gets, but he nailed it."

Leicester Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick told BBC Radio Leicester:

"I think there is plenty for us to learn from the game.

"The players' effort was absolutely magnificent and ultimately we gave them field position late in the game, and we know they are a good side.

"We knew it was going to be a big challenge here, but there are positives to take.

"Each week we try and take small steps forward."

Bath: Watson; Cokanasiga, Joseph, Redpath, Muir; J Matavesi, Spencer; Obano, Walker, Stuart, McNally, Ewels (capt), Faletau, Underhill, Mercer.

Replacements: Du Toit, J Schoeman, Thomas, Williams, Reid, Chudley, Bailey, Gray.

Leicester: Steward; Potter, Moroni, Kelly, Murimurivalu; Ford, B Youngs; Genge, T Youngs (capt), Cole, Wells, Green, Martin, Reffell, Wiese.

Replacements: Clare, De Bruin, Heyes, Lavanini, Wallace, Wigglesworth, McPhillips, Scott.

Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU).

IMOLA, Italy – Max Verstappen was lights out during Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, easily capturing his first Formula One victory of the season as chaos ensued behind him.

Verstappen was quick to assert himself, launching from third to first on the opening lap in soggy conditions to take the lead from Lewis Hamilton before the first lap was completed.

The Red Bull driver would remain the leader until lap 27, when he hit the pits to switch from intermediate to medium tires. Hamilton inherited the lead, but only for one lap as Verstappen quickly returned to the race lead when Hamilton made his stop.

Hamilton was still within striking distance at that point, but it wouldn’t last long as the seven-time Formula One champion locked up and slid into a gravel trap at Tosa. The incident dropped him from second to eighth.

Moments later Hamilton’s teammate, Valtteri Bottas, was involved in a major crash with the Williams driven by George Russell that saw both cars destroyed as they fought for position at the back of the top-10.

The resulting crash and cleanup led to a red flag, which saved Hamilton as he was able to make up a lot of lost time. However, he was still deep in the pack with Verstappen at the front of the field ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris.

When racing resumed Norris quickly dispatched Leclerc for second, but Verstappen easily pulled away. Meanwhile, Hamilton began his march back through the pack. By lap 43 Hamilton had made it to fifth and on lap 50 he moved into fourth. Five laps later Hamilton dispatched Leclerc for third to return to the podium.

Finally, with only a handful of laps left, Hamilton blew by Norris to move into second. All that happened more than 20 seconds behind Verstappen, who cruised to his first victory of the season and his first Formula One victory in Italy.

“It was very challenging out there, especially in the beginning,” Verstappen said. “It was very hard to stay on track to be honest. It was very slippery. Then of course the tires degraded in the wet and choosing the right moment to go on slicks is never easy. I think we managed everything well.”

Hamilton, who retained the championship lead by one point over Verstappen, admitted he simply made a mistake when he locked up and slid into the gravel trap while running second midway through the race.

“On my side, it was not the greatest of days. First time I’ve made a mistake in a long time,” Hamilton said. “I’m grateful I was able to bring the car home still.”

Norris held on to finish third to claim the final spot on the podium, his second in Formula One. Leclerc faded to fourth at the finish, with his Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. taking fifth.

McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo was sixth, with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly promoted to seventh after Lance Stroll was penalized five seconds for an illegal overtake.

Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen was originally scored eighth, but he was penalized 30 seconds for breaching the rolling restart procedure. That dropped him out of the points and elevated Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso to ninth and 10th, respectively.

LEEDS, Ala. – Christian Rasmussen was a dominant force in Sunday’s second leg of the Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of Alabama Presented by Cooper Tires, but it was Hunter McElrea who claimed the victory spoils following a dramatic 30-lap contest.

Rasmussen was first to the checkered flag despite a quick spin in the closing stages, but the Dane was adjudged to have unfairly impeded his rival, McElrea, as he attempted to maintain his lead following the error. The resulting five-second penalty dropped Rasmussen to second in the final results, handing McElrea his second Indy Pro 2000 victory for Pabst Racing after also claiming the final race of the 2020 finale in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Artem Petrov finished third for Exclusive Autosport, chased across the line by teammate Braden Eves, who still leads the Indy Pro 2000 standings following his victory in Saturday’s opening round.

Rasmussen, the winner of last year’s Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship, started from the pole after securing the Cooper Tires Pole Award in qualifying on Friday, and soon took control of the race for Jay Howard Driver Development. As with Eves Saturday, Rasmussen was content to build his speed steadily in the early stages, which allowed McElrea to stay in touch, but a series of 11 incrementally faster laps enabled the Dane to extend his lead to over two seconds.

Rasmussen continued to extend his advantage to over six seconds before making an uncharacteristic mistake on lap 23 in turn five. He was able to regain control of the car but made several blocking maneuvers in order to make sure there was no way for McElrea to slip past. He was successful in that quest but the moves did not escape the purview of race control, which soon issued a five-second penalty in accordance with the regulations which expressly prohibit drivers from making any reactionary moves to maintain position.

Rasmussen put his head down and seemed to be on course possibly to overcome the time penalty as he completed lap 28 with an advantage of 3.8 seconds over McElrea after resetting fastest lap of the race – and his own lap record, which he had set on Saturday – at 1:16.6098 (108.080 mph). But his next lap was fully three-quarters of a lap slower, and McElrea was able to complete the final lap within 3.6 seconds of Rasmussen to assure himself of the win by 1.4102 seconds.

McElrea’s efforts moved him to third in the championship points table, just six shy of Eves, and secured a first PFC Award of the Indy Pro 2000 season for Augie Pabst as the winning car owner.

“I was all over Christian for the first five laps to try and apply the pressure, but he had the most pace today. Having gotten sixth yesterday, I was going for points today and was ready to accept second when I came out of turn five and he was stopped in the middle of the road,” said McElrea. “He put three blocks on me, so I feel as though he had the win just about in the bag but he gave it to me. He was super fast; I’m sure he’s disappointed. I love racing him, I know we’ll have some good battles this year, but I got lucky with that win and in this game, you have to take them. I probably had the second-place car today but I got lucky. This win puts me right where I need to be.”