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After two days of intense bidding in Jeddah, here’s what each squad looks like – and where their strengths and weaknesses lie

George Binoy25-Nov-20241:48

Moody: Ghazanfar could be point of difference for Mumbai Indians

.Mumbai IndiansNo. of players 23/25 (8 overseas)
Hot take: While MI’s contingent of Indian players is strong, their overseas picks were rather unconventional. Apart from Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner, the other six are untested or haven’t been regular starters in the IPL. England allrounder Will Jacks and fast bowler Reece Topley, South African quick Lizaad Williams and Afghanistan spinner Allah Ghazanfar are pretty inexperienced in the league, while New Zealand’s Bevan-John Jacobs and South Africa’s Ryan Rickelton haven’t played in the IPL before.
Possible first 12 (including impact player): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Ryan Rickelton (wk), 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Will Jacks, 6 Hardik Pandya (capt), 7 Naman Dhir/Robin Minz, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Allah Ghazanfar/Mitchell Santner, 10 Karn Sharma, 11 Jasprit Bumrah, 12 Trent Boult
SQUAD
Batters: Suryakumar Yadav (retained), Rohit Sharma (retained), Tilak Varma (retained), Bevan-John Jacobs
Wicketkeepers: Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton, Krishnan Shrijith
Allrounders: Hardik Pandya (pace; retained), Naman Dhir (spin; RTM), Will Jacks (spin), Raj Angad Bawa (pace), Vignesh Puthur (spin)
Spinners: Allah Ghazanfar, Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner
Fast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah (retained), Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, Satyanarayana Raju, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams

****

2:04

Moody: Curran poses a left-hand conundrum with bat for CSK

Chennai Super KingsNo. of players 25/25 (7 overseas)
Hot take: CSK bought back R Ashwin ten seasons after he last played for them in 2015, reuniting him with Ravindra Jadeja. They further strengthened their spin attack with the addition of Noor Ahmad, and otherwise stacked their squad with allrounders and fast bowlers.They’ve also bought a fair number of players whose IPL careers are in need of a revival: Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Deepak Hooda and Shreyas Gopal.Best 12 (including impact player): 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 2 Devon Conway/Rachin Ravindra, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Shivam Dube, 5 Sam Curran, 6 Vijay Shankar, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (wk), 9 R Ashwin, 10 Noor Ahmad/Nathan Ellis, 11 Khaleel Ahmed/Gurjapneet Singh, 12 Matheesha PathiranaSQUAD
Batters: Ruturaj Gaikwad (retained), Rahul Tripathi, Shaik Rasheed, Deepak Hooda, Andre Siddarth
Wicketkeepers: Devon Conway, MS Dhoni (retained), Vansh Bedi
Allrounders: Ravindra Jadeja (spin; retained), Shivam Dube (pace; retained), R Ashwin (spin), Sam Curran (pace), Rachin Ravindra (spin; RTM), Vijay Shankar (pace), Anshul Kamboj (pace), Jamie Overton (pace), Ramakrishna Ghosh (pace)
Spinners: Noor Ahmad, Shreyas Gopal
Fast bowlers: Matheesha Pathirana (retained), Khaleel Ahmed, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis

****

5:02

Moody: ‘Bhuvneshwar would probably have mixed emotions’

Royal Challengers BengaluruNo. of players 22/25 (8 overseas)
Hot take: RCB bought the explosive Phil Salt to partner Virat Kohli at the top of the order, and also spent a lot of money to acquire two experienced quicks in Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to try and solve their long-standing bowling problem. They have batting reinforcements in the top and middle order and, for the first time in a long time, their line-up doesn’t seem reliant on a few star players.Best 12 (including impact player): 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Liam Livingstone, 4 Rajat Patidar, 5 Krunal Pandya, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk) 7 Tim David/Jacob Bethell, 8 Rasikh Salam, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal, 12 Suyash Sharma/Swapnil SinghSQUAD
Batters: Virat Kohli (retained), Rajat Patidar (retained), Tim David, Manoj Bhandage, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chikara
Wicketkeepers: Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma
Allrounders: Liam Livingstone (spin), Krunal Pandya (spin), Swapnil Singh (spin), Romario Shepherd (pace), Jacob Bethell (spin), Mohit Rathee (spin)
Spinners: Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh
Fast bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal (retained), Rasikh Salam, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi

****

Sunrisers HyderabadNo. of players 20/25 (7 overseas)
Hot take: SRH have an explosive top five and a first-choice bowling attack with plenty of pedigree, but the link between those two parts of their line-up is likely to be a bit inexperienced. Also, their back-up overseas players – Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse and Eshan Malinga – have never played the IPL before.Best 12 (including impact player): 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Nitish Reddy, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 Aniket Verma, 7 Abhinav Manohar, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Adam ZampaSQUAD
Batters: Travis Head (retained), Abhinav Manohar, Aniket Verma, Sachin Baby
Wicketkeepers: Heinrich Klaasen (retained), Ishan Kishan, Atharva Taide
Allrounders: Abhishek Sharma (spin; retained), Nitish Kumar Reddy (pace; retained), Kamindu Mendis (spin)
Spinners: Adam Zampa, Rahul Chahar, Zeeshan Ansari
Fast bowlers: Mohammed Shami, Pat Cummins (retained), Harshal Patel, Simarjeet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga

****

Kolkata Knight RidersNo. of players 21/25 (8 overseas)
Hot take: KKR retained six players from their title-winning squad in IPL 2024 and bought back six more. They tried to buy back several others as well but couldn’t, having splurged INR 23.75 for Venkatesh Iyer, who could be their new captain. They replaced Salt and Starc with Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje/Spencer Johnson, which may not seem like an upgrade.Their bids for Manish Pandey and Ajinkya Rahane were a bit of a surprise, with their batting styles at odds with KKR’s crash-bang-wallop methods last season.Best 12 (including impact player): 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Quinton de Kock/Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Angkrish Raghuvanshi/Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Venkatesh Iyer, 5 Rinku Singh, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Ramandeep Singh, 8 Harshit Rana, 9 Varun Chakravarthy, 10 Vaibhav Arora, 11 Anrich Nortje/Spencer Johnson, 12 Manish PandeySQUAD
Batters: Rinku Singh (retained), Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya Rahane
Wicketkeepers: Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Allrounders: Venkatesh Iyer (pace), Andre Russell (pace; retained), Sunil Narine (spin; retained), Ramandeep Singh (pace; retained), Anukul Roy (spin), Moeen Ali (spin)
Spinners: Varun Chakravarthy (retained), Mayank Markande
Fast bowlers: Harshit Rana (retained), Vaibhav Arora, Anrich Nortje, Spencer Johnson, Umran Malik

****

3:24

Is Jansen a straight replacement for Curran at PBKS?

Punjab KingsNo. of players 25/25 (8 overseas)
Hot take: PBKS spent INR 26.75 crore to buy Shreyas Iyer, who is likely to be their new captain. The influence of their new coach Ricky Ponting was evident in five of their eight overseas players being Australian. Their starting XII will look dramatically different with only Prabhsimran Singh, Shashank Singh and Harpreet Brar likely to feature prominently from last season.Best 12 (including impact player): 1 Josh Inglis (wk), 2 Prabhsimran Singh, 3 Marcus Stoinis, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Nehal Wadhera, 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Harpreet Brar, 10 Yash Thakur/Kuldeep Sen/Vijaykumar Vyshak, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra ChahalSQUAD
Batters: Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh (retained), Nehal Wadhera, Harnoor Singh Pannu, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash
Wicketkeepers: Josh Inglis, Vishnu Vinod, Prabhsimran Singh (retained)
Allrounders: Glenn Maxwell (spin), Marcus Stoinis (pace), Marco Jansen (pace), Harpreet Brar (spin), Azmatullah Omarzai (pace), Aaron Hardie (pace), Musheer Khan (spin), Suryansh Shedge (pace)
Spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal, Pravin Dubey
Fast bowlers: Arshdeep Singh (RTM), Lockie Ferguson, Yash Thakur, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Kuldeep Sen, Xavier Bartlett

****

Lucknow Super GiantsNo. of players 24/25 (6 overseas)
Hot take: LSG made history by making Rishabh Pant the most expensive player ever sold at an IPL auction (INR 27 crore) and will likely name him their captain. While they could boast an enviable top six (see below) they didn’t manage to pick up an established Indian opener. Their squad has a wealth of Indian bowling options – pace and spin – so expect them to load their batting line-up with overseas experience.Best 12 (including impact player): 1 Mitchell Marsh, 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Rishabh Pant (wk), 4 Nicholas Pooran, 5 Ayush Badoni, 6 David Miller, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Abdul Samad, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Mohsin Khan, 12 Mayank YadavSQUAD
Batters: Aiden Markram, David Miller, Ayush Badoni (retained), Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke
Wicketkeepers: Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran (retained), Aryan Juyal
Allrounders: Adbul Samad (spin), Mitchell Marsh (pace), Shahbaz Ahmed (spin), Yuvraj Chaudhary (spin), Rajvardhan Hangargekar (pace), Arshin Kulkarni (Pace)
Spinners: Ravi Bishnoi (retained), M Siddharth, Digvesh Singh
Fast bowlers: Mayank Yadav (retained), Mohsin Khan (retained), Akash Deep, Avesh Khan, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav

****

Delhi CapitalsNo. of players 23/25 (7 overseas)
Hot take: Who will lead DC this season – Axar Patel, or their new signing KL Rahul? With Rahul likely to slot in at the top of the order, there are dashers around him and all the way down the DC line-up. Their fast bowling was a concern last season but it looks far more potent this year.Best 12 (including impact player): 1 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Abishek Porel (wk), 4 Harry Brook, 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Ashutosh Sharma, 8 Sameer Rizvi, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 T Natarajan, 12 Mukesh KumarSQUAD
Batters: Jake Fraser-McGurk (RTM), Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs (retained), Faf du Plessis, Karun Nair
Wicketkeepers: KL Rahul, Abishek Porel (retained), Donovan Ferreria
Allrounders: Axar Patel (spin; retained), Ashutosh Sharma (spin), Sameer Rizvi (spin), Darshan Nalkande (pace), Vipraj Nigam (spin), Ajay Mandal (spin), Manvanth Kumar (pace), Tripurana Vijay (spin), Madhav Tiwari (pace)
Spinners: Kuldeep Yadav (retained)
Fast bowlers: Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, Mohit Sharma, Dushmantha Chameera

****

Rajasthan RoyalsNo. of players 20/25 (6 overseas)
Hot take: After retaining five batters and only one bowler, RR went shopping for many bowlers and picked up quality in Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, though Archer and Hasaranga have been rather injury prone. Their two overseas back-up players are rather low key – Kwena Maphaka and Fazalhaq Farooqi – so IPL 2025 could prove to be a test of their Indian bench strength.Best 12 (including impact player): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Shubham Dubey/Akash Madhwal, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Sandeep Sharma, 12 Tushar DeshpandeSQUAD
Batters: Yashasvi Jaiswal (retained), Shimron Hetmyer (retained), Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi
Wicketkeepers: Sanju Samson (retained), Dhruv Jurel (retained), Kunal Singh Rathore
Allrounders: Riyan Parag (spin; retained), Nitish Rana (spin), Yudhvir Singh (pace)
Spinners: Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Kumar Kartikeya
Fast bowlers: Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma (retained), Tushar Deshpande, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma

****

Gujarat TitansNo. of players 25/25 (7 overseas)
Hot take: GT did well to pick up three out of 12 marquee players – Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada – and adding Prasidh Krishna to their attack was a coup as well. It’s crucial these players remain fit, though, because their Indian fast-bowling back-up is thin. Their middle order doesn’t have a star cast but GT will hope Washington Sundar will shrug off his indifferent IPL form and have an impactful season with bat and ball.Best 12 (including impact player): 1 Jos Buttler (wk), 2 Shubman Gill (capt), 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Washington Sundar, 5 Sherfane Rutherford/Glenn Phillips, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 M Shahrukh Khan, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Arshad Khan/Sai Kishore/Mahipal Lomror, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Prasidh KrishnaSQUAD
Batters: Shubman Gill (retained), Sai Sudharsan (retained), Rahul Tewatia (retained), Sherfane Rutherford
Wicketkeepers: Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat
Allrounders: Rashid Khan (spin; retained), Washington Sundar (spin), M Shahrukh Khan (spin; retained), Mahipal Lomror (spin), Nishant Sindhu (spin), Arshad Khan (pace), Jayant Yadav (spin), Glenn Phillips (spin), Karim Janat (pace)
Spinners: Manav Suthar, Sai Kishore
Fast bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gerald Coetzee, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Kulwant Khejroliya

Back at the top of the order, he scored a quick fifty and later chipped in with a wicket, making a persuasive case to be given a longer rope

Karthik Krishnaswamy30-Apr-20231:25

Moody: Abhishek’s boundary-hitting abilities a real threat

Abhishek Sharma is just the kind of player you’d want in and around your T20 squad: clean striker of the ball, left-handed, capable of batting in multiple positions, and a useful left-arm spinner with interesting variations.He’s also the sort of player, however, who has been thrust into an existential crisis this season, thanks to the Impact Player rule: a batter of promise but not one with a settled role, and not enough of a bowler to merit selection for his secondary skill.Assessing the Impact Player’s effect on the IPL on ESPNcricinfo’s , Tom Moody had referenced Abhishek when he expressed his concern over the development of all-round players.Related

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“I still struggle within me as a former allrounder to see some players that have all-round skills sort of suffer with opportunity,” Moody said. “We’ve seen plenty of them. And one of them [who] recently voiced it in the media, I think, is Abhishek Sharma, the left-hander from Sunrisers.”He’s put so much work into his left-arm spin for Punjab in the off-season and performed really well – he doesn’t even like getting a bowl [in the IPL]. So that concerns me with what’s happening with the future of those allrounders.”Abhishek bowled 30 overs in ten T20 games for Punjab during the 2022-23 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, picking up ten wickets while going at an economy of 5.10. In an interview with ESPNcricinfo before that tournament, he had spoken about developing variations that would help him bowl with the new ball. As it turned out, he ended up bowling the first over in every game Punjab played, including their semi-final at Eden Gardens, where he dismissed both Himachal Pradesh openers.Having done all that, Abhishek hasn’t bowled a single over in his first five games of IPL 2023.Sunrisers Hyderabad aren’t obliged to do what’s best for Abhishek’s long-term growth, of course. They, like any other IPL team, are in it to win matches and tournaments, and it’s a feel-good byproduct if they happen to develop young talent in the process. Every team would use a frontline bowler ahead of an improving part-timer if a new rule gave them that option.On Saturday night, however, Sunrisers felt the need for Abhishek’s bowling. They were defending 197 on a pitch where the slower ball was stopping on the batter and the spinners were getting a bit of grip, but where on-pace deliveries from the fast bowlers were sitting up to be hit.4:16

Has the Impact Player rule led to a high-scoring IPL so far?

Abhishek came on when Delhi Capitals were 85 for 1 in eight overs; he was replacing Umran Malik, whose pace was proving to be just what the batters needed on this surface – Phil Salt and Mitchell Marsh had hammered him for 22 in his first over.Malik wouldn’t bowl another over in the match, with Abhishek sending down three overs while going at below nine an over. He took his time finding his length – he allowed the batters to attack him off the back foot and went for a four and a six off his third and fourth balls – but settled into a reasonable rhythm thereafter, and even managed to chip in with a wicket when he spun one past the advancing Manish Pandey to have him stumped.It was a competent display, and a valuable one for a team needing to fill a hole that had opened up without warning, and it was a useful reminder that there can still be a place for a less-than-genuine allrounder in the Impact Player era.But that place only exists if the allrounder is really pulling his weight with his primary skill. Abhishek had done far more than that on Saturday. Long before he did what he could with the ball to help Sunrisers close out a hard-fought win, he’d set the game up perfectly with an innings of unusual poise on this unusual surface.”It was a bit low, slower balls were coming a bit low, and it was stopping a bit,” was Abhishek’s assessment of the conditions when he was interviewed by the broadcaster between innings. “Our plan was just to look for balls that we can hit. Just don’t try anything fancy, just play according to the ball and react to the ball.”Watching his innings in isolation, it felt as if Abhishek batted in exactly the manner he described. He stood still at the crease, waited for errors in line or length, and put them away while making full use of the powerplay field restrictions.Watching the game in its entirety, though, the fluency of Abhishek’s ball-striking seemed extraordinary. At the halfway point of Sunrisers’ innings, he was batting on 57 off 31 balls, and he’d hit ten fours and a six. By that time, the batters at the other end had scored 23 off 29 for four dismissals, and hit one four and one six.You often hear of gifted batters having an extra split-second at their disposal. Here, because of the slowness of the surface, every batter had an extra split-second, but it was an unwelcome split-second for most of them, a split-second that disrupted the rhythm of their movements and bat flow.Somehow Abhishek seemed to be able to hold his shape through that extra split-second and meet the ball on his terms, striking it only when it entered what AB de Villiers refers to as the “box”. It allowed him to swing compactly through the line without reaching for the ball and losing his balance. And he did it ball after ball, whether flat-batting over extra-cover or swatting over mid-on, giving you the illusion of simplicity and effortlessness.Abhishek Sharma had Manish Pandey stumped•BCCIA few things went his way, of course. On this day, it seemed to help him that he was the only left-hander in Sunrisers’ top order, and that the Capitals bowlers fed him width that his right-handed colleagues only rarely got. But batters can’t choose the bowling they get to face; given a choice, anyone would pick bowling that allows them to free their arms.Abhishek just happened to possess the eye and balance to take full toll even when the ball wasn’t really coming onto his bat. It surely can’t be as easy as he made it look.Along the way, and over the rest of the night, Abhishek seemed to show Sunrisers that this was perhaps where he belonged.This was his 42nd IPL game in his sixth season, and he’s batted nearly everywhere in that time: it was his 19th innings as opener, but he’s also batted 17 times at Nos. 5 and 6. You can see why teams have used Abhishek everywhere: in the IPL, he strikes at 134.63 against pace and 145.95 against spin, while averaging in the 20s against both styles. He’s shown his ability wherever he’s batted, but he’s shown it in cameos rather than 70s and 80s, and those sorts of players take longer to establish themselves in a role.Abhishek seemed to settle into the opening role last season and began IPL 2023 there, but he missed Sunrisers’ second and third games with an injury. When he returned, he was down at No. 5 again, scoring 32 off 17 while Harry Brook, who had taken his place at the top, smacked an unbeaten century.With Brook scoring 9, 18 and 7 in his next three innings, all in Sunrisers defeats, he swapped roles with Abhishek again. Here he was once more, then, up top, and his game just seems to belong there: the stillness, the timing, the ability to find gaps, the willingness to go over the infield.It’s anyone’s guess whether this sense of belonging translates into a longer run in the role, but he’s done what’s within his power, and made a persuasive case for it. Along the way, he may even have convinced his team to give him a bowl every now and then.

Lots of people seem to think he should, but they’re wrong to mix success in international cricket with success in league T20

Aakash Chopra26-Nov-2020Rohit Sharma is the most successful IPL captain in history, with five trophies to his name. Anyone who follows his captaincy closely – outsiders like me and players who play under him – vouches that he is tactically astute and that there are few who read the game better than he does. He remains calm under pressure, marshals his troops with a sense of control, and makes the most radical changes to the flow of the game without making them look radical at all.Captaincy consists of two equally important parts: one, the ability to read the game so that you are at least a couple of overs ahead of it (in white-ball cricket), and two, acknowledging your instincts and sticking with them when you’re convinced. A good captain has no ego and is happy to take his leadership group on board for a lot of the decision-making but has the confidence to overrule them if he thinks otherwise.Sharma ticks all these boxes, and while the Mumbai Indians’ success is a lot about their auction strategy and talent-scouting, it is equally about his leadership both on and off the field.ALSO READ: ‘India’s loss if Rohit Sharma isn’t made white-ball captain’ – Gautam GambhirIf he is such a successful IPL captain, wouldn’t it be natural to make him the captain of the Indian T20I team too? If players get picked for India in the shortest format on the basis of their performances in the IPL, why should it be different for the captain?Just that it isn’t the same thing – ever. And to be fair, it shouldn’t be either, unless there’s a captain who’s failing with his playing skills in the format while leading the Indian T20I team.After Mumbai’s fifth IPL title, there was a clamour among some former cricketers to replace Virat Kohli with Sharma as captain in the shortest format. Their argument is that Kohli’s record as a captain leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore is quite poor and that that should be enough to make the change for India too.Sharma has won five titles and has won 60% of all his games as captain of the Mumbai Indians. On the other hand, Kohli’s team has never won the IPL; and RCB have won just about 47% of their matches under his captaincy. The argument against Kohli is that since Sharma not only wins more games but also knows how to win knockout matches, he should be leading India into the next T20 World Cup.Let’s look more closely at Kohli’s returns as captain and then at the merits of possibly making a change.Kohli as an India captain in ODIs has won 72% of his games; in T20Is this figure is about 65%. If we were to further narrow it down in the shortest format, his win percentage goes up to 75% since the start of 2019 – 12 wins from 16 games.To put things a little more in perspective, MS Dhoni is arguably India’s most successful limited-overs captain, with a T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cup and a Champions Trophy title to his name – the only captain in the world to have all three. Dhoni’s win percentage in T20Is and ODIs is about 60%. When you set Kohli’s returns as an India captain alongside Dhoni’s performance, you can’t possibly punch holes in it.

Would you drop proven international performers like Jasprit Bumrah or KL Rahul from the Indian T20I team if they had a poor IPL? The answer is an overwhelming no

While some argue that bilateral cricket doesn’t matter, others say Kohli’s numbers are as good as they are only because India is such a strong team that captaincy does not have much impact on their win percentage. To answer both these reservations: since Kohli hasn’t led in an ICC event in T20Is, we ought to look at his records in bilateral series only. And beating both New Zealand and England in their backyards must count for something. Also, the two ICC events in which he has led India, they have got to the final once and to the semi-final the other time. Those aren’t poor results by any stretch of the imagination. As for the second point, if Kohli is a good captain with a good team under him when he leads India, perhaps it’s the team at RCB that needs changing and not the captain.Of course, winning the trophy is all that matters for a team of India’s calibre, but let’s remind ourselves that that is not easy for even the best captains. While Dhoni won the inaugural Word T20, he led in many more World Cups in the format but couldn’t win the trophy again. Is that a slight on his captaincy skills? Not at all, for that is how it is at the highest level.Going back to the argument about Kohli having a good team under him when he leads India, it’s understandable if some of the blame for RCB’s poor results is directed at him, but what does that have to do with his performance as India captain? Given his win percentage of 47, RCB might not want to continue with him as captain, but maybe they will have him stay on as captain anyway.ALSO WATCH: Kohli or Rohit: Chopra and Gambhir on India’s T20I captaincy (Hindi)It’s important that we understand that we aren’t stakeholders in franchise teams, which will always be run the way their bosses want them to be. They have every right to take the direction that suits their cause, and they are not obliged to share the reasons for their decisions with the public at large. If you don’t like their ideas, stop following them. The India team is different, though. We are stakeholders when we follow India.We, the fans of the sport and former cricketers and experts, ought to learn to separate the two – international and franchise cricket. Indian players must be judged on their performances — whether captaincy or otherwise – for India alone. For example, would you drop proven international performers like Jasprit Bumrah or KL Rahul from the Indian T20I team if they had a poor IPL? The answer is an overwhelming no, because they have been outstanding for India in the T20I format, and that will supersede all franchise cricket.Given that the captaincy role went to Kohli when Dhoni moved on, it’s only fair that he get as long a run as his performances as India captain merit; his lack of IPL success must not come in the way of his chances of leading in his maiden ICC T20I event. The fact that when Kohli took over from Dhoni there was no ruckus about the appointment tells you that Sharma wasn’t really in the contest for the job back then.If Kohli goes on to win the next World T20 and more ICC trophies, it is possible that Sharma might never get a crack at the captaincy at the highest level. While that will be unfortunate, it will be a case of him being born in the wrong era. Amol Muzumdar scored tons of runs, and Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar took truckloads of wickets, but all three never got a chance to play for India, unfortunately. And that was because India was blessed with the Fab Four batsmen in Muzumdar’s time and Bishan Singh Bedi and other fine spinners in Goel’s and Shivalkar’s time.As much as it’s about being fair to Kohli (who has won 12 of his last 16 T20Is in charge), it’s equally about being fair to Sharma. If and when the selectors decide to turn towards him to lead India in T20Is, they must give him enough time to build the team he wants to build. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and nor were the Mumbai Indians, and the same will be true for Sharma’s India team.

The Dodgers are now one loss away from losing the World Series after falling to the Blue Jays, 6-1, in Game 5 on Wednesday night. The series now shifts back to Toronto for Game 6 on Friday night where the Blue Jays will have a great chance to win their first title since 1993.

The Dodgers' bats have gone cold at the worst possible time as they were only able to score a combined three runs in Games 4 and 5. While Shohei Ohtani has carried this team on his back, Mookie Betts, an eight-time All-Star and former AL MVP, has been lost at the plate against the Blue Jays as he has just three hits in 23 at-bats with no RBIs.

After Game 5, in which he went 0-for-4, Betts had a brutally honest take on his struggles thus far.

"I don’t want to speak on anybody else but for me personally I’ve just been terrible," Betts said. "I’ve been terrible and I wish it was from lack of effort, I really do, but it’s not so I don’t have any answers."

David Ortiz, who was teammates with Betts for a few years in Boston, spoke about those comments on Fox's post-game show.

"He hurts. He hurts," Ortiz said. "I know Mookie very well. It hurts to see him answering the question that way because to me he still is one of the best players in the game but it seems like his confidence level is pretty low right now. And of course, I don’t blame him—when you don’t see results, Kevin, you start questioning yourself. When you have already shown superstar status everybody starts questioning you when things are not going well."

Ortiz then offered some simple advice for Betts.

"Now if I’m Mookie, I would put that all behind," he said. "You remember when we used to prepare for to go to play a Little League game? You wasn’t thinking about a scouting report, you wasn’t thinking about what people say, you wasn’t thinking about what I did yesterday. When you played in Little League all you wanted to do was see the ball and try to hit it and have fun. At the end of the day that’s what the game is all about, having fun."

Derek Jeter also weighed in Betts' comments.

"I appreciate what he said because it’s the truth," Jeter said. "We’ve all been there. We’ve all sat there in front of our locker and said that we’ve been terrible. The best thing about the postseason is who cares what has happened up to a particular point? He’s going to be up In Game 6 with an opportunity to do something special and if he does something special no one will talk about his postseason prior too, that’s the way you have to look at it."

Here's that complete conversation:

Betts has a day off before Game 6. It will be interesting to see how he responds because the Dodgers will need him to step up if they want to keep their championship hopes alive.

Pep Guardiola blasted his Manchester City players following their Champions League defeat by Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday. The Catalan has had three days to reflect on the 2-0 loss against the Bundesliga side at the Etihad Stadium, for which he made 10 changes to his starting line-up. And he has concluded that his players did not put in the required effort.

• City still smarting from shock home defeat

  Tuesday's defeat by Leverkusen was the first time City had lost a Champions League home game in the group stage or the League Phase of the competition since they were beaten 2-1 by Lyon in September 2018. The coach only kept Nico Gonzalez in the starting line-up from the previous match against Newcastle, benching top scorer Erling Haaland plus his most experienced players such as Phil Foden, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva. Immediately after the game he admitted that he had made too many changes. 

  "I take responsibility but I saw them and I like everyone to be involved," he said at the time. "When you are a football player and don’t play for five, six, seven games it’s tough but maybe it was too much. Always I like to be too nice and involve everyone because I have the feeling after the international break there are games every three or four days and there is no human being who can sustain that. We were at home, in a good position in the Champions League and I thought 'let’s try and let’s have weapons on the bench'. It didn’t work and we have to accept it."

  However, speaking on Friday ahead of City's next game against Leeds United, the coach decided to criticise his players for the way they approached the game.

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• AFP
  

  Leverkusen defeat 'a good lesson' for Guardiola

  Guardiola told a press conference: "Mum and Dad made me a beautiful person. I'm so nice, no, and it's not about that. It's just that we didn't try. When you play on the pitch you have to try things and win and try. That's all. Yeah, maybe I'll have a theory to rotate. You have to rotate, without it it's impossible to sustain [fitness levels]. But I thought, have a lot of confidence, and still, right now, I place a huge value on what they are as a football players. And yeah, it was a good lesson for me. So even with quite a lot of experience as a manager, it's a good lesson for me for the future."

• 'Too safe'

  Guardiola dismissed the suggestion that the defeat would make him question whether or not to heavily rotate his squad in the future. Instead, he questioned his team's mentality during the game, claiming they were too cautious. He explained: "I'm pretty sure that if they were surrounded by different players they will play good. I think they felt they played to not make any mistakes, not to play and think 'I'm going to do something', and that is so difficult. So in football, you have to play defensive or offensive, you have to try and [even] if you lose the actions, you did it. They played to be safe, to think 'I don't want to make a mistake and be noticed'. That's why it's so difficult."

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• AFP
  

  City must beat Leeds to keep Arsenal in check

  City fell seven points behind Arsenal in the title race following the defeat at Newcastle and the Gunners' resounding victory over Tottenham and they will have to get back to winning ways at home to Leeds to prevent Mikel Arteta's side running away with the title. One year ago City went off the rails in the league and effectively bowed out of the title race and Guardiola stressed how important it was to take Leeds seriously even though they are 18th in the table.

  "We just think about next week and about the next games," he said. "We are experienced enough to only talk about what is the next game. And after that, we'll see. I know the distance is already there, and Arsenal are so strong, we see it game by game in the Premier League. We are starting to see how they are getting better and better as a team. The Premier League is like this. You are able to make a good run of results, but at the end, you can make a bad, bad results and continue because the opponents are tough. Every opponent is really prepared. They have a long week to prepare. And so it's so, so demanding. So we have to be ready."

Cristiano Ronaldo’s reduced punishment for his red card against the Republic of Ireland has sparked fury across social media, with fans accusing FIFA of "bending the rules" to ensure the Portugal captain is available for the first games of the World Cup. The decision to convert what many expected to be a multi-match violent conduct ban into a one-game ban with two games suspended has ignited a fierce debate.

• Getty Images
  

  Ronaldo set to play World Cup opener after suspended ban

  Ronaldo’s sending off against the Republic of Ireland – the first red card of his international career – initially looked certain to trigger a multi-match ban that would impact Portugal’s opening fixtures at the 2026 World Cup. After VAR upgraded his yellow card to a straight red for elbowing Dara O’Shea off the ball, disciplinary precedents suggested a minimum two or three-match suspension for violent conduct. Instead, FIFA’s disciplinary committee downgraded the immediate consequences, ruling that Ronaldo’s offence would result in just a single-match ban, which he has already served, while placing a further two games on a suspended sanction valid for the next 365 days.

  The unexpected leniency has caused significant backlash, not least because the incident involved no attempt to play the ball and came amid previous flashpoints between the same two players. Although Portugal cruised to a 9-1 win over Armenia without him, many observers believed Ronaldo would miss at least one match at the World Cup due to the severity of the elbow. Instead, he will be eligible for Portugal’s tournament opener, a decision some feel undermines the disciplinary standards applied to other players in similar situations.

  The ruling has been attributed partly to Ronaldo’s previously clean international record and the fact that this was his first-ever red card at national team level. Nonetheless, the decision has ignited a widespread debate about consistency, transparency and whether the governing body has acted in the broader interests of fairness or commercial appeal.

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• Fans outraged by FIFA 'bending the rules'

  Across X (formerly Twitter), supporters from around the world erupted in disbelief and anger at what many saw as preferential treatment for Ronaldo.

  @Shaun_Hall23 wrote: "It’s an absolute disgrace, the amount of players that have missed huge games for suspensions over the years. Makes a mockery of the game."

  @Kop_101x added: "Bending the rules just so he can play in the World Cup is shocking. He assaulted another player, and should be punished accordingly and with precedent."

  @notassedLFC accused FIFA of financial motivation: "FIFA know Ronaldo generates money. Him not playing opening World Cup game loses them money. Typical. If this was a Scottish player for example from a small country he’d be banned for all 3."

  @CarlSwietlik didn’t hold back either, saying: "May as well just have no rules or punishment for violent conduct then 🤦‍♂️ absolute fucking shambles. State of football man."

  @HHHendricks1 even joked that the ruling harms Portugal: "As much as this is completely predictable it is absolutely insane that they have given him blatant preferential treatment! Funniest part is that this actually punishes Portugal 😂😂😂 They are much better side with him not in it!"

  @Ratidoking added sarcastically: "As a Messi fan, I prayed for him not to be ban, now we can enjoy his comedy, he thinks world cup is friendly match."

  The reactions closed with one final jab from @Dantes__Infern0: "This means Portugal will playing with 10 men in the world cup??"

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Ronaldo's 'violent conduct' red card against Republic of Ireland

  Ronaldo’s controversial red card came in a chaotic qualifier in Dublin, where Portugal had already fallen 2-0 behind, setting the stage for an evening of frustration that boiled over in the second half. After tussling with O’Shea, the Portugal captain swung an elbow into the defender's back off the ball – an action spotted by VAR and upgraded to violent conduct. Ronaldo responded to the dismissal by ironically applauding the home crowd, further inflaming what was already a hostile atmosphere inside the Aviva Stadium.

  The severity of the contact and the lack of any attempt to play the ball fuelled immediate speculation that FIFA’s disciplinary committee would impose a minimum two-game ban, especially given historical rulings on similar incidents. However, Ronaldo’s spotless international disciplinary record appears to have played a decisive role, with the committee concluding that a harsher sentence was not necessary. The decision has therefore amplified concerns about consistency, particularly as similar or lesser acts by lower-profile players have routinely resulted in multi-match bans.

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• CR7 free to play Portugal's World Cup opener

  Portugal will now move into tournament preparations knowing Ronaldo is fully available for their 2026 World Cup opener, barring any further disciplinary incidents before the tournament. Manager Roberto Martínez is expected to name him in the starting XI without hesitation, though he will need the veteran forward to avoid any repeat confrontations that could activate the suspended two-game ban.

Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign striker Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus for a much lower price than expected.

Particularly last season, much was said about Man United. The club endured what was, in terms of points return and league finish, their worst-ever Premier League campaign. Many of the club’s attacking options, such as Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, struggled for form.

This, no doubt, contributed to their business ahead of the 2025/26 season. In what marked their first summer transfer window with Ruben Amorim as manager, the Red Devils signed Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko in what was a complete renovation of their attack.

The trio have since secured their places in the first team at Old Trafford, helping Man United record three successive Premier League wins for the first time under Amorim’s guidance before the draw at Nottingham Forest.

It would appear, however, that the Red Devils may look to further reinforce their attacking line in the upcoming January window.

Man United show interest in Vlahovic

As per TEAMtalk, Man United could pursue a move for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic this winter. Such a transfer, however, would only be explored if there is first a departure. Zirkzee could leave, having lost his place in the first team due to both new signings and poor form.

Vlahovic, who reportedly earns £375,000 per week in Turin, will become a free agent in July if he does not depart Juve at an earlier date, having been unable to negotiate a contract extension with the club. Were Vlahovic to remain, he would seemingly have to take a pay cut.

Having been called a “superstar” for his ability, Vlahovic would be available for just £17.5 million according to TEAMtalk, in no doubt due to his contract situation. Were Zirkzee to depart permanently, it would presumably provide Man United with the adequate funds to pursue Vlahovic. Even if the Dutchman left only on loan, it would free up a position within their first-team for the 25-year-old.

Given his lack of minutes so far this season, it can be presumed that Zirkzee has fallen down the pecking order. In Vlahovic, Man United would be signing competition for summer signing Sesko which, in turn, could benefit the Slovenian international.

Reportedly, Man United are “informed” of Vlahovic’s situation, but “that does not mean they will necessarily pull the trigger on the move” and whether a transfer materialises remains to be seen.

"Deadly" Man United academy star is another Bruno Fernandes

أعلن الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم، عن الفائز بجائزة أفضل لاعب لعام 2025 في القارة خلال حفل توزيع جوائز كاف.

ويقام حفل جوائز الأفضل في القارة السمراء لعام 2025، مساء اليوم الأربعاء، في العاصمة المغربية الرباط.

وكان الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم قد أعلن عن القائمة النهائية لمرشحي جائزة أفضل لاعب وهم النجم المصري محمد صلاح والمغربي أشرف حكيمي والنيجيري فيكتور أوسيمين.

وحصد أشرف حكيمي ظهير باريس سان جيرمان ومنتخب المغرب، جائزة أفضل لاعب في قارة إفريقيا، متفوقًا على كل من محمد صلاح وفيكتور أوسيمين.

اقرأ أيضاً.. كاف يعلن أفضل منتخب في قارة إفريقيا لعام 2025

وكان أشرف حكيمي قد قدم مستوى استثنائيًا مع باريس سان جيرمان وتوج بلقب دوري أبطال أوروبا والدوري الفرنسي وكأس فرنسا وكأس السوبر الأوروبي وتأهل لنهائي كأس العالم للأندية الصيف الماضي.

وخاض الظهير المغربي الدولي 55 مباراة مع باريس سان جيرمان الموسم الماضي وأحرز 11 هدفًا وصنع 16 تمريرة حاسمة.

جدير بالذكر أن أشرف حكيمي قد ساهم في تأهل منتخب المغرب لنهائيات كأس العالم العام المقبل 2026.

Micky Van de Ven’s addition back in the summer of 2023 raised eyebrows among many Tottenham Hotspur supporters, especially after the hierarchy forked out £40m for his signature.

Such a fee was a hefty one during the Daniel Levy era, but it may have come as more of a surprise given the Dutchman was largely an unknown quantity to many of the fans.

However, just over a couple of years on from his move, he’s cemented himself as a key member of Thomas Frank’s squad – arguably being one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Despite his defensive role, the 24-year-old has had a huge impact within attacking areas, netting three times in the Premier League this season – putting him joint top of the Lilywhites’ goalscoring charts.

It’s not all been plain sailing for the club within the defensive department, with numerous other big-money additions unable to live up to the hefty fees paid for their services.

Spurs’ issues at centre-back for Van de Ven’s arrival

Spending big on centre-backs hasn’t been alien to Spurs in recent years, as seen by their £42m addition of Davinson Sanchez back in the summer of 2017 – a then club-record transfer.

The Colombian racked up over 200 appearances for the Lilywhites over a six-year period, subsequently leaving in the summer of 2023 to join Turkish side Galatasaray.

He was a solid option under various managers in North London, but ultimately, the fanbase were left disappointed – especially after paying a club-record fee for his signature.

Joe Rodon was another youngster signed by the hierarchy to potentially grow into an elite-level centre back, subsequently paying Swansea City £11m back in the summer of 2020.

However, the Welshman would only make 15 Premier League appearances for the club, before being sold to Leeds United as part of the Archie Gray deal in 2024.

It’s safe to say with Van de Ven, times have changed in North London, but the club have already unearthed another top-level talent who could be a real hit with the fans in the years to come.

The Spurs star who’s a bigger talent than Van de Ven

Whilst he’s been battling with injuries over the last few months, Van de Ven’s importance to the Spurs side simply cannot be understated – with Frank’s men a much better side with the Dutchman at the back.

He’s already helped the Lilywhites keep seven clean sheets across all competitions, with the 24-year-old evidently having a huge impact at both ends of the pitch.

The defender has also demonstrated his strength in another area, with the former Wolfsburg man registering the fastest speed of any player in England’s top-flight throughout 2024/25.

At present, he’s currently partnered by Cristian Romero at the heart of the backline, but that could be about to change in the years ahead, given the emergence of Luka Vuskovic.

The Lilywhites forked out a reported fee in the region of £12m for the signature of teenage sensation from Hajduk Split, with real hope he can be a first team starter in the near future.

The Croatian has spent a couple of years out on loan, with his spell on loan at Westerlo catching the eye – but for his attacking quality rather than his talent at the back – just like Van de Ven.

He scored seven times and notched two assists in his 36 outings, a simply staggering feat for a young defender, which earned him another loan move – this time to Bundesliga side, Hamburg.

The prospect of top-flight German football may have seemed like a huge jump to many, but the 18-year-old has wasted no time in impressing the supporters of Die Rothosen.

Vuskovic, who’s been labelled “one of the most exciting teenage centre-backs” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has already opened his account for the German side in 2025/26.

Luka Vuskovic – Hamburg stats (25/26)

Statistics (per 90)

Tally

Games played

6

Goals scored

1

Pass accuracy

84%

Duels won

10.2

Aerial duels won

7.5

Aerial success rate

87%

Dribbles completed

100%

Touches

85.8

Stats via FotMob

However, his defensive stats are just as impressive, with the youngster winning a staggering 10.2 duels per 90 – 7.5 of which have been in the air – subsequently achieving a success rate of 87%.

He’s also completed 100% of the dribbles he’s attempted, whilst completing a total of 84% of his passes – showcasing his incredible all-round game despite his tender age.

It’s very rare you come across such a dominant young centre-back, but it’s clear Vuskovic has all the tools needed to be a monster hit with the Lilywhites fanbase in the years to come.

Should he stay on his current path, there’s no reason why he can’t emulate Van de Ven’s success in North London and even surpass the Dutchman’s recent levels.

Related Frank's next Toney: Paratici leading Spurs move for "one of the best STs"

Tottenham Hotspur are preparing a January move to land a new talisman for Thomas Frank.

Posts ByEthan Lamb Oct 28, 2025

Hosts hold off Essex for one-run win, ending three-year T20 drought at Lord’s

ECB Reporters Network19-Jun-2025

Tom Helm held his nerve in a nail-biting final over as Middlesex began the post Richard Johnson era with a one-run victory over Essex, three years to the day after their last Vitality Blast win at Lord’s.Forty-eight hours on from Johnson being relieved of duty, Helm (2 for 31) claimed the crucial wicket of Luc Benkenstein in defending 10 off the final six balls to see Middlesex home.Essex had appeared to be cruising at 106 for 2 thanks to a stand of 54 between Paul Walter and Jordan Cox, but Zafar Gohar’s 2 for 20 put the brakes on the chase, leading to the breathless finish.Middlesex earlier collapsed from 108 for 1 to 161 all out, failing to build on Kane Williamson’s 53 in 31 balls, the former New Zealand Test captain’s first half-century for the Seaxes. Simon Harmer (2 for 34) and Benkenstein (2 for 26) started the slide with Mohammed Amir polishing off the tail.Middlesex came out swinging at the start of the new era, but rather than aggressive, much of the batting was frenetic.Williamson swung one from Shane Snater over the short boundary, but among his other early fours was a top edge over wicketkeeper Cox’s head.Stephen Eskinazi, save for successive sweeps to the square boundary struggled to find the middle of the blade before being brilliantly caught down the leg-side by Cox.Williamson steadily found his groove, a glorious straight six helping him to 50, but once he departed to the next delivery caught at long-leg off Noah Thain the collapse was on.Ben Geddes was dropped off both his first two balls and lasted five in total before lifting Benkenstein to deep midwicket and Max Holden’s somewhat skittish effort was ended by Harmer as the Essex spinners ripped through the heart of the middle-order.Essex openers Dean Elgar and Michael Pepper came out in a big hurry to get the chase done, the latter planting successive deliveries from Naavya Sharma over the ropes. Elgar in his turned cracked a four to the fence at point as they rattled up a 50-stand in 27 balls.Pepper chipped Gohar to mid-off soon afterwards and Elgar sent the first ball of Helm’s next over to short third.Walter though clubbed Helm into the stands and expertly paddled the spin of Luke Hollman to fine leg for four, while Cox cut powerfully square of the wicket and through cover as another 50 partnership came in 35 balls. Again, both fell in quick succession, Walter undone by a Sharma bouncer while Gohar castled Cox.The hosts thought they had Benkenstein caught by Helm off Hollman, but after conferring the umpires ruled not out. Nevertheless, Matt Critchley holed out off Noah Cornwell as the tension mounted.Charlie Allison thick-edged and ramped Ryan Higgins for four leaving 10 needed from the last. Benkenstein went for glory but holed out to Geddes in the deep, and while two twos were scrambled four was needed off the final delivery. Thain clothed it to deep mid-off, where Geddes collected and returned to spark celebrations from the hosts.