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The payments will be completed within a day, a Rajshahi official assured BCB chief Faruque Ahmed

Mohammad Isam16-Jan-2025Durbar Rajshahi have promised to pay their local players on Thursday, a day after the players boycotted training in Chattogram to protest the non-payment of fees by the franchise. Jayed Ahmed, the operations in-charge of Rajshahi, said in a late-night video statement on Wednesday that they spoke with BCB president Faruque Ahmed and assured him that the unpaid dues would be cleared.Bangladesh Premier League franchises are supposed to pay 50% of a player’s total payment before the start of the tournament, 25% during the tournament and the rest of the 25% after the tournament is over. Rajshahi however didn’t pay the local players their first installment even two weeks into the tournament, which began on December 30.After the players’ demonstration, BCB chief Faruque held a meeting with his board of directors. He also spoke to the Rajshahi owner Shafique Rahman, captain Anamul Haque and other cricketers.Related

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Durbar Rajshahi's local players skip training to protest non-payment of fees

“There’s no doubt that they will receive payment on January 16,” Jayed said. “We express regret at not being able to make the payments on time. There’s no denying the fact. This shouldn’t have happened. The management has decided to pay 25% payment in cash. We will pay another 25% in checks.”Our owner spoke to the BCB president on the phone. I met him in person. We had a cordial conversation. He wanted to understand the situation. We expressed our regret for the payment delay. We promised him that we will make the payments tomorrow.”Jayed said some of the cheques bounced because the bank couldn’t clear the payment without confirming with Shafique on the phone.”You will remember that the day our owner’s wife went to the ground, she got hit by a ball, she suffered a fracture. She was taken to Bangkok for treatment. Our owner was with her. We had given the cheque beforehand, so our owner told me to inform the players that the cheques won’t be submitted since he was not in the country.”Otherwise the bank won’t get me on the phone. We told this to all the cricketers but one or two of them submitted the check. They forgot about the owner being in Bangkok.”Rajshahi had made the 25% payment to their overseas players and coaching staff. The side will take on Khulna Tigers in their seventh game in Chattogram on January 17.

Following Edson Alvarez’s move to Fenerbahce on loan, West Ham United have reportedly submitted an opening offer to sign an instant replacement in the form of a 6 foot 2 midfielder.

Alvarez completes Fenerbahce move

After just two years at the London Stadium, Alvarez has completed a loan move to join Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce. The Hammers were reportedly keen to clear his hefty £100,000-a-week salary off their wage bill to make room for further, much-needed recruits, and have seemingly managed to do exactly that courtesy of the Turkish club.

With room to maneuver following the midfielder’s departure, the Hammers could be an interesting club to watch as the deadline approaches. It was clear for all to see against Sunderland on the opening day that Graham Potter still needs a number of reinforcements, but whether West Ham have time to welcome those additions is another question entirely.

The West Ham boss told reporters when questioned about transfers this week: “We need a few silver bullets, not just one. We analyse where we think the improvements can be and then we have to try to work within the financial position of the club to make the right decision to bring the right player and the right person here.

“If I look historically, West Ham have spent money, have signed players. Signing players is easy. It doesn’t mean that they’re going to be the right ones.”

With less than two weeks until the transfer window closes, there remain several targets on West Ham’s reported radar. Names such as Jamie Vardy and Artem Dovbyk have been among those mentioned as of late, although it’s unclear whether the Hammers push on to secure either of their arrivals.

Instead, their focus seems to be set on finding an instant replacement for Alvarez this month.

West Ham submit first Magassa offer

According to Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian, West Ham have now submitted an opening offer to sign Soungoutou Magassa from AS Monaco this month. The 6’2 midfielder has reportedly been identified as a replacement for Alavrez and also very much represents a player whose best is yet to come at just 21 years old.

A defensive midfielder who would also offer Potter an extra centre-back option, Magassa was described as someone with a “really exciting raw profile” by analyst Ben Mattinson, who also praised his passing range.

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Given that he’s already got Champions League experience to his name at such a young age on top of that “exciting” profile, West Ham would be landing an undeniable gem if they managed to sign Magassa in the next two weeks.

USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah hopes his recent move to Atalanta will help him secure a spot in the U.S. squad for the 2026 World Cup. The 23-year-old, who joined the Italian side on loan from AC Milan this summer, is focused on establishing himself with his new club. He played 14 minutes in a draw against Weston McKennie's Juventus on Saturday.

AFPWorld Cup aspirations

Musah recently acknowledged that delivering strong performances for Atalanta would enhance his chances of making the 2026 World Cup squad. 

“So the way the World Cup is in my mind is that knowing that if I have good performances here, have a good season here, it will boost my chances to go to the national team and play in the World Cup,” Musah told . “So that’s how I think about it. If I do well here, focus on doing well here, then I’ll have a better chance to be in the team in the World Cup. So that’s how I’m thinking about it.”

Musah has made four appearances for Atalanta so far, but has largely been in a limited role for La Dea – playing just 31 minutes so far. 

AdvertisementReflecting on summer transfer uncertainty

The midfielder acknowledged it was a challenging summer due to transfer rumors while he was at Milan. Despite that, he focused on training and improving his game. 

“Yeah, as you said it was a summer that was a bit of uncertainty,” Musah explained. “And yeah, I just put my head down, worked hard at Milan and got the trust of the manager and everyone, and then this great opportunity came for me to come to Atalanta. And I joined this great team and to keep playing in the Champions League, and try and get top four in the league and everything.

“So its been very nice, been settling in. I’ve been training a lot with the team and getting to know the guys. So yeah, I can’t wait for the rest of the season really.” 

AFP'To be the most complete midfielder I can be'

 Musah expressed his desire to become the most complete midfielder possible. He explained that versatility is essential for adapting to different tactical setups.

“I’m just trying to develop as a all-round midfielder, to be the most complete midfielder I can be,” Musah said. “So, you’re going to need to play in different formations, etc, etc. But if you’re a complete midfielder, you’ll be able to adapt in any formation I think. So, that’s my goal, to really develop in that aspect and really learn from our coach here and in the national team.”

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Getty Images SportChampions League next…

The midfielder will hope for more minutes when Atalanta face Club Brugge in the Champions League on Sept. 29 followed by a home game against FC Como on Oct. 4.

West Ham United have been here before when losing a star asset in the drama of the summer transfer window.

Indeed, the summer of 2023 saw Declan Rice heartbreakingly leave behind his boyhood Hammers for Arsenal, with the only bonus being that £105m hit the Irons’ bank account to soften the immediate blow.

At least the Premier League side had sufficient time to adjust to their Rice-less reality, with Lucas Paqueta’s exit from the club, perhaps going right down to the wire of deadline day, instead, amid interest in his services from Aston Villa.

Graham Potter’s men will surely have last-minute replacements up their sleeve in case their much-talked-about midfielder does depart, with the low-morale Hammers entering into a last-ditch race for this £34m gem, as per reports.

West Ham enter late race for £34m star

The latest on Paqueta’s short-term Hammers future seems to change by the minute.

He was reportedly in line to make a £47m move to Unai Emery’s Villans, but now, according to journalist Jacob Steinberg, he should be staying put, unless a drastic exit takes place imminently.

That was seemingly rubberstamped by the Brazilian’s goal celebration during the Hammers’ 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

Still, after the pretty bleak start to the season experienced by those at the London Stadium, additions to the midfield ranks could be prioritised.

Indeed, as per Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, the already relegation-threatened Hammers have entered the late race to secure the services of Arsenal reserve midfielder Fabio Vieira.

Plettenberg states that a departure is planned before deadline day for Vieira to exit the Emirates, with the previous £34m buy for the Gunners also attracting interest from Stuttgart.

How Vieira can be Fornals 2.0

Potter and Co. might well view the Portuguese attacking midfielder as a suitable replacement for Paqueta if the Brazilian does up and leave dramatically, with West Ham also winning their next Pablo Fornals potentially by snapping up the versatile 25-year-old.

Before heading back to his native Spain with Real Betis, Fornals was a firm fan favourite plying his trade in East London.

The six-time Spain international would tally up an impressive haul of 23 goals and 19 assists across a mammoth 203 appearances for the club, with pundit Noel Whelan even going as far as to herald the 29-year-old as an “unsung hero” when he was still pulling on claret and blue.

Vieira will hope he can be seen in a similarly glowing light if he leaves North London behind shortly, having shone in flashes for Mikel Arteta’s men, when not consistently stuck on the periphery.

After all, despite making just 49 appearances for Arsenal since his £34m switch from FC Porto, the attacking midfielder has gone on to collect a respectable three goals and ten assists.

With a sublime 15 goals and 24 assists under his belt in Portugal, too, he really could come into his own as an adaptable, Fornals-like presence if Potter and Co. come calling.

AM

65

9 + 20

CM

42

7 + 7

RW

24

3 + 4

RM

18

2 + 2

SS

9

3 + 3

LW

4

1 + 1

LM

3

0

Across his up-and-down playing days in Portugal and England, Vieira has at least managed to stand out as a flexible presence, with seven different positions on the pitch being filled by the diminutive 5-foot-7 attacker across 165 clashes above. To add context, Fornals would line up in the same number of different positions for West Ham during his celebrated stay.

While he hasn’t always been front and centre of Arteta’s plans, the 25-year-old playmaker will pray he can get back to his “special” best at the London Stadium, as he was once labelled by writer Hayley McGoldrick, having also been dubbed a “smooth operator” previously by journalist Tom Kundert. That smooth presence could certainly also be applied to Fornals.

If he can star in East London away from the stifling environment of North London, he could also fill a Paqueta-shaped hole down the line, with the Brazilian also being showered with high praise, having been branded “mercurial” for the Hammers by ex-London Stadium coach Mark Warburton.

Even if he does stay, West Ham needs some boosts to lift the dire mood, with Vieira arriving just in the nick of time perhaps having that desired effect.

Dream partner for Magassa: West Ham plotting raid to sign £15m "pitbull"

Following the arrivals of both Soungoutou Magassa and Mateus Fernandes on Friday, could West Ham United now sign a £15m midfield “pitbull” as well?

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He hit the winning runs for India in their landmark Test win at The Oval in 1971, the highlight of a colourful career

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2025Syed Abid Ali, who represented India in 29 Tests from 1967 to 1974, has died in California aged 83.A medium pacer who was renowned for his high standards of fielding and lightning-fast running between the wickets, one of Abid Ali’s greatest moments on the cricket field came with the bat: he hit the winning runs for India from No. 8 at The Oval in 1971 to give India their first series triumph in England.These runs came via a “square cut that never reached the boundary as it was engulfed by jubilant supporters charging onto the ground”, as had been reported on ESPNcricinfo.Abid Ali also played five ODIs between 1974 and 1975, which also happened to be India’s first five ODIs.Related

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He finished with 47 wickets from his 29 Tests, including career-best figures of 6 for 55 in his debut innings against Australia in Adelaide. His medium pace came with enough variations to test batters. He also recorded six Test-match fifties, including twin fifties in Sydney later in that debut series.It could be argued that he was an allrounder, given that those two fifties came as an opener, and he batted at the top of the order in 21 of his 53 Test innings and scored 1018 runs at an average of 20.36 in his Test career. Those fifties in Sydney included “cavalier treatment of the new ball,” the match report said. Overall, he batted across the order for India, everywhere barring Nos. 4, 10 and 11.Then, there were his impressive fitness levels and fielding. His ESPNcricinfo profile sums it up thus: “Abid Ali had the feet of a sprinter, the energy of a marathon runner and the will of a decathlete, but his misfortune was that he was born 20 years too early. His game was made to order for one-day cricket: he bowled brisk medium-pace, fielded outstandingly, and was a busy lower-order batsman who ran between the wickets as if on invisible skates.”His focus on fitness came at a time when it was not the norm in cricket, and helped him gain a reputation both as a close-in fielder and for his spot-on flat throws from the outfield. Former ESPNcricinfo columnist V Ramnarayan, who was a young cricketer in the Hyderabad domestic circles when Abid Ali was in his prime, wrote of him: “The punishing regimen of training he followed was often the subject of anecdotes, wildly exaggerated and embellished, but perfect entertainment in the evening after a long day at the ground.”Syed Abid Ali during his stint coaching UAE•AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty ImagesHe was also quite a bit of a character. Ramnarayan wrote: “He was demonstrative in an age when most bowlers tended to hide their emotions. His appeals to God when he beat the edge, and his sardonic grins at batsmen blessed by the Lord – unfairly in Abid’s opinion – were sights to see and remember.”He was once no-balled for throwing in a Test match against New Zealand in Christchurch, but his blatant chucking apparently came in protest against Gary Bartlett having taken a six-for with an action that the Indian team felt was suspect.Abid Ali never went on to establish himself as a premier name in Indian cricket, in part because he had the misfortune of being a bowler in the era of India’s famous spin quartet. He was a mainstay for Hyderabad, though, playing 212 first-class games across 20 seasons, taking 397 wickets at 28.55 and scoring 8732 runs with 13 hundreds and 41 fifties. He played his last Test match in December 1974, his last ODI in June 1975, and his last first-class game in 1978-79.”Shri Syed Abid Ali was a true allrounder, a cricketer who embodied the spirit of the game,” BCCI president Roger Binny said in a statement. “His contributions to India’s historic victories in the 1970s will always be remembered. His dedication and versatility made him stand out. My deepest condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.”After his playing days, Abid Ali went on to coach Andhra at the Ranji Trophy, and also had stints with UAE and Maldives. At the time of his death, he was living in Tracy, California, with his family.

As a hectic transfer window came to an end, Birmingham City reportedly explored a late deal to sign an ex-England international in a bargain deal.

The Blues were expected to have a busy summer and that very much proved to be the case. Fresh from League One promotion, they ended the transfer window with as many as 14 fresh faces and will now be hoping to shock the rest of the Championship even further as the campaign continues.

The pick of the bunch was no doubt Kyogo Furuhashi. There’s a strong argument to be made that the former Celtic star has the quality to be playing in the top-half of the Premier League, but it is Championship side Birmingham that swooped in.

Meanwhile, the return of Demarai Gray also stands out as an impressive move. Like Kyogo, the winger is a player full of Premier League quality, but one that chose a return to his boyhood club rather than elsewhere.

The latest players to arrive came on deadline day in the form of Jack Robinson and former Celtic star Patrick Roberts. The latter told the club’s official website after putting pen to paper: “I’m a winner. And this is a place, and a club, that wants to strive to get to the top.

“And off the back of last season, where I did that (winning promotion), I can see there’s potential here to have a good season. It didn’t take much convincing. It’s a big club, and getting back to where Birmingham should be is an aim.”

That said, 14 signings very nearly became 15 late on when the Blues reportedly explored an opportunity to sign a former Premier League star.

Birmingham explored late Dele Alli deal

According to Football Insider, Birmingham explored a late deal to sign Dele Alli after he was released by Como 1907. The former England international has endured a tumultuous spell on and off the pitch in recent years and things didn’t change when he finally made his comeback in Italy, as he was sent off just minutes into his only appearance.

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Once a PFA Young Player of the Year, Alli is now without a club again. At 29 years old, he desperately needs someone to take a chance on his talent and hand him a route back to where he belongs in English football.

After his struggles away from the pitch, Alli’s comeback story is one that English football wants to see, but Birmingham ultimately decided against pursuing a deal.

Described as “excellent” by former Tottenham Hotspur coach Ryan Mason in 2021, Alli needs his next move to go right and needs to avoid injuries if he is to get back to the incredible player that he once was.

Fast bowler Muhammad Shahzad took a hat-trick either side of the unusual dismissal

Danyal Rasool05-Mar-2025Pakistan batter Saud Shakeel has become the seventh batter in first-class cricket to be timed out. On day two of the final of the President’s Trophy, a domestic first-class competition in Pakistan, Shakeel, playing for State Bank of Pakistan, emerged late from the dugout after two wickets fell in two balls. Amad Butt, the captain of the opposition side PTV, appealed after Shakeel was not ready to take guard within the required three minutes.ESPNcricinfo understands the swift fall of two wickets left Shakeel unprepared. He arrived at the crease to face the delivery, but Butt appealed, and the umpires agreed he had not been ready within three minutes, following which a timed-out appeal can be lodged. The most recent such dismissal in top-level cricket was also the highest-profile, when Angelo Matthews became the only cricketer to be dismissed in this manner during an international match. It happened during Sri Lanka’s 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh, with Shakib-al-Hasan successfully appealing for timed out.Umar Amin and Fawad Alam fell to fast bowler Muhammad Shahzad within two deliveries, leaving him on a hat-trick. Following Shakeel’s unusual dismissal, Irfan Khan came out to bat, and had his stumps knocked back first ball, giving Shahzad a hat-trick. It meant that State Bank of Pakistan went from 128 for 1 to 128 for 5 in the space of three balls.The rare dismissal is not the only thing that makes the President’s Trophy final unusual. Owing to Ramadan, a period when devout Muslims do not eat or drink between sunrise and sunset, the PCB decided to play the entire tournament at night, with a day’s play running from 7:30pm to 2.30am, with tea and dinner breaks between sessions.Shahzad’s hat-trick helped PTV dismiss State Bank of Pakistan for 205, with former Pakistan opener Imran Butt scoring 89.

With CONMEBOL lobbying for further expanded competition, GOAL US writers debate the viability of a 64-team tournament

And so there is more World Cup speculation. FIFA has already taken plenty of heat for expanding the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams. That seems like a lot, double what it was the last time the U.S. hosted a World Cup, in 1994. 

But what if it were 64?

CONMEBOL, the South American football federation, lobbied FIFA President Gianni Infantino to further increase the field for the 2030 event. The logistics here are complicated. Infantino would have to take that initiative to a FIFA congress that would likely shut it down with little hesitation.

A source told the Guardian that “Gianni would not get that vote through Council even if he wanted to. The overwhelming feeling around the table – and not just in Europe – is that 64 teams would damage the World Cup."

Still, the seeds of an idea are here. It aligns with the revenue expansion FIFA has been flirting with for years. The Club World Cup was rather lax in its qualification criteria – and there is already talk of expanding that field. FIFA wants more teams to play more soccer more often.

UEFA, of course, will have its own voice. President Alexander Ceferin has, historically, been reluctant to change things. But by 2030, things could look different. A new generation of footballers will be in the mix. Messi and Ronaldo will have been replaced by Lamine Yamal and Estevao. You'd imagine, too, that some nations might get their first taste of World Cup football. 

What would a 64-team World Cup even look like? What are the positives? And what would it mean for nations such as the USMNT, who would presumably coast through qualifying? 

GOAL US writers debate the impact of a possible expanded World Cup in the latest edition of… The Rondo. 

Getty Images SportShould FIFA expand to 64 teams for the 2030 World Cup?

Tom Hindle: No. Qualifying for the World Cup should be hard. It should mean something. It is the most prestigious sporting contest in the world. Just being there should be a privilege. Switching to a 64-team format would further take away  that shine – if not ruin it outright. Stop before you even start, FIFA.

Alex Labidou: As Big Daddy Kane once said, “Ain’t no half-steppin." If you’re going to expand to a weird number like 48, then you might as well push it to 64. While it would be preferable to keep the 32-team format that has made the 1998 through 2022 editions more memorable, there’s not much of a difference between 48 and 64. That makes the shift is more likely than not.

Ryan Tolmich: Hell, just make it 211 participants at this point. Yes, there are obvious financial benefits to expanding a World Cup. But at some point it no longer seems like a big event if everyone's allowed to participate. A Ferrari isn't a Ferrari if everyone has one, you know? Maybe 64 is the upper limit that makes everyone happy and, admittedly, it does make for an easier competition structure than 2026. But even so, it has to end at some point.

AdvertisementgettyWhat are the potential positives?

TH: Well, content, you'd think. FIFA likes money, a lot. More games means more money. So yeah, FIFA would get even richer. There is also a certain romanticism to this. It would give countries that wouldn't normally qualify the chance to play in a World Cup – which is massive. We are so often told that "more soccer is good soccer." Well, this would be a lot more soccer. It also, removes the headache of a 48-team tournament. 

AL: Soccer is a much bigger sport with a larger imprint than where it was in the Pele days, and even as recently as the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Putting things into perspective, China has only been to the World Cup once, in 2002. India has never played in the World Cup, despite their qualification in the 1950 event. Those two countries make up 35 percent of the world’s population. If either or both make the field, it would inject a massive boost into the football development of both, with potentially billions of more engaged fans. That could be massive as FIFA continues to search the world for new sources of revenue.

RT: If you're going to go past 32, which FIFA already has, 64 really is the next logical number – 16 groups of four, top two teams in each group advance, more games, more rounds, more money. It would also offer some relief to countries right on the bubble, the mid-tier teams that are just outside of World Cup qualifying range. Maybe making it to a World Cup or two would ignite something in those countries that wouldn't otherwise be catch fire. From that standpoint, it makes sense.

AFPWhat are the potential negatives?

TH: Where do you want to start? The negatives are plentiful. The eroding of tradition, competitive imbalances, the greed behind it all, the likelihood that some countries would just get battered in the groups, player welfare. It just doesn't make any sense.

AL: The first concern has to be quality. With expanded qualifiers and lower-ranked teams having a chance to qualify, the reality is the on-field product is going to take a step back. The other issue is soccer fatigue. It was apparent over the summer when the Gold Cup and Club World Cup – along with touring Premier League teams in the U.S. – created congestion in the North American market. While the 2030 World Cup won’t be played in this country, the proposed 128 matches just seem like a lot. Less is more.

RT: The field gets watered down very, very fast. Some bad teams would get into such a tournament, and those bad teams would be cannon fodder for the teams that actually deserve to be there. Maybe that's OK. Maybe that's what people want, but it does take the jeopardy out of all of this. Also, by the way FIFA, watering down World Cup qualifiers takes away any jeopardy from those games, putting an even bigger focus – financial and otherwise – on one tournament every four years.

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Getty ImagesWhat could this mean for CONCACAF?

TH: It would be great for a handful of CONCACAF teams that wouldn't normally sniff the World Cup, and ensure that another nightmare scenario such as the USMNT's failure in 2018 doesn't happen. There's good and bad to that. It would be great to see Jamaica, for example, play in a World Cup. Shamar Nicholson, Andre Blake, Michail Antonio – these guys all deserve a shot on the world's biggest stage. But slashing the jeopardy of qualification kind of ruins the point. It should be difficult to get to the World Cup. The U.S., Canada and Mexico would walk it.

AL: While specifics haven’t been discussed for the CONCACAF region, it would be sure to help. Teams such as Jamaica have been knocking at the door for decades now, with their last appearance coming in 1998. Every World Cup appearance is a program setter for a country’s respective FA. With more spots for CONCACAF, countries such as Jamaica, Panama and even Haiti – last appearance in 1974 – would have a better chance to get in.

RT: It would give Mexico, the USMNT and Canada the world's biggest safety blanket, almost guaranteeing they'd be in every World Cup. For those teams behind them – Jamaica, Panama and Guatemala and others – it would give them a  good shot of making it to World Cups consistently. Is that good for growth in the region? Probably. In truth, CONCACAF would be one of the bigger beneficiaries from all of this.

Find out who the top-three run-scorers and wicket-takers in IPL 2025 are

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-20252:35

Bishop explains what makes Noor special

There’s a new No. 2 and No. 3 on the Purple Cap table after the double-header Sunday, when Delhi Capitals (DC) won against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK).The Purple Cap tableNoor Ahmad retains his top spot on this list with nine wickets after 11 games in the IPL 2025. Despite CSK’s loss against RR, Noor once again stood out for the team, finishing with figures of 2 for 28. He picked the wickets of Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel. In the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), he removed on-song RCB opener Phil Salt for 32 – aided by MS Dhoni’s quick stumping – before dismissing Virat Kohli for 31, and returned to get Liam Livingstone. In the opening game against MI in Chennai, Noor picked up 4 for 18 in a Player-of-the-Match performance.Mitchell Starc enters the top three after he picked up his career-best T20 figures, in DC’s match against SRH. In a menacing opening spell, he removed the dangerous Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Nitish Kumar Reddy in the powerplay. He came back in the 18th over to remove Harshal Patel and Wiaan Mulder to finish with figures of 5 for 35. In DC’s first match of the season, against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), he had picked up 3 for 42. He now has eight wickets in total.CSK’s Khaleel Ahmed entered the top three of the bowling charts on Friday with his 2 for 38 against RR. After dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal for 4 in the first over, Khaleel returned to get Jofra Archer out for a duck. In the first game against MI, he bagged 3 for 29 and followed it up with 1 for 28 against RCB.Mitchell Starc finished with 5 for 35 against SRH•BCCIThe Orange Cap tableNicholas Pooran is still the highest scorer following returns of 75 from 30 balls against DC and 70 from 26 against SRH. The first came batting second and the other batting first. He is also on top of the six-hitters’ leaderboard with 13 from two innings, and no one has a higher strike rate, at the moment, than his 258.92.It looks like B Sai Sudharsan isn’t scoring fast, but he can, as he has in his two innings in IPL 2025, going at 167.07 at this stage with eight sixes. That doesn’t put him anywhere near the top on the strike-rates’ table, but his 137 runs from two innings has him up at No. 2 on the Orange Cap table. Against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Gujarat Titans’ season opener, Sudharsan scored 74, and against MI, 63 – he lasted exactly 41 balls both times. Good signs for GT at the top of the order.Travis Head has entered the top three of the run-getters list after his 22 off 12 against DC, which took his tally to 136 in three games. After his 67 against RR, he scored 47 against LSG but was kept quiet by Starc against DC.Highest batting strike ratesBest bowling economy ratesMost sixesBest bowling figures in a match

Aston Villa need to sharpen their attack after an uninspiring start to the campaign, and Monchi has now identified a target that the club feel can complete their forward line, per reports.

Aston Villa look ahead to Brentford cup clash

After a fourth Premier League match on the trot without hitting the back of the net, Unai Emery and company will be keen to move on to the subject of the Villans’ EFL Cup clash against Brentford following a goalless stalemate against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

On the bright side, Aston Villa haven’t looked awful defensively, which is something the Spanish boss was keen to point out after the full-time whistle, citing Emiliano Martinez’s performance as a positive after the Argentina international didn’t move on during the summer window.

He stated on his performance: “We competed very well. Again, the goalkeeper coming back, playing a fantastic match.

“He saved us a lot of times. He made us confident we could play with our identity. Of course, we need defence and a lot of corners and a throw-in defence compact like we did. We need to get more confidence to play with the ball.”

Undoubtedly, the summer window wasn’t a pleasant one for Aston Villa, who saw attempts to bring in extra firepower thwarted for much of proceedings due to PSR concerns.

Emery can unleash his own Grealish in “outrageous" £35m Aston Villa star

Unai Emery could now unleash his very own Jack Grealish at Aston Villa when travelling to Everton.

ByKelan Sarson Sep 13, 2025

Looking ahead to January, the Villans are targeting a move for Switzerland international Ruben Vargas in a swoop that could see Monchi raid his old club to bring some much-needed creativity into the building.

However, the Aston Villa president of football operations may not be done there as he now has an attacker in his sights from one of Europe’s top five leagues.

Aston Villa make contact to sign Lee Kang-in

According to reports in Spain, Aston Villa’s Monchi has identified Paris Saint-Germain winger Lee Kang-in as a target that could complete Emery’s attack and his entourage are now weighing up the prospect of the South Korea international moving to the West Midlands.

Signifying that contact has been made ahead of January, the 24-year-old winger has featured four times under Luis Enrique this term, scoring in his club’s UEFA Super Cup triumph over Tottenham Hotspur in August.

Labelled “incredible” by Son Heung-min, the Incheon-born man has impressed in his limited game-time in Ligue 1, delivering four successful crosses and creating three chances, per Fotmob.

Viewed as an attractive prospect due to his versatility on either side and ability to drive past defenders, Monchi is confident he can rise to a new level in the West Midlands under Emery’s stewardship.

Aston Villa are in need of offensive reinforcements, and despite their troubles during the summer, they may now finally be about to land a solution to their woes.