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Arsenal are now leading the race to sign an “incredible” £30m forward this summer, having overtaken rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the race for his signature, according to a report.

Gunners set sights on new forwards

While the dream of winning the Premier League title may be over, it is an exciting time to be an Arsenal fan, with Mikel Arteta’s side potentially just two games away from reaching the Champions League final.

The Gunners blitzed past Real Madrid in the quarter-final, despite being without an out-and-out striker, but in order to push for the title next season, Arteta may need to bolster his attacking options this summer, and multiple forwards could be brought in.

A striker is of particular interest to the north Londoners, having recently held talks over Lille’s Jonathan David, with the Canadian joining the likes of Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak on the shortlist.

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1

By
Emilio Galantini

Apr 19, 2025

With Bukayo Saka’s absence this season exposing the lack of depth out wide, Arteta could also look to sign a new winger this summer, and it was recently revealed that Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman could be available for a fee of just £30m.

There has now been a new update on Arsenal’s pursuit of Coman, with a report from Football Insider revealing they are now leading the race to sign the forward, despite interest from rivals Tottenham.

The Frenchman could be allowed to leave Bayern this summer, given that he has fallen down the pecking order, and the Emirates Stadium is said to be his most likely destination, with Spurs unable to offer consistent Champions League football.

The Gunners may face competition for the winger’s signature from Saudi Pro League clubs, but they should stand a good chance of winning the race, given that Arteta will have a lot of money to spend this summer.

Arsenal’s upcoming fixtures	Date
Crystal Palace (h)	April 23rd
Paris Saint-Germain (h)	April 29th
AFC Bournemouth (h)	May 3rd
Paris Saint-Germain (a)	May 7th
Liverpool (a)	May 11th

Coman could be "incredible" signing for Arsenal

The Paris-born winger may not currently be receiving as much game time as he has previously, but he continues to impress when given the opportunity, most recently scoring in his side’s 4-0 victory against Heidenheim last time out.

Not only that, but the “incredible athlete”, as lauded by BBC journalist Raj Chohan, has proven himself at the highest level in the past, most famously scoring the winning goal for Bayern Munich in the 2020 Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain.

It is clear the Gunners could do with more depth in attack, having been left light on numbers for large parts of this season, and Coman’s top-level experience indicates he could be a fantastic signing, especially at just £30m.

Over the last week, Liverpool have been strongly touted with a summer move to land Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak, but would have to pay a fortune to secure his signature.

It’s been reported that the Reds are willing to pay £115m for his services, but the Magpies are demanding a staggering £150m to part ways with their star man.

Their interest in the Swedish international is hardly a surprise given his goalscoring record in 2024/25, notching 20 Premier League goals – sitting third in the top-scoring charts behind Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland.

However, the fee would make the 25-year-old the Reds’ most expensive player in their history, potentially pushing them closer to sustained success under Arne Slot.

It may be too much to fork out on one player this summer, potentially delving into the market to pursue other targets, with one other talent emerging on their shortlist.

Liverpool targeting move for £70m talent

According to Football Insider, Liverpool are targeting a summer move for West Ham United forward Jarrod Bowen in an attempt to strengthen their forward line.

The 28-year-old has registered eight goals and five assists in his 27 league appearances this campaign, sitting as the Hammers’ top scorer during 2024/25.

It’s not the first time the Reds have been interested in landing the former Hull City star, after previously registering interest in his services in the transfer market over the past few years.

However, the recent report states that Bowen would be open to a move to Anfield this summer, with the prospect of winning trophies possibly taking his career to the next level.

Graham Potter’s side have previously placed a £70m price tag on his head, with a move for the England international potentially a better deal than any transfer for Isak.

Why Bowen would be a better signing than Isak for Liverpool

Whilst there’s no denying the quality of Isak and that he would improve the centre-forward department, other areas may be in need of investment this summer.

Contracts remain up in the air with just a couple of months left on the deals of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah, with none of the stars yet to put pen to paper over a new deal.

The latter is arguably the most important, especially when considering how crucial he’s been to the success endured under Slot during the Dutchman’s first year at Anfield.

The Egyptian international has registered 54 combined goals and assists in his 45 appearances across all competitions, helping the side sit top of the league table.

However, the 32-year-old is currently set to leave at the end of the season upon the expiration of his contract, with no new deal agreed between the club and the forward.

Should he depart this summer, a new winger has to be the priority over a striker, with Bowen undoubtedly a more important signing than Isak should Salah depart on a free transfer.

When comparing the West Ham star’s stats with the Egyptian’s from 2024/25, he’s managed to match or better him in numerous key areas – showcasing how much of a superb signing he would be.

Bowen, who’s been labelled “world-class” by Ian Wright, may have been massively outscored by Salah, but has managed to achieve the same shot-on-target accuracy rate – highlighting his impressive nature in the final third.

How Bowen compares to Salah in the PL (2024/25)

Statistics (per 90)

Bowen

Salah

Games played

27

31

Goals & assists

13

44

Shot-on-target accuracy

42%

42%

Pass accuracy

71%

71%

Crosses completed

3.5

1.9

Take-ons completed

1.6

1.6

Aerials won

0.3

0.3

Stats via FBref

He’s also managed to complete the same number of take-ons per 90, whilst also completing more crosses, potentially improving other players’ tallies around him – just as the 32-year-old has done on Merseyside this season.

Whilst keeping hold of Salah would undoubtedly be the preference for the supporters, Bowen has demonstrated that he has the tools to soften the blow should he depart in the coming months.

He may cost a pretty penny to prise him away from the London Stadium, but it would be a worthwhile deal, allowing Slot to kickstart the rebuild should it be needed during the off-season.

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Had Liverpool been dispatched at the London Stadium right now, the calls for Arne Slot’s dismissal would have risen a few decibels, higher than the din that followed successive Anfield defeats against PSV Eindhoven and Nottingham Forest.

But Liverpool secured a 2-0 win over the Hammers in the Premier League, with Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo sealing three much-needed points for the struggling Redmen.

Still, the Merseyside outfit have left so much to be desired this term, lacking all of last year’s balance and belief as Slot was crowned king in his first year in charge.

So much has gone wrong, and the forthcoming league fixtures against Sunderland and Leeds United will determine whether a true crisis has been averted.

Much more is needed. The likes of Florian Wirtz and Isak are beginning to show signs of world-class quality, but FSG must feel pretty rueful over their decision to sell Luis Diaz and opt against sealing a like-for-like replacement for the Colombian winger.

How Luis Diaz has performed since leaving Liverpool

In fairness, Diaz was set to enter the penultimate year of his Liverpool contract, and there was no sign of a resolution. The Reds cashed in for a healthy £66.5m sum.

However, the 28-year-old’s blistering performances in Germany this season have underscored the dimension that Slot has lost down the left channel. Moreover, let’s not forget that Diaz played plenty of football as a makeshift number nine last year.

Bayern score a lot of goals, and they are the dominant force in the Bundesliga. However, Diaz is impartial as to who he picks apart, having played some immense stuff in the Champions League too.

His prolificness has catapulted him to a seat at the highest table, marrying his athleticism and electricity with a new sharpness in front of goal.

Harry Kane

24 + 3

27

Kylian Mbappe

23 + 3

26

Erling Haaland

19 + 1

20

Michael Olise

9 + 10

19

Luis Diaz

12 + 6

18

This serves as a reminder that the grass is not always greener. Diaz will have no regrets over his summer transfer, but Liverpool desperately miss his speed and energy and potent threat.

And now, FSG are in danger of losing their next version of the versatile forward.

Liverpool star could be "the next Diaz"

Liverpool opted against directly replacing Diaz this summer, hoping to keep a road to the first team for Rio Ngumoha clear from clutter.

But Diaz is an elite player, and he is not easily replaced. Perhaps some of a Liverpool persuasion regret their frustrations directed toward him last season, with the clinical performances coming in pockets throughout the year.

History may repeat itself with Alexis Mac Allister, who has been described by prominent Liverpool fan John O’Sullivan as being “the next Diaz” in that he is being hounded out by some segments for his performances this year.

While it’s true that the Argentina “superstar”, as he has been called by pundit Joe Cole, has been off the boil this season, he is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, instrumental for the club’s success since joining from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023.

Few know the byways of the midfield game like Mac Allister, who is combative and creative and cerebral in his performance in the engine room. Not just a steely lieutenant, he is smart and savvy, and that sets him apart.

Matches (starts)

35 (30)

12 (11)

Goals

5

0

Assists

5

2

Touches*

55.8

49.2

Accurate passes*

35.5 (87%)

33.1 (86%)

Key passes*

1.3

0.8

Dribbles*

0.5

0.3

Ball recoveries*

4.2

3.1

Tackles + interceptions*

3.3

1.6

Clearances*

0.8

0.8

Duels (won)*

4.9 (48%)

2.8 (46%)

Form is temporary, as the old adage goes. Mac Allister will surely bounce back, but if Liverpool are set for a rocky road through the 2025/26 season, the 26-year-old may be considered for sale next summer, though reports suggest sporting director Richard Hughes and the club’s officials want him to stay put.

It’s as clear as day: Mac Allister will thrive if sold to a superpower in Germany or La Liga.

And Liverpool, as with Diaz, will be left rueing their decision as they scramble to find an adequate replacement.

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And just like that, after only five months and 13 league games at the Southampton helm, the Will Still experiment at St. Mary’s is over.

There was so much hype surrounding Still’s appointment after he had made quite the name for himself in France when spearheading a 17-game unbeaten run in charge of Stade Reims.

But, with only two Championship wins under his belt from those games mentioned, it did feel like only a matter of time before the underwhelming 33-year-old was put out of his misery.

It will be intriguing to see who the Saints turn to next as they attempt to get out of their second-tier slump and rise back into the promotion reckoning, with interim boss Tonda Eckert even in with an outside shout, having masterminded a 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday night.

Latest on Southampton's manager search

Indeed, Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas has already confirmed that Eckert will lead Southampton out again on Saturday as crisis-stricken Sheffield Wednesday come to St. Mary’s, as the club continues to weigh up whether he’s a viable candidate for the full-time job.

If he were to guide the Saints to another league win, he would surely be in the conversation. But, there are various other names also being linked to the ongoing EFL opening.

Reports have suggested that EFL veteran Tony Mowbray could be in the running, alongside ex-Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick, with the Saints’ sporting director Johannes Spor also casting his net out to Germany, on the hunt for a successful replacement for Still.

Sky Sports has even boldly suggested that former Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana would be interested in becoming the next head coach, with Lallana assisting Eckert for the time being during his temporary duties.

The same report does state that it is an unlikely option at this moment in time, owing to Lallana’s complete lack of experience as a head coach.

But, it could well be deemed an inspired choice from left-field, all the same, with the second-tier side perhaps gaining their own Frank Lampard-style figure in the process, who continues to take the Championship by storm with Coventry City.

Southampton's own Lampard appointment

Once upon a time, Lampard was in much the same position as Lallana, as he tried to navigate a coaching career post a glittering playing career from midfield.

While it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Lampard during his managerial career to date, with tricky spells at both Everton and Chelsea, he has been largely a hit in the Championship, as evidenced by him steering the Sky Blues to the top of the EFL’s elite division right now.

Games managed

94

104

Wins

46

38

Draws

23

21

Losses

25

45

Goals scored

157

145

Goals conceded

108

153

Off the back of his “fantastic” stint at the CBS Arena to date – as journalist Sam Cunningham has labelled it – Lampard has managed to collect 46 victories from 94 second-tier games, with Lallana now wanting to kickstart his own EFL managerial journey, to try and follow in the ex-Chelsea icon’s footsteps.

After all, Lallana would no doubt command the same respect Lampard clearly holds, with the former St. Mary’s playing icon going on to bag a hefty 60 goals and collect a weighty 47 assists while on the South Coast.

He would surely want to make his own Saints side as entertaining to watch as Lampard’s rampant Sky Blues, therefore.

Moreover, Lallana will be hungry to be a success as a main manager, having played under some of the best in the managerial game in the form of Jurgen Klopp and Roberto De Zerbi, alongside also working closely with Lee Carsley in the England U21 set-up.

Russell Martin also gave a glowing assessment of the 34-year-old when he was still manager at St. Mary’s, with the recently sacked Rangers boss lauding Lallana as a “brilliant” voice to have around the dressing room. He’s also been hailed in the past as “very intelligent” by De Zerbi.

Southampton will know that they need to get this managerial appointment spot on, having been on the receiving end of a litany of blunders in recent years, with Nathan Jones and Ivan Juric also going down as failures, as an outside-of-the-box appointment, such as Lallana, is possibly eyed up.

After all, as a Saints player, the one-time Premier League title winner would once score 11 goals and collect ten assists in league action, to seal promotion to the big time. Can he repeat the same magic as a rookie replacement for Still?

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ByJames O'Reilly Nov 6, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O Santos acompanha com atenção a tragédia no Rio Grande do Sul, que acontece em decorrência das intensas chuvas na região. O clube promoveu ações para ajudar a população gaúcha e entende que, com o futebol acontecendo, é possível impulsionar ainda mais iniciativas humanitárias.

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➡️O mata-mata da Copa do Brasil está pegando fogo! Abra a sua conta e faça já a sua aposta no Lance! Betting

➡️ Tudo sobre o Peixe agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Santos

Jogando a Série B, que não teve rodadas adiadas, o Peixe não seria favorável à paralisação ou adiamento das competições da CBF, embora isso não seja um consenso interno. Mesmo assim, analisa que as decisões da instituição e dos clubes envolvidos deve ser respeitada.

Atualmente, o Santos disputa apenas a Série B e não está na Copa do Brasil ou alguma competição continental, organizada pela Conmebol. Na segunda divisão da elite nacional não há clubes gaúchos. Essa é outra razão para o Peixe nunca ter visto a necessidade de uma paralisação da Série B.

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Apesar de não ser favorável, antes do adiamento oficial de duas rodadas da Série A, o Alvinegro também entendia que uma paralisação geral de todas as competições seria um ato simbólico e compreensível.

O Santos é integrante da Libra, organização de liga que conta com times da primeira divisão (Atlético-MG, Bahia, Vitória, Flamengo, Palmeiras, São Paulo, Bragantino e Grêmio). Palmeiras, São Paulo e Flamengo foram contra o adiamento de rodadas na Série A, enquanto outros se posicionaram favoravelmente. Apesar de ter uma opinião influente dentro do grupo e em discussões na CBF, o Peixe não quis se posicionar e entrar no debate.

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AÇÃO EM PROL DAS VÍTIMAS

O Santos obteve autorização do Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva (STJD) recebeu torcida na partida contra o Brusque, no dia 19 de maio, pela sexta rodada da Série B. O clube destinou toda a renda do duelo ao Rio Grande do Sul.

Tudo sobre

Futebol NacionalSantos

يستأنف ريال مدريد مشواره في الدوري الاسباني لكرة القدم، بعد التعادل أمام جيرونا بهدف لمثله على ملعب مونتيليفي.

وكان جيرونا قد أفتتح التسجيل عن طريق عز الدين أوناحي في الدقيقة 45 في الوقت بدل الضائع من أحداث الشوط الأول.

وتعادل ريال مدريد عن طريق كيليان مبابي في الدقيقة 67 من أحداث الشوط الثاني، بعد ركلة جزاء حصل عليها فينيسوس جونيور بعد عرقلة البرازيلي.

اقرأ أيضاً.. فيديو | مبابي يسجل هدف تعادل ريال مدريد أمام جيرونا

بهذه النتيجة، يصبح ريال مدريد برصيد 33 نقطة في المركز الثاني في الدوري الإسباني، أما جيرونا فأصبح برصيد 12 نقطة في المركز الثامن عشر. موعد مباراة ريال مدريد القادمة بعد التعادل أمام جيرونا في الدوري الاسباني

يلتقي ريال مدريد مع أتلتيك بلباو، على ملعب “سان ماميس”، يوم الأربعاء المقبل 3 ديسمبر، في الجولة الخامسة عشر من الدوري الاسباني، في الساعة الثامنة بتوقيت مصر.

Jamie Redknapp has urged Liverpool to be patient with Arne Slot despite a dismal run of form and a thumping weekend defeat to Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees produced a stunning 3-0 victory at Anfield, plunging the Premier League champions into a full-blown crisis and prolonging a run of form that has raised serious questions over Slot’s second season in charge.

• Forest humble Liverpool again as crisis deepens

  Forest’s win, their second triumph at Anfield in the space of 14 months, was clean and clinical. Sean Dyche’s side were disciplined, aggressive and, crucially, ruthless from set pieces, exposing once again Liverpool’s most glaring tactical weakness. The opener arrived in the 33rd minute when Murillo lashed in from the edge of the box after Liverpool failed to clear a corner. VAR ruled that Dan Ndoye did not obstruct Alisson’s line of sight, despite protests from the Liverpool players and bench. Minutes later, the hosts received an unexpected reprieve when Igor Jesus’ strike was controversially disallowed for handball. Forest doubled their advantage just after half-time with a composed finish from Nicolo Savona before Morgan Gibbs-White swept home a painful third in the 78th minute, prompting a mass exodus from the home stands.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Redknapp calls for calm as Slot comes under fire

  Despite the scale of the collapse, Jamie Redknapp has urged Liverpool supporters, and the club’s hierarchy, not to abandon Slot after a brutal October and November spell. Speaking on , Redknapp insisted: "They [Liverpool] need to be patient, Arne Slot deserves that after last year."

• Injuries force improvisation as Liverpool struggle to cope

  Liverpool’s mounting injury list worsened on Saturday. Florian Wirtz and Conor Bradley both missed the game with fresh muscle issues, while Jeremie Frimpong remains sidelined. Their absence forced Slot into a patchwork solution, with Curtis Jones filling in at right-back. Alexander Isak returned up front but lacked sharpness and was replaced in the 68th minute by Hugo Ekitike. Neither forward made a meaningful impact.

  As boos echoed around the stadium and supporters streamed out early, captain Virgil van Dijk did not hide from Liverpool’s failings. Speaking with rare bluntness, the 33-year-old condemned the team’s defensive organisation and suggested deeper issues behind the slump.

  "We concede too many easy goals. They scored obviously from a set piece again," he said. "You can ask if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted, so we're 1-0 down. We were not good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight, too rushed. It's a very difficult situation at the moment. There was nervousness after we conceded, but not before. We tried to rush things and that's human when you're in a difficult moment. We cleared the ones before and in the end, we'te in a very difficult moment. We don't get out of it by just speaking about it. It will take a lot of hard work.

  "It's a problem. Everyone in the team has to take responsibility as well. Football is a team and everyone has to take responsibility. We have to digest this and take it on the chin. We need to work harder. We have to keep going. Everyone is disappointed, like they should be, because losing at home to Nottingham Forest is, in my eyes, very bad. That's the least I can say about it. Those goals we conceded are far too easy and we all have to look in the mirror. I've been at this club so long now and we've been through adversity. We will bounce back but it doesn't happen overnight. I'm not a quitter and we will keep going. I can't decide what the supporters are doing if they leave early. I know the fans have been through thick and thin with us. They will be there with us when we come out of this because we will come out of this."

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  Set-piece collapse exposes structural weakness

  Liverpool’s fragility from set pieces is now undeniable. According to Opta, the Reds have conceded nine goals from dead-ball situations this season, the third-worst record in the Premier League. They are letting in 1.81 goals per game, a dramatic drop from the discipline that defined last year’s title-winning campaign, when they conceded only 41 across the entire season. Four of their last six matches have seen Liverpool ship three goals, a staggering statistic for a team that spent heavily last summer on attacking reinforcements but neglected defensive recruitment. 

  Their failed pursuit of Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi has quickly become one of the major sliding-door moments of the summer window. With the England defender still high on their January shortlist, Liverpool may attempt to revive negotiations. But until then, Slot must rely on a strained, out-of-form back line to stop the rot.

How will it affect selection for the Border Gavaskar Trophy and why will North India get games earlier?

Deivarayan Muthu and Vishal Dikshit10-Oct-2024Ranji Trophy with timeoutThe Ranji Trophy will be played in two phases this time, with the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy sandwiched in between. There are quite a few reasons behind the Ranji season being split including minimising weather-related disruptions especially in northern India as well as to look after players’ workloads and manage better the fitness of fast bowlers.Each team will play five league games during a five-week window between October-November before the focus shifts to the two white-ball competitions. Several players, especially fast bowlers, have endorsed the first-class tournament being split into two phases because it could potentially facilitate better recovery.Related

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After going through the grind of five Ranji Trophy league matches, the fast bowlers could attune their bodies to bowl shorter spells in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, which will begin on November 23, and then steadily ramp up their load and prep again for the second phase of the Ranji Trophy, which will commence on January 23, 2025, five days after the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. As for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, it will conclude on December 15.Last season, when many teams had just a three-day break between Ranji matches, Mumbai allrounder Shardul Thakur was critical of the schedule, saying “there will be a lot of injuries across the country”. The BCCI has taken the suggestions from the players and coaches on board introducing an extra day’s gap between matches for better workload management in the forthcoming season.While the focus will move quickly to the white-ball tournaments, the initial leg of the Ranji holds a lot of significance for several players on the fringes of national selection. The selectors would be keenly following the initial rounds with an eye on both the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia as well as the shadow red-ball tour by India A which will be played between October 31 to November 10.Players for whom this season could mean a big dealAs far as India selection is concerned, this Ranji season could be particularly significant for the likes of Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ruturaj Gaikwad and B Sai Sudharsan.After having lost their central contracts in February earlier this year, both Iyer and Kishan are back in the domestic mix in their quest to return to India’s Test team. While Kishan marked his domestic return with 111 off 126 balls in the Duleep Trophy in Anantapur, Iyer has made three fifties in his last four first-class games, including a first-innings 57 in Mumbai’s Irani Cup win.Notable player transfers

Mandeep Singh – from Punjab to Tripura

Wriddhiman Saha – from Tripura to Bengal

B Aparajith – from TN to Kerala

Rajneesh Gurbani – from Vidarbha to Maharashtra

Kuldeep Sen – from TN to MP

R Samarth – from Karnataka to Uttarakhand

Meanwhile, Easwaran, Gaikwad and Sudharsan are in a three-way race for the reserve opener’s slot for the tour of Australia. If recent form is anything to go by, Easwaran has pulled ahead with three centuries in his last four innings, including his 191 in the Irani Cup. He will feature in his 100th first-class game, at home, in the second round before he potentially boards the flight for India A’s tour of Australia.Don’t forget the old horses: Pujara and RahaneBy picking 60 of the “finest players” from the country [as was stated in the BCCI release] for the four Duleep Trophy squads last month, the Ajit Agarkar-led election committee had chalked out the pool of players they were keeping tabs on and grooming for the near future. And even though there is a tour of Australia around the corner, they left out two batters who played massive roles in winning the last two Test series there – Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Both are 36, both coming off fairly successful county stints in the UK, and now both will get back to the platform budding players use to vault to the Indian team.Cheteshwar Pujara currently has 20,899 first-class runs•PTI They have barely anything left to prove in domestic cricket with nearly 21,000 first-class runs to Pujara’s name and over 13,500 to Rahane’s, along with Ranji titles in recent years, and all the respect they can earn in the domestic circuit with their feats . Yet, it is their passion for the game that will bring them back in the whites in this October heat. It could also be certain personal goals, perhaps the fading dream of playing 100 Tests for Rahane – like he had said last season – but it is India’s domestic circuit that becomes richer with their presence at the end of the day as it makes the tournament more competitive and worth following for the big names.Scheduling tweaks – north India first, the rest later The last Ranji season had commenced on January 5, in the extreme and biting cold of many parts of India, after the white-ball tournaments had concluded. Not surprisingly, many red-ball games were affected by weather interruptions such as fog and bad light. There were a fair few games in the early rounds where not a single ball was bowled on the first day in Meerut, Mohali and Chandigarh which irked the home teams as it poured water on their chances of progressing to the next round. There were several hours of play lost in Lahli, Jammu, Delhi, Kanpur, Mullanpur and other cities as well.When the first leg kicks off this time – October 11 to November 16 – a bulk of the matches will be held in Srinagar, Delhi, Dharamsala, Lucknow, Rohtak, Chandigarh, Shillong, Dehradun and Mullanpur before the winter season kicks in properly, and they’re unlikely to get interrupted by poor weather. That will bring respite to the host teams like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Services, Uttarakhand and Punjab, and give them a chance to play completed matches instead of seeing out forced draws. For the second leg in January, hardly any matches have been slotted for north India when the race for the knockouts heats up.The knockouts will be played from February 8 to March 2.

Suryavanshi continued to smash records as he hit 144 off just 42 deliveries against UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2025

Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored his fastest T20 hundred•Asian Cricket Council

Teen sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi continued to smash records as he blazed 144 off just 42 deliveries in India A’s opening game in the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 against UAE. His century, coming off just 32 balls, was the joint-third fastest by an Indian in men’s T20s. Urvil Patel for Gujarat and Abhishek Sharma for Punjab scored centuries off 28 balls in the 2024 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, while Rishabh Pant had also scored a century off 32 balls for Delhi in 2018. Overall, Suryavanshi’s century is the joint-sixth fastest in men’s T20s.His 144 was also the fourth-highest by an Indian in the format.Suryavanshi, at 14 years and 232 days, also became the youngest man to score a hundred for a national representative team at senior level. It was a record previously held by Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim, who was 16 years and 171 days old when he scored 111* for Bangladesh A against Zimbabwe A in a first-class match in 2005.Suryavanshi was dropped first ball but made full use of his second life, hammering 11 fours and 15 sixes in his knock before getting out in the 13th over. He finished with a strike rate of 342.85, the fourth highest for a score of 100 or more in men’s T20s.This was Suryavanshi’s second T20 century, following his 35-ball effort for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2025. He is the youngest man to score a hundred in T20s. He had become the second-fastest centurion in IPL history, only behind Chris Gayle, who had taken 30 deliveries for his ton against Pune Warriors in 2011.”It was just my natural game and it’s the T20 format so I wanted to back my own game,” Suryavanshi said after his knock. “I was dropped first ball but I just thought I didn’t want to change my intent because we needed a big score on this ground. The wicket was good and the boundary was small. So I was trying to back my shots.”He credited his father for helping him stay focused during games. “Because of how he was strict with me since childhood. Earlier, I used to think why is he being so strict. But now I understand that the benefit of those things can be seen on the ground, that he didn’t let me get distracted and kept me focused on cricket and made sure that I keep working hard,” Suryavanshi said. “So I will say that whatever I have, it is thanks to my father.”He also played down talk of feeling pressure, despite drawing attention at a young age. “There is no pressure. Because the fans have come to support,” he said. “And after going to the ground, the field outside the ground doesn’t come to mind. Then my focus is on playing the ball.”India A raced to 297 for 4, the joint fifth-highest team total in men’s T20s, with captain Jitesh Sharma applying the finishing touches with an unbeaten 83 off 32 balls. That total proved 148 too many as UAE were restricted to 149 for 7, with left-arm quick Gurjapneet Singh picking up 3 for 18 in four overs.

Max Muncy is coming off his third World Series win with the Dodgers, and he’s here to stay in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers picked up the third baseman’s 2026 player option on Thursday, ESPN’s Alden González reported. Muncy’s option is valued at $10 million for next season. He will return to Los Angeles for his ninth season.

Muncy was a hero of sorts in his World Series appearances vs. the Blue Jays. In Game 7, Muncy hit a home run in the top of the eighth inning to keep the Dodgers’ repeat chances alive. Los Angeles trailed Toronto 4-3 after Muncy’s 373-foot homer. The Dodgers went on to tie the game in the ninth thanks to a home run hit by Miguel Rojas before clinching the title in the 11th. In 17 postseason games this year, Muncy averaged .214/.353/.411, while notching 12 hits, eight runs, three homers and three RBIs.

Muncy played a shortened 2025 season as he landed on the IL twice during the year, once for hyperextending his knee and then again for suffering a Grade 1 oblique strain. In 100 game appearances, Muncy averaged .243/.376/.470, while logging 76 hits, 48 runs, 19 homers and 67 RBIs.