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The New York Yankees are sleepwalking through the dog days of summer.

The club looked to be turning a corner to close a disappointing month of July, as they had won four of five games, then imported seven players at a busy trade deadline, seemingly adding even more muscle to the roster and excitement into the clubhouse.

But the Yankees have fallen flat since, blowing two leads in a series-opening loss against the Miami Marlins, getting swept by those same Marlins and then losing the first game of the series in walk-off fashion to the Texas Rangers.

So, after four straight losses and a 12–16 stretch since July 1, are the defeats wearing on the Yankees players?

"Yes," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters after Monday's loss. "Doesn’t matter though. It doesn’t matter. Weigh on us. Stress. We gotta win. Period. We know that. Nobody cares how stressful it is. That’s all just noise, excuses, whatever. We’ve got to go play better and we’ve got to win, and we know that."

What might help the struggling Yankees turn things around is the return of captain and two-time American League MVP Aaron Judge, who is slated to be available for Tuesday's game after being sidelined since July 25 with a flexor strain in his right elbow.

Whether through the presence of Judge, or other means of turnaround, change needs to come soon for the Yankees. Once alone in first place in the AL East, New York is now 5.5 games back of the first-place Toronto Blue Jays and is tied with the Seattle Mariners for the second AL wild card spot.

They are without Faf du Plessis, who had led them to the title last CPL

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2025David Wiese has been named the captain of St Lucia Kings for CPL 2025 starting next week. They are the defending champions.St Lucia had won the title under the leadership of Faf du Plessis, who had opted to play in the Hundred over the CPL this year, but has since withdrawn from that competition too for groin surgery.”I am absolutely humbled to be named your captain,” Wiese said while thanking the franchise and the fans. “This season, we will be playing with passion, heart and unity. You will see us give everything for each other and for you. And fans, we need you with us to pack the stadiums, lift the vibe and let’s paint Saint Lucia blue. Let’s make this a special season.”Wiese had played a crucial role for the franchise last year, scoring 121 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 168.05 and an average of 40.33. With the ball, he picked up 13 wickets with an economy rate of 8.34.”David Wiese has been a part of the family for a long time,” head coach Daren Sammy said. “He has been with us for a number of years and has put on some excellent performances. We cannot wait to start our first home game on August 23rd. We know Saint Lucia Kings are the best fans and you will come out at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground and paint it blue, as you support our new captain and our team.”Wiese has been with St Lucia since 2021 and has played 26 matches for them overall. Although he has represented South Africa between 2013 to 2016, Wiese has played cricket for Namibia till his retirement in 2024. That makes him the first player from an Associate team to be full-time captain at a franchise competition run by a Test nation. He has previously captained Lahore Qalandars and Northern Superchargers in the PSL and Hundred respectively as one-offs.St Lucia had recently signed Tim David, picking him as their first-round pick at the draft. The CPL starts on August 14 with a clash between St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Antigua and Barbuda Falcons. St Lucia start their campaign on August 17 against Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in North Sound.

تفاعل الإعلامي البريطاني الشهير، بيرس مورجان، مع تصريحات النجم المصري محمد صلاح، جناح فريق ليفربول الإنجليزي، التي تم تداولها مساء السبت.

وجلس محمد صلاح على مقاعد البدلاء للمباراة الثالثة على التوالي في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج”، وذلك خلال مباراة ليفربول وليدز يونايتد.

والتقى ليفربول وليدز يونايتد ضمن لقاءات الجولة الخامسة عشر للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وانتهت المباراة بالتعادل الإيجابي بنتيجة 3-3.

ونشرت الصحف البريطانية تصريحات لمحمد صلاح، أبدى خلالها اعتراضه على تواجده كبديل، وأشار إلى انقطاع علاقته بالمدرب آرني سلوت.

وعلّق بيرس مورجان عبر حسابه الرسمي على منصة “إكس”: “واو.. ربما حان الوقت لإجراء مقابلة يا صلاح”.

اقرأ أيضًا | جماهير ليفربول تتفاعل مع محمد صلاح: كبش فداء.. و”ميكي ماوس” أفضل من سلوت

وكان مورجان أجرى مقابلة شهيرة في عام 2022 مع النجم البرتغالي كريستيانو رونالدو، والتي قام فيها اللاعب بانتقاد المدرب إريك تان هاج، وأعلن رحيله عن مانشستر يونايتد من خلالها، ومن ثم انتقل للنصر السعودي.

وقال صلاح خلال تصريحاته: “يبدو لي أن أحدهم لا يريدني في النادي، لا أفهم ما يحدث معي، أعتقد أنه لو كان في مكان آخر، لكان النادي سيحمي لاعبه، لا أعرف لماذا أنا في هذا الوضع الآن، لقد بذلت الكثير من أجل هذا النادي لأحظى بالاحترام الذي أطمح إليه، ولست مضطرًا للقتال يوميًا من أجل مركزي لأنني أستحقه”، ويمكنك مطالعة تصريحاته كاملة من هنا.

Wow… maybe time for an interview @MoSalah ? https://t.co/vbVX8eDyb2

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 6, 2025

Seattle Mariners outfielder Victor Robles was playing for the team's Triple-A affiliates in Tacoma during a rehab assignment over the weekend, when he was hit by a pitch that ran up and inside on him.

Robles was irate, and in retaliation he launched his bat in the direction of the pitcher's mound and had to be held back by teammates and the home plate umpire as he attempted to escalate the situation further. Robles then threw some snacks from the dugout onto the field before making his way to the locker room.

As a result of his bonkers outburst, MLB issued a 10-game suspension to the veteran outfielder on Tuesday. Robles is expected to appeal the suspension. The suspension will be served in MLB, so he'll be docked 10 games once he's eligible to return from IL.

Robles has since issued an apology for his actions.

There's some history behind his irate response, however. The pitcher on the mound was Joey Estes, and he'd already plunked Robles with a pitch earlier in the series. In fact, Robles was hit twice in his first game of the rehab appearance, though only once by Estes. He was then hit again in the first plate appearance of the very next game. Finally, in the third game of the series, Robles was once again hit by Estes, though it was ruled a swing because his bat came around. He lined out in that at-bat, and then came to the plate again in the third inning. For the fifth time in three games––and the third time by Estes in that span––Robles was hit by a pitch from Estes.

All of that, is what sparked his incredibly frustrated and aggressive response to being hit, again, by Estes.

Robles has just been trying to work his way back to Seattle after missing most of the season with an injury. Finally on his rehab assignment after being out since April, the last thing he wants is to suffer an injury at the plate. It's not hard to see why he was so enraged, though his response was certainly still extreme.

Nissanka’s ton got Sri Lanka within sight of victory but the remaining batters couldn’t quite get them across the line

Andrew Fidel Fernando26-Sep-20252:05

Is captaincy affecting SKY’s form?

India won the Super OverIn regular play, Pathum Nissanka’s 107 off 58 balls and Kusal Perera’s 58 off 32, cancelled out a rapid 61 from Abhishek Sharma, and a 49 not out off 34 from Tilak Varma. India hit 202 for 5. So did Sri Lanka.In the Super Over though, Sri Lanka were very clearly out of steam on all fronts. First, they didn’t send Nissanka out to bat, choosing Kusal Perera (who sliced one to deep backward point first ball), Dasun Shanaka (who struggled with Arshdeep Singh’s wide yorkers), and Kamindu Mendis (who has never been an explosive T20I batter) out instead.Between these three, they managed a total of two runs. Suryakumar Yadav would almost laughingly put the first ball of their Super Over – bowled by Wanindu Hasaranga – through cover, to claim three first ball. This meant India went through to the Asia Cup final undefeated, and were really only tested in this match, in which they rested Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube.Perhaps their aura had lost a little of its shine, but India pushing through to a victory even when Sri Lanka’s top order was batting beautifully, will be something India will take heart from ahead of the final against Pakistan.India’s innings, meanwhile, had gone smoothly. Abhishek produced another spectacular start, striking up a 59-run partnership with Suryakumar who contributed only 12 off 13 to that stand. Later, Tilak and Sanju Samson would put on 66 together.Pathum Nissanka celebrates his maiden T20I century•AFP/Getty Images

Nissanka’s 127-run partnership off 70 balls, however, was the biggest of the tournament. It got Sri Lanka within sight of victory. But the remaining batters couldn’t quite get them across the line.What happened in the Super Over

• Sri Lanka are required to bat first in this Super Over, but Nissanka, their best batter of the tournament, is not picked to come out straight away. (We’re sure, at this stage, that he will come in if a wicket falls, though.)
• Perera and Shanaka are sent in instead, with Arshdeep tasked with bowling this over, in the absence of Bumrah.
• Perera slices the first ball, a wide yorker, to deep point, where substitute fielder Rinku Singh takes a good running catch.
• Kamindu Mendis, who does not have a track record of scoring quickly against high-quality opposition comes out next, even though Nissanka is just sitting there in the dugout. Predictably Kamindu struggles to get more than an edge to the next Arshdeep ball, and they scramble a single.
• Shanaka can’t really hit Arshdeep’s wide yorkers either, and attempts a bye off the fourth ball.
• Arshdeep appeals for the caught behind while wicketkeeper Sanju Samson runs Dasun Shanaka out at the striker’s end.
• But because Arshdeep has appealed for the catch, the umpire gives Shanaka out. (The umpire’s finger is raised only after the run out is completed, but according to the rules, the out decision effectively overturns the run out.) Shanaka awake to this loophole, immediately asks the umpire: “It’s a dead ball, right?”, just after he reviews the caught behind decision.
• It turns out Shanaka is correct as per the laws. Because he had been wrongly been given out caught behind, he is exonerated from the run out, even though the stumps were broken before the umpire’s finger was raised.
• Shanaka gets to live another ball and perhaps propel Sri Lanka to a competitive Super Over score.
• Shanaka top edges one to deep third very next ball, ending Sri Lanka’s Super Over.
• India score three first ball and win.

Abhishek Sharma rocks the powerplayAlthough opening partner Shubman Gill was dismissed off the ninth ball of the innings, the tournament’s best batter still scythed his way through the powerplay. His best powerplay over came against Dushmantha Chamera. Abhishek came down the track and crashed him over long off off thifd ball, before raising the fifth ball over short fine leg’s head, then slicing the next one over short third.Abhishek Sharma brought up his third successive fifty•Getty Images

It only took Abhishek 22 balls to get to fifty. By the end of the powerplay, India were 71 for 1. Abhishek eventually miscued a Charith Asalanka half-tracker to deep midwicket, in the ninth over. His 61 came off 31 balls.Nissanka’s sublime inningsNissanka had scored heavily in the group stage, but had been quiet in the first two Super Four games. In this match, he exploded. He hit Hardik Pandya through point for four first ball, lifted other seamers over deep midwicket, and hooked others over backward square leg. He hit his fifty off 25 balls, and just continued to attack through the middle overs, as Perera also scored rapidly.Nissanka became Sri Lanka’s fourth T20I centurion (among men) at the end of the 17th over, when he thumped Arshdeep into the sightscreen. He got there of 52 balls. His eventual 108 off 58 is Sri Lanka’s highest individual T20I score.

Pitching is hard. Just ask New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara.

Kamara received the nod to toss the ceremonial first pitch Saturday afternoon ahead of the Chicago Cubs' matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. His first attempt … didn't go well.

Kamara's initial pitch to Cubs mascot Clark bounced before it even hit the dirt in front of home plate. But instead of settling for a wild pitch in the scorebook, Kamara waited on the mound and urged Clark to get back in the catcher's crouch for another try.

The 29-year-old running back then reached back and fired a much better pitch—still a ball, outside, but with some velocity that reached Clark's glove with ease.

Now that's how you do it, 50 Cent.

Kamara, who will turn 30 years old this month, racked up 1,493 total yards in 14 games for the Saints last season. In 2025, he'll be tasked with leading the New Orleans offense that will likely have rookie Tyler Shough starting under center.

After seeing that first pitch attempt, the Saints' new-look coaching staff under Kellen Moore might want to keep the halfback pass play in the back of the playbook.

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.

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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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• Getty Images Sport
  

  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

Ranji Trophy in two phases: a welcome experiment or harsh momentum breaker?

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How Shashank Singh stopped overthinking and being hard on himself

Bihar finalise Ranji Trophy squad, but only after late court intervention

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.