Category Uncategorized

Team-mates pay tribute to Warner after low-key final innings against India in St Lucia

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2024David Warner’s 15-year international career drew to a close when Afghanistan beat Bangladesh in St Vincent on Monday night, eliminating Australia from the T20 World Cup at the Super Eight phase. It meant a low-key end for Warner, who was not certain when walking off the field in St Lucia that his time in an Australia shirt had drawn to an end.Warner’s retirement has been gradual: he played his final ODI in November’s World Cup final victory over India and his last Test against Pakistan in January, and has long signalled that this T20 World Cup would be his final tournament. He has also left the door open for a return for next year’s Champions Trophy but it looks like an outside bet.His final appearance, against India, was an anti-climax: he made six runs off six balls, edging Arshdeep Singh to slip where Suryakumar Yadav took a good low catch. He punched his bat with his right hand in frustration, then walked off the pitch with his head bowed: not knowing whether this was his last game, there was no guard of honour or standing ovation.Related

Stats – Rohit rewrites record books with whirlwind 41-ball 92

Rohit powers India into semis; Australia's hopes take a hit

Australia 'hoping that Bangladesh can get the job done' for them

After the game, he was pictured chatting to Virat Kohli on the outfield at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground and Josh Hazlewood said that the timing of Warner’s send-off from his team-mates would depend on the result of Afghanistan’s late game against Bangladesh.”Nothing’s been said yet,” Hazlewood said. “It might be said after this [press conference] before the [evening] game, but I think we’ll wait until after the game and then we’ll [acknowledge] the career that’s been. It’s been unbelievable. We’ll definitely miss him around the group, out in the field and off-field – an amazing all-format career.”On Warner’s farewell, Hazlewood said: “We’ve had a little taste of it. It’s sort of been a slow burn with Test cricket and ODI cricket, and now T20. Life without him, we’ve sort of gotten used to it a little bit in New Zealand. It’s always different when you lose a player that’s been there for so long. But we’ll move on and push forward.”Speaking before Australia’s elimination, his opening partner Travis Head said it would be a “disappointing” way for Warner’s career to end. “We’ll be disappointed if it ended like that, where we have to watch another game. A lot has been said about what he’s contributed to Australian cricket at the top of the order in all formats.”He goes down as our best multi-format player. He’ll be missed at the top of the order, but let’s hope [tonight] is not the end of it. We’ll wait and see but we’ll give him a send-off tonight if that is the case later on. It might be a bit of a late one if the fixture finishes the way it has. But a lot has been said about how good Davey has been at the top of the order.”Hazlewood acknowledged that with Cameron Green the only player in Australia’s squad younger than 28, there will be a changing of the guard ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup – though suggested it will not be a total overhaul. “They come around pretty quick, the T20 World Cups, every two years,” he said.”There might be a couple of changes, but a lot of the guys still play in franchise cricket if they’re not playing for Australia, so they’re available to be picked. There’s some class players in our 15, and we’ve got a couple on the bench as well. You’d think it’d be an actual slow change… I don’t think there’d be anything drastic.”

Only five overs possible as Durham start strongly at Trent Bridge

ECB Reporters Network15-Jun-2024Torrential rain scuppered any chance of Notts Outlaws building on Friday’s first win of the season, forcing their North Group clash with Durham to be abandoned with just five overs possible at Trent Bridge.Wet weather early in the day meant the scheduled 2.30pm start was put back to 4pm, with the intention to stage a contest of 17 overs per side.Outlaws skipper Joe Clarke won the toss and elected to bowl first, after which Durham openers Alex Lees and Graham Clark enjoyed a flying start, putting on 58, of which 28 came in two overs from England paceman Olly Stone.Clark picked up two boundaries in Stone’s opening over and another two in his second, before pulling a huge six into the Fox Round stand.New Zealand left-armer Ben Lister completed the fifth over of the Durham innings – the minimum each side must face to constitute a match – but then rain returned with a vengeance, accompanied by thunder and lightning.It was a short-lived storm, barely lasting a quarter of an hour, but it deposited so much water on a playing area with little capacity to absorb more that umpires Paul Baldwin and James Middlebrook had no option but to call the game off, ironically during the sunniest weather of the day.The Outlaws, who had broken their duck for the season against Worcestershire on Friday night by exceeding their DLS target by one run in another rain-affected contest, take another point for a no-result.Bottom of the table with only three points at the halfway stage, the Outlaws would seem to have little chance of qualifying for the knock-out stages. Yet in an open group in which no team apart from leaders Lancashire Lightning has more than six points, a string of wins in the second half of the season could still see them go through.The same applies to Durham, third from bottom but on five points only one behind second-placed Yorkshire Vikings.

It appears as though Steven Gerrard is in the running to be the next manager of Glasgow Rangers.

His previous spell between 2018 and 2021 saw the Ibrox side win their first Premiership title since 2011 before he left for Aston Villa.

He was savvy in the transfer market, bringing in a mix of young players with plenty of potential and experienced professionals who were ready to make an immediate impact.

One of his most underrated signings was Jermain Defoe, who enjoyed a productive Indian summer to his career in Glasgow.

Jermain Defoe’s Rangers statistics

The Englishman arrived at Rangers in January 2018 on an 18-month loan deal, scoring on his debut against Kilmarnock.

He ended up with eight goals during his first six months, before netting 17 across 32 games the following season. In January 2020, he signed a pre-contract agreement to join the club permanently and went on to play a bit-part role in the 2020/21 title-winning campaign.

Jermain Defoe’s 2019/20 stats for Rangers (league only)

Games

20

Goals

13

Goals per game

0.7

Scoring frequency (minutes)

77

Minutes per game

50 minutes

Via Sofascore

Defoe scored only five times all season, but he won his first-ever domestic title in the process. He left Ibrox less than six months later, but the veteran striker was great to have around the training ground, offering advice and encouragement to the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe.

While the transfer strategy has changed over the years, if Gerrard is appointed as manager, could he make a similar sort of signing in Jamie Vardy this summer?

An English centre-forward with a host of experience in the Premier League, looking for one final crack at the big time. It makes sense when you think about it…

Why Rangers should sign Jamie Vardy

Ally McCoist has stated his desire to see Vardy in a Rangers’ shirt next season, and given the fact he is soon to be a free agent, a prospective move could be closer than many think.

Vardy will leave Leicester City this summer after 13 years, making his 500th appearance for the club last week while netting his 200th goal for the Foxes.

It has been a remarkable career in the Premier League for the Englishman and he was even named as a “living legend” by manager Ruud van Nistelrooy recently.

He might be 38, but a season or two in Scotland could still see him finding the back of the net on a regular basis, especially if used as an impact sub.

The striker – who has ten goals to his name this term, including nine in the league – has managed to create six big chances in the top flight, having a goal conversion percentage of 16% and averaging 1.7 shots per game.

Not excellent statistics by any stretch of the imagination, but for Rangers, he could certainly replicate the feats of Defoe should the Ibrox side come calling this summer.

It may go against the club’s ethos of prioritising younger talents, but Vardy would offer something different in the final third.

That something might just make all the difference towards the end of the season. That’s for sure.

Related Rangers could sign Gerrard and immediately suffer blow as Arsenal poach 17 y/o

It could be a frustrating start for the Liverpool legend if he returns to Ibrox.

Posts ByTom Cunningham May 23, 2025

A £45,000-a-week star has said yes to signing for Leeds United following promotion to the Premier League, according to a transfer update.

Leeds looking to lift Championship title at Plymouth

It has been a memorable season for the Whites, with Daniel Farke’s side setting numerous club records and achieving their goal of winning promotion to the Premier League.

Leeds can still get to 100 points and lift the Championship title with a win at Plymouth Argyle on the last day of the season, something which Farke wants to do.

“The main job is done, we are promoted to the PL. We had a fantastic final home game. The connection between the club and the supporters. Icing on the cake is silverware for the bus tour. It’s pretty useful as you can drink something out of [silverware]. Both teams would deserve to win the league.”

Top 1% for clean sheets: Leeds now keen on "1-on-1 king" to replace Meslier

The Whites are looking to bring in a new goalkeeper in the summer, given how error-prone Illan Meslier has been this season.

ByDominic Lund May 1, 2025

Attention after the last game of the season at Home Park will then be on the summer transfer window. Decisions will have to be made on the likes of Junior Firpo, Sam Byram and Josuha Guilavogui, all of whom are out of contract in the summer.

Meanwhile, calls will also be required on loanees Manor Solomon, Joe Rothwell. When asked if decisions were already made on those players, Farke said: “No not yet. Until everything is settled and done, we won’t speak about individuals about the future. It will happen pretty fast, right now we have clarity. But no rush because we have the whole of May and June to speak but we will do things relatively quick.

“Middle of next week we will make some decisions then we will speak to agents and move forward. We’ve had a few meeting already [re strategic planning]. Many structural and personal changes in the past. It’s important we sit down together and have clarity over budget.

“Scouts and data analysts doing a very good job. Right now we will prepare for next season with Robbie and Alex – they are in different roles now and we have to make sure the processes are right. A bit more time needed to discuss these processes. Next week we will need a few meetings. I’m optimistic.”

Now, there has been another transfer update on Solomon signing for Leeds on a permanent basis from Tottenham.

Leeds confident of signing Solomon who says yes to Elland Road move

According to TEAMtalk, Tottenham are open to selling Solomon this summer, and the player himself has said yes to signing for Leeds.

A permanent transfer ‘is expected to go through in the coming weeks’, with the 49ers Enterprises confident of a transfer and the winger and his fiancé, Dana Voshina, very happy in Leeds.

The 25-year-old, on £45,000-a-week, has been a standout performer for Leeds in the pressure moments of the season, as can be seen from his form during the run-in.

Leeds United 4-0 Bristol City

8.75/10

Leeds United 6-0 Stoke City

8.84/10

Oxford United 0-1 Leeds United

7.45/10

Leeds United 2-1 Preston North End

8.67/10

Middlesbrough 0-1 Leeds United

7.3/10

Nine goals and 12 assists in 38 Championship games from the left hand side has been Solomon’s contribution, striking up a brilliant relationship with Firpo. Now, it looks as if the Israel international, once dubbed a “pocket rocket”, could be here to stay.

Warwickshire succumb at Taunton to leave West Country eyes on Durham versus Surrey

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay13-Sep-2025Dani Gibson’s no-nonsense innings of 50 from 30 balls propelled Somerset to a bonus point four-wicket victory over Warwickshire in a one-sided Metro Bank One Day Cup contest at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.Back to her scintillating best after injury, the Bristolian smashed six fours and two sixes and dominated a match-winning stand of 78 from 57 balls with Fran Wilson as the West Country side chased down a victory target of 176 with 22.5 overs to spare. Wilson contributed a brisk 47 not out from 45 balls, while Niamh Holland and Bex Odgers weighed in with 38 and 35 respectively, staging an opening stand of 64 as Somerset won their final group game with something to spare. The pick of the Warwickshire bowlers, Hannah Baker returned figures of 3 for 44 in a losing cause.Struggling to find fluency with the bat, Warwickshire had earlier been dismissed for 175 in 41 overs after being put in on a green-tinged pitch, only Nat Wraith (39), Georgia Davis (36) and Amu Surenkumar (34) offering meaningful resistance. Seamer Ellie Anderson and spinners Olivia Barnes, Chloe Skelton and Amanda-Jade Wellington claimed two wickets apiece as Somerset produced a disciplined performance in the field.Somerset’s prospects of progressing to the last four depended upon them mustering a bonus point victory over Warwickshire and Durham defeating Surrey at Chester-le-Street without earning an additional point.Fulfilling their part in the equation, Somerset won the toss, put Warwickshire in and reduced them to 31 for 3 inside seven overs, new-ball bowlers Anderson and Mollie Robbins inflicting the early damage. Anderson took a return catch off her own bowling to send back Bethan Ellis and then had Sophie Beech caught behind in an impressive seven-over spell of 2 for 21, while Meg Austin, having flirted with danger in raising 21 from 25 balls, holed out to Anderson at mid-on in the act of driving Robbins as the home side assumed control.Dropped by Alex Griffiths at slip off the bowling of Barnes on 10, Surenkumar made good her escape to stage a recovery in partnership with the experienced Abbey Freeborn, these two adding 48 from 65 balls for the fourth wicket.Somerset skipper Sophie Luff called upon her spinners and Skelton and Barnes combined forces to put the skids under Warwickshire, claiming three wickets in five balls with the score on 79. Skelton terminated the fourth-wicket alliance, having Freeborn stumped by Odgers for 11, while Barnes bowled Surenkumar for a 39-ball 34 and then removed Issy Wong without scoring, held by Robbins at short fine leg as the home side reasserted their authority.Coming together with the score 79 for 6 in the 19th, Wraith and Davis acquitted themselves well under pressure, playing sensibly to reach 105 at halfway and then accelerating to establish a 50 partnership via 66 balls as a topsy-turvy contest see-sawed once more. Wraith had advanced to 39 from 47 balls and was looking to move up through the gears when she succumbed to temptation, attempting to drive Skelton and falling to a fine catch-on-the run by Robbins at mid-on with the score 157 for 7.Midlands resistance wilted thereafter, Luff running out the obdurate Davis for 36 and legspinner Wellington accounting for Hannah Hardwick and Hannah Baker in quick succession as the last three wickets fell in the space of 12 balls.Required to overhaul Warwickshire’s total inside 40 overs in order to secure the crucial bonus point, Somerset’s chase was afforded a solid start by Odgers and Holland, who posted 50 in just 7.2 overs against some wayward Bears bowling. Seizing the initiative from the outset, these two mustered 12 boundaries between them in a productive powerplay that yielded 59 and forced the visitors onto the back foot.The aggressor-in-chief, Holland’s fluent innings was characterised by some handsome cover drives, the former England Under-19 international accruing seven fours and contributing a 29-ball 38 to an opening stand of 64. But the introduction of Baker induced a mini-collapse, Somerset losing three wickets in 13 balls as they slipped to 78-3. Baker bowled Holland and removed Luff lbw without scoring, while Odgers, having raised 35 from 44 balls with a six and five fours, was caught at the wicket off the bowling of Phoebe Brett as Warwickshire threatened a fightback.Gibson and Wilson soon calmed any nerves in a forthright partnership that served to put the chase well and truly back on track as rain showers closed in on Taunton. Gibson proved keen to get the job done in quick time, the England international bludgeoning her way to a 29-ball half-century before offering a catch to fine leg off the bowling of Davis. But there was no moving Wilson, the former World Cup winner bringing her considerable experience to bear on the situation to see Somerset home.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued his torrid postseason on Sunday night as the Blue Jays fought off the Mariners to force a winner-take-all Game 7 against the Mariners. Guerrero's sixth-inning home run was his sixth of the playoffs and he carries a .462/.532/1.000 slash line into Monday night's action.

He had seemingly done it all for the Blue Jays in October when he stepped into the batters' box in the eighth inning so he had to get extremely creative to create something new. A broken-bat single on which his bat made contact with the ball three times certainly qualifies.

Here's the slow-motion replay of the oddity, which proves that when things are going well at the dish, everything seems to work.

For as rare as such an occurrence is, there is some late-October precedent. The Giants' Hunter Pence parlayed the trick into some wicked spin and a two-run single during Game 7 of the NLCS back in 2012.

What will Guerrero do for his next trick as he steps on to the biggest stage of his young career? That depends on how willing the Mariners are to pitch to him.

انتهت منافسات الجولة الثانية من المجموعة الثانية في بطولة كأس العرب 2025 المقامة في دولة قطر منذ قليل.

وحقق منتخب الجزائر، اليوم السبت، الفوز على نظيره البحرين، بنتيجة 5-1، في المباراة التي أقيمت على ملعب خليفة الدولي ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات ببطولة كأس العرب 2025.

طالع| ترتيب مجموعة مصر في كأس العرب بعد فوز الأردن على الكويت

وحقق العراق الفوز على السودان بهدفين مقابل لا شيء، في ختام منافسات المجموعة ليضمن التأهل إلى دور الثمانية.

وبتلك النتائج، يتصدر العراق المجموعة برصيد 6 نقاط، متفوقًا على الجزائر صاحب المركز الثاني برصيد أربع نقاط، بينما السودان في المركز الثالث برصيد نقطة واحدة يليه البحرين بدون نقاط. ترتيب مجموعة الجزائر في كأس العرب بعد الفوز على البحرين

1- العراق 6 نقاط من مباراتين.

2- الجزائر 4 نقاط من مباراتين.

3- السودان نقطة من مباراتين.

4- البحرين دون نقاط من مباراتين.

Leeds United fans will be fearing the worst regarding their lowly team when you glance at the slog of Premier League fixtures coming the Whites’ way across the rest of November and December.

Indeed, November ends with two tough contests versus Aston Villa and Manchester City, with Daniel Farke’s men needing to make home advantage count against the Villans, before travelling to the Etihad to take on the Erling Haaland-led Citizens.

December then throws up clashes with Chelsea and Liverpool, with Farke’s precarious position in the Elland Road dug-out no doubt on even shakier foundations if the losses continue, and Leeds slip into the bottom three in the league.

The pain of poor results across these winter months can always be somewhat remedied by the January transfer window opening, as Leeds attempt to turn around their fortunes with a big signing or two…

Where Leeds can bolster their forward line in January

Based on current rumours coming out of West Yorkshire, it’s clear that a new striker addition is a priority.

In recent days, Leeds have been tipped to make some statement moves, with an audacious swoop for Ivan Toney alleged. Moreover, FC Midtjylland centre-forward Franculino has been on their radar as Farke attempts to move away from solely relying on Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha.

On top of talk of Toney and Franculino, Leeds are also chasing after the services of AZ Alkmaar goal machine Troy Parrott, who is very much in the limelight now for his Republic of Ireland heroics.

A report from Dutch outlet Voetbal Neuws, which has been relayed by Sport Witness, states that Leeds have entered discussions to sign the clinical 23-year-old, after being interested in the Dublin-born striker’s signature since the summer.

Now, with a hat-trick under his belt for his nation against Hungary, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur wonderkid is a hot commodity once more, with a bid in the region of £26m expected to be enough to prize him away from the clutches of his Eredivisie employers.

How Parrott can be Leeds' next Rutter

Splashing out such a big amount on an attacker could see Leeds pick up their next iteration of Georginio Rutter, with Rutter eventually going down as a fan’s favourite at Elland Road, after departing Hoffenheim for some lavish bucks.

After a wobbly start mid-way through the 2022/23 season, arriving in a whopping £35.5m deal, Rutter would find his feet under Farke during the following season.

In total, the attacker scored eight goals and tallied up a bumper 18 assists for the Whites, before leaving the building for a Premier League opportunity at Brighton and Hove Albion for £40m. Despite only being around for 66 matches, the skilful Frenchman is still very much fondly remembered, with pundit Jeff Stelling labelling him as a “class act” to watch in West Yorkshire.

Much like Rutter made everything look effortless and smooth donning Leeds white, Parrott has made goalscoring look like clockwork lining up for AZ Alkmaar.

He has netted a ludicrous 13 goals this season in all competitions from only 14 outings, meaning the Irishman is very much living up to his billing of being a “natural goalscorer”, which was handed to him by one of his former coaches in Darragh O’Riley, way back in 2019.

The hope would just be that Parrott would be able to enter the English game and be a hit from the first second he entered the Elland Road turf, with Leeds’ survival chances perhaps resting on the 23-year-old’s lethal instincts getting Farke and Co out of some sticky situations.

Games played

248

Goals scored

97

Assists

26

Career hat-tricks

6

Top goalscorer awards

2x

If he can be a reliable source of goals towards the foot of the difficult division, he will easily be able to reach the same fan favourite status as Rutter before him, with a mighty 97 career goals next to his name at the time of writing.

Parrott could well hit a century of goals in West Yorkshire; therefore, with his former international manager, Stephen Kenny, also noting that the in-demand centre-forward can “elevate” himself to that next level with ease, which could stand him in good stead to become a feared Premier League marksman.

Leeds would have to put their money where their mouth is in landing Parrott, but if the tale of Rutter is anything to go by, it could be worth splashing the big bucks in January as a new fan favourite is potentially unearthed.

Leeds can forget signing Ivan Toney by unleashing 17-year-old goal machine

Leeds United can forget about pursuing a move for Ivan Toney by unleashing one of their homegrown youngsters into the first team mix.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 17, 2025

With Pant, Rahul and Iyer back in the auction pool, IPL 2025 will witness a leadership shake-up

Dustin Silgardo31-Oct-20241:19

Moody: Pant will break the IPL auction record

Teams focus on Indian players

Retention split: Indians: 36, Overseas: 10As might have been expected, the majority of players retained (78.26%) are Indians. Just two teams have retained more than one overseas player: Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have retained three, and Kolkata Knight Riders, who have retained two. Several teams have retained just one overseas player, while Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings have retained only Indian players.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Batters still dominate retentions

Retention split: Batters: 28, Allrounders: 7, Bowlers: 11
As has historically been the case, teams have focused on retaining batters over bowlers. Notably, Rajasthan Royals have just one bowler, Sandeep Sharma, among their six retentions. Similarly, SRH have just Pat Cummins as a frontline bowler. MI and Chennai Super Kings have slightly better balance since they each have a death bowler (Jasprit Bumrah and Matheesha Pathirana) and an allrounder (Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja). The two teams that have invested heavily in bowlers are Lucknow Super Giants, who have retained Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi and Mohsin Khan, and KKR, who have kept Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy in addition to allrounders Sunil Narine and Andre Russell.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Eight teams go for uncapped players

In 2022, just four teams had used the option of retaining an uncapped Indian player for INR 4 crore. This time around, eight of the ten teams have done so. Only MI and SRH have not retained an uncapped player. KKR, PBKS, GT and LSG have each retained two uncapped players, the maximum allowed. DC and RCB have retained one each, while CSK and RR have made use of the new rule of players who have not played international cricket for five years being classified as uncapped. CSK have retained MS Dhoni for INR 4 crore while RR have retained Sandeep Sharma for the same amount. A total of 12 uncapped Indian players have been retained.

Just three specialist spinners retained

In recent years, teams have been reluctant to spend big on spinners who don’t also add value with the bat, and that trend continues. Among the 46 retentions, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakravarthy are the only three retained purely for their spin bowling. Ravindra Jadeja, Rashid Khan, Axar Patel and Sunil Narine are four spin-bowling allrounders among the retentions. Among the experienced spinners going into the auction are Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Maheesh Theekshana and Rahul Chahar.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Five teams release their captains

LSG, DC, RCB, PBKS and defending champions KKR have all released their captains. While LSG might look at Nicholas Pooran as a leadership option and RCB may go back to Virat Kohli as captain, it is likely KKR, DC and PBKS will be looking for captains during the auction. This could increase the value of players with captaincy experience. Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis, Aiden Markram, Steven Smith and Nitish Rana are among the auction-bound players with prior captaincy experience. Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes, who have captained England, may also be in demand.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Captains sacrifice pay

In addition to the five captains released, three others have agreed to stay at their franchise as second retentions. Hardik Pandya will be paid INR 16.35 crore (less than Jasprit Bumrah), Shubman Gill INR 16.50 crore (less than Rashid Khan), and Pat Cummins INR 18 crore (less than Heinrich Klaasen). The only two captains who are their team’s joint-top retentions are Ruturaj Gaikwad (INR 18 crore) and Sanju Samson (INR 18 crore).Other marquee players have also agreed to lower price slabs to help their teams balance their purses. MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are notable among them, but Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav have also agreed to amounts less than what they might have earned in the auction.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

KKR and DC spend less than deductions

KKR and DC are the only teams who have chosen to pay their players less than the total amount they will have deducted from their purse. KKR have spent just INR 57 crore on their six retentions but will have INR 69 crore deducted from their purse since they have retained four capped players, which means a deduction of INR 61 crore, and two uncapped players, which means a deduction of INR 8 crore. Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell have all agreed to amounts less than the retention slabs set by the IPL. Delhi Capitals are also paying their capped players less than what they will be deducted for them. Axar Patel will be paid INR 16.50 crore instead of INR 18 crore, Kuldeep Yadav INR 13.25 crore instead of INR 14 crore, and Tristan Stubbs INR 10 crore instead of INR 11 crore.All the other teams have balanced the amounts paid to their retained players so that none, except Punjab Kings, have gone over the minimum deduction. While SRH have paid Heinrich Klaasen INR 5 crore more than the maximum slab, they have saved that amount by paying Nitish Kumar Reddy INR 6 crore instead of INR 11 crore. Similarly, RCB and LSG have saved the extra INR 3 crores they are paying Nicholas Pooran and Virat Kohli by paying their other capped retentions less. Shubman Gill has agreed to be Gujarat Titans’ second retention, at INR 16.50 crore, and the extra INR 2.50 crore spent there has been balanced by paying Sai Sudharsan INR 8.50 crore instead of INR 11 crore. CSK and MI have split their purse too, with Rohit Sharma being paid less than Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav.

Under-fire Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is personally very keen on signing one marquee forward amid a major setback surrounding their chase for Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo.

Thomas Frank under pressure amid woeful Spurs run

Frank finds himself navigating treacherous waters at Tottenham right now, with mounting pressure threatening his managerial position following a dismal run.

The Dane has overseen just one victory from Tottenham’s last seven fixtures across all competitions, culminating in Saturday’s disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Fulham.

Spurs’ abject home form compounds their misery right now with just three wins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2025, and only bottom-side Wolves have a worse record on their own patch this season.

Premier League home form table

Team

Wins

Draws

Losses

Points

GD

16. Burnley

2

1

3

7

-1

17. Nottingham Forest

2

1

4

7

-5

18. West Ham

2

0

5

6

-9

19. Tottenham

1

2

4

5

-1

20. Wolves

0

1

5

1

10

Particularly alarming are whispers from within the Tottenham dressing room, where players have reportedly grown bewildered by Frank’s constant tactical tinkering.

Some media sources believe that strategies are frequently modified immediately before kickoff or abandoned entirely during matches, leaving squad members confused about their responsibilities (Jack Rosser).

Tottenham have also conceded eleven goals in their last three games, with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s unbelievable error gifting Harry Wilson Fulham’s winning goal last weekend.

Frank’s relationship with supporters has also reached boiling point following his criticism of fans who booed Vicario’s mistake, and carried on jeering the Italian almost every time he touched the ball afterwards.

It wasn’t really the best move by Spurs’ boss to add fuel to the fire, considering his popularity was already waning among a lot of supporters, who are also extremely keen for co-sporting directors Fabio Paratici and Johan Lange to hire a new manager.

Related Tottenham could prove 'irresistible' to manager who Levy was urged to hire before Frank

He’s on the verge of leaving his current club.

Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini Dec 2, 2025

Even more worryingly for the north Londoners, credible reports suggest that players feel a ‘growing disconnect’ with the fanbase (The Telegraph), and this quite simply must cease if Tottenham stand any chance of building upon their Europa League triumph in May.

Spurs’ lack of attacking creativity has been subject to plenty of debate too, but the Lewis family are apparently looking to back Frank in January and provide him with major forward upgrades.

It is believed that both FC Porto’s Samu Aghehowa, who’s been on fire for the last two seasons, and Premier League superstar Semenyo are both on Spurs’ radar heading into next month.

Frank 'intent' on signing Aghehowa as Spurs dealt Semenyo blow

The latter’s contract includes a tantalising £65 million release clause, including add-ons, which will be active in the early stages of January.

Of course, this has piqued real interest from Spurs, with the prospect of Mohammed Kudus on the right and Semenyo on the left coming as a very enticing thought.

However, as per TEAMtalk, Paratici and Lange have now been dealt a crushing blow in their pursuit of the 25-year-old.

The Lilywhites, Man City, Liverpool and Man United are all competing to sign Semenyo in January, but Pep Guardiola’s City side are now casting doubt over a potential move to N17.

This is because they are now the prime contenders with Semenyo ‘keen to engage’ in City talks, dealing Spurs a roadblock and making them outside contenders for his signature.

That being said, Frank personally remains ‘intent’ on signing Aghehowa for Spurs, and there is every reason to believe the Spaniard would be a serious improvement on their centre-forward options.

The 21-year-old has bagged 37 goals in all competitions since the start of 24/25, making him one of Europe’s most lethal strikers right now, but Tottenham will need to fork out around £70 million to make the deal happen.

This would be a club-record deal for Spurs, eclipsing the £65 million they paid for the injury-prone Dominic Solanke last year.

Solanke’s unavailability, concerns surrounding Richarlison and Mathys Tel’s rawness emphasise the need for a new number nine, especially considering Randal Kolo Muani is only at Tottenham on a straight loan.

In terms of pedigree and potential, you could hardly do better than Aghehowa, who’s already been compared to a prime Diego Costa.