Sports

football-news-real-madrid-want-rodri-manchester-city-ballon-d-or-2024-winner-to-reach-spain-at-french-midfielder-cost

Thu Oct 31 22:54:45 IST 2024

Real Madrid fans were not happy with Manchester City's Spanish CDM winning the Ballon d'Or over Vinicius Jr earlier this week. Some Madridistas even let their anger spill on the social media pages of Rodri, who was instrumental in the Euro 2024 reaching the Spanish capital.

However, the Real Madrid fans's dislike of Rodri may come to an end next season, if the latest reports are to be trusted. The Los Blancos, they say, may make a move to sign the highly-rated CDM next summer.

Reports suggest Vinicius Jr and Rodri playing together in the future at a time when Real Madrid are struggling to go past Barcelona in the La Liga race. After 11 rounds of competition, the Los Blancos are second to Hansi Flick's Barca in the table. The difference between the two sides went up by six points after the Catalans thrashed the defending champions 4-0 at the Bernabeu.

ALSO READ | Ballon d’Or 2024: Real Madrid unhappy with Rodri winning over Carvajal

Spanish media reports claim that Real Madrid blame their midfield for the humiliating defeat to their archrivals on October 27. Despite being packed by youthful players, Madrid reportedly want someone capable of neutralising rival press and making counter-breaking stops to lead them as a unit. These are the particular qualities that make Rodri an indespensible part of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

Why is Rodri special?

What elevates Rodri beyond the rest of the world’s best defensive midfielders, is his involvement in open-play sequences resulting in shots. With 8.4 per 90 minutes, he was comfortably top of the league, outshining even attacking players such as Phil Foden (7.8), Martin Odegaard (7.7), Bukayo Saka (7.5), Dominik Szoboszlai (7.4), James Maddison (7.3) and Mohamed Salah (7.3).

ALSO READ | What makes Rodri truly irreplaceable for Manchester City? A look at the numbers

Similarly, in other competitions, City did not lose a match till the FA Cup final when Rodri was playing.

What is Real Madrid's plan to sign Rodri?

Young French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni could be the casulaty id Real decide to go after Rodri. According to a report by Relevo, Real is not satisfied with Tchouameni's performance in the middle of the park. The talented youngster who can play as a CDM, CM and even as a CB at times, has not been effective alongside Eduardp Camavinga, Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham after Toni Kroos decided to hang his boots at the end of last season.

Some reports had earlier suggested that the 14-time UCL winners may even propose a player-swap-deal with Manchester City for Rodri. Again, it was the 24-year-old Tchouameni who was named as the player likely to be offered to the English giants, who are leading the Premier League by just a point, by Carlo Ancelotti's team.

live-cricket-ipl-2025-why-delhi-capitals-didn-t-retain-rishabh-pant-a-story-of-turf-war-strategy-and-more

Thu Oct 31 20:51:11 IST 2024

India's first-choice wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant parted ways with his IPL side Delhi Capitals after nine years of association on Thursday. The big-hitting unorthodox left-hander was not among the players retained by the Delhi team. Instead, they retained Axar Patel (Rs 16.5 crore), Kuldeep Yadav (Rs 13.25 crore), Tristan Stubbs (Rs 10 crore), Abhisek Porel (Rs 4 crore) and earned two Right to Match (RTM) cards.

It is certain that the mega auction ahead of IPL 2025 will witness a fierce bidding war to get the service of Rishabh Pant. The 27-year-old is the all-time leading run-scorer for the Capitals and is also the most-capped player along with Amit Mishra. According to ESPN CricInfo, as captain, Pant scored 1205 runs while averaging 35.44 - almost identical to his overall IPL average of 35.31 - at a strike rate of 143.96, only slightly worse than his IPL strike rate of 148.93.

ALSO READ | IPL 2025 Retention Updates: List of players released and other team news

However, one may wonder why the Delhi Capitals decided against retaining their captain. With age, form and experience well on his side, why did the franchise leave him for the bidding tables?

Or was it Pant who decided to move on? Here is the story so far.

Delhi Capitals's ownership structure is a complicated one with co-owners Delhi's GMR conglomerate and Mumbai-based JSW Group getting powers to control management for two years at a time. Rishabh Pant, who is a JSW recruit, wasn't the top choice for GMR management headed by co-owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi, news agency PTI reported.

The moment GMR took charge of the side, they removed earlier coaching management including former Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly, who was replaced by Venugopal Rao. According to the news agency, captain Rishabh Pant wasn't happy with the appointment of Rao and Hemang Badani, who possibly would have been given powers to overrule the skipper.

Pant and the team management did sit down and the discussions that took place last month weren't fruitful. Pant didn't want to work with unfamiliar coaching staff thrust on him by the new management and decided to end his association with the capitals.

Meanwhile, Parth Jindal of the JSW maintained later on Thursday that DC's retention decisions were strategically executed with the best interest of the team in mind. “In Axar, Kuldeep, Tristan and Abhishek we have the ideal blend of experience and youth, and I am very pleased with our retention. I would have liked to retain more players who have turned out for DC, but the rules mean we have to pick strategically,” Jindal was quoted as saying.

"I would have liked to retain more players who have turned out for DC, but the rules mean we have to pick strategically. Our intent is to build a strong and balanced squad that can bring home a much-awaited IPL trophy to our city," Parth Jindal reportedly added.

football-new-manager-ruben-amorim-wants-three-of-his-former-players-at-manchester-united-selling-antony-now-imminent

Thu Oct 31 19:19:28 IST 2024

Erik Ten Hag's strategy to bring on board Dutch players, particularly his former Ajax stars, to Manchester United didn't yield the expected results. With the Dutch manager sacked and 39-year-old Ruben Amorim set to take over, fans of the Premier League side are expecting a season-saving overhaul in the months to come.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that Amorim, who is currently in charge of the Portuguese side Sporting CP, has already initiated discussing his transfer market strategy with the Manchester United board. Not only has he identified players who are not going to be part of his long-term plans, but the 39-year-old manager has told the board that he wishes to rope in three Sporting players to Old Trafford.

According to the Manchester United higher-ups, Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo should remain at the club at all costs. While Amorim has no problems accommodating the three youngsters to his plans, he reportedly asked them to sign centre-back Goncalo Inacio and wingers Marcus Edwards and Pedro Goncalves from the Lisbon side.

Sporting trio Amorim wants at Manchester United

23-year-old Goncalo Inacio of Portugal is among the highly-rated defenders of his generation in Europe. The youngster, who also plays as a left-back and CDM for Sporting when asked, is likely to replace Victor Lindelof in the United setup. Amorim has already confirmed that the Swedish star is not part of his long-term plans, TEAMtalk said in a report.

While it will be interesting to see how Amorim stitches the United defence together with recent arrivals Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro in the mix of things, the pertinent question is whether the INEOS and other stakeholders would agree to pay Inacio's €60m (£51m / $64.8m)-worth release clause.

ALSO READ | Who is Ruben Amorim, Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammate to become first Manchester United manager in INEOS era? 5 Points

The defender is also being tracked by United's Premier League rivals Liverpool, but Amorim's presence may help them gain the upper hand in the race should they decide to make a move.

The second Sporting star on Amorim’s shortlist is former Tottenham right-winger Marcus Edwards, the TEAMtalk report said. The 25-year-old English right-winger, whose current contract runs out in 2026, is likely to replace Antony under Amorim. The Spurs reject also carries the same release clause as Inacio, making his arrival a costly affair. Manchester United will try to sell or loan out the Brazilian to raise the fund to buy Edwards, the report said.

The third Sporting CP man Amorim wants at Old Trafford is Portuguese left-winger Pedro Goncalves. The report labels the 26-year-old the toughest of the three to get as he is a darling of the Sporting hierarchy.

Goncalves could cost Manchester United a bomb as he is too important for the Portuguese side's domestic campaign as well as European dreams. Under Amorim, Sporting have won all nine games in the league and Goncalves has managed four goals and three assists so far from six outings. His current contract could see him stay at the club until 2027 and has a release clause of €80m.

With the new manager making his intentions clear, Manchester United is likely to have a busy transfer window in January.

football-new-manchester-united-manager-ruben-amorim-names-four-players-he-wants-gone-soon-board-agrees-report

Thu Oct 31 18:26:51 IST 2024

Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim will take over the reins at Manchester United after the Premier League side sacked Erik Ten Hag earlier this week. Amorim, 39, who is a legendary figure at the Lisbon club, has already said his goodbyes before moving to England.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that the Manchester United management is likely to give Amorim a free hand to deal with the current squad. They have identified three players who are not to be sold under any circumstances by the Portuguese manager. The three are Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo.

FULL REPORT | These THREE players are untouchable! Manchester United tell 'new' manager Ruben Amorim

Manchester United to sell players in January?

This means none of the senior stars including captain Bruno Fernandes or long-serving attacker Marcus Rashford are at risk of being benched or the worse. Another report, meanwhile, said that Amorim has decided on four players who he wants to offload at the earliest.

According to a news report, while Mainoo, Garnacho and Hojlund remain untouchable, Amorim is already in the process of discussing his tranfer market plans with the decision-makers at Old Trafford. He has identified four players who are not part of his project in the long run and won't mind selling in the January window.

The four United stars that "don’t interest" Ruben Amorim are winger Antony, defender Victor Lindelof and midfielders Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.

ALSO READ | Who is Ruben Amorim, Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammate to become first Manchester United manager in INEOS era? 5 Points

The Scandinavian duo of Lindelof and Eriksen can't expect an extension once their contracts run out at the end of the current season, TEAMtalk said in a report. As for Brazilians Antony and Casemiro, both signed by Ten Hag, Amorim already have zeroed in on players to be their replacement, the report added. The club board are also of the opinion that the Latin American duo are not delivering consistently to justify their respective hefty wages.

32-year-old Eriksen was past his prime when he arrived at Old Trafford from Brentford. Lindelof, 30, has been serving the unpredictable United backline since arriving from Benfica in 2017.

Casemiro, 32, a Real Madrid legend, has been not the "tank" he has been for the La Liga giants. Antony, who arrived from Ajax for £85m ($109m), has been one of the biggest flops in the recent history of the Red Devils. Often trolled by fans and rivals alike, a domestic violence case didn't help the 24-year-old's case either.

football-these-three-players-are-untouchable-manchester-united-tell-new-manager-ruben-amorim-mainoo-garnacho

Wed Oct 30 21:48:53 IST 2024

Manchester United's scouting and transfers have become a joke over the years, critics and some (desperate) fans often point out. Erik Ten Hag's "Ajax-oriented" signings didn't help either, they argue, pointing out how the club have failed to offload the stars they want in the recent transfer windows.

As 39-year-old Ruben Amorim is set to take over as the new manager of the former Premier League champions, the Portuguese has been clearly instructed to do as he wants with the current squad, except for three young guns...

ALSO READ | Who is Ruben Amorim, Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammate to become first Manchester United manager in INEOS era? 5 Points

That's right. According to a news report, Manchester United have told Amorim, who is arriving from Lisbon-based Sporting CP to replace Ten Hag, that he is at liberty to do as he pleases with everyone in the current lineup but for these three players, who can't be sold at any cost.

Manchester United's untouchables, who are they?

The word "young" helps to filter out many names from the way. Obviously, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Andre Onana are not young anymore, neither are captain Bruno Fernandes or Marcus Rashford. Then who are these three gentlemen that has become important to the decision-makers at Old Trafford?

According to SportBible Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo are the three ruled "out of the question" for Amorim.

English midfielder Mainoo, 19, is a product of the United academy. Scouted and admitted to the United ranks at the age of nine, Mainoo signed his first professional contract with the club in the 2022-23 season. In March 2024, Mainoo was called up to the national side after having performed well for England at under-17, under-18, and under-19 levels. Since his debut, the teenage sensation of Ghanese origin has played 32 games in all for United.

Rasmus Hojlund of Denmark, 21, arrived at the Theatre of Dreams from Serie A's Atalanta in 2023. The striker has so far scored 11 times for United from 35 games across competitions and is perceived to become the next big thing from Scandinavia after Manchester City's Erling Haaland. Injuries restrained Hojlund from performing constantly under Erik Ten Hag after arriving from Italy for an initial £64 million fee plus £8 million in performance related add-ons. The latest reports hint that United believe Hojlund can live up to the legacy of Wayner Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy or even Cristiano Ronaldo under the right guidance.

Argentine Garnacho, 20, is the highest-rated of the three. The 2024 Copa America winner idolises Cristiano despite coming from the land of Lionel Messi. Madrid-born Garnacho started with Getafe before switching to Atletico Madrid in 2015. However, United came knocking with a prize tag of £420,000 and reached England in 2020. Since making his senior debut in 2020, Alejandro Garnacho has often become the sole ray of light for the fans in what otherwise is pitch darkness. His daring runs through the wings curling balls and CR7-like celebrations have cheered up dull Old Trafford stands several times already. Growing from the stature of a super-sub to starter, Garnacho has played 66 times for United so far, scoring 12 times.

What is happening at Manchester United?

On October 28, Manchester United sacked their manager Erik ten Hag. The news broke a day after the former champions were defeated 2-1 by West Ham United in the English top tier, pushing them further down to fourteenth in the table. Manchester United's assistant manager and former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will take over on an interim basis while they search for a new manager, the club said in a statement.

Appointed in April 2022, Erik ten Hag led United to two domestic trophies - the League Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024. But the 54-year-old's job was the subject of speculation most of last season as United suffered a worst-ever eighth-place Premier League finish and exited the Champions League at the group stage and the Dutchman found himself firmly in the hot seat again this season amid a woeful start to the campaign. United have won four of their 14 games in all competitions so far this term and endured damaging 3-0 losses against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford. They have achieved 11 points from nine matches in the Premier League, which is far off target, the club said, to achieve their goal of a fourth-place finish.

ALSO READ | Era over! Manchester United sacks manager Erik ten Hag

With British billionaire and INEOS chairman Jim Ratcliffe taking over football operations last season, the club initially stuck with Ten Hag to have continuity in the manager's position during a time of change but United did not see any momentum or progress to believe they were on the right path. A poor start to the season also saw United draw their first three Europa League games from winning positions.

Latest reports claim the Red Devils are set to pay €10m exit clause for Ruben Amorim to become new manager at Old Trafford. Sporting confirm also confirmed to having received formal communication from the English club.

live-cricket-ipl-2025-retention-updates-list-of-players-released-and-other-team-news

Thu Oct 31 20:05:25 IST 2024

It is official. Rohit Sharma is not leaving Mumbai Indians. The five-time IPL champions retained skipper Hardik Pandya, national captains Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, pace ace Jasprit Bumrah and upcoming sensation Tilak Varma. The franchise exhausted full retention purse of Rs 75 crore.

Meanwhile, India's first-option wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant's nine-year association with Delhi Capitals officially ended on Thursday while South African Heinrich Klaasen with Rs 23 crore valuation pipped none other than peerless Virat Kohli (Rs 21 crore) to emerge as the top-most retention for the upcoming IPL season.

Punjab Kings have spent just Rs 9.5 crore, the least amount for retention, on two uncapped players Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh. They would go into the auction with highest purse of Rs 110.5 crore and also four RTM (Right To Match) cards.

KKR's IPL-winning captain Shreyas Iyer is also back in the auction pool after his discussions with the management failed.

As the full list of retentions and releases ahead of the mega-auction is finally complete, here is a teamwise analysis and updates that you don't want to miss:

Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals's ownership structure is a complicated one with co-owners GMR and JSW getting powers to control management for two years at a time. Hence Pant, who is a JSW recruit, wasn't the top choice for GMR management headed by co-owner Kiran Grandhi.

The moment GMR took charge, they removed earlier coaching management including former Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly and brought in Venugopal Rao. If sources are to be believed, Pant wasn't exactly very pleased with appointment of Rao and Hemang Badani, who possibly would have been given powers to overrule the skipper.

Discussions over the last month didn't yield any result and Pant didn't want to work with unfamiliar coaching staff thrust on him by the new management.

Retentions: Axar Patel (Rs 16.5 crore), Kuldeep Yadav (Rs 13.25 crore), Tristan Stubbs (Rs 10 crore), Abhisek Porel (Rs 4 crore) -- Rs 43.75 crore.

Purse for Auction: Rs 76.25 crore. RTM: 2

Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians didn't have much of a choice save one slot where they could pick fresh blood. They have paid Jasprit Bumrah the top retention price of Rs 18 crore while India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav (Rs 16.35 crore) and franchise skipper Hardik Pandya (Rs 16.35 crore) were paid equal retention price.

Retentions: Jasprit Bumrah (Rs 18 crore), Suryakumar Yadav (Rs 16.35 crore), Hardik Pandya (Rs 16.35 crore), Rohit Sharma (Rs 16.30 crore), NT Tilak Varma (Rs 8 crore). Retention Price: Rs 75 crore.

Purse for auction: Rs 45 crore. RTM: 1

RCB

Virat Kohli and RCB are inseparable and hence if there would have been one retention, it would be the iconic India batter.

Retention: Virat Kohli (21 cr), Rajat Patidar (Rs11 cr) and Yash Dayal (Rs 5 crore) Rs 37 crore.

Auction Purse: Rs 83 crore. RTM: 3

Punjab Kings

Not getting into the playoffs for 10 straight years means that the Punjab Kings never had a settled look. They retained only two uncapped players -- keeper-opener Prabhsimran Singh and finisher Shashank Singh.

Retention: 9.5 crore. Auction Purse: Rs 110.5 crore RTM: 4

KKR

Shreyas Iyer must have thought that he is worth way more than his current value of Rs 12.25 crore after leading KKR to the IPL title.

However not being an automatic India T20 choice and a poor strike rate of less than 140 meant that KKR was never going to shell out big bucks for him. The franchise has released him and he is DC's No.1 captaincy target. The franchise is believed to have kept Rs 20 crore minimum for him.

Retentions: Rinku Singh (13 crore) Varun Chakravarthy (Rs 12 crore) Sunil Narine (12 crore), Andre Russell (Rs 12 crore), Harshit Rana (Rs 4 crore), Ramandeep (4 crore). Retention: Rs 57 crore.

Purse: Rs 63 crore. RTM: 0.

SRH

Heinrich Klaasen at Rs 23 crore is value for money as he probably is one of the best hitters of Indian spinners on slow tracks, a rare USP among foreign batters.

Retention: Pat Cummins (18 crore), Abhishek Sharma (Rs 14 crore) Nitish Reddy (Rs 6 crore), Heinrich Klaasen (Rs 23 crore), Travis Head (14 cr) Retention: Rs 75 crore Auction Purse: Rs 45 crore. RTM: 1

CSK

CSK didn't have too many surprises except giving the same retention amount to both skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and veteran Ravi Jadeja. MS Dhoni, for whom uncapped player rule was created, was retained for Rs 4 crore.

Retention: Ruturaj Gaikwad (Rs 18 cr), Matheesha Pathirana (Rs 13 cr), Shivam Dube (Rs 12 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (Rs 18 cr), MS Dhoni (Rs 4 crore).

Retention: Rs 65 crore. Auction Purse: Rs 55 cr. RTM 1.

Rajasthan Royals

RR had room for all the talent that it groomed over the years with no place for Jos Buttler, Ravi Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Retention: Sanju Samson (Rs 18 crore), Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rs 18 crore), Riyan Parag (Rs 14 crore), Dhruv Jurel (Rs 14 crore), Shimron Hetmyer (Rs 11 crore), Sandeep Sharma (Rs 4 crore)

Retention: Rs 79 crore (will be adjusted) Purse: Rs 41 crore RTM: 0

LSG

Keeping Nicholas Pooran at a premium price of Rs 21 crore seems to be a good choice.

Retention: Nicholas Pooran (Rs 21 crore) Ravi Bishnoi (Rs 11 crore), Mayank Yadav (Rs 11 crore), Mohsin Khan (Rs 4 crore), AYush Badoni (Rs 4 cr).

Retention: Rs 51 crore AUction Purse: Rs 69 crore

Gujarat Titans

T20 league's premier bowler Rashid Khan was given top billing at Rs 18 crore while India's white-ball vice-captain Shubman Gill was second highest retention for the franchise.

Retention: Rashid Khan (Rs 18 crore), Shubman Gill (Rs 16.5 crore), B Sai Sudharsan (Rs 8.5 cr), Rahul Tewatia (Rs 4 cr), M Shahrukh Khan (Rs 4 cr)

Retention: 51 crore Auction Purse: Rs 69 crore.

football-who-is-ruben-amorim-cristiano-ronaldo-s-former-teammate-to-become-first-manchester-united-manager-in-ineos-era-5-points

Wed Oct 30 23:21:44 IST 2024

The bond between Liga Portugal's Sporting CP keeps growing. After handing the English team two captains (Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes), Sporting have now agreed to let their manager Ruben Amorim take over the teetering Premier League side.

At 39, the former international teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo, is already a legend at Lisbon thanks to his immediate effect at Estádio José Alvalade after taking over in 2020. When Jurgen Klopp decided to bid farewell to Liverpool, Amorim was rumoured to be his replacement before Arne Slott was appointed. Amorim had maintained he remained fully committed to Sporting and didn't intend to go to England. However, the story has changed after Erik Ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United. According to reports, the Red Devils are set to pay €10m exit clause for Ruben Amorim to become new manager at Old Trafford. Sporting confirm also confirmed to having received formal communication from the English club.

READ HERE | Era over! Manchester United sacks manager Erik ten Hag

Here are five things to know about Ruben Amorim, the first MUFC manager in the INEOS era.

1. Ruben Amorim is currently in charge of Liga Portugal side Sporting CP. He was roped in as the manager of the Lisbon-based side on March 4, 2020. At the time of the hiring, Amorim had only the experience of slightly over two months in charge of a top-flight club. Sporting reportedly paid €10 million for his services, the third-highest transfer fee for a manager in history!

2. His limited top-tier experience ahead of the Sporting assignment was with SC Braga, another esteemed top-tier club in Portugal. After being signed to manage the reserve team in 2019 September, he was asked to take over the senior team for the remainder of the season starting in December. With Amorim in charge, Braga won the Taca da Liga -- the domestic league cup -- and registered its first away win against Benfica in 65 years. His tenure with the 'Os Arcebispos' lasted 72 days before making a switch to Lisbon.

ALSO READ | These THREE players are untouchable! Manchester United tell 'new' manager Ruben Amorim

3. After finishing fourth in the debut season, Ruben Amorim managed to bring the league trophy home -- Sporting CP's first Liga title in 19 years. The team tasted defeat just once throughout the campaign and six of its stars made it to the Primeira Liga Team of the Year! Ace ballers Nuno Santos, Pedro Porro, Joao Mario and Joao Palhinha, Matheus Nunes and Nuno Mendes were among the stars that Sporting CP either bought or promoted from the academy during his tenure.

4. The highlight of his second season was Sporting making it to the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen for the first time since the 2008–09 season and winning a third consecutive league cup final (the first one was with Braga). He is the fastest manager to win 50 games in the Primeira Liga.

5. During his playing days, Ruben Amorim was predominantly a midfielder who could also take up responsibilities on the wings or down the right. The Belenenses and Benfica player represented Portugal in the 2010 and 2014 editions of the FIFA World Cup and received time on the field during either edition. In August 2015, Benfica sent Amorim on a season-long loan to Al-Wakrah in Qatar. In April 2017, he terminated his contract with Benfica and announced retirement at the age of 32.

ipl-2025-retentions-how-many-players-can-each-team-retain-rtm-auction-purse-retention-cost-explained

Thu Oct 31 14:23:11 IST 2024

With the deadline for submitting the list of players for retention for IPL 2025 ending today, all eyes are on who the 10 franchises will retain, and who will be allowed to leave.

There have been speculations like Lucknow Super Giants would not be retaining their skipper KL Rahul, or that Shubman Gill will be retained by Gujarat Titans after a pay cut. Whether these are true, or whether there will be surprises in store, will be known only later in the day once the teams submit their official lists.

ALSO READ: Will Lucknow Super Giants retain KL Rahul?

The IPL mega auction is expected to take place in November this year.

Here's a look at the IPL retention rules, Right-To-Match card option, team budgets and more.

What is player retention in IPL?

Franchises can use direct retentions and Right-To-Match cards to retain up to six players from their last squad for the upcoming seasons either before October 31 or at the IPL mega auction.

ALSO READ: Virat Kohli to return as RCB captain?

What is the Right-To-Match (RTM) card option?

It allows a franchise to buy back their players during the mega auction. If a franchise retains no players, then it will enter the mega auction with six RTM cards; if it retains six players, then it will have no RTM cards to use at the mega auction.

ALSO READ: Rahul Dravid named Rajasthan Royals head coach

As per the revised process, after a franchise bids on a player and the previous team uses RTM to match the bid, the highest bidder is given a last chance to increase the bid before the player is awarded to the original franchise using the RTM. If the original team fails to match the increased bid, the player will be sold to the highest bidder.

How many players can each IPL team retain?

Each team can retain six players, of which a maximum of five can be Indian or overseas capped players, and a maximum of two can be uncapped Indian players. Any cricketer who has not yet made their debut for their national team across formats, is an ‘uncapped' player.

Why is ex-India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni an 'uncapped' player?

Any former Indian cricketer who has not played for the country across formats for over five years and does not hold a central contract with the BCCI, will be considered an 'uncapped' player.

This rule, which was scrapped after the 2021 season, has been revived for the upcoming season.

What’s the total budget or auction purse for each IPL team?

The auction purse has been increased to Rs 120 crore from the Rs 100 crore that the franchises had at their disposal at last year's IPL auction to assemble a squad of up to 25 players. The total salary cap will now comprise the auction purse, incremental performance pay and match fees.

How much will it cost an IPL team to retain a player?

The costs for retaining capped players or the salary caps are as follows:

First retention: Rs 18 crore

Second retention: Rs 14 crore

Third retention: Rs 11 crore

Fourth retention: Rs 18 crore

Fifth retention: Rs 14 crore

The team will have to shell out Rs 4 crore for every uncapped Indian player retained.

ipl-2025-virat-kohli-to-return-as-rcb-captain

Wed Oct 30 16:31:48 IST 2024

There might be a pleasant surprise in store for the Virat Kohli fans. For those who missed 'King Kohli' in the captain's role in the Indian Premier League, the upcoming edition of the tournament might see the 35-year-old back as the skipper for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Kohli captained the side from 2013 to 2021, but failed to win the IPL title. RCB reached the final in 2016, but lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad. The 35-year-old passed on the baton to South African star Faf du Plessis, who led the side from 2022 to 2024.

ALSO READ: RCB should bring Kohli back as captain, says Harbhajan Singh

Ahead of the IPL mega auction in November, the RCB seem to have gone back to Kohli for the captain's role, as per a report in Times of India. The franchise was, reportedly, in talks with young Indian opener Shubman Gill for the role, but it did not work out. RCB are also planning to get wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant on board, the report says.

ALSO READ: Virat Kohli becomes first batter to score 8,000 IPL runs

Kohli, while stepping down as the skipper, had reiterated that he will always play for RCB in the IPL. He has been part of the leadership group at the franchise even after stepping down as the captain.

ALSO READ: Why is Kohli stepping down as RCB captain?

With Kohli set to return as captain, it is almost certain that du Plessis, 40, will not be retained by the RCB.

The former India skipper retired from T20Is after the T20 World Cup triumph earlier this year.

matthew-wade-retires-reliving-his-epic-innings-against-pakistan-in-2021-t20-world-cup-semifinal

Tue Oct 29 16:40:57 IST 2024

Australian T20 World Cup winner and wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade, on Tuesday, retired from international cricket. He last appeared in Aussie colours at the T20 World Cup earlier this year.

The 36-year-old will now join Australia's coaching staff under Andre Borovec for the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan, and the ODI series starting in Melbourne from November 4.

Wade played 36 Tests, 97 ODIs and 92 T20Is over 13 years, scoring 1,613 runs, 1,867 and 1,202 respectively. He started off as a junior footballer, but switched to cricket owing to his height. A testicular cancer survivor, Wade remained in wicketkeeper-batter Tim Paine's shadow. Despite the setbacks, Wade went back to domestic cricket and made a strong case for himself with stellar performances for Tasmania.

He was picked for the England series in 2019, and then made his way into the white-ball teams. He made his mark in T20 cricket, with Hobart Hurricanes in BBL, and soon became Australia's first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in 2020-21.

2021 T20 World Cup, Australia vs Pakistan semifinal, Dubai

The defining moment of his career came in the 2021 T20 World Cup, where he was the vice-captain and was assigned the role of a finisher. In the semifinal against Pakistan in Dubai, he smashed a 17-ball 41 not out in an epic finish, to take Australia into the final.

Wade came out to bat at no.7 in the 13^th over, after the dismissal of Glenn Maxwell (7). Australia needed 81 runs off 46 balls then, with Marcus Stoinis batting at the other end on four. The wicketkeeper-batter started off slowly, making eight runs off his first nine balls, while Stoinis was hitting the lusty blows.

Wade tees off in style

In the 18^th over bowled by Hasan Ali, Wade hit a six and a four to get going. Australia needed 22 runs now in two overs. Pakistan's star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, who had given only 13 runs in his three overs till then, came on to bowl the 19^th over, with Stoinis on strike.

The first was a dot ball. The Aussies managed to sneak in a leg-bye off the second ball, as Pakistan reviewed an LBW decision unsuccessfully. With Wade on strike, Afridi bowled a wide. The next ball would have been Wade's last, but his mistimed shot was floored by Ali. What was worse, the Aussies managed to scamper back for two runs. The equation was down to 18 off nine balls.

Wade vs Shaheen Shah Afridi: 6, 6, 6

What followed was absolute carnage by Wade. He moved across his stumps and scooped an almost yorker to short fine leg for a six. The next ball was a cutter, but Wade cleared his front leg and mowed it down midwicket for yet another six. Pakistan's hopes of taking the match into the final over were done and dusted, as Wade finished off the match in style, with yet another audacious scooped six off the last ball of Afridi's over.

He was adudged the player of the match for his stellar innings. Australia went on to win their maiden T20 World Cup title, beating New Zealand by eight wickets in the final.