Chelsea have reportedly reopened talks to sign Mike Maignan from Serie A giants AC Milan when his contract expires at the end of the season. However, the Blues must first free up some space in the squad and are considering offloading Filip Jorgensen. The 23-year-old is yet to make a single Premier League start for Enzo Maresca's side and could be on his way at the end of the season.
Maignan ready to move on from Milan
Maignan is expected to move on next summer as he will not sign a new contract with AC Milan, as reported by . Chelsea are aware of Maignan's intentions and are therefore ready to step up their interest in the stopper. Jorgensen may be sacrificed to make room for Maignan, with the Blues "seriously" considering trying to find an exit for the Denmark international. Maignan would be keen to head to the Premier League and is open to talking to Chelsea. Turin giants Juventus are also believed to be keen on the goalkeeper and are also in the running for his signature.
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Jorgensen sent warning about Chelsea future
Jorgensen arrived at Chelsea in the summer of 2024 on a seven-year contract in a deal worth €24.5m (£20m). Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City were also linked with a move for the goalkeeper but he ended up heading to Stamford Bridge instead. Yet he has only made one appearance for the Blues so far this season and has been warned he needs to be playing more regularly if he is to be No.1 for Denmark at World Cup 2026. Denmark missed out on automatic qualification for next summer's tournament in North America but are in the play-offs and will take on North Macedona in March. Victory in that game would bring up a final against Czechia or Ireland.
Why do Chelsea want Maignan?
Maignan has emerged as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe during his time in Milan. He's also the No.1 for France and wore the captain's armband back in October in the absence of injured skipper Kylian Mbappe. France boss Didier Deschamps explained why he went with his goalkeeper. He said: "Mike is a leader. Against Azerbaijan, when Kylian came off, Mike took over the armband. The fact that he has been able to play so many matches means that he is solid. He is a great competitor, even in training. He is a workaholic, sometimes a little too much in my opinion. But that's how he is."
The stopper also does not lack for confidence. When asked if he is the best goalkeeper in the world, he told GQ Italia: "I’m not going to say, no. There are a lot of great goalkeepers around. I only focus on myself. I know my potential. I believe in myself. I’ve worked really hard to get where I am. I don’t feel I’m a spectacular keeper. I try to do things in the simplest way possible.”
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Maignan to take over from Sanchez?
If Maignan does arrive at Chelsea, then he would be expected to take over from current No.1 Robert Sanchez. The 28-year-old signed from Brighton in August 2023 but has come in for plenty of criticism during his time at Stamford Bridge. This season has also brought more scrutiny on the stopper. He was heavily criticised after being caught out by Lucas Paqueta's long-range strike for West Ham at the start of the season and then made unwanted history when he was sent off against Manchester United. Sanchez's red card was Chelsea’s earliest in the Premier League era and also the third-fastest dismissal for a goalkeeper in the history of the competition.
India prioritised recovery – both physical and mental – ahead of their Women’s World Cup final match against South Africa on Sunday
Vishal Dikshit01-Nov-20251:50
Chopra: India winning the World Cup will change women’s cricket landscape
Harmanpreet Kaur sat down for the pre-match press conference at the DY Patil Stadium, her face seemingly devoid of any emotion. There was only a simmering fire.She had cried uncontrollably after India sealed a high-octane victory over Australia in the semi-final. That was only two nights ago. Two nights to digest the high of beating serial World Cup winners. Two nights to come to terms with the fact the job isn’t quite done.”Well, the semi-final was a very high-pressure game and very intense,” Harmanpreet said on the eve of the final against South Africa. “After that, recovery was something which we all paid more attention to because the fresher we are, mentally, for the final, the better it will be.”Because we have been working hard for so many years and we have been batting day and night, whenever our batters camped or there were team camps. So, skill-wise we know we have done a lot and now it’s only about keeping ourselves fresh for tomorrow and recovery is something which we all talk about, and everybody is really taking that thing very seriously and hopefully tomorrow we will feel even fresher for the main game.India will be playing their third ODI World Cup final. South Africa, just their first.”Keeping yourself balanced and focused is something which is the key,” Harmanpreet said. “We are having those sessions where we have been talking about how we can be more focused and more balanced and at the same time keeping ourselves relaxed because this is the biggest stage and biggest opportunity for us, playing in home conditions and that also final match.2:27
WWC final – Can India come down from their high in time?
“But I think the most important thing is that we have to enjoy this because there is nothing bigger than this in our life as a cricketer and as a captain. So our focus is to enjoy this moment and keep taking small targets which we have to achieve as a team rather than thinking bigger targets because you can achieve bigger targets if you achieve the small targets.”Harmanpreet is into her fifth World Cup now, but this is her first as captain. India have arrived at the final after a topsy-turvy league stage that saw them win only three of their seven games. She was clear “there’s no bigger motivation than a World Cup final” to up their game.Related
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“We know pretty well how it feels after losing [a World Cup final],” she said. “We’re really looking forward to the feeling of winning a final. Hopefully it’s going to be a special day for us tomorrow. We’ve worked really hard, and now it’s about getting everything together tomorrow.”India’s road to the semis looked wobbly right from the start. They began with collapses against Sri Lanka and Pakistan but turned things around to win both games. They lost all the matches they played against higher-ranked teams – South Africa, Australia and England – and it was only when they arrived in Navi Mumbai, a ground where they have had lots of success, that things picked back up.”We weren’t shaken up even once in the team because of those three big losses,” Harmanpreet said. “Even after that, everyone was together and everyone was talking about how to reach the final. We had a positive mindset which really helped us that we’re here now. When you have such a positive mindset and everyone feels from within to perform for the country…”We were definitely talking about where to improve but at the same time there was a common goal, there was the awareness that it’s a long process and there would be ups and downs, wins and losses. At the end of the day, what matters is we’re here in the final. So we used to think how to move forward after those losses, how to improve, be there for each other.”2:43
WWC final: Harmanpreet and Tryon will be key players
India have looked far more convincing over their last three matches, including a washout against Bangladesh. The XI seems more balanced, with six bowling options, bigger contributions from the bat, and all of it culminating in another historic victory against forever favourites Australia. That night ended with plenty of tears, from Jemimah Rodrigues on the field and Harmanpreet in the dugout as she hugged whoever came her way, crying into their arms.”I think I’m a very emotional person, and I cry a lot,” Harmanpreet said with a smile. “So it’s not like I cry only after losing. I have cried a lot after winning too, maybe yesterday you have seen me on television. But my team-mates have seen me in the dressing room many times – on small occasions also, whenever we have done well. I am the first person to cry.”As a player, these moments are very important. To beat a team like Australia, which is a big team and has always done well on the world stage. It’s not an easy thing to perform and be mentally strong in front of them. But I think overcoming that hurdle was something very special to all of us. I always tell my team that you don’t need to control your emotions. If you feel like crying, cry. At the same time, just keep enjoying. I think there is no bigger achievement or thing for us. Tomorrow is a special day and we will go with the same mindset.”There is a sell-out crowd expected for the final on Sunday.”The entire team is charged up, we’re there for each other and praying for each other,” Harmanpreet said. “That shows how close this team is and how ready we are for this match. Now it’s only giving your best, all the strategies and plans have been taking shape for the last two years. We had been planning for a home World Cup, what kind of conditions we’d get, so know it’s only about giving your 100%.”
Seamers share eight wickets as table-toppers face awkward final day at Grace Road
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Sep-2025
Matt Taylor claimed five wickets to secure a sizeable lead•Getty Images
If Leicestershire’s vision was to clinch promotion to Division One with a resounding victory, it looks unlikely to come to pass this week after a truncated third day of their Rothesay County Championship match left them trailing Gloucestershire by 150 runs.Shan Masood compiled a typically elegant 111 to mark his first-class debut for the county with the 30th hundred of his career but Leicestershire then lost their last six wickets for 22 to trail by 140 on first innings, bowled out for 342 as Gloucestershire seamer Matt Taylor finished with five for 70, backed up by new-ball partner Ajeet Singh Dale’s three for 78.Gloucestershire – who need a victory to keep their outside chance of promotion alive – were eight without loss from four overs in their second innings before a three-hour interruption due to rain, adding just two runs before a resumption at 5.30pm was curtailed after just 13 deliveries due to bad light. With earlier rain having delayed the start by 70 minutes, just 30 overs and one ball were bowled in all.Even if a win eludes them, Leicestershire’s lead in the division is so large that a top-two finish can still be confirmed this week if this match ends in a draw and the clash between third-placed Derbyshire and fourth-placed Middlesex at Lord’s is also drawn.Masood faced 176 balls and hit 13 fours on the way to his eighth first-class hundred in county cricket, having previously made them for Derbyshire and Yorkshire. The left-hander will be 36 next month but retains the capacity to produce moments of sublime skill at the crease, which he underlined with some beautiful strokeplay in this innings.After his 152-run partnership with Lewis Hill on Tuesday had seemed to set up Leicestershire for a substantial reply, there seemed little to suggest that would not happen as a second batting bonus point was secured in a morning session reduced to 50 minutes with Masood and Steve Eskinazi, also making his Championship debut for a new county, having added 82.But that all changed with the last delivery of the session, which resulted in Masood being given out leg before, the former Pakistan Test captain’s body language leaving no doubt that the decision did not meet with his approval.Masood’s dismissal was the catalyst for an unseemly collapse from 320 for four to 342 all out, with the follow-on only just avoided.Having put off taking the second new ball until after lunch, Gloucestershire took it immediately after the break and needed only 10 overs’ use of it to claim the remaining five Leicestershire wickets.Taylor, who had three wickets overnight, beat Ben Cox for pace and had Ben Mike nicking behind to complete his first five-wicket haul in two years.New-ball partner Singh Dale, bound for Lancashire at the end of the season, gained deserved rewards as ex-Middlesex batter Eskinazi’s county debut innings ended on 34 with a catch at second slip. Logan van Beek and Chris Wright became the fourth and fifth batters in the innings to fall leg before, Wright having at least hung around long enough to ensure that the visitors would bat again after the ninth wicket had gone with still one run needed.
The Sun Group’s first payments for the Northern Superchargers franchise will be made on Thursday after which Yorkshire will clear their debts
Matt Roller31-Jul-2025
Sanjay Patel, club chief executive, said paying off the debts is Yorkshire’s ‘first priority’•Getty Images
Yorkshire will start to clear debts of £25 million on Thursday when the first payments from the sale of Northern Superchargers are made by the Sun Group. Yorkshire were the only host county to sell the whole of their 51% interest in their Hundred team onto external investors due to the club’s perilous financial position, and the deal is one of six that has now been completed.The Sun Group, an Indian media conglomerate who also own Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL) and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SA20), bid just over £100 million to buy the Superchargers earlier this year. Their first payments, worth around £50m, will be made on Thursday, with the remainder due later this year once they have assumed operational control of the franchise.Yorkshire’s accounts state that the club received loans worth a combined £5.8m from “a group of committed individuals” – including chairman Colin Graves – in the last financial year, while loans worth a combined £14.9m from the Graves Trusts are due to be repaid by October. Sanjay Patel, the club chief executive, said that clearing those debts is Yorkshire’s “first priority”.Related
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“The deal puts the club in a strong financial position, which has been far from the case for many years here, and we can start looking towards a very bright future,” Patel said on Wednesday. “The first priority is clearing our debts. We will then be looking at how we can invest the surplus funds to not only safeguard the future, but enable us to flourish.”Yorkshire last month incorporated a new subsidiary called Headingley Investment Limited, which is intended to generate profits that will then be reinvested. Patel added: “Yorkshire Cricket now has an opportunity to thrive, from the recreational game all the way through to our professional teams, and we will be focused on planning the next chapter in the club’s long history over the coming months.”The Sun Group have already told the ECB that they intend to change the name of the franchise next year and ESPNcricinfo has learned that ‘Sunrisers Leeds’ and ‘Northern Super Sunrisers’ are being considered. Two other teams are also likely to be renamed, with Manchester Originals becoming ‘Manchester Super Giants’ and Oval Invincibles becoming either ‘MI Oval’ or ‘MI London’.Yorkshire will receive 80% of the money raised from their decision to sell their 51% stake in the franchise, with the rest shared between the other first-class counties (10%) and the recreational game (10%). They will also receive their share of the funds raised from the sale of the ECB’s minority stakes in the other seven franchises.Lancashire (21%) and Glamorgan (1%) also opted to sell part of their shares in their franchises – Manchester Originals and Welsh Fire respectively – and each county will receive around £400,000 on Thursday of “unfettered” funds linked to those sales. The ECB will control the way in which funds from the sale of their stakes are spent with “guardrails” designed to ensure “sustainability”.The ECB held a board meeting on Wednesday to clear the first payments to counties, and chief executive Richard Gould said that Yorkshire would receive a “very significant” sum this week. “Often when something is sold, the money gets taken and it’s put into a yacht that’s parked off the Bahamas,” Gould said. “Here, all of this – every single penny – is going back into the game.”Gould also attempted to dissuade non-host counties from expanding their stadiums specifically in the hope of hosting a franchise if the Hundred expands, saying that minimum capacity requirements would be around 7-8,000. “We’re not looking to see investment going into creating white elephants,” he said. “What we don’t want is a load of empty plastic seats.”Vikram Banerjee, the Hundred’s managing director, also revealed that there are still minor details to resolve in Surrey’s deal with Reliance Industries Limited for Oval Invincibles, though all parties are confident that it will be signed by early October. Nottinghamshire’s deal with Cain International and Ares Management is the other that is yet to be completed, but Banerjee said the deal is “fully there”.”We offered all the investors the opportunity to sign and close immediately, whenever the legals were all done… or close formally at the end of the season,” Banerjee said. “Those two chose that months ago.”Trent Rockets, they’re all there bar the singing (sic). The documents are all signed and all the rest of it is fully there. With the Oval Invincibles, there are, I think, three things left on their venue-hire stuff that they’re working through. They’re small things. It’ll be a matter of weeks, and that’ll get signed out.”Banerjee will lead a meeting on Thursday afternoon to discuss the Hundred’s regulations around player recruitment for 2026, with some teams pushing for a shift to an auction rather than the existing draft. Rashid Khan and Steven Smith have already signed for teams where they have affiliations with incoming investors for the 2025 season, which starts on August 5.
A number of Sheffield Wednesday’s takeover candidates are now reportedly considering a fresh move to get the sale of the club over the line.
Sheffield Wednesday dealt fresh point deduction
Despite the fact that Dejphon Chansiri is no longer at the club and Sheffield Wednesday are in administration, they’re still facing the consequences for the actions of their former owner. The EFL confirmed earlier this week that the Owls have been dealt a further six-point deduction on top of the initial 12 points that they had deducted.
It’s frustrating news for Wednesday, who were already destined for League One. Administrators will now be hoping to hand supporters some better news regarding the club’s takeover process.
So far, bids have arrived and been rejected from the likes of Mike Ashley, who is looking to get back into English football for the first time since leaving Newcastle United.
Administrators initially set a soft deadline of December 5, but it remains to be seen whether they can actually stick to that on Thursday. Instead, the Owls’ pain may be prolonged as candidates prepare to take a new approach to takeover attempts.
As reported by City AM, a number of candidates are considering a joint bid to buy Sheffield Wednesday to get the takeover across the line. The Championship club reportedly have six bidders on the table, but could see some of those opt to join forces to match their £30m valuation.
Sheffield-born takeover candidate makes key contact in race to buy Sheffield Wednesday
He could buy his local club.
ByTom Cunningham Nov 26, 2025
As things stand, there is no clear favourite to buy the club and Begbies Traynor’s initial deadline is likely to be pushed back until at least next week.
In the meantime, the Owls could continue looking at the free agent market. Although they are yet to welcome new owners, those at Hillsborough have already signed both Nathan Redmond and former Leeds United man Liam Cooper.
Whether it’s joint-bidders or just the one candidate in the coming weeks, Sheffield Wednesday’s new owners will instantly have their eye on success in League One next season following the club’s inevitable relegation.
Earning instant promotion back to the Championship whilst finally adding financial stability to the club should be top of the wishlist of the new owners.
Simon Jordan reveals Sheffield Wednesday "consortium" as next takeover step shared
Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti has warned his players of the challenges that come with Tuesday's Champions League visit to Bodo/Glimt's Aspmyra Stadion. The former Italy and Napoli manager admitted that the visitors will be at an obvious disadvantage due to the adverse weather and pitch conditions, while also reassuring that his team will improve with time.
Juve face daunting trip to Bodo/Glimt
Juventus will visit Norwegian heavyweights and giant killers Bodo/Glimt on matchday five of the Champions League on Tuesday. It will be an extremely tricky challenge for the Bianconeri, given the adverse weather and pitch conditions on offer at the Aspmyra Stadion.
Located north of the Arctic Circle, the Aspmyra Stadion is among the northernmost footballing venues in the world, located at 67 degrees latitude. Situated on the west coast of Norway, it is a hotspot for tourists and locals to experience the enchanting Northern Lights (or aurora borealis). Weather forecasts for Tuesday indicate temperatures sitting at an icy 1°C, along with potential snowfall.
However, it's not just the unforgiving weather conditions visiting teams have to deal with. Aspmyra Stadion uses an artificial pitch, a surface that often challenges visiting teams. The likes of Jose Mourinho and Ange Postecoglou have often called Bodo out for their use of the "plastic" field.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportSpalletti aware of the task at hand
Speaking to at the pre-match press conference on Monday, Juve boss Spalletti acknowledged the challenge of playing at the Aspmyra Stadion and conceded that the hosts will head into the clash with an obvious advantage.
"Not the ideal climate for a football match? It's a very tough match. We were joking with the players and I told them it's tougher than they expected," said the ex-Napoli boss. "I've had to deal with these temperatures on these pitches, and it's a different experience, breathing in this cold air. Sometimes you can't even keep your eyes open. But there's always the thrill of the challenge."
Spalletti also addressed the team's recent string of unconvincing displays, reassuring that the best is yet to come.
"I think it's premature to completely overturn everything right now. We haven't done well, but we haven't done badly either," he explained. "We're in that middle ground where, with some new things, we can raise the bar. We have a bit of everything here, but we need to recognise them and deploy them at the right times.
"These guys are perfect; they're eager to participate and show off their skills. Tomorrow I'll change something, otherwise we risk losing confidence, and then we need to analyse things properly.
"In the camp, there's no longer the rigidity of roles that seems like disorder but is actually freedom. In that freedom, you have to find balance. This constant rotation of roles and the search for a position is an advantage."
'Pitch and climate a disadvantage' for Juve, admits Spalletti
Spalletti went on to highlight the biting cold and artificial turf at Bodo, a far cry from the traditional grass pitches found in Europe’s elite leagues.
"Did you mention the weather? Let's address one thing first, because it seems like we've had a bit of a disaster," he added. "But the players haven't performed as badly as people pretend. I was the first to say we needed to do more, and we need to get them out there, we need to use the horses we have and all our qualities. I've seen the desire in this team, and you either face responsibility or you lose.
"The pitch and the climate are a disadvantage, because I've been fortunate enough to work abroad, and the air you breathe is different. It's all a matter of habit, and it's different from ours. Our desire to perform must make up for this gap. They're also good at selecting players, and not just for the pitch and the cold; in an international comparison, they have a significant value.
"[Playing at the Aspmyra Stadion] is a real difficulty, due to habits and rebounds. We'll certainly pay something for this, but we'll face it. We all had fears, then after facing them we adapted, but this can give us some satisfaction. The pitch bothers us, but we want to perform our best."
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AFPSpalletti's Juventus reign not off to an ideal start
After beginning his spell with the Old Lady with a 2-1 win over Cremonese, Spalletti's side have slumped to three straight draws. Their European campaign stands at risk of collapsing if they fail to come away with maximum points from Norway on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Juve sit in seventh position in Serie A, seven points off the pace. However, Spalletti has assured that his troops will fight for the Scudetto until the end.
India added 327 runs for the loss of just three wickets on the third day against West Indies in Ahmedabad
Alagappan Muthu03-Oct-20252:08
Chopra: Jadeja’s game against fast bowling ‘has improved leaps and bounds’
India’s batting riches put them in consummate control of the first Test of their home season, with KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel scoring important centuries. It was Rahul’s first at home since 2016 and it was Jurel’s first one ever. They now have a lead of 286, which is large enough to potentially shrink this down from a five-day game.Ravindra Jadeja had an equal part to play on a day where India made 327 runs for just three wickets. There was a point when the pitch started crumbling and West Indies’ spinners were able to get the ball to turn sharply out of the rough. India collectively decided to attack them, hoping to throw them off the lengths where they could access the worn out parts of the pitch. Jadeja did this the best. His idea was to charge at the bowler, and every time he did, he was looking to hit a boundary. Seven of the 11 he ended up with were the result of this ruthless approach, including a six that helped him breeze through the nervous nineties.Jomel Warrican, Roston Chase and Khary Pierre, in helpful conditions, were left nursing combined figures of 4 for 283 from 82 overs. Jadeja, meanwhile, helped India reprise a feature of their England tour earlier this year, becoming the third centurion of the innings. The last time that happened at home was 2018, during West Indies’ last visit to the country. Jadeja connected that trio to this trio.Related
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West Indies could have helped themselves had they begun their day’s work with a bit more hope. Instead the captain Chase welcomed the two overnight batters with a sparsely populated slip cordon. The focus, it seemed, was run-saving instead of wicket-taking. Jayden Seales, who has a lovely outswinger, snagged Rahul’s edge in the very first over of play but regulation first slip was missing. He had been pushed wide and so this ball just skipped to the boundary.Rahul survived on 57 and went on to score 100. He celebrated it by raising his bat in one hand and sticking two fingers of the other in his mouth, a little tribute for his new-born daughter.1:41
Chopra: WI should’ve taken the new ball earlier
The next man to three-figures was Jurel. It is clear from the way he bats that he is set up to be consistent. He has good judgment of what to play and what to leave. He’s comfortable in attack and defence. Some of his back foot shots against pace were chef’s kiss, so that, along with the way he played out the second new ball, suggests he should be able to adapt to overseas conditions. Jurel has a high floor. Rishabh Pant beats him with a high ceiling. Maybe India might find a way for both players to be part of the XI; trust Jurel to be a specialist batter. His century celebration was a tribute to his father, who was with the Indian army.West Indies had set themselves up for damage control but in doing so really early, they let India dictate terms. Seales bowled manfully, his pace up around the 140kph mark even at the back end of a very hot day that forced him off the field for a little bit for what looked like cramps.Warrican was good too, slowing the ball down and inviting India to attack him if they could. It was strange that he only bowled two overs before lunch, but did make up for that by bowling 12 back-to-back after the break and picked up Rahul’s wicket. Jadeja negated the effect he could have on the game. He made 86 runs against spin, including 41 off 15 when he chose to come down the track.Shubman Gill’s efforts were cut short on 50 in the middle of that tricky period where India decided to attack spin. He brought out a reverse sweep against Chase and got caught at slip.The second day in Ahmedabad meandered to a close with Pierre enjoying a high that he had chased all his life. Having been part of the domestic system from the age-group level, after making his first-class debut 10 years ago, he finally took a Test wicket at the age of 34 and his smile lit up the place.
Whether his demotion to No. 7 was down to his own poor form, or an opponent-specific tactic, it has raised more questions than answers
Karthik Krishnaswamy22-Apr-20255:51
Knight on Pant batting at No. 7: It is ‘bizarre’
What were Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) thinking, on Tuesday night against Delhi Capitals (DC), when they pushed Rishabh Pant so far down the order that he batted outside the top six for the first time in the IPL since his debut season in 2016? What was Pant’s role in making this decision, as LSG’s captain?In a short, post-match interview with the broadcaster after LSG had lost the IPL 2025 match by eight wickets in Lucknow, Pant’s explanation was a terse one: “[The] idea was to capitalise. We sent [Abdul] Samad
to capitalise on a wicket like that, but after that [David] Miller came in, and we just really got stuck in the wicket, but eventually these are the things we’ve got to figure out and try to find our best combination going forward.”That statement calls for a little bit of unpacking. First, it was Samad who walked in at No. 4, Pant’s usual position, when LSG lost their second wicket in the 12th over. Perhaps what Pant meant by “capitalise” was that LSG were looking for quick runs, and felt that Samad – who had scored 20 off 11 balls and an unbeaten 30 off 10 in LSG’s last two games – could provide them some of those at that stage.Related
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There were signs already that this was an old-ball pitch, with the extent of reverse swing and grip for slower balls increasing as LSG’s innings progressed. With that in mind, LSG may have been looking to send Samad in when there was still a good chance of the ball coming on to the bat.The move didn’t come off on the day, with Samad caught and bowled by Mukesh Kumar for two off eight balls. Pant didn’t come out at the fall of Samad’s wicket either, or at the fall of the next wicket later in the same over, the 14th of LSG’s innings, when Mukesh bowled Mitchell Marsh with a yorker.David Miller walked in at No. 5, and he was followed to the crease by Ayush Badoni, who came off the substitutes’ bench for the second match running. It was also the second match in a row where LSG had used a batter as their Impact Player even though they batted first. Typically, teams name a batting-heavy starting XI if they bat first and replace one of their batters with a bowler.Badoni had come off the bench to score a crucial 34-ball 50 in LSG’s previous game against Rajasthan Royals (RR). In that game, he batted at No. 5 when LSG lost their third wicket – of Pant – in their eighth over. LSG may have felt then that they needed someone to come in and steady their innings and give their end-overs hitters more favourable entry points.In this match, Badoni came in with just six overs remaining. As it happened, he made a strong contribution, his 21-ball 36 giving LSG a bit of impetus at the death even as Miller – who made an unbeaten 14 off 15 balls – struggled at the other end.With the Miller-Badoni partnership stretching into the final over, Pant finally came to the crease with just two balls remaining. He tried to manufacture boundaries off both balls, but didn’t put bat to ball against either, with Mukesh bowling him as he attempted a reverse-scoop off the final ball.Pant has endured a difficult IPL 2025, and came into Tuesday’s game having scored just 106 runs in 108 balls across seven innings. This, perhaps, may have led him to demote himself – if he took the decision – behind batters in better form.His long-time Test-match team-mate Cheteshwar Pujara, however, was having none of it. “I genuinely don’t know what the thought process was,” he said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut. “There’s no doubt he should be batting up the order. He’s trying to do what MS Dhoni does, but he’s nowhere near [Dhoni’s age].5:50
‘An under-pressure captain affects the whole team’
“I still feel he’s someone who should be batting in the middle overs, between [overs] six and 15. He’s not a finisher, and he shouldn’t be doing the job of a finisher.”Pujara’s co-panelist Nick Knight, the former England opener, felt he could accept the reasons for the move, but didn’t like the optics.”I’ve not really a problem with Badoni batting at four-five,” Knight said. “I see some rationale in that, because I think he’s playing well, and I think he’s more likely to score runs than Rishabh Pant. There’s the problem. Samad you could probably say the same, he’s more likely to score runs than Rishabh Pant. David Miller, you could say the same.”When you look at the decision-making, perhaps in rationale it makes some sense. Where I don’t like it at all is it just doesn’t look very good. There is your captain, sliding, going backwards in the batting order when you really need him to step up. He’s the one that’s going to be standing up and talking in front of your team, he’s the one who’s leading you out there. He’s your leader, and it just doesn’t look great when the leader is going the other way.”From that perspective that’s my problem, because I would agree – Badoni is probably more likely to score runs, etc etc. It doesn’t look right.”A second-order glance at Pant’s IPL 2025 numbers throws up a more specific reason for his demotion: a tactical retreat against spin. Coming into Tuesday’s game, he had struggled against both styles of bowling, but while he had managed a strike rate of 117.46 against pace, he had gone at just 71.11 against spin.2:29
Why is Rishabh Pant more successful in Tests than T20s?
This pattern had held true even during his one sizeable innings of the season, a 49-ball 63 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In that innings, he had scored 18 off 23 balls against the spinners and 45 off 26 against the faster bowlers. The bulk of the damage he had done against the quicks had come late in LSG’s innings. Batting on 40 off 39 at the start of the 18th over, Pant had hit three sixes in his next ten balls, off the pace of Matheesha Pathirana and Khaleel Ahmed.And so, like a number of batters have done before him in the IPL – including fellow keeper-batters Dinesh Karthik and Dhoni – Pant on Tuesday may have been looking to hold himself back with match-ups in mind, with DC still having two overs of Kuldeep Yadav left when Badoni joined Miller. That Pant ended up getting to face just two balls wasn’t in his control; the partnership between Miller and Badoni ended up consuming 34 balls.For all that, though, there’s one major difference between the cases of Karthik or Dhoni for a delayed entry point and that of Pant. Karthik and Dhoni have been finishers for most of their T20 careers, and for large parts of those careers were deemed to be pace-hitting specialists. Pant has mostly batted through the middle overs, and for much of his career has been a brilliant, unconventional hitter of spin.Of late, though, his output against spin has dwindled. Pant had strike rates of 147 or more against that style of bowling in each of his first four IPL seasons. Since 2020, he has gone at sub-120 strike rates in four out of five seasons, including the current one.Pant is just 27, though, and may yet have time on his side to reverse this downturn against spin; Karthik and Dhoni were in their mid-to-late 30s by the time they became pigeonholed as pace-hitters. It’s unlikely Pant sees himself in the finisher’s role in the long term anyway, given the damage his style of play – involving manipulation of fields and hitting the ball in unusual areas – can cause through the middle overs.A top-order role, in fact, is perhaps better suited to Pant’s strengths if he’s looking to avoid a confrontation with spin, or to face it on slightly easier terms, with powerplay field restrictions on his side. But with LSG boasting one of the most in-form opening partnerships of IPL 2025 in Marsh and Aiden Markram, and with their No. 3 Nicholas Pooran in exceptional form and sitting second on the Orange Cap standings, there perhaps isn’t a top-order slot for Pant to occupy without causing what he and the team management may feel is unnecessary disruption.Rishabh Pant came in at No. 7, and was bowled second ball•Associated PressSo the move down to a finisher’s role may be an entirely temporary one tailored to the circumstances LSG and Pant are currently in. It may even just be opponent-specific. In this match against DC, Pant may have felt he was likelier to contribute meaningfully if he avoided a showdown with one of the tournament’s best spinners in Kuldeep. It’s instructive that the one other time he demoted himself in this manner – in LSG’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 8, when he eventually didn’t bat at all – was against another of the IPL’s better spin-bowling teams.There may have been enough reasons, then, for Pant to have held himself back as he did on Tuesday, but one puzzling question still remains: why use Badoni as Impact sub when he could have been part of the starting XI, and allowed LSG to bring in a bowler later in the game? This question has carried a particular sense of urgency in LSG’s last two games, when their bench has included the exciting, 150kph-breaching Mayank Yadav, who is nearing a highly anticipated return from back and toe injuries that have kept him out of action since October 2024.The answer, perhaps, is that LSG don’t feel Mayank is as yet fit to bowl his full four-over quota, and that they have started their last two games with a five-bowler XI with the idea of potentially bringing Mayank on for a one- or two-over burst if they got through the first half of their match without needing to bolster their batting. That, however, didn’t happen either against RR or DC.
ATLANTA — Sometime around the late innings Tuesday night, the home bullpen door at Truist Field will swing open and out will come running a baseball fairy tale waiting to be told. You will know it is Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers by his Ichabod Crane figure, his aw-shucks, Missouri-bred Tom Sawyer smile and his holy spit fastball. Midsummer evening in Georgia suddenly will feel hotter, batters will shake their heads in wonder and jaws will drop.
Misiorowski is that special. He is 23 years old and looks even younger. He is as thin as a paper clip and aglow with so much joy and so wide a grin he can’t stop using the word “cool.”
Just five starts under the belt around his slim waist, he also is at the center of the biggest and most wrong-headed controversy at this All-Star Game. The gripe, largely fostered by the Philadelphia Phillies and assorted media, was that Misiorowski did not “deserve” his selection. Never mind that pitchers left and right couldn’t be bothered to pitch in the All-Star Game and that the honor meant so much to Misiorowski that he cried when he was told of his selection.
And then there is this: Misiorowski throws the meanest fastball in baseball, a 99.3 mph rocket with an absurd, gravity-defying 2,599 rpm spin, a wickedly low release point and so much extension he lets go of the ball a foot closer to home plate than the average pitcher. And he’s been historically great in his brief but captivating time on the MLB stage.
Misiorowski is exactly what the All-Star Game is: a showcase of the best talent in baseball, not a WAR calculating exercise. He is a sensation (without the mound-scaping and talking-to-the-ball soliloquies) in the manner of Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, who the All-Star Game with just 11 starts. With the way the world moves, five starts in 2025 is darn close to the exposure of 11 starts in 1976.
If you don’t want Misiorowski, you don’t want entertainment. And you don’t want baseball fairy tales.
Just two years ago on this date Misiorowski was pitching in front of 4,175 people in Peoria for the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. Five years ago, after COVID wiped out his senior season at Grain Valley High and no team drafted the skinny righthander, he decided he’d rather pitch for the Crowder College Roughriders, a community college in Missouri with an enrollment of 3,800, than accept an offer from Oklahoma State.
“Well, I just think that’s what I needed,” he explains. “I think I needed a small town to just get my feet wet and get acclimated to collegiate ball.”
I asked him to give me the scouting report on his 18-year-old self. “I was really, really skinny. Really lanky.”
What does that mean, weight-wise? “Like 170, 165.”
Same height? Six-feet-seven? “Yeah. Pretty close.”
He continues with the scouting report: “He’s going to throw a lot of fastballs. He doesn’t always know where it’s going to go. He knows, be ready to get hit. So, it’s, yeah, I think that’s the biggest threat: it’s just, ‘Don't get hit.’”
He made 15 starts for Crowder in 2022, then decided to transfer to LSU, where he would have joined Paul Skenes. But the Brewers drafted him in the second round—after 62 players were picked—and gave him $2.3 million, mid-first round money, to sign. Misiorowski needed to gain weight (he has put on about 25 to 30 pounds) and iron out his mechanics. He was a strikeout machine in the minors (12.3 strikeouts per nine) but lacked command (5.4 walks per nine). But counterintuitively, he commands the baseball much better in the big leagues with four pitches than he did in the minors. He has an old school explanation for that.
“Adrenaline,” he says. “I think that's the biggest thing. You know, I think it was just one of those things that happens when you settle down, like you learn to be where your feet are and have fun.”
Misiorowski’s long reach gives hitters less time to react to swing. / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
As thin as your chances of hitting his fastball, Misiorowski has been an optical wonder. No one throws the ball this fast this close to the plate with this much spin. In each of his four wins he has beaten an All-Star: Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Skenes and Clayton Kershaw, who wasn’t even sure of the kid’s name when Misiorowski dominated the Dodgers like few pitchers have ever done. Misiorowski joined Dwight Gooden (19 years old in 1984) and Louis Drucke (21 in 1910) as the youngest pitchers to beat the Dodgers with as many as 12 strikeouts and no more than one walk.
“Yeah, speechless,” he says. “It’s one of the things you dream about, basically. It’s the Dodgers, so it's really cool to perform the way I did.”
Those “undeserving” five starts are historically great, with winning four times with 33 strikeouts and a 2.81 ERA. Only five other pitchers started like that through five starts, beginning with Noodles Hahn in 1901 through Jesse Hahn in 2014 and with Cy Blanton (1934–35), Bo Belinsky (1964) and Yu Darvish (2012) in between.
Misiorowski meets all the history and all the success with a wide-eyed grin. You half expect him to offer you the chance to paint a picket fence.
“I mean, it’s really cool,” he says. “No way I imagined this. Not a chance.”
Still, Misiorowski was a long shot to make the team. Eight pitchers originally were named to the team, including Zack Wheeler of the Phillies. Wheeler bowed out, especially after learning that Skenes was starting instead of him. Pitchers who pitched Sunday, such as Cristopher Sanchez of the Phillies, were out. MLB asked Ranger Suárez to pitch in the All-Star Game. He declined. According to one source, MLB went through 13 more pitchers—21 in all—before they finally landed on a willing, able and, yes, deserving Misiorowski. You could pick a relief pitcher having a good season, such as Emilio Pagán, or you could pick an honest to goodness sensation.
Ask what he loves most about pitching and he says, “Just competing against the guy in the box. I think that's the coolest part. You get to face the guys that are, you know, in The Show. You’re like, ‘Holy cow, this is that dude!’ And now you’re like, ‘Okay, now I’ve got to beat this guy. Let’s go!’”
Misiorowski’s combination of talent and youth is as refreshing as the answer he gave to what he expected from pitching in the All-Star Game: “Nothing. I’m just trying to make it through and have fun.”
Tuesday night will mark the official introduction of Jacob Misiorowski of Blue Springs, Mo.—about 200 miles from Hannibal, Mo.—to the national baseball stage. Such are the moments that make the All-Star Game the grand showcase of talent that it is designed to be. And if adrenaline is his secret to command, what will the adrenaline be like coursing through his whippet of a body in that moment under the lights?
“Through the roof,” he says. “More than any other game.”
There is a scene in when Tom attempts to convince Huckleberry Finn to accept the ways in which the Widow Douglas wants to teach him manners and civility. Mark Twain used the Widow Douglas as a proxy for the confining ways of proper society, analogous to staying within the lines of a coloring book or, as All-Star Games go, inviting only the “deserved” who have paid their dues in full.
The home side’s top order laid a solid foundation during the night session of the pink-ball game
AAP23-Nov-2025Three wickets apiece from Henry Thornton and Ben Manenti gave South Australia the advantage against Western Australia in their Sheffield Shield match.After the opening day of the pink-ball fixture was washed out, SA’s Thornton and Manenti both claimed three wickets as WA struggled to 188 all out on Sunday.South Australia reached 100 for 1 at stumps at Adelaide Oval, with Henry Hunt not out 42 and captain Nathan McSweeney on 33.In WA’s innings, Jayden Goodwin top-scored with a fighting 53 from 106 balls and Cooper Connolly (33) and Aaron Hardie (31) chipped in.But the trio were the only three batters to pass 17 amid a miserly display from SA quick Thornton, who returned superb figures of 3 for 25 from 14 overs.Thornton took the initial two wickets, removing Sam Whiteman and Cameron Bancroft. And when Jordan Buckingham dismissed Hilton Cartwright for 5 which a terrific delivery which took off stump, the visitors were wobbling at 51 for 3 in the 25th over.Spinner Manenti captured three of the next four wickets, including ending an innings-high 68-run partnership between Goodwin and Connolly. The WA duo fell within a three-over span and the visitors lost their last seven wickets for 69 runs.SA openers Hunt and Connor McInerney navigated a dozen overs before WA quick Liam Haskett broke their stand when McInerney edged an outswinger.Skipper McSweeney immediately showed intent by hitting a four from his first ball and was in fine touch, striking three more boundaries in his 56-ball knock and combining with Hunt for an unbroken 67-run partnership.