Nick Kurtz is making the hardest thing in sports look far too easy.

The Athletics’ rookie first baseman has been teeing off on major league pitching since the All-Star break, leading MLB hitters in most statistical categories in the second half while looking like a future MVP. While he was always a hyped prospect, the lefty has far surpassed expectations this season.

Coming out of Wake Forest, Kurtz was a consensus top-five prospect in the 2024 MLB draft class, and the A's snagged him with the fourth pick and signed him for $7 million, which was $1.37 million under slot. It has turned out to be a massive bargain, and the savings allowed them to go over-slot to select and sign former LSU stars Tommy White and Gage Jump with their next two picks.

After a brief minor league career that lasted 33 games, Kurtz made his big league debut on April 23. He had eight hits in his first nine games but didn't show much of the power that has always been his calling card. Then the 22-year-old got hot, and he hasn't stopped punishing baseballs to overtake injured teammate Jacob Wilson as the American League Rookie of the Year favorite.

Below is a breakdown of the gaudy numbers Kurts has put up this season, with a focus on just how productive he’s been in the second half.

Nick Kurtz’s Sensational Second Half, by the Numbers

2.6 — fWAR since the All-Star break, best in baseball.

.423 — Batting average since the break, best in baseball.

.528 —On-base percentage since the break, best in baseball.

.808 — Slugging percentage since the break, best in baseball.

.550 — wOBA since the break, best in baseball.

.538 — Batting average on balls in play since the break, best in baseball.

260 — wRC+ since the break, best in — I can stop typing that at this point, right?

46 — Points between Kurtz and the second-best hitter in baseball by wRC+ since the All-Star break. Teammate Shea Langeliers (214) is next up. That means Kurtz has been a 46% better hitter than in baseball since the break, and 160% better than the average MLB hitter.

33 — Total career minor league games played by Kurtz.

86 — Number of major league games played so far.

.490 — Kurtz's OPS in April; he slashed .250/.240/.250 with no home runs and three RBIs in 24 at-bats.

1.092 — Kurtz's OPS since May 1; he's slashing .311/.417/.675 with 25 home runs and 64 RBIs in those 79 games.

1.367 — Kurtz's OPS in late/close situations this season. He's slashing .345/.500/.897, making him one of the most clutch players in baseball.

4 — Home runs by Kurtz on July 25, becoming the 20th player and first rookie in MLB history to go deep four times in one game. He went 6-for-6 that night with eight RBIs and tied an MLB record with six runs scored.

19 — Total bases in that game, tied with Shawn Green as the most in a single game in MLB history.

3.9 — Kurtz's fWAR on the season, best among MLB rookies by almost a full point. Brewers outfielder Isaac Collins is second at 2.9. Kurtz's All-Star teammate Jacob Wilson is far behind at 2.4.

181 — Kurtz's wRC+ on the season, which is second in baseball among players with at least 200 plate appearances. He trails only Aaron Judge (199) and is eight points clear of Shohei Ohtani (174).

Kurtz Stands Atop an Auspicious 2024 Draft Class—for Now

Kurtz was drafted on July 14 and made his MLB debut 283 days later. A year to the day after being selected, he already had 17 big league home runs and an OPS of .892. And he isn't the only player from his draft class already playing well in the majors.

The 2024 draft was college-heavy at the top, and several of the players selected have breezed through the minor leagues. First-rounders Kurtz, Chase Burns, Jac Caglianone, Christian Moore and Cam Smith have already debuted, while Angels reliever Ryan Johnson made the team out of spring training but has since been sent back down to the minors and is being stretched into a starter.

The draft class stands out as one that’s already having a major impact on the league, and with Kurtz leading the way, has arguably already produced not only the American League’s best rookie, but its best left-handed hitter.

حسم التعادل الإيجابي بهدفين لكل فريق مباراة منتخب فلطسين أمام نظيره تونس، والتي جمعتهما اليوم الخميس، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس العرب 2025.

والتقى منتخب فلسطين مع تونس، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العرب 2025 المقامة في قطر.

طالع.. ترتيب مجموعات كأس العرب 2025 بعد نهاية الجولة الأولى وافتتح منتخب تونس أهداف اللقاء في الدقيقة السادسة عشر عن طريق عمر العيوني، قبل أن يحرز فراس شواط الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 51.

وفي الدقيقة 61 قلص حامد حمدان الفارق بتسجيل الهدف الأول لصالح فلسطين في الدقيقة 61 قبل أن يتعادل زيد القنبر في الدقيقة 85 لصالح الفدائي.

ورفع منتخب فلسطين رصيده إلى 4 نقاط في صدارة المجموعة الأولى بينما تونس في المركز الثالث بنقطة واحدة. أهداف مباراة تونس وفلسطين اليوم في كأس العرب

MatériaMais Notícias

Uma das principais revelações do Palmeiras nas últimas temporadas, o meia-atacante Estêvão entrou na mira do Chelsea, da Inglaterra, que deseja a contratação da joia de 17 anos.

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➡️ Chelsea sinaliza com proposta de até R$ 300 milhões por Estêvão

O clube inglês, que tem como proprietário o empresário Todd Boehly, estaria disposto a pagar até R$ 300 milhões pelo jogador, incluindo despesas fixas e variáveis.

Formado nas categorias de base do Verdão, Estêvão estreou no profissional em 2023, sob comando de Abel Ferreira. Ao todo, o jogador acumula 11 partidas na equipe profissional, onde contribuiu com um gol, na vitória sobre o Liverpool-URU, pela Libertadores, e uma assistência.

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Confira no vídeo acima a trajetória do jogador no Palmeiras e alguns lances de destaque de Estêvão – na base e no profissional.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

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Celtic are reportedly closing in on the appointment of Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy as their next permanent manager to replace Brendan Rodgers.

The French tactician is in ‘advanced talks’ to join the Scottish giants, but it remains to be seen exactly when he will be in post to start the job, with Martin O’Neill currently in interim charge.

Once Nancy is in the job and looking at what his priorities need to be, the new Celtic boss must find a way to get more out of central midfielder Arne Engels in the coming weeks and months.

Why Wilfried Nancy must revive Arne Engels for Celtic

The Scottish Premiership champions smashed their club record transfer fee to sign the Belgium international from Augsburg for a fee of £11m in the summer of 2024, and he showed plenty of promising signs in his first year at the club.

Engels delivered a return of ten goals and 13 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he offered a decent threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

Unfortunately, the 22-year-old star has been frustrating to watch this season because he has only produced one goal and four assists in 20 outings in the 2025/26 campaign.

This is why Nancy must make getting the best out of Engels one of his top priorities, because he is evidently capable of contributing far more than he currently is.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Along with the Belgian starlet, the French boss must also unleash summer signing Benjamin Nygren, who has become Celtic’s most frustrating player since Engels.

Why Benjamin Nygren is a frustrating player for Celtic

Like the £11m club-record signing, the Sweden international is an incredibly frustrating player for the Hoops because you can see that the talent is there, but it does not always work out for him.

The left-footed central midfielder has scored six goals and provided three assists in 18 appearances for the club this season, per Sofascore, yet he has found himself on the bench for the last two league games under O’Neill.

Nygren is such a frustrating player because he can do the hard bits, scoring and creating goals, but he lets himself down at times with some of the simpler parts of the game in the middle of the park.

As you can see in the table above, he is exceptional at making an impact in the final third, yet is among the worst of his positional peers when it comes to competing in physical duels on and off the ball.

This explains why O’Neill has dropped him from the starting line-up in recent matches, because the midfield star has not proven that he can be reliable enough out of possession to go along with his attacking qualities.

The 24-year-old gem’s attacking output, though, suggests that he is a player who has a lot to offer to Nancy once he is in the building, as is also the case for Engels, which is why he must unleash the Swedish whiz from the start.

It will then be down to Nygren and Nancy to work together on the training pitch to either minimise the effects of his physical struggles, or to improve his work off the ball, to make him as effective as possible.

£1.5m Celtic flop has been an even bigger waste of time than Balikwisha

This Celtic flop has been an even worse signing than Michel-Ange Balikwisha for the Scottish giants.

1

By
Dan Emery

Nov 25, 2025

Leeds 2019 and Brisbane 2021 made strong claims to the crown, but Kolkata 2001 still prevailed among the fans as the greatest Test match of the 21st century

Karthik Krishnaswamy21-Jun-20259:15

The Greatest Test: India roar back to victory in Kolkata, 2001

What defines a great Test match? Comebacks? Close finishes? Underdog triumphs? The platonic ideal of the final session of the final day starting with all four results still in play?Yes, all that, sure, but the collective wisdom in our shortlist to find the Greatest Test of the 21st century, and the collective wisdom of our readers, have given us another answer. Eighteen of the 32 Tests that lined up at the start of this exercise involved Australia, and 12 of them ended in Australian defeat. The three that reached the final round of voting, ended, in chronological order, with Australia losing by 171 runs, Australia losing by one wicket, and Australia losing by three wickets.Sorry, Australia. Cricket fans (as events at Lord’s last week no doubt showed you) love to see you lose. In times of despair and ennui, we seek solace in your heartbreaks, streaming them play by play on our devices or minds’ eyes.It is, of course, the ultimate backhanded compliment. Australia have lost fewer Tests in this century than any of the other teams that compete in the World Test Championship – this despite playing more Tests than anyone other than England. It’s precisely because Australia have been so hard to beat that their defeats have featured some of the most stirring individual and team performances of our time. This is why 12 of Australia’s 66 Test defeats in the 21st century – that’s more than one in six – are ESPNcricinfo-certified classics.VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid relax after their 376-run partnership in March 2001•Getty ImagesWhile other candidates were unlucky to miss out on a spot in the final round – Birmingham 2005, for instance, received a surprisingly small share of your votes despite its place in Ashes folklore – the three Tests that made it – Kolkata 2001, Leeds 2019, Brisbane 2021 – fully deserved their places. They weren’t just great Test matches; they all had that transcendent quality that puts them among the greatest sporting contests of their time. Even as they unfolded before our eyes, they gave the feeling that they existed outside reality, that the field of play was inhabited by beings governed by physical laws different to those that constrain the rest of us.Any of the three finalists could have won, and the chances are that you might have chosen a different winner if the poll was designed a little differently, or conducted it a week earlier or later, or if the gods of internet algorithms had brought it to your notice in a different way, or if the demographics of our audience were a little different, or if cricket’s political economy had a different look. While voters on ESPNcricinfo – who made up nearly 68% of the total count – overwhelmingly backed the winner, Kolkata, results went differently elsewhere: voters on our X and YouTube handles put Leeds in first place, for instance, and those on our WhatsApp channel plumped for Brisbane.All three Tests made equally strong cases, so it’s apt to wonder how one of them ended up with over 49% of the votes and the other two with roughly 25% each. What did Eden Gardens have that Headingley and Gabba did not?The answer, of course, is that it’s all subjective. So let’s talk about the subjective. I was a class IX student in March 2001, and my consumption of that Test match and that series was often indirect, restricted during school hours to terse dispatches from classmates sent to the audio-visual room at intervals proportional to the teacher’s interest in cricket and generosity of spirit.”Laxman and Dravid still batting. 398 for 4.” Cheering in the classroom. Half an hour later: “431 for 4, Laxman 196.” Pandemonium. Until I got home to catch the last half hour or so, and then the highlights, it was up to my imagination to fill in the gaps.Part of the beauty of Test cricket comes from how much of it lives in our imaginations, how intensely we feel even the bits that we aren’t in a position to watch, and while this is still true today, it was truer in 2001 than in 2019 or 2021. So much of Kolkata 2001 took place in our imaginations, and so much of it, in the aftermath, has existed in the reliving, the retelling, the little tricks of memory. The drama contained in the highlights packages – Harbhajan Singh’s offbreaks spitting like cobras from a length, VVS Laxman’s feet dancing one way to whip against the turn and another to drive inside-out, Rahul Dravid gesturing angrily to the press box, the look on Shane Warne’s face when he’s duped by Sachin Tendulkar’s wrong’un – ennoble the bits that got left out. How well must Glenn McGrath have bowled, ball after ball, to finish with 14-8-18-4 in India’s first innings? Even ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball can’t help – it’s all scoring and no commentary.Leeds and Brisbane contained cricket just as breathtaking as Kolkata, but mystique? If you ask on X and reach the right eyes, someone with access to ball-tracking data might DM you the line and length co-ordinates of the Mohammed Siraj ball that Steven Smith fended to gully.Final day, fading light, and India triumph to end Australia’s 16-Test streak•Hamish Blair/Getty ImagesBut mystique isn’t the only reason Kolkata got your vote. Mystique can only get you so far when you’re up against epics that everyone, including kids who weren’t even around in 2001, followed breathlessly, like, yesterday. Mystique can only do so much when it’s up against recency bias. And it’s perfectly okay to be biased towards India’s dismantling of the Gabba’s , with an attack that had bowled all of 10 balls in Test cricket before that series taking 20 wickets and paving the way for an unforgettable fourth-innings chase. It’s perfectly okay to be biased towards England winning after being bowled out for 67, towards Ben Stokes going from 3* off 73 balls to 135* off 219, and the drama of a last-wicket stand that survived, off successive balls, a fluffed run-out chance and an lbw that would have been dead if the bowling team hadn’t run out of reviews.It’s some achievement, then, to beat Leeds 2019 and Brisbane 2021 in a poll in the year 2025 – an achievement, you might say, not unlike following on and beating an Australia team with 16 successive wins under its belt.There have been other Tests with hat-tricks, and other Tests featuring partnerships that batted through a full day’s play. There have been other Tests won by injury-ravaged underdogs, other spectacular takedowns of all-timer XIs, other Tests won from hopeless positions, and other results that snapped formidable winning streaks. Other teams have found ways to win with time running out, and other teams have won Tests with startling interventions from part-timers. Other Tests have been played on true pitches that encouraged strokeplay, other Tests on pitches with something in them for fast spin bowlers, and other Tests on lightning outfields that rewarded wristy artistry. Other great, twisty Test matches have sat in the middle of great, twisty series. Crowds of 90,000 and more have lent an electric air to other Tests at other stadiums.Kolkata 2001 contained all those ingredients. Which other Test match – from the 21st or any other century – can make the same claim?

Sudharsan spoke about Gambhir’s influence on him, his approach to Test cricket and wanting to be versatile like KL Rahul

Shashank Kishore29-Oct-2025

B Sai Sudharsan has hailed India head coach Gautam Gambhir for backing him unconditionally through a challenging initiation into Test cricket.Sai Sudharsan scored 140 runs at an average of 23.33 in his debut Test series on the tour of England, and was out for 7 in his only innings in the first Test against West Indies in Ahmedabad earlier this month. He felt under some pressure coming into the second Test in Delhi until a chat with Gambhir put him at ease.”The support has been impeccable,” Sai Sudharsan said in Bengaluru where he will be India A’s vice-captain in the first unofficial Test against South Africa A, which begins on Thursday. “After the first game in Ahmedabad, we were practicing at the Feroz Shah Kotla nets. As always, I was the last to come out of the nets.Related

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“GG [Gambhir] sir called me and said, ‘You are not getting desperate. You are one of the best players in the country. So do not think about any of the other things. Don’t think that you have to score runs in this game or what will happen if you don’t.'”He told me, ‘You will play.’ The way he said that gave me so much confidence and freedom. I was trying to be more free and not think about external factors or the magnitude of things. But when you hear it from the head coach himself, the perspective and environment change drastically.”That helped me express myself better as well. Even in that game [2nd Test], I wasn’t in a mindset just to get runs, I was in a mindset to fight and win for the team, to dominate for the team.”Sai Sudharsan hit a composed 87 in his last Test outing•AFP/Getty Images

Sai Sudharsan made 87 and 39 in Delhi as India won by seven wickets to clinch the series 2-0. While those knocks have given him confidence, he doesn’t want to put himself under the pressure of having to live up to some of India’s past No. 3s.”I take it game by game, inning by inning, look at the situation, and react as best as I can,” he said. “Playing for India, there’s so much competition. So many great cricketers who have done well, are doing well, and will continue to do well. I’m not looking at a spot to cement or thinking about securing a place. I’m playing for a reason and that is to win games and fight for my team. That’s my mindset when I walk in.”When I think about sealing a spot or playing for safety, I tend to go defensive and play for myself, which I definitely don’t want to do. I look at it from a different perspective – to win one session at a time and make a difference there. Runs will be a byproduct of that process.”That said, Sai Sudharsan acknowledges the challenges that will come with batting at No. 3, having come through domestic cricket primarily as an opener for Tamil Nadu.”It’s a great responsibility, and I’m grateful for the opportunity,” he said. “No. 3 is also like an opening spot. There’s not a big difference, to be honest. But playing for India, wherever we get an opportunity, we have to be on point, not just fill a place but be really ready for whichever spot we play.”We have great examples. Like KL [Rahul] , who has played in almost all positions and is so versatile. We can learn from him. We have to be ready for all those challenges. I wouldn’t say I prefer one or the other. I’ve played quite a lot at No. 3, even in the IPL, and when I was younger in the Under-14s and Under-16s also I’ve batted at No. 3. So I enjoy both. It’s not a big difference”

Iran have announced they will skip the FIFA World Cup 2026 final draw in Washington, D.C. after several members of their delegation were denied U.S. visas, according to state news agency IRNA. The federation said the decision is connected to issues beyond football and has asked FIFA to intervene. The draw is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.

Getty Images SportBoycott reason explained.

The Iranian Football Federation’s spokesman said the delegation encountered visa issues and informed FIFA it would not attend the Dec. 5 ceremony at the Kennedy Center, according to ESPN. Tehran said only partial approvals were granted and that the decision was based on the federation’s stated principles.

The delegation was expected to be led by federation president Mehdi Taj, who is also a vice president of the Asian Football Confederation and serves on two FIFA committees involved in World Cup operations.

AdvertisementGetty Images NewsWhite house travel restrictions

The visa denials come in the context of President Donald Trump’s June 2025 executive order establishing travel restrictions for citizens of 12 countries, including Iran. The order includes exemptions for “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino recently addressed questions about access to the United States for upcoming tournaments. Speaking at the FIFA Congress, he said the U.S. government has assured FIFA that international visitors, including fans, will be welcomed at the 2026 World Cup. Infantino said these assurances followed meetings between FIFA and U.S. officials as part of the White House Task Force on FIFA World Cups.

Infantino has made similar remarks in recent months, emphasizing continued coordination with U.S. government agencies to ensure security, travel, and transportation logistics for international attendees. Human Rights Watch has separately urged FIFA to monitor developments closely and be prepared to reassess planning if required.

Boycott's impact

Iran’s decision comes as organizers prepare for the largest World Cup to date, with 48 teams set to participate in the June 11-July 19 tournament. The expanded format increases the number of participating nations and the logistical considerations involved for FIFA.

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AFPDraw ceremony proceeds amid uncertainty

The World Cup draw ceremony will take place as scheduled on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., determining the group assignments for the 48 participating nations. The White House has not yet commented on Iran's boycott announcement. 

Celtic captain Callum McGregor carried the team on his back against St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, securing the win with a stunning strike from distance.

The former Scotland international delivered a staggering finish from outside of the box in the 95th minute for the Hoops, when the game felt destined to end with a 0-0 draw.

Interim head coach Martin O’Neill needed his captain to step up with that goal because it was an underwhelming performance that will leave several players concerned about their place in the starting line-up.

For example, the Northern Irish manager should ruthlessly drop left-winger Sebastian Tounekti from the team ahead of the clash with Feyenoord on Thursday night in the Europa League.

Why Celtic should drop Sebastian Tounekti

The Tunisia international was a breath of fresh air after his move from Hammarby at the end of the summer transfer window, as he got fans off their seats with his exciting play on his debut against Kilmarnock.

Unfortunately, though, the 23-year-old forward has failed to add end product to his exciting play, with a return of two goals and no assists in 14 appearances in all competitions for the club, per Transfermarkt.

On top of his struggles in the final third throughout the season so far, Tounekti’s all-round performances in the last two Premiership games have left too much to be desired.

Minutes

78

67

Shots

2

1

Goals

0

0

Key passes

0

1

Big chances created

0

0

Dribbles completed

2/10

2/6

Duels won

3/13

3/11

As you can see in the table above, the Hoops winger failed to deliver much in the way of quality against Kilmarnock or St Mirren, whilst struggling badly with the physical side of the game.

With this in mind, O’Neill could ruthlessly ditch Tounekti from the starting line-up on Thursday by unleashing Paulo Bernardo in a brand-new role on the left flank.

Why Paulo Bernardo should be played on the left wing

The Portuguese central midfielder has only played six matches in all competitions this season, per Transfermarkt, but unleashing him as a left winger could be a genius move by the interim manager.

Per Transfermarkt, Bernardo has never played as a left midfielder or left winger in his senior career, for Benfica or Celtic, but it is a position that could suit him against Feyenoord.

Against St Mirren, Tounekti and Kieran Tierney often seemed to want to do the same thing, which was to get to the byline to cross the ball, and they got in each other’s way at times.

Playing Bernardo on the left against Feyenoord would provide Tierney, who has delivered four assists in all competitions this season, the freedom of the left flank to deliver crosses, as the ex-Benfica man would drift inside into more central areas in possession, similarly to how Luke McCowan plays when he is deployed on the right wing.

On top of this move potentially unlocking Tierney as an attacking force, it could also provide Bernardo with more opportunities to showcase his talent at the top end of the pitch.

The central midfielder, who was hailed as “tenacious” by Brendan Rodgers, has produced seven goals and seven assists in 83 appearances for the Hoops to date, per Transfermarkt, whilst he has also scored 11 goals in 32 caps for Portugal’s U21s.

This suggests that he does have the potential to provide a threat in the final third if given a chance to play further up the pitch, which is another reason why this brand-new role could be a good move for him.

Therefore, O’Neill should finally ditch Tounekti from the starting XI to try out a pairing of Tierney and Bernardo down the left against Feyenoord on Thursday.

The new Luis Palma: O'Neill must ruthlessly drop "sloppy" Celtic flop

This Celtic flop who was saved by Callum McGregor’s screamer is looking like the new Luis Palma.

ByDan Emery Nov 23, 2025

It is understood that the auction will be held at the end of November, ahead of the 2026 season

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Oct-2025The five franchises in the WPL are set for a revamp, with the BCCI deciding to hold a mega auction ahead of the 2026 season. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the franchises have been told informally about the mega auction, which is likely to be held by end of November.The franchises are awaiting confirmation from the WPL on the number of retentions, the auction purse, the retention slabs and how many right-to-match (RTM) card options would be available. Those decisions will be finalised by the WPL committee, but there is no confirmation on when they are likely to meet. The dates for the 2026 edition are yet to be announced, although the BCCI had indicated earlier that the tournament would be held in the January-February window.The five-team WPL, the most lucrative event in women’s cricket, was launched in 2023 with Mumbai Indians emerging as the inaugural champions. Mumbai are the defending champions, while Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won the title in 2024.It is understood that both Mumbai and RCB, along with Delhi Capitals, losing finalists in all three seasons of the WPL so far, are three teams who were not in favour of the mega auctions. All three franchises, it is learned, reasoned that they have worked hard to build their squads over the past three seasons and asking them to dismantle just when the WPL brand is getting established, could prove to be counter-productive.It is understood, however, that the two other franchises – Gujarat Giants and UP Warriorz – support a mega auction. Both these teams have never made the final and are keen to overhaul their squads and rebuild. One WPL official said that while they understood the reservations of the three franchises against the mega auction, it was important to ensure the tournament had five strong teams, otherwise the imbalance could only harm the brand. The official also pointed out that franchises like RCB have shown in the IPL that they can build their brand identity independent of the players retained, though they agreed the presence of Indian star Virat Kohli was well leveraged by the franchise.Mumbai Indians celebrate with the 2025 WPL trophy•Getty ImagesThis official pointed out that at the same time, the WPL would ensure that teams would still have the opportunity to retain their core. It is understood while some teams were in favour of being allowed to retain at least six or seven players, the WPL could lean closer to five. What also needs to be worked out as part of the retention formula is how many RTMs each team could exercise at the auction along with the combination of capped and uncapped players.For the IPL mega auction in 2025, each of the 10 franchises were allowed a maximum of six retentions via a combination of retention and RTM. The six would comprise a maximum five capped players (Indian/overseas) and maximum of two uncapped Indian players. The RTM option gives a franchise the chance to buy back a player during the auction by matching the highest bid made for the player by another franchise once the bidding is over. The RTM rule has never been used in WPL auctions.The WPL has been viewed as a gamechanger in women’s cricket, especially because of the monetary benefits for players. In 2023, Viacom 18 bought the WPL broadcast rights for INR 951 crore (USD 116.7 million approx.) for the period 2023 to 2027. The per-match value was worth INR 7.09 core (USD 866,000 approx.). India’s star batter Smrit Mandhana, the first player to be bought at the inaugural WPL auction (2023), remains the most expensive buy at INR 3.2 cr ($415,000 approx.).

Manchester United have an exciting production line of stars for the future, and now appear to be interested in adding to that by capturing a gem that shone at the Under-17 World Cup.

The Red Devils will have enjoyed taking some time over the international break to digest what has been a credible start to the Premier League campaign, even if Ruben Amorim came under pressure during the early stages at Old Trafford.

Sitting tenth with a game in hand, Manchester United could move as high as fourth position with three points against Everton on Monday night, albeit they could be without Matheus Cunha due to a surprise injury concern.

Ben Jacobs confirmed on X that the Brazilian had suffered a head knock during training, forcing him to miss Altrincham’s Christmas light switch-on as a result, sparking attention on social media.

Nevertheless, the nature of his injury looks only to be minor, so there may still be a chance that he features against the Toffees if deemed fit to do so by the Red Devils’ medical staff.

As ever, Manchester United will hope to avoid a mounting list of absentees over the festive period. However, that is bound to affect everyone, especially with a heavy fixture schedule.

The January window could prove pivotal at Old Trafford, and the Red Devils are now favourites to sign Ajax prodigy Jorthy Mokio ​​​​​​amid concerns over Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo.

Now, they also have eyes on a gem who performed at his best during the Under-17 World Cup, which has garnered attention from clubs around Europe.

Man Utd make approach to sign Mohamed Zongo

According to Africa Foot, Manchester United have made an approach to sign Tenakourou Academy star Mohamed Zongo, who they are now keen to hold discussions over signing on a permanent basis.

At only 15 years of age, the Burkina Faso youth international shone at the Under-17 World Cup with two goals and three assists to his name, leading to him being dubbed a “revelation” in some quarters.

Earning man of the match awards several times during the competition, his highlight came in a 1-0 victory over Germany where he was the only scorer in a famous victory for his country.

An attacking midfielder by trade and capable of featuring across the forward areas, Zongo is also on the radar of Manchester City, Villarreal and Anderlecht, illustrating how high his ceiling could potentially be with the correct development path.

Ultimately, he still has a tonne of growth left before coming into contention at first-team level overseas. However, Manchester United may be the best environment to earn his stripes.

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