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.
Mainoo 2.0: Man Utd can axe Ugarte for one of England's "best young players"
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a sensational overhead kick on Sunday night in the Saudi Pro League as table-toppers Al-Nassr maintained their perfect start to the 2025-26 season with a ninth win from nine games. The 40-year-old rolled back the years with an eye-catching acrobatic effort in stoppage time and promptly set a challenge for fans on social media after the victory for his side at Al-Awwal Park.
Ronaldo scores stunner for Al-Nassr
The Portuguese superstar may well be very much in the twilight of his sensational career but showed once again on Sunday that he's still more than capable of producing magical moments that will live long in the memory. Goals from Joao Felix, Wesley and Sadio Mane had put Al-Nassr 3-1 up and cruising against Al-Khaleej, until Ronaldo stole all the headlines with a wonderful effort deep into stoppage time to seal another victory in fine style. The 40-year-old posted footage of his goal on social media after the match and set fans a challenge. "Best caption wins!" he wrote on X, inviting supporters to have their say on his latest spectacular effort.
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'Who's topping this?' – Fans react to CR7 stunner
Fans were quick to react to Ronaldo's challenge by replying to his post.
Supporter @Cunha__utd posted: "Cristiano Ronaldo doing this at the age of 40. There’s players at the peak of their game right now who could only dream of doing this. He’s the greatest to ever do it."
And @ararsoabdull added: "Gravity? Never heard of her! At 40, you're rewriting physics books, @Cristiano. Caption: "Aging like fine wine… or should I say, fine goals. Who's topping this?"
Elsewhere, @sandybabyonyii wrote: "Cristiano Ronaldo hit the rewind button on Father Time and ripped in a goal that would make every young baller question their life choices. Pure, vintage carnage."
@ProjectKMbappe added: "When gravity said no, but greatness said yes" and @ Being_Cr7fan replied: "Years change, seasons change… but Ronaldo stays inevitable."
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Ronaldo back with a bang after red card
Ronaldo was back in action for Al-Nassr after seeing red over the international break during World Cup qualifying. The 40-year-old was sent off in Portugal's defeat to Ireland for an elbow on Dara O'Shea and was subsequently sent home by manager Roberto Martinez. Portugal went on to book their place at World Cup 2026 with a 9-1 victory over Armenia, achieved without their talismanic captain, with Ronaldo forced to sit out the game due to suspension. The sending off was Ronaldo's first at international level but means he could now miss Portugal's opening games of the finals in North America. Portugal have reportedly assembled an appeal to FIFA in a bid to cut a potential three-match ban down to one.
Australia 202 for 0 (Healy 113*, Litchfield 84*) beat Bangladesh 198 for 9 (Mostary 66*, Haider 44, King 2-18, Wareham 2-22) by 10 wicketsThis one followed the script, even if it wasn’t a flawless performance by Australia.With back-to-back centuries, Alyssa Healy led Australia to a 10-wicket victory against Bangladesh in Visakhapatnam, some 24 hours after the Colombo weather intervened to ensure there would be no twist featuring Pakistan and England in what has been a predictable World Cup results-wise so far.An unbroken partnership worth 202 with Phoebe Litchfield, who was unbeaten with 84, kept defending champions Australia unbeaten during this edition and moved them ahead of England at the top of the points table, guaranteeing a place in the semi-finals.Alana King was pivotal in restricting Bangladesh to 198 for 9 with an impressive 2 for 18 from her 10 overs, which included four maidens. Fellow legspinner Georgia Wareham finished with 2 for 22 from seven.Meanwhile, Australia coughed up a rare six dropped catches, missed an appeal for another and leaked 28 runs from the last three overs of the Bangladesh innings, most of them to Sobhana Mostary who posted a spirited 66 not out.Sobhana Mostary punches one straight down the ground•ICC/Getty Images
But with only Rubya Haider joining Mostary in passing 19 among the Bangladesh batting line-up, their total looked too lean.So it proved as Healy followed her 142 against India at the same venue with 113 off just 77 balls to lead her side to the highest successful run chase without losing a wicket at a Women’s World Cup and the second-highest in women’s ODIs.She finished with a flourish, striking three consecutive fours through the off side off Ritu Moni and Litchfield ended their pursuit with 25.1 overs to spare via back-to-back boundaries in the next over off Fariha Trisna.That said, Trisna, playing her first match of the tournament while fellow seamer Marufa Akter was rested, opened with a maiden and Nishita Akter Nishi, brought in for injured spinner Nahida Akter, conceded just three off her first over as Healy and Litchfield settled into a rhythm.But from there, Australia’s top-order duo pressed the pedal, racing to 78 without loss at the end of the first powerplay, Healy managing to slash one through Fahima Khatun’s hands at midwicket and edging just shy of her off stump for back-to-back fours in the 10th over.Litchfield was particularly proactive early, advancing down the pitch and manipulating her crease en route to a 46-ball fifty shortly after Healy raised her half-century off 43.Nigar Sultana, the Bangladesh captain and regular wicketkeeper gave the gloves to Rubya and directed traffic from the outfield but Ritu Moni looked aghast when Rubya fumbled a stumping chance of her bowling when Litchfield was on 46. Healy received her own slice of luck when her top-edged sweep off Shorna Akter was put down at short fine leg.Alana King finished with figures of 10-4-18-2•ICC/Getty Images
King and Wareham had kept Bangladesh in check despite Mostary’s efforts as she scored the second half-century of her ODI career – and second at this World Cup – to help Bangladesh to their highest ODI total against Australia.Rubya added a valuable 44 runs amid an uncharacteristic rash of missed opportunities by Australia. She was twice dropped on 22, Litchfield failing to hold a tough chance at slip off Megan Schutt and Healy spilling one behind the stumps off Darcie Brown. She moved to 44 off 59 balls before picking out Tahlia McGrath at mid-on to give Ash Gardner her first wicket.King took two wickets for just one run in the space of 23 balls through the middle overs. She extended Nigar’s lean run with the one that enticed her out of her crease then turned away as Healy whipped off the bails in time, and then drew Shorna into an edge which went low to Beth Mooney at slip.Wareham tightened Australia’s grip with her first five overs yielding just six runs and the wickets of Ritu and Rabeya Khan to make it 162 for 8. Interspersed with those dismissals, Annabel Sutherland removed Fahima and Nishita, the latter after overturning an lbw decision, and she now sits at the top of the leading wicket-takers’ list outright for the tournament with 12.Mostary could have been gone on 32 when she flicked at a short ball down the leg side from Brown that was signalled wide to a muted Australian appeal with replays showing it had come off her glove before Healy gathered.Mostary launched a campaign for late runs, steering a Gardner delivery through deep third for four to bring up her fifty. Gardner saw Mostary put down twice off consecutive balls when Sutherland couldn’t hold what would have been an excellent catch running to wide long-on and Wareham parried one to the boundary rope from deep midwicket.But Australia’s efforts with the ball and the bat papered over some cracks they will certainly be aiming to fill permanently ahead of next Wednesday’s clash with England.
The final international break of the year came at the worst time possible for West Ham United.
After months of dire football and worse results, Nuno Espírito Santo looked to have finally got a tune out of the East Londoner, beating Newcastle United and Burnley in back-to-back Premier League games.
Fortunately, the break has come to an end and the Hammers finally get the chance to continue their good form with a challenging game away to Bournemouth, albeit without the talismanic Lucas Paqueta, who is suspended.
However, while the loss of the Brazilian is a big one, Nuno can minimise its impact by letting Mateus Fernandes pick up the attacking slack and starting someone with shades of Declan Rice alongside Freddie Potts.
Why Fernandes should start in Paqueta's place
Now, in the last two games, Nuno has opted for a midfield three of Paqueta, Potts and Fernandes, with the Brazilian obviously playing as the more attacking midfielder of the three.
With him out of contention, it makes sense for the responsibility of being more forward-thinking to fall on the Portuguese star’s shoulders, as the Englishman is far better suited to being an all-action box-to-box type.
While this change might worry some fans, it shouldn’t, as while he’s not reached the level of the former Lyon ace just yet, he is more than capable of doing so.
For example, while he’s spent plenty of time in the central midfield role, he spent more time playing as an attacking midfielder during his time at Southampton.
Moreover, during his time in Portugal, respected analyst Ben Mattinson highlighted the fact that he could play “those KDB-type passes” with relative ease.
Furthermore, despite playing for a team that, for some time, looked in danger of breaking Derby County’s most unwanted record last season, the 21-year-old still produced six goal involvements in 36 league games.
Finally, FBref ranked him in the top 11% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the league last season for attempted and completed long passes as well as the top 14% for passes into the final third, all per 90.
Overall, Fernandes is more than good enough to pick up the creative slack in Paqueta’s absence, and Nuno has someone in the squad who can come in as a partner to Potts to help with the less glamorous side of the game.
The Rice-like midfielder Nuno should start
While Nuno might be tempted to bring someone like Tomáš Souček back into the side for this game, he really shouldn’t, as Bournemouth will make it an intense and frenetic encounter.
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Therefore, the manager should turn to someone capable of dealing with that, if not thriving in it, someone like £17m summer signing, Soungoutou Magassa.
The Frenchman is still relatively young and certainly needs to develop some areas of his game, but he has all the ingredients to be a monstrous all-action midfielder.
Described as a “a forward-thinking” talent by respected analyst Ben Mattinson, who is blessed with “pure athleticism” and can “spray passes wide out to the wings,” the 22-year-old would be excellent alongside Potts.
Moreover, his profile, combined with his ability to play centre-back, makes comparisons to a young Rice impossible to ignore.
With that said, if you are still unconvinced, you only need to look at his underlying numbers to see how promising a player he is.
For example, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues for tackles and blocks, the top 2% for ball recoveries, the top 4% for interceptions, the top 12% for switches, and more, all per 90.
Magassa’s Scout Report
Statistics
Per 90
Percentile
Tackles
3.78
Top 1%
Tackles (Def 3rd)
1.72
Top 1%
Dribblers Tackled
2.05
Top 1%
Dribbles Challenged
3.86
Top 1%
Blocks
2.22
Top 1%
Tkl+Int
5.42
Top 1%
Ball Recoveries
7.31
Top 2%
Tackles (Att 3rd)
0.57
Top 4%
Shots Blocked
0.66
Top 4%
Passes Blocked
1.56
Top 4%
Interceptions
1.64
Top 4%
Tackles (Mid 3rd)
1.48
Top 8%
Shots on Target %
42.9%
Top 9%
Successful Take-On %
61.9%
Top 10%
Switches
0.66
Top 12%
Through Balls
0.41
Top 13%
Tackles Won
1.64
Top 13%
Successful Take-Ons
1.07
Top 13%
All Stats via FBref
In other words, the “composed” midfielder, as dubbed by Mattinson, is superb when it comes to the defensive side of the game, but is also more than capable of kick-starting an attack from deep.
Ultimately, while it’s not ideal, Nuno should start a midfield three of Fernandes, Potts and Magassa against Bournemouth, as that should be the best way to deal with Paqueta’s absence and pick up three points.
Bigger talent than Potts: West Ham must rue losing England's future 9 for £0
The incredible attacker would have been just the player West Ham United need.
TORONTO — The inside story of how the Toronto Blue Jays won the American League pennant begins where most stories do about the peskiest, most annoying and toughest-to-kill team to make it to the World Series in a decade: the batting cage.
It was about two hours before Game 3 of the AL Championship Series at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. The Blue Jays trailed the Mariners two games to none, having fallen so flat in two home losses that they lost to two pitchers on short rest. Of most concern was the rare clunkiness of the swing of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the heartbeat of the offense and, at a freshly invested $500 million, of the entire franchise.
In going 0-for-7, Guerrero grounded out six times, three times in back-to-back games for the first time all year. Toronto is 19–33 when Guerrero is held hitless.
“Time to go to work,” hitting coach David Popkins said to Guerrero.
When Guerrero is right, he wields a Lamborghini of a swing. It is long (7.5 feet), fast (76.7 mph, eighth fastest in MLB) and sleek (at 1°, he has the flattest attack angle in MLB). He shifts smoothly through many gears to get it on time: step back, bat tilt, stride and crescendo. But it kept misfiring oddly in Games 1 and 2.
On the off day before Game 3, Popkins looked at the diagnostics and discovered the problem. It wasn’t the swing. It was a timing issue. Guerrero was making contact only a few inches or so farther in front of his body than ideal, turning line drives and long flyballs into turf-hugging grounders.
What Popkins needed to do was the equivalent of replacing the timing belt, chain and tensioner. Don’t overhaul anything; just re-set the timing.
Popkins brought Guerrero into the cage to hit against the curveball machine.
“It slows him down,” Popkins says. “Let’s him get a little confidence in his path.”
After Guerrero left the shop, he hummed through the remaining five ALCS games by slashing .526/.609/1.158 to win the ALCS MVP and continue one of the most sublime hitting performances in postseason history. Guerrero is the first player to slug as many as six homers in a postseason while striking out just three times. Barry Bonds (2002) and Albert Pujols (’04) whiffed a previous-low six times while banging six homers.
The story is instructive because of how the Blue Jays play offensive baseball as designed by a hitting coach who went undrafted out of college, played six minor league seasons without reaching Triple A, including three seasons with the Wild Things (of Washington, Pa.) and the Canaries (of Sioux Falls, S.D.), and who, after being fired by the Twins, was hired by Toronto manager John Schneider after meeting him for the first time. Turning 36 next month, Popkins is two months younger than Toronto DH George Springer.
“I’m a big fight fan,” Popkins says, “and you’ve got to be able to win different ways. You’ve got to be able to wear out the body … You’ve got to be unpredictable. And that's what we pride ourselves on.
“If we were a fighter, we’d be Jon Jones or maybe Floyd Mayweather. That’s the type of offense I say I want. It’s just this dynamic fighter. And we're going to face a great challenge in L.A.”
How the Blue Jays Match Up With the Dodgers
The World Series starts Friday in Toronto, not L.A., because the Blue Jays, fighters to the finish that they are, ground out four wins in their last four games to not only seal the AL East title but also wrest homefield from the Dodgers by one game. The series is blockbuster stuff if only for whatever jaw-dropping unprecedented greatness Shohei Ohtani has in store for us, this time against the Blue Jays, the team that thought it had a shot at signing him before the Dodgers closed the deal. Ohtani loves hitting at Rogers Centre (.288/.417/.610 in 16 games) because it reminds him of the Sapporo Dome, his former home with the Nippon Ham Fighters. In his first trip to Rogers Centre after signing with Los Angeles, Ohtani, for one of the rare times, was roundly booed—to which he responded by smashing a home run.
But for a baseball aficionado, the series is a fascinating contrast—to borrow from Popkins’s love of pugilism—of fighting styles. It’s the swing-and-miss stuff of the Dodgers’ pitchers versus the feint-jab-and-slug peppering of the Blue Jays. It’s an especially delicious matchup for Popkins, who went to minor league camp in 2019 with the Dodgers and coached in the Dodgers’ minor league system in ’20 and ’21.
“It’s going to be great,” Popkins says, “You know, I love those guys. They’re great, great players, a great staff, a great organization. I love those guys over there. And it's going to be a great, great matchup.
“Still to this day I still talk to a good amount of those guys and I can’t wait. I couldn’t be more happy that it’s them. This movie could not have written itself any better than this. I can’t wait.”
The Blue Jays blitzed the Yankees in the ALDS by hitting .338 and they sent Seattle home by putting the ball in play against the Mariners’ steady diet of in-zone fastballs. Toronto struck out only 40 times in seven ALCS games while Seattle fanned 71 times.
The Game 7 sequence for Toronto that turned a 3–1 defeat into a 4–3 win in the seventh inning was vintage 2025 Blue Jays when it came to throwing combinations. Leadoff walk (Addison Barger), 0-and-2 single (Isiah Kiner-Falefa), sacrifice bunt (Andrés Giménez), earth-shaking, roof-raising, drought-killing, jaw-dropping three-run bomb by George Springer. Gnats are less irritating than the Toronto lineup.
Seattle manager Dan Wilson kept bringing in fastball-pumping strike throwers: George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Eduard Bazardo. The Mariners chucked more heaters this regular season than any team (55.5%) and they boosted that percentage in the ALCS (59%). It did not work, not against the contact-heavy, ambush-happy Toronto lineup.
After the Giménez bunt, Wilson had eight outs to cover to get the Mariners to their first World Series. He had one more at-bat each with which to navigate against Springer and Guerrero. He chose to put the lead and those at-bats not in the hands of his closer, Andrés Muñoz, but a rubber-armed Bazardo.
Putting Bazardo on Springer meant Muñoz never faced Springer in the series but Bazardo would get him for a third time. The first pitch was a sinker that missed. Bazardo had thrown Springer eight pitches in the series. Seven were sinkers. Four of those were inside sinkers. What do you think Bazardo would throw at 1-and-0 on the ninth pitch? Yep, sinker inside.
At every turn, the Mariners could not shut down innings and get off the field without stress, if not runs. The Blue Jays struck out 1,099 times this year, the fewest for a full-season World Series team since the 2017 Astros, or, if you dismiss teams that cheat to steal signs, the 2015 Royals.
Dodgers pitchers are averaging 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings this postseason. The Dodgers need only to make 17 plays in the field to win a game. They are not an elite defensive team. Their defensive efficiency (turning batted balls into outs) ranked 11th, their worst showing in a decade. They ranked below average in defensive runs saved. By putting the ball in play and turning the lineup over, the Blue Jays can pressure the Dodgers defense and the trigger of manager Dave Roberts as to when he goes to his bullpen.
The Blue Jays came back from a 2–0 series deficit to win the ALCS. / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
“I think one of the things that’s so exciting about this group,” says vice president of baseball operations Ross Atkins, “is regardless of the talent or the skill level, we have something to combat it with.
“We’ve shown that that [Seattle staff] was about as good a pitching as you're going to see, and we were able to not just put it in play, but drive it. So that would be the same approach. Really, nothing changes.”
The Positive Effects of Hitting Coach David Popkins
The Blue Jays were a bad offensive club last season. They ranked sixth in fewest strikeouts, 19th in batting average, 23rd in runs and 26th in home runs. Immediately at the conclusion of the season they fired hitting coach Guillermo Martínez. About two weeks later, they flew in four candidates to interview on the same day. Popkins was the last of the four to sit down with Schneider.
“I didn’t know him at all,” Schneider says. “All I knew was that Rocco Baldelli and Jayce Tingler had high recommendations for him.”
“At the end of the interview,” Schneider says, “I got up and walked into Ross’s office and said, ‘I think we’ve got our guy.’ He was that impressive.”
Popkins had been fired by the Twins, where Baldelli managed and Tingler was the bench coach.
Something Popkins told Schneider that day would not only impress the manager but also become the mantra of the Blue Jays’ offense: “We want to be the most creative offense in baseball. We want more ways to score runs than anybody else.”
The effects were obvious, even if Toronto ran back mostly the same lineup but for free agent acquisition Anthony Santander, who played in only 54 games because of injuries. The Jays upgraded to second fewest strikeouts, first in batting average, fourth in runs and 11th in home runs.
When it comes to facing swing-and-miss, strikeout-heavy pitching staffs, the Blue Jays are fine with punching above their weight. The Yankees ranked seventh in strikeout rate (23.7%). The Mariners ranked ninth (23.3%). The Dodgers ranked second (24.8%).
The Blue Jays will not see as many challenge fastballs as they did from the Mariners. The Dodgers swept the Brewers by throwing just 40.8% fastballs. Their four starters—Ohtani, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow—threw just 37.5% fastballs. The World Series will turn on how Toronto can defeat, or at least withstand, the swing-and-miss spin and splitters from Dodgers pitchers.
“The guys are really about team at-bats,” Popkins says. “There's no one that’s selfish in our lineup, so it just makes it a tough one through nine. You kind of have to grind through it. Usually with a lot of lineups, you have a breather when you're a pitcher and you kind of just go through and attack them. There’s no stamina that’s wasted on a pitcher.
“But this team? You can really wear guys down mentally and their stamina breaks down. That’s when they make mistakes.”
I tell him that sounds like the line he gave Schneider in the interview about his philosophy.
“The most creative offensive team in baseball,” he says, like a proud parent.
حقق منتخب عمان الفوز على نظيره فريق جزر القمر، في إطار منافسات دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العرب.2025
وواجه منتخب عمان نظيره منتخب جزر القمر، في الساعة السابعة مساء بتوقيت القاهرة في الجولة الثالثة من دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس العرب.
طالع.. ترتيب مجموعة المغرب والسعودية في كأس العرب 2025
ويقع منتخب عمان في المجموعة الثانية في مجموعات كأس العرب رفقة منتخبات جزر القمر والسعودية والمغرب.
وحقق منتخب عمان الفوز منتخب جزر القمر بهدفين مقابل هدف، في المباراة التي جمعت بين الفريقين مساء اليوم في كأس العرب.
وأحرز ثنائية منتخب عمان في مرمى جزر القمر اللاعب عصام الصبحي في الدقيقتين 30 و45 من عمر الشوط الأول، بينما قلص منتخب جزر القمر النتيجة في الدقيقة 68 من الشوط الثاني.
وبهذه النتيجة رفع منتخب عمان رصيده إلى 4 نقاط في المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب المجموعة، بينما تذيل جزر القمر الترتيب بدون أي رصيد من النقاط.
ورغم فوز عمان على جزر القمر، الا أن منتخب المغرب ضمن تأهله إلى ربع نهائي كأس العرب لتودع عمان البطولة من دور المجموعات رفقة منتخب جزر القمر. أهداف عمان وجزر القمر في كأس العرب
Mere days after the Rangers and manager Bruce Bochy mutually agreed to end his managerial duties, the franchise has already landed on its new skipper.
It didn't have to look far, as Texas has reportedly hired Skip Schumaker as their next manager, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. After a two-year stint as the Marlins' manager, he spent this past season with the Rangers as a special assistant.
Schumaker, 45, was brought in as a senior advisor to president of baseball operations Chris Young after his tenure with Miami came to a close. He was the National League's Manager of the Year in 2023 after he led Miami to an 84-78 record and a wild-card berth.
When Texas announced that Bochy would not be returning as manager, the team mentioned that he had been offered a role to remain with the franchise in their front office in an advisory capacity. Bochy, 70, spent three seasons in the Rangers' dugout and led the team to their first World Series title in '23. He won three World Series championships as the Giants' manager, a position he held from 2007 to '19 after more than a decade leading the Padres.
Em baixa, German Cano viu outros jogadores assumirem a responsabilidade pelos gols do Fluminense em 2024. Até o momento, o jogador com mais gols pelo Tricolor na temporada marcou seis vezes e está empatado com mais um atleta. Confira a lista completa!
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➡️ Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Fluminense
O Tricolor ainda não se encontrou. Nesta temporada, a equipe atuou em 30 jogos, com 14 vitórias, oito empates e oito derrotas. O time marcou 39 gols e sofreu 33.
No Maracanã, foram 12 partidas, com seis vitórias, três empates e três derrotas, totalizando 58,3% de aproveitamento. Em 2023, nesta altura da temporada, o Fluminense tinha 14 jogos no estádio, com 11 vitórias, dois empates e apenas uma derrota. O aproveitamento era de 78,6% neste período.
Player representatives have reiterated their fear of burnout in the wake of the full fixture release for the 2026 domestic season in England and Wales.Following the announcement of the County Championship and One-Day Cup schedules on Thursday, the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) was particularly critical of the period from late August to late September, which comprises six rounds of Championship fixtures and the 50-over final.The 2026 Rothesay County Championship will be played in three blocks of matches – with each side playing a total of 14 times after counties rejected a proposal earlier this year to cut the number of first-class games to 13, a decision which had already raised the ire of the players’ union.Related
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Each county will play six matches during the first seven-week block, with all matches during that period starting on a Friday. A mid-summer block will be staged in June with each county playing twice while the third block of matches begins on August 20 with each team playing six times. The final round begins on September 24.Daryl Mitchell, the PCA Chief Executive, said he “feared” for that latter part of the season.”Unfortunately, the County Championship schedule does raise concerns with player burnout with mental and physical dangers attached to an overly intense end to the season following the conclusion of The Hundred,” Mitchell said.”The reduction of just one game could have gone a long way to resolving a period that does not look manageable for the majority. I already fear this section of the season.”This is through no fault of the schedulers, but the decision by the county Chairs to not allow for sufficient minimum standards regarding time between games has meant we have a period of 12 days of Championship cricket in just over two weeks with some lengthy travel for the majority.”Nottinghamshire will open their County Championship title defence at Somerset while Leicestershire and Glamorgan, both back in Division One for the first time in more than two decades, host Sussex and Yorkshire respectively in the opening round from April 3.Nottinghamshire won their first Championship trophy for 15 years and seventh overall when their South African wicketkeeper, Kyle Verreynne, hit a six to secure a batting bonus point and top spot in Division One on the penultimate day of the 2025 season.Lancashire, winners of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup Women’s Competition and the Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup, will begin their 50-over title defence away to Durham on April 11 ahead of a historic first professional Roses clash with Yorkshire at Emirates Old Trafford on April 25.Yorkshire, the 2025 Metro Bank One-Day Cup Women’s League 2 champions, begin life as a Tier 1 side away to Somerset after their elevation to the top flight was brought forward by one year following a restructure of the women’s domestic competition ahead of last season.Men’s One-Day Cup champions Worcestershire Rapids will begin their 2026 campaign at home to Derbyshire Falcons on July 24, with groups randomly drawn and each county playing once against every team in their group.Gloucestershire, Kent Spitfires, Lancashire, Leicestershire Foxes, Northamptonshire Steelbacks, Notts Outlaws, Somerset, Surrey and Warwickshire make up Group A while Group B comprises Derbyshire Falcons, Durham, Essex, Glamorgan, Hampshire, Middlesex, Sussex Sharks, Worcestershire Rapids and Yorkshire.The One-Day Cup Women’s final will be played at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton on Saturday, September 19 followed by both the men’s final at Trent Bridge and the Women’s League 2 Final at Seat Unique Stadium in Bristol the following day.Ellie Threlkeld holds the One-Day Cup aloft•ECB via Getty Images
The second season of the Vitality T20 Women’s County Cup will involve 37 counties vying for a place on finals day at Emirates Old Trafford on August 29, including inaugural champions Lancashire Thunder.The opening round, from April 26, features 28 counties before the nine Tier 1 counties – Durham, Essex, Hampshire, Lancashire Thunder, Somerset, Surrey, The Blaze, Warwickshire and Yorkshire – enter the competition in Round 3 from June 21.Two all-Tier 1 ties have been confirmed for Round 3 with The Blaze at home to Durham and Yorkshire hosting Somerset.The PCA noted favourably a significant reduction in back-to-back games across men’s and women’s T20 fixtures, announced on Tuesday, down from 54 in 2025 to just six next season.Olly Hannon-Dalby, the PCA Chair, believed that holding the men’s Blast Finals Day ahead of the Hundred along with an improved schedule and less travel represented significant progress.”For the first time in a number of years, I feel the men’s Blast will have the energy and priority within the schedule to show everybody just how great this competition is,” he said. “The Vitality Blast lining up on an equal platform with men’s and women’s teams is something I’m very passionate about and is absolutely the right way to grow the game. We’ve seen the success in The Hundred and double headers should be an opportunity to attract bigger crowds for all.”But he echoed Mitchell’s concern over the Championship schedule.”At a time when many counties have threadbare squads, to start six four-day games and a 50-over final in the space of five weeks is so far from optimum it is something that needs addressing,” Hannon-Dalby said.”We will actively be canvassing opinion on how we could avoid this congestion in the future with options such as starting the season slightly earlier or ending it later. Conversations need to continue to prioritise the wellbeing of its players.”