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Siraj, Rabada and Prasidh Krishna form a new and possibly potent pace attack at Gujarat Titans

Abhimanyu Bose18-Mar-20256:35

Chopra, Harbhajan back Gill to star for ‘strong’ GT

Where they finished last year

Gujarat Titans, after winning the IPL and reaching the final in their first two years, failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 2024. They finished eighth in the league, with five wins, seven defeats and two washouts in their last two matches.

What’s new in IPL 2025?

After the rebuild at the mega auction, Titans have a brand new pace attack spearheaded by Mohammed Siraj (INR 12.25 crore), Kagiso Rabada (INR 10.75 crore) and Prasidh Krishna (INR 9.5 crore). They also have plenty of fast-bowling depth in Gerald Coetzee, Ishant Sharma, Gurnoor Brar, and left-armers Kulwant Khejroliya and Arshad Khan.Related

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Titans look set to open their batting with an exciting new partnership between Jos Buttler, bought for INR 15.75 crore, and captain Shubman Gill. Buttler had a tough time in India earlier this year, though he was England’s top-scorer in the T20I series, and also in the Champions Trophy, where his team’s group-stage exit forced him to step down as their limited-overs captain. After making 863 runs in IPL 2022, Buttler didn’t pass 400 in 2023 and 2024, but his hundred at Eden Gardens last year to chase down 224 against KKR ranks among the league’s most legendary innings.There has been an addition to Titans’ coaching team, headed by Ashish Nehra, with former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade, who played for Titans until last year, joining as assistant coach.

Likely best XII

1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Jos Buttler* (wk), 3 B Sai Sudharsan, 4 Sherfane Rutherford/Glenn Phillips*, 5 Washington Sundar, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Shahrukh Khan, 8 Rashid Khan*, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Kagiso Rabada*, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Prasidh Krishna
Full GT squad

Big question

Watch out for

When Gill made 890 runs in IPL 2023, he seemed a certainty in India’s future T20I team. But a cooling off of his form and the rise of competitors have forced him to the sidelines. Gill was not part of the squad that won the T20 World Cup 2024, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had opened for India, and even after Rohit and Kohli retired from the format, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have overtaken Gill in the queue. He needs another explosive IPL to bring him back into India’s T20 plans.Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada: team-mates at MI Cape Town, and now at GT too•SA20While Titans have a solid top three in Gill, Buttler and Sai Sudharsan, and a finisher in Rahul Tewatia, the rest of their batting line-up lacks proven IPL pedigree. The options for the middle and lower order are Sherfane Rutherford or Glenn Phillips (who have played ten and eight IPL matches, respectively), Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Anuj Rawat and Mahipal Lomror. Unless some of these batters surpass what they have done in the past, Titans could find themselves too top heavy this season.

Key stats

• Buttler has had success at his new home ground, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad: he has 317 runs in eight T20s there, with two fifties and a hundred – against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2022.
• With 12 wickets each, Rabada and Rashid were the joint-highest wicket-takers in MI Cape Town’s successful run to the SA20 title this season.
• Since the end of IPL 2024, only three bowlers have taken more T20 wickets than Rashid, but none of them have a better average or economy rate. In fact, among bowlers with more than 40 wickets in this period, Rashid has the best average, and only Noor Ahmad (6.52) has a better economy rate than his 6.61.

Who’s out or in doubt?

Gujarat Titans are set to go into IPL 2025 with a fully fit squad. Sudharsan, their highest run-scorer last season, had surgery for a sports hernia last December, but is ready now. Shahrukh, who was injured for the second phase of the Ranji Trophy and most of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, is also good to go.

The big prize on the horizon is the ODI World Cup, but it’s only nine months until the next men’s T20 edition takes place in West Indies and the USA

Firdose Moonda and Andrew McGlashan28-Aug-20233:47

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Dewald Brevis

You probably already know this name but if you don’t, remember it: Dewald Brevis. Tipped to become South Africa’s next big batting thing since finishing as the leading run-scorer at the 2022 Under-19 World Cup, Brevis has had to wait 18 months to crack the senior side and has racked up a host of domestic accolades in the meantime. Apart from deals in the IPL, CPL and MLC, he was the 13th highest run-scorer in last season’s SA20 and the second-highest in the domestic T20 competition, where he smashed an incredible 162 from 57 balls against Knights – the fifth-highest score in the format ever. He is known for his audacious batting ability, fearless strokeplay and love for boundaries so expect some big shots if he gets to make his debut.Related

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Josh Inglis

As is often the lot of the reserve wicketkeeper, Josh Inglis has carried a lot of drinks for Australia. It was something noted by George Bailey, the selection chair, when this squad was named. The three matches against South Africa will offer Inglis his best run of games since facing Sri Lanka in early 2022. Having initially been earmarked as a potential finisher around the time of the 2021 T20 World Cup, he impressed against Sri Lanka batting at No. 3 and No. 5. It seems likely he will again slot in higher up the order, with finishing duties left to the likes of Marcus Stoinis and Tim David. Inglis will want to take his opportunity, though, because Matthew Wade’s T20I is not as over as it appeared after last year’s World Cup and he is now with this squad as Glenn Maxwell’s replacement, although is not expected to keep wicket in the series.

Matthew Breetzke

It’s been a slow burn for top-order batter Matthew Breetzke, who has consistently been among the top domestic run-scorers but has not found a place in a national squad until now. In the 2021 CSA Provincial T20 Cup, he was the second leading run-scorer and went on to enjoy his most profitable summer the following year. In the 2022-23 season, he averaged just under 40 in List A cricket and close to 50 in T20s. He offers stability in the top three, safe hands behind the stumps and the experience of six years on the domestic scene and will hope he can use this series to start to establish him on the international stage.Dewald Brevis is one of the most talked-about young batters in South Africa•SA20

Matt Short

Assuming David Warner reaches next year’s T20 World Cup as he has planned, there’s a spot vacant alongside him. The uncapped Matt Short, last year’s BBL player of the season after 458 runs and 11 wickets, is among the contenders and Steven Smith’s withdrawal from this series should ensure he gets an opportunity. It could be that he opens with Adelaide Strikers team-mate Travis Head in what may develop into a tussle for a World Cup spot. He is coming off the back of playing the Hundred for Northern Superchargers where he had a strike-rate of 166.66. Short’s offspin, which he has bowled in the powerplay, is another strong to his bow.

Donovan Ferreira

A surprise big-earner at the SA20 auction last year, Donovan Ferreira was picked up for R5.5 million (approx US$300,000) by Joburg Super Kings and was the fifth-highest purchase of the tournament. But the Chennai-backed squad knew what they were doing. Ferreira proved himself as a finisher with the bat in the previous two season’s domestic tournaments and has subsequently also earned IPL, CPL and Zim Afro T10 deals. In the last of those, he grabbed headlines when he hit five successive sixes in one match. With Quinton de Kock rested from the T20Is, he could take the gloves at least once, with Tristan Stubbs and Breetzke also likely to be given opportunity and should see this as a chance to be considered for next year’s T20 World Cup.Can Matt Short translate his BBL form onto the international stage?•Getty Images

Spencer Johnson

From Australia’s perspective, no one is going to be watched more over the next few weeks than Spencer Johnson. At 27 he is starting to make up for lost time after a string of injuries; the speed of his elevation to the international stage is remarkable. The selectors have an eye on him as an option across all formats and he will now remain in South Africa for the ODIs due to Mitchell Starc’s groin injury. Given the condensed nature of the schedule he will likely play two of the three T20Is and then also be rotated through the 50-over matches.

England batter suspects he’s still suffering from long Covid after gruelling winter away

Matt Roller26-May-2021When Tom Banton finished England’s T20I series at home to Pakistan as their leading run-scorer last summer, he seemed to have the world at his feet.Banton was county cricket’s breakout star in 2019, impressing in Somerset’s Royal London Cup win and finishing second to his opening partner Babar Azam in the Vitality Blast run-scoring charts. As much as the runs, it was his style that caught the eye as he paddled, slogged and reverse-lapped himself into the England squad for the winter’s T20I tour to New Zealand. Soon after, he was travelling to the Big Bash, the Abu Dhabi T10 and the PSL as one of the franchise scene’s hottest young talents, and despite a quieter start to the 2020 summer, quick runs against Pakistan seemed to confirm that status.But the eight months since have been tough. Banton managed 12 runs in three T20Is against Australia at the end of England’s home season and flew straight to the UAE for the IPL – earning him a bizarre rebuke on Twitter from the actor John Cleese for missing Somerset’s Bob Willis Trophy final against Essex. He played only twice for Kolkata Knight Riders, making 8 and 10, and was almost immediately on the plane again, heading to South Africa as a reserve for the white-ball squads.Amid the Covid scare that cut the tour short, Banton pulled out of his planned return to the Brisbane Heat, citing bubble fatigue after so many nights staring at the walls of hotel rooms. Following a handful of cameos in the Abu Dhabi T10, he flew to Pakistan to fulfil his Quetta Gladiators contract; after two single-figure scores, he contracted Covid-19, meaning 10 days of isolation in his Karachi hotel and 10 more back home in the UK. The pandemic has put the franchise treadmill onto a setting so high that even the fastest runners struggle to keep up.”There’s been a lot of quarantine over the last year, and that kind of just tipped me over the edge to say I can’t really go away and do hotels for a while now,” Banton told ESPNcricinfo on Monday, speaking from Twickenham Stadium at a content day for the Hundred.”I pulled out of a few things this winter, but I have to get the balance right. There’s so many things going on every month, either with England or tournaments around the world, and I have to be very clear with what I’m doing and stick to it.”Related

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On top of the Big Bash, Banton also opted out of the IPL auction for this season, choosing instead to return to play in the County Championship for Somerset. The runs are yet to come – he has averaged 14.50 with a top score of 37, and has been left out in two of their last three games – but there are mitigating factors: he has been tasked with opening, having generally played as a middle-order batter in red-ball cricket in the past, and has still been suffering from his experiences over the winter.”I’ve still probably got long Covid,” he said. “My smell and taste aren’t too good still, which is a bit weird – and a bit worrying, actually. It might have had an impact on the runs – who knows? – but apart from that it’s been alright. I’ve felt probably [in] the best form I have done, but obviously the red ball sometimes has your name on it.”[Before the IPL] I’d been in a bubble for a long time. It felt like I’d been away for years. Obviously the IPL is run so differently and it’s so good to be a part of it – growing up as a kid, it’s something I’d always wanted to do, so to actually be there was surreal. I thought I wouldn’t go back into the auction and just get back and play cricket again. To be honest, I wouldn’t have been picked up – I’ve had a pretty quiet year.”I’m not worrying about [Championship form] too much. I enjoy the red-ball stuff but opening – is it suited to me, is it not? I don’t know. I enjoyed it, but it’s obviously tricky and you’ve got to be so patient. I’m looking forward to not worrying about wobbling red balls coming down, or having my stumps blown out. It’s nice to get ready for the Blast and the Hundred – and hopefully England selection – in the summer.”Banton was dropped by Somerset after 116 runs in eight Championship innings•Alex Davidson/Getty ImagesSomerset’s week off in the Championship and Banton’s omission from the side has given him the opportunity to get away from the game for a week, seeing friends in London (though he was busy fixing the back windscreen of his car on Monday, following a break-in). When he gets back to training, his focus will be on building into a two-and-a-half month stretch of white-ball cricket comprising the Blast for Somerset, the Hundred for Welsh Fire, and limited-overs series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan for England, if selected.”It’s a busy summer of white-ball cricket,” he said. “The Hundred felt like it was never going to start at one stage but now here it is, two months away. It’s quite exciting for everyone: the new format will probably take a few games to get used to and then hopefully it’ll be pretty normal from there. It’ll be nice to have coloured kit on and bring back some of the old days from a few years ago, and have some fun again.”It’s a long summer, and one of the last times I played for England I got a few runs against Pakistan. The squad is so strong at the moment that I’ve got to score runs and that’s all I can hope for, but I’m not expecting anything. I’m just going to keep enjoying my cricket – I’ve still enjoyed it over the last year, but sitting in hotels, doing quarantine [and] having no crowds does make a huge difference. I can’t wait for things to get back to normal.”Banton’s Welsh Fire side are bracing for news regarding their overseas signings: Qais Ahmad is expected to play the full tournament and Kieron Pollard is understood to be keen to fulfil his contract following international duty, but Jhye Richardson is among the Australians weighing up a two-week quarantine period on their return home and the possibility of a clash in dates with series in the Caribbean and Bangladesh. Either way, Banton is relishing the chance to target Cardiff’s short straight boundaries.”Fingers crossed they can all come over, but with international commitments, I’m not sure what it’ll be like,” he said. “It’s tricky for Jhye – they have a two-week quarantine when they get back to Australia. It’s not easy for these guys, especially when they’ve just come back from the IPL.”I’ve been [to Cardiff] a few times for a few nights out – my brother [Jacques, who plays for Worcestershire’s 2nd XI] goes to uni there and I have some other friends there, but I’ve played one game there and got 80-odd [64] which started off my whole journey, really. Fingers crossed the same thing happens again this summer: a few scoops, and some hacks and chips over mid-off and mid-on.”

Major League Baseball is finally in the home stretch of the 2025 season. A long, 162-game campaign will come down to the final month of the season as teams jockey for playoff position. Players who can pull their weight in September will be incredibly valuable as the final days tick off the season's calendar.

As we did with the National League, let’s take a look at the players with the best and worst September track records for each American League contender. We've lumped October numbers from the regular season into these calculations since the sample sizes are too small to warrant their own category.

There are some surprises in here, but many of the best players step up with the season on the line.

Detroit TigersBest: Tarik Skubal

Skubal is cruising to his second straight AL Cy Young Award, and based on his track record, there are no signs he'll slow down in September. The 28-year-old has made 19 appearances (18 starts) in the month during his six-year career and is 6–3 with a 2.82 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 113 strikeouts against 17 walks in 92 2/3 innings. Opposing hitters are slashing .184/.230/.326 against him in that time. That .556 OPS against is his second-best of any month, .002 points below May.

Worst: Kyle Finnegan

The Tigers added Finnegan to the back of their bullpen at the trade deadline, and it has paid off as he has yet to allow a run in his first 12 appearances with the team while going 3–0 and earning four saves. But the 33-year-old reliever does not have a good track record in the season's final month.

In 58 career appearances in September and October, Finnegan is 3–10 with a 5.85 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 59 strikeouts against 30 walks in 60 innings. He has allowed 11 home runs, opponents are slashing .289/.375/.477, and his FIP of 5.24 is not encouraging. It is his worst month by far, so Detroit will have to keep an eye on him as the season winds down.

Toronto Blue JaysBest: Bo Bichette

After the weekend defeat in the Premier League, what Arsenal really needed in the Champions League on Wednesday evening was a straightforward victory.

Thankfully for Mikel Arteta’s men, that’s exactly what they got, swatting aside Belgian side Club Brugge 3-0 with relative ease.

The Gunners were at their free-flowing best in the final third, notably scoring two outstanding goals courtesy of Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke.

It was a much-changed side as Arteta chose to rotate and many in red and white in midweek staked their claim for more regular opportunities.

Arsenal's standout performers against Club Brugge

This was a fantastic night for Arsenal’s wingers. With Leandro Trossard injured and Bukayo Saka part of the rested crew on the bench, it meant that Martinelli and Madueke started on the left and right flanks respectively.

Both players have struggled with injuries this season but Martinelli, in particular, has made an impact nearly every time he’s played.

The Brazilian scored the away side’s third and final goal on Wednesday, a beauty from the edge of the area.

That happened to be his fifth goal in his last five Champions League ties, the first player in Arsenal history to record such a statistic.

That said, his colleague on the opposite wing was even better. This was his finest day in Arsenal colours yet.

Signed from Chelsea in the summer, every man and his dog seemed to question why on earth Andrea Berta and Co had brought Madueke to the Emirates Stadium. Well, safe to say he’s proved everyone wrong.

The Englishman bagged his first goal for the club against Bayern Munich a few weeks ago and added two more to his tally this week.

His first was a scorcher from distance. The Arsenal winger burst away from his marker, headed towards the box and then unleashed a fierce effort which crashed off the bar and found the net.

By contrast, his second goal was about as simple as they come. Martin Zubimendi’s cross from the left found Madueke who headed home from a matter of yards out.

There were a number of real positives for Arsenal. It was great to see Gabriel Jesus back on the pitch for the first time after suffering an ACL injury back in January.

Emergency centre-half, Christian Norgaard, also stood out at the back, part of a backline that kept a clean sheet.

With Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba, Cristhian Mosquera and Jurrien Timber all missing through injury, it meant a rare opportunity for the Dane and he took it with aplomb, even if he was playing out of position.

That being said, it wasn’t the finest of nights for another of Arsenal’s summer signings.

Arsenal's worst performer against Club Brugge

This was an evening for those on the fringes to stake their claim. Madueke, Martinelli and Norgaard all took their chances.

Viktor Gyokeres, on the other hand, did not. The question that was raised after this game was, when do we start to worry about the Swede?

When Berta first arrived in north London, his priority task was to find a new striker and one capable of scoring goals.

Well, it looked as though he’d acquired one of Europe’s finest. This is a player who bagged 54 times in 52 games last term for Sporting CP but he has so far failed to translate that form in English football.

To be fair to him, he has largely been starved of service. Arsenal struggle to create clear-cut opportunities for him to score from and that was the same story against Brugge this week.

Chalkboard

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The only chance of note that Gyokeres had came in the first half but it was a half-chance at best, heading the ball straight into the arms of the goalkeeper with a few bodies challenging for the same ball.

Gyokeres did leave the field with three shots to his name but none of them were that noteworthy, which seems to be a familiar trend from his time in north London to date.

That said, the Sweden international does need to be doing more. Even if he has just returned from injury, his 45-minute cameo against Aston Villa at the weekend, combined with his 60-odd minutes on Wednesday, were not good enough.

Gyokeres vs Club Brugge

Minutes played

62

Touches

12

Accurate passes

5/6 (83%)

Key passes

1

Crosses

0

Shots

3

Shots on target

1

Successful dribbles

0

Ground duels won

0/3

Aerial duels won

2/3

Stats via Sofascore.

He had just 12 touches of the ball in Belgium, 25 fewer than goalkeeper David Raya. Furthermore, he also managed just five passes.

There is a sense that Gyokeres has vastly improved his hold-up play and ability to link things together at the top of this Arsenal team since signing from Sporting. However, he was brought to London to score goals and he’s simply not doing that with any regularity right now.

It is only December. We must not completely write off the big-money attacker before he’s had a full season. For now, however, it doesn’t look great.

Arsenal have looked a much better team with Mikel Merino as the number 9 and you’d expect him to start against Wolves in that role on Saturday night ahead of Gyokeres.

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Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward Richarlison added to his impressive Premier League season so far with a goal against Brentford on Saturday.

The Brazilian marksman scored his sixth league goal of the campaign, in his ninth start, by tapping the ball into an empty net from Xavi Simons’ ball to the back post.

Richarlison, signed from Everton for £60m in 2022, is starting to show that he can be relied upon in the final third, but the same cannot be said of Randal Kolo Muani.

Spurs eyeing new move for striker target

Now, the club are reportedly looking at a deal for another number nine who could come in as an instant upgrade on the PSG loanee next month.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur are readying a new move to sign Crystal Palace centre-forward Jean-Philippe Mateta in the January transfer window.

The report claims that the Lilywhites are looking to take advantage of his stalling contract talks with the Eagles to swoop for him ahead of the second half of the season.

It adds that Spurs made a “cheeky” offer to sign the France international to bolster their squad in the summer, and now they are lining up another attempt to bring him to North London.

Football Insider reveals that his contract discussions with Palace have reached a deadlock, which has opened the door for Thomas Frank and Fabio Paratici to swoop.

Why Spurs should sign Mateta

Spurs should push to sign Mateta from the Eagles because he would come in as an upgrade on Kolo Muani, who has been disappointing this season.

The Lilywhites signed the France international on a season-long loan from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window, with no option or obligation to buy included.

Tottenham may be glad that they did not include an obligation to make the deal permanent because his form in the Premier League so far this season has not been good enough.

Kolo Muani has scored no goals, missed three ‘big chances’, and failed to assist any goals in eight appearances and six starts in the top-flight, per Sofascore, for Spurs, which shows that he has not offered enough in the final third.

Meanwhile, Mateta has scored nine goals in all competitions for Crystal Palace, per Sofascore, including a return of seven goals in 14 outings in the Premier League.

As well as offering more of a threat in front of goal than Kolo Muani, his international teammate also offers more to the team as a physical presence in the centre-forward position.

25/26 Premier League

Mateta

Kolo Muani

Appearances

15

8

Shots on target per game

1.5

0.1

Goals

7

0

Assists

0

0

Ground duel success rate

41%

34%

Aerial duel success rate

40%

37%

Duels won per game

4.1

3.2

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Mateta is better in his physical duels, holding the ball up for the team and scrapping to keep possession, whilst also being a superior goalscorer.

Journalist Rory Smith said the striker is “like original Ronaldo” last year, as he started tucking in his shirt to give himself the classic centre-forward look, which is still the case in the present day, and his goalscoring record backs up such a comparison.

The 28-year-old marksman scored 17 goals in all competitions in the 2024/25 campaign and 19 goals in the 2023/24 season, per Sofascore, proving why, in the words of Como scout Ben Mattinson, he is “one of the best strikers in the Premier League.”

He is a prolific scorer, like the legendary Brazilian who scored 318 club career goals (Transfermarkt), who rocks the classic tucked-in shirt with style and substance, which could make him a real fan favourite in North London.

With Kolo Muani struggling for form in the Premier League and due to return to PSG at the end of the season, signing a proven Premier League star in the prime of his career could be a brilliant move by Paratici to provide Richarlison with competition in the number nine position.

So, if a January deal is viable, Spurs should push to get a deal done for the French powerhouse, who has the quality to be a difference-maker with the goal threat that he can offer in the second half of the season and beyond.

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Chelsea have now entered negotiations over a deal to sign a rapid new centre-back, and an opening offer is set to be made within weeks.

Blues looking to sign new centre-back despite Cahill comments

With Levi Colwill suffering an ACL injury back in August, the Blues’ offer centre-back options have had to step up to the plate this season, and Gary Cahill has been very impressed with their performances, so much so that he believes his former club don’t need to sign a new defender.

Cahill said: “There has been a lot of noise around this for a long time, but I think the lads that are there are doing a very good job of proving that they don’t need to add to this position,”

“I’ve been very impressed with Wesley Fofana since he’s come back. Touch wood that he stays fit.

“Trevoh Chalobah: look at the job he’s been doing – he’s a bit of an unsung hero. Trevoh is probably the most underappreciated player at Chelsea.

However, while a senior centre-back may not be required, BlueCo are always keen to bring in exciting up-and-coming prospects, and they have now entered negotiations over a deal for Gremio defender Luis Eduardo.

That is according to a report from AS (via Sport Witness), which states Chelsea have now entered talks to sign Eduardo, alongside Premier League rivals Manchester United, with opening offers set to be made in the coming weeks.

The Blues are now trying to ‘accelerate’ their pursuit of the centre-back, given that scouts have been left impressed with his performances, with the 17-year-old well-known for his pace, having reached 38 km/h for Gremio earlier this year.

The speedster has a €60m (£53m) release clause included in his contract with the Brazilian club, although it is unclear whether BlueCo would be willing to shell out such a big fee on a very young player.

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ByDominic Lund Nov 30, 2025 Luis Eduardo impressing at youth level

The teenager is yet to establish himself as a regular starter for Gremio, having made just one appearance for the senior team, but he has put in some eye-catching performances for both club and country at youth level.

Despite being a centre-back, the Corrente-born ace managed to score two goals in seven appearances for Gremio U20s in 2025, while he has also netted three goals in 13 appearances for Brazil U17s.

Eduardo could be one for the future, but Cahill is correct in his assessment that Chelsea don’t need to worry about bringing in a new centre-back anytime soon, given Chalobah’s recent form, most recently netting the opening goal in the 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

Enzo Maresca also has Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile at his disposal as back-up options, and with Colwill still to return, the manager is well-stocked at centre-back.

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani will be cleared to pitch sometime this summer, manager Dave Roberts said at spring training on Wednesday.

And when Ohtani is ready to go on the mound, he will not require a rehab stint to get ready, according to Roberts.

Ohtani will not pitch in Cactus League action this spring, but he will participate as a designated hitter as usual to get warmed up for the upcoming season.

Ohtani is fresh off winning National League MVP and his first World Series title in Los Angeles after batting .310 last season with 54 home runs and 130 RBI. He did not pitch a season ago due to elbow issues stemming from an injury during his time with the Los Angeles Angels.

When Ohtani returns to the mound, he will certainly be a boon to an already-loaded Dodgers rotation. Ohtani has posted a career 3.01 ERA over 481.2 innings in his career, with 608 career strikeouts.

Glamorgan 327 (Kellaway 90, Ingram 87, Agar 4-58, Parkinson 4-103) and 25 for 2 need another 163 runs to beat Kent 155 (Bell-Drummond 55, van der Gugten 3-27, Harris 3-35) and 360 (Finch 68, Stewart 63, Evison 49, Compton 48, Benjamin 46) A series of starts took Kent to a respectable second innings to add pressure onto Glamorgan’s day-four chase.Harry Finch’s 68 and Grant Stewart’s counter-attacking 63 dragged Kent back into the contest after a first innings collapse hindered their chances against Glamorgan. Partnerships of 84 and 68 for the fifth and sixth wicket, respectively took the visitors to 360 – without full use of injured Joe Denly to enforce a nervous task of chasing 189 after first innings dominance from the hosts.Kent bowlers were in high spirits, taking two wickets in an aggressive spell of 14 overs continuing their day in the driving seat to leave the Welsh county 25 for 2, requiring 164 from the final day. Chris Cooke and Timm van der Gugten’s batting capabilities remain uncertain after both being off the field for the entire day.From 106 for 1 overnight and beginning a fightback to the Glamorgan first-innings dominance, Ben Compton and Chris Benjamin started conservatively in the knowledge that they’d need to bat all day to produce a competitive day four.Trying to be cute with a paddle-sweep by way of releasing the shackles from 10 off 43 inside the first hour, Compton fell, gifting a wicket to Glamorgan. Compton fell short of a half-century (and his 1000-run season milestone), a moment which foreshadowed the remainder of the top order.Daniel Bell-Drummond found a start, before being given out caught-behind attempting to hook a bouncer that ballooned to sub-keeper Alex Horton. The second dismissal of the morning allowed Joey Evison to dismiss a Ben Kellaway loosener to give Kent the lead at 175 for 3.The theme of Kent losing their wickets rather than Glamorgan taking the wickets by force continued. Benjamin dragged on a wide half-volley before Evison chipped a standard, probing Zain Ul Hassan delivery of medium-pace to short-cover – the third batter to fall in the forties. Glamorgan’s usual fifth seamer stepping up as the pick of the bowlers in van der Gugten’s absence while eighth bowler Kiran Carlson claimed 3 for 24 after his introduction in the 105th over.After a much-needed partnership from Evison and Finch, the former fell for 49. Finch, together with the newfound aggression of Stewart, kept the momentum going against the ungiving Kookaburra ball with stand-in captain Carlson having numerous exchanges about changing the ball throughout the day.The pair’s half-centuries, making the most of the life given to Stewart on one where he was dropped at slip by Carlson off Kellaway, gave the visitors a fighting chance until further soft dismissals brought a premature end to the innings; Matt’s Parkinson and Quinn both recording pairs succeeding Stewart bringing up a half-century with three consecutive sixes off Carlson who had been proving to be Glamorgan’s golden arm.The seemingly flat pitch showed some life in the gloomy evening conditions, both Carlson and nightwatcher James Harris took the brunt of Wes Agar giving his all after both openers were dismissed.

Visitors only need 25 minutes on fourth morning to claim much-needed win

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Jul-2025Essex 504 (Cox 132, Critchley 123, Harmer 53) beat Sussex 204 (Coles 52, Porter 4-30) and 261 (Coles 108, Alsop 72, Critchley 4-41) by an innings and 39 runsEssex needed just 25 minutes to secure only their second victory of the season in the Rothesay County Championship when they beat Sussex by an innings and 39 runs at Hove.James Coles completed his third successive Championship hundred, but Sussex were bowled out for 261 in their second innings and suffered their first Championship defeat at Hove since May 2022.”I think that was our most complete performance of the season,” Essex skipper, Tom Westley, said. “At a crunch time, with where we are in the table, to turn up and play like that is testament to everyone in our changing room: 24 points and a win is massive for the club and hopefully we can take that into the last four games, starting against Warwickshire next week.”We don’t want to make excuses about injuries – we probably haven’t played anywhere near our ability through the season and it has been challenging getting our strongest XI at times, so it was nice here to bowl them out for 200 in the first innings and then throughout the game everyone chipped in.”Sussex’s cause at the start of the final day was pretty hopeless with 55 still needed to make Essex bat again and only three wickets in hand. But at least Coles, 99 not out overnight, was able to follow up centuries against Durham and Warwickshire by reaching his seventh first-class hundred, when he cut the fourth ball of the first over of the day from Matt Critchley to the boundary.Coles was ninth out for 108, when he slog-swept Simon Harmer and top-edged to Jamie Porter at backward square leg. He’d faced 214 balls, hitting 14 fours and a six.Harmer had made the breakthrough in the second over when Ari Karvelas tickled a ball down the leg side and was well caught by Michael Pepper.The end came when Critchley bowled Henry Crocombe for 2. The legspinner finished with 4 for 41 and played his part in an excellent performance by Essex, who will fancy their chances of climbing the table in the remaining four games now they have a full-strength bowling attack available again, having controlled this match from the first session.Sussex’s head coach, Paul Farbrace, said: “It’s been hugely disappointing. In the three years I have been here it’s comfortably our worst performance in four-day cricket. We never got into the game. We played poor shots with the bat and made poor decisions throughout.”Apart from James Coles and Tom Alsop in the second innings we haven’t batted anywhere as well as we can, there were a lot of soft dismissals and our bowlers haven’t done much better to be fair, we didn’t play Division One standard cricket which is really frustrating and disappointing.”It’s on me and the rest of the coaching staff as much as the players to reflect and then get into the right mindset for next week’s game at Scarborough. Ollie Robinson had an injection in his groin on Wednesday and won’t be available until the back end of the One-Day Cup.”