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They are the two sides with no right-to-match cards in the auction but can still outbid other teams for their former players

Omkar Mankame21-Nov-2024Rajasthan RoyalsPlayers retained: Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma
Purse remaining: INR 41 crore
Right-to-match options: None
With all six retention spots filled, Rajasthan Royals have no right-to-match options at the IPL 2025 mega option. They can still buy back some of their released players, though.Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal, winners of the Orange and Purple Caps in IPL 2022, will be high on their wish list. Buttler, however, may stretch their budget. Avesh Khan and Prasidh Krishna may also be in RR’s plans. Avesh was the third most economical death bowler last season and has got back into the India T20I side. Prasidh missed the past two IPL seasons due to injuries but is back to bowling at full pace with the red ball. Both may end up being out of Royals’ budget, though.Two experienced players who may end up being within budget are Trent Boult and R Ashwin. Boult, 35, has outstanding powerplay numbers, while Ashwin has played a pivotal role for Royals with both bat and ball.The Royals could also be keen to bring back Kuldeep Sen, the 28-year-old pacer who had a breakthrough season in 2022. He took eight wickets and subsequently made his India debut. Though his performances dipped afterward, Royals could look to get him back at a low price.Will KKR consider Nitish Rana as a captaincy option?•Associated PressKolkata Knight Riders
Players retained: Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh
Purse remaining: INR 51 crore
Right-to-match options: None
The defending IPL champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, are the other team with no right-to-match options. They released captain Shreyas Iyer and may be in the market for a new captain. That makes 30-year-old Nitish Rana a possible target. Rana led KKR in IPL 2023 when Iyer was injured and has been a reliable performer, consistently scoring 300-plus runs each season since 2018. However, he had limited opportunities in 2024, batting only twice.Phil Salt, who smashed 435 runs in the 2024 season at a strike-rate of 182.00, will be high on several teams’ wish lists. Will KKR hold back in the early rounds to save their purse for when Salt’s name comes up in Set 5?One of the promising young players on KKR’s buy-back list will be 20-year-old Angkrish Raghuvanshi, bought for INR 20 lakh ahead of IPL 2024. His strike rate of 155.23 in seven innings in 2024 was eye-catching in a season where Kolkata Knight Riders were banking on high totals.Venkatesh Iyer, now 29, has been another key player for KKR. After being retained in 2022, Iyer bounced back from a lean season that year to score an IPL century in 2023. In the 2024 campaign, he struck four half-centuries and maintained a strike rate of over 158, making him a crucial asset KKR will look to bring back in the auction.A key factor in Kolkata Knight Riders’ triumphant run to their third IPL title was their potent pace attack. They retained Harshit Rana but are unlikely to have the budget to get back Mitchell Starc. Instead, they can prioritise buying back 26-year-old fast bowler Vaibhav Arora. He bowled Travis Head for a golden duck in the final, one of his 11 wickets for the season.

And what’s the latest a batter has come and scored a hundred in an ODI?

Steven Lynch09-Sep-2025England beat South Africa by 342 runs at the Rose Bowl. Was this their biggest win in ODIs? asked Bill Green from England
England ran up 414 for 5 in Southampton last weekend, then bowled South Africa out for 72 to win by 342 runs. It was – by exactly 100 – their biggest win in a one-day international, beating 242 runs against Australia at Trent Bridge in June 2018.More than that, though, it was the largest victory margin in any men’s one-day international, beating 317 runs by India (390 for 5) against Sri Lanka (73) in Thiruvananthapuram in January 2023. There have been three others by more than 300 runs.There have also been exactly 50 ODIs that were won by ten wickets: the quickest of those came when New Zealand overhauled Bangladesh’s 93 in Queenstown in December 2007 in just six overs.There have been bigger victories in women’s ODIs: New Zealand (455 for 5) beat Pakistan (47) by 408 runs in Christchurch in January 1997, and there have been seven further wins by more than 300 runs.In the Duleep Trophy semi-final the other day Central Zone scored 600 without anyone reaching a century. Was this a record? asked Akram Fazal Mirza from India, and others
The highest individual score in Central Zone’s total of 600 against West Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final in Bengaluru last week was Shubham Sharma’s 96. This was only the fifth time any team had reached 600 in a first-class innings without anyone making a hundred: the highest of all remains Surrey’s 671 for 9 declared against Kent in Beckenham in May 2022, when the highest individual contribution was also 96, by Ollie Pope.Namibia made 609 against Uganda in Windhoek in September 2010, with a highest score of 87 by Ewald Steenkamp, while the Indian record remains 605, by Madhya Pradesh against Haryana in Rajnandgaon in March 1999 (highest score Jai Yadav’s 90). Surrey’s 603 against Gloucestershire in Bristol in July 2005 included a highest individual score of 89, by Azhar Mahmood.Cameron Green came in in the 35th over against South Africa and hit a century. Has anyone entered later in an ODI and reached 100? asked Michael Z from Australia
Australia’s Cameron Green entered after 34.1 overs against South Africa in Mackay last month: he reached his century off 47 balls, and ended up with 118 not out.There have been five known centuries scored in one-day internationals by batters entering even later in the innings (we don’t have ball-by-ball details for all ODIs, but it looks unlikely there are any additions). Top of the list is Green’s frequent team-mate, Glenn Maxwell, who came to the crease after 39 overs against Netherlands in Delhi during the 2023 World Cup, and hit eight sixes in a 40-ball hundred.AB de Villiers came in after 38.3 overs for South Africa against West Indies in Johannesburg in January 2015, but still had time to smash 149, with 16 sixes: he reached 100 from just 31 balls, still the ODI record. United Arab Emirates’ Asif Khan hit 101 not out against Nepal in Kirtipur in March 2023, having entered after 37.3 overs. And England’s Jos Buttler has two such innings, both against Pakistan: in Dubai in November 2015 he entered after 35.3 overs and scored 116 not out, while in Southampton in May 2019 he came in after 35.1 and hit an unbeaten 110.Glenn Maxwell came out to bat in the 40th over against Netherlands in 2023, and reached his hundred off the next 40 balls•AFP/Getty ImagesAndrew Hudson scored 163 on his Test debut against West Indies, but was out for a duck in the second innings. How many other players have done this? asked Greg Nilsen from South Africa
Opener Andrew Hudson did indeed start his Test career with 163, against West Indies in Bridgetown in South Africa’s “comeback” Test in April 1992. He followed that with a duck in the second innings: at the time the only other man to start his Test career with a century and a duck was India’s Gundappa Viswanath, with 0 and 137 against Australia in Kanpur in November 1969.Since Hudson, three others have achieved the feat on debut: Mohammad Wasim made 0 and 109 not out for Pakistan against New Zealand in Lahore in November 1996, Keaton Jennings collected 112 and 0 for England vs India in Mumbai in December 2016, and earlier this year Ismat Alam made 0 and 101 for Afghanistan against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.There’s also been one instance in a women’s Test: in Bloemfontein last December, England’s Maia Bouchier made 126 and 0 against South Africa.Rahul Dravid, by never making 89 in Tests, missed out on scoring the first 14 numbers in the Fibonacci sequence in Tests. Has anyone else managed 13? asked Chris Goddard from England
The first 14 numbers in the Fibonacci sequence – in which the next number is obtained by adding the previous two together – are 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144 and 233. You’re right that while Rahul Dravid did score 233 – against Australia in Adelaide in December 2003 – he was never out (or not out) for 89.It appears that no one can beat him, although there are six other batters who have 13 of the 14 numbers (unlike Dravid, they are all lacking 233): Mike Atherton, MS Dhoni, Ricky Ponting, Kumar Sangakkara, Shakib Al Hasan and Steven Smith (who might yet add the next number in the sequence!)Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of the above answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

Thomas Frank’s time in charge of Tottenham Hotspur may not be going exactly to plan at this moment in time, as his side have been in concerning form of late.

The Lilywhites have conceded 11 goals in their last three games in all competitions, losing 5-3 to PSG and 4-1 to Arsenal in their last two outings since returning from the international break.

Tottenham have won one of their last six games in all competitions, keeping one clean sheet in that time, and this shows that Frank and his staff have plenty of work to do to improve the team’s defensive record.

Spurs let in 65 goals in 38 Premier League games in the 2024/25 season under Ange Postecoglou, which shows that this is not a new issue, and it may take time for the problem to be solved.

Whilst there is plenty of attention on the defensive side of their game, and rightly so given recent results, there should also be attention given to where they need to improve at the other end of the pitch.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with one assist, was one of the standout performers for PSG, as he moved to eight goal contributions for the season, but Spurs do not have similar quality in their wide areas.

Ranking Tottenham's wingers this season

The Lilywhites spent £55m to sign Mohammed Kudus from Premier League rivals West Ham to bolster their ranks out wide in the summer transfer window, and he has been arguably the best winger at the club this season.

In the 2025/26 campaign, the Ghana international has more assists (five) than any other player in the squad for Spurs, with one assist on top of all of that creativity, per Transfermarkt.

However, even then, there is plenty of room for him to improve because of a return of one goal in 17 appearances in all competitions is far from an exceptional return for a £55m signing.

On the flip side, Brennan Johnson has scored four goals in 18 matches in all competitions, per Sofascore, yet he has failed to provide a single assist for his teammates, which shows that he needs to improve on the creative side of the game.

1

Mohammed Kudus

2

Brennan Johnson

3

Wilson Odobert

4

Xavi Simons

5

Mathys Tel

As you can see in the table above, Wilson Odobert ranks just below the two of them, because he has one goal and two assists in just 751 minutes of football as a young player who is still learning and improving.

Xavi Simons, signed for £52m from Leipzig, and Mathys Tel, who have both played centrally and wide, have each registered just two goal contributions in all competitions, which is why they must rank fourth and fifth.

All of this shows that Frank does not have many amazing options in the wide areas, but that could change for the second half of the season if things go to plan.

Spurs told that £50m bid will be accepted for Premier League forward

According to former Aberdeen, Everton, and Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, Tottenham Hotspur could sign Savinho from Manchester City in the January transfer window.

The ex-Premier League chief has told Spurs that a bid of £50m could be enough for them to tempt the Cityzens into cashing on the Brazil international, after the Lilywhites failed with a £60m approach for the forward in the summer.

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Speaking to Football Insider, Wyness said: “There are a lot of City fans complaining about him, et cetera, et cetera. But I do think he’s a quality player.

“I think a change of scenery would obviously do him the world of good. And I think it’ll give Spurs a chance to get a better deal with City. And I do expect something like this to happen in January. So I do expect probably a bit of not so much cut-price, but certainly lower than expected, maybe around a 50 million mark even with bonuses for a player of that quality.”

Savinho has only started four matches in the Premier League for Manchester City so far this season, with the likes of Rayan Cherki and Jeremy Doku ahead of him, and Wyness seemingly believes that his lack of game time could open the door for Spurs.

It is now down to Fabio Paratici and Frank, though, to do a deal with City and to convince the Brazilian star to make the move to North London, because he could be their own Kvaratskhelia.

Why Spurs should sign Savinho

Like Kudus, Savinho is not a winger who is likely to come in and score 20 or more goals a season like Mo Salah or Vinicius Jr, because he has only scored four goals in all competitions since the start of last season, per Sofascore.

However, the 21-year-old talent is an exceptional dribbler and creator who could provide an exciting presence for supporters to watch out wide in the second half of the season and beyond.

Kvaratskhelia, who is valued at £79m, is one of the best wingers in the world, having won Ligue 1 and the Champions League, scoring in the final, last season, so it would be unrealistic to expect Tottenham to sign a winger who is exactly like him in every area of the game.

However, as you can see in the chart above, Savinho is very much like the Georgian star when it comes to creating chances and dribbling past opposition players on the wing, based on their respective statistics over the last 365 days.

In fact, the Brazilian Spurs target was one of the most creative players in his position in all of the top five major European leagues in the 2024/25 campaign, as shown in the table below.

Raphinha

12

Bradley Barcola

11

Vincenzo Grifo

11

Vinicius Jr

10

Rafa Leao

10

Moses Simon

10

Alex Baena

10

Heung-min Son

10

Savinho

10

Zuriko Davitashvili

8

Whilst he may not be in the best moment at Manchester City, with one goal and two assists in 15 appearances, his form last term shows that he is capable of being an elite creator and dribbler in the Premier League.

Savinho, who Paul Merson claimed could be a “superstar”, ranked in the top 6% of his positional peers for xAG (0.27) in the Champions League and the top 4% in the Premier League with 0.35 xAG, per FBref.

These statistics and his statistics in comparison to Kvaratskhelia suggest that Spurs would be signing an exceptional young creator on the wing if they snap him up in January.

That is why Paratici should hope that Wyness is right and that a deal could be done for £50m, because the Brazilian could arrive in North London as their own version of the PSG superstar because of his creative and dribbling skills.

Romero upgrade: Spurs "ready to make" £35m bid for "world-class" defender

Tottenham Hotspur look set to make a huge January move for a new centre-back.

1 ByEthan Lamb Nov 28, 2025

“I want to play all the formats and succeed in all the formats… if I want to do that, then this is the challenge I have to go through,” Shubman Gill says about being an all-format player and leader

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-20253:13

Gill outlines the challenges of being an all-format player

Test captain, T20I vice-captain, and now ODI captain as well. Shubman Gill isn’t just one of a vanishing breed of all-format international players but also one holding leadership roles in each of them. He is aware of the toll this can take on him, especially mentally, but he is prepared to take on that challenge in order to achieve his own goals in all three formats.”Physically, most of the time, I feel fine, but sometimes, yes, there is mental fatigue, because when you are constantly playing, there is obviously a certain expectation that I have from myself, and to be able to keep up with my own expectations sometimes becomes the challenge,” Gill said on the eve of the second Test against West Indies in Delhi, in his first press conference since being appointed India’s ODI captain.”But I think that’s the challenge, to be able to play all the formats for India, and I want to play all the formats and succeed in all the formats for the country, and win ICC titles. So, if I want to do that, then this is the challenge I have to go through.”Related

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Gill inherits the wealth of India's Rohit-Kohli era

Gill replaced Rohit Sharma as ODI captain, and will captain two former full-time captains in Rohit and Virat Kohli when India play three ODIs in Australia later this month. With both Rohit and Kohli in their mid-30s and retired from both the other formats, a certain amount of doubt surrounds their future as ODI players with the next World Cup in that format two years away.”Absolutely,” Gill said, when asked if he saw Rohit and Kohli playing an important role in ODIs leading into that World Cup. “The experience the two of them have [is immense], and there are very few players who can match the number of matches they have won for India.”There are very few players in the world with such skill and quality along with that experience, and we look at it from that perspective.”Gill becoming ODI captain capped a five-month period over which he has become the face of Indian cricket, with his appointment as Test captain in May followed by a Test tour of England in which he scored 754 runs – the second-most by any India batter in a bilateral series – at an average of 75.40. While Gill acknowledged how “exciting” these months had been, he said he wanted to put past achievements behind him and keep looking ahead.”[The ODI captaincy] is obviously is a big responsibility and an even bigger honour, so I’m very excited to lead my country in that format, and yes, the last few months have been very exciting for me, but I’m really looking forward to what the future has,” he said. “I want to stay [in the] present as [much as] possible and don’t really want to look back on what I’ve been able to achieve or what we, as a team, have been able to achieve. Just want to look forward and win everything that we have in the upcoming months.””The challenge is to stay on top for five days in a Test match, and that is more difficult than captaining in a T20 game”•Associated PressWhen asked what qualities he had inherited, or would like to inherit from his predecessor Rohit, Gill picked two. “So many qualities that I have inherited from Rohit – the calmness that he possesses, and the kind of friendship that he has among the group is something that I aspire to, these are the qualities that I want to take from him.Asked to compare the task of leading teams in red- and white-ball cricket, Gill felt Test cricket presents captains the stiffest challenge. He was perhaps reflecting on missed opportunities in his first series in charge, in England, where India drew 2-2 when they could have potentially won the five-Test series had they not let momentum slip away from them in a handful of sessions.”I feel in Test matches, the better team [in that match] does come on top at the end of the day because you’ve got more chances and more opportunities to make a comeback,” Gill said. “Whereas in T20, if you have three-four overs of bad period, there might be a case that you are completely taken away from the game. So, it is different in that sense.”When you are playing a Test match, whenever a team wins a Test match, for that particular match, that team deserves to win the Test match because they played better cricket not for two-three hours or not for one day, but consistently over a period of three, four or five days.”So the challenge is to stay on top for five days in a Test match, and that is more difficult than captaining in a T20 game. Whereas, in a T20 game, you get off to a really good start and then you maintain that, then you are sort of able to be on top of the game for the entirety of the game, but in a Test match, you can be on top for two days, but if you don’t turn up on day three, the other team can make a comeback.”0:49

Chopra: ‘Sai Sudharsan needs runs or the pressure will mount’

Gill on Sai Sudharsan: ‘We think he’s the man for us’Leading into the Delhi Test, there has been a lot of media scrutiny on B Sai Sudharsan, Gill’s opening partner at Gujarat Titans in the IPL, who is under a certain amount of external pressure with an average in the early 20s across his first four Tests, and with a number of other middle-order batters knocking on the door. Gill suggested Sai Sudharsan’s numbers were a little misleading, and said he continues to enjoy the full backing of the team management.”I don’t really think he’s had a lean run,” Gill said. “He got one innings in the first match [in Ahmedabad]. At The Oval, he played a crucial innings of 40 runs [38] on that wicket where the ball was seaming. The match before that, he scored a fifty [61] in Manchester. Not every match everyone is going to score a hundred.”You have to give young players more opportunities. They are still trying to figure out their game. And we believe that you have to first see someone’s potential and then see their game in the entirety, not just judge someone from one, two, three, four matches. Once you have given someone enough matches – six, seven, eight matches – then you can sit back and have a think over it, where he needs to learn, or if he needs to play some more domestic matches or play some more India A games.”But as of now, we think he’s the man for us and he’s someone that can play for India at No. 3 for a very long time.”

Three cricketers from Pakistan and one from England represent the overseas contingent

Mohammad Isam08-Feb-20251. Mohammad Naim, 511 runs, 143.94 SR, 1×100, 3x50sNaim is arguably Bangladesh’s most in-form T20 batter this season. He got going with 316 runs, the highest in the NCL T20s, before topping the BPL batting charts. Naim looked comfortable clearing the circle during the powerplays, almost against all attacks. Naim showed more awareness around the wicket and became the second Bangladeshi to score 500 runs in a BPL season. His 511 runs is just short of Najmul Hossain Shanto’s 516 runs in the 2022-23 season.2. Tamim Iqbal, 413 runs, 129.06 SR, 4x50s (capt)Tamim got into his stride in Fortune Barishal’s third game with an unbeaten 86. It was the first of his four fifties, and although he batted with less risk than most of his innings last year, his team earned regular good starts. Tamim saved his best of the tournament for the final, bashing a 24-ball fifty and paved the way for a big chase. This is the sixth time that Tamim has been selected in ESPNcricinfo’s BPL XI.3. Zakir Hasan, 389 runs, 140.43 SR, 3x50sZakir was Sylhet Strikers’ only shining light this season. The left-hand batter went after Rangpur Riders in their second game, hitting four sixes in a 38-ball half-century. Zakir then struck back-to-back fifties in Sylhet, against Khulna and Dhaka. His unbeaten 75 against Khulna had half a dozen sixes. Zakir couldn’t finish the BPL on a high note with little support from the other Sylhet batters.4. Graham Clark, 431 runs, 153.38 SR, 1×100, 1x50The Durham batter joined Chittagong slightly late, but he hit the ground running immediately. He struck 40 and 39 in his first two innings, following it up with 60 (against Dhaka Capitals) and 101 (against Khulna Tigers). It was only Clark’s second T20 century, striking seven fours and six sixes in 50 balls. Clark didn’t hit any more fifties, but often gave Chittagong good starts. He got struck on the face during the second qualifier, but finished the tournament with 44 off 23 in the final.Graham Clark is the non-Asian in the BPL XI of the season•Chittagong Kings5. Khushdil Shah, 298 runs and 17 wicketsKhushdil was Rangpur Riders’ fulcrum during the league phase, hitting two fifties and scoring at 175.29 in ten innings. He also took 17 wickets at a 9.94 average, the most wickets for a spinner in this season’s BPL. He started the campaign with a 23-ball unbeaten 46 against Dhaka, before slamming quickfire knocks against Barishal, Khulna and Chittagong. His unbeaten 73 against Khulna was his highest, while he struck seven sixes in his 59 off 28 balls against Chittagong. His run coincided with his return to the Pakistan ODI side after three years, when he was picked for the Champions Trophy.Related

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6. Mahidul Islam Ankon (wk), 316 runs and seven dismissalsBatting down the order meant fewer opportunities, but Ankon made the best use of his liminted chances. He opened Khulna Tigers’ campaign with a superb unbeaten 59 off 22 balls, including six sixes against Chittagong. He had 200-plus strike-rate in two other innings, generally batting in the high 150s for the rest of the tournament. His wicketkeeping was steady and gave Khulna all-round stability in the season.7. Faheem Ashraf, 20 wickets at 13.90, best 5/7Ashraf last played ODIs in September 2023, and now returns to the Pakistan Champions Trophy squad after a productive BPL season. He took 20 wickets including a five-wicket haul against Sylhet. He also had three-wicket hauls against Chittagong and Dhaka. Faheem was also fairly miserly, conceding at just 7.12 per over throughout the campaign. Champions Barishal didn’t have Faheem for the back-end of their campaign.8. Aliss Al Islam, 15 wickets at 21.06 avg, best 3/17Regarded as the only mystery bowler in Bangladesh’s domestic cricket, Aliss was in top form. He conceded runs at 6.32 per over throughout the tournament, picking up 15 wickets. He took 3 for 17 against Rajshahi to get Chittagong their first win. He continued to bowl very well in the powerplay. Aliss also had a great role with the bat in the second qualifier, hitting the match-winning boundary to take Chittagong to the final. He missed out on the big game due to an ACL injury.Taskin Ahmed returned 7 for 19, a BPL record, in a game this season•Durbar Rajshahi9. Taskin Ahmed, 25 wickets at 12.04, best 7/19Taskin finished the BPL by picking up the most wickets in a season. His 25 scalps beat Shakib Al Hasan’s record of 23 wickets in the 2018-19 season. He started off with a seven-wicket haul, only the third such figure in T20 history. He had only two wicketless matches, and later led the troubled Durbar Rajshahi side when they changed the captain. Taskin showed great leadership on and off the field. It was also his bowling that kept Rajshahi in the hunt in most contests.10. Khaled Ahmed, 20 wickets at 20.10, best 4/31Khaled was Chittagong’s best bowler during the competition, taking 20 wickets. He was tied in second place with Aakif Javed and Faheem Ashraf. He started expensively, but then imbibed coach Shaun Tait’s simple messages as he started to bowl with more control. He took 3 for 21 against Dhaka, before his four-wicket haul against Sylhet. He went wicketless in the BPL final, but Khaled gave a wholehearted effort.11. Akif Javed, 20 wickets at 14.30, best 4/32It was Javed’s second BPL season, but this time he really entered the limelight. The left-arm fast bowler hailing from Kohat hasn’t played for Pakistan, but Javed looks close to a national call-up. This time in the BPL, he came into his own in three matches that got him ten wickets. He took 3-29, 4-32 and 3-23 against Khulna, Chittagong and Rajshahi in the middle of the tournament. When Rangpur rang in the changes in the Eliminator match, Javed survived among the existing overseas contingent.