He suffered the injury while attempting a catch on July 26 against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2025Rovman Powell, the West Indies batter, was officially ruled out of the T20I series against Pakistan following the wrist injury he suffered during the preceding series against Australia. West Indies will not name a replacement.Powell, 32, sustained the injury while attempting a catch in the fourth T20I against Australia on July 26 in St Kitts. He did not feature in the fifth T20I against Australia following the injury, and neither was he part of the first T20I against Pakistan in Florida’s Lauderhill on July 31 that West Indies lost by 14 runs.West Indies and Pakistan face off again on August 2 and 4 in Lauderhill in the three-match T20I series. The two teams then fly to Tarouba in Trinidad & Tobago for a three-ODI series starting August 8. Powell is unlikely to feature in the West Indies ODI squad as he last played in the format in 2023.

The rule will first be applied at the Duleep Trophy in the event of major injuries to players mid-match

Shashank Kishore16-Aug-20252:14

Should injury substitutions be allowed in Test cricket?

The BCCI has introduced a “serious injury replacement substitute” rule for in domestic cricket to prevent injured players from risking themselves further in the match. This applies to games that take place over multiple days and will come into effect from the Duleep Trophy, which opens the 2025-26 season on August 28. It will be active in the Ranji trophy as well, India’s premier first-class cricket competition.This replacement can be any non-playing member of the squad, should be like-for-like, and will need an approval from the match referee after teams are able to medically produce a report that underlines the seriousness of the injury of the concerned player. The injury has to have happened during the game and needs to be external (like taking a blow resulting in a deep cut or fracture) rather than internal (like a hamstring strain).This addition was debated within the BCCI circles in the aftermath of Rishabh Pant batting with a broken foot against England in Manchester, and has been swiftly incorporated into the playing regulations.The regulation states, “under all circumstances, the serious injury replacement player shall be from nominated substitutes at the time of toss.”Only in the case where the wicketkeeper is seriously injured and needs a replacement then the match referee may allow a wicketkeeper from a player outside the nominated substitutes if there is no wicketkeeper in the nominated substitutes.”Both the player being replaced and the replaced player shall be considered to have played in the match for records and statistical purposes.At present, international cricket only allows substitutions in the event of a player suffering concussion or contracting the Covid-19 virus.During India’s tour of England earlier this year, Pant (foot) and Chris Woakes (shoulder) suffered dislocations, which left their respective teams in a 10 vs 11 battle. Both players braved further injury to come out and help their team’s cause, which added to the debate about whether there needs to be place in the rules for substitutions in case of serious injury.India coach Gautam Gambhir was for it. England captain Ben Stokes was less so, arguing that the system could be gamed.The ICC, in reviewing its own playing conditions earlier this year, was open to the idea of its member nations trialling injury substitutes in domestic cricket.BCCI adopts ICC’s ball change rule
The BCCI has also adopted ICC’s new rule change in ODIs that phased out two balls in the format after 34 overs. The rule will be in effect from the Vijay Hazare Trophy, BCCI’s 50-over competition for senior men.”Each fielding team shall have two new balls for its innings to be used in alternate overs, i.e. one from each end for overs 1 to 34,” the new guideline states.”At the end of over 34, the fielding team will choose one of the two balls from the innings to be used for all the remaining overs of the innings. The other ball will be added to the stock of replacement balls for the innings.”

The Chicago Cubs are tied atop the NL Central with the Milwaukee Brewers, with both teams tied for the best record in Major League Baseball. In such a tight a race, every out becomes a little more important. With that, players want to make sure they make every routine play they can in the field.

Well, that's not what Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki did in the first inning of Wednesday afternoon's tilt against the Royals at Wrigley Field. Instead, he looked like a Little Leaguer while dropping what should have been an easy first out of the inning.

What made this mistake even better was that a hot mic caught a fan in the crowd gleefully yelling, "Seiaya all you, baby! Yup, can of corn!" as the ball sailed toward Suzuki. A can of corn, of course means that it's an easy catch to make and one that should be handled as such by a professional baseball player.

Narrator: It wasn't a can of corn.

Not great!

Making things worse for Suzuki was that the Royals scored two runs after that to take an early lead right of the gate. They are currently up 2–1 in what looks like a beautiful day for baseball in Chicago.

After winning three games in a row, Manchester United’s run came to an end against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday with the Red Devils held by Sean Dyche’s side, made to settle for a 2-2 draw on the road.

Despite taking a first-half lead through Casemiro, Ruben Amorim’s side were behind five minutes into the second 45, after goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolo Savona. However, a sensational 81st-minute strike from Amad on the volley was enough for United to secure a point in the East Midlands.

Despite having the majority of possession, United struggled to break down the low block deployed by Dyche. The Red Devils managed 18 shots at the Forest goal, but, concerningly, ten of those were from outside of the penalty area.

Another concern for United is the fact that they didn’t create one big chance in the game. Forest did, and scored from it, but it did feel like Amorim’s side struggled to create chances against the deep block of Forest.

Someone who was directly affected by that was Benjamin Sesko, who struggled against the men in Garibaldi Red.

Why Benjamin Sesko struggled against Forest

It is certainly not ideal for your number nine to be so isolated when you are trying to break down a side that played as Forest did. After a run of good form, Sesko could barely get into the game at the City Ground.

Incredibly, the Slovenian striker has just 21 touches of the ball, fewer than any other starter for either side. He was incredibly isolated, which must have frustrated Amorim. Their summer signing has shown great instinct in the penalty box and excellent link-up play, so he needs to be in the game more.

Yet, Sesko did try and have an impact in front of goal. The 22-year-old had three shots, and whilst two of them were from inside the area, none of them found the target and tested Matz Sels.

After what was a largely anonymous performance from United’s number 30, he was given a 5/10 for his performance by Steven Railston of the Manchester Evening News.

He did praise the striker for the fact that he “provided a focal point” for United, although they didn’t use him much.

As tough a night as it was for Sesko, there was a United player who was certainly worse.

Worse than Sesko: Man United's biggest underperformer vs Forest

United’s struggles with breaking down the Forest low block were perhaps emphasised in Sesko’s performance, with the Slovenian barely involved. However, he was not the only person who struggled at the City Ground.

The Red Devils certainly lacked going forward, and one of those players was Diogo Dalot. The Portuguese full-back once again operated at left wing-back, but didn’t offer much going forward, and struggled defensively, notably making fewer passes than Senne Lammens.

Of course, with a 6-foot-5 striker in the box like Sesko, it is ideal for the United wingbacks to find him with crosses into the box.

Dalot, however, failed to complete a cross from two chances, and defensively, he only won three out of eight duels.

Touches

43

Passes completed

21/24

Possession lost

12

Ground duels won

2/5

Aerial duels won

1/3

Crosses completed

0/2

Key passes

0

Railston was certainly critical of the former FC Porto defender. He gave Dalot a 3/10 for his performance and said the Portugal international was “exposed at various stages of the contest” against Forest.

Well, he was certainly not the only person to feel frustrated with Dalot’s performance. United content creator Dev Bajwa said their number two has “got to be dropped” by Amorim ahead of their next game, a trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to face Thomas Frank’s Spurs.

At the end of the game, Amorim pointed out that Dalot can struggle to find crosses because “he’s a right-footer.” Well, factoring that in on top of this tough performance against Forest, it makes sense that the Portugal star might be dropped.

Amorim has options, too. Patrick Dorgu could operate as a left wing-back, a role for which he was signed by Amorim. Alternatively, Luke Shaw could play higher up with Ayden Heaven or Harry Maguire coming into the side, although this seems less likely.

All things considered, it is clear to see why Dalot might be rotated out of the side to face Spurs next week. Having a left footer in the side would surely be a benefit for the Red Devils, as they look to get back on track with a win.

He's the next Amad: Amorim must unleash Man Utd's 18-year-old "steam train”

Manchester United could well be brewing the next Amad at Old Trafford…

ByRobbie Walls Nov 1, 2025

قارن روبرتو كارلوس، أسطورة نادي ريال مدريد والكرة البرازيلية، بين كريستيانو رونالدو وليونيل ميسي، مقيمًا كذلك وضع منتخب البرازيل مع المدرب كارلو أنشيلوتي.

ويعتبر العديد من الأشخاص رونالدو وميسي أعظم لاعبين في تاريخ كرة القدم، حيث قدم الثنائي مستويات لا تنسى خلال السنوات الأخيرة.

ويرى كارلوس في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة موندو ديبورتيفو، أن نموذج رونالدو هو حلم لأي طفل يريد أن يصبح لاعب كرة قدم.

وقال كارلوس: “بالنسبة للاعب كرة القدم، يعد كريستيانو رونالدو مثالاً يحتذى به وقام بتضحيات أكبر بكثير. ميسي أشبه بزيدان  هو لاعب خيالي ، لكن على كل طفل يطمح لأن يصبح لاعب كرة قدم أن ينظر إلى تضحيات كريستيانو”.

وعن أنشيلوتي وتقييمه مع منتخب البرازيل أضاف كارلوس في حديثه: “إنه يعرف كيف يتأقلم مع أي ناد أو منتخب وطني، البرازيل مع أنشيلوتي قادرة على تقديم كأس عالم رائعة، مع نيمار وفينيسيوس ورودريجو في أفضل حالاتهم لديهم فريق رائع، لكنهم يواجهون مشكلة بدون الكرة”.

وعن كونه سفيرًا لـريال مدريد أوضح: “أنا الآن سفير للنادي وأسافر حول العالم لتمثيله، أعمل الآن أكثر مما كنت أعمل عندما كنت ألعب كرة القدم، ريال مدريد هو أول ناد في العالم يحمل اسمه أسماء لاعبين سابقين، كما نعلم لاعبي أكاديمية الشباب واللاعبين الجدد في الفريق الأول معنى ريال مدريد، أفتقد التدريب واللعب على أعلى المستويات”.

اقرأ أيضًا .. ترتيب الدوري الإسباني بعد فوز برشلونة على ألافيس

وعن فترة جالاكتيكوس ريال مدريد وجيل زيدان ولويس فيجو أردف كارلوس: “كان بيكهام الأفضل بينهم جميعًا وزيدان كان من الطراز الأول، كان الأفضل، لكن ديفيد بيكهام كان الأفضل في التدريبات والمباريات، كان الأكثر ثباتًا بين اللاعبين جميعًا، لم يلعب لأي نادي بل لعب لأصدقائه، لريال مدريد، للفوز، لطالما فكر بيكهام في الفريق بينما فكر الآخرون في أنفسهم”.

وعن رونالدو الظاهرة تابع كارلوس في حديثه: “نشأنا معًا ومن الصعب علي التحدث عنه، لقد رأيت أفراحه وأحزانه مع إصاباته، كان أفضل لاعب في عصرنا لو لم يتعرض لكل هذه الإصابات”.

واستكمل: ”حتى عندما كان يعاني من زيادة طفيفة في الوزن كان الأفضل، في كرة القدم الموسيقى والحفلات هما أجمل ما في الحياة، حياة لاعب كرة القدم قصيرة وقد استغللناها على أكمل وجه، لطالما كان رونالدو بحاجة للاحتفال وأفضل حفلاته على حفلات رونالدينيو”.

وعن زين الدين زيدان قال كارلوس: “كل ما فعله زيدان كان عرضًا مذهلًا، أرسلت له فيديو لحركاته فقال لي إنني الأفضل، كان زيدان كالباليه، كان مختلفًا وكنت أرافقه كل يوم، كان قدوة وأنا ممتن جدًا له على المرات العديدة التي منحني فيها فرصًا للتسجيل، مررت الكرة التي سجل منها هدف بطولة دوري الأبطال التاسعة لريال مدريد دون أن أعلم بوجوده في هذا المكان، كانت كرة سيئة للغاية”.

وعن لويس فيجو وذكرى تعرضه للسباب من جماهير برشلونة في الكلاسيكو أضاف: “لا أحب أن أتذكر حادثة كامب نو معه، كانت أشبه بحرب وليست كرة قدم، كانت المباراة التي أردت إنهاءها بأسرع وقت ممكن، من بين جميع المباريات التي لعبتها، كانت هذه هي المباراة الوحيدة التي تمنيت لو لم ألعبها”.

وأوضح: ”كان الجمهور عدوانيًا الغاية مع فيجو، أهنئ فلورنتينو على التعاقد مع فيجو ولم أستطع النوم عندما لعبت ضد برشلونة لأن فيجو كان من الصعب جدًا مراقبته، كان ذلك مصدر ارتياح كبير، أنا ممتن له على ذلك أيضًا”.

وعن رونالدينيو أرف كارلوس: “عندما بلغ ذروة تألقه كان كل ما يريده هو الاستمتاع، كان يعرف حدوده. كان يفتقر إلى الاحترافية أكثر من الجانب الذهني، كان متعبًا ويريد فقط الاستمتاع بوقته ولا أعتقد أن الحفلات أثرت عليه، كان يريد الاستمتاع بالحياة أكثر وسئم من إسعاد الناس”.

وعن رحيله من ريال مدريد اختتم كارلوس: “أراد تشيلسي وإيفرتون وأستون فيلا ضمي في عام 2007 لكن في النهاية لم يحدث ذلك، كنت قريبًا جدًا من التوقيع مع تشيلسي، كنت أرغب في عقد طويل الأمد لكنهم عرضوا علي عقد لمدة عامين فقط”.

In the last few years, there has been a debate raging at Manchester City as to who is the better striker, Sergio Aguero or Erling Haaland.

Well, it is not an easy question to answer, given how long the Argentine striker was successful at City.

In total, Aguero played 390 times for the East Mancunian outfit, and his record speaks volumes about how good he is. The 101-cap Argentina international bagged 260 goals in that time. You consider it ludicrous to go against him in this debate.

Yet, the numbers Haaland is putting up certainly make him better than Aguero in the eyes of many.

Why Haaland is Man City's greatest striker

This is a debate that, at this stage, doesn’t really have a right answer. However, with the trajectory that Haaland is on, it is hard to see him failing to overtake Aguero’s record as City’s all-time top goalscorer.

In just 161 appearances in the famous Sky Blue shirt, the 25-year-old already has 143 goals to his name, as well as 22 assists. He’s averaging a goal involvement in more than every game. That is why Jamie Carragher said Haaland is “the greatest goalscorer to ever play in English football.”

Indeed, his form this season has been astronomical. Already, he’s found the back of the net 19 times in just 15 games. Miraculously, he’s not added to the 11 hat-tricks he has for the club, but has bagged twice in a game six times.

Haaland is a simply ridiculous number nine who can do it all, from excellent link-up play to clinical finishing in the box. His goal against Arsenal is perhaps the best example, with the striker starting the move by tucking the ball round the corner to Tijjani Reijnders, before charging forward and receding the ball again to score.

The Norwegian is incredible, although City don’t have a natural striker as his understudy if he gets injured. If that were the case, the answer might be an academy star who could one day take the number nine shirt after Haaland.

Man City's in-house number nine after Haaland

Haaland’s injury record isn’t perfect. The striker has missed 26 games since he moved to City, and they don’t really have a natural replacement. Omar Marmoush can lead the line, but he excels in a slightly deeper role, a little like Julian Alvarez did.

Lucky for the Citizens, they might have the perfect striker in the academy in the form of Mahamadou Sangare.

The France U18 centre-forward only moved to the club in the summer from Paris Saint-Germain, but is already excelling in the youth side.

This season across all competitions for the esteemed City academy, Sangare has found the back of the net on nine occasions in just 14 games. That includes three goals in four UEFA Youth League games.

In fact, it was in that competition that Sangare put in his most impressive performance to date. The 18-year-old shone against AS Monaco U19s, bagging a hat-trick and assisting one goal, after creating two chances.

Sangare vs. Monaco U19s
Stat	Number
Touches	35
Opposition half passes completed	14/18
Aerial duels won	5/6
Shots	4
Goals	3
Chances created	2
Assists	1
Stats from Sofascore

One person who has spoken highly of the striker is football scout Antonio Mango. He called Sangare a “prolific” number nine, complementing him on the fact that he was one of the standout PSG youngsters last season. He scored 33 times in 35 games for their U19s.

Well, it certainly seems like City are seeing the quality he can bring to the youth sides. It will be fascinating to see how quickly Sangare’s development continues. He certainly has an eye for goal and will be hoping that he can translate that to senior level.

Of course, the 18-year-old is quite some way from being on Haaland’s level, but with his natural goalscoring instinct, there is no reason why he can’t establish himself in the first team. Perhaps he will even be the natural successor to Haaland’s iconic number nine shirt.

As important as Doku: £50m star just had his best ever game for Man City

Manchester City smashed Liverpool 3-0 in the Premier League on Sunday, Jérémy Doku the star of the show, but another player shone for Pep Guardiola.

1

By
Ben Gray

Nov 10, 2025

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca seems to have pulled a major U-turn over one of his axed stars as a photo from Cobham training reveals his surprise change of heart.

The Blues are back to winning ways after suffering a shock 2-1 home defeat to newly-promoted Sunderland in October, with Chelsea winning three out of their last four in all competitions and briefly climbing to second in the Premier League table.

Moises Caicedo

7.30

Joao Pedro

7.21

Trevoh Chalobah

7.16

Pedro Neto

7.08

Marc Cucurella

7.00

via WhoScored

The in-form Joao Pedro scored Chelsea’s only goal of the game to seal a dominant 1-0 victory over London rivals Tottenham, maintaining Chelsea’s impressive derby record, and followed that up with a comprehensive 3-0 triumph over bottom-side Wolves in their last match before the international break.

The victory came despite Maresca making eight changes from their midweek 2-2 draw with Qarabağ in the Champions League, continuing his rotation policy that has seen a grand total of 93 starting eleven changes in all competitions so far this season — the most of any Premier League side.

Their plethora of injury problems throughout the campaign, which has seen Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer, Benoit Badiashile, Enzo Fernández, Pedro Neto, Dario Essugo, Liam Delap, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Andrey Santos and Josh Acheampong all sidelined at various points, has forced Maresca’s hand in this regard.

Chelsea also have 25 players in their squad who’ve been given at least 45 minutes of playing time this term, with only Nottingham Forest and West Ham (24) coming anywhere close to that number.

Two of the only Chelsea players who’ve not seen a single minute thus far are ‘bomb squad’ outcasts Raheem Sterling and Axel Disasi.

Both men, after failing to secure moves away in the summer, are training in isolation, with Sterling causing quite a stir when he posted an image of him training alone and very late at night in what looked like a barren training complex.

This social media post even prompted the PFA to intervene and ensure that Chelsea weren’t treating the duo unfairly, coming after Maresca previously stated there was no way back for either man and they’d continue training away from the group.

When asked if they could play their way back into the first team, Maresca’s reply was brief, and it was a resounding ‘no’ (The Mail).

Sterling, who spent last term on a failed loan spell at Arsenal, has been linked with a move to Celtic ahead of the January window. Disasi, meanwhile, was surprisingly spotted training with the first team this week — despite Maresca previously saying there was no way.

Enzo Maresca pulls U-turn over axed Axel Disasi as Cobham photo reveals surprise call

In a twist, The Mail have shared a photo from Cobham of Disasi tussling with Liam Delap in an international break session, with Maresca now going back on his word and allowing the Frenchman to compete with his squad after all.

While there was still no sign of Sterling, Disasi’s recall to first-team training makes for an intriguing development, and one which will make on-lookers wonder whether he’s done enough to earn back Maresca’s favour.

After playing only 18 per cent of available Premier League minutes under Maresca last term, Disasi failed to establish himself as a regular starter domestically, despite captaining them in the Conference League and largely playing as an emergency right-back.

Aston Villa sealed his loan signing for the remainder of 2024/2025 last January, coming after Disasi reportedly rejected a loan to Tottenham, insisting on competing with Unai Emery’s side in the Champions League instead.

Disasi’s brief flashes ultimately failed to convince Villa to make the move permanent, and when the summer transfer window opened, Disasi found himself back in Chelsea’s notorious bomb squad alongside Sterling.

Having rejected moves to Crystal Palace and West Ham among others, and despite rumoured interest from clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Disasi snubbed multiple opportunities, leaving him stranded at Stamford Bridge.

With the January window looming, Maresca could well be planning to hand the 27-year-old some minutes as a way to drive up interest from suitors, but we’re purely speculating here.

The GMR Group, which owns franchises around the world, is looking to expand its portfolio

Matt Roller26-Sep-2025The GMR Group, who co-own Delhi Capitals in the IPL, are in advanced discussions to relaunch the Jamaica Tallawahs franchise in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).GMR, an Indian infrastructure conglomerate, has expanded its cricketing portfolio significantly in recent years. It is directly involved in the operations of Dubai Capitals in the ILT20, Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket, Hampshire in English county cricket and Southern Brave in the Hundred, and also owns teams in the Indian sports kabaddi and kho kho.Jamaica Tallawahs, the three-time CPL champions and one of its six inaugural teams, have not featured in the league for the last two editions. The franchise’s most recent owners, Kris Persaud, sold it back to the league in 2023 and bought the rights to a new team, which became the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.Related

What's happening to cricket in Jamaica, the land of Holding, Walsh, Gayle and Russell?

Jamaica Tallawahs to be replaced in CPL by Antigua-based franchise

Persaud cited a lack of support from the Jamaican government as a reason for the franchise’s initial disbanding. However, the sports and tourism ministry announced before this month’s elections – which the incumbent Labour Party won – that it was “finalising arrangements” for the return of a CPL franchise to Jamaica following recent investment in facilities at Sabina Park.ESPNcricinfo has learned that GMR officials attended the final of the CPL on Sunday and that they are considered strong favourites to run the franchise from next year. They would become the seventh team involved in the league, which would lead to an increase in the number of fixtures played.Pete Russell, the CPL’s chief executive, said earlier this month that the league is “very excited at the prospect of a return to Jamaica” after “fruitful and engaging discussions” with the government. “We are hopeful that these negotiations will reach a positive conclusion in the coming months,” Russell said.The GMR Group did not respond to a request for a comment.

Chelsea are believed to be in discussions over signing a “very mature” England international ahead of 2026, which interestingly comes amid Romeo Lavia’s injury nightmare.

Lavia was hauled off after just eight minutes during Chelsea’s 2-2 midweek draw with Azerbaijani minnows Qarabag in the Champions League, which could slap the Belgian with yet another lengthy lay off.

Qarabağ 2-2 Chelsea – best players

Match Rating

Estevao

8.2

Alejandro Garnacho

7.5

Leandro Andrade

7.4

Matheus Silva

7.0

Marko Jankovic

7.0

via WhoScored

Enzo Maresca didn’t provide a definitive update on the ex-Man City gem’s condition in his pre-match press conference ahead of Wolves, but admitted the situation is a “painful” one.

Lavia launched a water bottle in frustration after being taken off against Qarabağ, and it’s hard to blame him.

Since joining Chelsea in a near-£60 million deal over two years ago, Lavia has failed to complete a single 90 minutes — missing a total of 87 matches and being sidelined for 568 days.

Chelsea have been tipped to sign a new midfielder since Lavia was sidelined once again, but journalist Graeme Bailey says it is something they’ve been considering for a long while as Maresca’s side look to bring in more competition for Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo.

Dario Essugo is also out for a “long time” after undergoing surgery on his thigh, with Maresca suggesting he could remain out until January.

In light of this, Chelsea are believed to be weighing up their options, and they apparently hold a serious interest in Crystal Palace sensation Adam Wharton.

The 21-year-old’s excellent 23/24 campaign earned him a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Euros, but injuries have somewhat stifled his development since then, even if he’s still considered to be one of the country’s brightest up-and-coming talents in the engine room.

Chelsea "actively in talks" with Crystal Palace over Adam Wharton

The Blues are expected to be in the race for Wharton next year, and journalist Aaron Ramiro now claims that they’ve gone a step further already.

According to his information, Chelsea are “actively in talks” with Palace over a deal for the ex-Blackburn Rovers starlet, and the Eagles are talking about the possibility of Trevoh Chalobah going back to Selhurst Park as a makeweight in negotiations.

The England international is very highly-rated by his peers, and Palace have apparently slapped a £100 million price tag on his head to ward off suitors.

How Wharton plays this season will greatly determine whether Chelsea would be willing to get anywhere near that valuation, but former Palace teammate Eberechi Eze is convinced that he’s set for a bright future and already “very mature” for his age.

He had missed IPL 2024 and was a late addition to the 2025 auction list. And his return was forgettable

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-20252:03

Hayden on Archer: ‘Not sure I’ve seen a poorer IPL bowling performance’

Jofra Archer broke the record of leaking the most runs in an IPL spell of four overs when he was smashed for 76 runs while representing Rajasthan Royals (RR) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on the second day of IPL 2025. Here are some of the most expensive spells in the IPL:Jofra Archer 0 for 76 vs SRH, 2025Having entered the 2025 auction as a last-minute addition after some back and forth with the ECB and a paycut in his central contact with them, Archer had the most inauspicious start to a new IPL season with his old side RR. He came on as first change after SRH had already racked up 55 in four overs and he was taken apart immediately by his Ashes rival Travis Head for a 23-run over which also included a wide. Head’s dismissal didn’t change Archer’s fortunes though as Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen carted him around for six more fours and three sixes to make him top this list.Mohit Sharma 0 for 73 vs DC, 2024Mohit Sharma was introduced in the 12th over of DC’s innings. Rishabh Pant welcomed him with a boundary and continued his assault in the subsequent overs. When Mohit returned to bowl the final over of the innings, Pant unleashed a flurry of sixes. He smashed the GT pace bowler for 6, 4, 6, 6, and 6, resulting in the most expensive spell in IPL history at the time.Basil Thampi 0 for 70 vs RCB, 2018A brutal night in Bengaluru saw SRH’s Basil Thampi have a torrid time. When Moeen Ali welcomed him into the attack with back-to-back sixes, it set the tone for the RCB batting unit to pile on the runs. AB de Villiers, Colin de Grandhomme, and Sarfaraz Khan joined in, hitting Thampi for five fours and six sixes, resulting in a forgettable spell.Yash Dayal 0 for 69 vs KKR, 2023Rinku Singh stunned everyone by smashing five sixes in the final over to pull off an astonishing chase against Gujarat Titans. And it was GT’s Yash Dayal who bore the brunt. Dayal was tasked with defending 29 runs in the last over, with his figures already being 0 for 38. However, he couldn’t find an answer to Rinku’s barrage of sixes, ending with 0 for 69.Luke Wood 1 for 68 vs Delhi Capitals, 2024Gerald Coetzee had a stomach bug in the MI side, and Luke Wood probably felt a bit queasy himself after his first three balls went for 14 thanks to the baseball-style hitting of James Fraser-McGurk. After conceding just eight in the second over, Wood was taken for two sixes by Shai Hope in his third. In his fourth, Tristan Stubbs decided Wood had been hit in front of the wicket enough and hit four consecutive boundaries with scoops & reverse-scoops. The over ended up going for 26.Reece Topley 1 for 68 vs SRH, 2024RCB were hammered for the highest team total in IPL history at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and it was Reece Topley who felt the heat. Despite taking the wicket of Abhishek Sharma, Topley’s figures were 1 for 43 after three overs. His final over turned into a nightmare when Abdul Samad hit 4, 4, 6, 6, and 4, helping SRH surpass the record team total of 263 runs.