MLB Extends Paid Leaves for Guardians Pitchers Luis Ortiz, Emmanuel Clase

MLB announced on Sunday that Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz will remain on non-disciplinary paid leave “until further notice" after they were originally placed there from a gambling investigation, ESPN's David Purdum reported.

The league would not provide any further information until the investigation is complete. Ortiz was placed on leave back on July 13, while Clase followed on July 28. Ortiz's leave ended on Sunday, but now it has been extended.

MLB is investigating gambling activity around two Ortiz pitches earlier this year—one on June 15 against the Mariners and one on June 27 against the Cardinals. The latter came in Ortiz's most recent start since he's been on leave, in which he gave up four earned runs and lost 5-0. Clase is tied to the same investigation.

Before being put on leave, Ortiz posted a 4.36 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings pitched in 2025. Clase, as a closer for Cleveland, posted a 3.23 ERA in 48 games this season with 24 saves.

India smell victory after 15-wicket day on a tough Eden Gardens pitch

India started the second day 122 runs behind in the first innings with nine wickets in hand. Less than six dramatic hours of cricket later, they were sensing a win, having reduced South Africa to effectively 63 for 7 in their second innings. Fifteen wickets fell on the day, Shubman Gill retired with a neck spasm, 39 remained the top score in the Test, and 57 the top partnership. This was the lowest top score in the first two innings of a Test in India, and the lowest in any Test since Durban 2010-11 between the same sides.Absolutely nobody predicted the pitch would turn out to be so difficult to bat on. It looked like a normal Indian track, good for batting for first two days, but the top surface began to come off in the second half of the first day. On the second day, it became near unplayable. Even the fast bowlers drew generous help to take 11 of the 26 wickets to fall.The pitch might seem at odds with India’s public utterances after the series loss to New Zealand last year that they want to play on more balanced surfaces, but commentator Dinesh Karthik said on air that it was not watered on the day before the Test, which comes across as unusual.Related

  • Gill hospitalised after suffering neck spasm

  • From struggle to skill, Harmer demonstrates decade-long evolution

  • Shubman Gill retires hurt with neck injury

What wasn’t unusual was that the best player on this moving day was Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 27 largely trouble-free runs before his old-fashioned technique of hiding the bat behind the pad got him out lbw to Simon Harmer.Harmer himself showed all the hype was real, that he is now a vastly improved bowler to the one that showed up in India 10 years ago, taking 4 for 30 to keep South Africa in arrears of only 30 after being bowled out for 159 on the first day. Jadeja, though, showed 30 was plenty with an unerring unbroken spell of 13-3-29-4 as South Africa ended the day on 93 for 7.When the day began, and indeed even after the wicketless first hour, it looked like India were setting themselves up for a decisive first-innings lead. KL Rahul, the top-scorer in the match, and India’s new No. 3 Washington Sundar put together the joint-highest partnership of the match. Introduced only in the second hour of the day, Harmer produced immediate results, turning one past Washington’s edge and the next onto the edge.KL Rahul was the top-scorer of the match after the second day•AFP/Getty Images

At 75 for 2, India were 84 behind South Africa, still a comfortable position to be in. Gill, whose neck seemed to be in some discomfort in the morning warm-ups, then went into a spasm as soon as he swept Harmer for four.While Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Jadeja – 39, 27 and 27 – looked good in their own individual ways, the eventual wicket-taking delivery was always around the corner. Rahul made the mistake of following Keshav Maharaj’s extravagant turn, Jadeja was done in by the natural variation, and Pant fell to extra bounce for Corbin Bosch.Maharaj will be disappointed he went at over four an over, but the combination of Harmer and Marco Jansen made light of India’s batting depth, which generally is the case on such pitches. In Kagiso Rabada’s absence, Jansen’s analysis of 15-4-35-3 kept South Africa alive in the Test. India lost their last four wickets for 36.By the time India started bowling for the second time, with a little over half an hour to tea on day two, it made complete sense to open with spin. Jasprit Bumrah, who got a five-for in the first innings, did open the bowling, and from the end where bowlers had generated uneven bounce, but it wasn’t long before South Africa were facing spin from both ends with little breathing time or space.Kuldeep Yadav took the wicket of Ryan Rickelton with what turned out to be the last ball of the middle session, one that didn’t turn and also had the batter playing back when he should have been forward.Ravindra Jadeja spun a web around South Africa•AFP/Getty Images

Pant, captaining in Gill’s absence, immediately brought on Jadeja, the fingerspinner who could accurately bowl at high pace, on at this end. As it often happens on such difficult pitches, the wicket-taking deliveries don’t look that threatening but the ones around them scramble batters’ brains. And so it looked like Aiden Markram should not have checked his sweep, but he did because this ball from Jadeja stopped on him. Tony de Zorzi reverse-swept the first ball he played but the next one jumped on him, making for an easy bat-pad catch.Wiaan Mulder tested Jadeja’s patience, but Jadeja eventually produced the edge with the big-turning delivery. Tristan Stubbs was worked over with subtle changes in the angle, with Jadeja finally going wide on the crease, angling the ball in, and then turning it away past the edge to take the off stump.Kyle Verreynne copped flak for trying to slog-sweep Axar Patel, but there weren’t many scoring opportunities on that pitch with in-out fields. A similar attacking strategy came off for Jansen for a while as he scored 13 but even he get a feather on a sweep off Kuldeep.The catching of both sides remained sensational with Rahul capping the day off with a low slip catch off a deflection of the keeper Pant. Temba Bavuma defended well and threw in the occasional sweep to end the day unbeaten on 29 off 78, but it seemed he still had a lot to do with the bat to give South Africa a shot at a win.

Tayla Vlaeminck 'shattered' to miss another WBBL

The Australia fast bowler has endured an injury-hit career and may not play at all this season

Andrew McGlashan25-Oct-2025Fast bowler Tayla Vlaeminck has admitted she is “shattered” to have been ruled out of the upcoming WBBL season for Melbourne Renegades after a slower-than-expected recovery from the shoulder injury she suffered at last year’s T20 World Cup.Vlaeminck, 26, is one of the quickest bowlers in the world but has had an injury-hit career, making just 29 international appearances since her debut in 2018. Her latest setback came when she dislocated her right shoulder diving in the outfield early in Australia’s opening game against Pakistan in the UAE.The WBBL, which starts on November 9, had been earmarked as a potential comeback for Vlaeminck but her shoulder has not responded well to an increase in bowling workload over the last month. It means that she will miss her fourth consecutive WBBL having not featured in the competition since joining Renegades in 2022.Related

Vlaeminck dislocates shoulder on T20 World Cup return

Vlaeminck ruled out of the WBBL with shoulder injury

Voll and Flintoff handed Australia central contracts

“I’m obviously a little bit shattered about missing out,” Vlaeminck told reporters in Sydney. “Unfortunately my shoulder’s just not loving bowling at the moment, so there’s not much I can do about that. I think we were hoping that my shoulder would probably respond a little bit better to bowling than it has.”We lined up Big Bash to be that sort of end point. We sat pretty nice there [at] that year mark, and just in the last four weeks trying to ramp that up it just hasn’t responded the way we sort of thought it would.”We got to a space where I pulled the pin. I probably didn’t feel confident enough to be able to actually perform if I got out for the Renegades. It’s one thing to get out on the pitch and be back playing, but you actually have to sort of back yourself in to be able to perform and do well for a team, which I didn’t feel like I was going to be able to do.”Vlaeminck’s list of injuries includes two dislocations of her left shoulder and stress fractures of the foot. Prior to her international debut she had undergone two ACL reconstructions. However, she has tried not to bemoan her bad fortune and Cricket Australia retained her on their central contracts list earlier this year.”I think you always go there initially, but I don’t think it’s overly helpful being in that space,” she said. “I just like to consider myself pretty lucky that Cricket Australia have stuck by me throughout this whole thing.”I’ve got heaps of support and hopefully over the next four to six weeks I’ll be able to continue to work on it and see how we go for the back end of the season.”Australian Women’s physiotherapist Kate Beerworth said: “Tayla’s recovery has been impacted by ongoing limitations, restricting her ability to progess her bowling and work through the end stages of her return to play plan. We’ll continue to work with Tayla, the Melbourne Renegades and Cricket Victoria to support her through this next phase.”

Harmanpreet: 'There is nothing bigger than this in our life as a cricketer'

India prioritised recovery – both physical and mental – ahead of their Women’s World Cup final match against South Africa on Sunday

Vishal Dikshit01-Nov-20251:50

Chopra: India winning the World Cup will change women’s cricket landscape

Harmanpreet Kaur sat down for the pre-match press conference at the DY Patil Stadium, her face seemingly devoid of any emotion. There was only a simmering fire.She had cried uncontrollably after India sealed a high-octane victory over Australia in the semi-final. That was only two nights ago. Two nights to digest the high of beating serial World Cup winners. Two nights to come to terms with the fact the job isn’t quite done.”Well, the semi-final was a very high-pressure game and very intense,” Harmanpreet said on the eve of the final against South Africa. “After that, recovery was something which we all paid more attention to because the fresher we are, mentally, for the final, the better it will be.”Because we have been working hard for so many years and we have been batting day and night, whenever our batters camped or there were team camps. So, skill-wise we know we have done a lot and now it’s only about keeping ourselves fresh for tomorrow and recovery is something which we all talk about, and everybody is really taking that thing very seriously and hopefully tomorrow we will feel even fresher for the main game.India will be playing their third ODI World Cup final. South Africa, just their first.”Keeping yourself balanced and focused is something which is the key,” Harmanpreet said. “We are having those sessions where we have been talking about how we can be more focused and more balanced and at the same time keeping ourselves relaxed because this is the biggest stage and biggest opportunity for us, playing in home conditions and that also final match.2:27

WWC final – Can India come down from their high in time?

“But I think the most important thing is that we have to enjoy this because there is nothing bigger than this in our life as a cricketer and as a captain. So our focus is to enjoy this moment and keep taking small targets which we have to achieve as a team rather than thinking bigger targets because you can achieve bigger targets if you achieve the small targets.”Harmanpreet is into her fifth World Cup now, but this is her first as captain. India have arrived at the final after a topsy-turvy league stage that saw them win only three of their seven games. She was clear “there’s no bigger motivation than a World Cup final” to up their game.Related

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Rodrigues completes her redemption arc

“We know pretty well how it feels after losing [a World Cup final],” she said. “We’re really looking forward to the feeling of winning a final. Hopefully it’s going to be a special day for us tomorrow. We’ve worked really hard, and now it’s about getting everything together tomorrow.”India’s road to the semis looked wobbly right from the start. They began with collapses against Sri Lanka and Pakistan but turned things around to win both games. They lost all the matches they played against higher-ranked teams – South Africa, Australia and England – and it was only when they arrived in Navi Mumbai, a ground where they have had lots of success, that things picked back up.”We weren’t shaken up even once in the team because of those three big losses,” Harmanpreet said. “Even after that, everyone was together and everyone was talking about how to reach the final. We had a positive mindset which really helped us that we’re here now. When you have such a positive mindset and everyone feels from within to perform for the country…”We were definitely talking about where to improve but at the same time there was a common goal, there was the awareness that it’s a long process and there would be ups and downs, wins and losses. At the end of the day, what matters is we’re here in the final. So we used to think how to move forward after those losses, how to improve, be there for each other.”2:43

WWC final: Harmanpreet and Tryon will be key players

India have looked far more convincing over their last three matches, including a washout against Bangladesh. The XI seems more balanced, with six bowling options, bigger contributions from the bat, and all of it culminating in another historic victory against forever favourites Australia. That night ended with plenty of tears, from Jemimah Rodrigues on the field and Harmanpreet in the dugout as she hugged whoever came her way, crying into their arms.”I think I’m a very emotional person, and I cry a lot,” Harmanpreet said with a smile. “So it’s not like I cry only after losing. I have cried a lot after winning too, maybe yesterday you have seen me on television. But my team-mates have seen me in the dressing room many times – on small occasions also, whenever we have done well. I am the first person to cry.”As a player, these moments are very important. To beat a team like Australia, which is a big team and has always done well on the world stage. It’s not an easy thing to perform and be mentally strong in front of them. But I think overcoming that hurdle was something very special to all of us. I always tell my team that you don’t need to control your emotions. If you feel like crying, cry. At the same time, just keep enjoying. I think there is no bigger achievement or thing for us. Tomorrow is a special day and we will go with the same mindset.”There is a sell-out crowd expected for the final on Sunday.”The entire team is charged up, we’re there for each other and praying for each other,” Harmanpreet said. “That shows how close this team is and how ready we are for this match. Now it’s only giving your best, all the strategies and plans have been taking shape for the last two years. We had been planning for a home World Cup, what kind of conditions we’d get, so know it’s only about giving your 100%.”

Chelsea join Daniel Munoz race as Crystal Palace star reveals true "dream" move

Chelsea have now reportedly joined the race to sign Crystal Palace star Daniel Munoz, who has already revealed where his “dream” move away lies.

Those at Stamford Bridge aren’t wasting any time before thinking about 2026 reinforcements in an attempt to improve Enzo Maresca’s young side. They were at their ruthless best against Wolverhampton Wanderers, dispatching of the managerless relegation candidates to win 3-0.

Full of praise for his side following a convincing victory, Maresca expressed his delight whilst also admitting that Chelsea could have scored even more goals at Stamford Bridge.

That said, as happy as Maresca was, improvements could still be on the way. BlueCo haven’t exactly been shy when it comes to recruitment in recent years and that looks set to continue in 2026.

After spending big last summer, the Blues are already reportedly eyeing Karl Etta Eyong who has admitted that he dreams of completing a move to Stamford Bridge to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Didier Drogba.

The Levante star has scored six goals in 12 games this season and is now one of the hottest prospects in European football. When next summer arrives, he could yet get the chance to realise his Chelsea dream, whilst another transfer target also potentially gets his move.

Chelsea join Daniel Munoz race as "dream" move shared

According to reports in Spain, Chelsea have now joined the race to sign Munoz from Crystal Palace following an excellent spell at Selhurst Park. Joining the Blues in pursuit of the right-back, however, is Barcelona. The Spanish giants are looking to spoil Chelsea’s plans and help Munoz realise what he previously admitted is a dream move when playing for Belgian side Genk.

Having now ticked off his Premier League dream, it’s difficult to imagine a world in which Munoz turns Barcelona down if they come calling. The good news for Chelsea is that, either way, they’ll be able to bid farewell to playing against such a talented star.

6 passes & 2 duels won: Maresca must drop 5/10 Chelsea star after Wolves

Chelsea breezed to victory over Wolves, although it wasn’t all plain sailing.

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 9, 2025

Praised as “amazing” by Palace boss Oliver Glasner last year, it was only back in August that Munoz was pocketing Chelsea’s Jamie Gittens in a 0-0 draw – limiting the winger to just two touches in the opposition box.

Chelsea star criticised vs Wolves after having fewer touches than Sanchez

Incredible Sights and Sounds From Guardians’ Walk-Off Feel Like a Movie

The New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians conspired to play an unbelievable Game 3 in the American League Championship Series on Thursday. The back-and-forth affair had a bit of everything with both sides hitting a pair of incredibly clutch home runs at the precise moment they'd yield maxium drama. On a night where so many players took a turn playing hero, Cleveland's David Fry went last, blasting a walkoff two-run homer in the 10th inning to cut the Yankees' series lead in half and give Guardians fans some realistic hope.

It was one of those games where as soon as it ended—even as a neutral observer—you couldn't wait to catch the highlights. The sort of sporting event where you text a casual fan and tell them they need to check out what happened. And the type of thing that yields almost magical footage from the scene.

Playoff baseball provides such rich storytelling and it digs deep inside to reach something truly pure. There's so much to say about a magnificent game where the stakes couldn't be higher and the action couldn't be more exciting, yet the sights and sounds are often more effective.

All of this to say this video, taken a few blocks from Progressive Field as Fry launched his bomb into the night and sent a city into euphoria, is one of the coolest things on the internet right now. The building of tension until the crack of the bat is heard. The cascading of sound from there. A fireworks display to hammer home the winning moment.

Perfection.

If I were running Major League Baseball I'd make this a commercial for the sport. Heck, it already feels like a commercial created for the sport in the way that it delivers a message without words.

Stuff like this is why the "baseball is dying" narrative and vague complaints about the sport not marketing its stars becomes insufferable. There's amazing, almost-impossible-to-ignore theater playing out for anyone who can stop complaining long enough to enjoy it. Year after year the sport seems to do a great job reminding everyone come October just what it has to offer.

Tribe, Kellaway extend Gloucestershire's winless title defence

Spinners Crane and Imad complete 40-run victory in Bristol

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay15-Jun-2025

Mason Crane’s four-for helped secure victory•Getty Images

Half-centuries from 21-year-olds Ben Kellaway and Asa Tribe propelled Glamorgan to a 40-run Vitality Blast South Group win over Gloucestershire at Bristol, leaving the trophy holders without a victory in five matches.The visitors posted 189 for six after winning the toss, Kellaway hitting a career-best 53 and Tribe a scintillating 63 not out off 28 balls, with five sixes and five fours. Ajeet Singh Dale claimed three for 17 from four overs.In reply, Gloucestershire stumbled to 149 for nine, Cameron Bancroft making 52 and D’Arcy Short 34. Leg-spinner Mason Crane finished with a career-best four for 20 as the Welsh county secured a fourth group success.Batting at number three, Kellaway found himself facing only the third ball of the game after Will Smale had been bowled by David Payne. It was 27 for two in the fourth over when Kiran Carlson miscued a pull shot off Singh Dale to be pouched at mid-wicket.Kellaway had still moved to 34 by the time the six-over powerplay ended with his side 48 for two. Colin Ingram increased the scoring rate with a straight six off Short’s first delivery and claimed another maximum by smacking Tom Smith over long-off.A pulled six took Kellaway to his maiden T20 fifty off 30 balls, with nine fours, but he fell in the next over advancing down the pitch to off-spinner Ollie Price to present wicketkeeper Bancroft with a simple stumping and Ingram went for 38, taken at fine-leg off Singh Dale.Chris Cooke and Dan Douthwaite fell cheaply, the former superbly caught one-handed by Price at long-on. But Tribe ensured Glamorgan of a competitive total with a late blitz that saw 22 come off the 19th over, bowled by Smith and a further 19 off the last, sent down by Payne.Glamorgan opted to take pace off the ball as early as the second over of Gloucestershire’s reply, delivered by left-arm spinner Imad Wasim. Bancroft got the scoreboard ticking with a four and a six off the first two balls of the third over, bowled by Timm van der Gugten.Miles Hammond fell for a ten-ball duck, sweeping a catch to deep mid-wicket off Imad, and by the end of the powerplay Gloucestershire were anchored on 30 for one. Bancroft and Short put together a stand of 63 without ever cutting loose and when Short top-edged a sweep off Crane to be caught at short fine leg the hosts were 76 for two in the 12th over.Price fell lbw to a full delivery from Crane and Jack Taylor was caught at fine leg by Ingram off Ned Leonard before Ben Charlesworth suffered a second successive first ball duck when driving a catch to long-off to give Crane his third wicket.Bancroft had taken 43 balls over his half-century and when he top- edged a reverse sweep of Crane to be caught at short fine-leg the outcome was beyond doubt, despite a late assault by Graeme van Burren, which brought him 32 runs off 14 balls.

Arsenal sold "one of the most underrated CMs", now he's looking like Eze

This season feels like a do-or-die for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.

The Spaniard has done a brilliant job of taking the club from mid-table mediocrity to perennial title challengers in five years, but he now needs to get the team over the finishing line.

Fortunately, even with the absurd number of injuries they’re already facing, the Gunners now have a squad full to bursting with brilliant players, like Eberechi Eze, who could help them win the Premier League or Champions League.

Interestingly, though, while Arsenal should be delighted to have the Crystal Palace star on the books, one of their former players is currently performing just like him.

The problems Eze solves for Arsenal

Now, while there are undoubtedly other things he brings to the table, there are two main ways Eze can help Arsenal, and they are somewhat interlinked.

Firstly, the Gunners ended last season with 17 fewer goals scored than champions Liverpool, and therefore needed to go out and sign a serious attacking threat in the summer, like the former Palace star.

For example, in 43 appearances last season, totalling 3,303 minutes, the England international scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists.

Eze in 24/25

Appearances

43

Minutes

3303′

Goals

14

Assists

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

132.12′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

That means he averaged a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes, and the fact that he was able to do so in a mid-table side is even more encouraging.

This links to the other main way in which the Greenwich-born star could help the Gunners: his positional versatility.

On top of being proven in the number ten role, the former QPR gem is more than capable of playing off the left.

Not only will this give Arteta more tactical flexibility in games, but it also means the 27-year-old will be able to provide genuine competition for Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard, two players who underperformed last year.

In all, Eze looks like an excellent signing for Arsenal, even though a player sold by the club years ago is starting to resemble the £68m man.

The former Arsenal star playing like Eze

It would be fair to say that Arsenal do not have the best track record when it comes to selling, often due to them selling a player for way less than their worth.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

That isn’t actually the case in this instance, as former Hale Ender Alex Iwobi was sold to Everton in 2019 for a hefty fee of around £35m.

The Nigerian wasn’t a bad player for the Gunners, far from it, but he wasn’t ever spectacular, and so when the Toffees made an offer like that for someone who’d amassed a tally of 39 goal involvements in 149 games, it was probably the right decision to let him go.

While he played a big role on Merseyside, the versatile international was eventually sold to Fulham for around £22m in the summer of 2023, and it would be accurate to say he’s been at his best with the Cottagers.

In fact, since moving to Craven Cottage, the former Gunners ace has scored 16 goals and provided ten assists in 83 appearances, totalling 6118 minutes.

Iwobi’s senior career

Club

Arsenal

Everton

Fulham

Appearances

149

140

83

Goals

15

9

16

Assists

24

16

10

Goal Involvements per Match

0.26

0.17

0.31

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Yet, despite putting in consistently good performances for the West Londoners and already racking up three goal involvements in five league games this season, some consider him to be overlooked, with journalist Daniel Storey going as far as calling him “one of the most underrated midfielders in the country.”

With that said, what makes him like Eze?

Well, the first similarity the Nigerian shares with the Gunners ace is his positional versatility, as he’s just as comfortable playing on the wing as he is in midfield.

Second, he is also becoming a greater goal threat for his side, racking up 15 goal involvements in the league last season and just seven the year before.

Finally, like the North Londoners’ new star, he is also capable of making things happen, both through his brilliant close control and ability to deliver a pinpoint-accurate cross into the penalty area.

Ultimately, Arsenal did the right thing in selling Iwobi when they did, but it’s also true that the Fulham star is playing incredibly well at the moment, and looking a bit like Eze in the process.

Arsenal had Lewis-Skelly 2.0 in Hale End "monster", then he left for £0

The talented Hale Ender looked like he was going to be a star for Arsenal.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Sep 25, 2025

CSK bring Hooda in and bat in last IPL 2025 game

Ashwin was left out while GT brought in Coetzee for Rabada

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2025Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the toss and chose to bat in their final game of IPL 2025. CSK captain MS Dhoni expected the pitch to remain the same, as did his counterpart Shubman Gill.Dhoni said the heat in Ahmedabad also influenced his decision to bat first. CSK made one change, bringing back Deepak Hooda for R Ashwin. Gujarat Titans also made one change with Gerald Coetzee replacing his South Africa compatriot Kagiso Rabada.If GT win, they will firm up their top spot, but if they lose, they could end up playing the Eliminator and lose the chance to have two cracks at the final. As for CSK, even a win can’t prevent them from finishing rock bottom in the IPL for the first time ever.This is Dhoni’s last game in IPL 2025. He will turn 44 this July and his future remains uncertain.Gujarat Titans: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Sherfane Rutherford, 4 M Shahrukh Khan, 5 Rashid Khan, 6 Gerald Coetzee, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Mohammed Siraj, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Arshad Khan, 11 M Prasidh Krishna
Impact subs: B Sai Sudharsan, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Ishant SharmaChennai Super Kings: 1 Ayush Mhatre, 2 Devon Conway, 3 Urvil Patel, 4 Ravindra Jadeja, 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 MS Dhoni (wk, capt), 8 Deepak Hooda, 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Anshul Kamboj, 11 Khaleel AhmedImpact subs: Matheesha Pathirana, Vijay Shankar, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, R Ashwin

Bumrah available for selection for Mumbai Indians against RCB

Bumrah joined the MI squad on Saturday after receiving clearance from the BCCI’s centre of excellence

S Sudarshanan06-Apr-20250:26

Jayawardene on Bumrah and Rohit’s availability for MI vs RCB

Jasprit Bumrah is available for selection for Mumbai Indians’ game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Monday, head coach Mahela Jayawardene has confirmed.”He’s available, he’s training today, and should be available [for the RCB game],” Jayawardene said ahead of MI’s net session at the Wankhede Stadium. “He arrived last night, he had his sessions with NCA [National Cricket Academy, now Centre of Excellence] to finalise that, he’s been handed over to our physios. He’s bowling today, so all good.”Bumrah was given a warm welcome at the MI team huddle, with batting coach Kieron Pollard hoisting him into the air with the words, “Welcome, Mufasa.” MI have lost three of their first four matches of IPL 2025 and his return is a huge boost to a bowling attack that had included several inexperienced Indian bowlers such as Vignesh Puthur, Ashwani Kumar and Satyanarayana Raju. Bumrah was MI’s leading wicket-taker in IPL 2024 with 20 scalps, the third most in the season.Bumrah was among the first batch of bowlers in the nets on Sunday and bowled alongside Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner and Karn Sharma, with bowling coach Lasith Malinga keeping a close watch. He ran in at full tilt and bowled at brisk speeds to MI’s openers Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton. Bumrah operated primarily from over the wicket to Rohit and went around the stumps to the left-hander Rickelton. He found Rohit’s outside edge with a length ball that would have carried to slip, and followed up with a jog towards the batter. Rohit shouldered arms to the next delivery.After a 30-minute stint in the nets, Bumrah walked away. He returned an hour later to have a word with MI’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey and bowl at Santner, Corbin Bosch and Bevon Jacobs. He bowled a few deliveries off a short run-up before steaming in again – hitting good lengths and bowling a few yorkers.”Boom’s coming back from a pretty decent layoff, so we need to give him that space,” Jayawardene had said. “Not expect too much. Knowing Jasprit he will be up for it. We’re very happy to have him in the camp, the experience he brings, that extra voice out there in the middle, chatting with Boulty [Trent Boult], chatting with Deepak [Chahar] or any other younger bowler, giving that advice is also very valuable for us. That’s what we’re looking forward to from him.”

Bumrah joined the MI squad on Saturday, after getting clearance from the BCCI’s medical staff at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. He has not played competitive cricket since the Sydney Test in the first week of January, when he suffered a stress reaction in the back, and missed India’s home bilateral series against England and the Champions Trophy during his recovery.He has been building his bowling workload up in recent weeks at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence. He’s been cautious about his recovery, and wants to ensure he is fully fit before returning to action, keeping in mind India’s five-Test series in England starting on June 28.Bumrah has played all his IPL cricket for MI, starting in 2013 and picking up 165 wickets in 133 matches over the years. The only IPL season he has missed since was in 2023, when he had a back injury. This latest injury is his first back injury since he had back surgery in March 2023.

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