Author: Barkha Roy

Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Sunil Narine has taken 7 wickets and bowled 7 maiden overs ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League 2023 season. Interestingly, he was about to fly to India to join his KKR teammates when his flight was delayed, and he ended up bowling a fiery spell in the T&T Cricket Board Premiership Division I. Narine took the field for Queen’s Park Cricket Club I against Clarke Road United at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair, Port-of-Spain. The Caribbean had already scalped 31 wickets in his last three matches, including four back-to-back five-wicket hauls. The 34-year-old…

The Blues captain will be hospitalised overnight after being kicked in the head during Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday, according to manager Graham Potter. The club manager said Cesar Azpilicueta would be in hospital for at least 24 hours after being hit in the face by an attempted overhead kick by Southampton opponent Sekou Mara in the 74th minute. After a 10-minute stoppage, the Spaniard was carried off on a stretcher while wearing a neck brace and breathing through an oxygen mask. “Thankfully he’s conscious. He’s in hospital. He spoke to his wife, I believe. So…

Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the players named to FIFA’s shortlist for the FIFPro team of the year. The former Manchester United forward could be considered a surprise inclusion in the 26-man list, having had a troubled career since the summer, when his relationship with Manchester United began to deteriorate, leading to a bitter exit. Despite being the club’s top scorer last season with 24 goals, the forward began the season out of favour at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag after demanding to leave after the club failed to qualify for the Champions League. With no interest from other…

Ruben Neves has been heavily linked with a summer move to FC Barcelona as a replacement for Sergio Busquets. While Barca president Joan Laporta and the board are said to be pushing for the signing of the Wolves midfielder because he is a financially viable acquisition, Xavi Hernandez and his coaching staff do not think he is a good fit. Now, according to Joaquim Piera of SPORT, the player is one step closer to joining Barcelona in the upcoming summer transfer window, as Wolves will soon announce the arrival of 21-year-old Brazilian Joao Gomes. https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1618907163270717440 The midfielder, who was also…

Orlando City wingman Facundo Torres addressed recent transfer rumours linking him to the Premier League, confirming contact with Arsenal before insisting he is currently ‘focused with Orlando City’. Torres was mentioned in December as a possible backup for Bukayo Saka by the Gunners. Though the transfer did not gain traction at the time, initial discussions were held between both teams. “Orlando City confirmed to me that there was contact with Arsenal, but then I left for the World Cup and I didn’t want to hear about a potential transfer at that point. So the conversation stayed there but now that…

The first encounter between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid this season was played in typically hostile fashion, with Ousmane Dembele’s fine finish the difference as the Blaugrana celebrated a crucial 1-0 win at the Metropolitano. However, tempers flared near the end of the game, with Ferran Torres and Stefan Savic receiving red cards for an off-the-ball grapple in stoppage time, a decision that the Catalan club has since appealed. The scuffle between Savic and Torres was investigated by Barcelona’s legal team to determine whether an appeal against the red card received by the Spanish striker was possible. https://twitter.com/101greatgoals/status/1612208159162077189 After reviewing the…

The French Football Association has filed an official complaint against Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for his continued taunting of Les Bleus striker Kylian Mbappe after the 2022 World Cup final. The Aston Villa custodian repeatedly targeted Mbappe after his team beat France on penalties following a 3-3 tie in Sunday’s World Cup final. Mbappe became the first player in 56 years to score a hat trick in a World Cup final, but France was defeated 4-2 in a penalty shootout by Argentina. Martinez first requested “a moment of silence” for Mbappe following the game in Qatar, then repeated the request…

Tottenham Hotspur can sign France midfielder Adrien Rabiot for just 13.2 million pounds in January. Due to the expiration of his contract at Juventus, the former Manchester United target is available for a reduced fee. Rabiot’s current contract expires next summer. As a result, Juve’s only chance of obtaining a fee for the player may be next month. From January 1, the 27-year-old will be free to speak with foreign clubs about a pre-contract agreement at the end of the season. Rabiot has been a regular for Juventus this season, so a contract extension cannot be ruled out. However, as…

ATK Mohun Bagan have signed Serbian central defender Slavko Damjanovic in the winter transfer window. The 30-year-old, who is only eligible to join the club in January, will fill in for the injured Florentin Pogba in the Mariners’ starting lineup. Damjanovic has previous Indian Super League experience, having played for Chennaiyin FC the previous season. He joins the Mariners from Novi Pazar in Serbia. Pogba joined ATK Mohun Bagan this summer and amid high expectations, played only two Super League matches before being sidelined by injury. He appeared in six games for the Mariners. The Frenchman has returned home from India to recover from…

The 18-year-old midfielder has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, Liverpool, and Newcastle United, as a result of his performances in Brazil thus far in his young career. However, according to The Times, Chelsea are ahead of their rivals in the race to sign him, despite the fact that Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in the teenager. Sources close to Chelsea have told 90MIN that they hope to reach an agreement before the January transfer window opens, at which point they will announce a deal, which is expected to be worth around 12 million pounds but…