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IPL 2025 - MI retain their big four; Klaasen retained for INR 23 crore

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  Here's the final list of players retained by each of the ten IPL franchises ahead of the upcoming mega auction for the 2025 season .     Mumbai Indians 5 players retained : Jasprit Bumrah (INR 18 crore), Suryakumar Yadav (INR 16.35 crore), Hardik Pandya (INR 16.35 crore), Rohit Sharma (INR 16.30 crore), Tilak Varma (INR 8 crore) Purse remaining for auction : INR 45 crore (out of INR 120 crore) Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction : 1 Players eligible for RTM : One uncapped player Big players not retained : Ishan Kishan, Tim David Top takeaways : Hardik has been named MI captain for IPL 2025, while Jasprit Bumrah has become MI's top paid retention for the first time. The big challenge for MI was to retain their marquee Indian players within the INR 75 crore and they have managed to do that and keep their core intact heading into the IPL 2025 mega auction. Sunrisers Hyderabad 5 players retained : Heinrich Klaasen (INR 23 crore), Pat Cummins (INR 18 crore), Abhis

Piastri on Sao Paulo sprint pole ahead of Norris

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  Oscar Piastri led Lando Norris to a McLaren one-two in sprint qualifying at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Norris' title rival Max Verstappen could manage only fourth place in his Red Bull, behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Verstappen, who has a five-place grid penalty for the main grand prix on Sunday, starts the weekend 47 points ahead of Norris in the championship. The result of sprint qualifying gives Norris an opportunity to claw back a small amount of points on Verstappen in Saturday’s sprint event, in which there are eight points for a win, seven for second and so on down to eighth. But Norris said he was not thinking about the championship. "I hate this question so much," he said. "I'm just going to race. I don't care about where he qualified. "For me it's just focus on my own job. It's the same question every time. It doesn't matter. If he's first or last, I will do the best I can." Norris set the pace on the fir

All Blacks Test sets tone for England mission to crack elite

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    Autumn Nations Series: England v New Zealand Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham Date: Saturday, 2 November Kick-off: 15:10 GMT Coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, and follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. The difference is only shrapnel, but against the super-elite, this England team invariably end up short-changed. It was defeat by a solitary point against the All Blacks in Dunedin in July. It was two against France in Lyon in March. The Springboks shaded it by one in Paris last autumn. The velvet rope separating England from the game's highest flyers is thin, but distinct. This autumn is about slicing through to that high society; coming away with credentials stamped with landmark victories and new-found respect from Test powerhouses. The focus has been clear. Ben Earl, one vice-captain, has said "the time is now" for England to swap regrets for results. Maro Itoje, another leadership deput

'It's all over' - new documentary on the kiss that shook Spanish football

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  Those two words - meaning "it's all over" in English and first posted by midfielder Alexia Putellas on social media - changed Spanish football forever. Putellas, followed by many others, posted 'se acabo' after Spain's World Cup triumph in 2023 was overshadowed by Luis Rubiales, the country's football federation president, planting a kiss on the lips of player Jenni Hermoso. It was a kiss that Rubiales said was consensual, but Hermoso said was not. Now, Netflix has released a documentary titled 'It's All Over: The Kiss That Changed Spanish Football', which addresses the build-up to the tournament, the kiss and the fall out that followed.   The documentary, which has been translated into English, starts with several players from Spain's World Cup-winning side speaking about the impact of the kiss. Later, there is footage of the kiss itself and the moment Rubiales grabbed his crotch while standing next to members of Spain'

I was told it was now or never - Amorim on Man Utd move

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    Ruben Amorim says he wanted to take the Manchester United job at the end of the season but accepted a mid-season appointment after being told it was "now or never". Amorim, 39, was confirmed as Manchester United's new head coach on Friday and will complete his move to Old Trafford from Lisbon club Sporting on 11 November. Speaking after Sporting's first match since that announcement - Friday's 5-1 league victory over Estrela which maintained their perfect start after 10 games - Amorim explained his only request following United's approach was to see out the current campaign, which he had already informed the club's president would be his last. But the Portuguese coach was told that would not be possible as the Premier League club sought an immediate replacement for Erik ten Hag, who was sacked on Monday. "The season started, we started very well, and then Manchester United came, they pay above the compensation clause and the presiden

"Players playing in pain"—Guertiola on the "emergency" of injuries

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    Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said even fit players are in pain as they push through the fixture schedule and his squad now faces an injury "emergency". Guardiola said he has doubts over several players for Saturday's trip to Bournemouth after suffering problems in Wednesday's 2-1 EFL Cup defeat at Tottenham. Savinho went off on a stretcher with an ankle injury, while Manuel Akanji injured his calf in the warm-up. After the game, Guardiola said he had just 13 fit players with long-term absentees in Rodri and Oscar Bobb, and injury concerns over Kevin de Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish, Akanji and Josko Gvardiol. On Friday he did not say who could return for the trip to Bournemouth saying he had "many doubts" but confirmed Brazil winger Savinho had not suffered a fracture. After Bournemouth, City have a Champions League trip to Portugal to face Ruben Amorim’s Sporting and then travel to face Brighton. "Tod