Wolverhampton Wanderers are now in advanced talks to sign Independiente’s Patrik Mercado, with a deal for the midfielder, who is in line to become Rob Edwards’ first signing, almost done.

Wolves are looking to sign a new midfielder amid the uncertainty surrounding Joao Gomes’ future at Molineux, with it recently emerging the 24-year-old would be willing to make a move to Old Trafford.

The Old Gold really would be gambling with their Premier League status if they sanctioned Gomes’ departure next month, but they are already very much up against it, having taken just two points from their opening 11 matches.

Edwards will be looking to oversee a major turnaround, starting this weekend against Crystal Palace, and if the new manager is able to get his side within touching distance of 17th place by January, a few new additions could help propel them to safety.

Wolves now in advanced talks to sign Patrik Mercado

According to a report from El Diario (via Sport Witness), Wolves are now in advanced talks to sign Independiente midfielder Mercado, having emerged as frontrunners in the race for his signature, and the deal is almost done.

As such, the 22-year-old is in line to become Edwards’ first signing at Molineux, and the deal is likely to be relatively inexpensive, with a €5.96m (£5m) fee being touted.

Sevilla and a number of unnamed Portuguese clubs are also in the race for the maestro, but it is looking like he could be heading to Wolves, even though the Ecuadorian would be a risky signing, amid their struggles at the wrong end of the table.

The versatile midfielder, who is capable of playing in defensive and attacking midfield roles, is yet to prove himself outside his home country, and may take more time than Edwards’ side have available to adjust to life in the Premier League.

That’s not to say the Tena-born ace isn’t a future star, having remained a regular source of goals and assists for Independiente across the 2025 campaign, chipping in with 18 goal contributions.

Patrik Mercado’s attacking record in 2025

Appearances

Goal contributions

Liga Pro Serie A

28

11

Liga Pro Championship Round

4

2

Copa Sudamericana

7

4

Copa Libertadores

6

1

Given that a deal for Mercado would be relatively cheap, a deal is still worth pursuing, but having failed to win a single league game so far this season, Wolves may need to bring in more established players to stand any chance of avoiding relegation.

Wolves want deal for "world-class" Real Madrid player done quickly Wolves offer for "world-class" Real Madrid player, want deal done quickly

The Old Gold have submitted an offer for a new forward, who could be available for a bargain fee.

ByDominic Lund Nov 16, 2025

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has now dropped a fresh injury update on Cole Palmer ahead of the tough Champions League clash against Barcelona on Tuesday night.

The Blues are gearing up for a difficult fixture in mid-week, taking on reigning La Liga champions Barca in their fifth Champions League fixture this season, and Maresca’s side will be aiming to put things right after only being able to muster up a 1-1 draw against Qarabag last time out.

However, the west Londoners have been struggling on the injury front for quite some time, which will be a concern for the manager, with the likes of Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia and Palmer still sidelined, missing the 2-0 victory against Burnley at the weekend.

The Italian will no doubt be frustrated the England international has missed large parts of the campaign, having said back in January: “His team-mates see him as a top player so at the moment when we have some difficulties and we are looking for the closest one to help us, we need Cole to step forward in that moment.

“In that moment, in the second-half against Wolves, he showed his team-mate he is a leader inside the pitch.”

However, there has now been a promising update on the 23-year-old’s injury ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Barcelona…

Enzo Maresca drops injury update on Cole Palmer

As relayed by Football London, Maresca has now confirmed Palmer has already returned to training, saying: “Yeah, we don’t know when, but for sure, it will be soon. He is already on the pitch, touching the ball and the feeling is good.”

The 45-year-old stopped short of confirming whether the £130k-a-week star will be available for the tough test against Barca, but a swift return appears to be on the cards, which will be welcome news, heading into a tricky run of fixtures.

Chelsea’s upcoming fixtures

Date

Barcelona (h)

November 25th

Arsenal (h)

November 30th

Leeds United (a)

December 3rd

AFC Bournemouth (a)

December 6th

Atalanta (a)

December 9th

The Blues may have an outside chance of winning the Premier League title, having moved into second place courtesy of the victory at Turf Moor, and they could make a major statement by defeating league leaders Arsenal at Stamford Bridge this Sunday.

However, Maresca will need his best players available if Chelsea are to stand any chance of beating the Gunners, and the former Manchester City man is certainly in that category, having contributed 45 goals and 29 assists in 101 appearances since moving to west London.

Palmer will also be eager to receive consistent game time to ensure he is on the plane to the World Cup with England, having proven his ability to deliver in big games by scoring against Spain in the final of Euro 2024.

Chelsea have Palmer 2.0 with a "left foot made of gold" Chelsea have Palmer 2.0 with a "left foot made of gold" & it's not Estevao

The promising talent could be the perfect solution to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer problem.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 22, 2025

England coach hopes to unleash Ecclestone and Linsey to exploit India’s vulnerability against left-arm spin

S Sudarshanan18-Oct-20252:41

Edwards: ‘Ecclestone is bowling as well as I’ve seen’

“What collapse?” Charlotte Edwards joked.England have three wins from four outings and are yet to lose a game at the 2025 Women’s World Cup. And they will face an under-pressure India on Sunday, stinging from defeats to South Africa and Australia.It’s a good place to be, if you put aside England’s batting issues, which their head coach has been trying to. “Seriously, in a tournament like this, you have to forget about things quite quickly,” Edwards said in Indore on the eve of the match against India.England were 78 for 7 in their most recent game against Pakistan and were lucky to split points after rain put an end to proceedings in Colombo. “We’ve obviously reviewed that last game, but we are not dwelling on that,” Edwards said. “We’re focusing on India and we know from the summer how tough a challenge India are going to be in home conditions.Related

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“It’s exciting to be here tomorrow in front of a massive crowd, who I’m sure will be supporting India. There’s just this real sense of excitement around our group and not thinking too much about what’s happened.”One of England’s concerns with the bat is their vulnerability against swing bowling. Bangladesh’s Marufa Akter exploited that in Guwahati by dismissing Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont, and almost dismissed the eventual match-winner Heather Knight, too. Pakistan’s Fatima Sana and Diana Baig inflicted the early damage at the Premadasa stadium this week resulting in a bit of a trend.Fast bowlers have recorded a tournament-high strike rate of 22.7 against England at this World Cup.”I am not concerned,” Edwards said. “You have days where it doesn’t go particularly well. I’m disappointed, probably, that we didn’t adapt quick enough, but I’m certainly not concerned. You have got to move on quite quickly in tournament cricket. If you look at South Africa in the first game, they were bowled out for 70 [69] and have played brilliantly since.”Edwards: ‘Wanted Ecclestone to enjoy her cricket again’Sophie Ecclestone has been in top form•Getty Images

England’s spinners have picked up 24 of the 30 wickets so far, and left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone has led the pack with nine at an average of 6.66. That haul included figures of 4 for 17 against Sri Lanka in Colombo and Edwards said England were just happy she was back playing again.During the English summer, Ecclestone had taken time away from the game to prioritise her wellbeing. She had also considered quitting cricket following some off-field drama that cropped up during the last Women’s Ashes.”We’re all incredibly proud of Sophie, she obviously had a tough winter and worked through some issues,” Edwards said. “First and foremost, we wanted Sophie to enjoy her cricket again. It’s really evident to see that she’s enjoying cricket again. She’s probably bowling as well as I’ve ever seen her and that spell against Sri Lanka was unbelievable. I know she’s looking forward to playing tomorrow. She’s over her illness [that kept her out of the Pakistan game] and really excited to get out there playing again for England.”India have lost the most wickets to left-arm spin at this World Cup. On Sunday, they will be faced with two exponents of the art in Ecclestone and Linsey Smith. Ecclestone has dismissed Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur a combined seven times in ODIs.”Left-arm spin has been quite prolific in women’s cricket over the last few years, probably more in the T20 format,” Edwards said. “With this tournament being in India, our reasons for picking two left-arm spinners was because I knew they’d be really effective. We’ve got two of the best in the world and well, certainly, the best in the world in Sophie Ecclestone. It’s just one of those bowling styles that’s been hugely effective and I’m glad we’ve got the two.”Any sort of advantage you can get over an opposition, you’ll look into. We do know there is a vulnerability there and we’ve got two left-arm spinners, which is great that we’ve got that option to play them.”

The hosts completed the highest ever chase in women’s ODIs to stun Australia and book their spot in Sunday’s World Cup final

S Sudarshanan30-Oct-2025

India won the semi-final after acing the highest ever chase in women’s ODIs•Getty Images

It was a movie India had seen many times. A tricky run chase. Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur with a rescue act. That raising the prospect of an upset win in a knockout game against Australia. Only, this time at the Women’s World Cup 2025, the ending was different.Rodrigues ran towards Amanjot Kaur. She lifted her up, and then bent down and lay next to the pitch. She was soon swarmed by her team-mates who came charging in, perhaps faster than the speed of light, as India made only their third World Cup final, their first since 2017.Related

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Stats – India scale new highs to make Australia go WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWL

Importantly, India dealt Australia their first defeat in 16 ODI World Cup matches. Faced with a record run-chase in women’s ODIs, India rode on an unbeaten 127 from Rodrigues and an 89 from Harmanpreet to hunt down their target of 339 with nine balls to spare. This will be the first ODI World Cup final to not feature either Australia or England, as India will face South Africa on Sunday. The 34,651 at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday sure got their money’s worth.The end might have been vastly different had Alyssa Healy managed to hold on to a skier from Rodrigues when she was on 82. India needed 131 from 106 balls at that point.About three hours earlier, though, Phoebe Litchfield had put on an exhibition that left the crowd, bathed in blue, in awe and silence in equal measure for most of the afternoon. Her maiden World Cup century aided with half-centuries from Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner helped Australia get to 338. India pulled things back by taking 8 for 118 towards the end, which proved to be vital.With a record chase in front, Smriti Mandhana walked out with a new (old) opening partner in Shafali Verma. The latter began in typical style, hitting Megan Schutt for a four off the second ball she faced. But the near-housefull crowd was silenced after Kim Garth trapped her lbw, with India also losing a review. It wasn’t until the seventh over that Mandhana hit her first boundary, a lofted straight six off Garth. Rodrigues, in at No. 3 after Harleen Deol was dropped, wasted little time in getting going. However, when India lost a second wicket in Mandhana inside the tenth over, you could hear a pin drop at the DY Patil Stadium. Given not out for a caught-behind down leg side, Australia used the DRS with Snicko returning the faintest of murmurs.India were 60 for 2 after the powerplay, as opposed to Australia’s 72 for 1. That is when Rodrigues and Harmanpreet set about with the rebuild. Rodrigues’ flow allowed Harmanpreet to get her eye in. And that was not at the cost of the scoring rate. India constantly scored at around six runs per over, never letting the ask get out of hand.Rodrigues got to a 57-ball half-century, and Harmanpreet got to hers in 65 balls. While the other captains have had vital contributions in this campaign, Harmanpreet’s best was her 70 against England, her wicket helping the opposition open an end up. But in the semi-final against Australia, she was not going to let another ripe chance go begging. She only hit her first six after her fifty – a loft inside out over extra cover off Tahlia McGrath. She followed that with another humongous hit off Gardner over midwicket in the next over. India needed only 150 in the last 20 overs, a regulation chase in this era.Jemimah Rodrigues and Amanjot Kaur embrace in the middle•ICC/Getty ImagesBut Harmanpreet’s wicket threatened to add a twist to the tale. Deepti Sharma was run out for 24 off 17. Richa Ghosh came in, hit two fours and two sixes to reduce the margin before she fell. But India were not going to let Harmanpreet and Rodrigues’ 167-run partnership off just 156 balls go waste. They were helped with another dropped chance – Tahlia McGrath reprieving Rodrigues on 106. The platform was set and this time, India wouldn’t miss out. Not with a determined Rodrigues, who scored her maiden World Cup hundred off 114 balls. She did not celebrate then because the task at hand was still not complete. In the end, nobody could stop her from celebrating.Earlier in the afternoon, Kranti Gaud had a scratchy Healy, returning after she missed two games with a minor calf strain, chopping on in the sixth over before a heavy downpour. A 15-minute delay completely changed the momentum, as Australia hit nine fours in the next 29 balls, one of them via an overthrow.If India expected spin to bring some respite, they were mistaken. Litchfield was batting as fluently as she has done all World Cup. She was ruled out caught when on 62 but an umpire’s review came to her aid. She reverse swept Shree Charani straight to short third but replays showed that it bounced just after she hit it. There was no looking back thereon as Litchfield got to her hundred off just 77 balls.Against spin, India had protection in the deep for her sweeps – point and square leg being back. And that played into the hands of Litchfield, who was happy to dance down and hit Charani and Radha Yadav in the arc between long-off and deep cover. And then there were back-to-back sixes off Deepti, one of them an incredible switch hit that sailed into the sweeper cover stands. She was dismissed when she missed a scoop off Amanjot Kaur.Perry rotated the strike well but also did not miss out on a positive match-up if an opportunity arose – she tonked Deepti over long-on in just her second over. She was set with her first fifty of the World Cup, but Australia struggled to find the next gear. During her 155-run partnership with Litchfield, India seemed to run out of ideas. But Australia lost 4 for 45 in the latter half of the middle overs, and it felt India regained control. Charani and Radha got enough grip to even trouble Gardner. But her 41-ball fifty helped Australia cross the 300-run mark.What looked like a tall chase was aced with absolute mastery. The contest had the makings of an epic, and it lived up to it.

MatériaMais Notícias

Presidente do Flamengo, Roldolfo Landim explicou os planos para a implementação de uma Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (SAF) no clube. Em entrevista ao portal “ge”, o dirigente voltou a defender a ideia de ter investidores atuando no Rubro-Negro e afirmou que o modelo seria diferente da maioria praticada no Brasil até aqui. Além disso, relacionou o tema à construção de um estádio.

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– Criar uma empresa que é dona do futebol, e eu faço uma diluição dela a exemplo do que o Bayern fez, que vendeu 25% dessa empresa com aumento de capital. Então, se 75% valem R$ 4,5 bilhões, coloca R$ 1,5 bilhão do lado de cá e fica com 25%. Eu posso vender para três caras como o Bayern fez: um que queira o naming rights, um que queira se associar ao Flamengo por 50 anos pela importância que o Flamengo tem ou por algum aspecto estratégico que possa trazer. E aí eu tenho dinheiro para fazer o estádio – explicou o presidente do Flamengo.

– Mas vamos lá que eu não consiga fazer isso e eu precise colocar algum dinheiro… Eu tenho a finança estruturada para eventualmente botar esse dinheiro. A estrutura de fazer estádio é idealmente sem precisar focar no dinheiro. Mas, se eventualmente for necessário, eu tenho o clube estruturado para não me criar problema. O que eu quero é que o Flamengo, se for fazer um estádio, cresça ainda mais a capacidade para melhorar as receitas de match day e conseguir melhorar ainda mais o desempenho financeiro do Flamengo. É como eu penso — completou.

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Torcedores e membros da oposição afirmam que a SAF seria um caminho para Rodolfo Landim se perpetuar no poder do Flamengo. No entanto, o atual presidente rubro-negro nega esse discurso e disse que assinaria um documento comprometendo-se a não ser CEO da eventual empresa, apesar de não querer deixar a política do clube. O mandato do dirigente chega ao fim em dezembro deste ano.

– Já falaram isso. Pensam isso. Não tem problema nenhum, eu assino um papel de que jamais serei CEO de SAF alguma, com o maior prazer. Isso não é pessoal, é um problema estrutural. Eu quero o Flamengo bem. Estou dedicando seis anos da minha vida ao Flamengo, eu poderia estar trabalhando e ganhando dinheiro. Mas faço isso pelo fato de que entrei com um grupo de malucos que veio comigo para cá. Isso aqui é um sonho nosso. De fazer alguma coisa por algo que é importante na nossa vida. Isso é difícil de explicar porque o Flamengo tem essa dimensão na vida, mas tem – disse Landim.

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– O que eu acho é que, se eu tiver alguma coisa a mais para contribuir para o Flamengo depois desses seis anos, e é algo que eu tenho discutido com alguns sócios para ver se ajudo a fazer, são essas transformações estatutárias que permitam dar um pouco de segurança a continuidade de uma gestão com disciplina de capital no clube – continuou.

MAIS FLAMENGO!

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FlamengoRodolfo LandimSAF

Monaco midfielder Paul Pogba gave a passionate speech to the home fans after his side earned a narrow 1-0 win over reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain. The former Manchester United and Juventus star finally made his return to competitive football this month, having joined Monaco on a free transfer in the summer. Now back in the action, Pogba is already displaying what he can bring to his new club.

Pogba makes rallying call

Monaco took all three points against PSG on Saturday to blow the Ligue 1 title race wide open. The hosts edged out a narrow victory, despite playing with ten men for the closing stages of the game, thanks to Takumi Minamino's winner. The Japanese international fired Aleksandr Golovin's cross into the bottom corner from just inside the penalty area to put Monaco in the lead with just 22 minutes of normal time remaining.

Monaco then had to stay strong and show remarkable character to cling on to a precious victory over PSG when Thilo Kehrer was given his marching orders with ten minutes left on the clock. The German was shown a straight red card for a poor challenge on Ibrahim Mbaye.

Pogba was brought on in the 86th minute, adding an old head to a side desperate to see off a barrage of PSG attacks. The Frenchman helped close the game out and, having made his home debut for the side, made a speech to the fans after the game.

He said: “Today is an important day. Today we won, but the next match is what matters. We are already working to achieve that. We keep moving forward together. We never give up. Thank you.”

AdvertisementWatch the clipLigue 1 title race opens up

The victory for Monaco ensured that the top six sides in the French top division are separated by just eight points. Pogba’s team moved to sixth in the table on 23 points, trailing Stade Rennais by just one point in the spot above them.

The story is far more interesting higher up in the table though, with RC Lens becoming the new leaders following their 2-1 victory over Angers on Sunday. Lens are one point above PSG, who have 30 points from 14 games.

Marseille are chasing the top two clubs and Roberto De Zerbi’s men will be gutted to have blown a chance to go top on Saturday. Despite goals from Igor Paixao and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg putting the Italian coach’s team ahead against Toulouse, the visitors scored a 92nd-minute equaliser to steal a point away from their southern France neighbours.

Lille sit amongst the rest in fourth, three points clear of Monaco, but five points off the top. They earned a late, narrow 1-0 victory away to Le Havre on Sunday, even with ten men after Ayyoub Bouaddi’s red card.

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AFPPogba influence to grow

Pogba could have a chance to make his first start for his new club next Friday. Monaco travel to Stade Brestois looking to keep applying pressure to those above them in Ligue 1.

Manchester United will still be without Matheus Cunha, Harry Maguire and Benjamin Sesko for their next game against Crystal Palace as they look to respond to their chastening defeat against 10-man Everton. Cunha sustained a knock in training before the Everton game and Amorim has confirmed that while he will not be back to face Oliver Glasner's side, he could return to face West Ham on Thursday.

• Cunha, Maguire and Sesko still out

  United missed Cunha and Sesko badly as they failed to break down Everton despite Idrissa Gueye being sent off in the 13th minute at Old Trafford as the Red Devils lost a home game against 10 men for the first time in Premier League history. Sesko was ruled out for up to a month following his injury against Tottenham just before the international break and Amorim has confirmed that the £74m striker is still recovering and has stressed that the club will handle the injury carefully. United are also without Harry Maguire for Sunday's trip to Selhurst Park, where they have not won a game in more than five years.

  "Sesko is going to take a little bit more time, Harry the same," Amorim told a press conference. "I expect to have Matheus back in the next one, not this one."

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• Getty Images
  

  'Tough' week after Everton loss

  Amorim admitted that spirits have been low after the Everton game and reflected that United should be in a much better position than 10th in the Premier League 12 games into the season.

  He said: "In our club it is the same thing because last year we had to win every game all the time and we took a lot of criticism because we are not winning. So in our club there is no excuses. About Europe, I have already talked about Europe and I said the same thing last year when we were in Europe, and I say the same thing this year, the advantage and disadvantage of being in Europe so there is no excuses. Last year or this year it is always to win games.

  "If I look at the games we should have more points because we had control of some games, we had the advantage in some games and we lost that control. So if I look at our games we should have more points and that is really disappointing and really frustrating especially in the last game. In our club it is the same thing because last year we had to win every game all the time and we took a lot of criticism because we are not winning. So in our club there is no excuses.

  "It [the aim] is to start again and it was really tough the week as it should be. It was hard after this result, this defeat. But the process needs to continue and we need to go for the next game and we have to understand, especially in our league this year, everything can change really fast so let's go again and focus on the next one."

• Palace doing better than United with same formation

  Palace coach Oliver Glasner uses the same 3-4-3 formation as Amorim but has had more success than the Portuguese since arriving in England in February 2024. He led the Eagles to win the FA Cup last season, their first ever major trophy, while they are fifth in the table heading into Sunday's game. Their spirits could be a little deflated though following defeat to Strasbourg in the Europa Conference League.

  Amorim admitted that Palace are in better shape than United but stressed that they are different clubs with different levels of expectation. He said: "We play a different way and you can understand that by data but it is hard to explain everything. It is a different club and they are doing better than us so that is quite simple but you don't say all 3-4-3s play in the same way. We play in a different moment, we defend in different space and we try to attack in a different way and they are just doing things better than us.

  "I take inspiration from everyone. When I have two weeks for national teams, I watch all the managers and try to take all the inspiration that I can take. I have six years as a manager and I am always trying to learn to improve my team."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Amorim hoping to improve on poor away record

  United have won just one of their seven away games this season in all competitions, with champions Liverpool being the only team they have beaten on their travels. That momentous victory looks less impressive now though given the fact that Palace, Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven have all since won at Anfield. 

  Amorim could not give a clear answer on why his side have struggled so much away from home and stressed the importance of learning to cling on to their leads after throwing away advanages in their last two outings at Nottingham Forest and Tottenham.

  "We need to do to show to the players why we lost control of Forest why we lost control against Tottenham. And if you look at those games they were there to win," he said.
  "Sometimes a small detail can change everything. Then I felt this year when we play at home the intensity is higher and I felt in this game at home the intensity was not at the same level so I think it is something that we need to work on. It is hard to point at one thing why we are not winning away. There is a lot of issues that we are improving. Like I say, we have advantage in the away games but we need to know how to finish the games in order to win."

Rajesh Banik, the former Tripura first-class cricketer and state captain, died in a road accident in Anandanagar in western Tripura, a Tripura Cricket Association (TCA) official said on Saturday. He was 40 and is survived by his father, mother and brother, PTI reported.Banik, who made his Ranji Trophy debut for Tripura in the 2001-02 season, was among the state’s leading cricketers of his time and later served as a selector for the state’s Under-16 team.Born on December 12, 1984, Banik was a right-hand batter and occasional legspinner. He went on to play 42 first-class matches, all for Tripura, scoring 1469 runs at an average of 19.32, and also scored 378 runs in 24 List A matches and 203 runs in 18 T20s, all between the 2001-02 and 2017-18 seasons.A contemporary of Irfan Pathan and Ambati Rayudu, Banik was their team-mate in the India Under-15 team in the Asian Cricket Council Under-15 tournament in Kuala Lumpur in 2000 and also toured England with the India Under-15s the same year where, again, Rayudu and Pathan were among his colleagues.Banik went on to represent Tripura at many domestic age-group tournaments, like the Vijay Merchant Trophy, the Vijay Hazare Trophy, the CK Nayudu Trophy, the MA Chidambaram Trophy, the Buchi Babu Invitational, the Under-19s Cooch Behar Trophy and the National Under-25 tournament.The Tripura senior men’s team players, currently playing a Ranji Trophy match in Agartala against Bengal, wore black armbands as a mark of respect for Banik, and the TCA paid tribute to the former cricketer at its headquarters in Agartala on Saturday.”This is very unfortunate that we have lost a talented cricketer and selector of the Under-16 cricket team,” secretary Subrata Dey was reported as saying by PTI. “We are shocked. May his soul rest in peace.”Anirban Deb, secretary of the Tripura Sports Journalists’ Club, said Banik’s contribution went beyond his playing career. “Not many knew about his ability to identify young talent. That’s why he was made one of the selectors of the Under-16 state team,” Deb said.

When Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jackson Jobe threw a hard sinker inside to tie up Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette, he shocked Tigers play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti. Bichette whiffed on the nasty pitch to strike out and end the second inning before Benetti even knew what happened.

The surprise of the 97-mph sinker resulted in one of the wackiest and most amazing calls you'll hear.

"Oh my goodness, a lightning bolt directly at Bichette," Benetti exclaimed into the microphone via FanDuel Spots Network Detroit. "That'll activate your nervous system. … Anybody have an exorcist?"

Jobe had a nice outing Sunday, pitching six innings and giving up six hits and two earned runs while striking out five batters. Benetti had a busy Sunday himself, too, as Jobe's filthy strikeout wasn't even the first time he said "Oh my goodness!" into the microphone during the game.

In the bottom of the first inning, Tigers left fielder Akil Baddoo made back-to-back incredible catches which resulted in three outs and got Jobe out of a first-inning jam. And Benetti loved both plays:

The Tigers held on to beat the Blue Jays 3–2 Sunday, taking the three-game weekend series after the rubber match. Hopefully Benetti can get some rest after the Tigers kept him on edge over the weekend.

Jac Caglianone's highly anticipated MLB career kicked off Tuesday after he was called up to the big leagues Sunday afternoon and was slotted into the Kansas City Royals' lineup as the team's designated hitter in their series opener in St. Louis against the Cardinals.

Caglianone, the No. 6 pick in the 2024 MLB draft, batted sixth for the Royals and got his first MLB at-bat in the top of the second inning. He swung through the first pitch he saw, a 95-mph fastball up in the zone. After a good take on the next pitch followed by a swinging strike two, he connected on a breaking ball low and away and sent the ball toward the right field gap at Busch Stadium.

The first ball Caglianone hit in play had base hit written all over it, but Cardinals center fielder Victor Scott II made an incredible leaping grab on the warning track which sent him into the wall. The web gem took away extra bases for Caglianone in his first big-league at-bat and his family couldn't believe it.

The top Royals prospect spent less than two weeks in Triple-A Omaha before he received the call up Sunday. In 12 games with Omaha, he slashed .319/.370/.723 with 15 hits that included six home runs and 13 RBIs.

His first MLB hit will have to wait a bit longer. But if the first ball Caglianone hit into play told us anything, it won't take that much time at all.