Umran Malik to replace Mohd. Shami for Bangladesh ODIs

What a year it has been for Umran Malik. After impressing everyone with his pace in the IPL, the speedster produced excellent performances in the recently concluded New Zealand series.

And now, the young pacer from Kashmir has been included in the limited-overs series against Bangladesh. The fast bowler replaces Mohammad Shami, who sustained a shoulder injury during a training session.


Umran Malik lived up to the expectations in the ODI series against New Zealand. He troubled the New Zealand batters with his raw pace. Umran will join the likes of Chahar, Shardul, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Sen in India’s pace attack for the ODI series against Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Shami is currently under the supervision of the BCCI Medical Team at the NCA, Bengaluru and will not be able to participate in the three-match series.

Revised India’s squad for Bangladesh ODIs: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (VC), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Shahbaz Ahmed, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen, Umran Malik

Shuttlecocks & Badminton Racket Shown in Image

The Ultimate Guide to different types of shuttlecocks

Badminton is a game that requires some specific skill sets and strategies to take your opponents down. But when you are a layman in the game, you understand that other than these factors, the necessary equipment needs to be purchased to refine the style. 

Why choose the right equipment for badminton? 

Badminton has various badminton types, shuttlecocks, and other equipment. The beauty of it is that these tools are made in different forms and styles. One can choose any badminton and shuttle they like according to their convenience. It is a must to play with the right game gear according to the level that you belong to. If you are a beginner and try your hand at an advanced level shuttle, it can make the game more complicated, and these kits are expensive to use carelessly. 

Three kinds of badminton shuttlecocks are available for players. It is suitable for different kinds and levels of game styles. Let’s see further what the highlights are that these shuttlecocks have and for which level of games they can be used. 

Feather shuttlecock: 

  • The feather shuttlecock is used by all the high-level players. You won’t see this shuttlecock in a beginner’s hand as an intermediate and professional player deals with it. 
  • The professionals prefer it because it is made out of goose feathers, making the quality much more elite than the others. It is not recommended for newbies because they can be too rough with it as, initially, badminton can be a difficult game to engage in that can break the feathers and damage the shuttlecocks. Experts have an idea of how to engage with the shuttle that can maintain it. 
  • The positive is that it can be tackled quite conveniently, unlike the other shuttles. If you are looking for some slice and net spin, then this is the right tool, as it can be accomplished using a feature shuttle. 

The disadvantage will be that it is less durable than the nylon one. The feathers tend to break or bend after numerous matches. There are certain ways that this problem can be dealt with if it is stored in a humid environment. When the feather gets brittle, that leads to breakage of the shuttlecock, so keeping it in humid conditions is a way to avoid this situation. 

Here are a few recommended badminton feather shuttlecocks.

Babolat 1 Badminton Feather Shuttlecock Speed 76 

Babolat 1 Badminton Feather Shuttlecock Speed 76 

  • This is the supreme quality shuttle that is available in the market. It is one of the classiest options that are available for players. 
  • It is made with Taiwanese goose feathers and a triple-layer cock. You do not have to buy shuttlecocks often as it is quite durable, and this speed is moderate.

Adidas Flieger FS5 badminton shuttlecock 

Adidas Flieger FS5 badminton shuttlecock 

  • If you have reached that level in your game where it is getting better, try this shuttlecock. 
  • It can be used for matches as well as practice sessions. This shuttlecock will give you a hands-on experience of what experts deal with in badminton. 
  • This is created out of the C goose feathers, and it also has a double-layer cork. These features can give you the experience of increased resistance, and the flight trajectory will improve to a great extent. 

YONEX Aeroclub ACB-TR Feather Shuttlecock

YONEX Aeroclub ACB-TR Feather Shuttlecock

  • This shuttle can be used for practice games and tournaments by the players. 
  • Yonex feature cock is made with keeping all the precision in mind. It is also suitable for various climatic conditions. 
  • Natural duck features are used to make this shuttle, giving this shuttlecock a great flight trajectory. 

YONEX Aerosensa 2 AS2 Badminton Shuttlecock

YONEX Aerosensa 2 AS2 Badminton Shuttlecock

  • The material that this shuttlecock is made up of is excellent for smashes and significant height drops. This shuttlecock is supreme in quality as the cork is solid 100%. 
  • This shuttle’s recovery time is shorter compared to the other shuttles. It does not get affected by cold or warm temperatures. 

Plastic/nylon shuttlecocks: 

  • This is used by beginners in the game as there is no need to worry about the shuttlecock breaking easily. It is inexpensive compared to the other ones available. 
  • They are created from a nylon material which can be observed after you touch the shuttlecock. 
  • Because of the material, it takes a faster flight but a slower declaration rather than the feather cock. The game, due to this reason, is quite fast as there is not much control over it. 
  • The best part is that this shuttlecock can go without tearing up to 100 matches which is a great option for beginners as they can practice with it regularly. 

Here are a few recommended badminton nylon shuttlecocks.

FZ Forza NS 10 Badminton Shuttlecock 

FZ Forza NS 10 Badminton Shuttlecock 

  • It is excellent regarding durability, as this shuttlecock will give you an experience of extraordinary playability. 
  • The cork is made up of natural material, and the skirt of this shuttle has been updated for the players to get the best experience. 

YONEX Mavis 350 nylon shuttlecock 

YONEX Mavis 350 nylon shuttlecock 

  • The best feature of the YONEX Mavis 350 nylon shuttlecock is that they are just 0.005 seconds slower than the feather shuttlecock. 
  • It recovers at 0.008 seconds, much faster than the other shuttlecock. 
  • It is similar to a feather shuttle, which is why it is excellent for beginners and intermediates in the game. 

Cosco AERO 777 Nylon Badminton Shuttle 

Cosco AERO 777 Nylon Badminton Shuttle 

This shuttle is used for club-level matches as it has a durable foam base that keeps the shuttlecock intact. 

YONEX Mavis 2000 Yellow Badminton Shuttlecock 

YONEX Mavis 2000 Yellow Badminton Shuttlecock 

  • If you are a beginner in the field of badminton, then this shuttle should be your first buy, as it is strongly suggested that newcomers should use this.
  • It gives a glimpse of how the feather shuttle will feel. This shuttlecock will aid in making your flight performance much better while considering any other competitors in the market. You will see this shuttle lasting for a longer time. 
  • It is a pocket-friendly option and is preferred by most players in the field. You can encounter an excellent flight performance from YONEX Mavis Shuttlecocks.

Hybrid shuttlecock: 

  • As the name suggests, it is the mix between two other types. It is a mixture of plastic and feather shuttlecock. 
  • This concept has been introduced recently, which is why it is seen in a small number. It is constructed so that the ends are that of a goose feather, and the frame is made of synthetic material. 
  • This goes without saying that hybrid shuttlecocks are more brittle than feather ones. 
  • This means that the prices are quite affordable due to reasonable manufacturing costs that give people an opportunity to play with a better quality product but at a lower price. 
  • The negatives here can be seen that the flight path and control could be better than the feather ones. 

Here are a few recommended hybrid badminton shuttlecocks.

Babolat Hybrid Badminton Shuttlecock 

This shuttle comes with a cork head and top-quality nylon features, making it durable equipment to buy. You can experience the features of durability, stability, and precision that make you improve the game to a greater extent. 

Babolat Hybrid Badminton Shuttlecock 

  • If you check out the online sites, one thing that can be observed is the shuttlecock’s speed. If this confuses you, read further to understand better what these shuttlecocks’ speed means. 
  • If the description says that the speed is 78, it indicates that it is the best one to buy. Speed 78 shuttlecock is the most popular one.
  • There are a lot of factors that are involved when one chooses a shuttlecock. Seeing the length of the court and the force plays a significant part, as it can affect gaming. 
  • The slow shuttle speed will decelerate faster and won’t reach the standard length when seen with the other shuttles. The exact opposite happens with the fast shuttle because the speed will make it travel much faster when a shot is hit, and the length it will travel will be much further.
  • The speed of these shuttlecocks ranges between the numbers of 75-79. As you can guess, if the number is less, then the shuttlecock is relatively slow, and if it is larger, the speed is faster. 
  • In the court, three factors can affect the entire game: temperature, humidity, and altitude. These things cannot be handled as it depends on the locations where the match is being held. Even though there are these speeds that the shuttlecocks are known to possess due to such conditions, they can change accordingly.

Speed of the badminton shuttlecocks 

65- Slow 

This is used at an altitude that is above sea level. The degree it is suitable for is above 30, which is very hot. Professionals rarely use it, and its popularity across the globe is relatively less 

76- Quite slow 

It is used for sea level altitude in matches. This speed of the shuttlecock is used for a degree that ranges between 25 to 30, which is a hot temperature. It is not seen that often in the game, which is why it is a rare occurrence 

77- Average speed 

This, too, is seen at a sea-level altitude. The temperature here is seen as average, which is between 15 to 25 degrees. It is not as rare and is sometimes seen being used in games 

78- Quite fast 

They are used for altitudes that are below sea level. This shuttle is utilized in the cold degree range from 0-15 degrees. It is the most popular one that players from across the globe use 

79 – Fast 

The badminton shuttlecock is used in altitudes that go below sea level. It is used in places that have very cold that goes below freezing degree. This shuttle is also rarely used by players 

Purchase your shuttlecock using these guidelines, as it will aid you in getting your game even better. Choosing online sites to get this is the best option to go for as they give a detailed description of the product, which can help you read the things that were written above in the product description of the site for better understanding. Bring your A-game with the right shuttlecock while playing.

IPL 2023: England duo Curran & Stokes register with 2 Cr base price; No Indian features in the list

The Board of Control for Cricket in India confirmed that the mini-auction for the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League would happen on 23rd December in Kochi. A total of 991 players, including 714 Indians and 277 overseas players, have registered themselves for the mini-auction, which will be held in the lead-up to a second successive 10-team season.

2022 T20 World Cup’s Man of the Tournament Sam Curran leads the list of players with a base price of Rs. 2 crores. Following him are his English teammates Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills, Jamie Overton, Craig Overton, Phil Salt and Tom Banton.

Other marquee players on the list include Australia’s sensation Cameron Green, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Travis Head and Chris Lynn. New Zealand’s star players like Kane Williamson, Adam Milne and Jimmy Neesham are also listed on the list. Additionally, the list includes South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw and Rassie van der Dussen, Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews and West Indies’ former T20 skipper Nicholas Pooran and Jason Holder.

However, no Indian has listed their base price as Rs. 2 crores. Amongst the Indian players registered, there are many players with a base price of Rs. 1 crore, including Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav.

A statement from BCCI said, “If every franchise were to have a maximum of 25 players in their squad, 87 players are available to be bought in the auction (of which up to 30 players can be overseas players).”

As per a Cricbuzz report, 19 capped Indian players, 166 capped International players, 20 players from Associate nations, 91 uncapped Indians who were a part of the previous editions, 3 uncapped Internationals who were a part of the previous editions, 604 uncapped Indians and 88 uncapped International players form the long list of players who will go under the hammer.

Players with base price Rs. 1.5 crores: Sean Abbott, Riley Meredith, Jhye Richardson, Adam Zampa, Shakib Al Hasan, Harry Brook, Will Jacks, Dawid Malan, Jason Roy, Sherfane Rutherford

Players with base price Rs. 1 crore: Mayank Agarwal, Kedar Jadhav, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Moises Henriques, Andrew Tye, Joe Root, Luke Wood, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Heinrich Klaasen, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kusal Perera, Roston Chase, Rakheem Cornwall, Shai Hope, Akeal Hossein, David Wiese

Batsman is on Cricket Ground

7 cricket records that won’t be broken anytime soon

“Records are made to be broken”, true! but not all can be broken. Imagine someone breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 international centuries. Some records are just too good to be true; those can just be acknowledged but can not be shattered. Now, do you think any athlete will ever be able to break Usain Bolt’s record of 9.69 seconds? Sounds impossible to us and a lot of scientists who recently studied his transcendent record. Like in any other sport, many cricketing records are next to impossible to be beaten. Let’s have a look at it. 

7 Unbreakable cricket records: 

1) Sachin Tendulkar’s 100 international centuries 

This record by Sachin Tendulkar tops our list. No batter can even come close to this record, be it the Indian legend Virat Kohli itself. At one point, everyone was convinced that Virat Kohli might break this record, but it now looks like a long shot. Sachin Tendulkar scored 100 centuries in a total of 782 innings, a feat no cricketer can imagine achieving. 

God Of Cricket Sachin Tendulkar

Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar raises his helmet in the air to celebrate scoring a century during the Tri-Nation Championship Trophy final One Day International (ODI) match between India and Sri Lanka at The R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on September 14, 2009. Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first. AFP PHOTO/Lakruwan WANNIARACHCHI. (Photo credit should read LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP via Getty Images)

Sachin Tendulkar’s record came with time and pure dedication for the sport. The “God of Cricket” played the sport for 24 years and gave every inch of his soul to build record after record. Virat Kohli and Ricky Ponting are second on the list with 71 centuries each. 

Most International centuries: 

  • Sachin Tendulkar: 100 
  • Virat Kohli: 71 
  • Ricky Ponting: 71 
  • Kumar Sangakkara: 63 
  • Jacques Kallis: 62 

2) Rohit Sharma’s 264 vs Sri Lanka 

Now, this is one of those records which comes once in a lifetime. Indian ace Rohit Sharma faced 173 balls, smashed a total of 42 boundaries, and amassed 264 individual runs in a one-day match; that’s incredible.

Indian Opener Batsman Rohit Sharma

Photo Credit: cricket Addictor Hindi

Rohit Sharma looked like a beast on the pitch, and the Sri Lankan bowlers had no answers to his prowess that day. To spend an entire day on the pitch and get to this total is not something that happens regularly. 

Highest ODI scores by an individual: 

  1. Rohit Sharma (264) v Sri Lanka, 2014 
  2. Martin Guptill (237*) v West Indies, 2015 
  3. Virender Sehwag (219) v West Indies, 2011 
  4. Chris Gayle (215) v Zimbabwe, 2015 
  5. Fakhar Zaman (210*) v Zimbabwe, 2018 
  6. Rohit Sharma (209) v Australia 2013 
  7. Rohit Sharma (208*) v Sri Lanka 2017
  8. Sachin Tendulkar (200*) v South Africa 2010 
  9. Charles Coventry (194*) v Bangladesh 2009 

3) Sir Don Bradman’s 3-over century 

It is said that the great Don Bradman once scored a 3-over century in a match between Lithgow and Blackheath in 1931. The report further reads that 32-year-old Sir Bradman scored 100 runs in a span of just 18 minutes. However, in 1931, a single over consisted of 8 deliveries. So this is how it happened. 

One of The Best Cricketer Sir Don Bradman

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The abovementioned match was being held in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales. Bill Black, a local bowler, came on to bowl for Lithgow. Bradman thrashed Bill Black for a total of 33 runs in the very specific over. The over read- 66424461. The Australian ace kept the strike in the next over as he took a single off Black’s last ball. Horrie Baker was the new bowler for Lithgow. Don Bradman smashed Baker for a total of 40 runs (64466464). Black was bought into the action again as Bradman completed his century in that very specific over. Black went for 16611446 in his last over. 

4) Rohit Sharma’s 3 ODI double hundreds 

There are only 6 players in the history of cricket who have scored 200 or more runs in the ODI format. Rohit Sharma is the only player who has achieved this massive feat more than once. In fact, the Indian superstar has scored 200+ runs a total of 3 times in the one-day format. 

Hitman Rohit Sharma Best Indian Batsman

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – OCTOBER 31: Rohit Sharma of India hits runs during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match between India and NZ at Dubai International Stadium on October 31, 2021 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

It is an incredible achievement, and we don’t think any player can break this record of Rohit in the coming future. Rohit Sharma has scored double hundreds against Australia and Sri Lanka (twice against the Lankans). Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Martin Guptill, Chris Gayle, and Fakhar Zaman are the other players to score double hundreds in ODI. 

5) Wilfred Rhodes’ career spanning 30 years 

Sachin Tendulkar is known for his longevity and admired for his ever-lasting form. However, one player has had a bigger career than Sachin Tendulkar. We are speaking about the English all-rounder Wilfred Rhodes who enjoyed a career of 30 years. Rhodes played around 1110 first-class games and scored 39969 runs, including 58 centuries. Rhodes also clinched a total of 4204 wickets in first-class cricket. Rhodes made his debut against Australia on 1st June 1899 and played his last game against West Indies on 3 April 1930. 

6) Dr. Willian Grace becomes captain at the age of 50 

Dr. William Gilbert Grace captained England at the age of 50, and we think this record is never going to get broken. Dr. Grace captained England against Australia at the age of 50. The modern-day cricketers consider retirement in their early 30s to forget captaining a side at the age of 50. 

Great Cricketer Dr. Willian Grace

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Dr. William Gilbert Grace has held this record since 1899, and it looks like it will be the same for centuries to come. Gubby Allen is the 2nd oldest captain in the history of cricket, who captained England against the West Indies in 1948. Gubby Allen was 45 years old at that time. 

Oldest captains in cricket: 

  1. WG Grace (50y 320d) England v Australia 
  2. GOB Allen (45y 245d) England v West Indies 
  3. WR Hammond (43y 279d) England v New Zealand 
  4. W Bardsley (43y 233d) Australia v England 
  5. Misbah-ul-Haq(42y 351d) Pakistan v West Indies 

7) Bapu Nadkarni’s 21 consecutive maiden overs 

Indian spinner Rameshchandra Gangaram Nadkarni holds the record for bowling 21 maiden overs in a row. Rameshchandra Gangaram Nadkarni, who was also known as Bapu, achieved this feat against England on January 12, 1964, in Madras. No one has come close to this excellent spell by Bapu.

He bowled 27 maidens out of his 32 overs in that specific spell against England. He allowed only 5 runs in his 32 overs. Bapu played a total of 41 Tests between the years 1955 and 1968, in which he took 88 wickets and scored 1414 runs. 

So, these were the top 7 cricket records which won’t be broken anytime soon. Please let us know in the comments section which records besides the one listed above won’t be beaten by any cricketer soon.

Team of Japan football players is celebrating winning moment in FIFA

Japan’s stunning win over Spain throws Germany out of the World Cup

Seems like Japan is the dark horse of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. After shocking Germany with a 2-1 win with a 2-1 win, the South Asian team has stunned 2010 World Cup champions Spain by making a wonderful comeback after being 1-0 down.

The match started with Spain’s usual possession game. This tactic worked amazingly, with the team getting on the scoresheet in the 11th minute with a wonderful header from Alvaro Morata in the box. The Spaniards went into halftime with a comfortable lead.

However, as soon as the second half began, Japan equalised with an amazing counter-attacking goal from Ritsu Doan in the 48th minute. The Japanese, ranked 24 on FIFA men’s rankings, killed the game with a VAR-backed goal in the 51st minute by Ao Tanaka.

The goal, checked by VAR, appeared to be a little inside the line, while the ball looked out from other angles. After a lengthy review by the Mexico Var Fernando Guerrero, the goal was given to widespread astonishment in the Khalifa International Stadium.

Japan’s dramatic win over Spain threw Germany out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The 2014 World Cup champs have been out in the Group Stage of the World Cup for the second consecutive time.

Guardiola

How Pep Guardiola transformed Manchester City into a giant

“Sometimes you have a noisy neighbour. You cannot do anything about that. They will always be noisy” is what the great Sir Alex Fergusen had to say about Manchester City back in 2009. 13 years later, Manchester City changed their status from the “noisy neighbours” to the dominant ones. Manchester City has won 4 of the last 5 Premier League titles, which might give an idea about their dominance in recent times. What changed? The answer is simple, Josep “Pep” Guardiola Sala.

Many might argue that the “Oil Money” is the real reason behind City’s recent success. But that’s not it; a stat shows that Chelsea and Manchester United have also spent close to Manchester City in the last decade, but the returns have not been the same. Pep Guardiola joined Manchester City in 2016 and took no time to take over the Premier League. Let’s have a look at how Pep Guardiola transformed Manchester City. 

How Pep Guardiola transformed Manchester City into a giant? 

Before Pep Guardiola, there was Manuel Pellegrini, who enjoyed a successful run of 3 years at the helm of Manchester City. During his term, Pellegrini won a Premier League title in the 2013-14 season and two Carabao Cups. However, Pellegrini faced a fair share of tactical problems as he went through long spells of sticking to the same formation despite poor results. 

Pep Guardiola took over an ageing City squad that lacked pace and couldn’t press aggressively. Manchester City initially wanted to sign Pep Guardiola in 2012 but missed out on the deal as the Spaniard went on to lead Bayern Munich in Germany. 

However, Manchester City was well prepared to sign Pep Guardiola in 2017. The Blues got in some major names from Barcelona, with whom Pep Guardiola was comfortable working in the past. Man City signed Ferran Soriano as their CEO, Txiki Begiristain as their Director of football, and Dr. Mauri to make Pep Guardiola feel at home in Manchester. 

Pep Guardiola was arguably one of the best managers in the world with his legendary run with Barcelona and Bayern Munich. However, many of the English media were not convinced whether his methodologies would work in the Premier League. Nevertheless, Pep answered all their queries. 

2016-17 

Pep Guardiola identified some major setbacks in the City squad as soon as he arrived at the club. They had an old squad under their belt. In fact, only Watford, Stokes, and West Brom had higher average squad ages than Manchester City. Adding to that, Pep Guardiola was not happy with some of the names in the squad who didn’t suit his playing style. 

Wilfried Bony was not technically strong. Joe Hart and Eliaquim Mangala were not good enough on the ball. And as per reports, Manchester City’s superstars Yaya Touré and Samir Nasri didn’t have the required discipline to be in Pep Guardiola’s team.

Pep Guardiola bought in players like Ilkay Gundagon, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Nolito, Leroy Sane, Claudio Bravo, and Gabriel Jesus in his very first season. At the same time, Guardiola got rid of players like Mangala, Jovetic, Martín Demichelis, Nasri, Joe Hart, J Navas, and Bony. Guardiola let go of the ageing players and replaced them with some of the best young talents in the world at that time. 

However, despite some major changes, Pep Guardiola still struggled to find his best XI in his first season. He used a total of 8 different formations in 38 matches. However, City saw some major improvements in Pep’s first season itself. Guardiola’s side scored more goals, allowed fewer goals, and kept more possession than Pellegrini’s. 

Having said that, Pep Guardiola didn’t win any silverware with Man City in his first season and finished 3rd in the Premier League. It was a decent season, but there was still pressure mounting over Guardiola as he was accused of not adapting to the style of the Premier League. 

What did Pep Guardiola say about the start he got in his first season? 

“Yeah. I don’t know what would have happened had we not been able to win the games. I can assure you something, my players always run. And after that, we must try to play as well as possible to achieve the result and win the games. But first is to play good, and to play good, you have to run, and I was pretty sure we could do that. In some moments, we played really well; it’s just the quality of the intelligence of these players.” 

“You can make a training session; you can say this or that. Some understand quickly; some need more time. Most get it quickly. That is why we are a little surprised about how fast, in some moments, we have been in our three games: we played really well. Not for 90 minutes – that is not normal – but how stable they [the players] are. In terms of full games, we have to improve a lot. 

“Yesterday I saw the game v Stoke City again and thought about many things we must improve. But in the short time, we have spent together, we have made many good things. That is why I am confident that it will remain this way and we will have solidarity and help each other. We can achieve good things.” 

2017-18 

However, Pep Guardiola didn’t waste time rejuvenating Manchester City’s squad. Pep got talents like Ederson, Bernardo Silva, Danilo, Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy, and Aymeric Laporte in the very next transfer window. And with that, Manchester City transferred out players like Nasri, Nolito, Sagna, Bony, Clichy, Iheanacho, and Kolarov. With this transformation, Man City became the 6th youngest squad in the league. 

Pep Guardiola had the team he needed to begin his supremacy in English football. Pep Guardiola won his first Premier League title with City in his second season with 100 points on the table. Man City were 29 points clear of the second-placed Manchester United in that very specific season. Manchester City asserted their hold in the upcoming seasons and went on to win 3 out of the 4 league titles. 

Pep Guardiola built and created one of the best teams in the history of the Premier League. However, he still has one trophy missing from his cabinet: the Champions League. He had come close to winning the Champions League in 2021 but eventually lost to rivals Chelsea in the final.

With the inclusion of Erling Haaland this season, we might see Pep Guardiola achieving his long-lasting dream of winning the Champions League trophy since 2011. 

Trophies won by Manchester City since Guardiola became their manager;

  1. Premier League (2017/18, 2018/19 and 2020/21)
  2. The FA Cup (2018/19) 
  3. The League Cup (2017/2018, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21)
  4. The FA Community Shield (2018/19 and 2019/20)

Tunisia out of World Cup despite stunning win over defending champs France

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is full of surprises. After Argentina and Germany, 2018 World Cup champions France suffered a massive defeat in their Group D clash against Tunisia. As a result, France were beaten in a World Cup match for the first time since the 2014 quarter-final (0-1 v Germany), ending a run of nine games without defeat.

The match started with France making nine changes, with the likes of Matteo Guendouzi, Kingsley Coman and Jordan Veretout given chances to shine. France was quickly down on the backfoot as the Tunisian players took advantage of the low chemistry of the French team. They attacked relentlessly and came quite close to beating the French defence.

The match’s turning point came in the 58th minute when Wahbi Khazri, Tunisia’s star striker, cut through the French defence to land the ball into the net. The goal shocked the entire French team. However, they tried to make a comeback by bringing their first-choice players, including Rafael Varane, Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Greizmann and Ousmane Dembele.

With the clock ticking towards the ninth minute of added-on time, Griezmann looked like he’d broken Tunisian hearts by firing in a loose ball in the box. However, a VAR review was eventually triggered, and the referee was ordered to the pitchside screen to review Griezmann being two yards offside from the original ball.

With this ruled-out goal, Tunisia had one of their most famous World Cup wins. But the FIFA #30 ranked team crashed out of the tournament as Australia defeated Denmark and occupied the second qualifying spot in Group D.

Cristiano Ronaldo offered a huge “£173million-a-year” deal by Saudi’s Al Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo seems to be making headlines every day. After having a controversial goal denied against Uruguay in their World Cup clash, the former Manchester United attacker is in the news again. As per reports, Ronaldo has accepted Saudi Arabia club Al Nassr’s two-and-a-half year deal for £173million-a-year.

Spanish publication Marca report he has accepted a two-and-a-half-year deal with Saudi side Al Nassr. This deal which excludes bonuses and incentives, would see Ronaldo eclipse PSG’s star man Kylian Mbappe and become the costliest signing of all time.

With him being in his late 30s, Ronaldo is seeing very little interest from European clubs. Earlier, Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn had denied the reports suggesting that the club is interested in signing Ronaldo.

Ronaldo is yet to respond to Al-Nassr’s proposal, but his desire to continue competing at the highest level was clear in his interview with British journalist Piers Morgan.  Besides Al Nassr, Newcastle United and Chelsea had shown some interest in signing the superstar. Now only time will tell which club signs the superstar.

Stephanie Frappart

Stephanie Frappart: First women referee in men’s World Cup game

On Thursday, when Germany and Costa Rica take to the field for their World Cup clash, the attention will be on Stephanie Frappart, the official referee for the match. Stephanie Frappart will be the first women referee to officiate in a men’s World Cup game.

France’s Stephanie Frappart is one of three women referees among the 36 selected for the tournament in Qatar, alongside Rwandan official Salima Mukansanga and Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita. Additionally, three female referees have travelled to Qatar as assistant referees.

Frappart is no stranger to big games. She was the first woman to referee in France’s Ligue 1 in 2019, the same year she took charge of the women’s World Cup final in her home country.

Frappart also officiated the 2019 UEFA Super Cup final between Liverpool and Chelsea before refereeing the Champions League in 2020 and the French Cup final last season.

Ronaldo to exit Man United

“Bayern will not sign Ronaldo”, says CEO Oliver Kahn

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich’s Chief Executive Officer Oliver Kahn has announced that his team will not be signing Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. This comes after several rumours surfaced that the German club will be signing the former Manchester United player since their latest signing, Sadio Mane, didn’t live up to the expectations.

Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn announced, “I can rule out a move for Ronaldo. We’ve considered it, we all love Ronaldo, but the strategy is different.” He further said, “We’ve a clear idea, philosophy of how our squad should be put together.”

After weeks of drama, the former Manchester United attacker recently mutually decided to part ways with the club. The G.O.A.T. is currently without any club. However, there were many reports suggesting that he has got a mammoth $225 million offer from Saudi Arabia club Al Nassr. The deal will see Ronaldo bag a whopping $75 million deal in his late 30s.

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