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Cole Palmer is still enduring pain and is not yet capable of playing three matches a week for Chelsea, head coach Enzo Maresca has revealed, as he provided an update on the Blues talisman's fitness after his return to action earlier this month. Palmer had been out since late September but returned off the bench in the defeat to Leeds United, starting against Bournemouth last weekend but then being rested for the Champions League in midweek.

• Palmer still playing through pain, Maresca reveals

  Speaking in a press conference, Maresca has revealed that Palmer is still feeling groin pain as the lasting effects of the injury which kept the 23-year-old out for 15 matches remain and are being managed. Palmer made his much-awaited return to action during the 3-1 defeat at Leeds in the Premier League’s midweek set of fixtures on December 3, and almost scored just eight minutes after his introduction as the Blues searched for a route back into the game.

  The Blues’ No.10 was then largely nullified during the goalless draw at Bournemouth and his exclusion from the matchday squad to travel to Atalanta in midweek will have raised eyebrows. Maresca confirmed that the England man is not yet ready to play three matches a week as he returns to full fitness from the recurring groin injury, comparable to recent issues faced by Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams this season, with the trio’s injuries coming under the umbrella term of pubalgia.

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  Maresca gives Palmer fitness update

  Maresca said: “Yesterday he finished the session with us with a mixed feeling. Overall he was fine but still a little bit painful.

  “Is it something that will have to be managed for the whole season? Hopefully not. But it is something that is a little bit day by day. You can see he’s getting better [and then] some days it can be worse. For instance. After Leeds, he was completely bad the day after and he played half an hour. After Bournemouth he was okay and he played one hour.

  “There is not any sense [to it]. It’s day by day that decides how he feels.”

  When asked if Palmer has joined the group of players who cannot play in every fixture, alongside the likes of Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia when fit, the Italian head coach added: “At the moment, absolutely yes.”

• 'We need to protect Cole' – the Chelsea boss previously on Palmer's injury

  Maresca previously explained Palmer’s injury and Chelsea’s need to protect him back in September. Though he ultimately spent an extended period on the sidelines, it appears that the former Manchester City academy graduate is now closer to the physical condition he was in at the start of the season.

  Maresca said at the time: "We need to protect Cole for sure, 100%. Not only Cole in my personal view because as I said now because of the Club World Cup or because we never stop, we need to manage and protect different players.

  "The solution with Cole, I don’t know, now we have a meeting with the medical staff and we decide the best solution for him. But it’s also a kind of injury that is not like black and white. It’s an injury that someday you can be better. It’s not that you have pain and tomorrow disappear. Sometimes you can be better, sometimes you can be worse. That’s why we need to manage day by day."

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  Club and country face nervous wait for Palmer to reach full fitness

  Palmer is expected to feature against Everton on Saturday (3pm GMT), as the Blues hope to return to winning ways for the first time since their scintillating display in a 3-0 victory at home to Barcelona on November 25.

  Whether the 23-year-old is passed fit to start in the game remains to be seen, but what has been made clear is the fact that his condition must be managed for the foreseeable future if he is to avoid seeing a renewed flare-up of his injury. With the World Cup on the horizon and Palmer having missed much of Thomas Tuchel’s reign as England manager through groin and hamstring injuries, both club and country will be hoping to see the playmaker return to his flying best sooner rather than later.

Rafael Devers has exclusively been a designated hitter this season, despite what he and the teams that employ him have wanted. Devers, a former All-Star third baseman, lost his position in Boston when the team signed Alex Bregman and then traded him to the San Francisco Giants where he has also been reluctant to transition to first base.

On Tuesday, WEEI's Will Flemming revealed that Devers had stood up Giants legend Will Clark when he first arrived in San Francisco. While Devers was taking some reps at first ahead of the team's game on Tuesday night, the origin of Flemming's story surfaced.

Will Clark had told the story of Devers not coming out to practice with him not once, but three times during his first series in San Francisco. Clark told the story on his podcast with Eric Byrnes a week ago and even said he understood why Devers didn't come out to work with him.

"So Matt Williams and Bob Melvin want me to go out there and work with him around first base," said Clark. "No problem. And we weren't gonna like go through anything physical. We're just going to walk through and say hey look if the throw's coming from over there stand this way, if the throw's coming from over there, stand that way. It wasn't gonna be this big thing. And Friday, Saturday, Sunday he did not come early. At all. Period. Not at all. In fact, he didn't even hit on the field, right?"

Clark then explained exactly what he thought had happened that weekend.

"I know what the f— happened," he continued. "I said he didn't want to go out and be at first base and be 20 feet in front of their frickin' dugout with what went on in Boston and now he's working with me at first base. He didn't want to have to go through all that bullsh– through the press and the media. And so I completely understand. But Rafael Devers, next time I'm in San Francisco, your ass will be on the field at first base. Just letting you know that."

Clark went on to say that Devers would be on first even if it meant he had to grab him by the "back of the neck" and drag him out there himself.

Devers went 2-for-12 with a home run as the Giants won two of three games in that series vs. the Red Sox.

Edwin Díaz is returning to free agency after turning down the qualifying offer from the Mets, which was worth $22 million. As such, he’ll be free to sign with any team entering his age-32 season.

Díaz could return to the Mets, where he’s played since 2019, but there will certainly be other teams in the mix to sign the talented reliever on the open market. After all, Díaz is a three-time All-Star and a two-time Hoffman Reliever of the Year award winner, and he’s coming off one of the best seasons of his career.

In turning down the qualifying offer, Díaz is signaling that he’s in the market for a long-term deal. He could be in line to make close to, if not more than Tanner Scott received from the Dodgers last offseason, when he signed a four-year, $72 million deal.

So, where could Díaz end up signing? Let’s take a look at a few fits for the veteran reliever.

New York Mets

A return to Queens would make plenty of sense for both sides. It doesn’t come as a surprise that Díaz turned down the qualifying offer, but that is in no way an indication that he doesn’t want to continue playing in New York.

The Mets’ bullpen would be relatively barren without Díaz owning the ninth inning. As it stands, the team has just three relievers under contract for the 2026 season: A.J. Minter, Richard Lovelady and Brooks Raley. They’ll certainly address the position in the offseason, and Díaz will be at the forefront of their scope.

Díaz has had a somewhat up-and-down tenure with the Mets, but he had a 1.63 ERA with 98 strikeouts and 28 saves last season. And with Steve Cohen still desperate to assemble a winner in Queens, letting Díaz walk doesn’t seem like a move that would help the organization achieve its goal of winning a World Series.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays made a run to the World Series with Jeff Hoffman at closer. Díaz would be a significant upgrade over Hoffman, who blew seven saves in 2025 and had a 4.37 ERA. Díaz is one of the most established closing pitchers in MLB, with 253 saves in his career. The 31-year-old didn’t blow a single save last season, and having him out of the bullpen in Game 7 could’ve been exactly what Toronto needed against the Dodgers.

Spending big hasn’t been a concern for the Blue Jays, who have been willing to dole out hefty contracts in order to compete with likes of the Dodgers and Yankees, among others.

Hoffman is still under contract for another two years, but it may make more sense for him to return to the setup role in which he’s previously excelled. In 2023 and ‘24 with the Phillies, Hoffman was one of MLB’s best relief pitchers. He logged a 2.28 ERA across 122 appearances and even earned a trip to the All-Star Game in ‘24.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers will likely be in on a number of this offseason’s biggest free agents as they look to continue their reign. The bullpen was by far their biggest cause for concern in 2025, and bringing in the reliable arm of Díaz would instantly help to alleviate their woes.

Of course, that would mean the Dodgers have nearly $40 million allotted to two relievers annually in Scott and Díaz. If Scott can return to form after leading MLB with 10 blown saves last year, Los Angeles would have the league’s most formidable one-two punch to handle the late innings, in addition to their top-tier starting rotation.

If money isn’t an issue, and it isn’t, the Dodgers should not balk at the idea of bringing Díaz to Hollywood. The idea of competing for championships alongside some of the biggest stars in MLB is anything but a tough sell, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see Díaz pitching at Dodger Stadium in 2026.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have plenty of relievers hitting free agency this offseason, so they’ll certainly be in the market for new bullpen arms. The tandem of Danny Palencia and Andrew Kittredge was effective in 2025, but they could elevate the bullpen in a big way by bringing Díaz on board.

Palencia and Kittredge could work out as setup men, getting Chicago to the ninth inning for Díaz to shut the door on opponents.

The Cubs haven’t had a stable closer since Craig Kimbrel in 2018. They’ve tried to swing big at closer in the past, but the results haven’t been there. They landed Ryan Pressly in a trade with the Astros ahead of the ‘25 season, but he quickly lost the closer’s role and struggled in his lone year in Chicago. Diaz could be the long-term solution to their long-standing problem out of the back-end of the bullpen, though he’d come at a significant cost.

We have a genuine title race on our hands in Scotland.

On Sunday, in a match branded the biggest club game played on Scottish football for generations, it proved to be an afternoon of celebration for those bedecked in maroon.

Heart of Midlothian beat Celtic 3-1 at Tynecastle, a Dane Murray own goal breaking the deadlock in Edinburgh, only for Callum McGregor to equalise soon after, but quick-fire goals from Alexandros Kyziridis and then Lawrence Shankland secured the points.

This leaves Hearts eight points clear, with Celtic having now lost back-to-back league games, also beaten at Dundee a week earlier, just the second time Brendan Rodgers has tasted defeat in successive Premiership games, after December 2023, the second of which back then was also at the hands of the Jambos.

Falkirk will visit Parkhead on Wednesday, before all eyes will turn to next Sunday’s Glasgow derby at Hampden in the League Cup semi-finals, but which players played their way out of contention for that one with a less than impressive display in the capital?

Celtic's centre-back crisis

Last Thursday’s come from behind Europa League victory over Sturm Graz came at a serious cost, considering Kelechi Ịheanachọ and Alistair Johnston were both forced off with injuries in the first half, but the biggest blow of all was losing Cameron Carter-Vickers.

The American international has been a mainstay in the Celtic team since joining the club from Tottenham in 2021, but could be sidelined until March due to an achilles injury.

In his absence, Murray got the nod to start at Tynecastle, this only the 22-year-old’s 29th senior appearance, 20 of which have come for Queen’s Park.

Well, his inexperience was very much apparent when, with only eight minutes on the clock, he lashed a calamitous own goal into Kasper Schmeichel’s top corner.

Given this woeful error, on what was only his third start for Celtic, he may have to wait a little while for his fourth, with Auston Trusty and forgotten man Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, who may as well be on Interpol’s missing persons list at this point, surely better options to partner Liam Scales going forward.

However, which other Celtic starter, who has a much higher profile and cost a hell of a lot more money, also did not impress in Gorgie?

Expensive Celtic signing could be back on the bench

Against both Sturm Graz and Hearts, having been part of the midfield trio to start the campaign, Benjamin Nygren has been deployed on the right-wing, largely due to a lack of alternative attacking options.

His header pinched the points in Europe on Thursday, while the Swede was denied a goal at the weekend on the cusp of half time by a smart save from Alexander Schwolow, possibly paying the price for his indecisiveness.

This positional move has opened up a midfield spot, with Arne Engels returning to the starting lineup, but he certainly has not grasped this opportunity with both hands, and the table below documents his miserable afternoon in Edinburgh.

As the table documents, the Belgian’s statistics at Tynecastle do not make for good reading.

While only Murray, Scales and Callum McGregor completed more passes than Engels, he did little with this possession, creating no chances, losing possession a total of 24 times, the most of any player on the pitch, while Kieran Tierney, the next highest Celtic man in that ranking, only did so on 16 occasions.

Engels arrived in Glasgow just over a year ago to sky-high expectations, considering he was replacing Matt O’Riley while costing a club-record fee of £11m.

After an up and down first campaign, the 22-year-old had only started three times this season prior to the last two fixtures, yet to score a goal, while both of his assists have been set-piece deliveries.

Also, central midfield is possibly the only area of Rodgers’ squad with genuine depth and competition for places.

Captain McGregor’s name is written in permanent marker on the team sheet, while Nygren, Reo Hatate, Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan are all also vying for minutes.

Having been given a chance, Engels may have played his way to the back of the queue for next Sunday’s Old Firm, so it would frankly be a surprise if he was included in the starting lineup for the visit of Falkirk on Wednesday.

Not Trusty: Celtic must replace Carter-Vickers with "exceptional" youngster

With Cameron Carter-Vickers set to be sidelined for 5 months, Rodgers must trust Celtic’s “exceptional” youngster, not Auston Trusty, to start.

By
Ben Gray

Oct 26, 2025

A thrilling MLB regular season, which featured much of the playoff picture coming down to the final day, has come to an end. The postseason field is set and October baseball is around the corner. 

While offensive production, specifically home run-hitting, will be critical to team success, pitching—as it has for some time—will ultimately determine which club eventually hoists the Commissioner’s Trophy. In today’s age of high-octane bullpens, elite relief pitching has shortened the game and matters as much as, if not more than, starting pitching. But navigating those first several innings with a starter remains a crucial part of a team’s game plan. 

So, which teams are best positioned to keep their opponents at bay until the battles of the bullpens commence?

PHILLIPS: The Most Significant Moments From MLB’s Wild Regular Season Finale

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

Stats (rank among playoff teams): ERA: 3.61 (4th) | WHIP: 1.19 (5th) | K%: 25.2% (1st)

1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto
2. Blake Snell
3. Shohei Ohtani
4. Tyler Glasnow

Earlier in the season, it would have been blasphemous to rank the Dodgers’ injury-riddled rotation this high. But the staff has been the best in baseball in terms of ERA in the final month. If not for Paul Skenes, ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto may be the National League Cy Young Award winner. After a shoulder injury wrecked the first four months of his Dodgers tenure, Blake Snell has quickly rounded into form since his August return Oh, and Shohei Ohtani’s arm is, at long last, fully stretched out after he hurled a season-high six innings in his last outing. No. 4 option Tyler Glasnow is better than most teams’ second starter. Los Angeles is so stacked, Clayton Kershaw is being kept off the wild-card roster and is unlikely to start a game in his final playoff rodeo. 

2. Philadelphia Phillies

Stats: ERA: 3.53 (1st) | WHIP: 1.18 (4th) | K%: 25.3% (2nd)

1. Cristopher Sánchez
2. Ranger Suarez
3. Jesús Luzardo
4. Aaron Nola

The Phillies rotation took a major blow in August when ace Zack Wheeler was diagnosed with venous thoracic outlet syndrome, which required season-ending surgery. However, this remains a formidable bunch. All-Star snub Cristopher Sánchez was the best lefthander in the NL all year long, Ranger Suárez wasn’t too far behind him and Jesús Luzardo’s swing-and-miss upside figures to play well in October. Aaron Nola has struggled this season, but he, like Philadelphia’s rotation as a whole, is playoff battle-tested. 

3. Seattle Mariners

Stats: ERA: 3.97 (10th) | WHIP: 1.18 (3rd) | K%: 23.7% (7th)

1. Logan Gilbert
2. Luis Castillo
3. Bryan Woo
4. George Kirby

Admittedly, this lofty ranking depends largely on the status of Seattle’s ace Bryan Woo, who is nursing mild inflammation in his left pectoral muscle. But the Mariners’ decision not to place Woo on the 15-day IL inspires confidence in his status. For much of the regular season, Seattle had a good-but-not-great pitching rotation. In the season’s final month, the red-hot Mariners lived up to their potential to form one of the best staffs in baseball. Between Woo, Logan Gilbert, Luis Castillo and George Kirby, Seattle boasts a rotation that excels at both strike-throwing and inducing swings-and-misses, the perfect October recipe. 

4. New York Yankees

Wolverhampton Wanderers have now submitted an offer for Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia, with it being revealed the forward could be available for a bargain fee.

Wolves certainly need some inspiration from somewhere if they are to dig themselves out of trouble, given that they are currently sitting bottom of the table, having taken just two points from their opening 11 Premier League matches.

Not only do the Old Gold have the worst defensive record in the top flight, but they have also been extremely poor from an attacking point of view, having scored just seven goals, the fewest of any Premier League side.

In fact, not a single one of Rob Edwards’ players has scored more than one league goal, with Jorgen Strand Larsen failing to make the impact he did last season, so it would make sense for the new manager to pursue a new forward in the January transfer window.

Wolves make offer for Gonzalo Garcia

That is exactly what Wolves are planning to do, according to a report from Spain, which states they are one of several Premier League clubs to have made an offer of around €20m (£18m) for Real Madrid forward Garcia.

Sunderland and Aston Villa have also made moves for the Spaniard, who could seemingly be available for a bargain fee, given that cashing-in for £18m is regarded as an ‘attractive financial opportunity’ for the La Liga club.

The Old Gold want to get a deal done quickly, given that the 21-year-old’s value could increase as the season goes on, with some key figures at Real Madrid of the belief he could still have a future at the Bernabeu.

In truth, it would be surprising if the youngster was prepared to make the move to Molineux, given that Wolves are at serious risk of being relegated, but he could be a major coup if Fosun were able to get a deal done.

Journalist Zach Lowy clearly believes the Madrid starlet could be capable of playing for a club competing at the top level, having singled him out for praise courtesy of his impressive displays at the Club World Cup.

The centre-forward bagged four goals in six games out in the USA, while also providing one assist, but unsurprisingly, he has since been unable to displace the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr in the starting XI.

Consequently, it would make sense for Garcia to move to a new club this January, but Wolves will have to improve their league standing considerably to stand a chance of winning the race.

Wolves and Edwards keen to sign Premier League striker

Wolves and Edwards keen to sign "aggressive" £90,000-p/w Premier League flop

He’s cost £1m for every appearance made so far.

By
Charlie Smith

Nov 14, 2025

Saturday’s MLB action features a handful of high level pitchers from rookies to veterans, and we are targeting the player prop market for a handful of them. 

Paul Skeens has quickly emerged as the NL Rookie of the Year front runner. The No. 1 overall pick will look to build on his case against the Braves on the road, but can you trust him? 

Find out how I’m attacking the player prop market for pitchers on Saturday’s slate. 

Best MLB Prop Bets for Saturday, June 29th

• Aaron Nola Under 6.5 Strikeouts (-146)
• Paul Skenes Under 17.5 Outs (-102)
• Nestor Cortes Over 17.5 Outs (-146)

Aaron Nola Under 6.5 Strikeouts

Nola has failed to go over this mark in 11 of 16 starts this season, and despite being a poor offense, the Marlins don’t strikeout all that much. 

Miami has struckout the 10th fewest times this season, and Nola is posting his lowest whiff rate of his career. 

While he may pitch a lot, it may not come with a ton of K’s. 

Paul Skenes Under 17.5 Outs

Skeens has gone over this mark in six of his first eight big league starts, but I’m willing to wager that he has a setback of sorts on Saturday in the hitter friendly Truist Park. 

The Braves thrive at Truist Park, eighth in home OPS as the ball flies through wind tunnels. While Skeens is a strikeout artist, he also has been prone to hard contact that can be exaggerated in this particular stadium. 

The 2023 No. 1 overall pick is striking out 33% of the batters he has faced thus far, but is also in the 50th percentile in terms of hard contact and 37th percentile in terms of average exit velocity. The Braves are about league average in terms of strikeout rate, so with some plate discipline can come some hitter friendly conditions. 

I believe Skenes will be tested enough to warrant betting the under on his outs prop. 

Nestor Cortes Over 17.5 Outs

Cortes has gone over his mark in half of his starts this season, but there is good reason to believe that he can go deeper into this game given the Blue Jays pronounced struggles against lefty pitchers. 

Toronto is 24th in OPS against southpaws as the team can’t string together quality at bats. 

Why do I believe this is the best path to bet on a strong Cortes outing? The Blue Jays have struckout the fewest times against lefty pitchers, which means the team is making weak contact and easy outs so Cortes can keep his pitch count down. 

Bank on a quality start from the southpaw. 

The Blue Jays host the Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night, with a shot at taking down the reigning champions and winning their first title since 1993.

While this year’s Blue Jays have had their fair share of “team of destiny” moments already in the postseason, the challenge of the Dodgers is simply on a different level. Los Angeles sports a lineup that can go bat-for-bat with Toronto, and a pitching staff the likes of which the Jays have not yet faced in the postseason.

Taking the mound for the Dodgers in Game 1 is two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who so far this postseason has pitched 21 innings and given up just six hits and two runs while striking out 28. Will the Blue Jays be able to break through against Snell? Or will the lefty continue his dominant run with another great start on the road?

Below we take a look at how some of Toronto’s best bats match up against Snell.

All stats come with the help of StatHead.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is in the midst of one of the greatest postseason runs we have ever seen from a hitter, and looking worth every dollar of the $500 million contract extension he signed back in April. Vladdy is slashing an absolutely absurd .442/.510/.930 so far this postseason, with six home runs, 11 runs scored and 12 RBIs. He has struck out just three times.

The Blue Jays will need Guerrero to keep up his hot streak if they are going to take the title, but the slugger will have his work cut out for him against Snell on Friday night. Guerrero is just 2-for-9 in his career against Snell, with three walks and no strikeouts. He has not produced a hit against Snell since the 2020 season.

Obviously we are working with small sample sizes here, and it’s possible that Guerrero’s current hot streak is more indicative than any stats on previous plate appearances vs. Snell could be, but it’s worth noting that Toronto’s best hitter will be facing his toughest competition yet on the mound.

George Springer

Meanwhile Rupganj, who had seven Bangladesh international in their line-up, lost to Old DOHS in Savar

Mohammad Isam15-Mar-2020Mushfiqur Rahim gave defending champions Abahani Limited a perfect start in the Dhaka Premier League, after his century helped them to a comfortable 81-run win over Partex Sporting Club at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.Batting first, Abahani had lost both openers Liton Das and Mohammad Naim for ducks. From there, they further slipped to 67 for 5 in the 22nd over, before Rahim helped rebuild the innings completely. He added 160 runs for the sixth wicket with Mosaddek Hossain, who made 61 off 74 balls with four boundaries and two sixes.Mushfiqur finished on 127 off 124 balls, hitting eleven fours and four sixes. Mohammad Saifuddin smashed five sixes in his unbeaten 15-ball 39 to take Abahani to a strong total.Partex were then bowled out for 208 in 48.4 overs with left-arm quick Mehedi Hasan Rana taking four wickets.Old DOHS Sports Club beat the big-moneyed Legends of Rupganj by 25 runs in BKSP.Rupganj, who had seven Bangladesh international in their line-up, were bowled out for 205 with three wickets each for Abdur Rashid and Avishek Das, who played in the Under-19 World Cup final. Das’ Under-19 teammate Rakibul Hasan also took two wickets.Earlier, Old DOHS reached 230 in 49 overs with Anisul Islam hitting 59 and Rakin Ahmed 48. Offspinner Sohag Gazi took three wickets.Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club edged out Brothers Union by eight runs in a close finish in Fatullah. Batting first, Doleshwar reached 238 for 7 in 50 overs, thanks to Taibur Rahman’s second List-A century.He made 110 off 94 balls, hitting five sixes and seven fours. In reply, Brothers were bowled out for 230 in 49.4 overs, with Junaid Siddique making a fighting 97 off 125 balls. Medium-pacer Rejaur Rahman finished with four wickets for Doleshwar.

The biggest and richest cricket tournament outside the World Cups begins on Saturday. Here’s all you need to know about it

Shashank Kishore18-Sep-2020The Indian Premier League (IPL) begins in the UAE on Saturday. The biggest and richest cricket tournament outside the World Cups, it is usually held in India but has been taken outside because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Here’s all you need to know about the tournament – and why holding it at all is such a big deal.First up, why should we care about the IPL taking place in the UAE?
The IPL is at the front and centre of India’s – and the world’s – cricket economy. It is so important that, typically, very little other top-level cricket is scheduled at the same time. A cancellation, because of the pandemic or otherwise, would have led to losses of between US$500-530 million for the Indian cricket board (BCCI) – and that’s just the value of the media rights for a year. The fact that the tournament is being held this year, though a few months off its original March-May window, is an encouraging sign in a challenging economic climate. The IPL economy goes far beyond India – cricket boards of the smaller nations, like Afghanistan, too earn incomes for letting their players participate.Why not hold the tournament in India?
Logistics, mainly. Cricket has resumed since its mid-March halt, with England hosting the international teams of West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and Australia, but the IPL is an entire tournament, logistically a more complex operation and far more international in nature. It involves eight teams and several hundred players, support staff and officials. The usual IPL scheduling template, involving eight venues across the country and multiple (and often very long) flights, wouldn’t have worked in a Covid-19 world. More so given India’s climbing infection rate. What was needed was a more compact host country, in roughly the same time zone, with stadiums close to each other, reachable by short road journeys, and with top-level communication, accommodation and other facilities. And reasonably virus-free.Mumbai Indians are the defending champions•BCCIWhy the UAE?
Simply put, the UAE ticks those boxes: size, facilities and location. It’s roughly the geographical centre of the cricket world. Most of the players are from India but the overall mix of those involved is truly global: Other countries represented this year are New Zealand, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Afghanistan and several Caribbean nations. And the Covid-19 infection rates are still very low and localised. The UAE is anyway a long-standing venue for cricket matches – it has been Pakistan’s “home” venue since 2009 – and also hosted part of the 2014 edition of the IPL.So how has the tournament been organised there?
Like the NBA did by putting together a bio-bubble in Orlando, the IPL, along with the eight franchises, have put together bio-bubbles in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, where the matches will be held. Players and officials have had to clear a total of five Covid-19 tests – two before flying out and three in their first six days of arrival in the UAE – before entering the bio-bubble. Then, all squad members will be tested on the fifth day of every week throughout the tournament.Under IPL rules, no person can leave the bio-secure bubble during the course of the tournament. Strict social distancing norms have been recommended, including squad members discouraged from having any close contact even within the bubble, which includes moving between hotel rooms. Squad members have also been asked to wear masks outside their rooms at hotels and avoid any unnecessary movement. There will be exceptions, of course. If an injured player needs to visit a hospital for X-rays or scans, then the guidelines suggest the movement be restricted to the clinic with minimal interaction with outsiders. All the teams have booked out entire wings of hotels or resorts from a safety standpoint.This is similar to the rules for the cricket matches in England, isn’t it?
Yes, it is. England hosted West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and Australia at two venues: Ageas Bowl, Southampton and Old Trafford, Manchester. Both these grounds have on-site hotels, which made local travel and accommodation simpler. Players were all part of a bio-bubble for the duration of the matches. Simple breaches – like a player taking a detour home while travelling from one venue to another – were dealt with very strictly.Andre Russell and Virat Kohli are among global cricket superstars•BCCISo the stage is set, then. Are the players ready?

You’d hope so. They’ve been in the UAE since the end of August, first completing their quarantine process and then getting down to training. The fans definitely will be ready because they’ve been starved of cricket. Indian players, on an average, play for 10-11 months a year. That includes eight-nine months of international cricket and two months of the IPL. But they last played in early March, before the pandemic struck. That has made it seven full months of no cricket for a cricket-crazy country. That could potentially make this the most-watched IPL ever.Really? What are the numbers usually like?
According to a report in the , the IPL final in 2019 – the Indian equivalent of the Super Bowl – had 462 million TV viewers worldwide. On digital media, Star India’s video streaming service recorded a reach of over 300 million viewers, with a peak concurrency of 18.6 million viewers for the final, between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings.What are the big talking points this season?
MS Dhoni, the celebrated former India captain, is now retired from international cricket but will captain Chennai Super Kings. Virat Kohli is a global superstar, who has made the Forbes list of richest athletes in the world for a few years now, but his team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, have never won the tournament. Among the foreign players, there’s Jamaica’s Andre Russell, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan and Australia’s David Warner – all of them are global cricket superstars.Is there any American interest?
For the first time ever, an American national will be part of the IPL. Ali Khan, 29, resides in Ohio and plays for the USA national team. He was first noticed while playing a local T20 tournament at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida, by a few talent scouts. Over the last three years, he has already featured in T20 leagues across the Caribbean and Pakistan. This year, he will play for Kolkata Knight Riders, a franchise co-owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan.