Both teams have one RTM card available at the auction, and multiple options to consider using it on

Dustin Silgardo13-Nov-2024What is the right-to-match (RTM) rule?Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, each team was allowed to retain up to six players, with a maximum of five capped players and a maximum of two uncapped Indian players.The eight teams that did not use all of their six retentions can now use right-to-match options on players from their 2024 squads to fill up the remaining slots. The limits of five capped and two uncapped players still apply, so teams that have retained five capped players can use their RTM option on only one uncapped Indian player. And if a team has retained two uncapped players, they can use their RTM options on only capped players. If a team uses an RTM option on one of their former players at the auction, the last bidder will be allowed to raise their bid one final time, and the choice of whether to continue with the right-to-match option and match the bid then lies with the team using the RTM option.

Chennai Super Kings

Players retained: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni
Purse remaining: INR 55 crore
Right-to-match option: 1 (capped or uncapped)
Since CSK have retained four capped players and one uncapped – Dhoni, who is classified as uncapped since he has not played international cricket for more than five years – they can use their remaining right-to-match option on either a capped or uncapped player. Among the capped players they will be looking at are Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande and Maheesh Theekshana.Conway, 33, had a huge season for CSK in 2023, scoring 672 runs and winning Player of the Match in the final. His fellow New Zealander Ravindra made less of a splash in 2024 but has been excelling across formats and, at 24, is an investment for the future. He also bowls left-arm spin, though CSK already have Jadeja to play that role. Another choice among the overseas players is Theekshana, whose mystery spin has been effective both at Chepauk and away. He has taken 25 wickets in 27 matches for CSK and has gone at 7.66.Related

• MI retain their big four; Klaasen retained for INR 23 crore

• Indians and batters dominate retentions, and a major captaincy refresh

• Pant, Rahul, Starc list highest base price for IPL auction

Chahar has been a crucial part of CSK’s squad since 2018, providing consistent powerplay wickets. He has won three titles with CSK. The only thing that may count against Chahar is his injury record and his age, 32. If they cannot buy him back, they may go all out for their other Indian pacer, 29-year-old Tushar Deshpande, who has been with CSK since 2022 and has taken 38 wickets across the past two seasons.Given their preference for continuity, CSK will probably look to buy back several of the players mentioned. Who they use their right-to-match option on could be decided by who comes up first in the auction list and is available at the right price.Given the number of capped players in the mix, it is unlikely CSK will use their right-to-match option on an uncapped player, but if they still have it when death hitter Sameer Rizvi’s name comes up, they may consider it.Akash Madhwal is among the players MI may consider•Associated Press

Mumbai Indians

Players retained: Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma
Purse remaining: INR 45 crore
Right-to-match option: 1 (uncapped)Since Mumbai Indians have retained five capped players, they can only use their one RTM option on an uncapped Indian player (so they can’t use it on Ishan Kishan or Tim David). There are four interesting options: Nehal Wadhera, Akash Madhwal, Naman Dhir and Piyush Chawla.Wadhera, 24, had a breakthrough season in 2023, playing 14 games and hitting two fifties. In 2024, he played less of a role, only getting six games and striking at less than 130. What may count against him is that MI already have three specialist batters among their retentions. Like Wadhera, Madhwal, 30, impressed in 2023, going at less than nine an over and developing a reputation as someone who could restrict and take wickets at the death. His incredible figures of 3.3-0-5-5 in the Eliminator put MI in the second qualifying final. The 2024 season was a difficult one for Madhwal: he went at 11.28 an over as MI struggled.In his debut season, 24-year-old Naman Dhir impressed with his ability to score quickly from the off, striking at 177.21 across his seven innings in 2024. With his tall stance and high backlift, Dhir drew comparisons with Hardik Pandya. What also makes him an attractive option as an RTM is that he bowls offspin. Having not played for India for more than five years, Piyush Chawla is now classified as uncapped, meaning MI can use their RTM option on him. While his age – he is 35 – may make MI reluctant to buy him back, he has been consistent over the past two seasons, taking 22 wickets in 2023 and 13 in 2024.

West Indies captain Shai Hope has bemoaned his side’s inability to put together a complete game with the bat after they were swept 5-0 by Australia in the T20I series.The visitors completed a three-wicket victory in the final match in St Kitts, after West Indies had been bowled out for 170 – the lowest total of the series. They reduced Australia to 60 for 4 inside the powerplay, and Akeal Hosein later took 3 for 17, but the loss of Alzarri Joseph to injury one ball into his third over removed a vital part of their attack.The first three matches of the series had been characterised by West Indies being unable to build on promising starts. In the opening match in Jamaica, they were 123 for 1 in the 13th over but managed just 189. In the second, 63 for 0 became 172 for 8. When the series moved to St Kitts, Hope and Brandon King put on 125 for the first wicket, but the middle order couldn’t flourish.Related

• Maxwell expects opening role will be short-lived

• Dwarshuis, middle-order might power Australia to 5-0 sweep

In the last two matches, they somewhat overturned their poor starts – 67 for 4 became 205 and 9 and 32 for 3 became 170 – but on all occasions, Australia were able to get home with room to spare.”I just didn’t think we put together a proper batting display,” Hope said at the post-match presentation. “We either started well and finished poorly or the other way around. When you’re playing against quality opposition like Australia, you’ve got to put things together for a more complete game.Alzarri Joseph was injured one ball into his third over•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

“As a batting group, we didn’t really give ourselves the best chance to put a big score on the board consistently. And that’s probably where we fell short… We’ve always been one step behind the eight ball.”Hope wore a rueful smile when asked about the fact that his team didn’t get the chance to chase once in the series as Mitchell Marsh won all five tosses.”I think here in the Caribbean, we all know the stats show chasing is always the better thing to do,” he said. “Whether it’s the dew factor, wind factor, you always have that scoreboard in front of you, so you have an idea of how to go about the chase. But it’s something that I can’t control. Unfortunately, I didn’t win any [tosses]… It’s just one of those things for us.”However, despite the scoreline, Hope did see signs of encouragement from his bowling attack as the series developed: Jediah Blades, the young left-arm seamer, took three wickets in the fourth match. Alzarri Joseph’s pace made an impact in the final game too, before he was forced off the field. Hosein impressed after a belated entry with the ball on Monday.Jediah Blades struck crucial blows in the final match•Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

“We understood the struggles of bowling spin here on this ground and surface,” he said. “But [Hosein] is a quality bowler and we just backed him to come and do the job, and he did exceptionally well for that four-over spell. Just unfortunate that, again, we didn’t have as many runs on the board as we would have liked.”I still must commend the guys for the effort that they showed in the back end, to give ourselves a chance to win the game. But once you don’t have that many runs on the board, then you [have] got to hope everything goes perfectly in the field. It just didn’t happen for us.”There is not much time for Hope and his team to reflect. West Indies face a quick turnaround before they play Pakistan in the first of the three T20Is in Florida on Thursday.”I think that we’re a little bit clearer in the bowling unit,” Hope said of what can be taken from this series. “We certainly executed a lot better than we did in the first few games. We’ve got to put this one behind us, and look ahead for the Pakistan series, and see where we can get that combination and that success going.”

Maharaj, who last held the spot in November 2023, returned to the top following his five-for in the first ODI against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2025South Africa left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj has displaced Sri Lanka’s Maheesh Theekshana as the No. 1 men’s ODI bowler, following his five-for in the first ODI against Australia in Cairns.Maharaj, who last held the spot in November 2023, returned to the top after gaining two places to move ahead of Theekshana (second) and India spinner Kuldeep Yadav (third). The 35-year-old picked up career-best ODI figures of 5 for 33 which gave South Africa a 98-run win and a 1-0 series lead.Among the South African batters, Aiden Markram moved four spots up to No. 21 and Temba Bavuma five spots to No. 23 following their respective half-centuries in the first ODI.Related

• Australia set to face another trial by spin but Subrayen won't play

• Road to 2027: Questions for Australia and South Africa

• Maharaj's masterful maiden ODI five-for hands South Africa 1-0 series lead

• Maharaj shakes off T20I snub with statement white-ball display

Following the recently concluded ODI series against Pakistan, West Indies captain Shai Hope jumped two spots to No. 9 on the batters’ list. Hope finished as the top run-scorer in the series with 207 runs, helping West Indies win the series 2-1. His team-mate Jayden Seales moved 15 places up to 18th in the bowling rankings following his ten wickets in the series.Following the T20Is between Australia and South Africa preceding the ODIs, fast bowler Nathan Ellis entered the top ten among bowlers, moving three places up to No. 9. Ellis picked up 3 for 31 in the third T20I to help Australia seal the T20Is 2-1. Josh Hazlewood, who picked up the most wickets for Australia in the series, rose two spots to 18th.South Africa’s hard-hitting batter Dewald Brevis jumped nine spots to equal 12th on the list for T20I batters following his superb efforts in the series. Brevis scored 125 not out off 56 in the first T20I and followed it up with 53 off 26 in the second.

MatériaMais Notícias

Mesmo com a eliminação precoce no Paulistão, os jogadores do Corinthians estão em sinergia com António Oliveira, que mudou o ambiente no clube. Após a classificação à terceira fase da Copa do Brasil, o treinador português destacou o clima positivo no elenco

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFora de CampoNeto dispara contra Fagner, do Corinthians, após cotovelada: ‘Que cara desleal’Fora de Campo14/03/2024CorinthiansQuanto o Corinthians recebeu pela classificação à terceira fase da Copa do Brasil?Corinthians14/03/2024CorinthiansDupla funciona, Corinthians vence o São Bernardo e avança na Copa do BrasilCorinthians14/03/2024

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

– A vitória de hoje é daqueles que jogaram, os que entraram no segundo tempo e daqueles que não estiveram aqui conosco. Isso é uma familia, mostramos que éramos a melhor equipe e merecemos avançar. Mesmo não podendo estar disponível, o Paulinho esteve conosco – disse o treinador durante entrevista coletiva.

+ Revanche? Ganhe mais de R$450 na vitória do Corinthians sobre o São Bernardo

Na visão de António Oliveira, o Corinthians neutralizou o São Bernardo, mesmo com a expulsão de Rodrigo Garro, destacando a organização da equipe na partida.

continua após a publicidade

– Tiramos tudo o que o adversário queria explorar, fomos uma equipe muito adulta e pragmática em relação ao jogo, sabíamos o que queríamos, excelente organização da equipe. Vitória maiúscula, da personalidade e estratégia – comentou.

Para a partida contra o São Bernardo, António Oliveira deixou Romero no banco e montou a dupla de ataque com Yuri Alberto e Pedro Raul, que marcaram os gols do Corinthians na partida. O treinador explicou a opção pela dupla e indicou que pode repetir a parceria no futuro.

continua após a publicidade

➡️ Veja confrontos do mata-mata do Paulistão

– A equipe ganha dois jogadores de grande qualidade. Fazia parte da estratégia para este jogo, o Pedro tem sustentação, joga de costas, e o Yuri tem muita velocidade, consegue ajudar no apoio e ataca a profundidade. Vivemos de jogo para jogo, talvez se repita isso, mas vai depender do adversário e estou feliz com o rendimento dos dois. Uma vitória que não dá margem para outro resultado – afirmou.

O próximo compromisso do Corinthians será na fase de grupos da Copa Sul-Americana. A equipe de António Oliveira aguarda o sorteio de segunda-feira (18) para conhecer seus adversários na competição continental.

Tudo sobre

António OliveiraCopa do BrasilCorinthians

Bullpens win World Series titles, and the New York Yankees appear to be acting with that knowledge.

The Yankees are acquiring pitcher Camilo Doval from the San Francisco Giants, according to a Thursday afternoon report from ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Doval, 28, has pitched five years for the Giants. He has spent four of those years as the team's primary closer, and has accumulated 107 saves. He departs the franchise seventh on its all-time list in that category, including a National League-best 39 in 60 games finished in 2023.

In 2024, his ERA ballooned to 4.88 and he cost the team half a win above replacement per Baseball Reference; he has recovered nicely with a 3.09 ERA in 2025.

He joins a New York team looking for bullpen help as it navigates choppy waters in the American League East division. Once the leaders of that division, the Yankees now trail the Toronto Blue Jays by four games—although they occupy a favorable position in the wild-card race.

Manchester United decided to splash the cash on their attack during the summer transfer window after they failed to win any trophies in the 2024/25 campaign.

The Red Devils opted to spend £66.4m on the signing of Slovenia international Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig to lead the line for Ruben Amorim this season.

Sesko provided an assist in the 4-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League last weekend, and has had a strong start to life at Old Trafford since his move to England.

The 6 foot 5 centre-forward has scored two goals from 1.81 xG and provided one assist across five starts in the top-flight for the Red Devils so far this season, per Sofascore.

Sesko scored 21 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions for Leipzig in the 2024/25 campaign, after a return of 18 goals in 42 outings in all competitions in his first season in Germany, per Sofascore.

The 22-year-old marksman, having already scored two league goals for United, will be hoping that he can continue to impress and be the first striker since Robin van Persie to score 20 or more Premier League goals in a season.

Why Man United have been looking for their next Robin van Persie

Manchester United have been searching for their next van Persie for around 12 years, as his haul of 26 goals in the Premier League in the 2012/13 campaign is the last time a player hit 20 league goals for the club.

The former Netherlands international, who was signed from rivals Arsenal, netted a staggering 26 goals in the top-flight that season for Sir Alex Ferguson to win the title for the Red Devils, their most recent title to date.

The highlights in the video above show just how lethal the Dutchman was in front of goal for United that season, with his incredible movement in behind and his lethal left foot that consistently buried chances past goalkeepers.

Manchester United’s top Premier League goalscorers

Season

Top scorer

24/25

Bruno Fernandes & Amad Diallo – 8

23/24

Bruno Fernandes & Rasmus Hojlund – 10

22/23

Marcus Rashford – 17

21/22

Cristiano Ronaldo – 18

20/21

Bruno Fernandes – 18

19/20

Marcus Rashford & Antony Martial – 17

18/19

Paul Pogba – 13

17/18

Romelu Lukaku – 16

16/17

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 17

15/16

Anthony Martial – 11

14/15

Wayne Rooney – 12

13/14

Wayne Rooney – 17

12/13

Robin van Persie – 26

Stats via WhoScored

As you can see in the table above, no Manchester United player has come close to what he achieved in the 2012/13 campaign since then, with no player scoring more than 18 Premier League goals.

Sesko will be hoping that he can end that drought for the Red Devils and kick on to be the 20+ goal centre-forward that the club have not had since van Persie’s incredible season, given his aforementioned record for Leipzig and the two goals he has already scored this term.

However, there is another player currently shining at Old Trafford who may be the club’s new version of van Persie, despite not being an out-and-out centre-forward.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

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The Premier League giants paid £71m to sign winger Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, and it is safe to say that he has hit the ground running in Manchester.

Why Bryan Mbeumo is Man Utd's new Robin van Persie

The Cameroon international arrived at Old Trafford as a player who had already proven himself in the Premier League during his time with the Bees, just as Van Persie had done with Arsenal prior to his move to the club in 2012.

Mbeumo scored a staggering 20 goals in 38 matches in the top-flight for Brentford in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, which means that he scored more league goals than any Manchester United player has managed since Van Persie.

As they did with the Dutchman, Manchester United are now profiting from bringing in a player who has already proven himself as a goalscorer in England, as he has provided a huge threat in front of goal for Amorim.

Mbeumo has scored five goals in ten appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils, per Sofascore, and four of those five have come in his nine outings in the Premier League.

The left-footed star scored twice against Brighton in the top-flight on Saturday and his second goal was incredibly van Persie-esque, with a brilliant run across the defenders and a terrific left-footed finish into the roof of the net with power and accuracy.

It was a goal that the former Premier League title winner would have been proud of, and it led to Alice Talks Football to describe him as “one of the best players in the league this season” on X.

25/26 Premier League

Bryan Mbeumo

Man Utd rank

xG

2.89

2nd

Shots per game

2.6

1st

Shots on target per game

1.3

1st

Goals

4

1st

Minutes per goal

194

1st

xA

2.04

1st

Assists

1

Joint-1st

Goals + assists

5

1st

Stats via Sofascore

It is hard to argue with that assessment when, as you can see in the table above, he has been the most impactful attacking player for the team that currently sit sixth in the Premier League table.

He has been the standout attacking star for United, with the most combined goals and assists and the most xA, and deserves to be in the conversation when fans and pundits speak about the best players in the league this season.

Putting all of this together, it appears as though INEOS and Amorim may have unearthed Manchester United’s new van Persie, as Mbeumo has the lethal left foot, the movement, and the experience to follow in the Dutchman’s footsteps.

Hopefully, supporters will be celebrating next May if the Cameroon international can rake in a 20-plus-goal-haul to earn the club a trophy or two at the end of the season.

Related Euro club's target: £105k-p/w Man Utd star is "set to move" in January

The Red Devils could be able to cut ties in January.

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Oct 27, 2025

The New York Mets on Wednesday continued to upgrade their bullpen, as the club acquired submarine-throwing reliever Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for outfield prospect Drew Gilbert, pitching prospect Blade Tidwell and reliever José Butto, according to multiple reports.

Fans immediately took to X to react to what they perceived as quite the prospect haul for the acquisition of a 34-year-old pending free agent relief pitcher, albeit one sporting a sparkling 1.80 ERA this season.

And it wasn't just fans.

Mets play-by-play announcer Gary Cohen reacted live to the hefty trade haul during the SNY broadcast of the club's game against the San Diego Padres.

"So we're getting reports on the return that the Mets are sending the Giants for Tyler Rogers," Cohen said. "And it seems like a hefty package for a rental reliever… Rogers will help, but that's a lot to give up."

Rogers, 34, uses a quirky delivery and one of the game's best sinkers to induce weak contact and a bevy of balls in the dirt by opposing hitters. He ranks in the 100th percentile in opponent barrel rate, the 94th percentile in hard-hit rate and the 99th percentile in walk rate. He also ranks third among all relievers with a 64.4 percent groundball rate.

In other words, Rogers is a strike-thrower, incredibly hard to square up and when hitters make contact, they rarely do damage with his offerings. And he's remarkably effective. Since 2021, Rogers's 2.74 ERA ranks eighth among all relievers.

He'll undoubtedly help provide reinforcements for a Mets bullpen that has been taxed with a heavy innings load at times this season.

Whether or not Rogers, who could very well pitch a half-season in New York and then leave via free agency this winter, is worth the haul the Mets coughed up remains to be seen.

But it's clear that the Mets, in a tight race with the Philadelphia Phillies for the National League East crown, are being aggressive.

Manchester United academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo has found himself in a difficult position under head coach Ruben Amorim this season.

The England international has not started any of his seven appearances in the Premier League in the 2025/26 campaign, as Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and Manuel Ugarte have all been preferred ahead of him in the XI.

Mainoo started 19 Premier League games last season and 24 in the 2023/24 campaign, per Sofascore, which shows that he has been far more integral to the side in previous terms.

On top of his current struggles for game time, the Red Devils and the INEOS regime are reportedly interested in signing another midfielder who would also be ahead of him in the pecking order.

Man Utd eyeing move for Premier League midfielder

The January transfer window is eight weeks or so away from opening for business, and the Premier League giants are looking at possible targets to bolster their squad.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to Football Insider, Manchester United are one of the clubs eyeing up a move for Nottingham Forest central midfielder Elliot Anderson ahead of the January window.

The report claims that the England international, who has emerged as a key player for Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions, is United’s number one midfield target.

It adds that Liverpool are also interested in the £120m-rated midfielder, which shows that there will be competition for his signature at the turn of the year.

However, it now remains to be seen whether or not United or Liverpool are willing to pay the money that it would take to sign him from Forest in January.

Why Man Utd should sign Elliot Anderson

The Red Devils should push the boat out to sign the England international because he could arrive at Old Trafford as a big upgrade on Mainoo in the middle of the park.

The chart above shows that Anderson has outperformed Mainoo in a host of metrics over the past 365 days, particularly as a defensive force and as a progressive passer.

Whilst the counterargument to that would be that Mainoo has not had enough minutes on the pitch to showcase his quality this season, England boss Tuchel has also decided to go with Anderson over the United man in his midfield at international level.

On top of that, the Nottingham Forest star, who was hailed as “incredible” by journalist Miles Starforth, also outperformed the Red Devils academy graduate in the Premier League last season, when the midfielder started 19 of his 25 appearances.

Appearances

25

37

Goals

0

2

Assists

0

6

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.6

3.3

Duels won per game

4.4

6.5

Ground duel success rate

47%

49%

Aerial duel success rate

38%

66%

As you can see in the table above, Anderson provided more quality to his team in the middle of the park with both his play in and out of possession for the Tricky Trees, offering more protection to his defence and making a bigger impact in the final third.

These statistics, on top of the aforementioned statistics over the past 365 days, suggest that he would be a better option for Amorim than Mainoo in the middle of the park in the second half of the season.

This means that a move for Anderson in the January transfer window could leave the English midfielder in a precarious position at Old Trafford, because he could be behind Bruno, Casemiro, Ugarte, and Anderson for two midfield positions.

That could then force the academy graduate to consider his long-term future at the club under Amorim and INEOS, as he may not want to sit on the bench at United when he could be playing regular games elsewhere.

Carragher said Man Utd star was "terrible", now he's Amorim's key player

Manchester United now have a talent who has managed to transform his career at Old Trafford.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 30, 2025

West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph has been ruled out of the two-Test series against India next month because of an injury. He will be replaced by the uncapped pace-bowling allrounder Johann Layne.A CWI tweet confirmed that Joseph had been ruled out and that he would be re-evaluated before the white-ball tour of Bangladesh, but did not mention the nature of the injury. After the Tests in India finish on October 14, West Indies are scheduled to play three ODIs in Bangladesh from October 18, followed by three T20Is from October 27 to November 1.It’s a busy touring season for West Indies across formats as they will then fly to New Zealand for an all-format tour of five T20Is, three ODIs and three Tests. They are currently in the UAE for three T20Is against Nepal starting September 27.Related

• Alzarri Joseph ruled out of India Test series with lower-back injury

• The weight of the maroon cap: West Indies face test of identity in India

• Sammy confident pace attack will help WI pull a NZ on India

• WI drop Brathwaite for India Tests; Chanderpaul, Athanaze recalled

Joseph has played 11 Tests so far for 51 wickets at an average of 21.66, having started his Test career with a five-for on debut against Australia in January 2024.Layne, 22, has played 19 first-class matches for 66 wickets while averaging 22.28 and has scored 495 runs at 19.03. He has four five-wicket hauls and three four-fors in 34 innings in the red-ball format. Layne recently played two four-day matches for West Indies A against the touring South Africa A side in June, where he scored 62 runs in four innings with a best of 34 and took one wicket in each of the three innings he bowled in.But he had a lot more success for West Indies Academy in the last domestic first-class competition, which he ended with a six-for against Windward Islands. Overall, Layne bagged 27 wickets in six matches in that tournament to average an impressive 15.88, with two five-fors and two four-fors.Layne will join Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales and Anderson Phillip in the pace attack, which also has allrounder Justin Greaves, with Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre and captain Roston Chase as the spin options.

Updated West Indies Test squad for India series

Roston Chase (capt), Jomel Warrican (vice-capt), Kevlon Anderson, Alick Athanaze, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Johann Layne, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Khary Pierre, Jayden Seales.

Sussex skipper registers the only half-century of the match as draw looms at Hove

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay17-Sep-2025Sussex 232 for 8 (Simpson 66, Milnes 3-80) lead Yorkshire 194 (Lyth 47, Hudson-Prentice 3-33, Unadkat 3-36) by 38 runsCaptain John Simpson made the only half-century so far in a bowler-dominated contest as Sussex and Yorkshire battled for supremacy at Hove.Simpson’s 66 on a day when only 51 overs were possible because of rain and bad light helped Sussex to 232 for 8, a lead of 38.With a day to go a draw still seems the likely outcome – a result which would suit both teams bearing in mind the struggles two teams below them in the table, Hampshire and Durham, are having in the penultimate round of matches.Having started the day on 84 for 4 and still 110 behind, Sussex will be pleased with their efforts in conditions which were never great for batting with a grey canopy of low cloud all day and the ball doing enough off the pitch to keep the seamers interested before Dom Bess, belatedly introduced to the attack, spun two balls sharply to take two wickets in eight balls.Simpson, in two hours and 40 minutes of patient accumulation, offered just once chance after reaching the 60th fifty of his first-class career when he was on 53 and Adam Lyth put him down at slip off George Hill.When play started at 11.45am after overnight rain Simpson and Tom Alsop extended their fifth-wicket stand to 42. That it took 19 overs reflected the quality of the seam bowling, notably from Matt Milnes and Hill.Milnes made the breakthrough when he switched ends although Alsop could consider himself very unfortunate when he defended deep in his crease and the ball rolled onto the stumps, gently dislodging the leg bail. Nonetheless his 36 in two hours was an important contribution.After lunch Simpson and Carson went on the attack, adding 52 in 12 overs before Carson played at an outswinger he could have left from Hill and Lyth held on at second slip.There was another good partnership for the seventh wicket for nearly an hour between Simpson and Fynn Hudson-Prentice and it was the introduction of off-spinner Dom Bess that brought Yorkshire some relief.In his second over Bess turned one sharply to hit Hudson-Prentice’s off stump and he claimed the key wicket of Simpson in the next over as he was pushed forward and was beaten by one which turned to hit off stump, from a round the wicket line. It was a fine ball to end a quality innings, which included eight fours and took Simpson to 952 runs for the season. He will be confident of reaching 1,000 for the third time in his career with potentially three innings to play.Drizzle forced the players off shortly after tea and frustratingly, when they resumed at 5.05pm, only three balls were possible before bad light forced another delay. Umpires Tom Lungley and Jack Shantry finally called it a day at 5.50pm.