SRH sign off with third-highest total in IPL history

They started the season with 287 for 3 against RCB, and ended it with 278 for 3 against KKR

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2025

287 for 5 – SRH vs RCB, Bengaluru, 2024

At the Chinnaswamy Stadium, boundaries rained down as SRH redefined T20 brutality, obliterating their own record from earlier in the season to post a staggering 287 for 3. Travis Head led the charge with a career-best 102 off 41, Heinrich Klaasen pummelled 67 off 31, and Abdul Samad applied the finishing touches with an unbeaten 37 off just 10 balls. That helped SRH win the contest by 25 runs.

286 for 6 – SRH vs RR, Hyderabad, 2025

The big question heading into IPL 2025 was whether the first 300-plus total would be scored. SRH, the favourites to do so, came tantalizingly close and fell 14 short. The top five collectively faced 118 balls, and not one of them struck below 200. On his SRH debut, Ishan Kishan added to the fireworks, smashing his maiden IPL ton.

278 for 3 – SRH vs KKR, Delhi, 2025

SRH began IPL 2025 by smashing the second-highest total in IPL history, but then their big-hitters fell away dramatically and last-year’s runners-up were the third team to crash out of the race for the playoffs. However, they ended the season in trademark style, by clobbering KKR for 278 runs in Delhi, the third highest total in IPL history. Abhishek Sharma made 32 off 16, Travis Head 76 off 40, but Heinrich Klaasen was the show-stopper with 105 not out off 39 balls – the joint third-fastest hundred in IPL history.

277 for 3 – SRH vs MI, Hyderabad, 2024

The carnage in Hyderabad resulted in an 11-year-old IPL record falling, RCB’s seemingly-insurmountable 263 for 5 from 2013 fell by the wayside thanks to a breathtaking, collective show from the SRH batters. Klaasen spearheaded the carnage with an unbeaten 80 off 34, while Head and Abhishek Sharma blasted rapid fifties. Mumbai Indians gave a spirited chase but lost steam, falling short by 31 runs.

272 for 7 – KKR vs DC, Vishakhapatnam, 2024

A rampaging Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batting unit laid down an early marker for a season of run-fests with a commanding demolition of Delhi Capitals (DC). Sunil Narine blazed 85 off 39, Angkrish Raghuvanshi kept pace with 54 off 27, and Andre Russell provided the finishing fireworks with 41 off 19. Only Ishant Sharma’s tight final over, conceding just eight runs, stopped KKR from climbing even higher on this list.

266 for 7 – SRH vs DC, Delhi, 2024

SRH ventured where no team had gone before in a T20 powerplay. Head and Abhishek blazed their way to a jaw-dropping 125 for no loss in six overs. At that point, 300 looked like a terrifyingly real possibility. But with the field restrictions lifted, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel pulled things back, bringing SRH’s innings down to more earthly realms. Shahbaz Ahmed’s unbeaten 59 off 29 balls, however, still powered them past 260.

Andrew Strauss: 'How you win is as important as winning'

Former England captain admits personal tragedy helped change perspective, as he prepares for Red for Ruth Day at Lord’s

Matt Roller28-Jun-2023Andrew Strauss has a strong claim to be England’s most successful Test captain of the modern era: Ashes victories both home and away, more than twice as many wins as losses in charge, and a rise to the top of the ICC’s Test rankings clinched with a whitewash against India.And yet, as Strauss reflects on his career, he has a lingering sense that his team could have achieved more than they did. “We felt like we’d achieved everything we wanted to,” Strauss said, “but there was something slightly missing. And it was that excitement, that feeling of pioneering, trying new things. If I had my time again, maybe I would do things differently.”That view is informed, in part, by Strauss’s career since his playing retirement in 2012. As England’s managing director, he was an instigator of their white-ball revolution. Last year, back in the role on an interim basis, he appointed Rob Key to his old, position, and Key in turn then chose Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes as Test coach and captain.”That’s a reflection I’ve had for many years, starting with the white-ball revolution in 2015: that there are different ways to play the game,” Strauss said. “As I’m a bit older and have less hair now, my thinking on this has changed a bit from, ‘It’s only about winning’ to, ‘It’s also about how you win’.”That’s what Stokes and McCullum have done now: they’ve won, but they’ve won with style. They’re questioning centuries-held conventions in the game – and doing it with good reason. The game has evolved and changed dramatically over the last few years.”Strauss admits his glory with England was about personal goals and ambitions, whereas the foundation is about ‘something greater than me’•Getty ImagesBut Strauss’s perspective has also changed by events in his personal life. Five years ago, his wife Ruth was diagnosed with an incurable lung cancer that affects non-smokers. She passed away later that year, survived by her husband and their sons Luca and Sam.Strauss set up the Ruth Strauss Foundation in 2019 to provide support for families and raise awareness of non-smoking lung cancers, and Thursday marks the fifth annual Red for Ruth Day at Lord’s.”Seeing her courage and her bravery, you completely change your perspective in life about what’s important, where you get fulfilment and where purpose lies,” Strauss said. “I was very proud of what I was able to achieve in an England shirt but, in many ways, that was about me achieving my own goals and ambitions.”This is something much greater than me. I know how hard it is for all those families. It just breaks my heart that every day, there are hundreds of kids being put in the situation that my kids were put in. We can’t change that, but we can make it a little bit easier. If we’re able to do that, that warms my soul and I know it’ll be warming Ruth’s soul too.”The foundation has raised millions of pounds through previous Red for Ruth days, but the money itself is not the point. As Strauss puts it: “The Ruth Strauss Foundation is not here to raise money. The Ruth Strauss Foundation here is here to help as many people as possible.”But the Ashes provides an opportunity that other series do not: “People are going through this from all walks of life in all parts of the country, many of whom have never heard of Cricket or the Ruth Strauss Foundation. The Ashes Test match is hopefully a time when people that perhaps aren’t always watching cricket are suddenly tuning in.”Related

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In the past 12 months, the foundation has rolled out peer support groups for both the children and surviving spouses of people with incurable cancer. “People feel a really strong kind of desire and yearning to talk to people who’ve been through something similar to them,” Strauss explained.”It’s great having professional help, but it’s equally powerful just to talk to other people who’ve gone through it. And I think that’s even more the case for kids: kids find it hard to speak to adults, but they find it easier to speak to other kids. More broadly, [it’s about] having a conversation about death, which we’re just not very good at in this country.”In Strauss’s own case, “It was one of those situations that my friends and family, they just weren’t qualified to help me. And so I did reach out to people that had been through something similar; I hung on their every word. And of course for people that have been through it, it’s a lovely thing to share their experiences but also to remember their loved ones.”There was no shortage of criticism for England on Wednesday: for their selection, their catching, their lengths, their body language, their willingness to speak to Australia’s players. As Lord’s turns red on Thursday, perhaps it will provide an opportunity to remember that there are more important things to worry about.For more information and to donate to the Red for Ruth Foundation, click here.

Smriti Mandhana, and the search for the 'feel'

She seemed like she had thrown her wicket away in the 80s again, but a stroke of luck saved her and she brought up her first hundred since 2019

Annesha Ghosh01-Oct-2021WV Raman, who was India Women’s head coach until earlier this year, remembers Smriti Mandhana as a “very chilled-out character” who didn’t overthink her game, or “talk cricket” too much, or overdo things at training.”She had it in her head all that time that ‘I need to provide a good start, I need to contribute a lot being a senior cricketer’ and stuff like that,” Raman recalled when speaking on Sony Sports India on Friday about Mandhana’s mindset when going through a dry run.He was alluding to the up-and-down phase after Mandhana’s breakout 2018 following the middle-to-late-tournament lull at the 2017 ODI World Cup. After racking up runs for fun and becoming the 2018 ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year, Mandhana kicked off 2019 with the promise of plenty, even hitting a blistering 105 in India’s very first match of the year. But in the 48 innings since, before Friday, not once could she get to three figures. In 12 of those innings, Mandhana lost her wicket after reaching a half-century. And had a front-foot no-ball – which also happened to be a full toss – by Ellyse Perry on day two of the ongoing pink-ball Test against Australia not ruled out a catch, Mandhana would have had a 13th missed hundred to her name.”I actually get scared of bad balls quite a lot. When that happened on the second ball of the day [I faced]… I got a full toss and I was like, ‘Oh, s***!’ I was like, ‘Oh, God, what is this! I prepared so much overnight, and I have got out to a full toss!’ For us, we thought the catch was taken and the no-ball came out of the box,” Mandhana said of the lifeline, regaling reporters with her animated narration after the truncated second day’s play at Carrara Oval.Related

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  • Mandhana hits highest score by a visiting player in Australia

On a day when she hit 127, breaking the 72-year-old record for the highest score by a visiting batter in women’s Tests in Australia, Mandhana mostly looked the part of the “determined” batter she had set out to be, after finishing overnight on 80.In an in-play interview with 7 Cricket, she also acknowledged the mental hurdle that the protracted spate of near-misses had become: “Really happy that finally I got through this 80[-run] period because I keep getting out in 80s and 90s, so I was really focused and wanted to at least cross that and try and get to three figures… Disappointed I gave it away towards the end. Nevertheless, I am happy with the performance.”

“From 2018 to this year, the way I would have loved to bat, I was not able to. Even though I was getting the fifties or whatever scores I was getting, I was still trying to search the kind of feel I wanted to search”Smriti Mandhana

The monkey off her back, Mandhana opened up on what the anguish of losing her ability to bat the way she visualised felt like. This, especially when going through her past performances with elder brother Shravan and longtime personal coach Anant Tambvekar back at home.”From 2018 to this year, the way I would have loved to bat, I was not able to,” she said. “Even though I was getting the fifties or whatever scores I was getting, I was still trying to search the kind of feel I wanted to search. With family also I just kept asking about… we kept checking the videos of what has gone different. The only thing which I was working on was to try to get the kind of feel I wanted to get as a batter.”Whenever the tours were coming, I was not thinking about that because at the end whatever you bat at that time, you have to deal with it and just go forward and try and look to play the match. But, definitely, this series I was feeling much better as a batter and definitely wanted to make it count because of the few chances I had lost in the last two years [because of the lack] of my feel. So, I wanted to try and make it up and still want to try and make it up.””Runs will keep flowing – whether you go for them or not,” WV Raman recalls telling Smriti Mandhana•BCCI/UPCAMandhana had batted all of “two nets sessions” with the pink ball before opening the batting for India on Thursday. But it was down to her that India, despite the lack of familiarity with the pink ball or long-form cricket in general, had got into a position of strength, the opener laying the marker with her “tempo”, as Meg Lanning described it.On Friday, Mandhana added seven fours to take her tally to 23 boundaries in a 216-ball knock. And when the milestone came on the back of two fours – the second a deceptively languorous short-arm pull – off Perry in the 52nd over, an uncharacteristically energetic celebration followed.”In the 14-day quarantine [in Brisbane, ahead of the start of the series], I was doing all of that only: I was trying to visualise me batting and trying to celebrate my century,” she explained, deconstructing the celebration that saw her take the helmet off, raise both arms and tap her name on the back of her shirt with the bat, as if to make a statement.In his evaluation of Mandhana’s 127, Raman jogged his mind back to conversations when he would insist she “consumed overs”, for staying in the middle alone would be enough for her naturally fluent style of run-scoring to dictate the pace of her – and India’s – innings. “Runs will keep flowing – whether you go for them or not… even if you take some time, you will always make up,” he remembered saying.On the evidence from the first two days of the Test, she might be on her way to making up for the missed hundreds too.

موعد مباراة بيراميدز وفلامينجو اليوم في كأس إنتركونتيننتال

يستعد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي بيراميدز لخوض مواجهة قوية ومصيرية أمام نظيره فلامينجو البرازيلي، وذلك ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس إنتركونتيننتال، في لقاء يحظى باهتمام جماهيري وإعلامي كبير، نظرًا لقيمة الفريقين على المستوى القاري.

وكان فريق بيراميدز قد شق طريقه في البطولة بنجاح، بعدما تمكن من تحقيق فوز مستحق على أوكلاند سيتي النيوزيلندي بنتيجة ثلاثة أهداف دون مقابل، في الدور التمهيدي الأول.

جاء ذلك قبل أن يواصل عروضه القوية ويتغلب على الأهلي السعودي في مباراة ربع النهائي، ليحجز بطاقة التأهل إلى الدور نصف النهائي من البطولة.

وعلى الجانب الآخر، نجح فريق فلامينجو البرازيلي، أحد أبرز أندية أمريكا الجنوبية، في التأهل إلى الدور ذاته عقب فوزه على كروز أزول المكسيكي، بطل أمريكا الشمالية، ضمن منافسات دور ربع النهائي، ليضرب موعدًا مع بيراميدز في مواجهة حاسمة على بطاقة التأهل للمباراة النهائية، والتنافس على لقب كأس التحدي.

طالع أيضًا | القناة الناقلة لمباراة بيراميدز وفلامينجو اليوم في كأس إنتركونتيننتال موعد مباراة بيراميدز وفلامينجو اليوم في كأس إنتركونتيننتال

ومن المقرر أن تُقام مباراة بيراميدز وفلامينجو في تمام الساعة السابعة من مساء اليوم السبت بتوقيت القاهرة، والثامنة مساءً بتوقيت مكة المكرمة، على ملعب أحمد بن علي بالعاصمة القطرية الدوحة، في لقاء يسعى خلاله بيراميدز لمواصلة كتابة التاريخ وتحقيق إنجاز جديد، بينما يطمح فلامينجو لتأكيد هيمنته القارية ومواصلة مشواره نحو اللقب.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

Meghalaya's Akash Choudhary goes 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 to smash fastest ever first-class fifty

He became only the third batter in first-class history to hit six sixes in an over, after Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2025

Meghalaya’s Akash Choudhary after hitting six sixes in an over (and eight consecutive sixes in all)•Akash Choudhary

Meghalaya’s Akash Choudhary made history on Sunday, becoming only the third player in first-class cricket to smash six sixes in an over and scoring the fastest fifty in the format. He did so by hitting an unprecedented eight sixes in a row, en route to his 11-ball fifty.Primarily a seamer, Choudhary achieved the feat on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Plate Group match against Arunachal Pradesh in Surat. Coming in at No. 8 with Meghalaya 576 for 6, he began his innings with a dot and two singles before smashing six sixes off left-arm spinner Limar Dabi in the 126th over of the innings. Thus, he joined an elite club that previously included only Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri. Mike Procter had also hit six consecutive sixes but across two overs.Choudhary continued his onslaught in the next over as well, hitting offspinner TNR Mohith for two back-to-back sixes to bring up his fifty. He broke the previous record – off 12 balls by Leicestershire’s Wayne White against Essex in 2012 – by one ball. Choudhary’s was also the second-fastest fifty in first-class cricket in terms of time taken (where data is available). He took nine minutes. The record belongs to Clive Inman, who took eight minutes for his 13-ball half-century for Leicestershire against Nottinghamshire in 1965.

Choudhary finished on 50 not out off 14 balls – the last three balls he faced were dots – as Meghalaya declared their innings on 628 for 6. In response, Arunachal Pradesh were all out for 73 with Choudhary taking one wicket. With Meghalaya enforcing the follow-on, Choudhary picked up two more wickets to leave the opposition at 29 for 3 at stumps.Choudhary, 25, was playing his 31st first-class match. Before this, he had scored 503 runs at an average of 14.37 with two half-centuries. He has also played 28 List-A matches and 30 T20s. He had also smashed four sixes during his unbeaten 60 off 62 against Bihar in the previous game.With the ball, he has taken 87 wickets in first-class cricket at an average of 29.97, 37 in List-A (average 29.24) and 28 in T20s (average 26.25).

Mack, Mills, King star as Scorchers set up Challenger with Sixers

Stars’ season ended on Tuesday night at the WACA with four straight losses

AAP09-Dec-2025Perth Scorchers rallied superbly to kill off the Melbourne Stars’ run chase and convincingly win their WBBL knockout final by 28 runs.After briefly holding top spot, Stars’ season ended on Tuesday night at the WACA ground with four straight losses, while Scorchers have won five of their last six.Scorchers will now head to Sydney to play Sixers in the Challenger final, and the winner will face top side Hobart Hurricanes in Saturday night’s title decider.Related

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Stars needed a record WBBL finals run chase to win after the home side made 5-173, but reached 1-86 at halfway and looked capable. They then lost 8-59, including the crucial wicket of Meg Lanning, and ended on 9-145.Stars’ chase had a disastrous start when Rhys McKenna was run out for seven. Lanning only scored three from her first 13 deliveries as Chloe Ainsworth had an excellent opening spell.Lanning had made 11 when she tried to sweep Alana King and was nearly out stumped, with the ball rebounding off ‘keeper Beth Mooney and just missing the stumps. But steadily, Lanning and Amy Jones put the pressure back on Scorchers. They combined for an 87-run stand that took them to 1-101 in the 13th.Scorchers did not panic, rallying after halfway as spinners Amy Edgar and Ruby Strange in particular bowled tightly. Eventually the pressure told and King had Jones stumped for 43 from 33 balls.Lilly Mills then took two wickets in an over as the momentum swung back to Scorchers.Amy Jones and Meg Lanning put up a strong stand•Getty ImagesAs long as Lanning was in, Stars were a chance and Ainsworth dropped a straightforward chance off her when she had made 41. But Ainsworth had the perfect response at the start of the next over, having Lanning caught behind to leave Stars’ chances shot at 6-126. Lanning top-scored with 49 from 45 balls, while King, Sophie Devine and Mills took two wickets apiece.After Scorchers won the toss, openers Katie Mack and Mooney posted the Scorchers’ highest partnership of the season. Their 107-run stand threatened to take the match away from Stars, before Rhys McKenna made the breakthrough in the 13th over. She dismissed Mack, caught by Maisy Gibson, for a top score of 52 from 39 balls.Mooney, who looked set for another big score, fell in the next over for 45 when Gibson also caught her off Kim Garth.Stars were right back into the game, especially when danger player Sophie Devine came in at No.3 and only managed one before McKenna claimed her second wicket. That left Scorchers 3-128 in the 16th over.But Freya Kemp made the most of two dropped catches from Georgia Prestwidge. She belted 35 from 19 balls, with three fours and two sixes, in a crucial knock.Gibson took her third catch of the innings as Stars captain Annabel Sutherland dismissed Kemp for her 100th WBBL wicket.Gibson also snared 1-15 from two overs and McKenna was the pick of the Stars bowlers, claiming 2-26 off three overs.

Haaland 2.0: Man Utd can sign "one of the best STs in Europe" for £44m

Manchester United desperately needed attacking reinforcements during the summer window, after netting just 44 league goals in the Premier League during 2024/25.

Ruben Amorim wanted an overhaul in such a department, with incomings and outgoings needed to help change the club’s fortunes in England’s top-flight.

INEOS went into the transfer market and spent around £200m on an attacking trio of Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, whilst allowing the likes of Rasmus Hojlund to depart.

Mbeumo has already wasted no time in hitting the ground running at Old Trafford, as seen by his tally of five goals in his first 12 league outings – the most of any player in the squad.

However, that hasn’t stopped the board from targeting added reinforcements, with numerous attacking talents still on the club’s radar ahead of the January window.

The latest on United’s hunt for reinforcements in January

Over the last couple of days, United have once again been touted with a move to land Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo in the upcoming window.

The Red Devils are just one side who are currently in the race for the Cherries star, with the Ghanaian international currently having a £65m release clause in his deal at the Vitality.

However, Amorim’s men aren’t alone in their pursuit of the 25-year-old, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur all keeping a close eye on his situation at present.

He’s not the only attacker currently on their radar, with Borussia Dortmund talisman Serhou Guirassy another option being targeted by INEOS and Amorim ahead of January.

According to Sky Sports in Germany, United have been offered a €50m (£44m) deal to land the Guinean international, after his release clause became active.

It also states that Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City are just a handful of teams who can activate such a clause, but it’s unclear if the player himself would entertain a winter move.

Why United’s latest target would be Amorim’s own Haaland

Erling Haaland is a player who many United supporters have envied over recent years, with the Norwegian talisman constantly providing the goods for local rivals Manchester City.

It could have been so different, especially considering Ole Gunnar Solskjaer pleaded with the board to sign him during his tenure in charge at Old Trafford.

The 25-year-old has since moved to the Etihad, with such a transfer allowing the forward to take his career to the next level – as seen by his remarkable goalscoring record since his move in 2022.

Haaland has racked up a staggering 143 goals in just 163 appearances, including a mind-boggling 22 goals in just 21 outings across all competitions for Pep Guardiola’s men.

During his time in England, he’s played against the Red Devils on nine separate occasions, finding the net eight times – with such a record one of the best for teams he’s faced.

However, Amorim could be about to land his own version of Haaland with a winter deal to land Guirassy, with the pair possessing numerous similarities.

Both would have moved to the Premier League from Bundesliga side Dortmund, whilst both have showcased their phenomenal goalscoring feats in recent years.

When comparing their respective stats from the current campaign, the Guinean international has managed to outperform the City star in key areas despite his own record in front of goal.

Guirassy, who’s been dubbed “one of the best strikers in Europe” by Lothar Matthaus, may have been outscored to date, but has posted a higher shot-on-target accuracy rate.

How Guirassy & Haaland compare in 2025/26

Statistics (per 90)

Guirassy

Haaland

Games played

10

12

Goals & assists

6

15

Shot on target accuracy

59%

57%

Pass accuracy

72%

64%

Passes into final third

1.1

0.6

Carries into final third

0.8

0.7

Aerials won

2.9

2.6

Fouls won

1.3

0.7

Stats via FBref

Such a tally highlights his impressive ability in the final third, arguably taking advantage of more of the opportunities that have fallen his way in front of goal this season.

The Dortmund star has completed more passes this campaign, with more of his efforts being made into the final third – which could hand the United side an added creative threat in attacking areas.

His all-round dominance over Haaland is further reflected in his higher tally of carries into the final third and aerials won per 90 – both of which would improve the Red Devils’ attack tenfold.

£44m for a player of his quality in the current market would be an excellent deal for a striker who has consistently found the back of the net in the last few years.

Should he get anywhere near the levels produced by Haaland in the Premier League, it would be a sensational deal and one that could help Amorim in his quest for success.

Best January deal since Bruno: INEOS make PL "warrior" Man Utd's top target

Manchester United have a new top target ahead of the January transfer window.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 29, 2025

Joshua Zirkzee now a priority target for Everton as Arsenal refuse Gabriel Jesus sale

Everton are set to step up their interest in Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee, with the Toffees’ interest in Arsenal front man Gabriel Jesus hitting a dead end.

The Toffees have shown plenty of signs of promise so far this season, albeit whilst remaining inconsistent. Their 2-0 victory over Fulham on Saturday represented their first Premier League win in three games and first clean sheet in eight games, but David Moyes reiterated that he wants everyone to “keep believing” at Everton.

The experienced manager told reporters: “Look, we’ve wanted to try to become a much better footballing team and the players we’ve brought in have helped us to do that.

“We don’t want to lose what we’ve had – desire, heart, commitment – but I think we had to try to find a way of getting a little bit better at certain things and I think we have to build. Look, I trust the owners will help us in all the windows as we go forward and we’ll try to make things better as we go along.

“We need to get people believing in Everton like we do, like the supporters here do, and what we want us to be in the future. To do that we need to keep picking up the wins and attracting top players like Kiernan and Jack Grealish and players of that ilk. We need to keep attracting that level of players to come to the Club.”

What was apparent against Fulham, however, was just how much Everton’s forwards are still struggling. Whether it’s been Beto or one of their most expensive signings, Thierno Barry, the Toffees just haven’t been able to get their strikers firing and something needs to change.

Friekdin are already reportedly looking at potential solutions and have now reportedly made their position on signing Zirkzee clear.

Everton make Joshua Zirkzee position clear ahead of January

As reported by Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett, Zirkzee is now “high up” on Everton’s shortlist and those in Merseyside could make their move if the Man United striker becomes available in January. Ivan Toney is the second name in contention, with Arsenal set to refuse offers for Jesus.

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David Moyes must consider unleashing this talented Everton youngster in the coming weeks.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 7, 2025

The Dutchman has made just five appearances all season and is yet to start a single Premier League game. This follows the arrivals of Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha as well as his own disappointing debut campaign last time out.

But is Zirkzee the answer to Everton’s problem? They’ve already revived the best version of Jack Grealish on loan from Manchester City and now there’s a chance they could get the same opportunity with Zirkzee.

Praised as “amazing with his back to goal” by Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski last season, the Man United man is still just 24 years old and has plenty of time to find his feet elsewhere in the Premier League.

Everton hatch striker plan as Moyes moves for star with 18 goals this season

What Juan Soto Told Yankees During Free Agency Meeting

During a Monday meeting with New York Yankees higher-ups, Juan Soto made one thing very clear.

Soto, the top free agent on the market, told Yankees chairman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, team president Randy Levine, general manager Brian Cashman, manager Aaron Boone and senior adviser Omar Minaya how he believes the club could improve, according to Bob Klapisch of .

The 26-year-old Soto is expected to command a lucrative deal that spans over the course of the next decade. As such, he sought confirmation from Steinbrenner that the Yankees would be committed to improvement year after year. Steinbrenner reportedly told Soto the club plans to upgrade the roster this offseason on the heels of an American League pennant victory and World Series berth.

According to Klapisch, Yankees brass made no contractual offers to Soto, but left the meeting encouraged that such discussions could take place over the course of the next few weeks.

Soto has met with the crosstown rival New York Mets, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays. He is expected to meet with the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers this week, and the Philadelphia Phillies also have designs on meeting with the free-agent slugger.

Soto enjoyed a career year in the Bronx, posting a .288/.419/.569 slash line with 41 home runs, 109 RBI, 128 runs scored and 129 walks in 157 games played. Represented by hard-driving agent Scott Boras, Soto is expected to land a deal in the ballpark of $600 million, and perhaps more.

While the Yankees are considered the favorites to sign Soto, the Mets, led by billionaire owner Steve Cohen, are major players to lure the Dominican slugger away.

It is believed that Soto will agree to a deal during the Winter Meetings, which will take place from December 8-11 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Tx.

Yankees' Juan Soto Homered Just Two Pitches After Dramatic Injury Scare

Juan Soto on Wednesday night made New York Yankees fans hold their breath before he took their breath away.

Soto belted a two-run, go-ahead home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to help power the New York Yankees to a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. That blew Yankees fans away.

What made them hold their breath was that Soto, in a dramatic injury scare, fouled a ball off of his right foot and proceeded to hobble down the first-base line in pain before falling to his knees.

But the Yankees slugger dug back into the batter's box moments later and drilled a 79-MPH knucklecurve into the right-field seats, hopping on one foot as he watched it fly before jogging around the bases.

After the game, Soto admitted he was in a lot of pain before slugging the long ball.

"It was a lot of pain," Soto said. "At the end of the day, I tried to focus on the at-bat. Sometimes when you hit yourself like that, you kind of go away a little bit from the at-bat. So I tried to just focus, take my time, go in there and make good contact."

How long did it take Soto to realize he was fine and could continue the at-bat?

"A couple minutes," Soto said. "When I hit it, I knew there wasn't anything broke right when I hit it, but it was really painful and I tired to put weight on my foot but i just fell down."

Soto's teammate Jazz Chisholm Jr., who delivered a walk-off hit in the 11th inning, told reporters that he and his teammates could tell that the slugger was about to "do something special" right before his sixht-inning homer.

"The way he was looking around, you could see in his eyes, he was about to do something special," Chisholm said.

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