Afridi, Azam, Rizwan drafted for 2025-26 Big Bash League The 2025-26 Big Bash League will be the 15th edition of the competition and will feature eight teams, all set to battle for Australia’s premier T20 franchise title. Our cricket predictions will be available throughout the competition, so be sure to check them out before the tournament commences.  Over the years, the BBL has grown exponentially, and franchises have begun to look abroad for talent who they feel will give them the best chance to secure the title, as the Hobart Hurricanes did last year by beating the Sydney Thunder in the final. To that end, the BBL player draft was expected to be a key moment of the season, and it certainly tossed up a number of surprises, with Pakistani players turning into the highlight of the event, which was held in Melbourne on Thursday.  In total, 24 overseas players were drafted by the eight competing franchises, including seven Pakistanis, 12 Englishmen, four New Zealanders, and one Bangladeshi. However, the most valuable pick of the draft was the Green Shirts’ star paceman Shaheen Afridi.  The left-arm quick, who will be available for the entire tournament, having not made the national team, was drafted as the number one pick by the Brisbane Heat, though he was just one of three Pakistani players who were snapped up in the first round.  Following Afridi’s selection, the Melbourne Stars made the decision to retain the services of bowler Haris Rauf despite interest by the Adelaide Strikers, while the Melbourne Renegades called up Mohammad Rizwan for his first BBL season.  In the draft rounds that followed, the Sydney Sixers secured the signing of former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, the Sydney Thunder snapped up all-rounder Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali went to the Adelaide Strikers, while the Renegades added a second Shaheen player to their ranks in Hassan Khan.  Check out our sports predictions 2025-26 BBL overseas draft summary  The 2025-26 BBL Draft featured over 600 players from various nations. At the end of the entertaining event in Melbourne, the eight participating franchises locked in their selection of overseas players as follows:  Adelaide Strikers: Luke Wood, Jamie Overton, Hasan Ali Brisbane Heat: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Colin Munro, Tom Alsop Hobart Hurricanes: Chris Jordan, Rishad Hossain, Rehan Ahmed Melbourne Renegades: Mohammad Rizwan, Hassan Khan, Tim Seifert Melbourne Stars: Haris Rauf (retained), Tom Curran, Joe Clarke Perth Scorchers: Finn Allen, Laurie Evans, David Payne Sydney Sixers: Sam Curran, Babar Azam, Jafer Chohan Sydney Thunder: Lockie Ferguson (retained), Shadab Khan, Sam Billings The 2025-26 Big Bash League schedule has yet to be confirmed, but is expected to run over the final few weeks of December and into early 2026. More cricket news

Bengaluru set to host BJK Playoffs  The coveted Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs are set to come to India for the first time, with the International Tennis Federation confirming that Bengaluru will host matches featuring Team India in November this year.  India is drawn into Group G alongside Slovenia and the Netherlands, and will host all the group’s matches, with the three teams competing for a chance to advance to the 2026 Qualifiers. All of the matches at the tournament will be covered in our tennis predictions, so don’t forget to check them out.  The BJK Playoffs will feature seven groups, and one team from each of those groups will host all the matches. Along with India, Poland, Mexico, Germany, Croatia, Australia, and Austria have been awarded hosting rights.  This marks only the second time that India has made the Billie Jean King Cup Playoffs. They earned their spot in the competition by finishing second at the Billie Jean King Cup 2025 Asia-Oceania Group 1 back in April.  The last time India reached this round of the competition was back in 2021, where they were beaten by Latvia 3-1, though they are expected to fare much better this time under the guidance of Vishal Uppal.  View the latest tennis odds India team for BJK 2025 Playoffs As mentioned, non-playing captain Vishal Uppal will lead Team Indian into the Billie Jean Cup Playoffs, and he has assembled a solid group to take on the challenge against formidable opponents in Slovenia and the Netherlands.  India’s team features Shrivalli Bhamidipati (ranked 322), Sahaja Yamalapalli (342), Ankita Raina (347), Vaidehi Chaudhari (368), and Prarthana Thombre (145 doubles).  Billie Jean King Cup 2025 Playoff groups:  Group A: Canada, Mexico, Denmark Group B: Poland, Romania, New Zealand Group C: Slovakia, Switzerland, Argentina Group D: Czechia, Colombia, Croatia Group E: Australia, Brazil, Portugal Group F: Germany, Belgium, Turkiye Group G: Netherlands, Slovenia, India  View tennis livescores

Sachin Tendulkar tops the list (1,575 runs) Still regarded by a huge faction of cricket lovers from across the globe as the greatest batsman to ever grace the crease, Sachin Tendulkar still stands out as the highest run scorer from India against the Three Lions in Test matches played in England. The ‘Little Master’ scored an astonishing 1,575 runs during his time in the national team between 1990 and 2011. He featured in 17 matches in the longest format of the game here and notched up four centuries, while averaging 54.13.  To celebrate his contributions and record in this contest, the England and Wales Cricket Board decided to honour the Indian legend by naming the trophy up for grabs after him and former England star bowler James Anderson.  The Anderson-Tendulkar trophy is set to be unveiled at Headingley on Friday, and you can check out our cricket predictions for added insights on how our experts feel this opening match of the series will pan out.  Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli among chasing pack In second place on the all-time leading run-scorers list for India in England is the last visiting captain to lead the team to victory in this part of the world, Rahul Dravid, who scored 1,376 runs in 23 innings, averaging a staggering 68.80.   The third spot is currently occupied by pundit Sunil Gavaskar, with 1,152 runs at an average of 41.14 and a highest score of 221 way back in 1979. Notably, Gavaskar was one of the most outspoken about his dissatisfaction with this series being rebranded from the Pataudi Trophy to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.  At number four is none other than India’s greatest batsman of the modern generation and newly crowned Indian Premier League champion, Virat Kohli, who scored an astonishing 593 runs in a single tour back in 2019. Unfortunately, his team still lost the series 4-1, but his performance cemented his legacy in this fixture.  Rounding out the top five list is another legend of the Indian game, Dilip Vengsarkar, who represented India in a whopping 139 Tests between 1976 and 1992. The elegant right-hander recorded 960 runs in 13 matches played against England throughout his illustrious career.  View the latest ENG-IND odds Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni make top 10 list The bottom half of the top 10 will likely be more familiar to younger fans, starting with former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who scored 915 runs in just nine Tests in England. He posted five fifties and three tons during that time at an average of 65.35.  With 870 runs in 16 Tests, averaging 29.00 per innings, Cheteshwar Pujara is the seventh highest run scorer for India in this series. The 37-year-old is still an active player and plies his trade right here in England for Sussex County Cricket Club.  In eighth place is the current head coach of the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, Ajinkya Rahane, with 864 runs in 16 Tests at an average of 28.80. Rahane is followed in ninth spot by ...

Bumrah aiming for three of five Tests Indian paceman and one of the best fast bowlers in the world, Jasprit Bumrah, has revealed that he only expects to feature in three of his team’s five-match series. The first Test gets underway on Friday, and India are the outsiders in the contest according to the best online betting sites. The 31-year-old suffered a back injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in January, which forced him to withdraw from the squad for India’s triumph at the ICC Champions Trophy and miss the first few matches of the Indian Premier League for the Mumbai Indians.  Bumrah will now make his return to the longest format of the game, but as was the case during the IPL, he will be forced to manage his workload in order to avoid reaggravating his injury and potentially spending even more time on the sidelines. Speaking to the English media, he said:  “The body is feeling good, no issues, no complaints. I have to be smart as well as I am not becoming younger by the day. I have to take care of my body as I would love to play for longer and contribute in all three formats. I plan on the go but three test matches is what I am looking at, what I can manage at this moment.” The Indian paceman went on to confirm that he is definitely expecting to feature in the opening match as India look to record their first series win in England since 2007. He has 60 wickets at an average of 22.16 in 14 Test matches against England.  Bumrah further revealed that due to his inability to feature in all five matches over the next seven weeks, he opted to forego consideration to captain the team as he did Down Under. Shubman Gill is now set to lead the Men in Blue into battle for the first time.  Check out our cricket predictions Eng-Ind squads for upcoming Test series While India has yet to officially announce their starting lineup for the first Test, Bumrah and Gill, along with the likes of Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and stalwart Ravindra Jadeja, are all expected to take the field on Friday.  Karun Nair is in line to return to the national squad for the first time since 2017, while final selection decisions will need to be made around who will share the new ball with Bumrah between Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj.  England, on the other hand, announced their playing 11 for the first Test on Thursday, with the biggest talking point being around the exclusion of Jacob Bethell, who scored three consecutive fifties against New Zealand last year.  The Three Lions have opted for just one specialist spinner in Shoaib Bashir, while the three pacers include Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are both ruled out due to injury.  India squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, ...

Okoye stars for Nigeria in Moscow  After a disappointing 2021 Africa Cup of Nations campaign and a tough spell in the Premier League with Watford, Maduka Okoye has now found a home with Udinese and seems to have rediscovered his best form.  Following a loan stint in the Netherlands with Sparta Rotterdam, I Bianconeri splashed out €6m to bring the Super Eagles’ shot-stopper to the Serie A, where he helped his new employers secure a solid mid-table finish last season.  While finishing 12th may not seem like a massive achievement, it did represent some much-needed stability for the Italian outfit, who have endured a turbulent few years behind the scenes, with the club being put up for sale, which has led to the loss of several key players.  Okoye’s impressive form for the Zebra’s earned him a recall to the Nigeria national team for their recent friendly against Russia, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands, producing an excellent performance in Moscow earlier this month.  The 25-year-old was beaten by an own-goal by Semi Ajayi in the 27th minute, but he was a brick wall in the second half of the match, delivering three crucial saves, including a point-blank intervention to earn his side a draw result.  Barring injuries or any unforeseen setbacks, Okoye is expected to feature for the Super Eagles in their CAF World Cup qualifiers in September, when they have two huge games against Rwanda and group leaders South Africa.  Check out our football predictions Okoye set to challenge Nwabali for Nigeria starting role Following Okoye’s excellent performance against Russia, fans from across Nigeria took to social media to heap praise on the Udinese shot-stopper, with many suggesting that he should replace current Super Eagles’ number one, Stanley Nwabali, in the national team.  Nwabali featured for Nigeria during their Unity Cup triumph in London while Okoye was left on the bench. However, following his most recent performance, Okoye revealed that he is looking forward to challenging the Chippa United keeper for the number one jersey. He said:  « Of course, we know what Nwabali has done for our country. He’s a very good goalkeeper and I think he deserves it because I never got to the level I have with the Super Eagles. I really hope that I get to my level and he deserves to play right now. But I think there are always going to be some chances and opportunities and I just have to be ready when they’re coming. » Okoye also took the opportunity to settle lingering rumours that he had distanced himself from the Nigerian national team ahead of AFCON 2023, saying: « This is not true. I never pulled out. I just didn’t get called up. » While Nwabali, who currently plays for PSL outfit Chippa United in South Africa, is certainly not out of the picture, there is widespread expectation that Chelle and co are expected to leverage Okoye’s European experience for the foreseeable future.  More football news

Chennai Bulls shoot to an early lead in RPL  While rugby lovers across the globe are eagerly awaiting the British and Irish Lions Tour to get underway this weekend, fans of the game have already got their appetite wet following the first week of the 2025 Rugby Premier League (RPL). The RPL is the first-ever franchise-based Rugby Sevens league in the world, and the first edition of the tournament features six teams: Bengaluru Bravehearts, Chennai Bulls, Delhi Redz, Hyderabad Heroes, Kalinga Black Tigers, and the Mumbai Dreamers.  The competition, which was organised by Rugby India and GMR Sports, was brought to life in an attempt to elevate the sport in the country, and so far, the signs are certainly promising, given the level of play we have been treated to.  With the first third of the tournament now complete, the Chennai Bulls have announced themselves as the team to beat in season one, as they are the only franchise that is still unbeaten after four games.  The Bulls set down a mark early, smashing the Dreamers back-to-back 24-5 and 31-17 before notching up a 21-7 victory over the Redz. However, they were put to the test on Wednesday when they were held to a 26-26 draw by the Black Tigers, who had yet to register a point.  Despite dropping three points in the stalemate, Chennai are still five points clear of the Hyderabad Heroes, who are second in the league standings. The top four teams from the group stage will advance to the Playoffs on June 28.  Check out our rugby predictions  RPL 2025: Results and Fixtures Here are the results for the first week of the 2025 RPL. Don’t forget, you can keep up to the minute with all the Rugby Sevens and Rugby Union matches over the coming weeks using our rugby livescore tool right here on SportyTrader. Confirmed Results:  Remaining Fixtures: Check out the latest rugby odds