Rugby Premier League Format & Draft In recent years, the demand for professional sports teams has risen exponentially, and as a result, we have seen franchise-based leagues boom, spanning the most popular sports like football and cricket to more niche ones like skiing and pickleball.  In 2024, the Indian Premier League was the most watched cricket league globally, while other events such as the UFC, LIV Golf, Baller League and the Pro Kabaddi League have taken the world by storm, attracting some of the best athletes in their respective sports.  This year, we are set to see the launch of what is expected to be the future of sevens rugby – the Rugby Premier League! RPL was founded in 2024 by Rugby India, and in December last year, the organisation secured a 10-year partnership with GMR Sports to launch the league in 2025. It has now been confirmed that the official dates for the brand new tournament will be between June 1-15.  The league will feature six teams battling across a 34-match schedule at the Mumbai Football Arena. Each franchise team is allowed 13 players, five of whom must be local Indian players, while a maximum of five international players and three bridge players are allowed. The format of the competition includes: The competition will run over 15 days Weekdays will feature two games per night Weekends will feature three games per night The pool stage will be played on a double-round-robin format  There will be two semi-finals, a bronze medal match and a one-off final All participating teams in the RPL will play a maximum of 10 games during the pool stage and two playoff matches across the 15-day tournament. Teams that finish with the most points during the pool stage move on to the knockout rounds.  Don’t forget to check out our rugby prediction prior to the start of the RPL 2025 season.  Rugby predictions Rugby Premier League Teams & Players Earlier this month, the RPL announced the six teams that will feature in the inaugural edition of the competition. These are:  Bengaluru Bravehearts Chennai Bulls, Delhi Redz Hyderabad Heroes Kalinga Black Tigers  Mumbai Dreamers Similar to the IPL and PKL in India, the Rugby Premier League includes a player auction, which allows teams to enter a bidding war to purchase the players they would like as part of their team, both locally and abroad.  While the RPL is nowhere close to offering the riches that we saw at the IPL auction last year, there are still several international stars set to feature in the inaugural season, including the likes of Perry Baker, Rosko Specman, Scott Curry, Luciano Gonzalez and Akuila Rokolisoa. Additionally, the competition will feature some of the most renowned rugby coaches globally, such as Ben Gollings (former Fiji 7s head coach), Tomias Cama (New Zealand 7s head coach) and Mike Friday (former USA 7s head coach), among others.  Anticipation is building for the kickoff of the Rugby Premier League on June 1, and you can ...

Ervine, Williams Return to Zimbabwe Squad The Zimbabwe national cricket team landed in Dhaka on Tuesday evening ahead of a two-Test series against Bangladesh over the coming weeks. The first match will be played in Sylhet starting on April 20 before heading to Chittagong for match two on April 28, and our cricket predictions will be available throughout the series.  This marks an important moment for the African nation that has endured turmoil behind the scenes for several years – they are now set to feature in their first match in the subcontinent since 2020, when they played a one-off Test against the Tigers in Mirpur.  Ahead of their arrival, the Chevrons announced the 15 players that would make the trip to Asia, and there were several big calls made, perhaps none more so than the return of all-rounder Sean Williams, who has made a full recovery from the back injury that kept him sidelined in recent times.  Skipper Craig Ervine is also back in the touring squad after missing the trip to Ireland in February, while other notable call-ups include that of Tafadzwa Tsiga and Wellington Masakadza, both of whom have not played for the national team in over two years.  A debut has been handed to promising spinner Vincent Masekesa, and Nicholas Welch keeps his place after impressing in Ireland. Joylord Gumbie, Takudzwanashe Kaitano and Newman Nyamhuri are the trio that missed out on the final cut made by head coach Justin Sammons.  Zimbabwe Test Squad vs. Bangladesh:  Craig Ervine (C), Brian Bennett, Jonathan Campbell, Ben Curran, Trevor Gwandu, Wesley Madhevere, Wellington Masakadza, Vincent Masekesa, Nyasha Mayavo, Blessing Muzarabani, Richard Ngarava, Victor Nyauchi, Tafadzwa Tsiga, Nicholas Welch, Sean Williams.  Cricket predictions Experienced Campaigners To Bolster Bangladesh Lineup Bangladesh have also made a few notable changes to their squad for the upcoming series, headlined by the return of skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, who was forced to miss the team’s ICC Test Championship tour to the West Indies in December last year.  Another experienced head set to make his return after sitting out the trip to the Caribbean is wicketkeeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, while young fast bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib could make his Test debut after impressing in the white-ball formats.  The most notable exclusion for the Tigers in this series is that of paceman Taskin Ahmed, who is on the road to recovery from an injury to his left Achilles tendon.  Bangladesh Test Squad vs. Zimbabwe:  Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Jaker Ali Anik, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Shadman Islam, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Zakir Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Mominul Haque, Nahid Rana, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nayeem Hasan, Mahidul Islam Bhuiyan Ankon, Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz.  We are also covering every match at the ongoing Indian Premier League, so be sure to take a look at our IPL predictions, which will be available for the entire season.  Cricket predictions

Sunrisers Hyderabad Tops the List After joining the Indian Premier League back in 2013, the Sunrisers Hyderabad quickly developed a reputation as one of the best bowling attacks around, renowned for their ability to defend low totals thanks to impressive death bowling.  However, as the years have passed, we have seen a change in SRH’s major strength, with the side now possessing one of the fiercest batting lineups in the game. Much of that shift was led by David Warner, who won the Orange Cap three times in the space of five years between 2015 and 2019.  Last season, the Sunrisers produced arguably the most incredible batting display seen in the IPL, scoring 287/3 against RCB – the highest innings total in the competition’s history. This year, SRH almost did it again but came up one run short of their record, this time against Rajasthan in their first match of the tournament.  That match against the Royals also marked the current record for the most runs scored in the powerplay this season, with the Hyderabad outfit smashing 94/1 in the first six overs, led by Ishan Kishan, who went on to post the first century of IPL 18.  SRH now hold three of the top five powerplay scores in the history of the IPL! Unfortunately for Pat Cummins’s side, they were unable to build on that sensational start to the competition, losing four of their next five games. They are set to face Mumbai on Wednesday, so be sure to take a look at our MI vs. SRH prediction ahead of the toss.  To date, the Kolkata Knight Riders managed the second highest runs tally in powerplays in 2025, scoring 90/1 against the Lucknow Super Giants, while at the opposite end of the table, the Chennai Super Kings currently hold the lowest total – 30/3 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.  Highest Powerplay Scores in 2025 Highest All-Time Powerplay Scores  IPL Predictions What is the Most Runs a Batsman Has Scored in a Powerplay As shown above, the highest all-time score in a powerplay came last year when the Sunrisers faced Delhi. In that same match, we saw an unbelievable innings from Travis Head, who scored a whopping 84 runs in just 26 balls at a dizzying strike rate of 400.  However, Head’s tremendous innings against DC is not the best of all time – that honour belongs to Suresh Raina. The former CSK batsman smashed 87 off a mere 25 deliveries against Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium in the 2014 season. Only seven of the 25 balls Raina faced did not go to the boundary! Outside of the top two in this category, Jake Fraser McGurk comes in third place with 78 runs against Mumbai last season, Adam Gilchrist is fourth with 74 runs against Delhi back in 2009, and Faf du Plessis rounds out the top five, with 64 runs versus the Titans, also in 2024.   Check out our cricket predictions for more key stats and trends throughout the remainder ...

Deportrio – Alan Shearer, Gary Lineker and Micah Richards When you think English football, few names come to mind quicker than the Premier League’s all-time highest goal-scorer Alan Shearer. Add to that England’s all-time top goalscorer in World Cups, Gary Lineker, and former Man City and Aston Villa man Micah Richards, and you have the management team of Deportrio.  The hosts of the podcast The Rest Is Football have made a sensational start to the season, currently leading the league standings after four weeks. Given their popularity, it’s unsurprising that Deportrio have been able to call upon some big names in Bakary Sako and Marvin Sordell, while former Citizen Joleon Lescott has also featured as a wildcard this season.  Yanited – Angry Ginge  For those who watched or were in attendance for week four of Baller League UK, you would likely have noticed the famous colours of Newton Heath with the Manchester bee logo strewn across the Copper Box Arena. Indeed, those are the colours of ‘Yanited’, managed by one of the most notable faces on the internet over the last year – Angry Ginge.  With over 1.5m subscribers, Angry Ginge is one of the fastest-growing YouTubers on the planet and is known for his unwavering support for Manchester United, which has already quite visibly made him a fan favourite. Alongside him is Tottenham Hotspur academy coach Samuel Cox, and together they have built an unbeaten side that features former Fulham defender Michael Hector.  Santan FC – Dave Only in Baller League UK will you see the likes of Alan Shearer having to go up against a rap star. David Orobosa Michael Omoregie, better known as just Dave, is one of the UK’s biggest rappers and actors, and he is also doing a splendid job at managing Santan FC, who are currently in fourth place in the league standings. Dave and Santan FC have focused their efforts on giving former pro players as well as up-and-comers a chance to put their names up in lights and possibly attract the attention of big clubs. Among the more notable players are Erick Kenko, who played for Fulham youths, while Nile Ranger, a former Newcastle United striker, has been called up as a wildcard.  VZN FC – Tobi Brown The first of two Sidemen in the League is Tobi Brown, who manages VZN FC. Given the popularity of the Sidemen across the globe, it’s unsurprising that TBJZL also has a massive fan base, which includes over two million subscribers on YouTube, and so far, he has been doing an excellent job alongside head coach Elijah Brown, with the team in third place after four weeks.  VZN FC’s roster includes the likes of former Liverpudlian Jerome Sinclair, former Arsenal and Aston Villa man Henri Lansbury, as well as Montel McKenzie, who rose to fame on the well-known TV series Love Island. The team has now won three in a row and are starting to look like genuine contenders for the inaugural league title.  MVPs ...

Orban’s Resurgence at Hoffenheim After Lyon Nightmare Nigeria forward Gift Orban burst onto the European football scene in 2023 when he joined Belgian Pro League side KAA Gent in January and bagged a brace on debut before scoring four times against Zulte Waregem.  He then etched his name in European Cup competition history by netting the fastest hat-trick in the UEFA Europa Conference League in March of the same year against Istanbul Basaksehir, doing so in an astonishing three minutes and 25 seconds.  Those performances not only earned the Benue-born attacker his debut call-up to the Nigerian national team but also resulted in Ligue 1 giants Olympique Lyonnais splashing out €15m to acquire his services in January 2024.  Since then, though, the 22-year-old striker endured a very difficult period, which included being omitted from the Super Eagles squad due to administrative hurdles, while his tenure with Lyon turned turbulent and ended in him being dropped from the team due to disciplinary reasons.  However, after making just three appearances in the first half of the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season, Orban was handed a lifeline in the form of a cut-price deal to join a Bundesliga club, TSG Hoffenheim, at the start of this year.  When he joined Die Kraichgauer, the team was one of the favourites to be relegated from the German top flight by most of the best online betting sites, but his partnership alongside Andrej Kramaric has been instrumental in getting their side out of the drop zone, now 10 points clear of the dotted line.  Football predictions Orban Making Case for Super Eagles’ Recall Orban made a seamless transition to the Bundesliga following his move from Ligue 1 and netted four goals for Hoffenheim in his first six appearances, including a crucial strike against VfB Stuttgart, which earned his side a point at home in late February.  The 22-year-old has featured in all but one of Die Kraichgauer’s league games since then and has become one of the first names on the team sheet under the guidance of new boss, Christian Ilzer, who joined the club in November last year.  However, Orban’s club performances have not translated into national team success just yet, as he was left out of the Super Eagles provisional squad selection for their recently completed 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe last month.  The striker’s omission sparked outrage among Super Eagles fans on social media, particularly after the likes of Ahmed Musa and former Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho made the preliminary squad.  Eric Chelle’s side subsequently endured a tough set of results, beating Amavumbi but drawing against the Warriors, which has now placed their World Cup qualification hopes in major doubt, while fans continue to demand change and improvement from the three-time African champions.  Indeed, Orban faces serious competition to get into the Super Eagles squad ahead of Victor Osimhen and Victor Boniface, but if he continues to perform at the level he is producing in Germany, Chelle will have no choice but to ...

Gul Favourite to Replace Andre Adams as Bangladesh Bowling Coach  Former Pakistan speedster Umar Gul is the leading candidate to take over the role as Bangladesh’s new fast bowling coach, with reports indicating that Andre Adams, the team’s current coach, is nearing an exit.  Adams is under contract with the Tigers until February 2026, but word around the rumour mill suggests that the former New Zealand cricketer’s tenure with the team could be cut short owing to his “dissatisfying” performance in recent years.  While there have been several mixed reports indicating that Gul has already been handed his new role with the team, the 42-year-old cleared up the speculation in a recent interview with the media, where he said:  “We are in talks, but nothing is confirmed yet. The confirmation depends on mutual understanding and terms and conditions, and that is dependent on the board.” It is understood that if Gul is given the coaching role with the Tigers, it will be ahead of the team’s tour of Pakistan in May and will be on an initial three-month basis, with the potential for an extension to 2027 if all parties are satisfied following the series against the Green Shirts.  However, the former Pakistan bowler is expected to face tough competition for the job, with former Australian quick Shaun Tait also under consideration, along with West Indian Ottis Gibson and South African legend Allan Donald.  Bangladesh have also made other key decisions in their backroom setup, with head coach Phil Simmons’s contract being extended until the 2027 ICC World Cup, while Mohammad Salahuddin is expected to become the team’s assistant coach in the coming days.  Don’t forget to check out our IPL predictions for the remainder of the ongoing competition! Cricket predictions Umar Gul Credentials and Career During his time playing for the Pakistan national team, Gul was a regular feature in the side, making a total of 60 T20Is, 130 ODIs and 47 Test appearances, since bursting onto the scene against Bangladesh in Karachi in August 2003. He also played a crucial role in the Shaheens’ 2009 T20 World Cup triumph, where he bagged an incredible five wickets for just six runs against New Zealand in the semi-final of the competition.  After retiring from all forms of the game in 2020, Gul began his journey into coaching, serving as the bowling coach of Pakistan Super League outfit Quetta Gladiators before taking up coaching positions with the Pakistan national team and, most recently, Afghanistan in 2022. Should the 42-year-old secure the role with the Tigers, he will be tasked with moulding a group of promising Bangladeshi pace bowlers, including the likes of Tanzim Hasan Shakib, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana.  Bangladesh and Pakistan are expected to face off in five T20Is during May (dates to be confirmed), and you can view our cricket predictions for those matches ahead of the first fixture.  Cricket predictions

Records That Can Be Broken in IPL 2025 The first month of the 2025 IPL season has certainly lived up to the billing, and while we have seen a fair few surprises so far, there’s still everything to play for with just four points separating the league-leading Delhi Capitals and second-bottom Sunrisers Hyderabad. In addition to teams jostling for a spot in the knockout rounds, players also have their eyes on individual accolades, and there are plenty of records that are on the line as we head into the second half of the competition.  Starting with the Chennai Super Kings, veteran Ravindra Jadeja entered the tournament needing eight wickets to surpass Dwayne Bravo as the team’s all-time wicket taker. The 36-year-old has picked up two scalps so far, meaning he needs six more to break the record.  Check out our experts’ thoughts on Chennai’s upcoming match via our LSG vs. CSK prediction! You cannot discuss IPL records without bringing up Virat Kohli. The RCB and India batsman is the competition’s all-time leading run-scorer with an incredible tally of 8,252 runs, and he needs just one more half-century to go above David Warner for most 50+ scores in the IPL.  Rohit Sharma is having a tough 2025 campaign, managing just 56 runs in five innings. However, he can still make his mark on the competition, needing 86 more runs to go past Shikhar Dhawan and become the second-highest run-scorer in IPL’s history behind Kohli. This season, Sharma has become the first Mumbai Indians player to score 5,500 IPL career runs! Jasprit Bumrah missed the Mumbai Indians’ first four games of the competition owing to a back injury that also forced him to miss the ICC Champions Trophy last month. However, the Indian paceman is back in action now and needs five more wickets to overtake Lasith Malinga as Mumbai Indians’ highest wicket-taker.  IPL predictions Records That Have Already Been Broken in IPL 2025 The Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Bhuveneshar Kumar added his name to the history books this season, becoming the third-highest wicket-taker in the IPL with 181 scalps. He now trails only Yuzvendra Chahal (206) and Piyush Chawla (192) in the all-time list.  Kohli became the IPL’s fourth-most capped player after Sunday’s match against Rajasthan, while a few days earlier, Jadeja went third in the same list, with only Rohit Sharma and his teammate MS Dhoni now ahead of him with 240 appearances in the competition.  Jadeja also became the first player to complete the double of 3000 runs and 100 wickets in the IPL this season! Chennai Super Kings’ legend MS Dhoni added yet another record to his IPL collection, becoming the franchise’s highest run-scorer this year. He overtook ex-CSK star Suresh Raina, who held the record with 4,687 runs. At 43 years and 9 months old, Dhoni is also the oldest player to feature in the IPL.  Don’t forget, our cricket predictions will be available for every match throughout the remainder of the 2025 IPL! IPL predictions

Mohun Bagan Secure Historic ISL Double The 2024-25 Indian Super League season will go down as one of the most memorable for everyone associated with Mohun Bagan Super Giants, as they clinched their first-ever ISL double at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Saturday afternoon.  The Mariners were head and shoulders the best team in the Indian top flight this season, ending the campaign with just two defeats and 56 points in 24 games, eight points clear of second-placed FC Goa.   With that, MBSG became the first team in the history of the league to successfully defend the ISL Shield, before going on to beat Bengaluru FC 2-1 in the Cup final, with a dramatic late comeback that was worthy of a cup title. Jose Molina’s side went behind just four minutes into the second half after Alberto Rodriguez scored an own goal, but the ever-reliable Jason Cummings stepped up and held his nerve to convert from the penalty spot to restore parity midway through the second period.  The hero of the piece, though, was none other than Australia international Jamie Maclaren, who netted what turned out to be the winner in the first period of extra-time, capping off a remarkable first season in the Indian Super League. Maclaren ended the 2024-25 ISL season as Mohun Bagan’s top scorer with 12 goals and four assists in 25 matches! MBSG can now take a few days to revel in their accomplishments for the season, but they will need to refocus fairly soon, with a Super Cup round of 16 clash against I-League winners Churchill Brothers to come on April 20.  The winner of the Super Cup gains entry to the AFC Champions League Two preliminary round, and you can check out our thoughts on that matchup using our football predictions over the coming weeks! Football predictions 2024-25 Indian Super League awards Before we close the book on what has been one of the most entertaining seasons in the Indian top flight, let’s recap the award winners for the 2024-25 ISL season:  Golden Ball: Alaaeddine Ajaraie (NorthEast United) Golden Boot: Alaaeddine Ajaraie (NorthEast United) Golden Glove: Vishal Kaith (Mohun Bagan SG) Emerging Player: Brison Fernandes (FC Goa) Best Grassroots Program: Jamshedpur FC Best Elite Youth Program: Punjab FC While Mohun Bagan were the best team in the ISL this season, the best player was undoubtedly Alaaeddine Ajaraie. The Moroccan surpassed the record for the most goals in a single ISL campaign (18) by netting 23 times in 24 games while also picking up seven assists.  The Indian Super League may now be over, but there are still plenty of leagues heading into the business end of the season, and you can keep up to the minute with all of it using our football livescore tool right here on SportyTrader! Football predictions