India’s Asian Cup hopes are hanging by a thread . India’s football team has descended to 133, its lowest FIFA ranking in nearly a decade as the Tigers suffer a string of early cup exits and poor managerial changes. The last time India had a lower ranking was in 2016 when they were placed 135.  In 2025 so far, India has managed to win one of eight games. They spent the entire 2024 winless and crashed out of the World Cup qualifiers under Manolo Marquez, who mutually agreed to step down last month. The biggest talking point is India’s lack of goalscoring under Marquez. They did not score in five of the eight games. In the other three, they scored just five goals, three of which came against a lower-ranked Maldives. India’s loss against Hong Kong only made matters worse because the Tigers are now in doubt of qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup. Only group winners advance to the knockouts, and India is at the bottom of Group C. See odds for International matches Indian Super League suspension and legal challenges  India football’s troubles are not just on the pitch. There is also ongoing concern about the ISL (Indian Super League), after event organizers announced the 2025-2026 season on hold.  Football Sports Development Limited, AIIF’s official partner, told clubs that an unresolved MRA (Master Rights Agreement) is the reason for the league’s suspension. Signed in 2010 for 15 years, the deal expires in December 2025, and AIFF’s failure to offer a new deal has put the league’s future in limbo. Sources close to the matter say the Supreme Court directed AIFF not to renew the MRA since its review of the Constitution, adding to the concern. The ISL suspension highlights many of the stumbling blocks faced by India’s football community over the recent years. Lovers of the game and club stakeholders remain optimistic that the AIFF and FSDL will reach an agreement in the coming weeks.  India Sunil Chhetri urges everyone to stay united. Amid the growing concern, India captain Sunil Chhetri has expressed his discomfort over the indefinite suspension of the Indian Super League.  “The current situation that India finds itself in is very concerning. I’ve received a flurry of texts from players, staff members, physios, masseurs – not just from my club but other clubs as well,” India’s record goalscorer wrote on Instagram.  “Everybody in the Indian football ecosystem is worried, hurt, and scared about the uncertainty we are faced with. I may not have all the answers, but my message to all those involved… please stay calm. We will ride this storm together. Stick together and look out for each other. Keep training and getting better. Football has to resume soon. It will” India’s next match is against Singapore in the third round of the Asian Cup qualifiers in October. Singapore is top of Group C, followed by Hong Kong, Bangladesh, and India. For insights, see what our SportyTrader experts say will happen in the 2027 Asian ...

Victor Osimhen transfer saga: Galatasaray rejects Napoli’s demands Galatasaray appeared to be closing in on a deal to sign Victor Osimhen permanently. However, that transfer is now in limbo. Per Fabrizio Romano, Napoli insists on €40M upfront and €35M in add-ons by 2026. Club President De Laurentiis also wants to include a 20% sell-on clause. However, Galatasaray wants to pay the add-ons by 2027 and refuses to include the sell-on clause.  The ongoing conflict has frustrated Galatasaray, and sources say the club is considering withdrawing from the deal. Despite this tension, Osimhen has informed Napoli he will not report for pre-season, meaning transfer talks with Galatasaray will likely resume if Napoli can just adjust their demands. Osimhen to break the Turkish Super Lig Record Transfer If he moves to Galatasaray this summer, Victor Osimhen will break the record for the most expensive signing in Turkish Super Lig history. The current holder is Youssef En-Nesyri, who transferred from Sevilla to Fenerbahçe last year in a €19.5M deal, and only six of the top 10 record deals ever reached €15M. As mentioned before, Galatasaray is ready to pay the full €75M, which is Osimhen’s release clause. But they are negotiating payment terms so that they can spread the bid over 3 years. If the deal is completed soon, it would be worth around four times more than En-Nesyri’s transfer, setting a precedent for Turkish clubs who want to compete better on the European stage. See our upcoming Champions League predictions and get insights into what teams Galatasaray may face further into the competition. Clubs keeping tabs on Victor Osimhen As negotiations between Galatasaray and Napoli stall, Premier League   clubs will certainly be on high alert for Osimhen. The 26-year-old striker enjoyed a sensational debut season in the Turkish Super Lig, scoring 26 goals and assisting 5 more to help Galatasaray lift the league title.  Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United were heavily linked with Osimhen, but they all appeared to have moved in different directions, pursuing Liam Delap, Viktor Gyokeres, and Bryan Mbeumo, respectively.  There is also a belief that Al-Hilal is ready to match Napoli’s transfer requests. However, Osimhen’s camp made it clear that he is not interested in the Saudi league. Instead, he wants to play with Champions League contenders.  As it stands, Osimhen will most likely reunite with Galatasaray, but the biggest obstacle is Napoli. If the Serie A champions do not bring down their demands, then Osimhen to the Saudi Pro League is not completely off the table.  More football news Osimhen transfer saga: what’s next for the Nigerian international? Galatasaray fans will be hoping Osimhen can help the team compete better in the Champions League this season. The club has not made it past the group stages since 2012/13 when they were eliminated in the quarterfinals. As it stands, Osimhen has already accepted personal terms with Galatasaray, and it now depends on them to get the deal done with Napoli. Unless the clubs find common ground soon, ...

Lord’s Test hangs in the balance heading into Day 5 After sharing the first two Tests, one win apiece, the third match at Lords this weekend was expected to be another close encounter, and that has certainly been the case, with both teams still in the running to secure the victory. India are marginal favourites according to the latest betting odds.  Batting first, England posted 387 in their first innings, with Joe Root starring for the hosts, recording his 37th Test century to move into the top five cricketers with the most Test tons in history, now above Indian and Aussie legends Rahul Dravid and David Warner.  However, KL Rahul spearheaded the visitors’ first innings with the bat, putting up 100 runs in 177 deliveries, while Rishabh Pant and Ravidndra Jadeja provided stability in the middle order, scoring 74 and 72 respectively. India matched England’s 387 before being dismissed.  In the second innings, though, the Three Lions were unable to find their rhythm and had lost three wickets by the time they reached 50 runs. They failed to pull it back later on and were eventually bundled out in the 63rd over, setting a 193-run target.  The pick of the Indian bowlers in the second innings was undoubtedly Washington Sundar, who racked up four wickets for just 22 runs in 12.1 overs. He was responsible for the scalps of Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith and Shoaib Bashir.  Check out our cricket predictions  India stumble out the gate in second innings chase With England only managing to set their opponents a target of 193 with a little over a day to play, most from a neutral perspective would likely have expected India to ease to victory, given how well they have batted in this series so far.  However, that has not been the case, with the Three Lions making the most of their time in the centre over the closing stages of Day 4, knocking over four of India’s batsmen to end the day with the Men in Blue at 58/4 and in a spot of bother. In contrast to his performances in the first two matches in this series, Yashasvi Jaiswal has only managed 13 runs in this match and was dismissed for a seven-ball duck on Day 4, while Karun Nair and Shubman Gill were dismissed for a combined tally of 20 runs.  Akash Deep was sent out as the night watchman for the visitors, but he only lasted 11 balls before Ben Stokes clean bowled him, which led to the umpires calling stumps on Day 4. Rahul remains unbeaten on 33 off 47 balls.  Pant will join Rahul on the final morning with India needing 135 runs from an expected 90.2 overs to take the lead in the series. While they are the favourites, that could quickly change if the home side can notch a couple of early wickets on the final day.  More cricket news

India’s secure T20I series win with game to spare India made history in midweek when they cruised to a commanding six-wicket victory over England at Old Trafford, which saw them take an unassailable 3-1 series lead. The result confirmed their first-ever bilateral series win over the Lionesses in England and confirmed our cricket predictions. The home side failed to impress with the bat in the first innings and only managed to post a target of 166/7 in their 20-over allotment. Notably, they were unable to strike a single boundary between the 11th and 19th overs of the match.  Radha Yadav was the pick of the visitors’ bowlers, producing a disciplined spell of 2/15 in her four overs, which strangled England’s batters in the middle overs, while Shree Charani bounced back from an expensive opening over to end with 2/30. England only scored 42 runs in the final nine overs.  In response, India’s openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana gave their side a solid platform, posting 56 runs inside the first powerplay. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues then recorded a 48-run partnership, with the captain not out at the end of the match. Following the victory, Yadav said:  “This time, this team, this atmosphere, it’s magical. We want to create something big going forward. We are going to dominate, no matter what.” England are still above India in the ICC T20 Women’s team standings, but there is a case to be made that the rankings are yet to catch up with the reality on the field. Australia currently lead the way with 299 rating points, while England and India are on 276 and 264 points, respectively.  Check out our sports predictions  England salvage pride in final T20I While India had already clinched the series win in game four, England were able to add some respectability to the series scoreline by securing a five-wicket victory in the final match at Edgbaston on Saturday afternoon.  Batting first, India’s openers Mandhana and Rodrigues were sent back to the pavilion with just 19 runs on the board, but Verma and Kaur steadied the ship with a 66-run third-wicket partnership before the latter was dismissed by Charlie Dean.  Notably, Kaur was featuring in her 334th international match for the Women in Blue, which saw her surpass Mithali Raj as the highest-capped Indian woman in cricket history. Shafali, on the other hand, scored the second-fastest half-century for India, doing so in just 23 balls.  More cricket news

South Africa score six tries in 42-24 victory in Pretoria After a stunning 54-7 victory over the Barbarians in Cape Town a couple of weeks ago, South Africa entered their second match of the summer as massive favourites last weekend, and they fully lived up to expectations, trouncing Italy 42-24 in front of a packed Loftus Versfeld.  With Siya Kolisi sidelined through injury, Jesse Kriel led the world champions into battle in Pretoria, and the stand-in skipper made an instant impact, crossing the whitewash in the 11th minute to give his side the lead, and they never looked back from then on.  Vincent Koch, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Marco Van Staden all got on the scoresheet for the Boks in the victory, while Morne van den Berg, who was making just his third appearance in the famous Green and Gold, bagged a brace and continued to make a case for the number nine jersey ahead of the Rugby Championship​​​​​​. Handre Pollard made a perfect six of six conversion attempts! While Rassie Erasmus has made wholesale changes for this weekend’s clash, bringing in the likes of Canan Moodie, Manie Libbok and Grant Williams, the Boks are firmly expected to dominate the match, and you can check out our South Africa vs Italy prediction for our expert’s insights.  Still, plenty of credit must go to the Italians, who, despite missing several first-team regulars, put up a proper fight in the second half last week and stood up to the Springboks’ usually formidable Bomb Squad, with Manuel Zuliani leading the charge, producing several turnovers through relentless tackling.  Check out our rugby predictions Le Roux set to join elite company this weekend  This weekend’s Test will be a landmark match for South African full-back Willie Le Roux, who will earn his 100th cap in the Green and Gold when he steps out on the field at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday afternoon.  The 35-year-old will become only the eighth South African rugby player to reach triple digits for the Springboks, following in the footsteps of Percy Montgomery, Jean de Villiers, John Smit, Tendai “Beast” Mtwawarira, Bryan Habana, Victor Matfield, and Eben Etzebeth.  Le Roux first pulled on the Springbok jersey against Italy back in June 2013 in Durban and was part of the squad that won back-to-back World Cup titles in 2019 and 2023. Reaching the 100-match milestone is a testament to the player and team man that Le Roux is.  View the latest rugby odds Erasmus makes wholesale changes to Boks’ lineup  Erasmus has made as many as 10 changes for this weekend’s showdown in Gqeberha, with only Le Roux, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Marco van Staden and Jasper Wiese retaining their places from the run-on side at Loftus last week.  Stalwart Makazole Mapimpi and Edwill van der Merwe will take up their places on the wings this week, while the halves pairing features the dynamic duo of Manie Libbok and the rapid Grant Williams, while the colossus that is Pieter-Steph du ...

Dukes ball at centre of attention at Lord’s Test India’s new Test captain Shubman Gill was unable to hide his frustration on Day 2 of the ongoing third Test against England at the Home of Cricket, though his anger was not related to his team or his opponents, but rather over the Dukes ball being used in the match. The Dukes ball has been used in Test matches in England for over a century, and has stood the test of time due to its ability to retain its shape and character for a longer period of time than others, such as the Kookaburra Turf White cricket balls used in the Indian Premier League. However, the Dukes ball being used during the current series between the Three Lions and the Men in Blue has been surrounded by controversy since the first match at Headingley, with both teams criticising that it has been losing shape and becoming soft far too quickly.  Ben Stokes and co were vocal in their criticism of the ball in the first two matches, while it was the visiting side that was displeased on Friday at Lord’s, with Gill requesting that the umpires change the ball after just 10.4 overs of use.  Match official Paul Reiffel confirmed that the ball was unsuitable to use after an inspection and called for the box of replacements, but despite a “new” ball being handed to the visitors, the Indian skipper was still unsatisfied and was seen in a fairly heated debate with Sharfuddoula Saikat shortly after.  It was later revealed that Gill and pace bowler Mohammed Siraj did not feel that the replacement ball felt or looked like the one that was withdrawn from the match, but the umpires were unwilling to entertain any further arguments and asked them to get on with the match.  However, it did not take long before conversations between players and officials restarted, in fact, just eight overs later, Gill requested another change of ball, which was granted after the one in use failed the ring test.  Check out our cricket predictions  Owner of British Cricket Balls Ltd arrives at Lord’s  Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the Dukes ball, Dilip Jajodia, the owner of British Cricket Balls Ltd, the company that manufactures the Dukes, decided to visit Lord’s on Friday to discuss the concerns of the players and match officials regarding the state of the match balls.  However, Jajodia defended the Dukes ball, stating that several factors can influence any ball’s performance. The 81-year-old carried with him a box of Dukes balls of varying conditions to illustrate his point. He said:  “Obviously, we listen to comments and observations. But this (the ball going out of shape and getting softer) is not something unusual, it’s been happening ever since cricket has been played. Not everything is static, it’s not an engineered product in that sense.” Jajodia went on to elaborate several factors that he feels need to be taken into consideration, including the leather used, the human ...

How have India performed at Lord’s over the years?  The first-ever Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is set to reach the halfway point on Saturday, and the series is even-steven, with England having secured a remarkable victory at Headingley before India levelled matters at Edgbaston and confirmed our cricket predictions.  The third Test is delicately poised, with the Three Lions posting a first innings target of 387, while India have responded with 145/3 at stumps on Day 2, setting us up for what should be a captivating second half of the match over the weekend.  While there is still plenty of cricket to be played over the next three days, India will be hoping to secure a victory at the iconic Lord’s, where they have typically struggled to produce their best performances since first stepping onto the famous hallowed ground in England’s capital in 1932. Across their history, India have played a total of 19 Test matches at the Home of Cricket, but have only managed to win three times, while losing 12 games, with the remaining four encounters ending in drawn results.  However, the last decade has seen a significant turnaround in India’s fortunes, with two of their previous three visits to the venue ending in victory. The most recent was a memorable 151-run triumph in 2021 under the guidance of Virat Kohli, while the other came in 2018.  India’s first Test win at the Home of Cricket was led by none other than MS Dhoni in 2014, when paceman Ishant Sharma etched his name in the history books with a sensational spell of 7/74, which got his side to a 95-run victory.   View the best cricket betting sites Joe Root adds two more records to glittering career Joe Root revealed that he endured a sleepless night after Day 1 of the Lord’s Test, when the umpires called stumps with the England batter unbeaten on 99 runs. However, he held his nerve on Friday morning and brought up his century, albeit that he was dismissed four runs later. Still, the 34-year-old’s ton has taken him into an elite group of cricketers, as he is now in the list of the top five players with the most Test centuries, surpassing former India batter Rahul Dravid and Australian opener David Warner.  Root now has an incredible 37 Test tons to his name, while his knock in the first innings also saw him record his third consecutive three-digit haul at Lord’s, which makes him only the third batsman in history to post three tons in a row at the venue after Jack Hobbs and Michael Vaughan.  However, he was not done there. When the Three Lions took the field on Day 2, Root pulled off a sensational one-handed catch to dismiss Karun Nair off the bowling of skipper Ben Stokes, marking his 211th catch in Test cricket, which now stands as the most by any player.  More cricket news