Bumrah’s absence could prove costly for India at Edgbaston After going 1-0 down in the five-match opener at Headingley, India will be hoping to level the series in Birmingham in the second Test, which gets underway on July 2 and will be covered by our experts in their in-depth cricket predictions.  Gautam Gambhir would have left Leeds with mixed emotions, as his team somehow lost the match even though they were the better side for the majority of the contest, and they also became the first nation to suffer defeat after five centuries were scored by their players.  Indeed, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and skipper Shubman Gill all notched up tons in the match, while newly-appointed vice-captain Rishabh Pant produced sensational centuries in both innings, taking his tally of triple-digit scores against England to five, level with Virat Kohli.  However, India’s bottom half collapsed in both innings, as they lost seven wickets for a mere 41 runs in the first innings, while the second innings saw them crumble from 334-4 to 364 all out after KL Rahul was dismissed by Brydon Carse.  While Gambhir will certainly be asking for more from his tail-end, his major issue for the Edgbaston showdown is with the ball in hand, with Jasprit Bumrah likely to be left out of the squad as part of his workload management following injury.  The world’s top-ranked fast bowler sustained a back issue during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the start of the year, which also forced him to miss India’s Champions Trophy triumph and the start of the Indian Premier League for the Mumbai Indians.  Bumrah was excellent in the first innings of this series, notching up a stunning 5/83, and while the 31-year-old went wicketless in the second innings, he maintained an excellent economy rate on just 3.00, which was the lowest of any of the team’s five bowlers.  View the latest odds India to field two specialist spinners for second Test? India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate mentioned in Monday’s press conference that the team is likely to change strategy in Birmingham, and while he did not reveal their exact plans, he did indicate that they may opt to send out two specialist spinners. He said:  « There is a very strong chance of playing two spinners. It’s just which two we play. And that goes back to the previous question about juggling the batting depth. All three spinners are bowling very nicely. » Ten Doeschate also hinted that Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was left out of the first match for bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur, could be given the nod this week, as he would provide additional reinforcement with the bat lower down the order, where the side struggled massively in Leeds.  Meanwhile, the hosts, similar to the Headingley Test, went early with their team announcement, with Ben Stokes and co confirming an unchanged 11 to the one that stepped out in their first match.  More cricket news

Bulls crush Redz to lift first-ever RPL title The Chennai Bulls produced one of the most dominant performances seen at the first edition of the Rugby Premier League, thumping the Delhi Redz 41-0 at the Mumbai Football Arena on Sunday afternoon in the final of the inaugural season. Not only was it the Bulls’ biggest win of the competition, but it was also the biggest margin of victory in Season 1, surpassing the 36-point victory the Hyderabad Heroes secured against the Bengaluru Bravehearts back on June 16. Chennai dominated the final from the off, with Vaafauese Maliko opening the scoring for his side and Filipe Sauturaga converting the try, before Joseva Talacolo added another five points to the tally moments later. Terry Kennedy crossed the whitewash before the halftime break, and Gaurav Kumar tagged on another two points, which sent the Bulls into the interval with a massive 24-0 lead. Don’t forget, all the rugby action from across the globe can be accessed using our rugby livescore tool.  In the second half, Chennai kept their foot on the gas, with Shanawaz Ahmed and a brace of tries from Mohammed Asique taking the team out of sight, while Sauturaga was exceptional with the boot, both on conversions and in play.  The Bulls had finished in second place in the league table with 25 points, including a record of six wins, one draw and four defeats in their 10 matches. They then defeated the Bengaluru Bravehearts 31-12 in the semi-final to book their spot in the grand finale. Check out our rugby predictions  Hyderabad Heroes leave RPL 2025 with bronze During the group stage of the competition, the Hyderabad Heroes announced themselves as the team to beat, as they surged to the top of the table with one incredible performance after the next, ending the round-robin matches with nine wins and just one defeat.  Terio Tamani and Joji Nasova were the standout performers for the Heroes in Season 1 of the RPL, with the former ending as the team’s top scorer with 66 points, while Nasova notched up 52 points, including 10 tries, which was the third-most this season behind Wa’a Apelu Maliko (15) and Philip Wokorach (12).  Unfortunately for the side from Hyderabad, their form deserted them heading into the knockout rounds, as they suffered a 14-7 defeat to the Redz in the second semi-final. However, they managed to avoid leaving the competition empty-handed by edging the Bengaluru Bravehearts 17-12 in the third-place Playoff.  Following the final, the overwhelming consensus was that the first edition of the Rugby Premier League was a genuine success and set a solid foundation for an even better tournament next year.  More rugby news

Manisha Kalyan leads India to victory over Timor-Leste India’s national football team romped to the top of Group B at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers on Sunday by notching up their second win in as many games, beating Timor-Leste 4-0 at the 700th Anniversary Stadium in Chiang Mai.  Manisha Kalyan was the standout performer for the Blue Tigresses against O Sol Nascente, with the 23-year-old forward opening the scoring for her team in the 12th minute of the match before bagging a brace 10 minutes before the final whistle. You can get up-to-the-minute updates using our football livescore tool.  Kalyan, who was also named the AIFF Women’s Emerging Footballer of the Year in 2022-23, became the first Indian footballer to play in the UEFA Champions League when she featured in the competition last season for PAOK, who have won the Greek league title 19 times. Speaking in the post-match interview, Kalyan said:  “I’m very happy because we got the three points. It’s good motivation for us to prepare for the next game!” East Bengal attacker Anju Tamang also got on the scoresheet against Timor-Leste, tucking away her goal just before the hour mark, while Odisha’s Lynda Kom Serto added the icing to the cake, netting India’s fourth goal of the match in the 85th minute.  The victory takes India to six points after two games, two points ahead of Iraq, who they will face in a what could be a pivotal match in the final standings on July 2.  Check out our football predictions India trounce Mongolia in Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers Before their impressive victory over Timor-Leste, India kicked off their AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers with a stunning victory over Mongolia, where they scored a resounding 13 goals without response from the Blue Wolves.  Odisha’s Pyari Xaxa scored five goals in the demolition, four of which came in the space of just 10 minutes either side of the halftime interval, while East Bengal’s duo of Sangita Basfore and Soumya Gugloth scored three goals combined.  Rimpa Haldar (Sribhumi), Malavika Prasad (Kerala), Priyadharshini Selladurai (Liberty Ladies) and Grace Dangmei (Kickstart) were also on the scoresheet in the rout. The result marked India’s biggest ever win at an AFC Women’s Asia Cup match.  India now have a massive +17 goal difference in the group standings, which could prove crucial given that only the group winners will advance to the 12-team AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, which is scheduled to run from March 1 to 2026 in Australia next year.  More football news

Shastri highlights India’s contribution to revenue generation If you are a cricket fan, you would likely agree that in recent years, India has become a cricketing powerhouse, thanks in part to the mega-money Indian Premier League as well as the massive following for the game in the country.  Recent official reports indicate that India is responsible for 38.5% of the International Cricket Council’s total revenue, and there is expectation that it will account for an even higher percentage by 2027, given the continued growth of the IPL. As it stands, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) currently receive in the region of ₹1,968 crore annually, which is significantly higher than the revenue received by the likes of the England and Wales Cricket Board and Cricket Australia.  However, Indian cricket icon and former head coach of the Men in Blue, Ravi Shastri, argues that India should actually be allocated an even higher percentage due to their contribution to the overall revenue the cricket body generates. In an interview with the media, he said:  “I would want more because most of the money that’s generated comes from India. So it’s only fair that they get their share of pound of flesh. It’s relative, it’s economies, if tomorrow there might be another economy that’s stronger. When India travel, look at the television rights, look at the television income that comes for an India series. So it’s only fair that they get. Whatever they’re getting now, if not more,” The current model of revenue distribution has sparked debate throughout the cricket community, with several boards, especially India, Australia and England, believed to have already raised their concerns about unequal allocations.  The ICC have acknowledged all the concerns brought forward and has indicated that they intend to address each, though given the cold, hard facts, it seems at this moment that the BCCI stand to benefit significantly if no changes are implemented.  Check out our cricket predictions Gambhir receives stern warning from Shastri Aside from the financial talks, Shastri also took the time to send out a stern warning to India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir this week, saying that he needs to go “really hard” on the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair and Ravindra Jadeja. India’s batsman finally found form in England in their first Test against the Three Lions this week, and Jaiswal was at the heart of it, launching the team to an incredible start by scoring a stunning century in his first match on English soil.  However, aside from the willow, India’s star new opener had a forgettable performance in the field, having dropped a total of four catches in a match that saw the English chase down 371 in the second innings with relative ease. Shastri said:  “You can’t throw away an opportunity to score 550 or 600 by being timid. These are areas where you have to be hard as a coach, really hard in the dressing room. Some players need a reality check. But there ...

IOC President announces new Olympic Games host selection process Former swimming champion Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and African to be elected as the president of the International Olympic Committee this year, and the first major decision in her new role could have halted India’s hopes of hosting the 2036 Olympic Games.  India announced their intention of hosting the Olympic Games a few months ago, and while they were expected to face stiff competition from the likes of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, among others, the popular consensus was that they had a very good chance of being awarded the rights to stage the Games.  However, Coventry has now altered the original plans by pausing the fast-tracking of preferred bidders for hosting rights, marking a significant shift from the policy of former IOC president Thomas Bach. She announced:  “There was an overwhelming support from the IOC members for a pause to be done and a review of the future host election process, and we will be setting up a working group to look into this. There was a lot of discussion on when is the appropriate time to elect a future host. And also how we should be selecting a future host” After submitting an official Letter of Intent to host the Games, an Indian delegation, which includes Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, agreed to visit Lausanne in July to open discussions about the hosting rights. Speaking on the visit, Coventry mentioned:  « We want all interested parties to be a part of this pause and reflect and of this review. I am aware of the delegation coming next weekend – that will continue. They might be the first interested party for us to ask a couple of questions and to better understand from them. There is not going to be a specific pause on that but just on the entire process.” The IOC president added that the Games’ recent host selections, such as Los Angeles (2028), Brisbane (2032) and the French Alps, which were awarded hosting rights for the Winter Games in 2030, would act as case studies to aid with future decisions.  Check out our sports predictions Coventry looking for greater role from Global South While initial reactions to Coventry’s announcement to halt the selection process for the 2036 Games were mixed, the new IOC President went on to mention that her job was to ensure that all interested parties were given a fair chance to be considered.  She added that historically, the “Global South have not been represented at all” and that the decision to pause would allow nations more time to prepare, as opposed to being ruled out of contention with up to 10 years to go before the Games in question actually take place.  Notably, the French Alps were only awarded hosting rights for the 2030 Winter Games last year, which is a much shorter lead time compared to, for example, Brisbane, which has already been selected to stage the 2032 Summer Games.   Therefore, all factors considered, while ...

Archer set for England return after four-year absence  England continued their impressive home form in the longest format of the game over the last week when they claimed a stunning five-wicket victory over India in the first match of the newly named Anderson-Tendulkar Test series at Headingley on Wednesday, which also confirmed our cricket predictions for the match. India got off to an excellent start on Day 1, with young Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring a century in his maiden Test match in England, becoming only the fifth Indian batter to do so after the likes of former national team captain Sourav Ganguly and Murali Vijay.  Newly appointed Test skipper Shubman Gill was also amongst the runs, scoring 147 in 227 balls in the first innings, his deputy, Rishabh Pant, notched up centuries in each innings, and KL Rahul also smashed a ton in the second innings, showing no regard for the home side’s bowling attack.  The Three Lions were hit hard with injuries ahead of the series, particularly in the bowling department, with Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Olly Stone all missing out on the first match. However, Archer has now been cleared to play and has already rejoined the team ahead of the Edgbaston showdown.  The 30-year-old pace bowler has not featured for England in the longest format since their 2021 tour of India, with the last of his 13 caps coming in Ahmedabad. After that series, Archer faced several injury setbacks, which saw him play in just seven limited-over matches between March 2021 and May 2024.  The English speedster shook off the rust in domestic competition last weekend for Sussex at Chester-le-Street against Durham. He managed to get through 18 overs without any major issues and picked up a wicket for 32 runs in a match that ended in a draw.  View the latest cricket odds Former England stars not convinced by Archer’s hasty recall While many English fans are eager to see Archer return to action against India at Edgbaston, several former England greats are less convinced and voiced their concerns about the risks of rushing the paceman back into the team, given his recurring injury issues.  Michael Vaughan was one of the first to react to Archer’s recall, revealing that he felt the 30-year-old could use at least one more tune-up match with Sussex before being thrust back into the England team – against India no less. He said:  “I just don’t understand the rush, you know, he’s not played the longer format for four years. He’s had one outing for Sussex up in Durham. I personally would have let Jofra play one more four-day game, get a few more overs under the belt, and go with the same team that played so well at Leeds.” Similar sentiments were shared by England’s former captain Nasser Hussain, who cautioned English selectors that tossing Archer straight back into the demands of five-day international cricket could be dangerous both for the team and the player. Hussain explained:  « I think it’s ...