Shubman Gill named India's new test skipper ahead of England tour
MUMBAI, India — Shubman Gill was named as India's new test skipper on Saturday to lead the team on its upcoming five-test tour of England starting June 20.
The 25-year-old batter takes over from Rohit Sharma, who last led India against Australia during the Boxing Day test in December.
Sharma announced his retirement from test cricket this month, followed by batting great Virat Kohli doing the same.
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Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Rising American Cricketer Sanjay Krishnamurthi Set To Be Homegrown Hero For San Francisco
San Francisco Unicorns batter Sanjay Krishnamurthi is an American cricketer on the rise. Three years ago, Sanjay Krishnamurthi was high in the terraces of the iconic Coliseum amid a rabid Athletics fanbase soaking in MLB action with the stunning Oakland Hills in the background. Back then the starry-eyed teenager was in the very early stages of being a professional cricketer having made his international debut for the U.S. in an One-Day International against Oman in September 2021. However, the febrile atmosphere left Krishnamurthi feeling somewhat melancholy as he dreamt of playing cricket, a global bat and ball sport but relatively invisible in the congested sports market of the U.S, in such surroundings. 'I remember thinking if only cricket can get to this level in the U.S. that would be amazing,' Krishnamurthi told me in an interview. On Thursday, the recently turned 22-year-old Krishnamurthi will step onto the hallowed Coliseum turf as a member of San Francisco Unicorns in the much-hyped Major League Cricket's season launch against defending champions Washington Freedom. After the MLC's first two seasons were consigned to Dallas and Morrisville, North Carolina, the match represents Unicorns' first official home ground with more than 12,000 fans expected to attend. Playing at such a treasured site is considered a game-changer for the well-heeled MLC and cricket's exposure in the U.S. It is currently only a one-season arrangement with the Coliseum to host three home Unicorns games and nine overall. But the development made a widespread splash with the announcement widely reported, including in The New York Times, Axios and mainstream media in the Bay Area. 'The Coliseum has such a rich history and to think that we're playing there is really cool,' said Krishnamurthi,who will be playing his second season of MLC. 'I'm so excited to be playing in front of home fans and also my friends and family.' There are big dreams for cricket in the U.S, with the sport to end its 128-year Olympic drought at the Los Angeles Games. But the initial steps have been rather modest. Cricket will be played at the LA Olympics (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images) The long-awaited arrival of MLC, along with hosting big events such as last year's T20 World Cup and playing at the Coliseum, has hoped to introduce the sport to those who only know cricket as a pesky insect or confuse it for that other rather quaint well-to-do British sport - croquet. 'I told my eye doctor recently that I'm playing in a cricket tournament and she said 'I heard they are playing at the Oakland Coliseum',' Krishnamurthi said. "She's East Asian, so you wouldn't expect her to have heard of cricket. I think that was pretty cool. 'One of my friends saw my face on some Unicorns branding selling rice at a grocery store,' he added amid a chuckle. 'So people start seeing that around and that just means awareness is growing.' While MLC has been able to reel in top players from powerhouse cricket nations such as Australia and England, giving it heft and pizzazz amid a saturated cricket circuit, its ultimate success in the U.S. will be determined by creating hometown heroes. Major League Cricket has brought in many top cricketers from around the world (AP Photo/LM Otero) Hard-hitting, spinning allrounder Krishnamurthi fits the bill having been passed on the love of cricket from his India-born father. While his schoolmates were more interested in shooting hoops, throwing a football or pitching, Arizona-raised Krishnamurthi was obsessed with cricket and his skills developed quickly after he moved to India with his parents as an eight-year-old. Krishnamurthi eventually returned to the U.S. seeking greater playing opportunities and also to study computer science at San Jose State University, where most of his classmates are seemingly oblivious that they hit the books with an international cricketer. 'I think most of my classmates have no idea,' Krishnamurthi laughed. "But after last MLC, the university posted a pretty nice article on me on their main page. 'I think that gave me a little bit of attention within the university, but yeah…still pretty anonymous.' While he eyes batting in the top-order, Krishnamurthi is making his mark for the U.S. in international cricket at No.7 in the finisher role. In what is arguably the hardest role in the batting-order in white-ball cricket, Krishnamurthi's power-hitting and ability to clear the boundaries makes him a natural. He posted his first international half-century in last month's ODI against Canada in Lauderhill, Florida, followed by an unbeaten 40 off 27 against Oman marked by a trio of huge sixes. Sanjay Krishnamurthi has starred for U.S. recently (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty ... More Images) 'Last winter I went to India and I did a lot of work on my power hitting,' Krishnamurthi said. "I'm embracing it. I do feel like I have that power element in my game that I can come down the order and that's what they (the U.S. hierarchy) see in me. 'But I'm hoping to eventually bat up the order and get to face a few more balls.' Krishnamurthi's cavalier batting is set to make him a fan favorite in the MLC and he looms as a key cog in Unicorns' line-up, boosted by a slew of recruits including young Australian internationals Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett. The fledgling MLC has already proven invaluable experience for American players, who are sponges when mingling with some of the biggest stars of the sport. Last season, Krishnamurthi rubbed shoulders with legendary Australia captain Pat Cummins and dynamic Australia batter Josh Inglis, whose inventive batting has become a prototype in the shorter formats. 'Pat's so simple with his mindset and super prepared that he takes the emotions out of it once he has bowled the ball. I found that so insightful,' Krishnamurthi said of Cummins, who is not playing MLC this season due to international commitments. 'Josh was pretty incredible because he accesses areas that I can't even think of accessing with his reverse flicks and scoops, so he's a batter that I really tried to learn from.' Krishnamurthi will enter the season full of confidence and a breakout looms for an emerging cricketer who could soon find himself in demand on the T20 franchise circuit. Flamboyant but mature - Krishnamurthi's is also starting to handle with ease his growing media commitments - the talented youngster might just be the tonic American cricket needs to start making waves at home and beyond. 'We hope to one day win a World Cup and that can be a reality because there are a lot of talented cricketers in the U.S,' he said. "We just need more exposure and that will help us get better. 'The MLC gives us a chance to mix it with some of the best players in the world and I'm excited to try to help Unicorns win the title.'
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Liverpool and the homegrown player rule: Is there an issue and who could suffer?
There were lots of reasons why Liverpool wanted to sign Jeremie Frimpong. His talent, versatility and strength of personality were all compelling factors in his arrival last month but there was another significant plus to recruiting him: he would count as a homegrown player. The Netherlands international qualifies because of his time at Manchester City as a teenager, and this fact helped convince Liverpool's powerbrokers he was perfect to bring in after experiencing a number of homegrown exits. Advertisement This is not a minor consideration. Premier League rules restrict the number of non-homegrown players who can be registered in a squad of up to 25 to 17, and Liverpool are in a state of flux in that regard heading into next season. So what does it mean for the club as they continue with plans to also sign Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez in this window? Since 2008, Premier League clubs have been required to name a minimum number of players who have either come through their own youth academy or that of another English team in their official squad. At the end of each transfer window, the 20 Premier League members must submit a maximum 25-man list. Eight of those must fulfil the 'Homegrown Player Rule', therefore limiting the club concerned to a maximum of 17 who are non-homegrown. The Premier League defines a homegrown player as someone 'who, irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any FA-affiliated club for at least three years before their 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21)'. If a club do not have the required eight homegrown players, their maximum squad size gets reduced. So if you have only, say, six homegrown players, you can only name 23. Clubs can also use an unlimited number of under-21 players to bolster their squads. For the 2025-26 Premier League, these will be academy kids born on or after January 1, 2004. That depends on coach Arne Slot's faith in his core group of players and whether he's comfortable turning to youngsters to make up the numbers. Last season, Liverpool named a 22-man squad with seven homegrown players, and three of those — Trent Alexander-Arnold, Caoimhin Kelleher and young midfielder Tom Hill — have now left the club. Goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros is also expected to move on loan, and the futures of Joe Gomez and Tyler Morton remain uncertain. Advertisement That leaves Curtis Jones as the only guaranteed homegrown player to roll over from last season. Frimpong will be included, as detailed above, while Conor Bradley, who turns 22 in July, will add to the number as he becomes too old to be in the under-21s section. The same applies to 22-year-olds Jarell Quansah and Harvey Elliott, although both players are attracting transfer interest from elsewhere after hardly featuring under Slot last season. Just a few days ago, Elliott said he is wary of 'wasting years of my career' sitting on the sidelines, while Bayer Leverkusen have an interest in Quansah. If needed, Slot can promote any of his youngsters into the squad without registering them, so Trey Nyoni, James McConnell, Jayden Danns or Lewis Koumas could be used, although some of these players will have been earmarked for loan moves next season. The bigger issue is how to fit so many non-homegrown players into the squad with the expected new arrivals. Last season, Liverpool named 15 non-homegrowns: Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson, Kostas Tsimikas, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Federico Chiesa, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo. But clearly, some of those will have to be moved on in the summer window. Assuming that Kerkez and Wirtz do join, this is the current roster of Liverpool's senior players and their age at the date when Premier League squads have to be submitted, with the 18 non-homegrown players marked in blue. Giorgi Mamardashvili is expected to play backup to Alisson as he replaces Kelleher following the Irishman's recent move to Brentford. An easy fix to replace Jaros, should he leave on loan, would be to name a homegrown goalkeeper — most likely Harvey Davies — as the third-choice. As Davies was born four months before the under-21 cut-off date, he wouldn't take up a senior spot in the squad, either, opening up the possibility for another addition. Yet without any changes elsewhere, that's still one more non-homegrown player than last season. Add in Bayer Leverkusen forward Wirtz, who Liverpool hope to make their record signing, and Kerkez, the left-back they are pushing to sign from Bournemouth, and that's up to three more than last season, so 18 in total. As already explained, the maximum number of non-homegrown players is capped at 17, but only if a full 25-man squad is announced. Although Slot likes to work with a smaller group, preferring to have a player competing for each position with backup provided from the youngsters in the group, he could make the numbers work in order to get the maximum allowance. Advertisement The question, then, is how to keep the squad strong with enough quality homegrown players while also fitting in every non-homegrown player deemed essential for the season ahead. If Slot sticks with a 22-man squad like last season, he'll only have 15 places available for non-homegrowns, and that would have Tsimikas, Nunez and Chiesa looking the most vulnerable. As part of this balancing act, Liverpool may even decide to move others around.
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Jeremy Monga's Leicester City future: Where do the club stand after 15-year-old commits to 2026 pro deal?
'Is he playing?' That question has regularly been uttered by visiting scouts inside the Sports Turf Academy building next to Leicester City's development squad pitch at Seagrave ahead of under-21 and under-18s games over the past couple of years. If Jeremy Monga's name wasn't there, many would leave. But if it was on the teamsheet, then scouts from Manchester City, Chelsea and even Real Madrid, among others, would walk, en masse, to take their seats and watch one of the most promising young talents to come out of Leicester's academy for many years. Advertisement When Ruud van Nistelrooy took over as Leicester manager in November last year, he was asked in a very early press conference if he knew of Monga, who doesn't turn 16 until next month. 'The whole world knows about Jeremy Monga,' was his reply, after pulling a surprised face that he was even asked the question. Although still a schoolboy preparing for his GCSEs, Monga was registered as an academy player and, as such, a club couldn't approach him or his family officially. Interest from other clubs was no secret and there was genuine concern he could be enticed away, but Van Nistelrooy was keen to demonstrate to Monga, who was scouted at the age of eight when he lived near to the Coventry City training ground, that there was a clear and fast pathway to senior football if he stayed at Leicester. True to his word, Van Nistelrooy gave Monga seven substitute appearances in the Premier League as Leicester's relegation fate seemed inevitable and publicly said Monga would be involved in pre-season, even though he still doesn't know if he will be Leicester's manager at the end of June. Monga became the second-youngest player ever to feature in a Premier League match, aged 15 years and 271 days. Only Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri has played in the competition at a younger age, doing so at 15 years and 181 days. He is also the second-youngest player to make a first-team appearance for Leicester behind Ashley Chambers, who was 15 years and 203 days old when he played in a League Cup tie against Blackpool in 2005. Now, after months of speculation and genuine fears their prized young talent would be lured away, Monga has committed to a one-year scholarship deal beginning on his 16th birthday, on July 10, which is set to automatically turn into a professional contract when he turns 17 in 13 months' time. So what does this all mean for Monga's Leicester future and how do contracts for young players work? Youth players cannot sign a contract or have an agent until they are 16 and have finished school. Once they are 16, they can be offered a scholarship, usually two years in length. A scholarship is essentially a pathway to the professional ranks from the academy, but a player will continue to receive an academic education alongside their football training. Advertisement The earliest a professional contract can be offered to a player is when they turn 17, and in Monga's case, there is a conditional professional deal already agreed and signed to automatically kick in when he turns 17. It means that Leicester know they are not about to lose Monga to another club, not without substantial compensation. Under FA rules, an academy player who does not accept the offer of a scholarship 'shall be at liberty after the first Saturday in June following his under-16 year to seek registration at any other club'. Effectively, if Monga hadn't agreed a scholarship with Leicester, they could have lost the winger for a relatively small amount, and in that situation, if they could not agree a compensation fee with his next club, it would have gone to a tribunal to decide the amount due. The FA regulations also state that the agreement of a standard professional contract before the completion of the scholarship is allowed, as long as the agreement between the player and club specifies the length of the contract and full details of 'remuneration and benefits payable'. The agreement will automatically kick in without the need to cancel the scholarship. Leicester have not disclosed the length of their professional contract agreement with Monga, but players under the age of 18 may not sign a professional contract for a term longer than three years. Now he is on a scholarship with a professional contract clause, no club is allowed to contact Monga or his family directly. They would need permission from Leicester to make any contact. Also, under FA rules, any public statements made by 'an official of or intermediary for a club expressing interest in an academy player whose registration is held by another club or a player with whom another club has entered into a pre-registration agreement which remains current' are not allowed. Advertisement Leicester are now in a much stronger position in terms of retaining Monga, and the only way another club can sign him now is if they make an approach to them and negotiate a transfer fee, which, considering the overwhelming opinion about the youngster's potential, means it would be extremely expensive. After a season of crushing disappointments when practically everything has gone wrong, Leicester can finally cherish some good news at last. Forward Jake Evans, who turns 17 in August, is also close to agreeing a professional deal with Leicester after stepping up to first-team level and making his debut last season. Leicester have had a history of being able to retain their youth players in the past, but in recent years, they have lost a couple of talents. Midfielder Trey Nyoni had played for the under-18s when he was still 15 and was considered a real prospect, but two seasons ago, he joined Liverpool. Leicester took the matter to a tribunal as they couldn't agree on a fee with last season's Premier League champions. Nyoni, who had spent nearly a decade in the Leicester academy, eventually joined Liverpool as a 16-year-old on scholar forms and signed his first professional contract last October. Leicester also lost promising French midfielder Tyrese Noubissie to Manchester City in 2023 when he was 14, but agreed a £1million fee for him after several clubs made approaches to Leicester. He is now aged 16 and eligible to sign scholar forms. The largest fee agreed at tribunal for a 16-year-old player in England was the £4.3million Liverpool had to pay Fulham when they signed Harvey Elliott in 2019. Elliott had rejected a scholarship contract with Fulham, leaving him free to leave, but compensation had to be set by the tribunal, and Elliott had already made his senior debut for the west Londoners. Advertisement Such deals for young players are common, and one of the most high-profile was the deal to bring Vinicius Junior, then aged 16, to Real Madrid from Flamengo in 2017. He had already made his senior debut for Flamengo and Real Madrid agreed a fee of £38million for the Brazilian, which only became effective after his 18th birthday, the minimum age for an international transfer.
