Fans in attendance were greeted by a notably jovial Kohli and Rohit, both happy to sign autographs and take selfies

Tristan Lavalette16-Oct-20252:16

What to expect from Rohit, Kohli in this phase of their careers?

With Optus Stadium – a favourite site of his – providing a magnificent backdrop, Virat Kohli looked sharp in the Perth nets in his return to the India team after a lengthy break since the Champions Trophy.There was intrigue over who would take part in India’s optional training session on the first day of their limited-overs tour of Australia. Much to the delight of the sprinkling of fans outside the ground, Kohli and Rohit Sharma – the latter set to play without the captain’s armband and under Shubman Gill’s leadership – decided to dust off the cobwebs to mark their return to the national setup ahead of the first ODI against Australia on Sunday.Quicks Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh also took part, while KL Rahul was the only member of India’s Test team against West Indies to train. While most of the squad arrived in Perth in the early hours of Thursday, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj and the coaching staff were on a later flight.Related

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As always, all eyes were on Kohli who has not played since the IPL and is almost surely starting his final Australian tour. Kohli looked locked in as he went through catching drills with great intensity during India’s 20-minute session on the turf where just under a year ago he scored his final Test century.Kohli then spent 40 minutes in the nets and mostly faced back of a length bowling from Rana, Arshdeep and several local bowlers. There were a few uncomfortable moments, but Kohli looked generally at ease as he prepared for a likely lively surface in an ODI game set to be played amid damp conditions – a notable change from the sunshine that has greeted India in Perth.Kohli’s fluency impressed as he aimed to get himself inside the ball’s line with Rana, in particular, bowling with zip. Next to Kohli in the nets was his long-time teammate Rohit, who also has not played since the IPL and looked rusty to begin with. While the lovely sound of ball hitting the middle of Kohli’s bat reverberated, Rohit struggled with his timing and his footwork was sluggish. Like Kohli, he has not represented India since the Champions Trophy and is also only playing ODI cricket internationally.Virat Kohli’s final Test ton also came in Perth•Getty ImagesStaying in the nets a little longer than Kohli, Rohit started to grow in confidence as he thumped several blows into the netting. While Kohli and Rohit were getting in work, Rahul’s time in the nets was brief before trudging off alongside a few support staff.In a far cry from India’s Test preparation in Perth last November, where the WACA ground’s nets were completely covered by black shade cloth, there was a much more relaxed vibe to this training session.While fans were unable to watch their heroes last year – apart from a hardy few who climbed trees – those who attended this time around were greeted by a notably jovial Kohli and Rohit, who were both happy to sign autographs and take selfies.Kohli’s presence has notably heightened the build-up for this three-match ODI series, no doubt helping lift ticket sales with more than 50,000 fans expected at Optus Stadium.It kick-starts a massive Australian summer, with the Ashes starting in Perth on November 21. Apart from the peak summer period of December and January, it’s usually hard for cricket in Perth to compete with the obsessively followed Australian Football League (AFL) which continually eats into cricket season.But at least for this summer, there is a real sense of anticipation with India and, especially, England touring. However, there wasn’t much fanfare earlier in the day during Australia’s optional training session at Optus Stadium.Most of the squad took part, with quick Mitchell Starc a standout in the nets with his speed as he hustled the batters. It was generally a laid back atmosphere before the intensity of the big summer really kicks-in, with plenty of banter over golf evident between the Australian players.Former Test quick Jhye Richardson was an encouraging sight in the nets as he makes his way back following shoulder surgery earlier in the year. A return to the field is still a little way off for Richardson, who has endured a wretched injury run, but he looked in good physical condition although did not appear to bowl at top speed.India and Australia will have their main training sessions on Friday.

UP Warriorz head coach was “very surprised” to bag Sophie Ecclestone for INR 85 lakh, as he expected her to go for 1.50 crore

Daya Sagar28-Nov-20253:39

Karim: ‘Getting Lanning a masterstroke by UPW’

Coming into the WPL 2026 auction with the leanest squad and hence the biggest purse, UP Warriorz (UPW) made some heads turn by buying Shikha Pandey for a whopping INR 2.40 crore, using the RTM (right to match) option for Deepti Sharma, whom they had released earlier, and getting England’s left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone for just INR 85 lakh. Their new head coach Abhishek Nayar, who takes over from Jon Lewis from the upcoming season, said they wanted Pandey for her experience and using the RTM for the Indian names was always their plan.”[Shikha] came for the trials. She is an experienced player and we wanted her experience of having played in high-pressure tournaments,” Nayar told ESPNcricinfo after the auction in Delhi on Thursday. “Her numbers in the WPL are the best among Indian pace bowlers in the last three years, be it in the powerplay or death overs.”We wanted experience in those aspects. Kranti Gaud is a young and exciting player, but like I said we wanted experience.”Pandey last played a T20I for India in February 2023 and has since been playing in T20 franchise leagues around the world such as the WPL, the Women’s CPL and the WBBL. Even though she currently doesn’t have a WBBL deal, she recently played all four games for Trinbago Knight Riders in the WCPL and finished as their top wicket-taker with five scalps and an economy rate of 6.73. Overall, she was joint-third on the wicket-taking charts.Related

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WPL 2026 from January 9 to February 5

Deepti, Kerr, Shikha get biggest bids; Healy unsold

Like Nayar said, Pandey is the top wicket-taker among Indian pace bowlers in the three seasons of WPL, with a tally of 30 (and economy rate of 6.96), just behind Nat Sciver-Brunt’s 32. The next Indian fast bowler on the list is Arundhati Reddy with 14 wickets. Pandey, Gaud, Tara Norris of USA, and allrounder Deandra Dottin will be the pace-bowling options for UPW.Leading their spin attack will be Deepti and Ecclestone, along with Asha Sobhana, Georgia Wareham and allrounder Chloe Tryon among the other options. While UPW splurged INR 3.2 crore on Deepti, Mumbai Indians spent INR 3 crore on Amelia Kerr, Asha fetched INR 1.1 crore and Georgia Wareham INR 1 crore (from RCB) – all spinners – it came as a surprise to many that Ecclestone got a top bid of just INR 85 lakh, despite being the No. 1 ODI bowler and No. 4 T20I bowler in the ICC rankings.”I was very surprised, everyone was surprised,” Nayar said of Ecclestone’s price. “I thought she would go for something like 1.5 crore. But we got her for a great deal at just 85 lakh. But that’s how the auction works – sometimes you pay less, sometimes more. So I’ve very happy overall.”Even before using the RTM for Ecclestone, UPW used that option for Deepti, who led them earlier this season in the absence of Alyssa Healy. While their decision to release Deepti before the auction might have been surprising, using the RTM for her was not.”We wanted a big purse in the auction, that’s it,” Nayar said. “The first retention price was 3.5 crore, we got her in 3.2 [at the auction]. So, there is still some money saved and we can get an extra player. Getting someone like Pratika Rawal, though she is injured, has become possible.”So the mindset was we are going to get her (Deepti), that is the advantage of having the RTM. If we didn’t have the RTM, I think things would be different but we were very confident with the RTM, we just wanted to try and use it in the auction.”UPW went into the auction with four RTM options and used them on Deepti, Ecclestone, Gaud and Kiran Navgire, but not on Healy, who was the first name to come up in the mega auction and she eventually went unsold. UPW filled the opening slot with former Australia captain Meg Lanning, the third-highest run-scorer in the WPL, behind Sciver-Brunt and Ellyse Perry. They also picked Phoebe Litchfield, whom Lanning has earmarked as a future captaincy candidate for Australia. Will Lanning and Litchfield open together for UPW?

“Our attempt was to get those players who can play for India in the long run, are potential superstars, and who can become the face of this franchise.”Abhishek Nayar on buying the injured Pratika Rawal

“Meg is a leader, we all know,” Nayar said. “Phoebe is also a kind of a leader, we think. She can add a lot of value to the team. She is a fearless cricketer and she can play 360 (degree cricket) or 180. So we were very excited to have someone like that potential and I feel really good to buy her with that money (INR 1.20 crore). But right now we can’t say that they both are going to open for us. If we reveal that here in this interview, teams will already be making strategies about it .”Another opening batter UPW bought was India’s ODI opener Rawal, who was prolific in the recent World Cup-winning campaign at the top with Smriti Mandhana, but is yet to make her T20I and WPL debut. She picked up an injury while fielding in India’s last league game in the World Cup and missed the knockouts after that, and may not be fit in time to play the WPL too.”When you buy a good player there’s no guarantee that she will be fit or not for the season,” Nayar said. “We know that she is not fit right now but we also know that if there’s a superstar rising through Indian cricket, it’s Pratika Rawal. Like I said earlier our attempt was to get those players who can play for India in the long run, are potential superstars, and who can become the face of this franchise. That was an important thing to do because that will be an advantage for the next retention cycle after two years.”

The Australia allrounder is recovering from a shoulder complaint she has been managing for some time

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Nov-20254:35

Chatter: What type of players could attract most attention at this WPL auction?

Australian bowling allrounder Jess Jonassen is understood to have pulled out of the WPL auction due to injury. Jonassen’s exit was disclosed to franchises by the WPL at the pre-auction briefing on Wednesday.The WPL has also told franchises that batter Pratika Rawal, wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia and seamer VJ Joshitha are all injured though their names are part of the auction pool. However, these three players cannot be part of the mandatory 15-person squad. In case any franchise picks these players, they will not be allowed a replacement.Rawal listed her base price at INR 50 lakh while Bhatia at INR 30 lakh. Meanwhile, Joshitha will invite bids from INR 10 lakh.The WPL has also told franchises that India fast bowler Pooja Vastrakar is not fully fit but will be part of the auction. Kashvee Gautam, meanwhile, has been declared fit. Vastrakar has listed her base price at INR 50 lakh while Gautam at INR 30 lakh.Related

• WPL 2026 auction – what teams need, what they can do about it

• Wolvaardt, Healy, Ecclestone – Which WPL team needs which superstar

• Deepti, Wolvaardt, Ecclestone, Healy in marquee set

Jonassen, 33, has made a big impact in the WPL, winning five Player-of-the-Match awards. Only Harmanpreet Kaur has won more Player-of-the-Match awards (7) in the WPL. It is understood that Jonassen is recovering from a shoulder complaint she has been managing for some time.Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr and Laura Wolvaardt are listed in the marquee set that will open the bidding at the WPL 2026 auction. Allrounder Deepti Sharma and fast bowler Renuka Singh are the two Indian players in the marquee set.

Rayan Cherki delivered a masterclass in skills to inspire Manchester City to a 3-0 win over Sunderland which showed they mean business in the title race. The Frenchman produced the moment of the game by serving up a header for Phil Foden with an outrageous rabona straight from the streets of Lyon, crowning a dominant win for Pep Guardiola's side after goals from Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol.

City were lifted before kick off by Aston Villa's dramatic win over Arsenal. They struggled to get going in the face of an expectedly stubborn gameplan from the visitors, who had lost only one of their previous seven games and were seventh in the table when the game kicked off. Haaland barely saw the ball, let alone a shooting opportunity, in the opening half an hour while Foden and Bernardo Silva both missed the target.

Having seen their more elaborate attempts to break down Sunderland come to nothing, Dias broke the deadlock in the 31st minute with a no-nonsense strike from 30 yards out which went flying into the top corner with the help of a deflection. The hosts suddenly started playing with a lot more confidence and moments later they were 2-0 up, Gvardiol rising highest to head home Foden's corner.

City had squandered a two-goal advantage in their last home game against Leeds and turned a four-goal lead over Fulham in mid-week to a narrow win by a single strike. They had a couple of nervy moments in the second half, including Granit Xhaka hammering the post and Gianluigi Donnarumma saving from Wilson Isidor from point-blank range.

But Cherki's show-stopping moment, which prompted Foden to run straight towards him in gratitude, ensured City took all the points. And they are now breathing down Arsenal's necks, having cut their seven-point gap behind the Gunners from two weeks ago to just two points.

A miserable afternoon for Sunderland was compounded when Luke O'Nien was shown a straight red card in injury time, four minutes after coming off the bench, for a studs-up tackle on Matheus Nunes.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Gianluigi Donnarumma (7/10):

  Made himself big to thwart Wilson Isidor from close range and bail out Dias. His kicking early in the game had been questionable but it's big saves like that which vindicate City's decision to buy him.

  Matheus Nunes (6/10):

  A pretty solid display defensively although his crossing left something to be desired.

  Ruben Dias (6/10):

  Had the audacity to shoot from so far out and was rewarded for it, even withstanding the deflection. Nearly cancelled out his goal by lacking awareness in his box when he was mugged by Isidor but Donnarumma came to the rescue.

  Josko Gvardiol (7/10):

  Defended astutely to ensure there was no repeat of the mad second halves against Leeds and Fulham and played his part in attack. Chipped a pass to Haaland in the first half and then scored a second goal in three games with an athletic leap and bullet header.

  Nico O'Reilly (6/10):

  An energetic display spent more in Sunderland's half than his own.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfield

  Bernardo Silva (7/10):

  Much better from him compared to recent weeks as he conducted the play with some expert passing.

  Nico Gonzalez (7/10):

  A towering display through the middle, getting the better of Xhaka.

  Phil Foden (7/10):

  Had a frustrating first half but was much better after the break, scoring his fifth goal in three league games and dovetailing nicely with Cherki.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Rayan Cherki (9/10):

  City's 'free soul' (in Guardiola's words) was in his element here, feeling empowered to try the most audacious of tricks. He laid the ball on for Dias's goal, then produced his ridiculous assist for Foden. He could have had two more assists had Tijjani Reijnders or Haaland had their shooting boots on and he was only denied a goal of his own by a fine Robin Roefs save.

  Erling Haaland (5/10):

  Barely made himself visible, taking just two touches in the first half. Got one opening after fleet footwork from Cherki but sent a tame shot straight at Roefs.

  Jeremy Doku (7/10):

  Caused Sunderland no end of worries with his quick footwork and runs inside, even if none of his trickery actually led to goals.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Subs & Manager

  Nathan Ake (6/10):

  A competent 20-minute performance after replacing Gvardiol.

  Tijjani Reijnders (5/10):

  Really should have scored when he missed the near post after a lovely ball from Cherki.

  Omar Marmoush (5/10):

  Had an air-shot when he failed to connect with Cherki's cross.

  Savinho (N/A):

  Replaced Cherki in the 82nd minute.

  Rico Lewis (N/A):

  Allowed Bernardo a breather by coming on in the 82nd minute.

  Pep Guardiola (7/10):

  Enjoyed his most comfortable 90 minutes in a while as his side kept their composure after a frustrating start and then easily held onto their advantage. His warning a few weeks ago that 'no one wins the title in November' feels particularly insightful now. 

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