Lancashire have openly expressed that they are unhappy about Liam Livingstone’s dismissal during their T20 Blast semi-final against Somerset. Livingstone was given out lbw while on 29 runs. He quickly requested a review because he thought he had hit the ball.
After looking at the replays and using UltraEdge, TV umpire Sue Redfern decided there was no contact with the bat. At that point, Lancashire were 102 for 3 and still chasing strongly. After Livingstone’s dismissal, the rest of the team fell and lost seven wickets for just 57 runs.
On top of these hurdles, they’re also suffering performance-wise as six key players are still not back with them. The absentees include Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Saqib Mahmood, and Luke Wood.
Though frustrated, the team urged the fans to refrain from speaking sexist comments against Redfern. ‘Such behaviour is unacceptable, does not reflect the values of our club or the wider Red Rose family, and has no place in the game,’ the team said in a statement from their official X account.
Arsenal open Champions League run without three key players
Arsenal begin its Champions League campaign in Bilbao without Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, and Ben White. They adjust their lineup, but manager Mikel Arteta stays focused on securing a win. The match takes place at San Mames, a stadium known for its strong home crowd.
Captain Odegaard failed to recover from a shoulder problem in time. Meanwhile, Saka and White also missed the match with injuries, leaving Arteta with a thinner squad.
Still, Arteta's goal is to push Arsenal closer to winning Europe’s top club prize, a title the club has never claimed. Last season, Arsenal reached the semi-finals, showing they can compete with any team when they stay sharp and united.
Arsenal knows the Champions League is tough, with small margins deciding games. Even so, the team travels with hunger and belief, ready to start strong despite the setbacks. Arteta strengthened his squad this summer to avoid running short of players when the season gets tough.
Puneri Paltan reclaims top spot after thrashing Telugu Titans
Puneri Paltan climbed back to the top spot of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 12 table with a 39-33 win over Telugu Titans on Saturday, September 13. The team showed both strong raids and solid defence to hold off a late push from the Titans.
Gaurav Khatri and Vishal Bhardwaj stood out in defence, as each picked up a High Five. Their sharp tackles stopped the Titans’ raiders from turning the game around. On the attacking side, Pankaj Mohite and Aditya Shinde kept putting pressure on the other team.
The Titans fought hard, with Bharat Hooda scoring a Super 10 and Vijay Malik adding 7. Yet their defence failed to match the pace and power of Pune’s attack.
After the game, sports expert Rishank Devadiga pointed out how the Titans lacked structure in defence and were slow to react to Pune’s raiders. He praised Paltan’s captain, Aslam Inamdar, for leading the charge.
Team Liquid star Russel ‘Twistzz’ Van Dulken will leave the squad after FISSURE Playground 2. Team Liquid said, 'After two years back on Team Liquid, Twistzz will be transferring from our team at the end of Fissure. We want to thank Russ for his flexibility, adapting to the roles we needed him in and working hard to achieve his best every time he joined the serve.’
The team lost its opening game to FURIA, giving Twistzz a tough start to his final event with Liquid. Team Liquid will continue competing in the tournament, but has hinted further roster changes soon.
Twistzz is set to rejoin FaZe Clan, who called his move a return home. Supporters are keen to see how he fits back in. He will start with ESL Pro League Season 22, while questions remain over which current FaZe player might make way.
Kuldeep leads as India defeats Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025
India’s spinners set the tone in Dubai, winning against Pakistan by seven wickets in the Asia Cup 2025. The chase ended with 25 balls to spare, a clear sign of control and pace.
Pakistan chose to bat, but Kuldeep Yadav struck hard. The left-arm wrist spinner ripped through key batters, taking 3-18 in four overs. Axar Patel gave strong support, holding a line with 2-18. Pakistan could only crawl to 127-9 in 20 overs.
For Kuldeep Yadav, this clash was a key moment. It added to his strong run in the tournament, following his match-winning spell against Oman in the opener.
Kuldeep spoke calmly, sharing how he shaped his game, saying, 'I just try to keep things simple and execute the plans I have.' He explained that he focuses on who’s at the crease, their strong shots, and how they score. This allows him to shift his line or pace. The 30-year-old's sharp play earned him Player of the Match.
Abhishek Sharma also lit the game up early, hammering 31 from 13 balls with four fours and two sixes. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav then held firm, striking an unbeaten 47 off 37. His calm touch steered India to 131-3 in 15.5 overs, sealing the win with ease.
Barcelona crushed Valencia 6-0 in their first home game of the season. Fermín López, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski all scored twice as Barça climbed to second in La Liga with 10 points, two behind leaders Real Madrid. Valencia dropped to 15th.
López opened the scoring in the first half, but it was after the break when Barcelona’s attack took control. Raphinha scored a brace soon after coming on, López added his second, and Lewandowski wrapped up the rout with two close-range strikes.
In Italy, Luka Modrić scored his first goal for AC Milan to seal a 1-0 win over Bologna, though the night was marred by an injury to goalkeeper Mike Maignan and a red card for coach Massimiliano Allegri.
Paris Saint-Germain kept their perfect Ligue 1 start with a 2-0 win over Lens after two goals from Bradley Barcola. The victory gave PSG four wins from four, but it came at a cost as three players left injured ahead of their UEFA Champions League opener.
Lack of Black managers sparks concern in English football
English football may lose a new wave of Black and Asian coaches if the sport does not change hiring rules, says anti-racism group Kick It Out. The exit of Nuno Espírito Santo from Nottingham Forest means no Black coach now leads a Premier League team. The last time this happened was in 2022, before Vincent Kompany joined Burnley.
Kick It Out’s chief, Samuel Okafor, said many ex-players quit trying to coach due to blocked paths. He urged clubs to be fair and open with hiring. He warned that without strong steps, more talent will be lost. A 2022 report showed 43% of Premier League players were Black, but only 4.4% of coaching jobs went to Black former players. Leadership roles were even fewer at 1.6%.
The FA and Premier League have made rules and schemes to boost diversity, but results remain slow. Kick It Out’s new Football United plan aims to push clubs to reflect local groups and give fairer chances in leadership roles.
Bilibili Gaming secures top seed for Champions 2025
Bilibili Gaming (BLG) will stand as China’s top seed at the VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2025 in Paris from September 12 to October 5. Their climb to the top was slow yet sure, taking second in Stage 1, then seizing their first big win in Stage 2. This success broke the hold of EDward Gaming, the 2024 world champions, and set BLG on their own path.
A major edge for BLG has been their steady roster. The core of the team has stayed consistent, including players like:
Wang 'whzy' Haozhe
Liu 'Knight' Yuxiang
Lu 'Levius' Yinzhong
Marcus 'Nephh' Tan
Wang 'rushia' Xiaojie
This continuity is rare in VCT. It shaped their style, with maps played in sync and roles that bend with ease when the match demands it.
Much of the spotlight falls on 18-year-old rushia, a rookie controller who joined in late 2024 and soon became BLG’s core. In the Stage 2 Grand Final, his sharp Viper play swung key rounds, ending with a 1.13 rating, 205 average combat score (ACS), and 80% kills, assists, survived, and traded (KAST).
In 2025, he averaged 204.1 ACS, a 1.07 K/D, and 77% KAST, highlighting him as a rising star. With a contract through 2028, rushia reflects BLG’s confidence in a long-term strategy.
Litton Das leads Bangladesh past Hong Kong in Asia Cup
Bangladesh started their Asia Cup campaign with a strong win, seven wickets, over Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi.
Hong Kong batted first and reached 143-7 in 20 overs. Nizakat Khan scored 42 runs and tried to steady the innings, but Bangladesh’s bowlers never let them break free. Tanzim Hasan Sakib stood out with 2 for 21, while Taskin Ahmed and Rishad Hossain also took two wickets each.
Chasing 144, Bangladesh lost two early wickets, but Das kept his side on track. He hit 59 runs from 39 balls. With Towhid Hridoy, they built a 95-run stand for the third wicket.
The result gives Bangladesh a strong start in the tournament, showing both sharp bowling and steady batting. Hong Kong fought hard, with Nizakat their top scorer, but they could not match the power and skill of their rivals.
The best EPL transfers of the 2025 summer transfer window
The Premier League had one of the most eventful transfer windows during the summer of 2025. It involves plenty of players who changed clubs, and some who joined the Premier League, looking to prove themselves at the biggest clubs in England’s top league. We are looking at the biggest transfers and how they could make an impact.
What constitutes a good transfer?
Every transfer is made as the clubs and their sporting directors felt the players could help the team. Their goal is always to boost the team’s chances of winning matches, so transfers must make sense. To determine a good transfer, there are some factors that must be present. Here are some of them:
Impact - A player must make an impact on the team. It can be small or significant, but as long as they meet the standards set by the club, they should be considered a good transfer.
That could be something like a Christian Nørgaard transfer to Arsenal, which is a small deal, but it provides the team with much-needed cover in midfield. The other side of the spectrum is someone like Xavi Simons to Tottenham Hotspur, who could be a game-changer for the club.
Price - This can determine a good transfer, depending on whether it’s a bargain or not. Some transfers are big-money deals that can’t be considered bargains, but they are still worth the money their previous club are getting paid for. This factor is mostly focused on the player’s valuation and the value they provide to their new club.
Fan sentiment - By looking at the fanfare behind a transfer, that could be a great one. An example of this is Ebere Eze, who moved to Arsenal in the 2025 summer window, and he was unanimously popular among the Gooners.
Alexander Isak to Liverpool
As one of the world’s best strikers, Isak is one of the top signings a club could make. Even if they already had Hugo Ekitike earlier in the window, Isak wanted to leave Newcastle United, and his only preferred spot was Liverpool. That is massive for the Reds, as they could defend their title properly with a strong striker as the focal point.
Of course, Mohamed Salah is still the primary goalscorer, but Isak provides a new dimension to their attack. He scored 23 goals in the 2024/25 Premier League season, and Isak was the only one who came close to Salah’s 29-goal tally that won him the Golden Boot.
With this firepower, Liverpool could keep relying on their attack to help them defend their league title. It will be challenging to integrate him without a full pre-season with him in the squad, but Isak is versatile enough to help the team across the front three.
Florian Wirtz to Liverpool
Liverpool broke the British transfer fee record twice, and the first one was for Florian Wirtz. One of the best attacking midfielders in the world, Wirtz is a creative force, who can generate scoring opportunities out of nothing.
However, the signing of Isak has put a bit of a damper on this as Wirtz could probably be playing more as a left-sided attacker rather than the favoured #10. Isak and Ekitike can play alongside each other as two strikers, but that could lead to issues further down the pitch as Wirtz will have to work harder with tracking back to defend.
Wirtz’s skills and talent allows him to play in almost any position. He is definitely a super talent, who could be with Liverpool for a long time as the foundational piece in their midfield.
Viktor Gyökeres to Arsenal
From 2023, Arsenal have been looking for a striker who is ruthless enough to keep scoring goals and finishing off their chances. That has been the missing link for Arsenal, as Kai Havertz has filled in as a good striker, but he is not the prototypical #9 that this club needed.
Enter Viktor Gyökeres, who scored 97 goals in 102 appearances from 2023 to 2025. This is a massive number, and he will want to do that again for Arsenal. The numbers won’t be as outrageous as that, but he will be there to score goals when needed. Arsenal’s players must platform him better to score goals, but the team has the playmaking quality to do so.
With Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Ebere Eze creating opportunities for him, Arsenal are in good hands with their striker situation and the rotation of Gyökeres and Havertz in the long run.
Jack Grealish to Everton
After a few seasons of being limited at Manchester City, Jack Grealish finally got a move away from the club. It was a loan deal to Everton with an option to buy, which could be triggered if Grealish continues to succeed. He is back to his old play style, as he has become more of a maverick again who attacks the full-back.
This has been a godsend for Everton, as Grealish is the creative force in attack they need alongside Iliman Ndiaye. With Grealish, they could push for a high-table finish by the end of the season.
Granit Xhaka to Sunderland
After a few years away from the Premier League, Granit Xhaka is back. This time, he is playing for Sunderland, a newly-promoted side. He was immediately given the captaincy, and he could be the game-changer for them. The Swiss international is a fantastic midfielder, who can both create and defend well.
The experience of winning trophies is his primary attribute for Sunderland, which could be enough to keep them in the Prem. It will be a tough test, but Sunderland could stay up with Xhaka at the forefront.
With all these signings, the Premier League has flexed their financial muscle again.
