Red Sox Manager Alex Cora Has Heated Ejection After Very Strange Double Play

The Boston Red Sox lost their third straight game on Monday night and their manager, Alex Cora, was not around to lead the team in the final few innings as he was ejected for the second straight contest.

This one came after the Red Sox ran into a very strange double play in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels.

Cora was not happy after Abraham Toro-Hernandez was tagged out at second moments after Jarren Duran was tagged out in a rundown between second and third. Cora thought Toro-Hernandez was blocked from touching second base and had some words for the ump. He then apparently went a little too far with his message and was tossed.

That led to a very heated argument between Cora and the ump:

The play wasn't reviewable, which likely led to Cora's frustrations reaching a fever pitch. The Red Sox lost the game 9-5 and are now 40-40 on the season.

'Always put his mind, body and soul for the country' – colleagues react to Pujara's retirement

Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, VVS Laxman and others react to the news of Cheteshwar Pujara’s retirement from Indian cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2025After 103 Tests and 7195 runs in the format, Cheteshwar Pujara has announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket. He last played for India over two years ago, in June 2023, with his international career spanning almost 13 years after his debut in late 2010 against Australia. After Rahul Dravid’s retirement, he became India’s mainstay at No. 3 for more than a decade, crafting a career his colleagues and admirers paid tribute to after his announcement.

Tottenham handed pitiful Solanke injury update with new timeline shared

Tottenham have been handed a pitiful Dominic Solanke injury update as a new potential timeline emerges for his return to action.

Dominic Solanke's injury woes as Spurs left short up front

Solanke’s second season at Tottenham has descended into a frustrating saga of persistent ankle problems that have restricted the club-record signing to just three substitute appearances spanning a meagre 49 minutes.

The Englishman has not featured since a 12-minute cameo against Man City in August, with a recurring ankle issue that initially disrupted pre-season now transforming into an agonizing absence exceeding four months.

What Thomas Frank initially described as a small ankle issue requiring ‘minor surgery’ in late September has mysteriously evolved into one of the Premier League’s most perplexing injury situations.

Solanke underwent what was deemed a straightforward procedure in October, sparking optimism that his return was fairly imminent.

However, over two months later, the England international appears no closer to rejoining Frank’s depleted squad despite sporadic updates suggesting he was “weeks away” or “making progress” in training.

Thomas Frank confirms injured Tottenham star won't be back for a "long time"

The timeline is unclear.

By
Emilio Galantini

6 days ago

The striker’s prolonged absence triggered UEFA regulations permitting Tottenham to temporarily replace him in their Champions League squad with summer signing Mathys Tel, who was originally left out of their 22-man league phase list.

Frank admitted that he would have selected Tel had he anticipated Solanke’s extended rehab, but supporters are increasingly demanding more clarity in regard to the striker’s actual condition.

Questions revolve around why a supposedly minor procedure has morphed into such a protracted recovery.

The forward himself refused to establish a definitive return timeline during a recent interview, acknowledging his frustration whilst expressing eagerness to work under Frank.

Solanke’s unavailability has placed enormous pressure on PSG loanee Randal Kolo Muani and Richarlison, who spent most of last term out injured himself, while Tel and youngsters come as inexperienced alternatives.

This has led to suggestions that Spurs could sign a new centre-forward in January, with Frank stating last week that Solanke “is not close to rejoining the squad”.

That said, he did downplay fears that the striker would be out long-term in his post-match press conference on Tuesday when responding to questions about why they replaced him with Mathys Tel in their Champions League squad.

Asked if Solanke has suffered a setback, Frank insisted: “No, it was just an opportunity to get Tel in, which is nice to have that opportunity. And we can change back if we want to do that.”

Tottenham handeda pitiful Dominic Solanke injury update

Despite those words from Frank, reliable Lilywhites insider Paul O’Keefe has suggested that the 28-year-old could be out until as far down the line as February, with Spurs handed a pretty grim estimation on his potential return.

This means that Solanke could be in line to miss crucial games against the likes of Liverpool, Sunderland, Aston Villa, West Ham, Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, Man City and potentially Man United — depending on how far into February it is.

The England international finished 24/25 as Spurs’ second-top scorer with 16 goals across 45 appearances in all competitions, trailing only Brennan Johnson.

Nine of those came in the Premier League, including a brace at home to Aston Villa and a strike away to Man United at Old Trafford.

Crucially, Solanke delivered pivotal moments during Tottenham’s Europa League triumph — including a nerveless penalty in the quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt and the opening goal in their semi-final victory over Bodo/Glimt.

His energy, physical presence and ability to lead the line are a sore miss for Frank, with a reliable focal point conspicuously absent this campaign.

The Lilywhites need him back for crucial fixtures both domestically and in Europe past the new year, with Kolo Muani and Richarlison tasked to undertake huge responsibility as things stand, unless Spurs decide to enter the market.

'I owe nothing to anyone' – Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti gives definitive answer on Neymar's World Cup hopes after growing frustrated with non-stop questions on Santos star

Carlo Ancelotti says he doesn't "owe" anyone a place in his Brazil 2026 World Cup squad after once again being asked about Santos star Neymar's prospects. The Brazil icon has repeatedly been left out of recent national squads due to injury issues, but after scoring a hat-trick for his club last time out, speculation over his World Cup place is intensifying. However, the Italian made it clear he will not be pressured into certain picks.

  • Neymar was 'Brazil's undisputed star'

    According to two Brazilian greats, Neymar has been an icon for the national team over the past decade or so. He was their standard bearer at their home World Cup in 2014 as they bowed out in the semi-finals to a rampant Germany, but also helped them win gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The former Barcelona star was once one of the best players in the world but now he is 33 and has struggled with form and injury in his second spell at boyhood club Santos, although he has come good right at the end of the season for them as they aim to stave off relegation. Indeed, ex-AC Milan ace Cafu says that the forward is not the player he once was.

    He told : "For 15 years, Neymar was Brazil's undisputed star, carrying enormous expectations and responsibility on his own. But no one wins the World Cup alone. Putting all our hopes on him at the moment is difficult because he struggles to even play three games in a row."

    Despite that, 2002 World Cup winner Ronaldo has complete faith in his compatriot. "He's a crucial player for Brazil – there's no one else like Neymar. It's an exaggeration from a minority who believe he's neglecting his physical recovery. Anyone who has been in football knows perfectly how hard it is to come back from an injury and regain rhythm and confidence. He's right on track," he said.

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    Ancelotti fires warning to Brazil stars

    Earlier this week, Ancelotti warned Neymar and Vinicius Junior, who has also struggled with injuries of late, that they need to be at "100%" to make Brazil's World Cup squad. 

    He said: "There are many players who are very good, I need to choose players that are 100%. It's not just Neymar, it could be [Real Madrid forward] Vinicius. If Vinicius is at 90%, I'll call up another player who is at 100%, because it's a team that has a very high level of competence, especially up front. Up front, we have really many good players."

    After Brazil found out they have Scotland, Morocco, and Haiti in their 2026 World Cup group, the Italian was once again asked about Neymar's chances of being involved in the tournament.

    He told reporters on Friday: "If we talk about Neymar, we have to talk about other players. We have to think about Brazil, which can be with Neymar or without Neymar, with other players or without other players. The definitive list we will make after the FIFA date in March. I understand very well that they are very interested in Neymar, I want to clarify that we are in December, the World Cup is in June, I will choose the team that will go to the World Cup in May. If Neymar deserves to be, if he is well, better than someone else, he will play in the World Cup and period. I don't owe anyone a debt."

  • Who will be Brazil's next leader?

    Ancelotti was also asked which of his players can inspire Brazil to World Cup glory. The national side is packed with quality players such as Vinicius, Rodrygo, Estevao, Raphinha, and more. Despite all that talent, the former Real Madrid boss gave little away.

    "I can make a list of players who can be protagonists in the World Cup," he said. "It may be that now we don't have a referential player in this sense, but we will have many referential players. I can make a list, we have one of the best goalkeepers in the world, some of the best defenders, top midfielders and some players up front. I said I don't want players who want to be the best in the world, I want players who want to win the Cup. The important thing is not to have referents, but to have players who want to win."

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    Neymar faces uncertain future

    At the end of the season, Neymar is expected to have arthroscopic surgery to address a meniscus injury in his left knee. For now, he is trying to keep Santos in the Brazilian top flight, with Neymar's side currently just outside the relegation zone with one game remaining. After that, though, the veteran – who scored a hat-trick against Juventude this week – doesn't know what lies ahead for him in 2026, with his contract expiring in a matter of weeks.

    He told this week: "I don’t know, honestly. First, I want to finish this season and then think about it. Santos always comes first. I’m very happy for the goals and for helping Santos. We’re happy for the win. There’s one game left, and we have to give our all at Vila again. I always prioritise my health, nothing that would harm my career. It’s [the injury] manageable, something I’ve been dealing with for years. I’m doing everything to reach 100 percent. Scoring the goals today made me really happy. I’ve always been Neymar in every match, regardless of the situation. Sometimes things don’t go as planned because of the team’s form or injuries, but I’ve always shown up. I know what I can do on the pitch and always aim to give my best."

Mets' Juan Soto Struck Out on Back-to-Back Brutal Called Strikes From Umpire

Rarely does Juan Soto, armed with one of the best hitter's eyes in MLB, look at a pitch go by for a called strike. Generally, the pitches he takes are out of the zone, and if the offering is in the zone, he's probably swinging at it.

This was surprisingly not the case during his first at-bat of Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. Facing Reds lefthander Nick Martinez in the bottom of the first inning, Soto took the first pitch for a ball, then declined to swing at a cutter inside and at the letters, thinking it was ball two. Home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez, however, called it a strike.

Soto fouled the next two pitches off to make the count 1-and-2, then was called out on strikes on a sinker up in the zone. Soto, who had briefly said some words to Gonzalez after the first called strike, simply stared off into the distance as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza barked at Gonzalez from the dugout.

Gonzalez, who has been an umpire since 2010, has rated among the most accurate ball and strike callers in MLB this season, per Umpire Scorecards. In this particular instance, it seems that he missed the call.

Nuno must bin West Ham dud who's making them one of the slowest teams ever

It’s incredible how quickly the mood around West Ham United has collapsed again.

Following the fightback away to Everton, there was a real sense of optimism that Nuno Espírito Santo would be able to lead the club back up the Premier League table.

Unfortunately, an unsurprising defeat away to Arsenal and a truly dreadful home defeat to Brentford have left the fan base utterly deflated.

The team look bereft of ideas and so painfully slow, and while the former might be hard to fix, Nuno can deal with the latter by bringing a player back into the lineup for the next game.

West Ham's athleticism problem

To state the obvious, there are a mountain of problems with West Ham United at the moment, both on and off the pitch.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, while Nuno cannot address all of them, one of the most significant ones he might be able to fix in a relatively short period is the severe lack of athleticism in the side.

This lack of running power and physicality has, unfortunately, been on show in some way or other most of the season, but against Brentford on Monday night, it was impossible to ignore.

In fact, love or loathe him, it was one of Jamie Carragher’s main talking points after the game, with him describing the Hammers as “one of the slowest teams I’ve seen in Premier League history!”

While he was speaking in hyperbole somewhat, it’s not too far off the truth, and it was on full display for the first goal in particular, with Igor Jesus seemingly having plenty of time to score.

Now, the best way to address this problem is to go out and sign some young, dynamic, and physically imposing players as soon as the window opens, but to make a more immediate impact, the manager has to change his starting lineup for the next game, starting with the removal of Andy Irving.

It might sound harsh, but as Tomáš Souček can still be an important player for the Irons, it’s the once-capped Scottish international who has to make way.

Moreover, by taking the 25-year-old out of the lineup, the former Nottingham Forest coach can bring in just the sort of player who could add some dynamism and bite back into the midfield.

The player to add dynamism back into West Ham

When looking at West Ham’s bench against Brentford, one player stood out who would have added some dynamism back into the midfield: Soungoutou Magassa.

The young Frenchman certainly has some drawbacks and is still a little raw, but his talent is evident to see, and most importantly, he would have made life far harder for Brentford.

For example, respected analyst Ben Mattinson has described the 22-year-old as someone who can “spray passes wide out to the wings” but that he’s also got very “high potential” for playing as a six “due to how he reads the game.”

However, more importantly for the Hammers, Mattinson also claims that the former AS Monaco gem is blessed with “pure athleticism”, and U23 scout Antonio Mango has highlighted that he’s “strong in both offensive and defensive duels.”

In other words, he’s a fast, tough-tackling defensive midfielder who has a great pass on him, which sounds like just the sort of player Nuno should be playing as often as possible.

After all, he’s not going to improve and iron out the errors in his game without playing regularly, and even if he does make the odd mistake here and there, his physical presence in the middle of the park should make it harder for opposition sides to just run through the East Londoners.

Finally, if people are still unconvinced, they only need to look at some of his underlying numbers from last season to understand he could be something special.

Magassa’s Scout Report

Statistics

Per 90

Percentile

Tackles (Mid 3rd)

2.37

Top 1%

Dribblers Tackled

2.20

Top 1%

Dribbles Challenged

4.04

Top 1%

Tkl+Int

5.97

Top 1%

Ball Recoveries

7.90

Top 1%

Tackles

4.13

Top 2%

Interceptions

1.84

Top 4%

Tackles Won

2.20

Top 5%

Successful Take-On %

65.2%

Top 9%

Touches (Mid 3rd)

45.57

Top 12%

Tackles (Att 3rd)

0.53

Top 16%

Passes into Final Third

5.88

Top 17%

Switches

0.61

Top 17%

Aerials Won

1.14

Top 12%

All Stats via FBref

According to FBref, he ranked in the top 1% of midfielders in Ligue 1 last season for dribblers tackled, tackles plus interceptions, and ball recoveries, the top 5% for tackles won, the top 9% for successful take-on percentage and the top 17% for passes into the final third and more, all per 90 minutes.

Ultimately, there is no way to make West Ham dramatically better overnight, but by starting Magassa in place of Irving, Nuno can certainly improve the athleticism of the side.

Not just Paqueta: West Ham dud is already becoming a huge issue under Nuno

The West Ham United star has been poor for Nuno Espirito Santo so far.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 21, 2025

MLB Playoff Odds for Every Team in Wild Card Race (Yankees Skyrocket, Mets, Red Sox Slipping)

The MLB playoffs are quickly approaching, and there has been a lot of movement in the wild card standings — and the playoff odds — in the last week.

For the rest of the season, the SI Betting team is going to break down the playoff odds for every team to open each week, as there may be a team just outside the wild card mix that has some value in the betting market.

In the American League, a half game is all that separates the Boston Red Sox (the No. 1 wild card) from the New York Yankees (the No. 3 wild card) with the Seattle Mariners tied with Boston record wise. 

New York has rebounded from a rough stretch to win seven of 10 games and create a 3.5-game cushion over the chasing Cleveland Guardians.

Meanwhile, in the National League, the San Diego Padres remain just out of first place in the NL West, but they’re the No. 2 wild card behind the Chicago Cubs. 

The No. 1 record in the NL and in MLB belongs to the Milwaukee Brewers, who are 33 games over .500 entering Aug. 18’s action.

There are a few close division races, as San Diego and Seattle are both within two games of the top spot.

Plus, the NL East may have opened a bit for the New York Mets with Zack Wheeler (blood clot) landing on the IL for the Philadelphia Phillies.

With so much at stake over the final weeks, let’s take a look at the playoff odds for each team, and a few teams to consider betting on to make the final field.

American League Playoff Odds

Division Leaders

  • Toronto Blue Jays: -20000
  • Detroit Tigers: -20000
  • Houston Astros: -1800

The Blue Jays and Tigers both have sizable leads in their division races, but the Astros are far from a guarantee to win the NL West.

Even with Yordan Alvarez potentially returning for the final stretch of the regular season, the Astros hold just a 1.5-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the division. 

Houston does have the fifth-easiest remaining schedule, per Tankathon, which should help it finish atop the NL West. Still, it’s worth noting that oddsmakers aren’t nearly as bullish on the Astros making the playoffs as they are Toronto or Detroit. 

Wild Card Race

  • New York Yankees: -1100
  • Seattle Mariners: -900
  • Boston Red Sox: -350
  • Cleveland Guardians: +425
  • Kansas City Royals: +425
  • Texas Rangers: +550
  • Tampa Bay Rays: +1300
  • Minnesota Twins: +4000
  • Los Angeles Angels: +4000

All it took was a 7-3 stretch from the New York Yankees to completely flip this market.

New York is now just a half-game back of the top spot in the AL wild card, and it has gone from -330 to -1100 to make the playoffs this season. The Yanks have the fourth-easiest remaining schedule, so it’s not a surprise that oddsmakers are high on them in the AL.

Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox have fallen from -450 to -350 to make the playoffs, despite the fact that they hold the top wild card spot in the AL. Boston is just five games out of the AL East lead as well, but it has dropped six of its last 10 games.

As for the chasing pack, Texas, Kansas City and Cleveland are all in the mix – although the Guardians (3.5 games back) and Royals (four games back) are in the best position. Texas has fallen off by dropping eight of its last 10 games.

Of those chasing teams, only the Guardians (15.4 percent chance) have better than 15 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. 

National League Playoff Odds

Division Leaders

  • Philadelphia Phillies: -20000
  • Los Angeles Dodgers: -20000
  • Milwaukee Brewers: N/A

The three division leaders in the NL remain the same, although the Padres have made a push for the NL West crown with the Dodgers. 

After winning 14 games in a row before a loss on Sunday, the Brewers (33 games over .500) are viewed as a lock to make the playoffs and their odds have been taken off the board. 

One thing to watch here is the Phillies’ pitching staff with Wheeler on the injured list. While Philadelphia should be able to at least secure a wild card spot, the team’s five-game lead in the NL East is a little shakier today than it was before Wheeler went down. Still, I’d be surprised if the Phils blew this lead over the final weeks of the regular season. 

Wild Card Race

  • Chicago Cubs: -3500
  • San Diego Padres: -3500
  • New York Mets: -370
  • Cincinnati Reds: +280
  • San Francisco Giants: +2500
  • St. Louis Cardinals: +2500
  • Arizona Diamondbacks: +3000
  • Miami Marlins: +5000

Unlike the AL wild card race where there are multiple teams pushing for a playoff spot, only the Cincinnati Reds (+280) seem to have a real chance in the NL.

Cincy is just 1.5 games back of a Mets team that has struggled in recent weeks, but FanGraphs has given the Reds just a 14.5 percent chance to make the postseason. A big reason why? Cincy has the third hardest strength of schedule (.522 winning percentage) left this season, including 14 combined games against the Dodgers and Padres.

However, if the Reds are able to come out on top against one of those teams, it could give them another team to pass in the wild card race. For now, it seems like the betting market is higher on Cincy than FanGraphs and ESPN, who are both giving the Reds less than a 15 percent chance to make the final playoff field.

Aston Villa and West Ham battle for star capped by country FIFA won't recognise

Aston Villa are now reportedly racing to sign Oscar Mingueza alongside Premier League rivals West Ham United as those in the Midlands look to land a La Masia graduate.

The Villans turned on the style against Bournemouth, bouncing back from defeat at Anfield to head into the international break with a convincing victory under their belt. Emiliano Buendia’s free-kick was undoubtedly the pick of the four goals that Unai Emery’s side scored, as he continued his recent, much-welcomed resurgence.

After a tough start to their campaign, Villa now sit seventh and Emery admitted that his side “are recovering from a bad start”, telling reporters: “I am very happy with the win.

“We are recovering from a bad start to the season. The effort physically was huge and to manage the squad with different players, with the effort we needed, we can feel proud after the game.

“This is the level of the players. We are trying to set our standards in everything [we do], every day how we prepare for the game, and the quality of the players is important.”

Qualifying for European football, whether it’s the Europa League, Europa Conference League or in the best-case scenario, the Champions League, is more important than ever in the Midlands. Those at Villa Park can’t afford to miss out and run into more problems with PSR limitations as a result.

Their poor start to the season stemmed from a disappointing summer transfer window and the chaos of potential sales that never arrived. This time next year, they must be in a better position on that front.

Fixing their PSR problem would see Emery’s side reach another level entirely and could finally see long-term target Mingueza arrive.

Aston Villa racing to sign Mingueza

According to reports in Spain, as relayed by Sport Witness, Aston Villa are now battling to sign Oscar Mingueza from Celta Vigo alongside the likes of West Ham and Newcastle United. The Villans have been admirers of the La Masia graduate for some time, but have consistently failed to secure his signature.

Capped four times by Spain, the defender has also played twice for the national team of Catalonia, who are not recognised/affiliated with FIFA or UEFA due to their status as one of Spain’s regional football federations.

Aston Villa fighting to sign Samu Aghehowa amid interest from Tottenham and Arsenal

Recent reports have indicated that Aston Villa would be keen on signing Porto forward Samu Aghehowa.

By
James O'Reilly

Nov 5, 2025

Emery will be hoping that 2026 is finally the year that the right-back arrives, given that he’s on course to become a free agent next summer and any transfer complications will suddenly become far easier to navigate.

Former Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman once predicted that the Spaniard would have a “great future” and that could yet arrive in the Midlands, where he’d compete for a place with Matty Cash, who is in excellent form.

League stats 25/26

Mingueza

Cash

Minutes

670

966

Assists

2

0

Tackles Won

4

10

Ball Recoveries

30

24

When compared, it’s clear that Mingueza and Cash have different qualities. Whilst the former is arguably better going forward, the Villa star has been a more well-rounded player so far this season – impressing in and out of possession.

What is clear is that Mingueza’s arrival would add vital depth to the right-back role for Emery, even if he’s forced to provide backup for Cash.

"Best in the league" – Media stunned by "aggressive" Aston Villa star vs Bournemouth

Stats – India's woeful year with the bat continues in Perth

All the stats highlights from India’s innings in Perth, where they were bowled out for 150

Sampath Bandarupalli22-Nov-2024150 India’s total in Perth is their joint-lowest in the first innings of a Test match on Australian soil. They were bowled out for 150 at Sydney in 2000 after electing to bat first. Only once India recorded a lower first-innings total in Australia – 58 all-out at Brisbane in 1947 while batting second.3 Previous instances of visiting teams getting bowled out below 200 runs after electing to bat first in the Test series opener in Australia. England made only 134 in 1958 and 147 in 2021, while Sri Lanka got all out for 144 in a day-night Test in 2019, all three at the Gabba.5 All-out totals under 160 for India in Tests in 2024, including the 150 all out on Friday. Only twice did India get bowled out under 160 more often in Tests in a calendar year – six times in 1952 and 1959 and had five such totals in 2018.661 Runs by Rishabh Pant in Tests against Australia are the most by a visiting wicketkeeper on Australian soil, surpassing Alan Knott’s tally of 643. Pant has batted in 13 innings in Australia and has scored no less than 23 runs in all of them.Rishabh Pant was India’s most fluent batter•AFP/Getty Images18 Batters to have bagged a duck for India in Tests in 2024, with Devdutt Padikkal being the latest. These are the most number of Indian batters to be dismissed for a duck in Tests in a calendar year, surpassing 17 each in 1983 and 2008.7 Batters to top score in an innings while batting at No. 8 or lower for India on their Test debut, including Nitish Kumar Reddy. Only two of the previous six have been in the last 70 years – Stuart Binny against England in 2014 and Balwinder Sandhu against Pakistan in 1983.26 Batters to have completed 3000-plus runs in Test cricket for India, including KL Rahul, who got there in Perth on Friday. His current batting average of 33.78 is the third-lowest among the 26, behind R Ashwin (25.92) and Kapil Dev (31.05).505 Wickets between Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon in the 31 Test matches they played together. They are now the first quartet to bag 500-plus wickets in Test cricket. Cummins has 132 scalps, the most among the four, while Hazlewood, Starc and Lyon bagged 126, 125 and 122 respectively. (Only the players with 100-plus career wickets considered to be part of a quartet)1 Cummins dismissed Pant for the first time in Test cricket. Pant faced off Cummins in 12 innings thus far, scoring 104 runs off 168 balls, with ten fours and a six.

PSL scenarios: Karachi Kings best placed in five-way battle for three knockout spots

Which teams will join Multan Sultans in the semi-finals? Here are all the permutations and combinations

S Rajesh14-Mar-2020Karachi Kings
Among the five teams fighting for a place in the last four, Karachi Kings are the best placed, since they are already in second place with nine points, and they are the only team with two matches still left: they play Islamabad United on Saturday and Quetta Gladiators on Sunday. A win in either of those games will seal second place on the points table.If they lose both games, though, things could get complicated. A win for Lahore Qalandars in their last game against Multan Sultans will lift them to 10 points, with the other four teams on nine each. Among them, Islamabad United already have a better net run rate than the Kings, while Peshawar Zalmi’s net run rate of -0.055 is only marginally below Kings’ -0.027. Two losses could easily push Kings’ NRR below Zalmi’s.If the Kings lose both games, they will want the Sultans to beat the Qalandars, so that four teams are level on nine points and fighting for three spots. Then the Kings should still be ahead of the Gladiators on NRR unless they lose both matches badly (say, by around 50 runs each).Peshawar Zalmi
Zalmi’s narrow three-run defeat against the Sultans on Friday means they are now dependent on other results going their way to qualify.Their worst-case scenario would be if the Qalandars win and move to 10, and if United beat the Kings, who in turn beat the Gladiators. In that case, the Sultans, the Kings, the Qalandars and United will qualify, as United already have a better NRR (0.259) than Zalmi (-0.055). However, if the Kings beat United but lose to the Gladiators, then that would work fine for Zalmi, as the Gladiators’ NRR is so poor (-1.052) that they will have to win by around 145 runs to go past Zalmi’s NRR.The best case for Zalmi will be if the Qalandars lose and stay on eight points. In that case Zalmi will surely qualify. Even if the Kings lose both games, Zalmi will still make the cut on NRR along with the Kings and United, as the Gladiators are too far behind on NRR.Shadab Khan lines up to hit the ball•Getty ImagesLahore Qalandars
A win against the Sultans will put the Qalandars in the semi-finals. If they lose, though, they can qualify only if the Kings win both their games, in which case both United and the Gladiators will remain on seven points. If the Kings lose either of their games, the Qalandars won’t qualify with eight points.Islamabad United
United are currently in fifth place, but they are the only team apart from the Sultans with a positive NRR (0.259). That means they will surely qualify if they win their final league game, against the Kings, regardless of other results: even if the Qalandars win their last game and move to 10 points, and the Kings beat the Gladiators, United will still take fourth place because of a higher NRR than Zalmi. If the Kings lose both games and there is a four-way tie on nine points, United will still have the best NRR among those four teams.That means the winner of Saturday’s game between United and the Kings will surely go through to the semi-finals.Quetta Gladiators
The Gladiators are in the same position as United in terms of matches played, points, and the opponent in their final league game, but the one difference between them is massive: United’s NRR is 0.259, while Gladiators’ is -1.052. That net run rate means Gladiators will struggle to make it if qualification comes down to NRR.Their best chance, therefore, is a scenario where net run rates don’t come into play. For that to happen, the Qalandars will have to lose to the Sultans and remain on eight points, while the Kings will need to beat United. Then, if the Gladiators win their last game, they will qualify along with the Sultans, the Kings and Zalmi.

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