MBSG refuses to release selected footballers for the national camp
Reigning ISL champion Mohun Bagan Super Giants refused to release their selected seven footballers for the ongoing national preparatory camp on Monday. The club explained that it is “not mandatory” outside a FIFA window and accused the All India Football Federation of ‘negligence’ over the footballers’ welfare. The senior India squad began its preparatory camp in Bengaluru on 15th August ahead of next month’s CAFA Nations Cup. But 13 players, including seven from Mohun Bagan, are yet to join the camp. Initially, their absence was attributed to the club’s Durand Cup commitments. But even after the Mariners crashed out with a 1-2 derby defeat to East Bengal in the quarterfinals on Sunday, the club has stood firm, citing its upcoming AFC Champions League Two opener against Turkmenistan’s Ahal FC at Salt Lake Stadium on 16th September. Hitting out at the federation, a Mohun Bagan official pointed to the case of skipper Subhasish Bose, who has been sidelined since suffering an injury during India’s Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh in March this year. “Every time they take our players, three or four of them return injured, and the AIFF is least bothered to communicate, compensate, or even check on them,” the official told PTI. “Look at Bose… He is under rehab, has missed the entire season so far, we are paying his salary, and yet the federation hasn’t even called once to inquire about him.” He further added, “Unless it is a FIFA international window, the club doesn’t need to release its players as there is no compensation in case of injury. Hence, we are not releasing anyone for this camp.” The seven Mariners missing from the camp include Aniruddha Thapa, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad and Vishal Kaith. Forward Manvir is already nursing an injury.
Red Devils face a heartbreaking defeat in opener
Manchester United’s Premier League 2025-26 campaign opener did no go as planned. The ‘Red Devils’ had to face a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat at the hands of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. Manchester United’s Premier League 2025-26 campaign opener did no go as planned. The ‘Red Devils’ had to face a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat at the hands of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. Manchester United controlled much of the game against Arsenal but ultimately slipped to defeat when Riccardo Calafiori rose to head in the decisive goal. United responded strongly, creating 22 attempts and dominating possession, but a £200 million front line of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and substitute Benjamin Sesko failed to beat goalkeeper David Raya. Patrick Dorgu hit the post, while Cunha and Mbeumo were denied by Raya’s reflexes. Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha were United’s standout performers, with the latter denied what appeared to be a clear penalty — another example of the questionable officiating that has marred the start of the season. The controversy didn’t end there. Arsenal’s winning goal also raised eyebrows, with William Saliba seemingly backing into Altay Bayındır while holding onto the goalkeeper’s arm. Even so, Bayındır will feel he should have dealt with the situation more convincingly and that was something Ruben Amorim echoed after the match. While there was plenty of attention on the Arsenal goal and the controversy surrounding that, it was the foul on Cunha inside the box which simply stunned fans. Saliba attempted to play the ball but only got the foot of Cunha, who went down, and VAR waved it away so quickly. During the game, ex-Premier League referee Mike Dean attempted to explain why the foul was not looked at by the VAR but he just confused fans further. The ex-referee said that the contact from Saliba was fine as it was ‘foot on foot contact’. the Portuguese coach said “We need to win games but that was completely different to last season. We were the better team. In the end we lose the game, but really proud of the performance. We proved today we can win any game in the Premier League, against a great team like Arsenal,” the Portuguese coach said. However, a controversial call regarding an apparent foul on Matheus Cunha sunk the game into controversy. Fans on social media were livid as they claimed that William Saliba’s attempt for the ball was completely missed and he ended up tripping up United’s new signing Matheus Cunha. Despite several appeals from the Red Devils, no penalty was.
Shardul backs Kuldeep, Easwaran after missing England Test series
Team India fast-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur shared his honest opinion on warming the bench in recent matches and drawing parallels with the situations faced by Abhimanyu Easwaran and Kuldeep Yadav. Shardul was picked in the squad for the five-match Test series against England, but he played only two matches. He got the chance in the first Test at Leeds but failed to impress with both bat and ball and ended up losing his spot in the XI for the next two matches. Shardul revealed that he can relate to what Kudeep and Easwaran are going through and said that in these situations, the players start getting bored. Speaking to Boria Majumdar on Revsportz, Shardul said “On a few occasions, I was also in the same boat. As a player, you go through a lot of emotions, and it’s not easy to sit out, questioning yourself about what you are doing, not getting a game. There are two things. As I mentioned earlier, not everyone is privileged enough to be on the Indian side. The second thing is, unfortunately, the competition is high in India, and only 11 of them get to be a part of the actual playing team.” He added, “We need to understand that this is likely the best 11 that management is considering, based on the pitch and weather conditions. You’ll have to tell your mind that this was not my game, and it’s also a lot to be able to travel with the team and share the dressing room with the rest. I don’t have many answers to this one, but one just needs to wait around for that one chance.” Meanwhile, Kuldeep and Easwaran didn’t get even a single match on the tour. Despite heavy backing from experts, Kuldeep was overlooked as Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill opted for Washington Sundar due to his batting depth. Easwaran, meanwhile, who had also travelled to Australia earlier, still awaits his Test debut. Both Kuldeep and Eswaran are expected to feature next in the 2025 edition of the Duleep Trophy, with Kuldeep playing for Central Zone and Easwaran for East Zone. Kuldeep Yadav has not featured in Test cricket since the first Test against New Zealand in October 2024. Since his debut in the longest format of the game in 2017, he has played just 13 games, taking 56 scalps at an average of 22.16 and four five-wicket hauls. The decision not to play Kuldeep has attracted criticism as he is a wicket-taking spin bowler, as suggested by his strike rate of 37.3, which is the highest among all spin bowlers with at least 50 Test wickets. In 13 matches, he has taken 56 wickets, with four five-wicket hauls. Easwaran, meanwhile, has been a domestic cricket stalwart for Bengal, with 101 first-class games, 7,674 runs at an average of 48.87, 27 centuries and 29 fifties behind him. Yet, he continues to wait for his Test debut.
Shubman Gill may not feature in India’s Asia Cup squad
The Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, is set to meet in Mumbai on Tuesday to finalise India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025. India’s Test captain Shubman Gill might find it difficult to get into the Asia Cup T20 side, with selectors struggling to find a way to slot him into the squad of 15. According to a report by Cricbuzz, Gill may not find a place in the Asia Cup roster, with the committee in the Asia Cup roster, with the committee as the first-choice opening pair. Yashasvi Jaiswal is being considered as the third opener, ahead of Gill. However, Gill’s inclusion could still depend on head coach Gautam Gambhir’s inputs. If Gambhir pushes for Gill, Jaiswal might have to make way. There has been much talk about vice-captaincy in recent times. Shubman Gill as possible vice-captain for the Asia Cup is something that has been doing the rounds. The truth is that vice-captaincy isn’t something that is very relevant to the selection meeting. Gill as player will indeed be discussed, and a call taken. It is equally true that his inclusion or non-inclusion will not depend on him being a possible vice-captaincy option. Gill has already proved that he is captaincy material in Test cricket. Vice-captaincy isn’t going to tilt the scales for or against him on August 19. Indian team management and selectors are of the opinion that Gill at the moment doesn’t fit into their T20 scheme of things. Which means there are chances of Gill not boarding a flight to Dubai as the Indian team management want to stick to players whom they have backed post the 2024 T20 World Cup. the selectors will convey this to the Indian board bosses before the selection committee assembles on August 19, to make them aware of the situation. The Indian team will continue to be led by Suryakumar Yadav, who has cleared his fitness. It is understood that in a series of informal talks before the selection, there was discussion on Gill’s inclusion in the playing eleven. If India’s Test captain makes it in the squad the team management would have to open the innings with him. However, with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson having done well in the top order, the team wants to stick with their tried and tested openers in whom they have invested so far. There was also a discussion informally on whether to drop Tilak Varma and accommodate Gill. However, the team management felt that it would be unfair on the left-handed batsman, who is holding the number two ranking in International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I’s batting rankings. The team doesn’t want Gill to be seen warming the bench. This means recent success in England, where a young Indian cricket team without stars earned a 2-2 draw, might not have much of an impact on the upcoming selection, given it’s two different formats. However, with recent success in Test cricket, Gill is pushing his case hard for inclusion in white ball formats. In the IPL, Gill was the fourth highest run getter after Sai Sudharsan (759), Surya (717), Kohli (657) with 650 runs. Shreyas (604) and Jaiswal (559) were 6th and 7th respectively. With his success in the red ball format, the buzz had risen to make him the all-format captain of the Indian team. However, selectors are not jumping the gun after the England success and have decided to carry on with their old captain who is yet to lose a series in his leadership stint. Finally, it will be interesting to see if the selectors decide to try out someone new. With the T20 World Cup just five months away, the Asia Cup is perhaps the final opportunity to check out on a new player. As the cup comes closer and India contest T20 games against South Africa and New Zealand in December-January, you would want to play your best XI and get the combination right. In fact, the time for experimentation is now. If Gill is in your World Cup plans, play him in Dubai. If Samson and Abhishek are the designated openers, they should be persisted with.
