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The BBL’s all-time leading run-scorer signs on for a fourth season at Strikers and is available for the full tournament

Alex Malcolm22-Sep-2025The BBL’s all-time leading run-scorer Chris Lynn is set to return for a 15th season in the competition after signing another one-year deal with Adelaide Strikers and is set to be available for the entire tournament.Lynn, 35, has signed for a fourth season with Strikers fresh off a stunning finish to the T20 Blast season in the UK, where he smashed 108 not out from 51 balls, with 11 sixes, to help Hampshire win their semi-final against Northamptonshire.He was unable to repeat the dose in the final but Strikers are thrilled to re-sign him and have him as a key cog in a top order that will also feature Australia white-ball batter Matt Short, and potentially Test star Alex Carey at the end of the Ashes series, given Strikers’ last four games fall after the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney is completed. Former Strikers captain Travis Head does not have a BBL contract this season after not playing a game while contracted last season but there is an outside chance he could be signed to Strikers under the BBL’s marquee player rule.Related

• 'Wanted six sixes more' – Lynn makes history with first Finals Day hundred

• Jamie Overton out of Ashes amid 'indefinite break' from red-ball cricket

Lynn is just 45 runs shy of becoming the first player in BBL history to reach 4000 career runs. “I’m really looking forward to getting back to Adelaide Oval and helping the team go deep into finals this year,” he said. “We’ve got an exciting squad this season and I can’t wait to see what we can produce when we take to the field.”Lynn has not played a full season with Strikers. His first two seasons were short-term contracts that allowed him to miss the latter stages of the BBL to play in the ILT20 in the UAE, while he suffered a hamstring injury last season after only managing seven games. The ILT20 has moved to early December and more overseas players are set to be available for the back-end of the BBL than in previous years when there has been a max exodus of talent late in the season.Strikers coach Tim Paine was delighted to get Lynn back after making his re-signing a priority.”We’re thrilled to have Chris returning to the Strikers as we strive for a deep finals campaign,” he said. “While his batting exploits speak for themselves, his experience and leadership are equally invaluable to our emerging players within the squad.”Strikers have already added younger talent in Jason Sangha and Mackenzie Harvey to their squad after losing Jake Weatherald to Hobart Hurricanes and Brendan Doggett to Melbourne Renegades.They are also set to have overseas signing Jamie Overton available for the entire BBL after he elected to take an “indefinite break from red-ball cricket” which rules him out of the Ashes.

Adelaide Strikers squad

Hasan Ali (overseas), Cameron Boyce, Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey, Mackenzie Harvey, Thomas Kelly, Harry Nielsen, Jamie Overton (overseas), Lloyd Pope, Alex Ross, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Matt Short, Henry Thorton, Luke Wood (overseas)

Arun will also be responsible for scouting and the development of young fast bowlers

Shashank Kishore30-Jul-2025Bharat Arun is the new bowling coach of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) ahead of IPL 2026, the franchise confirmed on Wednesday. Arun’s new role brings an end to his four-year tenure as a bowling consultant with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).Arun is likely to have an expanded role within the LSG set-up – responsible for scouting and overseeing the year-round development of their young quicks.”It’s an honour to join the Lucknow Super Giants, a franchise that reflects professionalism, ambition, and vision at every level,” Arun said in a statement. “My conversations with Dr. Sanjiv Goenka and the management were incredibly energizing – there is a clear intent to invest in young Indian talent and build a long-term legacy.”What excites me most is the vision for long-term development. LSG has invested in a young, talented, and dynamic group of Indian fast bowlers – Akash deep, Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav, Prince Yadav, Mohsin Khan, and Akash Singh – and I see immense potential in each of them. My mission is to help shape them into a cohesive, fearless, and tactically sharp pace unit that can challenge the best batting line-ups in the world.”LSG are also set to bring in Carl Crowe as spin consultant. Crowe is credited to have helped Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine in their bowling reinvention during his time at KKR. LSG are likely to make a formal announcement soon.Arun’s role was previously managed by former India pacer Zaheer Khan, their team mentor in IPL 2025. LSG failed to make the playoffs and finished seventh.Related

• KKR and head coach Chandrakant Pandit part ways after three seasons

At KKR, Arun was originally contracted for three years, before he was offered an extension for another season that took him up to the end of IPL 2025, where KKR finished eighth.Arun’s exit is part of a wider support-staff overhaul at KKR. On Tuesday, the franchise had announced that head coach Chandrakant Pandit had chosen to part ways with the team. At the time, there was no formal announcement of Arun’s exit.Arun comes with a solid body of work, having had two fruitful stints with the Indian team, first from 2014-2015 and, more recently, from 2017 to 2021. In between, he was also part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) backroom between 2015 and 2017.

It wasn’t easy, but Chelsea managed to get over the line against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday night.

Enzo Maresca’s side managed to get themselves ahead of the Old Gold just five minutes into the game, and looked completely out of sight by half-time.

However, the West Londoners found themselves in a real scrap halfway through the second 45, and were it not for a wonder goal from Jamie Gittens, they might not still be in the League Cup.

However, while there were a few players who let themselves down in the second period, the biggest disappointment for the Blues was Liam Delap, and if he’s not careful, the Englishman could see himself replaced next season.

Delap's diabolical night

After spending the last two months out with a hamstring injury, Delap finally made his return to first-team action against Wolves.

Chalkboard

The former Ipswich Town star came on for Estevao in the 61st minute, and it would be fair to say he more than made his mark, just not in the way he would have wanted.

In the 79th minute, he received a yellow card for pushing a Wolves player and arguing with the referee, which at the time was a foolish thing to do.

However, just seven minutes later, the Englishman did something even stupider and elbowed Emmanuel Agbadou in the head, which unsurprisingly saw him receive a second yellow and get sent off.

It was a true horror show from the striker, as he wasn’t even able to have a single shot before being sent off.

Speaking after the match, Maresca didn’t hold back, describing the incident as “embarrassing” and “very stupid.”

Such a response might sound harsh, but given the state of the game and the nature of the cards, it is hard to disagree with the Italian.

Delap will surely be desperate to make amends when he returns, although he might have to do more than that, as come next season, Maresca will have another forward in the squad who could be a significant upgrade on the Englishman.

Chelsea's future Delap upgrade

With Nicolas Jackson at Bayern Munich and Joao Pedro playing better behind a striker, there aren’t too many options for replacing Delap this season.

However, that will not be the case next year, as Strasbourg star Emanuel Emegha will be making his way to Chelsea in the summer.

The Dutchman might not be a particularly well-known name in England at the moment, but he’s been playing well in France for a couple of years now and looks like he could make a real impact at Stamford Bridge.

For example, in his first season with the Ligue 1 outfit, the 22-year-old managed to rack up a tally of nine goals and two assists in 31 appearances, totalling 2226 minutes.

However, last season he did even better, ending the campaign with an impressive haul of 14 goals and three assists in 29 appearances, totalling just 2408 minutes.

In comparison, Delap managed to score 12 goals and provide two assists in 40 appearances, totalling 2670 minutes, for the Tractor Boys.

Unfortunately, the “simply phenomenal” centre-forward, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, is currently injured. However, before his injury, he looked set for his best season to date, scoring four goals and providing two assists in just six appearances, totalling 384 minutes.

Ultimately, not only does Emegha have a better record than Delap, but he has also never received a red card; therefore, he could be a real upgrade for Chelsea next year.

Not Estevao: Chelsea star looks like Palmer 2.0 after Wolves "masterclass"

The exciting ace made all the difference for Maresca and Chelsea vs Wolves.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Oct 30, 2025

Tea Liam Dawson marked his comeback to Test cricket by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal with his seventh ball to help prise the opening day back open in Manchester.India’s openers batted through the morning session after being inserted but England struck three blows and kept the scoring rate below three an over in the afternoon to leave the fourth Test in the balance.KL Rahul became the fifth Indian player to reach 1,000 runs in England during the first session and played late throughout his innings. But he edged Chris Woakes to third slip for 46 while looking to punch down the ground, bringing an opening partnership of 94 in exactly 30 overs to an end.Jaiswal continued to frustrate England and reached his eighth 50-plus score in 16 innings against them after lunch, but fell soon before drinks. He battled his instincts for much of the morning session to soak up pressure in gloomy conditions, but then became the returning Dawson’s first victim since July 2017, edging to Harry Brook at slip for 58.It was the highlight of a superb spell from Dawson, who had 1 for 21 in seven overs at the tea interval and exerted the sort of control that the injured Shoaib Bashir, whom he replaced in England’s only change, struggled to in the first three Tests. He kept the recalled B Sai Sudharsan quiet, who was then dropped on 20 down the leg side by Jamie Smith off Ben Stokes.Stokes himself struck soon before the interval, pleading with Rod Tucker for an lbw decision – which eventually came – after striking Shubman Gill on the pad as he shouldered arms. Gill’s unsuccessful appeal meant that he has scored 16, 6 and 12 since his epic Edgbaston Test, and left England slightly ahead on day one.

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