All posts by h716a5.icu

Celtic started off their week with a bang by officially confirming the signings of South Korean duo Hyeok-kyu Kwon and Hyun-jun Yang on permanent deals.

They have since announced the arrival of Polish centre-back Maik Nawrocki as their fifth addition of the summer transfer window, as those three have joined Marco Tilio and Odin Thiago Holm in committing their futures to the Scottish giants.

Where does Hyeok-kyu Kwon play?

Kwon is a defensive midfielder who has joined from Busan IPark to bolster Brendan Rodgers' options in the middle of the park ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

He is a ball-winning expert who specialises in breaking up opposition attacks with his ability to make vital interventions in midfield, which is backed up by his K League 2 form in 2023.

The 22-year-old talent made 1.9 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game across 19 appearances in the division prior to joining Celtic this week, whilst he also completed 86% of his attempted passes.

Meanwhile, Matt O'Riley and Callum McGregor topped the midfield charts for tackles (1.5) and interceptions (one) per Scottish Premiership match respectively last term. This suggests that Kwon could be an outstanding defensive option for Rodgers in that position.

The Northern Irish head coach could now land a dream partner for the South Korea U23 international by signing reported £13m transfer target Fabian Rieder to provide an attacking threat alongside the towering gem's steel.

How many goals did Fabian Rieder score last season?

The Switzerland international plundered nine goals in 43 matches for BSC Young Boys throughout the 2022/23 campaign and could thrive alongside a powerful enforcer like the 6 foot 3 Celtic tank.

Rieder also registered 11 assists from midfield and his impressive form came off the back of five goals and 11 assists in 42 outings during the previous season.

He was directly involved in 20 goals for Young Boys last term and could be a phenomenal attacking threat from a number eight position, given that Matt O'Riley led the way for Celtic with 15 goal involvements in the Premiership.

The Swiss maestro, who journalist Dean Jones claimed has "twinkle toes", also caught the eye at the U21 European Championship this summer as he averaged 2.3 key passes per game across four appearances.

No Hoops player, in any position, managed more than 2.1 chances created per outing last season, which suggests that the potential is there for Rieder to be a terrific creative threat for Rodgers if he is able to translate that form over to Scottish football.

The 21-year-old dynamo, who recorded an assist on the opening day of the 2023/24 Super League season last weekend, is a player with the ability to score and create goals on a regular basis and could be a game-changer for the Bhoys if they are able to bring him in this summer.

Having Kwon in a defensive-midfield role next to him could allow the left-footed whiz to thrive as it could allow the £13m-rated talent to focus on going forward to make an impact at the top end of the pitch.

The South Korean colossus could cover the back four with his ability to make tackles and interceptions consistently, which would then provide Rieder with the space and freedom to work his magic.

Chelsea are ready to make an offer of €40m (£35m) for Lyon midfielder Rayan Cherki, having recently held talks with his representatives in London, according to a report from Football Transfers.

What's the latest Chelsea transfer news?

Following Wesley Fofana's recent ACL injury, Mauricio Pochettino may be interested in signing a new defender, and Real Betis' Luiz Felipe has now emerged as a target, amid West Ham United's stalling talks with the Spanish club.

However, bringing in a new central midfielder is also of importance to the Blues, and Fabrizio Romano has confirmed they are still pursuing the Brighton & Hove Albion star, saying:

"There are conversations over around £70million as a guaranteed fee, plus add-ons. This is not enough to convince Brighton, so I think Chelsea will go there with a new verbal proposal and they will try to get this deal done this week."

While Caicedo could be brought in to play a defensive role, having predominantly featured in a deeper position throughout his career so far, Chelsea still remain keen on an attacking midfielder, and Flamengo's Matheus Franca is a potential option.

The Blues reportedly submitted an opening bid for the 19-year-old earlier this week, with Todd Boehly willing to pay the Brazilian club's €25m (£21m) asking price, though it is unclear whether any progress has been made towards securing his signature.

As such, the west Londoners could move on to other targets, and Football Transfers reports they are now ready to offer €40m (£35m) for Lyon midfielder Cherki, who can play in an advanced midfield role, and on both wings.

The Blues have recently held talks with the 19-year-old's representatives in London, but they may face competition for his signature from Tottenham, who have also been in discussions over a potential summer move.

Lyon are facing financial difficulties, and receiving a big transfer fee would ease their problems, so they may be open to a transfer this summer.

How good is Rayan Cherki?

The starlet was hailed as a "magnificent talent" by football scout Jacek Kulig last month, after an impressive performance for France U21s against Switzerland, scoring a goal and completing five of the six dribbles he attempted.

At club level, the youngster has been just as impressive, solidifying his place in the Lyon starting XI last season by making 34 league appearances, during which time he registered a total of ten goal contributions.

It is very impressive that the Frenchman has already made 102 first-team appearances for Lyon, and his performances last season indicate he may be ready to take the next step in his career.

With Christian Pulisic recently joining AC Milan, the Blues may be in need of a new option in attacking midfield, and the Lyon star could be a fantastic acquisition, considering his dribbling ability, ranking in the 99th percentile for successful take-ons per 90 in the past year.

Cherki has been quality for Lyon, particularly last season, and his first-team experience means he would immediately be able to challenge for a place in the Chelsea starting XI.

With the cricket board officially offering ‘temporary amnesty’ to players who do not fit their selection criteria, the likes of Gayle, Pollard and Narine could be back as early as next month

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jul-2017With West Indies in a race to qualify for the 2019 World Cup, their cricket board has offered “temporary amnesty” to the players who do not fit their selection criteria in order to have them available to play ODIs. This could pave way for the return of stars such as Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Samuel Badree as soon as next month when the team is scheduled for a tour of England, as had been earlier reported by ESPNcricinfo.Cricket West Indies (CWI) has had a stringent policy of picking only those players who are active in the domestic one-day tournament for 50-over internationals. But, with one eye on putting the best XI on the park, the board and the West Indies Players Association have called a truce.On September 30, the top-eight ranked teams as per the ICC will gain automatic qualification to the next World Cup. CWI chief executive Johnny Grave admitted to the possibility that West Indies – ranked ninth, 10 points below their closest rival – might not make the cut. Should that be the case, West Indies will then have to go through a 10-team qualifying tournament and unless they end up in the top two, they won’t make the showpiece event in England in 2019.”We recognise that it is highly unlikely that we will now automatically qualify for the 2019 World Cup, so whilst the qualifying tournament has yet to be confirmed by ICC, we may only have eight ODIs against England and New Zealand in the next six months to prepare,” Grave said. “It is crucial that we can have our best performing Windies players available for selection in these important games.”Grave also indicated that the CWI’s cricket committee was due to present their findings on player eligibility criteria by the end of July. These recommendations will then be put forward at the board of directors meeting in September. But in the meantime, “all CWI registered players will be available for selection” the press release said.Additionally, CWI is compiling a list of all male and female and age-group players in the system. “This will show commitment on the part of the players to be available for the format/s of the game they wish to play; a commitment to participate in the regional set-up and to honour the system to be in place by then,” board president Dave Cameron said. “We must be able to identify the full slate and categories of players we have in the West Indies.”

New Zealand aim to cap off their successful tour of Ireland with a win against Bangladesh, even while their opponents eye their first win against New Zealand away from home

The Preview by Mohammad Isam23-May-2017Match factsWednesday, May 24, 2017
Start time 10.45 local (0945 GMT)1:17

‘Good to get back into ODI cricket’ – Henry

Big PictureNew Zealand, on account of winning their first three games of the tri-series, have already won the tournament but will look to keep their perfect record in Ireland intact as they play their last game against Bangladesh. In the context of the tournament, the game is a dead rubber, but both teams will look to finish strongly before they move to England for the Champions Trophy.New Zealand have some of their IPL stars back, having already made their presence felt in the last game against Ireland where Corey Anderson, Matt Henry and Adam Milne all took part in dismantling Ireland by 190 runs. Tom Latham, Luke Ronchi, Ross Taylor and Colin Munro are also in form, having made runs during this tri-series.Jeetan Patel’s addition to their squad means that looking ahead to the Champions Trophy from this point, New Zealand will have an additional spin option. Patel has taken 10 wickets at an average of 35.30 for Warwickshire in the Royal London One-Day Cup.Bangladesh will want to get one back at New Zealand, having lost to them in all four ODIs they’ve played since December last year. The two sides also meet in the final group match in the Champions Trophy, and a win would certainly boost their morale.Tamim Iqbal and Soumya Sarkar have shown good form but Sabbir Rahman, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan are yet to play a significant innings in Ireland. Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain would also have to find a way to get more runs in the slog overs.Bangladesh’s bowling too must prove, especially going into the Champions Trophy, that it doesn’t entirely rely on Mustafizur Rahman for the wickets and Shakib Al Hasan for control. Mashrafe Mortaza, Rubel Hossain, Sunzamul Islam and Mehedi Hasan all have to find a way to deal with a higher-ranked opposition in these conditions.Soumya Sarkar has struck 61 and 87 not out in the tournament, scoring his first fifty in nearly two years•Sportsfile via Getty ImagesForm guideNew Zealand WWWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh WLLWLIn the spotlightColin Munro blazed 44 off 15 balls against Ireland in their last game, finding his groove with his slogs and switch-hits quite quickly. New Zealand didn’t pick him for the Champions Trophy, which means Munro has another chance to make his exclusion look silly.After being without an ODI fifty for nearly two years, Soumya Sarkar now has scores of 61 and 87 not out in the tri-series. It bodes well for the left-hand opener who has been an iffy selection in ODIs since last year. Another big score would get him best prepared for the Champions Trophy.Team newsNew Zealand included Matt Henry, Adam Milne and Corey Anderson in the XI in their last game, and they are unlikely to make any changes after their 190-run win against Ireland.New Zealand: (probable) 1 Luke Ronchi (wk), 2 Tom Latham (capt), 3 Neil Broom, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Corey Anderson, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Colin Munro, 8 Adam Milne, 9 Scott Kuggeleijn, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Matt HenryTaskin Ahmed, Shafiul Islam and Subashis Roy are options available as replacements for Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain. Imrul Kayes and Nasir Hossain, too, are up for selection if the team management wants to give their batsmen a break.Bangladesh: (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Mosaddek Hossain, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 9 Sunzamul Islam, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Mustafizur RahmanPitch and conditionsIt promises to be a clear day in Dublin with no rain. The side batting first has averaged around 227 in the last five ODIs at the venue, though Bangladesh’s 257 for 9 wasn’t safe in the last game here, also against New Zealand. So bowling first may be the better choice for the side that wins the toss.Stats and trivia In 16 attempts, Bangladesh have never defeated New Zealand in an ODI outside homeIn New Zealand-Bangladesh ODIs, Ross Taylor has the most runs (663) and most centuries (2) Shakib Al Hasan has a chance to lead the wicket-takers’ list in New Zealand-Bangladesh ODIs, as he is now tied with Kyle Mills on 33 wickets. The next highest among active players is Rubel Hossain’s 19 wicketsQuotes”Hopefully we can finish off strong. They boys have had a lot of success. It is the last game, so hopefully we can sign off with another good win.”

Everton have made only one signing so far this summer, with Ashley Young joining the Toffees on a free transfer, and although he will bring a wealth of experience to the club, it is hardly the marquee name that the supporters expect.

More arrivals will be required in order for Sean Dyche’s men to avoid yet another Premier League relegation battle and with this in mind, they have been linked with a move for Nigerian striker Victor Boniface ahead of 2023/24.

How much will Victor Boniface cost?

According to Nigerian outlet Football Rover, the Merseyside outfit have emerged as a contender to lure him away from Belgian side Union St-Gilloise in order to bolster their attacking options.

USG value the 22-year-old at just €12m (£10m) and although Dyche will have some money to spend during the transfer window, securing young talent on the cheap will perhaps be a perfect way to approach his transfer business.

They could however, face competition from German side RB Leipzig with regard to a potential move, and with Champions League football being on offer at the Bundesliga outfit next season, Dyche may need to come up with a wonderful offer to lure him to Goodison Park.

Who is Victor Boniface?

The Toffees scored a paltry total of 34 league goals last season which was the second-worst total across the whole top flight, indicating just how poor they were in front of goal.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Neal Maupay and Ellis Simms netted just four times across all competitions between them and this was one of the main reasons why they lingered near the bottom of the table for so long, narrowly escaping the drop.

This clearly highlights the need more one or more new strikers at the club and Boniface should certainly be a wonderful choice.

The 22-year-old plundered 22 goals and grabbed 12 assists for USG last term, which would have made up 65% of Everton’s total league goal tally, suggesting he has the capabilities to improve this next term.

He also averaged 0.9 key passes per game and created four big chances last season for the Belgian side in the league, indicating that he could offer more than just a clinical goal threat, linking up well with others around him. As such, he could form a solid partnership with Dwight McNeil.

The Englishman recorded seven goals and three assists, emerging as their top scorer, yet his abilities on the wing could allow Boniface to flourish and score even more should he make the move to Everton.

McNeil delivered 0.5 crosses into the penalty area per 90 across the previous 365 days and with Boniface scoring five headers during 2022/23, he could reap his rewards by getting on the end of regular deliveries into the box from the Everton gem.

The 23-year-old led the way with big chances created (11) while ranking second for key passes per game (1.4) across the whole Everton squad during the 2022/23 league season.

It's these creative qualities that could also generate plenty of chances for the Nigerian starlet, who has shown a keen eye for goal during the embryonic stages of his career.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig lauded Boniface for being “on fire” alongside compatriots such as Victor Osimhen and Terem Moffi and judging by his statistics over the previous 12 months, he could be a wonderful addition to the Everton squad.

Tottenham Hotspur are "sounding out" Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic as a possible replacement for Harry Kane, a player they had plans to sign "last year".

Who will Spurs sign?

Spurs and new manager Ange Postecoglou are busy preparing for the 2023/2024 season behind-closed-doors, having already sealed deals for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, playmaker James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon.

The trio join Dejan Kulusevski, who's put pen to paper on a permanent deal from Juve after 18 months on loan, and right-back Pedro Porro who's signed indefinitely from Sporting Lisbon.

Maddison, who signed from Leicester City for around £45 million, is a player who particularly excites Postecoglou – as the Australian explained in his most recent Spurs press conference.

“Really excited to get him as part of the group,” Postecoglou said on the England international.

“Any manager will tell you that part of the key to being a dominant team is having multiple attacking threats and having a midfielder who can score and create goals, they’re not easy to come by.

“We’re going to need leadership on the field and he feels like he can be a player who does that.”

While the north Londoners are thought to prioritising central defensive additions right now, leading to reports they're closing in on a deal for Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven, there are suggestions Tottenham could add more firepower after Maddison.

According to Football Transfers, Tottenham are even "sounding out" Serbia international forward Vlahovic as a potential replacement for Kane should he leave.

The latter star is attracting serious interest from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, and even though chairman Daniel Levy is reluctant to sell, there could be a decision to make given Kane is out-of-contract in just 12 months.

Vlahovic, as a result, is being targeted by Spurs with this FT report also claiming he is a player they "had plans" to sign "last year".

Juve are thought to be open to selling if they receive a suitable offer for their talisman, who finished last season as their top goalscorer in Serie A.

How good is Dusan Vlahovic?

The 23-year-old arguably didn't have his best campaign last term, scoring 10 goals in assisting two others in the Italian top flight, but he has previously shone.

Over the 2021/2022 season, Vlahovic bagged a brilliant 17 goals in just 21 Fiorentina starts before signing for Juventus – prolific numbers for such a young centre-forward.

His scintillating form for La Viola attracted praise from members of the media and pundts alike, with journalist Jack Gallagher calling Vlahovic a "perfect" front man.

Meanwhile, former Man City star Micah Richards called the £215,000-per-week star "lightning" in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I have watched him a couple of times now,” Richards said (via The Independent).

“He is lightning. It’s ridiculous. He has got 16 in 18 this season. His left foot is like a wand. I am telling you now, he is everything, he is everything you need.”

With both teams loaded with power-hitters at the top, the onus is on the bowling units at a venue that favours run scoring

The Preview by Sreshth Shah28-Apr-2017Match factsGujarat Lions v Mumbai Indians
Rajkot, April 29, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)Form guide

Gujarat Lions (sixth): defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets, lost to Kings XI Punjab by 26 runs,defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets

Mumbai Indians (second): lost to Rising Pune Supergiant by three runs, defeated Delhi Daredevils by 14 runs, defeated Kings XI by eight wickets

Head to headThis seasonOn a batting-friendly surface at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai chased down Lions’ score of 176 – courtesy a 36-ball 53 from Nitish Rana and useful contributions from Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard – to win with six wickets to spare.OverallLions won both their meetings against Mumbai in the previous season.In the newsDwayne Smith was left out of Lions’ XI during their last match against Royal Challengers. James Faulker – his replacement – was economical and Lions may stick with him. Irfan Pathan, a replacement for Dwayne Bravo, is available for selection.Allrounder Krunal Pandya has recovered from the illness that kept him out of Mumbai’s previous game, but his selection will be subject to a fitness test before the match. Ambati Rayudu announced on Twitter this week that he had fully recovered from a groin injury he suffered early in the tournament. He said he had been “training hard and eagerly awaiting a call up”.The likely XIsGujarat Lions: 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Ishan Kishan, 3 Suresh Raina (capt), 4 Aaron Finch, 5 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 James Faulkner, 8 Andrew Tye, 9 Basil Thampi, 10 Nathu Singh, 11 Ankit SoniMumbai Indians: 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Rohit Sharma (capt), 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya/Karn Sharma, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Mitchell Johnson/Lasith Malinga, 11 Jasprit BumrahStrategy PuntLions’ bowlers could attack Nitish Rana with the short ball early. Despite his success against the short ball, Rana has been out in the previous two innings attempting to pull bouncers from Dan Christian and Pat Cummins.Stats that matter Mumbai’s pace-attack has two left-arm quicks in McClenaghan and Johnson, but left-arm pacers struggle at Rajkot. They concede 116 runs in 66 balls with an average of 58 runs per wicket. Off their eight games, Lions have scored 170-plus totals five times. They have also conceded 170-plus total six times. Nathu Singh has bowled four overs in two games but has only gone for 15 runs. His economy of 3.75 is the best in the IPL. Mumbai have not breached the 160-run mark this season when Nitish Rana has made a single-digit score. Brendon McCullum enjoys batting against Jasprit Bumrah. Off 19 balls in four innings, McCullum has hit him for 37 runs. Against Lasith Malinga, though, McCullum has been dismissed four out of seven times. Harbhajan Singh has dismissed Suresh Raina five times, the most by a bowler against Raina in the IPL. Andrew Tye takes a wicket for every 11 runs he concedes in the IPL. Lions have used 16 bowlers, but Tye has taken 12 of the 33 wickets their bowlers have earned. Aaron Finch has a strike rate of less than 100 against three Mumbai bowlers: off Krunal Pandya, he has managed only 7 runs in 12 balls. Against Malinga, he has scored only 13 runs in 18 balls. Against Mitchell Johnson, Finch has scored 32 runs off 35 balls. Johnson has also removed Finch three times, the most by a single bowler to him. Rohit Sharma has hit only three boundaries in 68 balls against Ravindra Jadeja and has been out twice. Dhawal Kulkarni concedes 9.48 runs per over against Rohit – going for 49 runs in 31 balls – but has dismissed him four times.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to continue their revolution under Ange Postecoglou, with one more creative target having piqued their interest.

What's the latest on Hakan Calhanoglu to Tottenham?

The latest player in question is Hakan Calhanoglu, with his links to a north London switch coming courtesy of InterLive.it.

Appreciated by the Lilywhites among other English clubs, the report suggests that Inter Milan must keep an eye out on the growing Premier League interest, with special reference to Spurs.

This is due to the €35m (£30m) bid they could be set to make, in an effort to force the hand of the Nerazzurri.

Would Hakan Calhanoglu improve Tottenham?

With a past as a leading attacking midfielder, but having since reverted into more of a well-rounded deep-lying playmaker of late, the Turkey international could offer impeccable balance to Postecoglou's new-look side, and hand James Maddison a perfect new partner with which to kickstart his career at this club alongside.

The early parts of his career in the number ten role have afforded this 29-year-old magician remarkable technical prowess, however with a work rate and defensive know-how that few would have predicted to emerge, Calhanoglu has arguably never been as influential as he is right now.

He starred in the heart of Simone Inzaghi's side that reached the Champions League final, whilst also thriving in the Serie A too.

In fact, his 7.31 average rating in the league was the highest in the entire division. This was a figure largely buoyed by his nine goal contributions, 88% pass accuracy, 2.2 key passes and 1.5 tackles per game, via Sofascore.

This has hardly been a surprising season though, as former boss Stefano Pioli always expected big things from him. Especially given he had branded him a "leader on the pitch and "an intelligent player" only in 2020.

Having slowly slipped further down the pitch as he has grown older, it is hard not to draw comparisons with another ageing creator in Christian Eriksen.

The Denmark international spent seven fine years in north London, recording 159 goal contributions across 305 games, and becoming a fine fan favourite before his eventual exit to the Milan club in question. The 2016/17 season arguably saw him at his offensive best, with his 7.46 average rating feeding into the eight goals and 15 assists he would record in the league, via Sofascore.

Given the 31-year-old now plies his trade at Manchester United, in a role similar to the one Calhanoglu occupies for Inter, these similarities are only intensified.

To place him alongside Maddison, who would offer a much-needed injection of goals to the Spurs midfield, could see them strike up a fine partnership which is both balanced enough to defend, but potent enough to threaten opposition defences.

Last term the former Leicester City man notched ten goals and nine assists in a league campaign where his team would fall to the drop. However, averaging 1.7 tackles per game suggest he is more than capable of operating alongside another, to share both the offensive and defensive workload.

As Postecoglou has earned success in the past by deploying two attack-minded eights within his systems, these two creative leaders could provide the ideal balance to spearhead a press and back up the imperious Harry Kane.

Ravi Shastri, the former team director, felt that the current compensation structure for India’s cricketers left a lot to be desired

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Apr-2017Former team director Ravi Shastri has issued heavy criticism of the recently revised payment structure for India’s cricketers.Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators that now runs the BCCI had doubled the Grade A contracts from INR 1 crore to INR 2 crore (USD 300,000 approx). However, it was later learnt that the hike did not meet the player’s demands. Shastri felt similarly underwhelmed. “Two crore is nothing, two crore is peanuts,” he told reporters in Mumbai.The major point of contention centred around the current method of revenue sharing. The board receives a lion’s share of its income through television rights and 70% of it goes to the state associations. Additionally, the players were not pleased that their salaries were lower than counterparts in Australia and England.Sources suggested that Joe Root and Steven Smith were paid INR 8 crore to INR 12 crore. In comparison, the Grade A contracted players in the Indian team – Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, M Vijay and MS Dhoni – were on INR 2 crore retainers.”The grade contracts of a Test player should be the highest.” Shastri said. “Pujara should be the highest, on par with the top players. Your A grade contracts should be massive. I know it has been increased by double but there is room for [more].”An ‘A’ grade cricketer like Pujara should get a massive amount where he is not bothered whether he plays IPL or not. In fact, he will be happy, he can say ‘I will play two months of county cricket’.”There had been no changes to India’s retainer contracts since 2010. The first steps to the current revisions were taken earlier this month when head coach Anil Kumble met with the CoA on behalf of the players.

Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay have been included in Grade A category of annual contracts announced by the BCCI today

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-20171:46

Kalra: Test performers not shortchanged

The BCCI’s contract list for 2016-17

Grade A (Rs 2 crore): Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, R Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, M Vijay.
In: Pujara (moved up), Jadeja (up), Vijay (up).
Grade B (Rs 1 crore): Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Wriddhiman Saha, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuvraj Singh.
In: Rahul (moved up), Saha (up), Bumrah, Yuvraj.
Out: Suresh Raina, M Vijay (moved up), Pujara (up), Rayudu (down), Dhawan (down).
Grade C (Rs 50 lakh): Shikhar Dhawan, Ambati Rayudu, Amit Mishra, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Karun Nair, Hardik Pandya, Ashish Nehra, Kedar Jadhav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Parthiv Patel, Jayant Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shardul Thakur, Rishabh Pant.
In: Dhawan (moved down), Rayudu (down), Pandey, Nair, Pandya, Nehra, Jadhav, Chahal, Patel, Jayant, Singh, Thakur, Pant.
Out: Stuart Binny, Mohit Sharma, Varun Aaron, Karn Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, S Aravind, Jadeja (moved up), Saha (up), Rahul (up).

Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara and M Vijay have broken into the Grade-A category of the new annual contracts announced by the BCCI today. The trio joins Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, R Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane in the top bracket, the upgrade recognition of a prolific home season. The annual retainership for this grade of contract has also increased to INR 2 crore (USD 300,000 approx), double what was offered to Grade-A contract holders when the previous list was out in November 2015. The new contracts are for a year from October 1, 2016, to September 30, 2017.The BCCI has also doubled the retainers for the remaining two categories. Players in Grade B will now earn INR 1 crore (USD 150,000 approx) while those in Grade C will get INR 50 lakh (USD 75,000) per year. The match fee per ODI and T20I has also been increased* from INR 4 lakh to INR 6 lakh (USD 9,000 approx) per ODI and from INR 2 lakh to INR 3 lakh (USD 4,500 approx) per T20I. For Test-match fees, the BCCI has stuck to the decision taken last October to increase the amount from INR 7 lakh (USD 10,000 approx) to INR 15 lakh (USD 23,000 approx).The biggest beneficiaries in the new contracts are the Saurashtra pair of Jadeja and Pujara. The hike for Jadeja, who moved past Ashwin to become the No. 1 Test bowler after the Ranchi Test, is eight times his previous contract, which was worth INR 25 lakh (Grade C). Pujara, who plays only Tests and is currently No. 2 on the batting rankings, will get four times his previous retainer of INR 50 lakh (Grade B).The highest-profile name to miss out on the list of 32 is Suresh Raina; he was not given a contract, having been slotted into Grade B the previous time.KL Rahul and Wriddhiman Saha have moved up into Grade B, while limited-overs specialists Jasprit Bumrah and Yuvraj Singh are awarded contracts (both Grade B) after not featuring in the previous list. Shikhar Dhawan and Ambati Rayudu have moved down from Grade B to C.The decision to revamp the central contracts and match fees was taken by the BCCI management in conjunction with the Supreme-Court appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA). Kohli had conveyed to the BCCI top brass last October that the players wanted their central contracts revised. Reportedly, Kohli met with CoA head Vinod Rai earlier this month, after the Bangalore Test against Australia, to offer his thoughts. The issue was also discussed in several meetings among the CoA, BCCI chief executive officer Rahul Johri and MV Sridhar, the board’s game development manager.Vinod Rai, the chairman of the CoA, said the revision of the central contracts was long overdue. “From 2010 onwards it [the central contracts] has not been been reviewed. So we have taken inputs from lots of people and we have reviewed it,” Rai said. Ramachandra Guha, part of the four-member CoA, said the hike was also an “acknowldgement” of India climbing to No. 1 in Tests.An important consideration for the BCCI in revising the contracts was to safeguard the interests of players like Pujara, who do not play in all three formats and lucrative tournaments like the IPL.*18.00GMT, March 22: The article had previously said the ODI and T20 match fees had been doubled.