Category Uncategorized

Madushanka was out of the ODIs with a knee injury, whereas Pathirana wasn’t part of T20I squad because of an infection

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2025

Bhanuka Rajapaksa last played a T20I in January this year•ICC/Getty Images

Dasun Shanaka has been named Sri Lanka’s vice-captain for the upcoming T20I tri-series that will also involve Pakistan and Zimbabwe. Fast bowler Eshan Malinga, meanwhile, is in line to make his debut in the same series while also being included in the ODI squad for the three matches against Pakistan before the tri-series begins.Uncapped middle-order batter Pavan Rathnayake, 23, is named in the ODI squad. This is reward for longer-term domestic performance rather than recent form, though he did hit a List A hundred at the end of July.Dilshan Madushanka has been ruled out of the ODI series as he hasn’t yet recovered from a knee injury, and was replaced by Malinga, whereas Matheesha Pathirana isn’t a part of the T20I squad as he is recovering from an upper respiratory tract infection. Pathirana was replaced by Asitha Fernando.Top-order batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who last played a T20I at the start of the year, was back in the squad for the shortest format, having missed two bilateral series and the Asia Cup since then. His recall is partly down to some explosive batting in the recent SLC T20 tournament, in which he struck at 163 across four innings. Sri Lanka have generally struggled for firepower in the middle order.The exclusion of Nuwanidu Fernando, meanwhile, is despite him having top-scored in that SLC T20 tournament. His runs came at a strike rate of 124, however.Left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage didn’t find a spot in either of the 16-member squads, but he will lead Sri Lanka A in the Rising Stars T20 Asia Cup in Doha later this month, with Nuwanidu also named in that squad.Sri Lanka’s ODIs against Pakistan are all scheduled to be played in Rawalpindi, on November 11, 13 and 15. Those will be followed by the tri-series from November 17 in Rawalpindi and Lahore, with the final slated for November 29.Sri Lanka squadsODIs: Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Eshan MalingaT20I tri-series: Charith Asalanka (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka (vice-capt), Kamindu Mendis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Asitha Fernando, Eshan Malinga

Sky Sports reported on Monday that Celtic are closing in on the appointment of Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy as their successor to Brendan Rodgers in the dugout at Parkhead.

The Hoops are poised to make the French tactician their new permanent manager, which will end Martin O’Neill’s time in interim charge after he takes the next two matches.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it will not be long before the incoming head coach will have the chance to bring his own players in to bolster the squad.

Celtic set to make move for new centre-forward

According to The Scottish Sun, Nancy is set to make a move for Columbus Crew centre-forward Wessam Abou Ali as one of his first transfer targets in January to add to his options at the top end of the pitch.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The report claims that the incoming Celtic manager views the Palestine international as a ‘perfect goalscoring machine’ and wants to reunite with him at Parkhead ahead of the second half of the 2025/26 campaign.

It adds, though, that Columbus Crew and Nancy only signed him in July from Egyptian giants Al Ahly for £5.7m, which means that the Hoops will have to pay a fee in excess of that as he has only been with the American side for a matter of months.

If the Scottish Premiership champions can seal a £6m+ deal for the MLS sensation in the January transfer window, it could end Johnny Kenny’s career at Parkhead.

How Abou Ali could end Kenny's Celtic career

Kenny has scored four goals in five matches under O’Neill, which is an impressive return, but he was subbed off at half-time in the 1-0 win over St Mirren in the Premiership last weekend.

The Ireland international has been playing as the main number nine due to an injury to first-choice number nine Kelechi Iheanacho, who is on his way back in the coming weeks.

This suggests that the arrival of a big-money centre-forward signing could put him third in the pecking order, behind Abou Ali and Iheanacho, when they are all fit and available, which may make him consider his short-term future in Glasgow.

Kenny has shown, with five goals this season, that he can be a capable goalscorer at this level. This means that he could find another club where he can play regularly and score goals consistently, if that does not continue at Parkhead.

Abou Ali has scored three goals in five matches for Nancy in the MLS for Columbus Crew since his move in the summer, after he scored three goals in three games at the Club World Cup.

Celtic’s potential CF upgrade
Season	Abou Ali	Kenny
2025/26	6 goals	5 goals
2024/25	15 goals	6 goals
2023/24	19 goals	13 goals
2022/23	10 goals	5 goals
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the Palestine international has outscored Kenny in each of the last four seasons in all competitions, which suggests that he would be a much better option for Nancy to call upon up front for Celtic.

Abou Ali was described as a “clinical” and “proven” goalscorer by Columbus Crew General Manager Issa Tall, and his statistics suggest that was an accurate description of his qualities.

The 26-year-old scored three goals from 0.75 xG in the MLS in the 2025 campaign and bagged three goals without missing a single ‘big chance’ at the Club World Cup, per Sofascore, which shows that he is a lethal finisher.

Therefore, the Columbus Crew centre-forward could be a fantastic signing who could lead the line impressively for the Hoops, whilst also potentially ending Kenny’s career at the club, as falling down the pecking order may force him to reconsider his future.

£1.5m Celtic flop has been an even bigger waste of time than Balikwisha

This Celtic flop has been an even worse signing than Michel-Ange Balikwisha for the Scottish giants.

1

By
Dan Emery

Nov 25, 2025

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is being made to sweat over the fitness of one Spurs star ahead of their vital North London derby clash with Arsenal.

Frank’s side are desperately seeking to end their dismal run against Arsenal and salvage pride in one of English football’s most intense rivalries.

Tottenham have lost seven of the last nine North London derbies, and it’s been 14 years since the Lilywhites last won away to Arsenal in the Premier League. These shocking statistics hang heavy over Frank, who’s faced criticism for Spurs’ lack of creativity in open play this season.

Spurs are also faced with the mountainous task of breaking down a water-tight Arsenal backline which boasts the most superior defensive record in Europe’s top five leagues.

Mikel Arteta’s title chasers went on an historic eight-game run without conceding a single goal before their 2-2 draw with Sunderland, so you could hardly ask for a worse time to come up against Arsenal, who also splashed nearly £270 million on a plethora of new stars in the summer transfer window.

In 65 league visits to Arsenal, Spurs have won only twice, with their rivals triumphing 26 times. Even more concerning, Tottenham have failed to keep a clean sheet in a staggering 25 consecutive Premier League games away to the Gunners, a record that stretches back over a decade, and Arsenal have won 84 matches in the all-time head-to-head compared to Spurs’ 61.

Make no mistake, Arsenal dominate the derby, but there’s real encouragement to be found in Spurs’ overall away record this season.

An excellent run of four wins, one draw and zero defeats outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has catapulted them to top of the away form table with an average of 2.60 points per game, though Frank will be hoping as many players as possible will be back in contention after a mini-injury crisis.

No other top-flight has more men out of action right now, with as many as 11 sidelined.

Dejan Kulusevski

Knee

29/11/2025

James Maddison

ACL

01/06/2026

Radu Dragusin

Knee

22/11/2025

Ben Davies

Thigh

23/11/2025

Kota Takai

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Mohammed Kudus

Knock

23/11/2025

Randal Kolo Muani

Jaw

23/11/2025

Yves Bissouma

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Lucas Bergvall

Concussion

23/11/2025

Dominic Solanke

Ankle

23/11/2025

Archie Gray

Calf/Shin/Heel

23/11/2025

via Premier Injuries

Star winger Mohammed Kudus missed Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Man United and their 4-0 win over Copenhagen with a knock, with the Ghanaian also not called up for his national team’s friendlies against Japan and South Korea. Meanwhile, striker Dominic Solanke is “unlikely” to feature against Arsenal amid his slow recovery from what was once deemed a ‘minor’ ankle problem.

It remains to be seen how long Randal Kolo Muani will be out for too, after he fractured his jaw against United.

Frank sweating over Lucas Bergvall ahead of North London derby after injury setback

There is also the matter of young midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who’s been missing since their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea due to a concussion.

The 19-year-old was sent home from international duty earlier this week after initially being included in Graham Potter’s first ever Sweden squad, with national team official Stefan Pettersson now revealing he was withdrawn due to a ‘setback during training’.

Pettersson, speaking to the media, says they didn’t hesitate sending Bergvall back to N17 after a “reaction” to testing.

The teenager has been a revelation ever since arriving at Tottenham in an £8.5 million deal from Djurgardens.

Bergvall’s managed 60 total appearances for the club already, enjoying a fantastic September with successive Player of the Match awards and his first Premier League goal for the club against West Ham.

Frank’s preferred midfield partnership of Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha has largely kept Bergvall out of the starting eleven recently, but the tactician will be hoping that he can upon his fellow Scandinavian from the bench for their all-important clash on enemy turf.

The two starting pitchers for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game have officially been announced, and the choices aren't really surprising to anyone.

Reigning NL Rookie of the Year and NL Cy Young award favorite Paul Skenes will start for the National League. The Pittsburgh Pirates ace leads MLB with a 2.01 ERA with four wins and eight losses. He's pitched 121 innings so far this season, and posted 131 strikeouts, with 82 hits, 27 earned runs and six home runs hit on him.

It's Skenes's second year in a row starting the All-Star Game, and since it's only his second year in MLB, it means he's started in every All-Star Game he's appeared in. That's quite an impressive feat.

On the American League side, Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will make his second-straight All-Star appearance. It will be his first All-Star start, though. Like Skenes, Skubal is the favorite to win the AL Cy Young award.

Skubal's posted a 2.23 ERA with 10 wins and three losses. He's pitched 121 innings and thrown 153 strikeouts, the second most in MLB this season. He's given up 84 hits, 30 earned runs and nine home runs.

The 2025 MLB All-Star Game beings at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 15 at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Only once has a Women’s World Cup game seen more runs than the 661 that India and Australia put up on Sunday

Deep Gadhia12-Oct-20253:54

Review: Healy was Australia’s bedrock

331 – The target Australia chased down against India in the Women’s World Cup 2025 on Sunday. This is the highest successful chase in women’s ODI history, going past Sri Lanka’s chase of 302 against South Africa at Potchefstroom in 2024.142 – Alyssa Healy’s score, which is the third-highest by a captain in the World Cup after Belinda Clark’s 227* in 1997 and Meg Lanning’s 152* in 2017. This was Healy’s first century leading Australia in ODIs.Healy’s 142 is also the second-highest score against India in ODIs, and the highest in World Cups.Related

• Sutherland's sleight of hand conjures priceless Australia win

• Harmanpreet rues India's 6 for 36 collapse against Australia

• Healy, Perry seal all-time classic for Australia

661 – Runs aggregated by both teams in Visakhapatnam, the second-highest for a World Cup game, bettered only by the 678 that England and South Africa made in Bristol 2017.82 for 0 – Australia’s score in the first powerplay, the highest they have scored in the first 10 overs of an ODI (where ball-by-ball data is available). It is also the second-highest in World Cups after New Zealand hit 84 for 1 against Pakistan in Taunton in 2017.ESPNcricinfo Ltd330 – India’s score in the first innings, which is their highest in the World Cup, going past 318 for 7 against West Indies in Hamilton in 2022.It was also the first instance of a team scoring over 300 against Australia in World Cups. There have only been two scores of 300 or more against the defending champions, with India scoring both of them in consecutive ODIs, in Delhi last month and in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.5022 – Smriti Mandhana’s ODI run tally. She became the second Indian, after Mithali Raj, and the fifth batter overall to breach the 5000-run mark in ODIs. She completed the milestone in 112 innings, making her the fastest of the five. West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor (129 innings) was the previous fastest.1062 – Mandhana’s ODI run tally in 2025. She became the first batter to score 1000-plus runs in ODIs in a calendar year. Mandhana had gone past Belinda Clark’s mark of 970 runs in 1997 in the previous match against South Africa and was 18 away from the milestone when she started bating against Australia. She made 80 off 66 on Sunday.ESPNcricinfo Ltd5 – consecutive fifty-plus scores for Mandhana against Australia in ODI cricket. She has aggregated 485 runs in these last five innings, including three hundreds and two fifties. Mandhana also has five fifty-plus scores against West Indies between 2017-2024, making her the only batter to do this against multiple opponents.155 – Runs that Mandhana and Pratika Rawal put on together, making it the highest opening partnership against Australia in ODIs. This was the fourth century stand for the first wicket for India in World Cups, the first since Mandhana and Punam Raut’s 144-run stand against England in the 2017 edition.5 for 40 – Birthday girl Annabel Sutherland’s figures. She registered her maiden five-wicket haul in international cricket on the day she turned 24. She also became the first woman to pick up a five-for on her birthday.

Ryan Mason is certainly feeling the pressure of being an EFL manager on his shoulders right now at West Bromwich Albion.

Three wins from his opening four games in the Championship as the Baggies’ new head coach helped to lift some early tension, but with seven defeats now next to West Brom’s name in the competitive league, he isn’t looking at ease in the Hawthorns hot seat.

It could have been so different for the West Midlands outfit last time out on the road to top-of-the-table Coventry City, though, as a Aune Heggebo brace saw the visitors race into an unlikely 2-0 lead.

Yet, a red card to Jayson Molumby would ultimately aid the free-flowing Sky Blues, as a 3-2 victory was eventually secured.

Mason will hope he can guide his underperforming team out of this sticky patch and that no knee-jerk decisions happen from the powers that be, with lots of contracts set to expire down the line, which he could have a say over.

Contract issues at West Brom

A number of contracts are set to expire at the Hawthorns next summer, with Mason hopeful he will still be manager for the foreseeable future, regardless of his side underperforming as of late in 17th spot in the second tier.

Josh Maja is one notable name that catches the eye when running through those whose contracts are in play until June 2026, with the injury-prone attacker only starting four games this season, having had to now settle for fewer minutes up against the aforementioned Heggebo.

Only one goal has come the £17k-per-week striker’s way from those limited starts, too, next to the Norwegian’s heftier tally of four, with his injury issues another factor to consider as to whether West Brom will hand him an extended deal or not.

Karlan Grant will also be worrying about his future up until the mid-point of next year, with zero goals or assists next to his name this season, while Daryl Dike will surely be sensing that the end of his injury-plagued Baggies career is in sight next year when his deal ceases to be, as the American remains unsurprisingly sidelined still.

He also takes home a whopping £25k-per-week salary, despite his long-standing injury troubles.

However, he isn’t the only high earner that could soon be taken off the Baggies wage bill, as this Hawthorns veteran – who earns more than first team personnel Heggebo and Mikey Johnston – potentially waves goodbye to the Championship club shortly.

The West Brom high earner who could soon be axed

During West Brom’s slump in form, former Celtic winger Johnston has still been a regular scorer of some sweet strikes, such as the one that was hammered home back in October.

Amazingly, though, when looking at West Brom’s wage costs, Jed Wallace comes in as earning more than the standout duo, having also banked £25k-per-week this season, like Dike, as per Capology, even when consistently finding himself out of Mason’s starting XI.

Wallace’s West Brom numbers this season

Stat

Wallace

Games played

9

Games started

4

Goals scored

1

Assists

0

Wage costs

£25k-per-week

Contract expiry date

June 2026

Sourced by Sofascore/Capology

Once upon a time, though, in the West Midlands, Wallace was seen as a constant source of creativity down the flanks, with six goals and eight assists picked up during his debut season at the club seeing his former boss Steve Bruce hail him as a “massive asset” to have around the place.

Unfortunately for the ex-Millwall forward, he isn’t producing those same electric numbers now, though, with only two goals coming his way across his last 40 outings in the demanding Championship.

Heggebo managed to put away that same amount just from the tie at the CBS Arena, yet, the former Brann striker only takes home a £15k-per-week pay packet.

Moreover, Johnston, who terrorised Coventry during the first half with two assists, also falls behind with a £12.5-per-week salary.

Therefore, although Isaac Price has been complimentary of his fellow Baggies midfielder this season by stating that he “leads the dressing room”, and he has had past moments of magic, Wallace could soon be shoved to the exit door when his contract expires this coming June – alongside the likes of Dike and Grant – off the back of his performances continuing to dip.

Related Forget Price: £3m “lion” is West Brom’s best signing since Corberan left

West Bromwich Albion could now have stumbled upon their best signing since Carlos Corberan left in this £3m battler.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Oct 30, 2025

Pakistan chased down 205 in just 16 overs – another record

Sampath Bandarupalli21-Mar-202516 Overs Pakistan needed to chase down 205 against New Zealand in the third T20I in Auckland. It was the earliest any team completed a 200-plus chase in T20Is. The previous fastest was in 17.4 overs by South Africa, who chased down 206 against West Indies in the opening game of the 2007 T20 World Cup.2 This was Pakistan’s second-highest successful chase in T20Is. The 208 they chased against West Indies in 2021 in Karachi remains their highest.4 This was the fourth time New Zealand failed to defend 200 or more in T20Is. Three of those games were played at Eden Park.ESPNcricinfo Ltd44 Balls Hasan Nawaz took to bring up his hundred, the fastest for Pakistan in T20Is. The previous record was 49 balls by Babar Azam against South Africa in 2021.4 Batters, including Nawaz, who followed up successive ducks with a century in men’s T20Is. Rilee Rossouw (100 vs India in 2022), Rohit Sharma (121* vs Afghanistan in 2024) and Sanju Samson (109* vs South Africa in 2024) are the other three. Nawaz is the only one to start his career with two ducks and score a hundred in the third game.7 Sixes hit by Nawaz, the joint-most by a Pakistan batter in T20Is alongside Mohammad Rizwan, who also hit seven against South Africa in 2021.12 Sixes hit by Pakistan in their innings, their joint-second-most in a T20I, behind 15 against Ireland in 2024.ESPNcricinfo Ltd75 for 1 Pakistan’s powerplay score on Friday, their highest in this phase, bettering the 73 against England in 2016. After ten overs,
Pakistan were 124 for 1, 15 runs more than their previous best at that stage.Pakistan reached 100 in 8.1 overs, 150 in 12.2, and 200 in 15.5 – all fastest for them. They also equalled their fastest team fifty in the format, in four overs. Their previous fastest team hundred came in nine overs against New Zealand last year, while their quickest 150 was in 13.5 overs against South Africa in 2013. The fastest 200 was in 17.5 overs against South Africa in 2021.3 Instances of a team successfully chasing down 200 or more with nine or more wickets in hand. All three are by Pakistan. They previously chased down 204 against South Africa in 2021 for the loss of one wicket, and secured a ten-wicket win against England in 2022 while chasing 200.84 Runs scored by Pakistan between deep third and fine leg, making most of Eden Park’s short boundaries behind the wicket. These are by far the most a team has scored in that region in a T20I (where ESPNcricinfo has data). The most before Friday was 70 by Australia, also at this very ground during their 244 chase against New Zealand in 2018.

Dawid Malan, Zak Crawley set hosts on way to 193 for 5, the highest score of the men’s tournament since 2023

ECB Media15-Aug-2025

Adil Rashid celebrates with Harry Brook and Matthew Potts after dismissing Jacob Bethell•ECB via Getty Images

Northern Superchargers 193 for 5 (Malan 58, Crawley 45) beat Birmingham Phoenix 157 for 9 (Bethell 48, Livingstone 46*, Potts 3-26, Lawes 2-23, Rashid 2-26, Duffy 2-31) by 36 runsAn absorbing game in front of a capacity Leeds crowd finally went the way of Harry Brook’s Superchargers, who claimed top spot outright in the men’s Hundred following another scintillating batting performance against Birmingham Phoenix.In pursuit of the Superchargers’ 193 for 5 – the highest score in the men’s tournament since the 2023 season – a magnificent partnership of 80 in just 42 balls between Phoenix’s Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell briefly threatened to upset the odds, but the brilliance of Adil Rashid, who removed Bethell caught-and-bowled with 87 still needed from 38 balls, ultimately swung the momentum back to the home team.Livingstone kept swinging after Bethell’s departure but Rashid’s guile was too much for the Phoenix hitters. In a game dominated by the bat, on a flat pitch with a lightning fast outfield, it was the great legspinner who once again proved to be the difference, outfoxing Livingstone with his 17th delivery to settle the contest.The Phoenix top order again failed to fire, with three wickets falling in the powerplay – two of them to the excellent Matthew Potts, who finished up with three. Phoenix now face an uphill task to qualify for the latter stages of the competition.With the bat, the Superchargers’ superb top four were yet again irrepressible. Zak Crawley and Dawid Malan continued their fruitful opening partnership, adding 67 in 31 balls – Crawley was particularly savage on anything wide, racking up six fours and two sixes in his 23-ball stay – before Michael Pepper and then Brook took centre stage.Brook opened his account with an outrageous scoop for six off his first ball, and finished with 31 from just 14 deliveries as the home side added 40 in the last 20 balls.With three wins in four, Andrew Flintoff’s team are emerging as one of the teams to beat in this year’s tournament.Rashid, named the Meerkat Match Hero, said: “I thought we played exceptionally well. We put a great score on the board, which allowed us bowlers to go out there and attack to take wickets. We’ve got world class players all the way through and great firepower in the middle order.”I know their batters are going to come hard at me, so I need to be unpredictable and mix it up. It’s useful for me because I’ve bowled to a lot of these boys in the nets, so I know their strengths and weaknesses as well, which all plays a part. You’re always learning every day, and hopefully I’ll keep learning until the day comes when I hang up the boots.”

Josh Hazlewood’s hopes of playing a part in the Ashes series have suffered another setback after he reported Achilles soreness during the early stages of his return from a hamstring injury.Hazlewood had been due to join the Test squad in Brisbane to continue his recovery but that trip has been shelved. He had returned to bowling off a few paces in Sydney last week having been ruled out of the start of the series after picking up the hamstring injury against Victoria last month.”Josh Hazlewood reported achilles soreness this week during his rehabilitation from recent hamstring injury,” a Cricket Australia statement said. “It is a low-grade issue and he is expected to recommence running and bowling next week.”Related

• Hazlewood returns to training, Cummins arms himself with pink ball

• Hazlewood set to miss Brisbane, Cummins pushes hard for return

• Hazlewood out of Ashes opener with hamstring injury

Hazlewood was never a realistic prospect of featuring in Adelaide but now could face a race to feature in Melbourne or Sydney.It continues a running theme with Hazlewood in recent years of other injuries flaring in the immediate aftermath of a significant injury, and a continuation of calf and Achilles issues.In 2022-23 he suffered a side strain in the first home Test of the summer and missed three Tests before returning. He then suffered ongoing Achilles soreness after his first Test back in early January and missed the entire tour of India in early 2023 and was not selected in the World Test Championship final in June as he was slightly underdone in his recovery.Last summer, Hazlewood suffered a side strain in the opening Test against India and missed the second Test in Adelaide. But after rushing back for the third Test in Brisbane he strained a calf and missed the final two matches of the summer, the tour of Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy before finally returning midway through the IPL.He had an uninterrupted run from there playing in the IPL, the WTC final, three Tests in the Caribbean and the five white-ball series, including different formats, against South Africa, New Zealand and India, until his only Sheffield Shield game of the summer in the lead-in to the Ashes.He strained his hamstring playing for New South Wales against Victoria, which a scan did not initially detect, and there were concerns about a tendon issue. However, Australia coach Andrew McDonald was confident he could still play a part later in the series. But a delay in his running and bowling loads due to Achilles soreness will narrow his chances to appear in either of those Tests.Australia’s pace-bowling depth has been tested in the early stages of the Ashes with Sean Abbott also sidelined by a hamstring injury. Pat Cummins was close to a return at the Gabba but has been held back until Adelaide.

The Dodgers are gearing up for a title defense, slated to take on the Reds in MLB's National League Wild Card. With the series is set to get underway on Tuesday, Sept. 30, the team got some injury news on a pair of key players on Monday.

Max Muncy spoke to reporters and informed them that he'd be available for L.A. on Tuesday. Muncy had missed a chunk of the season with an oblique strain, but returned from the IL on Sept. 8. He's since been hit by multiple pitches, all against the Giants, and ended up missing the final few games of the season while dealing with a bruise on his leg. Fortunately, he appears to be good to go for Tuesday's playoff opener.

The other update the team received was to do with catcher Will Smith. The 30-year-old hasn't played since Sept. 9 and is dealing with a fracture in his right hand. Per Fabian Ardaya of Smith is expected to swing a bat Monday and could face live pitching Monday evening, if swinging feels okay. His status for the series remains uncertain.

The Dodgers finished the 2025 season as the No. 3 seed in the National League, and winners of the NL West. They're looking to become the first team since the 1998-2000 Yankees to win consecutive World Series titles, and having stars such as Muncy and Smith available will be critical towards achieving that goal.

First pitch for Tuesday's game in L.A. is slated for 9:00 p.m. ET.