Sports Bulletin of October 31: From IPL 2025 Retentions to Gautam Gambhir's Desperate Urge

On the auspicious day of Diwali, the flagship story in sports is that the BCCI has released the retention list of the IPL franchises ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.

Apart from keeping a close look at the developments in the IPL vicinity, it has been a busy Thursday (October 31, 2024) in the world of sports. In this article, we shall take a look at Nine stories of the day that you can't miss.

IPL 2025 Retentions Announced

Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni retained by Franchises for IPL 2025

Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are set to continue with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025. The RCB retention list keeps the India stalwart whereas the CSK list has kept the former India captain Dhoni as an uncapped player.

Gujarat Titans release Mohammed Shami

Gujarat Titans have released Mohammed Shami ahead of IPL 2025 auction. The India pacer won't be retained by the franchise, who are keeping Rashid Khan. Shubman Gill, who captained GT in IPL 2024, is going to stay as well.

Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer to appear in IPL 2025 Auction

Rishabh Pant will be going into the auction after leaving Delhi Capitals, so is Shreyas Iyer, who has left Kolkata Knight Riders after captaining them to IPL triumph earlier this year. Both players couldn't come to terms regarding salary with the franchises.

KKR and RR retain Six players ahead of IPL 2025 auction

Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals are the only two IPL franchises who have utilized their full quota of retentions on the deadline. KKR have secured the signings of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine along with two uncapped Indians in Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh. Sanju Samson is RR's highest-paid player along with Yashasvi Jaiswal at Rs 18 crore.

Gautam Gambhir desperate to win Mumbai Test

India head coach Gautam Gambhir believes the team will have to win the 3rd Test against New Zealand, which starts from Friday (November 1) in Mumbai.

"It is simple, we have to try and win. More importantly, when we go to Australia, we should have a win under our belt. It is also a chance for people to do something special for the country," Gambhir said. India have already lost the series 2-0 against Kiwis, their first home Test series loss since 2012.

Pakistan name Six players for Camp in Lahore ahead of Australia T20Is

Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Omair Bin Yousaf, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufiyan Moqim and Usman Khan - the six Pakistan will take part in a five-day camp in Lahore from November 2 ahead of their T20I series against Australia. All five players have been picked in the squad and will be leaving for Australia on November 10.

South Africa complete 2-0 series win over Bangladesh

South Africa destroyed Bangladesh by an innings and 273 runs in the 2nd Test in Chattogram to clinch the series 2-0. This is the biggest margin of victory for the Proteas in their history, which is also their first series win in Asia in 2014. Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj secured five-wicket hauls in respective innings.

Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool advance to EFL Cup Quarter Finals

Arsenal secured a 3-0 win over Preston North End to qualify for the EFL Cup quarter-finals. Manchester United managed a 5-2 win over Leicester City, whereas Liverpool won 3-2 over Brighton. Manchester City suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Tottenham and crashed out of the competition.

India A collapse against Australia A in 1st Unofficial Test

A dismal batting card from the India A team saw them bundling out for just 107 runs in the first unofficial Test against Australia A. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a duck, while Abhimanyu Easwaran departed for 7 runs. Devdutt Padikkal was the highest scorer for India with 36 runs. At the end of day's play, Australia are currently 99 for 4.