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Younis Khan talks about bouncing back from adversity, and the self-belief that has helped him overcome his limitations as a batsman

Rehan Ulhaq24-Oct-2015This article was first published in the November issue of magazine, which went to press early in OctoberPakistan cricket fans took to T20 like fish to water. After losing the inaugural World T20 final to arch-rivals India in 2007, victory in the 2009 edition captured the imagination of the entire country and the short format became prevalent faster in Pakistan than anywhere else on the planet. While other countries initially didn’t take T20 too seriously, Pakistan adopted it as their very own format – it was love at first sight.All of which meant that when their T20 captain, Younis Khan, described it as “fun” cricket when his side were on the verge of elimination in 2009, the media lashed out at him, painting him as public enemy numero uno. Pakistan went on to fight back from the brink and defeat Sri Lanka in the final at Lord’s to be crowned world champions. For neither the first nor last time in his career, Younis had defied his critics. His life in cricket has been that of a warrior, fighting his way through barricades and proving his worth even though his sensational record means he should never have to.”If someone writes something good about me in the papers, I just read it once,” Younis tells . “But if someone writes something against me, I keep a cutting of that paper with me, I keep it in front of me all the time and instead of getting dispirited by it, I get motivated and tell myself that I am going to prove this wrong, and I start putting all my effort and focus into trying to come out victorious.”When it comes to cricket, Pakistanis are obsessed with aesthetics, flair, swagger and everything that sounds better in words than in actions. For such a country, Younis Khan is an outlier. In the labyrinth that is Pakistan cricket, he has emerged triumphant – with scars and bruises of course – through sheer determination and professionalism. Tales of Younis’ relentless work ethic have almost mythical status in Pakistan. One such story shared amongst journalists is of a young Younis running around a cricket field trying to be fitter than his colleagues while onlookers laughed at him and told him that he would never make it to the top – an urban legend, perhaps, but he is undoubtedly revered by his team-mates for his insatiable appetite for hard work. “As a sportsman, Younis Khan is my ideal,” says Pakistan’s Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq. “He is the first one into training and the last one out.”

“If someone writes something against me, I keep a cutting of that paper with me, I keep it in front of me all the time and instead of getting dispirited by it, I get motivated”

Pakistan’s national team has been to hell and back in the last decade but Younis remains the constant amongst infinite variables. No one deals with adversity the way he does; his resolve to prove people wrong and unflinching perserverence are the attributes that mark him out as a batsman, and as a person.Whenever there are question marks about him or his team, he rises from the ashes – his entire career has been about emerging from the darkness into light. He remembers the death of former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, on March 18, 2007, as the darkest moment of his career. “That 2007 World Cup in the West Indies was a nightmare. We lost to Ireland but winning and losing is part of the game, what happened next was something I couldn’t fathom. Bob Woolmer passed away and the next few days we spent there were some of the darkest days of my life. Bob wasn’t just a coach to me, he was like a father. What saddened me most was that our own coach was no longer with us and we were all treated as suspects, being questioned about his death. At that point I thought to myself, ‘Why are we even playing for Pakistan?’ I can never ever forget the way we were treated back then.”After the lowest moment in his career, Younis went on to score three Test hundreds in his next four matches. Two years later, when he led Pakistan to the World T20 title, he dedicated the win to Woolmer. “This final must go to Bob Woolmer,” he said. “He was doing good things with us in 2005 and especially my cricket. I would be very proud if he was alive and sitting with me because he’s a very nice guy and was a father figure for us. Why I am captain is because in 2005 – at that time I was not a regular player for Pakistan – he was the guy who all the time was chatting with the chairman and the selectors that Younis will be the next captain. So because of him I have become a captain. I dedicate this final to Bob Woolmer.””Bob [Woolmer] wasn’t just a coach to me, he was like a father”•AFPPerhaps the one blemish on Younis’ career is his ODI record but he remembers his one-day debut against Sri Lanka in 2000 as one of the highlights of his career. “My cricket changed when I played my first ODI in Karachi,” he recalls. “The situation was quite difficult for me. I was supposed to bat up the order but wasn’t given the opportunity to do so. I was sent in at No. 7 and the match was getting out of hand. It was a grim situation and I scored a quick 46. That innings showed my character to everyone. When I wasn’t sent in at my number, I stood up and told them I wanted to play, every time a wicket fell, I wanted to be the next to bat. I kept telling everyone to let me take the responsibility, I told them I could pull it off. It is very tough for a young player making his debut to keep asking for responsibility and believing that you can deliver but when I scored 46, despite losing the match, I knew and my team-mates knew that I belonged at this level. It gave me belief and my team-mates started to have faith in in me.”Younis is arguably the best third- and fourth-innings batsman of his generation and one of the greatest of all time in getting his team out of jail. This isn’t just a fluke, it again stems from that unparalleled perseverance and fortitude which was palpable in his very first Test match, against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi. Pakistan had conceded a first-innings lead of 171 and were five down in their second innings, still trailing by two runs, when a 22-year-old Younis walked out to bat. His rearguard of 107 from 250 deliveries helped set Sri Lanka a target of 220 and so nearly resulted in Pakistan snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, the hosts eventually losing by two wickets. “We were in dire straits when I came out to bat. I had a very good partnership with Wasim Akram of 145 [for the ninth wicket] and that brought us back into the match. Although we didn’t end up winning, that innings is a highlight of my career.”Younis is not a man blessed with a great array of shots or natural talent and yet he has gone on to become statistically Pakistan’s best Test batsman. It’s a point he is aware of. “When you have self-belief and faith even a player like me with a limited skillset can deliver. I have 30 Test centuries despite not being very naturally gifted and having limited resources at my disposal. But because I have so much belief, God helps me to do things I don’t think I am even capable of. For example, I won the World T20, not in Pakistan, not in India, but in England and with a team comprising mostly players who were new at international level and some who were making their debuts.”

“When you have self-belief and faith even a player like me with a limited skillset can deliver. I have 30 Test centuries despite not being very naturally gifted”

That self-awareness has proven to be one of Younis’ greatest virtues in his run-filled career. It not only sets him apart as a character, it has also informed his batting style and allowed him to squeeze out every ounce of potential – something that’s been evident in each and every one of his most special innings.”In 2001-02, I was making my comeback after being dropped and I scored 91 and 141 in the first Test against New Zealand in Auckland. That again showed my character to the selectors, management and my team-mates. There are two or three other innings that I remember fondly which put my name on the world map. The 267 I scored in Bangalore and the ODI century I scored at the Rose Bowl are very special to me.”But perhaps the two ODI hundreds I scored against India in 2008 and 2009 emphasised my determination the most. One was at Karachi in the last Asia Cup played in Pakistan; we had already lost to India once and we were chasing a total in excess of 300, I scored a hundred and we won that match comfortably. The other one was in Bangladesh in the final of the 2008 Kitply Cup. I had scored two consecutive ducks, we were playing the final against India and I had to prove my critics wrong. I scored a hundred and we ended up winning the match.”Misbah on Younis: “Younis Khan is my ideal. He is the first one into training and the last one out”•AFPDespite these achievements, Younis still doesn’t get nearly enough acknowledgement in Pakistan, perhaps due to the fact that it’s a country that gives more weight to T20 and ODI cricket. It’s not something that keeps Younis up at night, though.”I get more love from the fans than I could ever have imagined. Even now fans from all over come to support me and shout my name. I see them and I am proud of myself, it is a great achievement for me. Perhaps my greatest achievement is when Pakistanis walk up to me while I am on tours or travelling and tell me that they are proud of me. I don’t care one bit if I don’t get commercials or have my picture up on billboards, I don’t care when people say he isn’t that special because I am telling you myself that I am a player with very little and limited skill.”The term “cornered tigers” was first used to describe Pakistan during their unexpected World Cup triumph in 1992 and Younis has been the poster boy for that famous unbreakable spirit in more recent times. Time and time again he has been at the heart of the most unlikely victories. Perhaps his greatest moment in the sun was the 2014 Test series against Australia in the UAE when he destroyed records left, right and centre. For those familiar with Younis’ career it came as little surprise. After all, he had a relatively modest record against Australia that needed rectifying and Pakistan had been whitewashed in the ODIs and T20s prior to the Test series.All Out Cricket”The way we lost against Australia in the T20 and then the ODIs was very hard for me to digest. In fact one of the ODIs we lost was beyond the realms of logic. I didn’t feature in those series but I was part of the Test squad so I was motivated and pumped up to be the difference between the two teams in the Test series. When the team is losing, I want to be the man to change it, to be the catalyst for a change in fortune. My biggest motivation is my love for this country and in fact I give 100% for every team I play in, be it my department team, my region or my club. I take great pride in being competitive.”Younis’ outspoken, straight-talking attitude has got him in hot water in the past, most notably when he was slapped with an indefinite ban by the PCB in 2010 for ill-discipline, as well a well-documented mutiny against him when he was captain for allegedly being excessively tough and demanding too much from his players. He remains unapologetic for saying it as he sees it. It’s part of his DNA. “I belong to the Pathan tribe,” he says. “We are straightforward people, both my parents are simple people who never discouraged us to speak up about our opinions.”With the series against England imminent, Younis is in the headlines once again. Firstly there was an overhyped supposed feud with Misbah when Younis said in a TV interview that his captain couldn’t be compared to him. Then certain sections of the media in Pakistan put him forward as the next Test captain while the rest reminded everyone of the mutiny in his first stint at the helm. More recently, when Younis wasn’t present at the launch ceremony of the Pakistan Super League, claims were made that he hadn’t been invited, only for the PCB to issue an official statement insisting that he was.The cherry on top was Younis’ reply to Wasim Akram after the former left-arm quick suggested he concentrate on Test cricket and forget about ODIs. Younis politely said that, while he respected the opinion of Wasim, he didn’t need anyone’s advice at this point in his career. You can be sure that any frustration felt by Younis at the latest media circus will be meted out on England in this series. magazine, available either in print or as a digital magazine. See what all the fuss is about here.

An age-related incident may have kept Ankit Bawne out of the 2012 Under-19 World Cup, but he has not let that controversy affect his batting. Instead, he is making his presence felt by the weight of his Ranji Trophy runs for Maharashtra

Karthik Krishnaswamy27-Jan-2014In September 2011, Ankit Bawne was removed from the India Under-19 squad ahead of a quadrangular tournament in Visakhapatnam. He had earlier been named captain of the side. The date of birth in his passport, it was discovered, didn’t match the one in his birth certificate and the BCCI’s records. It didn’t fulfill the cut-off date for the 2012 U-19 World Cup.Bawne protested that the agent who arranged for his passport had messed up the date. The selectors, not wanting to take a risk, left him out. Unmukt Chand took over the captaincy. A year later, Chand led India to the World Cup title with a century in the final.Chand earned lavish praise from Ian Chappell, won an IPL contract and wrote a book. In a TV commercial, he sneaked into the senior India team’s dressing room for a bottle of Pepsi. Confronted by MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, and asked if he thought there was no difference between him, an U-19 player, and them, the seniors, he told them: ” (I can get into your team right now, but you people can never get into mine).”Bawne couldn’t get in either. You wonder if Bawne, watching that ad, thinks to himself, “That could have been me”.”Obviously if he [Chand] is doing all this, then… he made a hundred in the final, the Indian team won the final, so the credit has to go to him,” Bawne says. “Whether I had a chance [to do that] or not, I can’t keep thinking about that.”What was it like, though, when he was left out?”It was obviously a shocking time for me, individually speaking, but it’s okay,” Bawne says. “Basically, my aim is to play for the senior Indian team. U-19 is obviously a good thing. It’s a shortcut, but my dream is to play for the senior Indian team.”At that time, family, coaches, players, everyone supported me a lot. But this is a big stage, if you play well in the Ranji Trophy, you will get the chance. India A opportunities will open up. And it isn’t like if you are the U-19 captain you will automatically move up from there. You have to perform there. That was what was in my mind. The Ranji Trophy is there, and I have to do well there. After that, I’ve been averaging 60-65 in every season.”In his last three first-class seasons, Bawne has averaged 75.85, 60.30, and 77.33. Since his debut in 2007, he has scored 2616 runs in 40 first-class matches at 54.50, with eight hundreds. Chand, as an aside, has 1688 runs in 31 games at 36.69, with four hundreds.Bawne began 2013-14 with an unbeaten 115 against South Zone on his Duleep Trophy debut and has carried that form into the Ranji Trophy, where he’s scored 581 runs for Maharashtra at 64.55. His numbers, though, get a little lost amid those of his team-mates. Kedar Jadhav has scored more than a thousand runs, and Harshad Khadiwale needs 20 more to reach that mark. Even Sangram Atitkar, after his 168 in the semi-final against Bengal, has scored more runs than Bawne.But it was interesting that Surendra Bhave, Maharashtra’s coach, singled out Bawne’s 89 against Bengal as the innings that set the semi-final up for the team, and raved about his defensive technique. “Look at his front-foot stride,” Bhave said after the match. “I can’t see anyone else who has a front-foot stride as big as that against fast bowlers. Middles everything, bat sounds very sweet, and he gives us solidity, real solidity.”From the press box, Bawne’s innings was remarkable for how unremarkable it looked. If you hadn’t seen anyone else bat in that match, you might have thought Bawne batted comfortably against an average attack in pretty good batting conditions, and missed out on a century. That, though, wasn’t the case.On a green pitch at the Holkar stadium, Maharashtra had rolled Bengal over for 114. In reply, their batsmen had looked much more comfortable than Bengal’s, but not uniformly so. Khadiwale and Chirag Khurana survived their share of plays and misses in a 78-run opening stand. Vijay Zol and Rohit Motwani, the left-hand batsmen, got trapped on the shuffle early in their respective innings. Jadhav shuffled down the pitch to the fast bowlers and struck eight fours in scoring 40. He looked good, and could have made a lot more. With that approach, he could have also made a lot less. Even Atitkar, early on, looked uncertain outside the off stump and saw a few edges scream away to the third-man boundary.’I can’t see anyone else who has a front-foot stride as big as that against fast bowlers’ – Surendra Bhave on Ankit Bawne•ESPNcricinfo LtdNone of them, in the early parts of their innings, gave you the feeling you could open a book, read two pages, and confidently look up to see them still at the crease. You could have done that with Bawne.It might have appeared straight out of a manual, but Bawne’s technique doesn’t owe all that much to formal coaching. Growing up, he says, he didn’t have a coach. When he played for Maharashtra’s U-15s, after playing for Aurangabad in the MCA Invitational U-15 league where he made “11 hundreds in 12 innings” and helped them reach the final, he came under Bhave for the first time. Apart from that, he says he watched TV (Rahul Dravid is his favourite batsman) and taught himself how to bat.”I haven’t had any personal coach,” Bawne says. “Whatever I’ve learned is from TV, from watching matches, and from state camps. You get the chance to play with experienced players, I’ve attended a lot of camps at the NCA, matches are coming on TV continuously, so I’ve learned small-small things.”It’s apparent that Bawne learned a lot more than just technique, as he talks you through his innings of 89 against Bengal. When Atitkar walked in to join him, Maharashtra were five down and only 50 ahead. Bawne, by then, had sized up the conditions, and communicated to his partner exactly how he needed to play.”On that wicket, you weren’t going to get out to the bouncer, because the bouncer wasn’t coming through quickly,” Bawne says. “Secondly, if the ball seams in off the wicket, you have to cover the pads so that you don’t get lbw or bowled. Against the [second] new ball, if it swung, you could get caught in the slips, which was how I got out. It was just a question of playing out four-five overs against the new ball, and against the rest just cover your stumps and play the line. Then there was no chance you’ll get out. you are that strong, mentally.”I told Sangram that, and I was telling him continuously, ‘Look, our lead is only 100, and from here, rather than get out and bat again, it was better if we batted just once, and put the opposition under pressure’. We kept playing, the lead went from 100 to 200, then I got out, and after that the wicket eased out so much that batting with a lead of 50 and batting with a lead of 200 were entirely different. If he had come in with a lead of 50, Anupam [Sanklecha, who made 52] couldn’t have played so freely. Those guys wouldn’t have given the ball to the legspinner. After the lead was 200, they would have thought, ‘okay, the lead is now 200’, and gave him the ball, and Anupam batted freely, and the game opened up. They gave us a target of 8. If we had taken a lead of 150, we might have got a target of 200 and anything could have happened.”As it turned out, Bawne fell 11 short of a hundred. It took more than just reading the scorecard to know how big a role he had played in Maharashtra’s win. Something similar happened in the quarter-final against Mumbai as well.That win will most likely go down as one created by the fast bowlers, who bundled Mumbai out for 129 in the second innings, and finished off by Zol and Jadhav, who remained not out on 91 and 120 respectively as Maharashtra raced to their target of 252 with eight wickets in hand.Bawne’s first-innings 84, however, was just as important. He came in with Maharashtra 24 for 3 replying to 402, survived a couple of early chances, and counterattacked alongside Jadhav in a 115-run fourth-wicket partnership.”At that stage, when I went in, there were four slips and a gully, a leg slip,” Bawne says. “So I decided, these guys are attacking us. In this situation, rather than just survive, why not attack them? I don’t play like that normally. But at that time, I did what was necessary for my team. I started a counterattack, and from there, the game opened up. Suddenly 20 for 3 had become 145 for 3.”In that way, what I did in that innings was, I showed how Maharashtra had to play through the rest of that game to win that game. We weren’t going to play like underdogs. We were going to play with aggression.”Still, Bawne “only” made 84. In this Ranji season, he has one century and five half-centuries. Last season, when Maharashtra were in the top rung of the tournament, he scored six fifties before getting that elusive century in his team’s final match of the season. Five of those fifties came in successive innings, some at venues as challenging to batsmen as Lahli and the Roshanara Club in Delhi, but they were still fifties. Batting at No.5, Bawne says, has restricted his chance of getting big hundreds. But he isn’t complaining about it.”If you see that match in Roshanara also, even when I had made fifty I was batting with the last few batsmen,” he says. “The opportunity wasn’t there for me to go make double-hundreds and hundreds. I try to see, in the role I’m given, how best I can help my team succeed.”I don’t mind any number. In Duleep Trophy, I got to bat at three and I scored a century. Last year, last innings, I got to bat at three and got a century then too. Whatever the team’s requirement is, you have to bat according to that.”

Sri Lanka made their second World Twenty20 final after being through a dogfight against Pakistan

Andrew Fernando in Colombo04-Oct-2012Nothing came easy for Sri Lanka in their semi-final against Pakistan. After five overs, they had made 24 – easily their slowest start of the tournament. An opener renowned for his aggression couldn’t find the boundary, heaping inadvertent pressure on the men around him on a difficult track. Kumar Sangakkara rarely looks comfortable attacking, but that’s exactly what he had to do from his first ball. He landed a few punches, but was knocked out sooner than he would have liked.Still, he can console himself that has never made a score so vital for Sri Lanka that superficially reads so poorly on the scorecard.Each cog in Pakistan’s bowling attack was secure. There were few loose balls and even fewer mistakes in the field. Perhaps Pakistan released some pressure when Umar Gul’s final over went for 16, but Gul had done exceedingly well to build up much of that pressure in the first place, in an 18th over that cost just 3.In the field, Sri Lanka knew they had to save every run. Lasith Malinga had a shocker, but as a unit Sri Lanka were unrelenting. Tillakaratne Dilshan set the standard when he dived full length to intercept two balls heading for the boundary inside the Powerplay, and the young guns in the circle followed suit. Two or three fielders backed up every throw, and when the ball dribbled into the infield, it was swarmed from every direction. They were defending only 139, but they threw themselves around as if they hadn’t even made 100. The result was a Pakistan Powerplay that was less productive than their own.Sri Lanka’s captain – a man who bats so beautifully his blade appears to be made of liquid – dutifully played an innings that was as ugly as any that he has played. In the fifth over, Mahela Jayawardene ran down the pitch to Sohail Tanvir, looking for his release shot over midwicket, but the heave he ended up playing would have drawn blushes from a rusty gate. Jayawardene top scored for his side, but the channel outside off stump was a battlefield in which he copped repeated blows from Tanvir, but somehow evaded the coup de grace.In 2009, Jayawardene was having so much trouble timing reverse strokes that he resorted to using the back of the bat to open up that part of the field. Two World Twenty20 tournaments later, those shots brought him more than a quarter of his runs in a semi-final. To look at his strike rate of only 117 is to do injustice to the fire in his innings, and the preparation that had gone into it. He will think the 12 runs he scored with the reverse sweep were more than just reward for all the hours he has spent in the nets practicing the stroke.Then there is Rangana Herath. A man with spirit so indomitable that being held at arm’s length for a decade by the selectors only amplified his drive to deliver for Sri Lanka. Having stared from a distance for so long, what was a few matches in one tournament? He had played only two of Sri Lanka’s five games leading into this one, but bowled the over that took the hosts to the final.Pakistan are said to have a weakness against left arm spin, but Herath has not been among their tormentors. He averages over 30 against them in all forms. Each fresh battle, however, is an opportunity. In two balls he brought Pakistan to their knees. Herath doesn’t fret over past injuries, he just puts every ounce of himself into every game he plays. That he returned to make that double strike immediately after having bowled the most expensive over of the innings spoke volumes about his character and the trust his captain puts in him.Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera didn’t watch from a distance either. The pair had failed to propel Sri Lanka home once in the tournament, but they were determined to finish well with the bat, even if Gul had rediscovered his gift for yorkers. Their 16 off the last over was another crucial factor in Sri Lanka’s win. Mathews then returned with the ball to bag two invaluable scalps of his own. Before his second over, Pakistan had built a terrific platform from which to launch and the crowd had lost its voice almost entirely. When he took two in four balls, the Premadasa began believing again.Throughout this campaign, Sri Lanka have proved they will not back down when the going is difficult. In the Super Over against New Zealand, there were no boundary balls to hit, yet somehow they managed 13. Under threat of having their captain suspended, the team produced a piece of tactical genius to circumvent the law. In their own home tournament, they are the only team who have had to play at all three venues. The powdery brute they encountered against Pakistan is worlds away from the fast southern seamers they began their tournament on.In the 2011 World Cup, it was said Sri Lanka had the easy path to the final. This time around, they have scrapped their way there. Every man down to the youngest player has proved himself. The scorecard of the first semi-final may suggest an unremarkable affair, but Sri Lanka know they have been in a dogfight, and the triumph here will add more steel to a side who have been burned at the last hurdle too many times before.

A timeline of a controversy leading up to Lalit Modi’s suspension

Cricinfo staff25-Apr-2010March 7: BCCI cancels IPL franchise tender process after objections over stiff financial clauses. Asks for fresh bids.March 21: New bids opened; Sahara wins Pune, Rendezvous group gets Kochi for $333.33 million. Shashi Tharoor, an MP from Kerala and junior foreign minister in the Congress government, plays mentoring role.Interim: Reports suggest Rendezvous’ surprise bid has upset bigger players. Tharoor reportedly meets Congress leaders, asks them to ensure pressure eases on Kochi owners and says he has no personal material stake in franchise.April 9: Media reports say IPL raises questions over Kochi’s shareholding pattern, asks Rendezvous to clarify its ownership structure.April 10: Kochi owners meet Modi in Bangalore, sign formal agreement to be part of IPL, and disclose ownership structure.April 11: Modi reveals Kochi’s shareholding pattern on Twitter. Says one shareholder is Sunanda Pushkar, whom Tharoor says he “knows well”.April 12: Kochi complains to BCCI over Modi’s revelations. BCCI chief Shashank Manohar criticises Modi, who defends himself by saying no breach of propriety.April 12-13: Tharoor issues statement denying personal stake in Kochi and alleges Modi wants the franchise moved out.April 14: In his first public statement since the controversy broke, Modi says he disclosed Kochi’s shareholding pattern because of the general confusion over the details.April 14: The controversy grows when Kochi CEO alleges Modi offered them $50 million to “quit the game and get out” after their successful bid.April 15: Income Tax officials visit BCCI headquarters in Mumbai and conduct an eight-hour operation in the IPL office and Modi’s residence to inquire into funding for the IPL.April 18: Tharoor resigns as minister, a result of conflict-of-interest allegations in his mentoring Kochi. Pushkar, Tharoor’s close friend, gives up her 4.7% “sweat equity” stake in the franchise.April 19: India’s finance minister says all aspects of the IPL are under scrutiny. The statement comes amid allegations of financial impropriety against Modi.April 20: An IPL governing council meeting is convened by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan for April 26 to decide Modi’s fate. Modi calls meeting invalid and says he won’t attend, BCCI disagrees.April 21: There are raids by I-T officials at offices of MSM and WSG, who hold the IPL broadcast rights. They also visit offices of the Punjab, Kolkata and Deccan franchises. Modi is questioned about a multi-million dollar contract for the league’s broadcasting rights.April 23: Former BCCI chief AC Muthiah files petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Indian board’s rules that permit BCCI and IPL administrators to own league teams. Srinivasan, the board secretary, also owns the Chennai franchise.April 24: Top BCCI officials skip the IPL Awards in Mumbai. All indications are they will attempt to oust Modi at the meeting.April 25: Modi agrees to attend governing council meeting and releases an agenda that includes a request for all complaints to be supported by documents.April 26: The BCCI serves a suspension notice to Lalit Modi upon the conclusion of the IPL final, following several allegations of financial misconduct over the past fortnight.

Mukesh Kumar and Atit Sheth dismantled MP’s middle order before Saurabh Kumar and Pulkit Narang ran through the tail

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Mar-2023

Mukesh Kumar and Atit Sheth dismantled Madhya Pradesh’s middle order before Saurabh Kumar and Pulkit Narang ran through the tail to help Rest of India complete a 238-run win and lift the Irani Cup just before lunch on the final day in Gwalior. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 213 and 144 across the game, was named the Player of the Match.Even though Navdeep Saini took just one wicket, he was the one who started MP’s slump. Himanshu Mantri resumed his innings on 51 but Saini had him caught behind with the third ball of the day. Mantri, however, expressed his disappointment with the decision, had a chat with the umpires and took a while before dragging himself to the pavilion.Yash Dubey, fresh off a first-innings century, started positively with a couple of fours but had his off stump cartwheeled by Mukesh. Aman Solanki joined Harsh Gawli, who was looking solid, and the two put up a 49-run stand for the fifth wicket. Solanki punished the odd overpitched deliveries, and the tiring pacers were removed from the attack. Then he hit Saurabh and Sheth for three boundaries in the space of five balls but a couple of overs later, Sheth knocked him over. In his next over, Sheth nicked off Saransh Jain to make it 151 for 6.Gawli and Ankit Kushwah took the side to 188 before Narang trapped Gawli lbw with an offbreak that turned viciously and kept low. MP lost their last four wickets, all to Narang and Saurabh, in 19 balls for just ten runs to end the proceedings.

Everything you need to know about the state of play in the CONMEBOL World Cup 2026 qualifiers, including fixtures, results, table and TV details.

The build-up to the 2026 World Cup is going in South America, with the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying campaign ongoing. Home of legendary players such as Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Pele, South America is renowned as a place that produces some of the most accomplished footballers in the world.

Watch World Cup qualifiers with FanatizFind the best deals

The qualification process will see reigning world champions Argentina collide with eternal rivals Brazil, who themselves are the record-holders for most World Cup titles. The likes of Uruguay and Colombia will also be expected to impress, with no shortage of competition among the 10 nations.

Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about the state of play in the CONMEBOL World Cup 2026 qualifiers, including fixtures, results, table and TV details.

• Getty
  

  South America World Cup 2026 qualifying table standings

  Pos.	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
  1	Argentina (Q)	17	12	2	3	+22	38
  2	Brazil (Q)	17	8	7	2	+8	28
  3	Uruguay (Q)	17	7	6	4	+10	27
  4	Ecuador (Q)	17	7	8	2	+8	26
  5	Colombia (Q)	17	6	7	4	+7	25
  6	Paraguay (Q)	17	6	7	4	+3	25
  7	Venezuela	17	4	6	7	-7	18
  8	Bolivia	17	5	2	10	-19	17
  9	Peru (E)	17	2	6	9	-14	12
  10	Chile (E)	17	2	4	11	-18	10

  Last updated: September 5,

  South American World Cup qualification involves 10 teams and each team plays the other teams twice, meaning there are 18 matchdays.

  The top six teams qualify for the World Cup and the team which finishes in seventh place advances to the inter-confederation play-offs.

  South American World Cup qualifying cycles last a number of years. Matchday one began on September 7, 2023, and the final matchday is scheduled for September 2025. 

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  South America World Cup 2026 qualifying fixtures & results

  The fixtures and results for the CONMEBOL World Cup 2026 qualifying can be seen below. Note that not all fixtures have been finalised, so dates and venues may vary.

  Date	Match	Venue
  Sep 7, 2023	Paraguay 0-0 Peru	Estadio Antonio Aranda, Ciudad del Este
  Sep 7, 2023	Colombia 1-0 Venezuela	Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla
  Sep 7, 2023	Argentina 1-0 Ecuador	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
  Sep 8, 2023	Uruguay 3-1 Chile	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Sep 8, 2023	Brazil 5-1 Bolivia	Mangueirao, Belem
  Sep 12, 2023	Bolivia 0-3 Argentina	Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz
  Sep 12, 2023	Ecuador 2-1 Uruguay	La Casa Blanca, Quito
  Sep 12, 2023	Venezuela 1-0 Paraguay	Estadio Monumental, Maturin
  Sep 12, 2023	Chile 0-0 Colombia	Estadio Monumental, Santiago
  Sep 12, 2023	Peru 0-1 Brazil	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Oct 12, 2023	Bolivia 1-2 Ecuador	Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz
  Oct 12, 2023	Colombia 2-2 Uruguay	Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla
  Oct 12, 2023	Brazil 1-1 Venezuela	Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba
  Oct 12, 2023	Argentina 1-0 Paraguay	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
  Oct 12, 2023	Chile 2-0 Peru	Estadio Monumental, Santiago
  Oct 17, 2023	Venezuela 3-0 Chile	Estadio Monumental, Maturin
  Oct 17, 2023	Paraguay 1-0 Bolivia	Estadio Antonio Aranda, Ciudad del Este
  Oct 17, 2023	Ecuador 0-0 Colombia	Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito
  Oct 17, 2023	Uruguay 2-0 Brazil	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Oct 17, 2023	Peru 0-2 Argentina	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Nov 16, 2023	Bolivia 2-0 Peru	Estadio Hernando Siles, La Paz
  Nov 16, 2023	Venezuela 0-0 Ecuador	Estadio Monumental, Maturín
  Nov 16, 2023	Colombia 2-1 Brazil	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
  Nov 16, 2023	Argentina 0-2 Uruguay	La Bombonera, Buenos Aires
  Nov 16, 2023	Chile 0-0 Paraguay	Estadio Monumental David Arellano, Santiago
  Nov 21, 2023	Paraguay 0-1 Colombia	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción
  Nov 21, 2023	Uruguay 3-0 Bolivia	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Nov 21, 2023	Ecuador 1-0 Chile	Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito
  Nov 21, 2023	Brazil 0-1 Argentina	Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro
  Nov 21, 2023	Peru 1-1 Venezuela	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Sep 5, 2024	Uruguay 0-0 Paraguay	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Sep 5, 2024	Peru 1-1 Colombia	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Sep 6, 2024	Brazil 1-0 Ecuador	Estádio Couto Pereira, Curitiba
  Sep 6, 2024	Bolivia 4-0 Venezuela	Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto
  Sep 6, 2024	Argentina 3-0 Chile	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
  Sep 10, 2024	Colombia 2-1 Argentina	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
  Sep 10, 2024	Venezuela 0-0 Uruguay	Estadio Monumental, Maturín
  Sep 10, 2024	Paraguay 1-0 Brazil	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción
  Sep 10, 2024	Chile 1-2 Bolivia	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
  Sep 10, 2024	Ecuador 1-0 Peru	Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito
  Oct 11, 2024	Peru 1-0 Uruguay	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Oct 10, 2024	Venezuela 1-1 Argentina	Estadio Monumental, Maturín
  Oct 10, 2024	Bolivia 1-0 Colombia	Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto
  Oct 10, 2024	Chile 1-2 Brazil	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
  Oct 10, 2024	Ecuador 0-0 Paraguay	Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito
  Oct 15, 2024	Uruguay 0-0 Ecuador	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Oct 15, 2024	Colombia 4-0 Chile	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
  Oct 15, 2024	Brazil 4-0 Peru	Arena BRB Mané Garrincha
  Oct 15, 2024	Paraguay 2-1 Venezuela	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción
  Oct 15, 2024	Argentina 6-0 Bolivia	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
  Nov 14, 2024	Venezuela 1-1 Brazil	Estadio Monumental, Maturin
  Nov 14, 2024	Paraguay 2-1 Argentina	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asuncion
  Nov 14, 2024	Ecuador 4-0 Bolivia	Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo, Guayaquil
  Nov 15, 2024	Uruguay 3-2 Colombia	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Nov 15, 2024	Peru 0-0 Chile	Estadio Monumental, Lima
  Nov 19, 2024	Colombia 0-1 Ecuador	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez, Barranquilla
  Nov 19, 2024	Brazil 1-1 Uruguay	Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador
  Nov 19, 2024	Bolivia 2-2 Paraguay	Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto
  Nov 19 2024	Argentina 1-0 Peru	La Bombonera, Buenos Aires
  Nov 19, 2024	Chile 4-2 Venezuela	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
  Mar 20, 2025	Paraguay 1-0 Chile	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción
  Mar 20, 2025	Brazil 2-1 Colombia	Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília
  Mar 20, 2025	Peru 3-1 Bolivia	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Mar 21, 2025	Ecuador 2-1 Venezuela	Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito
  Mar 21, 2025	Uruguay 0-1 Argentina	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Mar 25, 2025	Bolivia 0-0 Uruguay	Estadio Municipal de El Alto, El Alto
  Mar 25, 2025	Colombia 2-2 Paraguay	Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez, Barranquilla
  Mar 25, 2025	Venezuela 1-0 Peru	Estadio Monumental, Maturín
  Mar 25, 2025	Argentina 4-1 Brazil	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
  Mar 25, 2025	Chile 0-0 Ecuador	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
  Jun 5, 2025	Ecuador 0-0 Brazil	Estadio Monumental, Guayaquil
  Jun 5, 2025	Paraguay 2-0 Uruguay	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asunción
  Jun 5, 2025	Chile 0-1 Argentina	Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, Santiago
  Jun 6, 2025	Colombia 0-0 Peru	Estadio Metropolitano, Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
  Jun 6, 2025	Venezuela 2-0 Bolivia	Estadio Monumental de Maturín, Venezuela
  Jun 10, 2025	Bolivia 2-0 Chile	Estadio Monumental de Maturín
  Jun 10, 2025	Uruguay 2-0 Venezuela	Centenario, Montevideo
  Jun 10, 2025	Argentina 1-1 Colombia	Estadio Mâs Monumental
  Jun 10, 2025	Brazil 1-0 Paraguay	Corinthians Arena
  Jun 10, 2025	Peru 0-0 Ecuador	Estadio Nacional de Lima
  Sep 4, 2025	Uruguay 3-0 Peru	Estadio Centenario, Montevideo
  Sep 4, 2025	Colombia 3-0 Bolivia	Estadio Roberto Melendez, Barranquilla
  Sep 4, 2025	Brazil 3-0 Chile	Maracana, Rio de Janeiro
  Sep 4, 2025	Paraguay 0-0 Ecuador	Estadio Defensores del Chaco, Asuncion
  Sep 4, 2025	Argentina 3-0 Venezuela	Estadio Monumental, Buenos Aires
  Sep 9, 2025	Peru vs Paraguay	Estadio Nacional, Lima
  Sep 9, 2025	Venezuela vs Colombia	Estadio Monumental, Maturin
  Sep 9, 2025	Bolivia vs Brazil	Estadio El Alto, El Alto
  Sep 9, 2025	Chile vs Uruguay	Estadio Julio Martinez Pradanos, Santiago
  Sep 9, 2025	Ecuador vs Argentina	Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo, Guayaquil

• How to watch South America World Cup qualifiers

  Country	Broadcaster
  United States	Vix, Telemundo, Fubo, Fanatiz, Universo
  United Kingdom	CONMEBOL TV

  United States

  In the United States, broadcast deals for CONMEBOL qualifiers are shared between Telemundo, Universo, Fubo, Vix and Fanatiz.

  Read more about how to watch CONMBEOL World Cup qualifiers here.

  You can see which soccer games are on TV in the U.S. here.

  Start a Fanatiz subscription todayFind the best deals

  United Kingdom

  In the United Kingdom, a selection of games can be watched live through the pay-per-view streaming service, CONMEBOL TV.

  See here for GOAL's guide to football on TV in the UK.

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• South America World Cup 2026 qualifying top scorers

  Rank	Player	Team	Goals
  1	Lionel Messi	Argentina	8
  2	Luis Diaz	Colombia	7
  3	Miguel Terceros	Bolivia	5
  =4	Raphinha	Brazil	5
  =4	Salomon Rondon	Venezuela	5
  =4	Enner Valencia	Ecuador	5
  =4	Darwin Nunez	Uruguay	5

MatériaMais Notícias

O Internacional aposta na manutenção do elenco e da comissão técnica para seguir competitivo e na briga por títulos em 2023. A equipe terminou como vice-campeã na última edição do Campeonato Brasileiro e, por conta da campanha positiva, uma das metas da diretoria estava na permanência de 80% do plantel para este ano.

No final de 2022, o Colorado já havia anunciado a renovação de nomes importantes para o grupo como o zagueiro Mercado, o meia De Pena e o atacante Alemão. Além desses jogadores, o técnico Mano Menezes teve o contrato estendido por mais um ano. Em 2023, outras permanências foram oficializadas, caso de Rodrigo Moledo, que também renovou, e Wanderson, comprado por R$ 24,7 milhões em seis parcelas semestrais, junto ao Krasnodar-RUS.

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>Confira as movimentações do mercado da bola no LANCE!

– Na temporada passada assumimos um compromisso de realizar uma reformulação no grupo de atletas. Com a chegada do Mano Menezes e do William Thomas, juntamente com mudanças estruturais que fizemos, conseguimos mudar a fotografia do grupo. Crescemos ao longo do ano e finalizamos deixando uma boa impressão. Para 2023, conseguimos manter boa parte do elenco e iniciaremos com a mesma comissão técnica. Agora, cabe a nós mantermos esse trabalho para continuarmos evoluindo – afirmou o Presidente, Alessandro Barcellos.

Até o momento, o Inter anunciou as saídas de Edenílson, volante que atuou como titular em boa parte dos jogos com Mano, e de Taison, que rescindiu com o clube. Ambos os jogadores tinham o desejo de sair para buscar novos ares, acertando com Atlético-MG e PAOK-GRE, respectivamente. O atacante David, pouco aproveitado em 2022, está em vias de ser anunciado como reforço do São Paulo em empréstimo até o fim do ano. Quem também está prestes a deixar o Colorado é o goleiro Daniel, nome que perdeu a posição no fim da temporada para Keiller e deve jogar no futebol dos Estados Unidos.

Outro fator que faz jus a estratégia da diretoria em concentrar esforços para manter os jogadores do atual elenco está no número baixo de novas contratações. Para esta temporada, o lateral-direito Mário Fernandes, que veio do CSKA Moscou-RUS, por empréstimo, foi o único anunciado.

Dos times que terminaram na parte de cima do Brasileirão em 2022, a maioria está fazendo o mesmo movimento de manutenção do plantel. O Palmeiras, atual campeão, não fez nenhuma contratação. Corinthians e Athletico-PR anunciaram só dois reforços enquanto o Flamengo contratou apenas Gérson.

Na contramão desses clubes, o Fluminense buscou mais nomes e fechou sete contratações, embora não tenha perdido nenhuma peça importante do time considerado titular.

– O Internacional sempre busca reforçar o seu elenco, seguindo diretrizes claras dentro do processo interno que é realizado para contratações. Nosso planejamento neste momento é aumentar a competitividade interna, buscando jogadores que estejam conectados ao nosso projeto e com a ambição de grandes objetivos no clube e na sua carreira – finaliza Barcellos.

The Sunrisers captain isn’t worried about his side’s heavy defeat to KKR in Qualifier 1

ESPNcricinfo staff21-May-20243:01

Did SRH get Sanvir and Shahbaz’s position wrong?

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins was not fussed after his team suffered an eight-wicket defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad on Tuesday and simply said he wanted “to put this one behind pretty quickly”.”I guess we have earned the right to have one of those days and still win tournaments,” Cummins said after the game. “Not our day but good thing we have another crack at it [qualifying for the final].”After choosing to bat, SRH were blown away in the powerplay by Mitchell Starc and were eventually dismissed for 159 in 19.3 overs. In reply, Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer smashed unbeaten fifties to overhaul the target in 13.4 overs to qualify for the final.Related

As it happened – Starc leads the way as KKR crush SRH to march into the IPL final

'I might keep that one in the back pocket' – Starc wins bragging rights vs Head

“A bit off the pace,” Cummins said about his team’s effort. “Think you have those days in T20 cricket. Even when you are a very good side, you have some days where it doesn’t quite work out.”Few guys didn’t get off to starts so we were probably short of where we wanted to be with the bat. And then yeah, couldn’t get it done with the ball. Kolkata bowled really well. That wicket got better but there was a little bit in it early. But it happens.”SRH’s decision to bring in Sanvir Singh as their Impact Player also became a point of discussion. He came into bat when SRH were 121 for 6 in the 14th over and fell first ball to Sunil Narine. Cummins said the decision was taken to strengthen SRH’s batting at the cost of an extra bowling option in the second innings.”Sunny [Sanvir] played the last game. We were kind of hoping not to use the batting sub to keep Umran [Malik] up our sleeve on that wicket but felt like the extra batting was important,” he said.SRH have another shot at making the final on Friday, when they face the winners of the Eliminator between Royal Challengers Bengaluru [RCB] and Rajasthan Royals [RR] in Chennai.”Going to a new venue helps as well. It is going to be a bit different feel to here, so you start again,” Cummins said. “We have got a good body of work behind us this season to look back on, so we erase this one and move on.”

New Zealand still have 227 runs to get with two days left to take the series

Srinidhi Ramanujam15-Feb-2024

Stumps Will O’Rourke’s five-wicket haul on Test debut helped New Zealand come roaring back into the contest after David Bedingham’s classy hundred on day three of the second Test in Hamilton. From 202 for 4, South Africa lost the last six wickets for just 33 runs in the final session to set New Zealand a target of 267.At stumps, New Zealand were 40 for 1, having lost Devon Conway off what turned out to be the last ball of the day, from Dane Piedt. With New Zealand needing a further 227 runs and South Africa nine wickets to win, the contest is evenly poised heading into day four.Related

For the forgotten Dane Piedt, life has come full whirl

A 'weird' dismissal, a rare decision to bat and a fight

If New Zealand do chase this down, it will become the highest successful chase at Seddon Park, eclipsing the 210-run target mowed down by Australia in 2000.New Zealand began the day well by striking early, two falling to O’Rourke in his morning spell and one to Rachin Ravindra – Neil Brand hung around for a bit before falling for a 60-ball 34 in South Africa’s 39 for 3 at that point. From there, Bedingham and Zubayr Hamza gave South Africa much-needed momentum. Bedingham, in particular, targeted Ravindra’s poor deliveries as South Africa scored 30 off his three overs before lunch. The two, who started aggressively in the morning, switched gears to play cautiously after lunch when Matt Henry and O’Rourke were making the ball nip around a fair bit.Surprisingly, Tim Southee took 36 overs to hand the ball to Neil Wagner, who was playing his first Test in almost a year. And Wagner took just five balls to end the 65-run partnership as an impatient Hamza holed out to deep square-leg off a short delivery. However, from that point, again, South Africa were in control, with Bedingham and Keegan Petersen stitching together a healthy partnership.Though this is only Bedingham’s fourth Test, the clarity in his thinking and approach – perhaps the experience of playing close to 90 first-class matches helped – stood out. He played aggressively when necessary and scored at a good pace. In his 141-ball stay, he hit 12 fours and two sixes, playing almost a faultless innings.Will O’Rourke claimed the best match figures on Test debut by a New Zealand bowler•Hannah Peters / Getty

Petersen, at the other end, was good against spin and pace and ticked along nicely in the middle session. They put on 98 runs together for the fifth wicket, putting South Africa in a strong position at tea.But, just when it looked like South Africa were going to put the game beyond New Zealand, Henry triggered a collapse, Glenn Phillips’ stunning catch at gully to send back Petersen for 43 starting things off.Not long after, Phillips, with his offspin, cleaned up Ruan de Swardt when he exposed his stumps attempting a sweep. But it was O’Rourke who delivered the key wicket once again when he dismissed Bedingham for 110, Phillips figuring in the script again. It was a back-of-a-length delivery that Bedingham cut but Phillips was waiting at gully for just that shot.The extra bounce on offer and O’Rourke’s pace and accuracy meant New Zealand wiped out South Africa one hour into the final session.By finishing with an overall match haul of 9 for 93, O’Rourke registered the best bowling figures on Test debut for a New Zealand bowler.

في خطوة تعكس الطموحات المتزايدة للدوري الأمريكي في استقطاب النجوم العالميين، دخل نادي لوس أنجلوس إف سي في مفاوضات أولية لضم أحد أهم اللاعبين في الدوري الإنجليزي.

وكشف الصحفي بول تينوريو، أن لوس أنجلوس إف سي يسعى لضم جناح توتنهام ومنتخب كوريا الجنوبية، سون هيونج مين، في الميركاتو الصيفي الحالي.

اقرأ أيضًا | في سن الـ40.. آشلي يونج ينضم لفريق إنجليزي الموسم المقبل

ويخطط النادي الأمريكي أن يجعل سون هو الواجهة الجديدة للفريق، في إطار مساعي الدوري الأمريكي لتعزيز مكانته عالميًا عبر التعاقد مع أسماء رنانة، على غرار ليونيل ميسي وسيرجيو بوسكيتس ولويس سواريز.

🚨🇰🇷🇺🇸 LAFC have approached Heung-min Son over potential transfer for this summer as their new superstar.

Talks at early stages, as @PaulTenorio reports — as LAFC want to try but Son and Spurs will have the final say.

Thomas Frank will also speak to Son and discuss future. pic.twitter.com/Kjb9s6W6a1 — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 23, 2025

ورغم أن المفاوضات لا تزال في مراحلها الأولى، فإن العرض يُظهر مدى جدية الدوري الأمريكي في اقتحام سوق اللاعبين الكبار من الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث يبقى القرار النهائي بيد سون وناديه توتنهام، وسط ترقب لموقف المدرب الجديد توماس فرانك، الذي سيجتمع مع اللاعب لبحث مستقبله.

سون هيونج مين، البالغ من العمر 32 عامًا، يُعد أحد أبرز لاعبي آسيا في تاريخ الدوري الإنجليزي، وتثير فكرة انتقاله إلى الدوري الأمريكي اهتمامًا واسعًا سواء من الجماهير الكورية أو من متابعي الدوري الأمريكي، الذي يبدو عازمًا على مواصلة التوسع والهيمنة إعلاميًا وتسويقيًا.