Filed August 5 Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2027

Australia's no-warm-up call and the 43-day Border-Gavaskar calendar that runs straight into the T20 World Cup window

Andrew McDonald has confirmed Australia will skip practice matches before the 2027 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India and back an extended training camp. The desk reads the 43-day window between Nagpur on January 21 and Ahmedabad on March 3, 2027, and the T20 World Cup squad meeting that opens on March 4.

5sports on the desk
30+competitions tracked
Nobetting affiliations
2 minmedian update cycle

Sourced reporting

Every story links to verified press conferences, league releases and on-the-ground correspondents.

Named authors

By-lines belong to the reporter who filed the copy. No anonymous syndication.

Visible timestamps

Each article shows when it was last verified and what changed in the latest update.

No betting ties

No affiliate tracking, no odds widgets, no sponsored predictions. Sport, not stake.

Lead development

The story our desk is following tonight

Wide afternoon view of a packed cricket ground with the outfield and stands in soft natural light
CricketFiled 23:52 IST · August 1

Trent Rockets Women host Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred Match 17 at Trent Bridge

Read the Match 17 preview
Wide view of the Lord's ground on a match morning with the media centre in soft focus
CricketFiled 23:22 IST · July 17

BCCI dismisses talk of Rohit Sharma's Lord's farewell as third ODI against England looms

Read the desk's read
Coach on touchline during developing match story
FootballUpdated 04:12 IST

Arsenal's midfield triangle has changed shape — and the press numbers show it

Read the note
Latest reporting

News from across the desk

What's been filed in the last few hours, with the sport tag and the time each piece was last verified.

Tight editorial frame of a batter working through a net session against spin on a dry Indian centre wicket
CricketFiled 11:04 IST · August 5

Australia's no-warm-up call and the 43-day Border-Gavaskar calendar that runs straight into the T20 World Cup window

Read the 43-day read
Tight sideline frame of an overseas batter pulling through midwicket during a powerplay over
IPLFiled 10:30 IST · August 5

CSK's grim IPL 2026 prediction — what the ICR model said about the playoff four, and how the injuries reshaped it

Read the pre-launch read
Cricketer in the middle order playing a pull shot
CricketFiled 23:52 IST · August 1

Trent Rockets Women host Sunrisers Leeds in The Hundred Match 17 at Trent Bridge

Read the Match 17 preview
Ground crew covering the cricket square during rain
CricketFiled 01:40 IST

Rain rules, revised par scores and the DLS gap — what changes tonight

Read the explainer
Footballers running a passing drill
FootballFiled 00:58 IST

Inside a Tuesday training session: how the back four is being rotated

Read the report
Performance analyst reviewing match footage
FootballFiled 00:21 IST

The goalkeeper review that changed a set-piece routine

Read the report
Cricketer preparing in the dressing room
CricketFiled yesterday

Batting order signals from the dressing-room huddle

Read the brief
Browse all reporting
Predictions desk

Evidence-led previews, never certainties

Every prediction comes with the supporting case and the counter-case. Confidence is labelled Low, Medium or High. We update calls when team news, weather or late lineup changes move the picture.

Our desk uses form, availability, head-to-head history, venue and competition context as the five anchors. The supporting evidence is published alongside the call so readers can weigh it themselves. We do not publish guaranteed-outcome language and we do not run a tipster subscription.

Reporter working in the press row
Tonight's three

The calls our desk has put its name to

Each prediction shows the supporting evidence, the counter-case and our confidence label. Read both sides before you form a view.

Cricket pitch inspection
CricketT20 WC · Group A

India to finish top of Group A

Net-run-rate cushion plus a settled batting core. Counter: quick bowler workload through the back half of the group stage.

Confidence: Medium-High
Football ground after full time
FootballPremier League · MD 18

Arsenal to hold a one-goal lead at half time

Home form, set-piece threat, and a visiting side conceding from rest-defence phases. Counter: pace on the break in transition.

Confidence: Medium
Rain delay on a cricket ground
CricketODI Tri-Series

Bowling first will be the winning call at the toss

Forecast shows passing showers in the second innings. Counter: if the rain window closes, the chasing side regains parity.

Confidence: Low-Medium
Open the predictions desk
Editors working on fantasy selection in a newsroom
Fantasy selection

Pick by evidence, not by trend

Our fantasy desk publishes selection cases built on expected minutes, recent usage, opposition and venue — never gut feel. Captain picks carry the same supporting-and-counter evidence format as our match previews.

If you're tracking fantasy cricket, fantasy football or any short-format selection game, the relevant briefs land in the Fantasy Tips desk the morning after team news and the night before lock-in.

Fantasy desk · tonight's brief

Three selection calls worth your time

CricketCaptain pick

Anchor role over flash role tonight

If the wicket holds, the player who bats through the innings typically out-points the boundary-hunter. Read the case and the counter-case before you swap.

Read the brief
FootballSelection note

Watch the press trigger, not just the clean-sheet count

Defenders who force turnovers high up the pitch collect bonus points through defensive actions. We map the fixtures where the trigger is most likely.

Read the note
CricketRisk call

Differential picks only work if the role is locked

A differential is a punt on rotation, not on form. We list the players whose role is most secure tonight despite a low ownership share.

Read the list
Teams on the desk

Build a watchlist of the sides you follow

Each team profile carries the last five results, the next three fixtures, recent injuries and the reporting we have filed on the squad. Pick the sides you want on your desk.

#TeamSportForm (last 5)Next fixture
1India (Men's cricket)CricketW · W · W · L · Wvs Australia · TomorrowOpen
2Arsenal (Men)FootballW · W · D · W · Lvs Brighton · SaturdayOpen
3Mumbai IndiansCricketW · L · W · W · Dvs CSK · SundayOpen
4Manchester CityFootballD · W · W · W · Wvs Liverpool · SundayOpen
5Jaipur Pink PanthersKabaddiW · W · W · L · WFinal · TonightOpen
6Bengaluru FCFootballL · D · W · L · Wvs Goa · SaturdayOpen
Browse the full teams directory
Players on the desk

Follow the players whose role keeps changing

Player pages track role, recent minutes, availability notes and the reporting we have on them. Useful when you're trying to decide between two names with similar fixtures.

Athlete portrait after practice
CricketBatter

Role: top-order anchor

Read the profile
Football performance review session
FootballGoalkeeper

Role: shot-stopper

Read the profile
Athlete working with a physio
CricketAll-rounder

Role: seam-bowling all-rounder

Read the profile
Athlete portrait
TennisATP · Top 30

Role: return-of-serve specialist

Read the profile
Browse all player profiles
Results & standings

What last night did to the tables

Every match leaves a fingerprint on the standings. Here is the quickest read on which races tightened, which opened up and which side's goal difference swung the projections.

Premier League · top-of-table race

PosClubPGDPts
1Arsenal17+2438
2Manchester City17+2136
3Liverpool17+1834
4Aston Villa17+1232
5Chelsea17+929

The gap at the top is now the narrowest it has been since October. Goal-difference cushion means Arsenal can still afford a slip, but the next two matchdays will decide whether the run-in becomes a two-horse race or stays a five-club chase.

T20 World Cup · Group A

PosTeamPNRRPts
1India4+1.626
2Australia4+0.946
3England4+0.414
4New Zealand4+0.324
5Pakistan4-0.742

India's NRR cushion is wide enough to absorb one loss without losing the top seed, but the order of the knockouts is sensitive to whether Australia close their group on a win. Read the scenario explainer for the if-then picture.

See all tables and standings
Durable explainer

How we read a cricket wicket — and why the second innings is rarely what the first looked like

A short, repeatable framework our reporting desk uses when it walks into a ground. Use it as a checklist when you're forming your own view on a chase.

Surface pace, carry, turn, the depth of the grass, the moisture underfoot, and the way the lights affect the ball at night. Compare that to the bowling attack, the batting depth and the chase arithmetic. Most predictions fall apart not because the data is wrong, but because the order of priority is shuffled.

Read the explainer
Pitch inspection before play
Reporter's notebook with form notes
Ground crew managing rain delay
Cricketer preparing pads in the dressing room
Match alerts

One short email when a match turns

We send a single alert for each match you follow: a kick-off reminder, an in-game change of state, and a one-line summary at full time. No filler, no sponsored content, unsubscribe in one click.

Frequently asked

What readers ask us most

Short, plain-language answers. If yours isn't here, write to us and we'll add it.

What does comesportsnow actually cover?

Five sports — cricket, football, kabaddi, basketball and tennis — with a focus on competitions Indian readers follow closely. We do not run racing, MMA, or esports coverage and we have no plans to add them.

Do you take betting advertising or run affiliate tips?

No. We do not run odds widgets, affiliate links, sponsored tips or bookmaker partnerships. Sport is the subject, not the stake. Our editorial independence policy is published on the Editorial Standards page.

Where does your data come from?

Primary sources: league press releases, official fixtures feeds, accredited journalist pools and on-the-ground reporting. We do not republish unattributed data and we disclose the source on every scoreboard card.

How do you label confidence on predictions?

Each prediction carries Low, Medium or High confidence and a supporting-and-counter case. If new information moves the picture — team news, weather, late change — we update the call and timestamp the change.

Can I republish your reporting with credit?

Short excerpts with a clear link back to the original article are welcome under our syndication policy. Full-article republication needs written permission — write to our contact desk.

How do I send a correction or a news tip?

The contact page lists the corrections inbox and the news tip line. We publish corrections with a dated note and update the article body when material facts change.

Editorial — sourced reporting, named authors, visible timestamps, corrections policy.
Independent — no betting affiliates, no paid tips, no odds widgets.
18+ — sport is for everyone. If you or someone you know needs support, see our responsible coverage page.
By the numbers

What our desk tracks across a typical week

Matches filed48↑ 6 vs last week
Predictions logged22All confidence-labelled
Corrections issued3All within 24h
Average update cycle2 minFrom venue to live desk
Newsroom ledger

What changed since the morning edition

Every correction or material update is logged with a timestamp and the article it belongs to. Our corrections policy is short, plain language and applies whether the correction is one word or one paragraph.

  • 04:38 IST — Updated lead development after the T20 World Cup Group A NRR swing.
  • 03:54 IST — Pitch brief refreshed with the second-innings surface read from the dressing-room correspondent.
  • 02:14 IST — WTA report updated to include the late withdrawal note from the on-site reporter.
  • 01:11 IST — Clarified that the Premier League top-five gap reflects match-week 17 not match-week 18.
Read the full corrections log →
On the desk this week

Three explainers worth your time

Play now