An irate Shanthakumaran Sreesanth today (11) vowed to make a competitive comeback despite BCCI's decision to appeal against the lifting of the life-ban on the tainted fats bowler.
Yesterday (10), the BCCI decided to appeal to the Division Bench of Kerala High Court against lifting of life ban on the 34-year-old.
"@bcci I'm not begging, I'm asking to give my livelihood back. It's my right. U guys are not above God. I will play again..???????????," an angry Sreesanth wrote on his twitter page.
"Cmon @bcci this is worst u can do to anyone that too who is proven innocent not just once but again and again..don't know why u doing this?," he lamented further.
Sreesanth was banned for life by the BCCI for his alleged role in the IPL spot-fixing in 2013. Last Monday (31), a single judge bench of the Kerala High Court had passed an order that the bowler's life-ban be lifted.
However, the BCCI is firm on its stand that they will not allow the speedster to make an immediate comeback.
Sreesanth has played 27 Tests, 53 ODIs and 10 T20 Internationals for India with his last international appearance being in August 2011.
GLOBAL travel-tech unicorn OYO has arranged for five investment banks to meet its key shareholder SoftBank in June, in a crucial presentation that could determine the company's path to public listing, sources said.
The banks include Citi, Goldman Sachs and Jefferies from the global banking consortium, alongside ICICI Securities and Axis Capital representing Indian financial institutions.
SoftBank, which remains one of OYO's largest shareholders, is interested in understanding the key positioning strategies, expected valuation metrics and anticipated investor appetite for the offering.
The high-stakes meeting is scheduled to take place at SoftBank's London office on Grosvenor Street, where the banks will present their IPO strategies to SoftBank's Sumer Juneja.
OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal and his senior leadership team will also participate in the discussions, sources close to the development said.
The Japanese conglomerate's view is considered important for the IPO's timing, given its significant stake in the hospitality startup.
"SoftBank is positive about their portfolio companies such as OYO which have shown strong performance. For OYO, raising primary issuance will lead to a sharp increase in its earnings per share by using the proceeds to prepay some of its debt," said a person close to the development.
OYO is targeting a share dilution of 10 per cent in the proposed public offering, through a combination of primary and secondary components to ensure the lowest possible dilution, since the company is already generating cash, the person added.
According to sources, SoftBank has been encouraging OYO over the past few months to start working actively towards a public listing, since the company has been exceeding the agreed financial milestones such as EBITDA and gross bookings growth.
The London meeting comes as OYO has intensified its thinking about an IPO over the past month, transitioning from informal discussions to active pitch presentations with major banking institutions.
According to reports, the company is considering filing its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) between August and September this year.
The timing of the filing remains flexible, with OYO weighing whether to proceed with FY25 financial results or wait for H1 FY26 results to strengthen its market position.
Reports said that OYO is targeting an IPO launch in the last quarter of the current financial year, positioning itself to capitalise on improved market sentiment and its own operational turnaround.
The renewed IPO push comes after OYO had previously filed and refiled its draft papers with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in 2021, seeking to raise more than £780 million through a public offering. The company withdrew those papers in 2024.
In recent times, OYO has streamlined its global operations while strengthening its presence in key markets, including India, the US, Europe and Southeast Asia.
Sources indicated that the company's improved financial metrics and operational efficiency have renewed investor confidence, prompting the fresh attempt at going public.
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Ace producer Abhigyan Jha has written films like Krishna Cottage and created popular TV shows including Movers & Shakers, Jay Hind!, Qubool Hai 2.0, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, and Janani – AI Ki Kahani.
He currently hosts the popular podcast Fsex: The Free Speech Experiment, a conversational and humorous live show that explores a range of topics.
Away from creativity and conversations, he is also a passionate cricket enthusiast and played the sport up to college level. He looked across all formats to select his top 10 favourite cricketers.
Abhigyan Jha getty images
Sunil Gavaskar: The greatest. He scored the most runs against the most lethal bowling attack in cricket history – the West Indies. Today’s generation does not understand how fast those bowlers were. There are no such fast bowlers now. He made 34 Test centuries, and when he reached 10,000 runs, no one had even crossed 9,000. And he never wore a helmet. No batsman ever faced that kind of pace without one – it was incredibly courageous. He was also a phenomenal captain.
Virender Sehwag: The first Indian to score 300 in a Test match – and then he did it again. You would expect someone with his style to belong only in T20 or one-day formats, but he played that way in Tests too, and against top-class bowling. Scoring 300 in Pakistan against their pacers is why he’s on this list. He had raw talent and was thrilling to watch. He played with complete freedom, wherever he was.
Virat Kohli: He has fans screaming for him constantly. Ten thousand people turn up just to watch him practise – and you can see why. In the modern era, nobody comes close. Many players today might have struggled against the great bowlers of the past, but I believe Virat would have held his own. He changed the game in India. A fantastic player and an amazing captain, with insane talent. He’s also the fittest player globally.
Virat Kohligetty images
Gary Sobers: One of the greatest captains and a brilliant all-rounder. At one point, he was the only cricketer with 26 centuries and 200 wickets. I think he was the first to reach that milestone in history. He transformed the West Indies into a world-beating side. A genius, a phenomenal fielder, and a record-breaker.
Adam Gilchrist: The greatest wicketkeeper-batsman of all time. He was brilliant against both pace and spin. The speed at which he scored runs was incredible. He holds the record for the most sixes in ODIs and also the fastest Test century by a wicketkeeper-batsman. Just an insanely good cricketer.
Ian Botham: One of the finest all-rounders ever. There was a 1981 Ashes Test between England and Australia that became known as ‘The Botham Test’. He took all the wickets and won the match almost single-handedly. A fantastic batsman with a great strike rate – he could walk in and change the game with bat or ball.
Viv Richardsgetty images
Imran Khan: One of the greatest captains in cricket history. He single-handedly led Pakistan to new heights and groomed talents like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. A great fast bowler and solid batsman, he also won the 1992 World Cup for Pakistan. In his prime, he was arguably the second most difficult bowler to face after Malcolm Marshall. A strong all-rounder and top leader.
Richard Hadlee: Jasprit Bumrah is getting closer to him, but he has not played as many matches. Hadlee had exceptional wicket-taking ability and an incredible strike rate. He was a phenomenal swing bowler with superb control and became the first to cross 400 wickets in Test cricket.
Viv Richards: One of the most gifted players of all time – he could destroy bowling like no one else. He was just insane! No bowler wanted to see him at the crease. He and Gavaskar were pretty much the only greats who never wore a helmet. At the time, his strike rate was the highest. Absolute legend.
Malcolm Marshall: The greatest fast bowler of all time did not play as many matches as others, but still crossed 300 wickets. He was the bowler most feared by everyone. He once bowled so fast that Sunil Gavaskar’s bat literally flew out of his hands. If the greatest batsman’s bat could be knocked loose like that, it tells you everything about Malcolm Marshall’s brilliance.
Instagram: @abhigyan.i
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Nationwide’s annual pre-tax profits rose to £2.3 billion from less than £1.8 billion a year earlier. (Photo: Getty Images)
NATIONWIDE Building Society will hand £100 each to more than four million members after it reported an increase in profits following its takeover of Virgin Money.
The payment, Nationwide’s third “fairer share” payout, will total about £410 million. It comes on top of £1 billion of cash returned to members in the year to the end of March, and £1.8 billion of benefits passed on through competitive savings and mortgage rates, reported The Times.
Nationwide’s annual pre-tax profits rose to £2.3 billion from less than £1.8 billion a year earlier. This rise was supported by the acquisition of Virgin Money, which formally completed at the beginning of October.
Debbie Crosbie, the chief executive of Nationwide, said the mutual had experienced “an outstanding twelve months”.
“The Virgin Money performance was strong in the six months since our acquisition, with improvements in customer service and a return to growth in mortgage lending,” Crosbie said.
Crosbie had announced Nationwide’s £2.9 billion deal to acquire Virgin Money in March last year, moving it ahead of NatWest as the UK’s second-biggest mortgage lender. Some members had criticised the takeover as they were not given a say in the deal.
Nationwide recently gave 12 million members with a mortgage, current or savings account a £50 payment totalling £615 million, in addition to its second fairer share payment of £385 million last June.
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Pakistan's Hasan Ali (L) celebrates after taking his fifer (five wickets in an innings) with teammates at the end of the first T20I against Bangladesh in Lahore on May 28. (Photo: Getty Images)
SKIPPER Salman Agha hit a career-best knock and pacer Hasan Ali claimed his first five-wicket haul as Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 37 runs in the first T20 international in Lahore on Wednesday.
Agha scored 56 to help Pakistan post 201-7 before Hasan took 5-30 to dismiss Bangladesh for 164 in 19.2 overs at Gaddafi Stadium.
The victory gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Allrounder Shadab Khan, who made a quick 48, dismissed Bangladesh skipper Litton Das for a 30-ball 48 to end a 63-run stand for the third wicket. The partnership between Litton and Towhid Hridoy, who scored 17, had lifted Bangladesh from 37-2 but the later batters could not build on it.
Pacer Hasan ended Jaker Ali’s 21-ball 36, which included three sixes and a boundary. He then dismissed Tanzim Hasan for one and Shoriful Islam for five, capping a successful return to international cricket after a year-long injury lay-off.
“The last eight months were very tough because it was a career-threatening injury so I am happy to have contributed to the team’s win,” said Hasan, who underwent elbow surgery last year. “I did hard work during the rehab and it’s a reward for that hard work,” he added.
Bangladesh captain Litton said his team did not perform well in any department.
“All over the game, we didn’t bowl well, bat well and field well,” said Litton. “We have to come back strongly with two games still to play.”
Earlier, Agha struck a 34-ball 56, including eight fours and a six, while Hasan Nawaz’s 22-ball 44 with four sixes helped Pakistan reach over 200 after they won the toss and opted to bat.
Agha, whose previous T20 best was 51 not out against New Zealand in March, shared a 48-run stand with Mohammad Haris for the third wicket and 65 with Nawaz for the fourth.
Pakistan were 5-2 after losing openers Saim Ayub for a duck and Fakhar Zaman in the first two overs.
Shadab scored 48 off 25 balls to help Pakistan add 58 runs in the last five overs.
All six Bangladesh bowlers took at least one wicket, with left-arm seamer Islam claiming 2-32 in three overs.
The remaining two matches are on Friday and Sunday, also in Lahore.
(With inputs from agencies)
Suggested keywords: Salman Agha, Hasan Ali, Pakistan cricket, Bangladesh T20, Lahore T20, Shadab Khan, Litton Das, Hasan Nawaz, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Gaddafi Stadium, Pakistan vs Bangladesh
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Retailers such as Currys and The Game Collection are also offering launch bundles
The highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 will officially launch in the UK on 5 June, with select retailers preparing midnight openings and special launch events. As demand remains high and stock levels fluctuate, gamers across the country are racing to secure a pre-order ahead of release day.
Smyths Toys will open all of its UK stores at 12:01am on 5 June, offering Click & Collect for those who pre-ordered and a limited number of consoles for walk-in customers. Several branches, including Boucher Road in Belfast, Glasgow, Stockport, Romford and Hull, will open early at 11pm on 4 June to host launch demo events. These locations will allow fans to test the new Mario Kart World before it officially releases, and the first 100 attendees at each event will receive a complimentary goodie bag.
The Nintendo Switch 2 maintains the hybrid design of its predecessor but comes with several hardware upgrades. It features a larger 7.9-inch HDR LCD display, 256GB of internal storage, and a performance boost that supports 4K output when docked. A standout innovation is the new Joy-Con 2 controllers, which attach magnetically and function similarly to computer mice, allowing for more interactive gameplay.
A leaked setup video surfaced online earlier this week, revealing the console’s updated interface and Joy-Con functionality. Although most features remain locked behind a day-one update, the footage suggests that the console is already in circulation ahead of the official launch.
Nintendo
Pre-orders have been selling out rapidly, but a few retailers continue to offer limited stock. The standalone Nintendo Switch 2 is listed at £395.99 on Nintendo.co.uk, while the official Mario Kart World bundle—priced at £429.99—includes a digital copy of the game alongside the console, controllers, dock, grip and cables.
Retailers such as Currys and The Game Collection are also offering launch bundles. Currys is retailing a £579 package that includes Mario Kart World, Street Fighter 6, a Switch 2 camera, a 256GB microSD Express memory card, a carrying case and a screen protector. Meanwhile, The Game Collection has a £609.95 bundle with Cyberpunk 2077, Hitman: World of Assassination, and other accessories. A £644.95 version adds Mario Kart World to the mix.
While the My Nintendo Store frequently sees stock come and go, customers require an active Switch Online membership—currently £5.99 from Cdkeys.com—to complete their purchase. Currys and The Game Collection offer alternatives without this requirement.
- YouTubeYouTube/ Nintendo UK
Other UK retailers, such as Very, ShopTo, Amazon, EE, JD Williams, John Lewis, Kaleidoscope, HMV and Game, have seen fluctuating availability, with many selling out as early as mid-May. Amazon is reportedly restocking intermittently via workaround links.
Beyond the console itself, several accessories and upcoming games are available for pre-order. Donkey Kong Bananza, a new 3D platformer exclusive to Switch 2, launches on 17 July and is available for £64.99. Accessories like the redesigned £74.99 Pro Controller, £49.95 Switch 2 camera, and £49.95 Nintendo-branded microSD Express cards are also being promoted for early adopters.
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For those looking to travel with their new console, Nintendo offers an all-in-one carrying case for £66.99, as well as a simpler £20.99 case and screen protector combo.
With the Nintendo Switch 2 midnight launch in the UK just days away, those hoping to secure a unit on release day will need to act fast, either by attending one of the midnight store openings or securing a final pre-order online. The console's enhanced hardware, innovative controller design and backwards compatibility make it a significant step forward for Nintendo’s hybrid gaming platform.
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