WHEATLAND, Mo. – Lucas Oil Speedway has released its tentative schedule and it includes something for everyone, with motorsports events planned on three different venues at the complex.

Along with the 13-week Weekly Racing Series, which General Manager Danny Lorton calls “the backbone of our schedule,” there’s at least one special event per month from April through October.

Included is the return of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series for the Off Road Shootout, Aug. 21-23, and the 28th annual Show-Me 100 Presented by ProtecttheHarvest.com, May 21-23. Storm damage forced cancellation of those marquee events in 2019.

Drag Boat action also makes its return for the first time since 2018 with three events on Lake Lucas.

“We’re excited that the 2020 schedule again has lots of variety,” Lorton said. “We’ll have the big Late Model specials, the Open-Wheel shows, Drag Boats, Monster Trucks, Pro Pulling and the Lucas Oil Off Road Series on the off road track.”

There are some special additions within the Weekly Racing Series. Pure Stocks, which ran twice in 2019, have been added on April 18 and June 20 with Mod Lites, for the first time, joining the July 11 program. The Show-Me Vintage Racers return for a third straight year, on Aug. 8.

“It’s sure to be an exciting season as I know people missed seeing the Drag Boats and the Off Road Series last year,” Lorton said. “Plus, it’ll be great to have the Show-Me 100 Presented by ProtecttheHarvest.com back after the unfortunate situation last spring.”

The Lucas Oil Show-Me 100, featuring the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Seriesand Lucas Oil MLRA Late Model Series, was cancelled due to the severe storm that hit Wheatland a few days before Memorial Day Weekend. The 2020 Show-Me 100 will kick off May 21 with the seventh annual Cowboy Classic and continues May 22 with the Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson. Drivers will accumulate points both nights to help set the field for the 28th annual Show-Me 100 on May 23.

Engines will fire for the first time in 2020 on March 28 with an Open Test & Tune. The Weekly Racing Series opener is set for April 4 with the first special, the seventh annual MLRA Spring Nationals Presented by RacingJunk.com, April 10-11.

May starts off big with open-wheel action on May 2 for the eighth annual Impact Signs, Awnings & Wraps Open Wheel Showdown featuring the ASCS Sprints, POWRi Midgets and WAR Sprints.

Boat racing debuts May 15-17 as the Southern Drag Boat Ass’n and Kentucky Drag Boat Association combine. Other events on Lake Lucas are June 13-14 and on Labor Day Weekend Sept. 5-6 for the Diamond Drag Boat Nationals.

June will conclude with something other than motor sports. The Lucas Oil Invitational Pro Bull Ride Presented by ProtecttheHarvest.com is set for June 26-27 at the dirt track. A July highlight is the 14th annual CMH Diamond Nationals with the return of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and MLRA on July 18.

August starts with the 11th annual USMTS Slick Mist Show-Me Shootout Presented by Foley Equipment on Aug. 1. One of the biggest weekends of the year is set for Aug. 21-23 with the Off Road Shootout running in the day time, sandwiched around the Rempfer Memorial Season Championship Night Presented by Bill Roberts Chevrolet-Buick on Aug. 22. Track champions will be crowned in the four weekly classes.

The autumn months feature several special events, starting Labor Day Weekend with the Diamond Drag Boat Nationals Sept. 5-6, plus the Lucas Oil MLRA Ron Jenkins Memorial Presented by Rugged Radios on Sept. 5. One of open-wheel’s crown jewels returns Sept. 17-19 with the 10th annual ASCS/WAR Jesse Hockett/Daniel McMillin Memorial.

The Lucas Oil Pro Pulling Nationals roll into the speedway on Sept. 25-26. Street Stocks get the spotlight Oct. 1-3 with the seventh annual Big Buck 50 Presented by Whitetail Trophy Hunt before the 7th annual Lucas Oil MLRA Fall Nationals and B-Mod Class of Champions Oct. 8-10.

The season will conclude with what’s become the annual finish, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Outlaw Monster Truck Show on Oct. 24.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — After a full season of watching racing, here are just a few of the things I think I know:

– This year’s battle for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship between 10-time champion Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet has been one of the best. It will likely go down to the final race of the season Nov. 9 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

– Gimmicks will bring fans to the track once; great racing will bring them back time after time.

– Watching the NTT IndyCar Series finale from California’s WeatherTech Raceway at Laguna Seca left me wanting more. Watching Josef Newgarden claim the championship while riding around mid-pack seemed somewhat unsatisfying.

– Gio Scelzi and Buddy Kofoid are likely to be the next open-wheel drivers to follow the Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell path toward a future in stock car racing.

– John Force never gets old. He may have turned 70, but he’s just as much fun to watch as he was 30 years ago.

– With the emergence of young stars — Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen — with aggressive racing styles, Formula One races are worth watching.

– Jason Sides will win a lot of races as a World of Outlaws team owner.

– Midget racing is more popular than it’s been in a very long time.

– I’d sure like to see Gio Scelzi, Tyler Courtney or Logan Seavey get a shot to drive a top-notch Indy car.

– Asphalt racers spend entirely too much time practicing and qualifying.

– The National Sprint Car Rankings produced by Gary Spaid and published weekly on SPEED­SPORT.com have been very interesting to follow.

– With NTT IndyCar Series (Josef Newgarden) and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya) titles already in the bag, Team Penske could make it a single-season hat trick if Ryan Blaney or Joey Logano can bring home the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series crown.

– Aaron Reutzel needs to be on the World of Outlaws tour full time.

– All races at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway should be sanctioned by the National Demolition Derby Ass’n.

– World Racing Group’s addition of the Xtreme DIRTcar Series in the Southeast and special events at New Mexico’s Vado Speedway Park and Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park in January is all about creating live events for DIRTVision.com and the potential revenue those events could generate.

– It will be interesting to see if Christopher Bell, who won the Oct. 13 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series race at Indiana’s Tri-State Speedway in his own No. 21 sprint car, will put another driver in the car for select events next season.

– We would advise against playing drinking games with the word “aeroscreen” during NBC broadcasts of NTT IndyCar Series events.

– Ralph Sheheen is doing some damn interesting interviews on his podcast, “The Ralph Sheheen Show,” available on SPEEDSPORT.com and from iHeartRadio, Spotify, iTunes and other outlets.

– Longtime Mazda North America Motorsports director John Doonan is an ideal choice to replace the retiring Scott Atherton as president of IMSA. Doonan’s knowledge of how automakers operate should pay huge dividends for the sports car community.

– With the Daytona 200 struggling in recent years, it seems officials made an interesting decision to pair it with the American Flat Track season-opening Daytona TT on March 14, giving bike fans two events in a single day at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

It might be a last-gasp situation for the once prestigious superbike race.

With the Presidents Cup a little over a month away, this week the rosters for both teams will be finalized with four captain’s picks each. International captain Ernie Els made his picks on Wednesday, while U.S. skipper Tiger Woods will announce his selections on Thursday.

We’ve already examined the candidates for Els, so let’s take a look at the roster of potential picks at Woods’ disposal. First, a reminder of the eight players who have already qualified for his U.S. team at Royal Melbourne (Note: an asterisk(*) denotes a Presidents Cup rookie):

Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Cantlay*, Xander Schauffele*, Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar, Bryson DeChambeau*

Now a look at the candidates for Woods, starting with…

The Lock

Tiger Woods: The captain has all the reason in the world to draw his own name out of the proverbial hat. While his momentum slowed this summer following his watershed win at the Masters, he reminded everyone last month at the Zozo Championship that he still has plenty of game. Woods’ analytical style could blossom on a course like Royal Melbourne, and his stable of assistants will allow him to split his focus between playing and leading without missing a beat. Expect a busy week from the PGA Tour’s new wins co-leader.

The Contenders

Gary Woodland: It’s tough to leave a reigning major champ at home, but Woodland’s U.S. Open triumph wasn’t enough to snag one of the eight automatic qualifying berths. His recent play, however, has moved him back to the top of the short list with a T-3 finish in Korea followed by a fifth-place showing in Japan (where he played the final two rounds alongside Woods). Woodland hasn’t represented the U.S. in a team competition before, but with the tantalizing prospect of pairing him with another long hitter like Koepka or Johnson in a team format, that could change next month.

Tony Finau: At No. 14 in the world, Finau is the highest-ranked American not already on the team and coming off a 2-1-0 Ryder Cup debut last year where he was one of only four Americans to leave Paris with a winning record. Finau recorded another winless but consistent season, notching six top-10 finishes including three over his final five starts. He started the new campaign with a T-9 finish in Las Vegas and, after narrowly missing out on automatic qualification, he’ll be tough to pass up.

Patrick Reed: Captain America had a Ryder Cup to forget last year while pairing alongside the current captain, but his overall match-play prowess speaks for itself. Reed has played in each of the last two Presidents Cups, including a 3-1-1 stint at Liberty National two years ago, and he captured a playoff event there in August. He’s come on strong in recent weeks, with top-20 results in his last four worldwide starts, and dating back to June he’s finished outside the top 25 just once in 13 events. It’s difficult to envision his fiery persona watching from home instead of shushing from inside the ropes.

Rickie Fowler: Fowler has been on every U.S. team since 2014, including a pair of Presidents Cups, and he seemed like a lock to make the squad after a spring that included a win in Phoenix and a runner-up at PGA National. But since then he’s fallen from seventh to 21^st in the world rankings, and while he finished T-6 at Royal Portrush he has played only three events since and none since a middling finish at the Tour Championship. He’s had other things on his mind in that span (like getting married), but it remains to be seen if his past pedigree in team settings will be enough to warrant a pick over players who have put up more recent results.

Kevin Kisner: Kisner was undefeated two years ago in his Presidents Cup debut, memorably pairing with Phil Mickelson, and he cruised to a WGC-Match Play win this spring in Austin. He hasn’t cracked the top 5 since, and two starts in Asia didn’t produce noteworthy results, but Kisner still finished T-9 in the season-ending Tour Championship and would undoubtedly help keep the team room loose.

The Wild Card

Jordan Spieth: Somehow Spieth has tumbled to 42^nd in the world rankings, and when Presidents Cup qualification ended he was sandwiched between Jason Kokrak and J.T. Poston in the U.S. standings. It was a season to forget for the three-time major champ, and any gains he appeared to make at the CJ Cup (T-8) last month didn’t transfer to his next two starts in Asia. It may seem like a longshot, but there are few players who can match Spieth’s game when he’s firing on all cylinders, and the match-play format could be especially conducive to a player who tends to make both birdies and bogeys in abundance.

Lexi Thompson is back in action this week, looking to use a swing change to play her way out of a late-season swoon.

She’s teeing it up at the Toto Japan Classic, a most hospitable setting for the 24-year-old American. She won a Japan LPGA Tour major in 2016, taking the Salonpas Cup.

Asia has been kind to Thompson over the years, with four of her 13 worldwide titles coming in the Far East. She also has won in South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia.

Thompson has missed the cut in her last two starts and three of her last five. The missed cuts at the Indy Women in Tech Championship and the Cambia Portland Classic marked the first time she has missed back-to-back cuts since her rookie year in 2012. She hasn’t played in five weeks, taking time away to train and work on a swing change.

“I’ve been practicing and training harder than I ever have in my life,” Thompson said. “I struggled my last few events. I knew [there was] a swing change that I needed to make. I feel good about it. It’s been hard work.”

Thompson said she also needed rest in time away from tournament play.

“I’ve made sure to have that really relaxing down time,” she said.

The missed cuts and time off affected Thompson’s world ranking. She lost her spot as the top American in the Rolex Women’s World Rankings. Nelly Korda moved past Thompson this week, with Korda ascending five spots to No. 3 in the world after winning the Taiwan Swinging Skirts last weekend. Thompson has slipped to No. 8.

What’s the swing change? Thompson said it has to do with her trademark tippy-toe lunge at impact.

“It’s just trying to get everything more in control,” she said. “I’m not obviously jumping as much. That’s always going to be a part of my golf swing, but I’ve realized I need to tame it down, to get more consistent with my golf swing and my shots. I’m thinking about not jumping as much. It’s kind of another move. It’s hard to describe.”

Thompson is eager to see where the swing change is at, before heading to the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship, which she won a year ago.

“It’s important for me right now, just with the swing changes I’ve made, to have a little test run and put it under the gun and in competition,” Thompson said. 

This week’s field includes a strong Japanese contingent, with Nasa Hataoka looking to defend her title and claim her fourth worldwide title this year. She won the LPGA’s Kia Classic in the spring and claimed a pair of Japanese women’s major championships this fall. Fellow Japanese star Hinako Shibuno is also in this week’s field. Shibuno is among 35 JLPGA members with standing in the field.

ANTALYA, Turkey - Tom Lewis and Matthias Schwab share a one-shot lead after the first round of the Turkish Airlines Open on Thursday.

Lewis and Schwab both carded 7-under 65 to lead David Lipsky, Thomas Pieters and Alex Noren by one shot.

Schwab started fast with an eagle and three birdies on the front nine, while Lewis finished his round strongly with six birdies on his last seven holes.

Justin Rose is one of six players at 5 under as he chases a third consecutive title in the European Tour event. Rose finished with three birdies after a mixed round which also included an eagle and two bogeys.

Every title race has at least one sliding-doors moment. We all remember Sergio Aguero scoring in injury time against Queens Park Rangers to win Manchester City their first Premier League title, but don't forget City's 6-1 over Manchester United early in the season, the "Why Always Me?" match involving Mario Balotelli. It added five goals to City's goal differential and subtracted five from United; City won the league because of a goal-differential that was eight better than United's. What if United had just lost by one or two?

We'll spare Liverpool fans any discussion of "The Slip" and instead focus on another inflection point from that same year. On Boxing Day, Liverpool lost to City at the Etihad, 2-1, in a match they deserved to at least draw: they edged the hosts 1.79 to 1.53 on expected goals. Liverpool ended up finishing the season just two points behind City.

In Leicester City's title-winning season, they drew even with Arsenal atop the table thanks to a fortunate 1-0 January win away to Tottenham in which Spurs more than doubled their shot (21 to 10) and expected goal (1.54 to 0.68) totals. Claudio Ranieri & Co. won the title by nine points, but who knows how the season would have played out had Spurs won this match and either they or Arsenal still sat in first place come mid-March.

The same goes for the following season. In Early December, Manchester City created 2.14 expected goals compared to Chelsea's 1.39 but lost the match, 2-1, thanks in large part to Kevin De Bruyne hitting the post on an empty-net, 56th-minute tap-in that would have put City up 2-0. Had they won the match, they would have been two points clear atop the table; instead, they ended the weekend in fourth, while Chelsea had a three-point lead on everyone else that they'd never relinquish.

"All of these games were mid-season, and therefore sometimes accredited with less impact than they actually had on the title race," said Omar Chaudhuri, head of football intelligence at the consultancy 21st Club.

And then there was last season's 2-1 win by City over Liverpool in which John Stones cleared a ball off the line that was literally centimeters away from being a goal. City won the title by one point; if Stones is half-a-second slower to that ball -- hell, if he was wearing a different pair of cleats -- then Liverpool probably would have won the Premier League.

This weekend, the two teams meet for the first time in the league since that night at the Etihad and the stakes are just as high. Liverpool currently hold a six-point lead atop the table but due to City's significantly better underlying performance -- better goal difference (plus-24 to plus-16) and better xG difference (plus-20.1 to plus-11) -- most projections expect that gap to shrink over the remaining 27 games. Betting markets see Liverpool edging City by one point while 21st Club's model currently has Liverpool winning by 3.8 points. That will all change after this weekend.

"A win for City therefore would be a big swing, closing the gap to within an expected 'future' point, and essentially making it a 50/50 race," said Chaudhuri. "It's worth noting that bookmakers are more bullish on City, and would make them favourites with a win."

In short, Liverpool or City could win the Premier League this weekend. So how will each side go about doing it and which moves seem to serve them best in their march to glory?

Liverpool lean on their talent out wide

Cheuk Hei Ho, an analyst who does a lot of work on the way teams and players pass the ball, created some beautiful visualizations for each team. The images below show the kinds of passes that Liverpool and City rely on both more often and less frequently than other teams, while the different colors are meant to group together similar passes.

As you can see, neither team spends much time passing in their own third of the field, with Liverpool's only consistent pattern coming from balls out wide to their fantastic fullbacks, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson. Moving into the attacking third, most of Liverpool's unique passing comes from right-to-left diagonals, which once again feature the fullbacks. Alexander-Arnold and his joystick of a right foot lead all Liverpool players in expected assists with 4.3; next closest is Roberto Firmino with 3.1 and then Robertson at 2.3. Alexander-Arnold also tops on the team, per data from Stats Perform, in completed passes into the penalty area with 5.7 per 90 minutes -- way ahead of Sadio Mane's second-most tally of 2.8.

While the creative burden carried by Liverpool's fullbacks is nothing new -- TAA was first and Robertson was second on the team in assists last season -- the frequency with which they pass to each other has increased. In fact, it's become one of the team's defining stylistic quirks: Alexander-Arnold steps on the ball, looks up and launches a cross-field ball right into Robertson's stride to switch play and exploit any space. Per data from Cheuk Hei Ho, the number of fullback-to-fullback passes has increased over Jurgen Klopp's tenure:

One other quirk worth noting: You'll see that Liverpool rarely play passes from the advanced right channel into the box. Alexander-Arnold tends to bend balls in from farther back while the team's de facto right winger is actually the team's main target for passes into the penalty area: Mohamed Salah receives 4.6 passes in the box per 90 minutes, per Stats Perform. Firmino and Mane are second and third with 3.7 and 3.5, respectively.

For City, it's all about De Bruyne

Man City's approach is different. They create sustained, effective possession in the opponent's half in a manner we've only really seen from... other teams coached by Pep Guardiola. They complete 196 passes in the attacking third per game; Liverpool are next-best at 143. They complete 82 percent of their passes in the final third; Chelsea are next-best at 76 percent. They average 50 touches in the opposition box; Liverpool are next-best at 33. They take 21 shots per match; Liverpool are next-best at 17. They create 3.36 expected goals per game; Liverpool are next-best at 2.24. And they score 3.09 goals per 90 minutes; Leicester are next-best at 2.45.

Pick just about any stat for attacking effectiveness and City are way ahead of anyone else in the league.

You can't create that kind of dominance with any predictable patterns or tendencies. City are able to play the majority of matches in their opponent's third for two main reasons: Guardiola is a master at creating attacking spacing, and their threat can come from anywhere. In terms of non-penalty expected goals+assists per 90 minutes among players with at least 400 minutes of game time, City have the four most productive attackers in the league -- Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, and Kevin De Bruyne, along with Riyad Mahrez (sixth) and Bernardo Silva (eighth). No other team has more than two players in the top 10.

However, if there's one defining feature of City's attack this year, it's the sight of Kevin De Bruyne, seemingly harnessing the Earth's rotation and whipping in a ball behind the defense from a few yards off the right corner of the penalty area. Across Europe's Big Five leagues, De Bruyne completes more passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes than any player. And here's how he most commonly does it:

De Bruyne leads Europe with the number of chances created per 90 minutes, and he's also ahead of the entire pack in assists, too, with eight. After missing most of last season with an injury, the 28-year-old Belgian looks like the best player in the Premier League through the first 11 games of the year. Perhaps uncoincidentally, the two Premier League games City lost are two of the three games De Bruyne didn't start. For the moments when City's slick passing doesn't break down the opposition, he's the sledgehammer.

Of course, neither team will be able to do what they normally do come Sunday. While City and Liverpool are first and second in passes per game in the attacking third, they're first and second in fewest passes allowed in their defensive thirds. The passes they each concede are essentially an inverse of they passes they typically complete.

The same goes for shots: They're first and second in attempts per game, and they're first and second in fewest attempts allowed. They're the two best pressing teams in the league; they're also the two hardest teams to press. The one potential weak spot: although City allow by far the fewest shots per game, they're just fourth in expected goals allowed. In other words, the few chances they do allow tend to be high-quality opportunities.

How will it play out on Sunday?

Based on what happened in the two matches between these teams last season, shots seem like they'll be at a serious premium on Sunday. Neither side broke into double digits in either meeting in 2018-19. Despite the lack of constant goalmouth action, the game at the Etihad was still played at an incredibly high level. Every attacking breakthrough felt like a minor miracle, a multi-part equation solved while riding on the back of a motorcycle. The game at Anfield, though? Not so much.

After a succession of wild, high-scoring matches across the Premier League and Champions League the previous year, neither team really took any risks in their first meeting of 2018-19. Liverpool ended up with seven shots, City six. Possession was 49.6 to 50.4, slightly in favor of City; both teams attempted the exact same number of passes in the attacking third (108) and both teams completed the exact same number of passes into the box (10).

That said, even a bland, goal-less split amid a title race has its own sliding-doors moments. Mahrez missed a penalty in the 86th minute at Anfield in October, 2018. Had it gone on, City might have hit 100 points again and the chase for first might have ended way before the last weekend of the season.

No matter how entertaining Sunday's match is, there's likely to be another one of these inflection points somewhere across the 90 minutes. We just won't know what it is until we get to May.

Ajit Singh, the BCCI's ACU chief, has said his office had "amply" warned the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) that some of the KPL matches would be "compromised". This is now being investigated by the crime branch of Karnataka Police, which has booked several people including former state players CM Gautam and Abrar Kazi.

He confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the BCCI's anti-corruption unit (ACU) is also investigating "more than one participant" as part of its inquiry into the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) corruption scandal. The BCCI ACU is conducting its own parallel investigation alongside the one carried out by the Karnataka Police with both agencies exchanging information.

ALSO READ: KPL - Karnataka cricket's problem child?

"Yes, we had knowledge," Singh said on Thursday, when asked if the ACU was aware of any wrongdoings in the KPL. "We are also conducting our own inquiry. But our inquiries are limited to the participants whereas the policy inquiry covers everyone involved.

"They check for violation of (criminal) law, we do it as per the anti-corruption code of the BCCI. There could be more people. We are investigating against more than one participant. Participants covers everyone - players, team officials, owners."

The KPL completed its seventh edition this July-August, with only the 2018 edition having anti-corruption cover after the KSCA availed the services of Ravi Sawani, former general manager of ICC' ACU and subsequently head of BCCI ACU.

Last year, the BCCI sent a directive saying its own ACU would be providing cover for all the leagues run by various state associations including the KPL. However, it's role was restricted to a "supervisory capacity".

According to Singh, two ACU officers were present at every match in the 2019 KPL, operating at both at the ground as well as team hotel. He also clarified that the ACU inquiry had begun right at the start of this season's KPL and not after the police got involved.

"Our inquiry started as we got intelligence and we verified it. It started almost at the beginning of the KPL, when our ACU officers got information that was available on certain players."

Singh also said revelations by the police inquiry was by no means a failure on the ACU's part. "Before we took over to provide cover for the KPL our officers spoke to the KSCA, told them that there is a strong possibility that these matches would be compromised on the basis what he had heard," he said. "Our zonal operations manager had a meeting with them and briefed them prior to the tournament.

"We told them strong anti-corruption measures need to be put in place and you (KSCA) have to be vigilant. They said there would zero tolerance to corruption. So we amply warned them that there is the possibility that these things were going to happen.

"Whatever the police does it helps us because the police has far more power, greater authority and greater resources to collect information. We can't get telephonic information, we can't summon a person, we can't get documents from a hotel - the police can do all that.

"Also, when the ACU took charge at KPL, there was unverified information that came to us. We verified some of it. We also took that to the police. We have interviewed some of the people who are the point of inquiry. We are sharing information with the police, which has got their own sources. Wherever we can supplement the evidence, we are doing that."

The ACU is likely to wrap up his probe by end of November. Singh also believed there was no reason to suspend the KPL until the investigation was over. "Look, if a person is sick, you don't kill it, you cure him," he said. "You just don't ban a league. The fact that action is being taken it will send a strong message. It will make a lot of difference to the integrity of the tournament."

The R Ashwin trade has finally happened with Kings XI Punjab closing a lucrative deal with Delhi Capitals on Thursday. ESPNcricinfo understands the trade is worth INR 7.6 crore (then US$ 1.176 million approx., his auction price in 2018) and an additional undisclosed sum to procure Ashwin.

Also part of the deal is Karnataka spinner J Suchith , who the Capitals have traded to Kings XI as part of the exchange for Ashwin. Suchith was signed as a replacement in IPL 2019 at his base price of INR 20 lakh. The IPL Governing Council will now have to ratify the trade to seal the deal.

Capitals were set to sign Ashwin earlier , but the equation appeared to have changed after Kings XI appointed former India captain and head coach Anil Kumble as their team director. ESPNcricinfo understands that Kumble's first choice was to retain Ashwin, but the player himself wanted to move to Capitals after two underwhelming seasons as captain of the Punjab franchise.

In addition to Suchith, it is believed Kings XI asked Capitals to also trade Trent Boult. The New Zealand fast bowler was signed by Capitals in 2018 for INR 2.2 crore (then US$ 343,000 approx). The understanding was Capitals would then pay the balance amount of INR 5.2 crore (US$ 733,000 approx.) to Kings XI in cash.

However, it is believed Boult himself was not keen, even though IPL contracts do not give a player the power to be part of the trade negotiations. However, Boult was later removed from the bargain, with both franchises settling for Suchith and the undisclosed premium amount.

With the Ashwin acquisition, Capitals will have six frontline spinners in their ranks - the others being Rahul Tewatia, Amit Mishra, Sandeep Lamichhane, Jalaj Saxena and Axar Patel - though it's important to note the trade window will remain open till November 14.

Ashwin, who turned 33 recently, has been one of the best bowlers over the years in the IPL with his dominance spanning close to a decade, during which he has played for Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant, apart from Kings XI.

Ashwin has proved to be an asset as he can bowl in the Powerplay, dry up runs in the middle overs, and restrict batsmen at the death. Overall, he has taken 125 wickets in 139 IPL matches at an economy rate of 6.79, which is the best among all Indian bowlers with 50-plus wickets in the competition.

Suchith, meanwhile, would be rejoining forces with Kumble after having been together at Mumbai Indians where the latter was team mentor.

A week before he's scheduled to meet with NFL investigators, free-agent wide receiver Antonio Brown said in a profanity-filled tweet that he wants the league to "clear my name" but reiterated that he'll "never play" again in the league that he said treats black players unfairly.

Earlier Thursday, sources told ESPN's Josina Anderson that Brown is scheduled to meet with the NFL next week concerning accusations of sexually assaulting multiple women and that the veteran receiver is eager to present his side.

However, hours later, Brown took to social media to display his frustration with the league.

"Imagine conforming to a system giving it a 100 percent to see them treat me like this is unfairly!" Brown said on Twitter. "Making money off my sweat and blood F--- the @nfl I'll never play in that s--- treat black people the worse! Clear my name and go f--- your self."

Despite Brown initially tweeting Sept. 22 that he "will not be playing in the NFL anymore," sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler last month that Brown hopes to have his playing status cleared up before signing with an NFL team.

Sources told ESPN on Thursday that there are teams interested in signing him pending resolution of the league's wide-ranging investigation.

The NFL has yet to interview Brown, and a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that the league was waiting to do so until the majority of its investigation was done. He was released by the New England Patriots in Week 3 after playing in just one game.

Brown is being investigated by the NFL under its personal conduct policy following a lawsuit filed by his former trainer Britney Taylor which alleges she was sexually assaulted on multiple occasions. Brown also was accused of sexual misconduct at his home by an artist who was working there in 2017.

Brown has officially been served lawsuit papers from Taylor, sources told ESPN, and has hired attorney Camille Blanton to accept that service and handle his case. This all happened Friday, and Brown has asked for 45 days to respond.

NFL teams appear to be waiting for the league's findings before signing Brown. Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Saturday that the Seattle Seahawks had been doing their due diligence on Brown prior to the team signing Josh Gordon, and that quarterback Russell Wilson was pushing for the team to sign Brown.

Brown's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said there are "a few teams that are very interested in signing Antonio once this process is over."

On Sept. 20, the NFL released a statement that said Brown would not be placed on the commissioner's exempt list while he is a free agent but warned, "If he is signed by a club, such placement may become appropriate at any time depending on the status of the investigation."

Brown has played in only one game this season -- Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins. He was released by the Oakland Raiders before the season and by the Patriots before Week 3, after it was made known that he sent text messages to the artist accusing him of misconduct.

Brown has filed eight grievances against the Raiders and Patriots, a source told ESPN's Dan Graziano. Brown is seeking $39.775 million in lost salary, bonuses and guaranteed money.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown says he should be "ready to go" Thursday night against the Charlotte Hornets after sitting out the past three games due to an infection.

Brown said he had to go to the hospital five times after initially falling ill prior to an Oct. 30 win in Boston over the Milwaukee Bucks in order to drain an abscess on the inside of his leg that caused the infection, which also led to a high fever.

"I'm glad it's behind me now," Brown said before Thursday's morning shootaround at the Spectrum Center. "I'm feeling a lot better. ... I was pretty down and out."

Brown said he initially started feeling sick after participating in the morning shootaround ahead of that Bucks game, only to eventually have to go to the hospital to begin the process of sorting his health out -- something he said he rarely has to do to.

"I don't really get sick, to be honest," Brown said. "I don't really get sick. Not to jinx myself, but I'm not a person that gets sick too much."

In this case, however, he did, and Brown wound up being missing the past three wins for the Celtics as a result. Brown said he began feeling like himself again Monday, when he returned to practice, but ultimately had to go back to the hospital one final time and thus missed the trip to Cleveland for Tuesday night's victory over the Cavaliers.

Brown said he has been able to keep up his conditioning and did conditioning and strength work this week, so he isn't expecting to face any limitations for Thursday's game.

"I'm in great shape. There shouldn't be any restrictions or anything," he said. "I talked to [coach] Brad [Stevens], so I should be ready to go."

In addition to Brown, Enes Kanter, who has missed the past five games with a left knee contusion suffered in Boston's season-opening loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, said he was a game-time decision for Thursday night. Boston's other banged-up centers, Daniel Theis and Robert Williams, both were listed as probable to play.