I Dig Sports
"But in moments like this and big games, it's more about holding your composure, which we all know about. It's not easy, but I'm happy to win this and happy to get over the line this time. I think I've batted in times like this in three out of the five games. And one of the games I didn't get to bat at all against Pakistan.
"The game's given me good time in the middle and good time to prepare for a big moment like this. It's hard to put in words, but it's just pure skill and the way we've all played our cricket growing up. We've had to face a lot of challenges. We've had to face pressure from the time we held the bat and from the time we decided to be professional cricketers. I think it's just the first-class cricket, BCCI, how they've groomed every player, every talented player that comes around. They're giving us opportunities and platforms to showcase our skills and to put ourselves under pressure and keep challenging ourselves and getting better."
"Oh, brilliant. You know, that was calm, composed [from KL Rahul]. He took his chances at the right point of time. I think this is what KL Rahul is. KL Rahul has immense talent, and I don't think anyone can hit the ball the way he can. I think that was the exhibition of how he did today."
"To be honest, I love to be under pressure whenever there's a challenge. I feel I thrive under pressure, and I love such moments. It's just that I've been getting amazing starts in the tournament, and not able to get a big one, but at the end of the day, if I'm able to contribute to a team victory, that is immensely satisfying, and I'm truly happy."
"Watching him [Virat Kohli] on the TV when I was a kid, and then playing against him, and seeing the intensity at which he plays, it's just phenomenal to watch. And I think it tells us what the game is all about, giving his everything, and that's the only thing that he talks about, even off the field as well - give your everything when you're playing on the field. For him to be able to back his words like that, is just phenomenal."
"This means a lot to India. You're a part of such a team, and there will be be regrets if you're not able to win tournaments after playing for so many years. But luckily in these two years we've won the T20 World Cup and now the Champions Trophy so it's great for team India."
"A big party is due and entire India will party today."
Harry Brook pulls out of IPL for second year running
ESPNcricinfo has learned that Brook's decision to pull out was conveyed by ECB officials to the BCCI last week, and then relayed to Delhi Capitals, who bought Brook for INR 6.25 crore (590,000) at the IPL mega auction last November.
There is no official line on the development yet from the IPL, but Brook tweeted* that he needed "time to recharge after the busiest period in my career to date". He is considered a frontrunner to replace Jos Buttler as England's white-ball captain following their group-stage elimination at the Champions Trophy, and, as an all-formats player with 18 months yet to run on his ECB central contract, workload management could prove to be a factor in the withdrawal. The ECB has been contacted for comment.
"I have made the very difficult decision to pull out of the upcoming IPL," Brook wrote. "I apologise unreservedly to the Delhi Capitals and their supporters.
"I love cricket. Ever since I was a young boy I have dreamt of playing for my country and I am extremely thankful to have the opportunity to play the game I love at this level.
"With the guidance of people I trust, I have taken the time to seriously consider this decision. It is a really important time for England cricket and I want to fully commit to preparing for the upcoming series. In order to do this, I need time to recharge after the busiest period in my career to date. I know not everyone will understand, and I don't expect them to, but I have to do what I believe is right, and playing for my country remains my priority and focus. I remain hugely grateful for the opportunities I have been given and the support I receive."
The decision leaves him vulnerable to a two-year ban from the IPL. The new rule was put in place ahead of the 2025 auction, and is based on feedback from all 10 franchises who expressed frustration at a history of late pullouts by overseas players.
In a note to franchises last September, the IPL said: "Any [overseas] player who registers for [an] auction and, after getting picked at the auction, makes himself unavailable before the start of the season will get banned from participating in the IPL/IPL auction for two seasons."
The only exception, the governing council said, will be for "an injury/medical condition, which will have to be confirmed by the [player's] home board".
The 2025 IPL will start from March 22 with Capitals' opening fixture coming against Lucknow Super Giants in Visakhapatnam on March 24. In addition to finding a replacement for Brook, Capitals also are yet to announce their captain.
*18.45 GMT - Story updated with Brook's tweet
Additional reporting by Andrew Miller
Rohit Sharma not retiring from ODIs after Champions Trophy victory
Rohit said there was "no future plan" and that "what is happening will keep happening" in ODI cricket, when asked about where he stood in his career after winning back-to-back ICC titles. He had led India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup in June last year and retired from that format after the final.
"Let's see. It is a great team achievement for the team to win two ICC trophies and to go undefeated is icing on the cake. I have seen very few teams that have won two tournaments undefeated. For us, the most important thing was that we come here and prepare, and play the opposition. We used the conditions well and won. Future plan... there's no future plan, whatever is happening will keep happening."
At the post-match presentation, Rohit had high praise for KL Rahul's calmness in a tense chase. Rahul was unbeaten on 34 off 33 balls in difficult batting conditions and said he was "sh**ting himself" towards the end of India's chase of 252.
"Again, a very solid mind," Rohit said of Rahul. "He never gets overawed by pressure around him. That's one of the reasons why we wanted to have him in the middle phase, to try and finish off games for us. With his experience and class, there's a bit of calmness when he bats.
"He picks the right shots to play under pressure situations, which obviously allows the other guys batting around him to come and play freely. For example, Hardik came out and played some really good shots in both games that gave us some freedom. Overall the batsmanship shown by all our batters throughout the tournament was superb."
Rohit himself for India's chase off to a powerful start, scoring 49 off 40 balls in the powerplay and going on to add 105 with Shubman Gill for the first wicket. Rohit finished with 76 off 83 balls.
"It makes it a lot easier; it gives you freedom as well," Rohit said of India's batting depth giving him the freedom to attack at the start. "Which is why I said earlier as well that we wanted to have batting depth as deep as possible. Jadeja coming at No. 8 gives you the confidence to go slightly hard up front with the new ball. If it comes off, it comes off. If it doesn't, then so be it. As long as I'm clear in my mind, it's the most important thing."
Rohit also praised his spinners for living up to expectations. India stuck to their four-pronged spin strategy for the last three games, starting with the last group fixture against New Zealand when they first unleashed Varun Chakravarthy, who incidentally wasn't in the preliminary squad of 15.
"Not just this game but right from the beginning, our spinners in particular, there's too many expectations when you are playing on a pitch like that, but they never disappointed," Rohit said. "We do understand their strengths, playing on pitches like these helped and we used it to our advantage. Throughout the tournament, in terms of bowling, we were very consistent."
Varun finished the tournament as the second-highest wicket-taker. He took nine wickets in three innings at 15.11 apiece and with an economy rate of 4.53. He didn't play India's first group games against Bangladesh and Pakistan, but took 5 for 42 in his first opportunity, the third group match against New Zealand.
"He has got something different about him," Rohit said. "When we are playing on such pitches, we want the batters to do something different and that's when he becomes a lot more dangerous. He didn't start off in the tournament for us, but when he played against New Zealand and picked up a five-for, we saw the kind of ability he possesses. We wanted to maximise that, and he didn't disappoint. He's got great quality in his bowling, luckily it came to use a various times."
Source: Chiefs re-signing LB Bolton to $45M deal
Linebacker Nick Bolton is re-signing with the Kansas City Chiefs on a three-year, $45 million deal, including $30 million fully guaranteed at signing, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday.
Bolton, 24, started 16 games this past regular season, registering 106 tackles and recording a career-high three sacks. He then started all three games in the postseason, recording 20 tackles.
He joined the Chiefs in 2021 as a second-round draft pick out of Missouri. He became an immediate contributor, starting 12 games as a rookie and finishing with 112 tackles.
Bolton became a full-time starter in 2022, and made 180 tackles, with two sacks and two interceptions in the regular season. His signature play that season was a 36-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the Chiefs' Super Bowl LVII win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
In 2023, Bolton missed nine games because of a wrist injury but still had a team-high 40 tackles in four postseason games, including 13 in Kansas City's Super Bowl LVIII win over the San Francisco 49ers.
ESPN's Adam Teicher contributed to this report.
Bills cut eight-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Miller
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Bills on Sunday released pass rusher Von Miller ahead of the league year.
The move opens up $8.4 million in cap space, helping the team to get under the cap before the new league year, which starts Wednesday.
The team is open to bringing back Miller, who turns 36 on March 26, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Bills thanked Miller for his three seasons with the team when announcing his release.
The move gives the Bills $15.4 million in dead cap money for this year. Miller was under contract through 2027.
Miller was set to account for the second-most cap space on the roster ($23.9 million) only behind quarterback Josh Allen.
Releasing Miller comes after the Bills signed defensive end Greg Rousseau to a four-year extension Saturday. Sources told Schefter the extension, worth $80 million, includes $54 million guaranteed. The position remains a need for the team this offseason.
Miller's time with the Bills has been anything but smooth. The pass rusher signed a six-year deal worth $120 million in the 2022 offseason. After a good start that included eight sacks in 11 games, he suffered a major right ACL injury on Nov. 24, 2022. Miller stated during training camp in 2024 that he "probably should not have played" in 2023 because of the injury. He finished the 2023 season playing in 12 games and recording zero sacks and three tackles.
He restructured his contract last offseason, taking a pay cut and saving the Bills $8.645 million in cap space.
"Last year at this time, we were working on a restructure for him, and he did something unprecedented," general manager Brandon Beane said at the NFL scouting combine. "... He took a pay cut below his actual guarantee. And you're talking about a first-ballot Hall of Famer that did that. So, a lot of respect for what he did to come back and try and help us chase this trophy. And I thought as the year went on, he continued to show that he could still play."
Miller was then suspended four games (Weeks 5-8) for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, stemming from allegations of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend in suburban Dallas during the Bills' bye week in 2023. He turned himself in to the police and soon after was released on bond. The case was later closed, and charges were never filed. The NFL conducted a separate investigation.
The two-time Super Bowl champion had a solid season in 2024 as part of the team's defensive line rotation, recording six regular-season sacks. Miller did not play more than 21 snaps in any of the Bills' three playoff games, including 16 in the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
He had 14 sacks overall in three seasons and 23 quarterback hits.
Drafted No. 2 overall by the Broncos in 2011, Miller went on to be named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year and had 110 sacks in 10 seasons with Denver.
An eight-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time first-team All-Pro, he has 129.5 sacks in 14 NFL seasons. He won Super Bowls with the Broncos (2015) and in his one season with the Los Angeles Rams (2021) and had nine sacks combined during those two postseasons.
Miller ranks 16th all-time with his 129.5 sacks, the most since he came into the league.
'Meant to be': FSU hires Loucks as hoops coach
Nine years ago, Luke Loucks sat in Leonard Hamilton's office at Florida State when his former coach asked him a question that changed his career trajectory:
"Have you ever considered coaching?"
That query ultimately sent Loucks on a quick rise through the NBA ranks. Now, in what Loucks described to ESPN as a move that was "meant to be," he will succeed Hamilton at Florida State. The 34-year-old Sacramento Kings assistant signed a five-year deal Sunday as the new Seminoles head coach and will be officially introduced Monday in Tallahassee.
"I don't know how to put it into words, but it's like it was meant to be this whole time," Loucks told ESPN in a phone interview. "This whole journey led me to this point."
When Hamilton suggested getting into coaching, Loucks was rehabbing a back injury but was heading to summer league in Las Vegas to try out for NBA teams. Hamilton suggested while there, Loucks start making connections with NBA personnel officials to see if he could find his way into a front office or coaching job.
That ultimately landed Loucks his first job, as a video coordinator and player development coach at Golden State in 2016. He spent five seasons there learning under Steve Kerr and won two NBA championships. He then spent two seasons with the Phoenix Suns before moving to the Kings for the past three years, where he reunited with Mike Brown (an assistant at Golden State when Loucks was there).
"You're going to be a head coach. It's just a matter of when," Brown told Loucks when he arrived in Sacramento in 2022.
Brown figured it would be in the NBA, but based on the way the college game is moving, he told ESPN he is not surprised Florida State hired Loucks, especially given his ties.
"As a young guy, he's experienced a lot in a short amount of time, which has really helped him grow quickly," Brown said. "He's really knowledgeable offensively, defensively, analytically. He thinks out of the box. He's not afraid to take chances but the biggest thing is he's a connector. When you're able to connect well with people, I don't care what job you're doing, you're going to be able to find a way to have success."
Though Loucks has no head coaching experience, he has a deep understanding of Florida State basketball, having played under Hamilton from 2008-12. But his Florida State ties run deeper than that. Loucks grew up in Clearwater, Florida, as an FSU fan -- his dad was a walk-on under Bobby Bowden on the football team and his uncles and younger sister attended the university.
So did his wife, Stevi, who swam for the Seminoles. When he got the job offer, Loucks said his wife and their parents all cried as they rejoiced in their homecoming.
Loucks had remained connected with Hamilton over the years, visiting the program whenever he had the opportunity. He described Hamilton as a "second father" and said the two spoke at length before Loucks took the job.
"I've won at Florida State at a very high level, and I was fortunate to be a small part on some great teams, and I hope to bring that success that Coach Hamilton started," Loucks said. "He's laid an unbelievable foundation, but to go back home to where I played, and to go replace a man of great character, who has had such an impact in my life, you cannot write the story better."
During his time there, Florida State made four straight NCAA tournament appearances and won its only ACC Tournament championship in 2012. Loucks, the starting point guard, made the All-ACC Tournament team after dishing out 13 assists in the championship game victory over North Carolina. When he left Florida State, he held the record for games played (136).
FSU athletic director Michael Alford said Loucks' energy and passion stood out during the interview process, but his NBA background was also hugely important -- including his player development, coaching philosophy and the direction in which college hoops is headed as a quasi-professional model.
"We've got to bring multiple people together with a ton of talent that are getting paid a ton of money, and we've got to form a bond and a commitment to doing things beyond our own individual ambitions," Loucks said. "It's bringing a group of men together to embrace a role for the betterment of the team. I've been fortunate to coach for teams that I've seen that done at a championship level, and I can bring that to Florida State in this environment that's constantly shifting."
Questions about Loucks' lack of head coaching experience, and his lack of college experience, were discussed at length during the interview process.
"I look more into the future where someone can go and be," Alford told ESPN. "I thought for sure he was ready."
Hamilton announced his retirement last month, leaving Florida State as the winningest head coach in school history after 23 seasons at the helm. The Seminoles have missed four straight NCAA tournaments and struggled to find the consistency that had once been a hallmark of the program.
"With my lack of experience, there are going to be question marks," Loucks said. "But the reality is, I understand Florida State, I understand the dynamics. I understand what goes into winning at Florida State. I've not only seen it, but I've experienced it, and I've lived it.
"That that gives me a head start. So, if you want someone to lead this team that gets it right, and who understands what type of people succeed here, what type of people won't succeed here, and how to recruit, and how do we evaluate those people? To me, you're not going to find a better person for the job."
Sources: Browns, Garrett agree to record deal
The Cleveland Browns and Myles Garrett have agreed on a record contract extension that averages $40 million per year and includes $123.5 million in guaranteed money, making the star defensive end the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, sources told ESPN.
The Browns announced the four-year extension, which runs through the 2030 season, on Sunday but did not disclose financial terms.
Garrett's agent, Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports, and Browns general manager Andrew Berry finalized the deal Sunday, according to sources, ending a standoff that started last month when Garrett requested a trade out of Cleveland.
The extension also includes a no-trade clause, according to sources, and re-establishes Garrett's Hall of Fame trajectory that he referred to as "Cleveland to Canton."
The sides agreed to the deal two days after reports circulated that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam recently declined a request to meet with Garrett over the trade request and instead referred the four-time All-Pro to Berry.
Both Garrett and the Browns had been dug in on their respective stances -- the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year wanted to be traded to a contender, and the organization was adamant that they would not acquiesce to the request.
Garrett officially announced his trade request on Feb. 3, saying in a statement that his "goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl."
Garrett had previously mentioned that he did not want to endure another rebuild with the Browns, who are coming off a 3-14 season and hold the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft amid uncertainty at their quarterback position.
Garrett's deal also eclipses the value of the recent extension signed by Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby, who agreed Wednesday to a three-year, $106.5 million deal that made him the league's highest-paid non-quarterback at the time.
This past season, Garrett became the first player to record 100 career sacks before his 29th birthday since sacks became an official stat in 1982. He was named the AP Defensive Player of the Year for the 2023 season, and his 14 sacks in 2024 ranked second in the NFL.
The Browns originally selected Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft. Since entering the league, Garrett's 102.5 sacks only trails the Pittsburgh Steelers' T.J. Watt, who has 108.
ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi contributed to this report.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is expected to miss at least one to two weeks with a groin strain, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania on Sunday.
James will wait for the groin injury to calm down Sunday and receive another evaluation, sources told ESPN, but the Lakers are braced to be without him for a period of time and will be cautious as they hold the third seed in the Western Conference.
James exited Saturday's loss to the Boston Celtics with with 6:44 remaining in the fourth quarter and did not return.
After the game, James downplayed the injury, saying there was "not much concern" and vowed to "go day to day" in treating it.
The 22-year veteran missed 17 games during the 2018-19 season after suffering a torn groin on Christmas Day.
"I've been there before, and I know what type of injury you're dealing with," James said Saturday.
Los Angeles is entering a treacherous stretch of its schedule, playing six contests in the next eight days -- including two games apiece against the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks.
James, 40, who has played in 58 of the Lakers' 62 games through Saturday, is averaging 25 points on 51.7% shooting (38.4% from 3), 8.5 assists and 8.2 rebounds this season.
ESPN's Dave McMenamin contributed to this report.
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Baltimore Orioles right-hander Grayson Rodriguez has inflammation in his throwing elbow and will be shut down for up to 10 days.
Manager Brandon Hyde told reporters Sunday that Rodriguez received a cortisone shot and would resume a throwing program in 7 to 10 days. Hyde had ruled out Rodriguez for the start of the season because of discomfort in his elbow earlier this week.
"Having some discomfort in the back of his elbow, so we are still getting multiple opinions," Hyde told reporters. "It's not a ligament issue, so we're not concerned about that. But it's going to result in some missed time. We're getting the results, we're talking to multiple people about what the treatment, etc. is as of right now. The timeline, we're not sure on it."
The 25-year-old Rodriguez was 13-4 with a 3.86 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 20 starts for the Orioles last season.
Baltimore opens at Toronto on March 27.
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Minnesota Twins right-hander Erasmo Ramirez has a significant tear in his shoulder and will be out for an extended period.
Twins trainer Nick Paparesta told reporters about the injury Saturday, adding that it will be weeks before Ramirez is re-examined to determine his progress.
The 34-year-old Ramirez signed a minor league contract with the Twins in the offseason and was vying for a position in their bullpen.
The 13-year MLB veteran appeared in 13 games for Tampa Bay last season, when he went 3-0 with a 4.35 ERA.
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
