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The BCCI has made major changes to the IPL governing council, halving its strength, slashing the term of its members and limiting their powers, during its annual general meeting

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-2010The BCCI has made major changes to the structure and functioning of the IPL governing council, halving its strength, slashing the term of its members and limiting their powers. The decisions were announced after the board’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, at which it also decided to investigate alleged irregularities committed by three franchises.The one decision taken by default was the removal in toto of Lalit Modi, the man most closely identified with the IPL, from its operations. He is no longer part of the BCCI or the IPL, which he raised from its official status of a subcommittee to a billion-dollar organisation. “Modi is not part of the BCCI any more,” board president Shashank Manohar said. “Now he cannot say that he is the suspended IPL chairman.”Instead, the board formally installed Chirayu Amin as the chairman of the governing council, which includes five other members – Arun Jaitley, Ranjib Biswal, Anurag Thakur, Ajay Shirke and Rajiv Shukla. I S Bindra, the former BCCI president and currently adviser to the ICC, and Farooq Abdullah have been dropped from the panel.The committee will also include two former cricketers, who will no longer receive the Rs.1 crore (approx $220,000) annual salary. One of those is Ravi Shastri who, Manohar said, had agreed to work in an honorary capacity. Manohar said he was yet to talk to Sunil Gavaskar or Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the two other former cricketers on the original council. When pressed about Gavaskar, Manohar’s response was sharp. “Who said he is not included?,” he asked, and continued, “we haven’t spoken to him because we have to talk to them before we appoint them. Earlier they were paid Rs 1 crore for being on the governing council but now they have to work honorary so we have to get their consent.”Gavaskar admitted he had not been approached but said he was wiling to work with the board in any capacity. “Nobody from the BCCI has contacted me. I don’t even know what has happened. I have not heard anything and I still don’t know whether I am in or out of the Governing Council,” Gavaskar told news channel . “I will get associated with it (cricket) if board asks me to do so. It’s a privilege and I have no issues. What I am today is because of cricket.”The term of the council’s membership was slashed to one year – the earlier tenure was five years. The constitution has been amended so that only the board secretary, currently N Srinivasan, is authorised to sign contracts on behalf of the IPL. The board also unanimously decided that no payment will be made to any member of the governing council.The BCCI also appointed new committee heads: Jyotiraditya Scindia (finance), Farooq Abdullah (marketing), Ajay Shirke (NCA construction and infrastructure committee) and Venkat Sundaram (grounds and pitches). Anil Kumble takes charge of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), replacing Ravi Shastri. Dilip Vengsarkar will chair the cricket development committee, which includes former cricketers Arshad Ayub, Chetan Chauhan, Pranab Roy and Prashant Vaidya.The board also decided to issue showcause notices against three IPL teams – Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and the newly constituted Kochi franchise – for various irregularities committed during their contracts. The Rajasthan and Punjab sides will receive notices for irregularities, and for the breach of the terms and conditions of the franchise agreement. Kochi, on the other hand, will be asked to incorporate their joint venture within ten days or face action from the BCCI.During the meeting, the board was appraised of several irregularities discovered during the audit of IPL 2010 Accounts. As a result, the members have decided to lodge police complaints against the companies Ticket Genie and Visual Impact.The board also decided to withdraw the suit filed against its former president and one-time ICC chairman Jagmohan Dalmiya in the Bombay High Court, and the expulsion imposed on him in 2006. Dalmiya said he felt vindicated by the board’s decision.

ExWHUEmployee has claimed that West Ham United “will try” once again to sign Jesse Lingard in this final week of the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to earlier reports from The Evening Standard, David Moyes remains keen on exploring a potential January deal for Lingard, and with fellow Premier League side Newcastle seemingly out of the running now, the race has opened up for the Hammers.

Via his Patreon, Ex said: “The club, on the back of the Lingard situation with Newcastle (although we do expect Newcastle to try again), will try another attempt at a deal but Manchester United are very reluctant to deal with us and there are issues to resolve still with his former stay here. We hope to have more details on this deal later.”

Moyes will love it

With Newcastle potentially out of the picture, the chances of the Hammers making a late swoop for Lingard is now very much a realistic prospect.

If the London club can work out some of the issues Ex says exists from Lingard’s previous loan deal at the London Stadium, then it would be a superb late window coup for Moyes.

After joining West Ham back in the January transfer window on a short-term loan, the attacking midfielder notched an impressive nine goals and four assists in just his first ten Premier League games for the club – it was no surprise then that he was lauded as being “absolutely phenomenal”.

His performances with the Hammers showcased the kind of impact the £75k-a-week earning star can have when he’s on song and the confidence is flowing through his veins.

With West Ham still very much in the mix for a Champions League spot this season, adding that extra sprinkling of goals and dynamism in Lingard could well prove to be the difference-maker when it comes to those big moments and big games.

After seemingly looking like Newcastle would trump them in their chase for Lingard, making a fresh move to land the England ace’s signature would surely have Moyes buzzing.

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has delivered an update on this reported West Ham transfer target…

Leeds United are making good progress in what would be their first major piece of business this month – contract discussions with star man Raphinha, Phil Hay reports.

The Lowdown: Bayern rumours

Raphinha, described by Paul Merson as a player ‘full of energy’, has been a revelation at Elland Road following his move in 2020.

The 25-year-old has contributed to 25 goals in 50 appearances, scoring eight times so far this season, with Hay describing the display at West Ham last weekend as a ‘masterclass’.

His impressive displays have led to rumours of a move to German giants Bayern Munich over the festive period. However, the Whites are looking to reward the Brazilian with an improved deal.

The Latest: Hay’s claim

Hay took to Twitter on Wednesday morning, revealing Leeds are ‘are increasingly confident of finalising a new contract with Raphinha.’

He shared a link to an analysis piece of Raphinha’s display against the Hammers on The Athletic, where he added that the Whites are making good progress regarding a new deal.

The Verdict: Brilliant news

Hay previously claimed that the winger’s wage is a ‘fairly modest’ one by Premier League standards, with Salary Sport having him down as the club’s third-highest earner on £63,000-a-week.

Therefore, handing him improved terms is a shrewd and easy call and one that should keep all parties happy.

Raphinha has comfortably been the club’s best-performing player this season, as per WhoScored, so this update is just as important as a new signing, especially with the forward proving key under Marcelo Bielsa over the last 18 months.

Even if he does eventually leave, a new deal ensures Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani can get the best deal possible when that time comes.

In other news: ‘Leeds have also tabled a bid…’ – More transfer news emerges after Aaronson move.

Everton have been very active in the January transfer window, with three signings made inside the first 14 days of the month.

Anwar El Ghazi became the third new arrival on Thursday, but Rafael Benitez could be already looking at his fourth signing of the transfer window as he attempts to steer the club into a more acceptable position in the Premier League during the last few months of the season.

What’s the word?

According to Sport Witness, Everton are ‘interested’ in signing Monaco midfielder Aleksandr Golovin during January, but they are competing with West Ham United for his signature.

The report claimed that a source close to the player told the news outlet that the Toffees have been in contact with the player’s agent but have only spoken once about a potential move for the Ligue 1 star.

Golovin is seemingly not giving anything away about his future and where he wants to go according to the report, and will instead see how the situation develops over the coming weeks.

Imagine him & El Ghazi

El Ghazi is yet to play for the Toffees but he will be available to feature on Saturday against Norwich, and his arrival has the potential to ignite a new lease of creativity and goal threat into the Everton side over the remaining months of the season.

Benitez could form a deadly duo by adding Golovin into that attacking setup alongside the 26-year-old, something that the manager would surely welcome after the first half of the season was littered with poor performances, a lack of goals and defensive issues galore.

The Russian midfielder, who was dubbed a “playmaker” by Jose Mourinho, is causing havoc in the opposition’s penalty area in Ligue 1 with Monaco this season. According to One Versus One, he has executed 88 successful passes into the box and has an 81% pass completion rate so far this season.

In total, he has scored 16 times and set up 22 goals in 114 appearances for his current club, contributing to a goal on average once every three matches.

When you combine that with El Ghazi’s Aston Villa record of a goal involvement every 180 minutes, they could form a deadly attacking duo which could see Everton scoring far more regularly, duly firing the Toffees into a much higher position in the Premier League table.

Benitez must do everything he can to get the signing of the £78k-p/w Monaco ace over the line, so as to avoid West Ham jumping in and landing his signature.

In other news: Alan Myers makes January transfer window prediction regarding Everton

India cruised to a nine-wicket win over Pakistan in St Kitts to give themselves a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals

Cricinfo staff08-May-2010
Scorecard
Poonam Raut starred with an unbeaten 54•Getty ImagesIndia cruised to a nine-wicket win over Pakistan in St Kitts to give themselves a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. Pakistan slid to their second defeat in as many games as a result of a poor performance by their top order and some miserly bowling, led by Priyanka Roy’s leg spin, from India. Their score of 104 for 6 proved woefully inadequate in the wake of a dominating batting display from Player of the Match Poonam Raut, who finished with an unbeaten, run-a-ball 54, and Mithali Raj, who supported Raut in a match-winning 79-run stand.After opting to bat, Pakistan started badly, losing their first five wickets for 45 inside the first ten overs. Roy nipped out three of those, backed up by the left-arm spin of Gouher Sultana and the medium-pace of Rumeli Dhar. Captain Sana Mir lent some respectability to the Pakistan innings, scoring steadily to post 35 off 41 balls with three fours. She was assisted by Urooj Mumtaz in a partnership of 53 for the sixth wicket which helped take Pakistan past 100 and give their bowlers something to defend.India, however, were unforgiving and the high of dismissing opener Sulakshana Naik with the score on 27 was washed away by Raut and Mithali, who struck nine fours between them and saw to it that the target was reached with 20 balls to spare. Mithali scored at better than a run-a-ball and her experience, combined with Raut’s equally attacking innings, sealed India’s success.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Monaco monster Benoit Badiashile…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, the Magpies are plotting a swoop for the defender and are currently in talks with the Ligue 1 club over a deal for him this month.

The report claims that he is valued at £35m by the French side and it remains to be seen whether or not Newcastle are willing to meet their demands.

Buzzing

Eddie Howe will surely be buzzing with this news for several reasons. For starters, he will be delighted that the club are actively making moves to strengthen the defence, with talks having already been opened over a transfer for Badiashile.

It shows that they are not willing to waste time and wait until the end of the window to make signings. They want to strengthen the team as quickly as possible and this will please the ex-Bournemouth boss as his team is in dire need of reinforcements.

The Magpies are 19th in the Premier League and have only won one game all season. This shows that the current crop of players have not been good enough for a team that wants to avoid relegation, which is why PIF must splash the cash to improve Howe’s options ahead of the second half of the season.

One of Newcastle’s biggest issues has been their defence. They have conceded the most goals in the division (42) and the signing of Badiashile could improve their backline. The 20-year-old has averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.79 in Ligue 1 for Monaco this term, after managing a score of 6.91 in 32 starts last season.

He helped the French side to keep nine clean sheets in the 2020/21 campaign as he won 63% of his duels and made 2.4 tackles and interceptions per game. This shows that he can consistently provide strong defensive performances at the top level, winning the majority of his duels and helping his team to keep shutouts – something Newcastle have struggled with this season as they sit on one clean sheet after 19 matches.

Therefore, Howe will be buzzing with the prospect of Badiashile arriving at St. James’ Park. Not only is he a player with immense potential, given his performances in Ligue 1 at the age of 20, but he has also proven that he can perform in the here and now and the Magpies need the defensive monster in their bid to avoid relegation down to the second tier.

AND in other news, “They are…” – Chris Waugh drops key NUFC transfer update that’ll delight fans…

With Duncan Ferguson filling in on a temporary basis as caretaker manager while Everton look to appoint yet another new permanent head coach after sacking Rafa Benitez just over six months into his tenure in charge of the Toffees, it’s certainly a busy time for Farhad Moshiri.

However, it seems as though the Merseyside club could have taken a big step towards identifying a potential candidate to take the reins at Goodison Park.

What’s the news?

In a recent Twitter post from journalist Jason Burt, he shared some details on what the current situation is at Everton after it emerged that Fabio Cannavaro was in talks to become their new permanent manager.

He said: “Conflicting claims as to how Fabio Cannavaro fared in his talks with Everton. I am told that not only did he interview well – and speaks good English – but the shortlist may now just be down to him, Wayne Rooney or Frank Lampard.”

In his managerial career, the 48-year-old has had two spells in charge of Guangzhou Evergrande, as well as a few months at Al-Nassr FC and Tianjin Quanjian.

With a total of 211 games under his belt as a senior manager, Cannavaro has 123 wins to his name. While this highlights his experience, the fact that he hasn’t managed in any of the top European leagues may cast some doubt over his capabilities of being successful at a club such as Everton.

Fans will be amazed

With this in mind and the fact that Cannavaro has apparently got himself into the shortlist for the job alongside Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard after just one interview, Everton fans would surely be amazed if the Italy legend was appointed as their new permanent manager.

While it could be considered a risky move due to Cannavaro’s lack of experience managing at a big club in Europe, it’s worth remembering that Everton’s two previous permanent managers Carlo Ancelotti and Benitez had huge experience of managing elite clubs and winning titles in Europe, but that didn’t help them while they were at Goodison Park.

Therefore, maybe taking a chance on a comparatively inexperienced manager like Cannavaro who would garner a lot of respect due to what he achieved as a player could make him a good fit at Everton.

In other news: Everton must avoid another managerial disaster with “arrogant” 58 y/o, he’d be Rafa 2.0

Nick Hammond is reportedly now eyeing up a move to sign Manuel Lanzini for Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Hammond hired

As per Sky Sports, the St. James’ Park faithful have now hired former Celtic and Reading Director of Football (DoF) Nick Hammond on a short-term deal as a transfer consultant.

He will oversee the January transfer window, and has been tasked with bringing in players to help in their relegation fight.

The Latest: Lanzini eyed

According to 90min, one of Hammond’s first signings could be Lanzini, as the North East club are eyeing a loan move for the West Ham United ace next month.

David Moyes would reportedly not mind letting him leave on loan, and given the situation that the Tyneside outfit find themselves in, it could prove to be a good move for all parties.

The Verdict: Makes sense

While Lanzini has been starting more regularly in the Premier League, he has been far from first choice throughout the season, and so may want a loan move away in order to play more football.

There is no doubt that the talent is there, as Lionel Messi even once hailed him by admiring his potential and claiming that he could play for FC Barcelona when he was there.

BBC pundit Stephen Warnock went as far as to claim that he was ‘magic’ and capable of ‘genius’ after impressing away at Manchester City earlier this season, and he could give Eddie Howe’s team that extra bit of firepower to keep them up.

Nonetheless, if they end up getting relegated, Lanzini could then just return to the Hammers after his loan spell, and so the deal would make a lot of sense for all parties involved.

In other news, find out which ‘exceptional’ title winner NUFC are now targeting here!

A huge Rangers transfer update has emerged from an insider on winger Ianis Hagi, following recent speculation over his future at Ibrox…

What’s the talk?

The forward’s famous father, Gheorghe Hagi, has claimed that his son will be remaining in Glasgow despite the reported interest in his signature.

Romanian journalist Emanuel Rosu quotes him as giving this eight-word update: “He’s staying with Rangers, he loves it there”

Galatasaray and Premier League side Aston Villa have both been touted with an interest in the wide man with the January transfer window on the verge of opening.

Ecstatic

Rangers fans will surely be ecstatic with this news as it suggests that the Romania international will be going nowhere anytime soon.

Supporters may have been worrying about what could be about to come next month due to the speculation surrounding his name at the moment, but his dad, who clearly has inside knowledge on Rangers and his child, has now allayed those fears.

He may not be getting the goals and assists to catch the eye this season but his overall performances have been excellent. Hagi has averaged an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.15 in the Premiership, despite having one goal and zero assists, which shows that he is performing well without getting the rewards he possibly deserves.

Former Gers boss Steven Gerrard once heaped praise on the attacker, saying: “We’re really happy with Ianis Hagi, he’s a joy to work with.

“He’s a student of the game. He’s always looking at areas to improve, whether that be from a physical point of view or tactically or technically. He’s someone you have to drag off the training ground.

“Ianis is always in the analyst department too. He’s never out of the gym, so he’s an absolute dream to work with, very low maintenance. We’re delighted with how he is developing and progressing and we’re happy to have him.”

Last season, he produced seven goals and 11 assists in just 23 league starts, whilst averaging a score of 7.02. This suggests that his all-around play has improved in the current campaign but he has lost his magic touch when it comes to the final action to score or create a goal.

If he can maintain his current high standards and recover his contributions in the final third from last term then he could be a phenomenal player for the club. That is why fans will be ecstatic with the prospect of him remaining in Gio van Bronckhorst’s squad, as it will give the Dutchman more time to extract the best from the young talent.

AND in other news, GVB heading for his first big disaster at Ibrox, it may be season-defining for Rangers…

An update has emerged on Colorado Rapids forward Dantouma Toure, regarding interest from Ibrox giants Rangers.

What’s the talk?

US-based journalist Brian Sciaretta has claimed that the youngster was recently training with the Gers and is now on trial with Premier League side Arsenal.

He Tweeted: “I heard Colorado Rapids homegrown winger Dantouma Toure, 17, is doing offseason training with a bunch of European teams. Was recently at Rangers, now training with Arsenal. Born in Guinea, Toure has played for USYNT’s in the past.”

Exciting

This update will surely excite Rangers fans as it suggests that the club could be considering a swoop for the promising young forward.

The 17-year-old, who has picked up the nickname “Yaya Toure”, has shown great promise in his career so far, playing professionally in the USL Championship last year for New York Red Bulls II. He also made his MLS debut earlier this year for the Rapids, showing how much trust they have in him despite his age.

Colorado’s general manager Padraig Smith lauded the forward as a ‘difference-maker’ upon his arrival at the club as a 16-year-old. He said:

“Yaya is an exciting talent who has already shown tremendous potential through his performances in the USL Championship as a 16-year-old.

“He’s powerful and explosive on the ball and has an ability to take on defenders that allows him to be a difference-maker. We believe he has all the qualities necessary to develop into an elite player and are excited to see what the future holds for him.”

This, along with the experience he already has under his belt, highlights how exciting he is as a young forward and why Rangers fans should be delighted with the prospect of him joining the academy. He is already making strides at senior level despite being almost three years away from hitting the age of 20 and he could be a promising long-term addition to the team.

Of course, he is currently training with Arsenal and the Gers would need to convince the teenage wiz to make the switch instead of making a move elsewhere. Gio van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson must work hard to tempt him into making a full-time switch to Ibrox if possible, as he could be a fantastic signing for the academy given the potential he has shown.

AND in other news, 64x possession lost: GVB must work his magic on £5.6k-p/w Rangers dud with 0 assists…