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Can Knight Riders’ overseas players stay fit through the season? Will the lack of a proper wicketkeeper hurt Kings XI? Who will Royal Challengers choose between McCullum and de Kock?

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-20182:22

Kalra: ‘The stamp of Tom Moody is all over the auction’

Chennai Super KingsTotal players: 25
Number of overseas players: 8
Openers: Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson, M Vijay
Middle-order batsmen: Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Sam Billings, Dhruv Shorey
Wicketkeepers: MS Dhoni, J Narayan
Allrounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Monu Kumar Singh, Kshitiz Sharma
Wristspinners: Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir
Fingerspinners: Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Santner
Fast bowlers: Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Kanishk Seth, Mark Wood, Lungi Ngidi
Possible starting XI: 1 Shane Watson/Faf du Plessis, 2 M Vijay, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Kedar Jadhav, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Imran Tahir, 11 Lungi Ngidi/Mark WoodOn day one of the auction, Chennai Super Kings bought a lot of old hands, players tried and tested and those their captain MS Dhoni had played with and against. The average age of their squad was 33 and they did not have an uncapped player. On day two, they bought a glut of uncapped players – eight, and most of them at base price – and overseas fast bowlers – Mark Wood and Lungi Ngidi – who don’t have experience of Indian conditions. So on one extreme they seem to have players who have been there and done that, and may be lacking a spark, and on the other extreme a whole host of rookies. Dhoni will need to find a happy mix of both to revive Super Kings after two years on the sidelines.4:26

Manjrekar: Daredevils heavy on top-order batsmen

Delhi DaredevilsTotal players: 25
Number of overseas players: 8
Openers: Colin Munro, Jason Roy, Gautam Gambhir, Prithvi Shaw, Manjot Kalra
Middle-order batsmen: Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell
Wicketkeeper: Rishabh Pant, Naman Ojha
Allrounders: Chris Morris, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Gurkeerat Singh, Daniel Christian
Wristspinners: Amit Mishra, Rahul Tewatia, Sandeep Lamichhane
Fingerspinners: Jayant Yadav, Shahbaz Nadeem
Fast Bowlers: Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult, Sayan Ghosh
Posible starting XI: 1 Colin Munro/Jason Roy, 2 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Vijay Shankar, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Shahbaz Nadeem/Jayant Yadav, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Kagiso Rabada/Trent Boult, 11 Mohammed ShamiDelhi Daredevils have a batting line-up full of explosive batsmen and will bank on a couple of them coming good in almost every game. What they lack is an overseas batsman who is reliable in Indian conditions – Munro and Roy are unproven, and Maxwell was hit-or-miss last season – and someone lower down the order who can shore up a bad start. Most of their players have high strike-rates and when it comes off it will be spectacular. Another area of concern is the Indian fast bowling: they have Mohammed Shami, but he is injury-prone and has rarely played a whole IPL season. Their overseas fast bowling is ace.BCCIKings XI PunjabTotal players: 21
Number of overseas players: 7
Openers: Aaron Finch, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle
Middle-order batsmen: Karun Nair, Yuvraj Singh, David Miller, Manoj Tiwary
Wicketkeepers: Akshdeep Nath
Allrounders: Axar Patel, Marcus Stoinis, Manzoor Dar
Wristspinners: Mujeeb Zadran, Pardeep Sahu
Fingerspinners: R Ashwin, Mayank Dagar
Fast bowlers: Ankit Rajpoot, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Sran, Andrew Tye, Ben Dwarshuis
Possible starting XI: 1 KL Rahul (wk), 2 Aaron Finch/Chris Gayle, 3 Karun Nair, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 David Miller, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin (capt), 9 Mohit Sharma, 10 Andrew Tye, 11 Ankit Rajpoot/Barinder SranKings XI Punjab don’t have a proper wicketkeeper. Akshdeep Nath keeps wicket, but in the XI above, whom could he replace? The keeping duties are likely to fall on KL Rahul, who has done the job for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the past, but he isn’t the most reliable. Of their overseas players, Marcus Stoinis and Andrew Tye are in form, but David Miller and Chris Gayle can be hit-or-miss. Miller didn’t have a good 2017 IPL season, and Gayle is on the wane – Kings XI picked him up in the third round of bidding at base price. There were no other takers for him. They have a similar issue with Yuvraj Singh, who has never had a stellar IPL with the bat and is well past his prime. And their batting bench strength is thin. Also, they have no proven captain.BCCIKolkata Knight RidersTotal players: 19
Number of overseas players : 7
Openers: Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Cameron Delport
Middle-order batsmen: Shubman Gill, Ishank Jaggi, Nitish Rana, Apoorv Wankhade, Rinku Singh
Wicketkeepers: Dinesh Karthik
Allrounders: Andre Russell, Javon Searles
Wristspinners: Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav
Fingerspinners: Sunil Narine
Fast bowlers: Mitchell Starc, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Vinay Kumar, Mitchell Johnson
Possible starting XI: 1 Chris Lynn, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Robin Uthappa (capt), 4 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 5 Nitish Rana, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Piyush Chawla/Ishank Jaggi, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Shivam Mavi/Vinay KumarKolkata Knight Riders have four great first-choice overseas players, but if there are injuries – and two of them are injury-prone – the bench strength is extremely weak. Their Indian batting hinges on Uthappa and Karthik, because the rest are unproven and inexperienced. They don’t have a solid captaincy option either. And they have three Indian fast bowlers, two of whom are Under-19 players and the other being Vinay Kumar. With only 19 players in the squad, their back-up cupboard is bare. How did this happen? They began the auction with INR 59 crore in the purse, but the first four players they bought on Saturday were really expensive, and at the start of bidding on the second day Knight Riders had only INR 7.6 crore to buy at least six players. That meant that most other franchises could outbid them – and that’s what happened whenever Knight Riders tried to buy an Indian fast bowler or quality overseas back-up. Their 2018 season will hinge on whether Russell, Lynn, Narine, Starc and Mitchell Johnson can go through it uninjured.5:19

Could Kings XI make R Ashwin captain?

Mumbai IndiansTotal players: 25
Number of overseas players: 8
Openers: Evin LewisMiddle-order batsmen: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, JP Duminy, Siddhesh Lad, Sharad Lumba
Wicketkeepers: Ishan Kishan, Aditya Tare
Allrounders: Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Ben Cutting, Tajinder Singh
Wristspinners: Mayank Markande, Rahul Chahar
Fingerspinners: Anukul Roy, Akila Dananjaya
Fast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman, Pat Cummins, Pradeep Sangwan, Jason Behrendorff, MD Nidheesh, Mohsin Khan
Possible starting XI: 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Rohit Sharma (capt), 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Ben Cutting/Akila Dananjaya/Mustafizur Rahman, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Jasprit BumrahMumbai Indians have a pretty solid first XI: they bat deep and have a lot of bowling options. They are thin on specialist spinners though, only four to choose from in the squad and all rather unproven. The opening slot could also pose a problem because they have only two specialist openers in the squad, unless their captain Rohit Sharma wants to fill in. Jasprit Bumrah is a terrific quick, but beyond him the Indian fast-bowling options are slim. Their all-round options will be the envy of a lot of the other franchises. Mumbai have historically had strong back-ups for all roles, but that isn’t really the case this time around, and a lot will depend on how the first XI goes.BCCIRajasthan RoyalsTotal players: 23
Number of overseas players: 8
Openers: Ajinkya Rahane, D’Arcy Short, Rahul Tripathi
Middle-order batsmen: Steven Smith, Aryaman Birla
Wicketkeepers: Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Prashant Chopra
Allrounders: Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, K Gowtham, Jatin Saxena, Mahipal Lomror
Wristspinners: Zahir Khan, Shreyas Gopal, Midhun S
Fingerspinners: Ankit Sharma
Fast bowlers: Anureet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni, Dushmantha Chameera, Ben Laughlin
Possible starting XI: 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Sanju Samson, 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jofra Archer, 8 K Gowtham, 9 Shreyas Gopal/Ankit Sharma/Mahipal Lomror, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Dhawal KulkarniAfter being known as the ‘Moneyball’ team for years, Rajasthan Royals went and bought the two most expensive players at the 2018 auction – Ben Stokes and Jaydev Unadkat. Their first XI looks pretty great: solid batsmen, big-hitting batsmen, terrific allrounders, really fast bowlers (Jofra Archer comes in with lots expected from him), and two Indian seamers who have good IPL records. Their spin stocks are a bit slim, but they have enough first-XI talent to make up for that. Their bench strength beyond the untested D’Arcy Short, who broke the run-scoring record for a BBL season this year, is not that strong, though, and Royals will hope their Australian and English players stay available for most of the season.3:48

Agarkar: Mumbai well short of a competitive squad

Royal Challengers BangaloreTotal players: 24
Number of overseas players: 8
Openers: Brendon McCullum, Manan Vohra
Middle-order batsmen: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Pavan Deshpande
Wicketkeepers: Quinton de Kock, Parthiv Patel
Allrounders: Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme, Chris Woakes, Aniruddha Joshi
Wristspinners: Yuzvendra Chahal, M Ashwin
Fingerspinners: Washington Sundar, Pawan Negi
Fast bowlers: Kulwant Khejroliya, Umesh Yadav, Aniket Choudhary, Navdeep Saini, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mohammad Siraj, Tim Southee
Possible starting XI: 1 Brendon McCullum/Quinton de Kock, 2 Manan Vohra/Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Sarfaraz Khan, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Moeen Ali/Colin de Grandhomme/Chris Woakes, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Yuzvendra Chahal, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Nathan Coulter-Nile/Tim Southee, 11 Mohammad Siraj/Aniket Choudhary/Navdeep SainiWhat a hard XI to pick! Apart from Indian batsmen, who are in short supply at their squad and most others, Royal Challengers Bangalore have so many options for so many slots. Their challenge this season will be to find the right balance for their team, and pick smartly according to the conditions. McCullum or de Kock? One or two out of Moeen, de Grandhomme, and Woakes? Nathan Coulter-Nile or Southee, or neither? And which of the many Indian quicks? The only players who are certain in the XI are Kohli, de Villiers, and Chahal; and perhaps Sundar and Umesh.AFPSunrisers HyderabadTotal players: 25
Number of overseas players: 8
Openers: David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan
Middle-order batsmen: Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Sachin Baby, Ricky Bhui, Tanmay Agarwal
Wicketkeepers: Wriddhiman Saha, Shreevats Goswami
Allrounders: Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite, Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, Mohammad Nabi
Wristspinners: Rashid Khan
Fingerspinners: Bipul Sharma, Mehdi Hasan
Fast Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Chris Jordan, Billy Stanlake
Possible starting XI: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 David Warner (capt), 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 7 Yusuf Pathan/Deepak Hooda, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 One of the other Indian quicksSunrisers went on a shopping spree and ended up with 16 players on the first day of the auction. They had a solid squad that needed a few finishing touches for it to become truly amazing. They did not quite manage that on day two of the auction. Sunrisers would have liked another high-quality Indian batsman – but so would most other teams because they are in short supply – but what they are really missing is a proper finisher, who can take the end overs for more than ten an over. They tried to buy back Ben Cutting but lost him to Mumbai. They do have Carlos Brathwaite as a power-hitter, but playing him in the XI will be tricky for balance, and especially if the opposition have quality spinners to counter Brathwaite. And Yusuf Pathan seems to be past his prime.

Former England boss Sir Gareth Southgate and USWNT manager Emma Hayes were honoured at the PFA awards for their outstanding contributions to football.

• Southgate and Hayes honoured
• Both receive PFA Merit Award
• Southgate yet to confirm next role

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Both Southgate and Hayes received the PFA's Merit Award on Tuesday night. The former led England to a World Cup semi-final and two European Championship finals, whereas Hayes had unprecedented success at Chelsea Women and guided the USWNT to Olympic glory last year.

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• WHAT THE PFA SAID

  A statement from the PFA reads: "He [Southgate] is widely credited with breathing new life into the national team by integrating a new generation of young talent. He has overseen a period of unrivalled achievement by the men’s national team, and has been an outstanding ambassador for the game – forging genuine connection between the country, the supporters, and the players."

  On Hayes, they added: "Hayes is rightly hailed as one of football’s most influential leaders; a serial winner whose 12-year tenure with Chelsea has left an indelible mark on the WSL and the women’s game globally. Hayes undoubtedly helped usher in a wave of genuine transformation in the women’s game, benefiting current and future generations of female athletes.  She has set the standard in women’s football – on and off the pitch – and her legacy continues now with the historic US Women’s National Team in the country where her coaching career began over two decades ago." 

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  During Southgate's eight years in charge of England, he got them closer to winning a major international trophy than any other Three Lions team since 1966. Hayes, meanwhile, won a hatful of Women's Super League titles, FA Cups, and League Cups in her 12 years at Chelsea. 

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• WHAT NEXT?

  While many will wonder if former Middlesbrough player and coach Southgate will get back into management after resigning from his England post last year, Hayes will be focused on preparing the USWNT for friendlies against Portugal in October.

MatériaMais Notícias

Dois dias após o Red Bull Bragantino anunciar informações de preços e como comprar ingressos, a torcida do Corinthians esgotou todas as entradas para o setor visitante na partida que marca a estreia de ambos clubes na temporada. O jogo será disputado no domingo (15), às 16h, no estádio Nabizão, pela primeira rodada do Campeonato Paulista.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansPor cautela, Corinthians solicitou permanência de Du Queiroz até o meio do anoCorinthians12/01/2023CorinthiansCorinthians buscou informações sobre Guilherme Arana com o Atlético-MG, mas recuou pelo negócioCorinthians12/01/2023CorinthiansCorinthians pode vender parte dos direitos de Mantuan até o meio do anoCorinthians12/01/2023

+ Confira quem sai, quem fica e as movimentações do Timão no mercado

Porém, o preço dos ingressos não agradou as torcidas organizadas do Timão, que irão protestar nesta sexta-feira (13), na sede da Federação Paulista de Futebol (FPF), sobre o valor das entradas no setor visitante.Os ingressos para torcedores corintianos custaram R$ 100 no setor Verde do estádio Nabizão, enquanto a meia entrada custou R$ 50.

Entre as organizadas participantes, estão: Gaviões da Fiel, Pavilhão 9, Estopim da Fiel, Camisa 12, Fiel Macabra e Coringão Chopp. A saída acontecerá na quadra da Gaviões da Fiel, com saída prevista às 16h até a sede da FPF.

+ Veja todas as movimentações do futebol brasileiro na nova ferramenta de mercado do LANCE!

Através de suas redes sociais, a Camisa 12 postou um comunicado criticando a Federação Paulista de Futebol e convocado os torcedores para o ato.

– O ano mal começou, o campeonato nem estreou e logo de cara já nos deparamos com um velho problema: valor abusivo do ingresso visitante, com aval da FPF. Então nesta sexta-feira, 13/01, junto com as demais torcidas, vamos protestar em frente à sede da Federação Paulista contra esse assalto ao torcedor! Convocamos todos que puderem comparecer! – postou a torcida organizada nas redes sociais.

Segundo o regulamento do Campeonato Paulista, o preço mínimo do ingresso nos estádios é de R$ 40, somente podendo ser reduzido mediante prévia e expressa autorização da FPF e para atendimento de legislação vigente.

Nesta quinta-feira, o Corinthians divulgou os preços e como será a venda para o primeiro jogo na Neo Química Arena, quarta-feira (18), às 19h30, contra o Água Santa, com alguns setores mais caros do que na final da Copa do Brasil. Pouco depois, o clube apagou a postagem e ainda não forneceu nenhuma atualização sobre o caso.

+ Veja tabela e simule os jogos do Paulistão 2023

O Timão está no Grupo C do Campeonato Paulista, ao lado de Ferroviária, Ituano e São Bernardo. O Red Bull Bragantino está no Grupo A, com Santos, Inter de Limeira e Botafogo-SP. Os dois melhores de cada grupo avançam e se enfrentam em jogo eliminatório.

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Match details

Rajasthan Royals (second) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (first)
Guwahati, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)

Big picture – A dress rehearsal of the IPL final?

A week or two ago that question would have held more credence because of how KKR and RR had made the top two spots their own, that too with RR holding the top spot for a while.And then came Sunrisers Hyderabad to cast the shadows of doubt over RR’s campaign. With a slender one-run final-ball win, SRH put the brakes on RR’s four-match winning streak and also sparked off their four-match losing streak which RR haven’t managed to halt yet. And now they run into table-toppers KKR, who have won four on the trot themselves barring the washout against Gujarat Titans, in search of the elusive win that will confirm their second spot no matter what happens between RCB vs CSK on Saturday and SRH vs PBKS in the afternoon game on Sunday.RR had the winning mantra firmly in their hands for the first eight games out of nine, a pattern not new for them anymore. Last year they won five of their first eight before losing four of their remaining six to lose out on a playoff spot, and the year before that they had won six of their first eight and lost half of their remaining six to lose the top spot.A win in their final league match against KKR will break that pattern, the losing streak and do wonders for their own confidence if they want to play the first qualifier instead of the eliminator.KKR are riding high after their string of wins; so high that winning the title from here shouldn’t surprise anyone, and that success may play a role in them potentially losing their mentor Gautam Gambhir to the Indian cricket team. It’s been a week since KKR sealed their ticket for the first qualifier, ample time to think about their replacement at the top for Phil Salt and come up with a plan for Sunil Narine’s off day, with bat or ball.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals LLLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)Kolkata Knight Riders WWWWL

Previous meeting

What will boost RR’s confidence is that they had snatched victory from KKR with a turnaround win in their previous fixture a month ago, which had stunned the Kolkata crowd. What will not boost RR’s confidence is that that victory was scripted single-handedly by Jos Buttler, who has left for the UK to prep for the T20 World Cup.

Team news and impact player strategy

Rajasthan Royals
Tom Kohler-Cadmore will take Buttler’s place at the top, like he did in their last game against Punjab Kings, in which they had subbed out Dhruv Jurel for Donovan Ferreira after they had slipped to 102 for 6. That may not be the case again on Sunday because Hetmyer had missed out that day but he is fit for Sunday and RR will be forced to change their combination. If it turns out to be a run-fest, RR may also want to think about bringing in a sixth bowling option against the power-packed KKR line-up.Probable XII: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Tom Kohler-Cadmore, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 , 6 Shimron Hetmyer/Rovman Powell, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Trent Boult, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Sandeep Sharma, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 3:16

‘Gambhir has made himself part of the KKR DNA’

Kolkata Knight Riders
Salt is likely to be replaced by Rahmanullah Gurbaz as the opener, as was being expected for the washout match against GT. Their impact bowler coming in for a batter like Venkatesh Iyer could be Vaibhav Arora or Suyash Sharma, depending on whether the pitch favours more pace or turn.Likely XII: 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Sunil Narine, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 , 6 Andre Russell, 7 Rinku Singh, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Harshit Rana, 12

In the spotlight – Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Rahmanullah Gurbaz

All eyes will be on the two replacement openers.Tom Kohler-Cadmore already made his IPL debut against PBKS, albeit on a track he wouldn’t have wanted to stay far away from to end up with a 23-ball 18. He is a destructive hitter, particularly down the ground and RR won’t mind some of those, especially when the runs have dried up a little from Yashasvi Jaiswal. Kohler-Cadmore has made a name for himself in the Lanka Premier League, the PSL, the BBL, the Abu Dhabi T10, and the Hundred, obviously, and some fine contributions in crunch games for RR will add a lot more weight to that list.Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the hard-hitting Afghanistan opener will also likely get a game before the crucial playoffs. Just 22, he has the firepower KKR need at the top to complement Sunil Narine. His recent T20 form doesn’t inspire much confidence – 105 runs in his last six innings – and neither does his IPL record from last season – 227 runs from 11 innings while averaging 20.63 and striking at just 133.52. Gurbaz may have a sterner test waiting for him, compared to Kohler-Cadmore, with the challenge of excelling against Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin and others.

Stats that matter

• Samson has a contrasting record against the KKR spinners, with a more watchful approach against Narine. He has scored 66 runs off 82 balls with three wickets against Narine but smashed 39 off 23 without any dismissals against Varun Chakravarthy.
• Powell, similarly, has contrasting records against his compatriot Andre Russell and T&T spinner Narine. Powell has been dismissed six times by Narine for 51 runs off 73 balls, but attacked Russell for 23 off just 12 balls and no dismissals.
• Shimron Hetmyer has faced just seven balls from Chakravarthy in T20s and dismissed in two of those, while scoring six runs.
• Narine has a terrific record against the RR spinners: 94 off 39 against Ashwin and 49 off 20 while facing Chahal.
• Narine is just four sixes away from the total of 100 in the IPL. Samson needs three more sixes to reach 300 sixes in T20s.
• Nitish Rana boasts of a strong record against Ashwin: 108 off 58 balls with no dismissals yet.

Pitch and conditions

The Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati saw its first game of this IPL earlier this week when RR lost to PBKS after stumbling to 145 for 9. It had hosted three matches last IPL, and the average first-innings score since then is just 180. The temperature will range from 24 degrees to 31 degrees Celsius with lots of humidity and some rain and scattered thunderstorms expected in the evening.

Quotes

“We’ve batted first and won against two sides and chased and won as well. It’s just a case of doing your job well. It’s easy to say we should do this or that [after winning the toss].”

The 18-year-old South Korea international has agreed to a new deal and a short-term loan to Europe

Phair signs new Angel City deal through 2028Subsequently loaned to Djurgårdens IFTeenager is regular South Korea internationalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Angel City Football Club and 18-year-old forward Casey Phair agreed to a new three-year contract through 2028, locking the South Korea international into a deal to be a key member of the club's future.

As a part of her development, Phair is being loaned out to Djurgårdens IF in Sweden for six months until December 2025.

"Casey is a special young talent, with an exciting future ahead and we are very happy to extend her contract until 2028,” said ACFC Sporting Director Mark Parsons. “Casey has grown a lot this season and we now feel it is the perfect time to go and get important game minutes on loan to further develop as a professional. We look forward to having Casey return for the start of next season and having her back in our environment for many years to come."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Phair, who joined Angel City in January 2024, has accumulated 109 minutes in six appearances for the club across all competitions. On April 18, she became the youngest player in ACFC history to make her NWSL regular season debut at 17 and 10 months.

Internationally, Phair, in 2023, became the youngest player to make a World Cup debut. She is also the first Korean-American player to be called up to the senior South Korea women's national team.

DID YOU KNOW?

In 14 appearances for the South Korea national team, Phair has scored four goals.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR PHAIR?

Djurgårdens IF return to play for Matchday 13 of the Damallsvenskan on Aug. 10 when they take on BK Hacken in the Swedish top flight.

Ibrahima Konate has been told to stay at the "best club in the world" amid Real Madrid's interest in signing him when his Liverpool contract expires.

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• Reds defender in demand
• Madrid interested in deal next summer
• Markus Babbel tells him to stay

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Konate has been heavily linked with a potential move to the Bernabeu next summer. The Spanish giants are said to be interested in signing him on a free transfer once his deal expires next summer, having already signed Trent Alexander-Arnold for nothing.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Konate remains a key player for Arne Slot's side, making 42 appearances in all competitions last season. He has won the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the EFL Cup during his time at Anfield, and may be minded to pursue a new challenge. Babbel, though, believes he should remain at Anfield, because there is no better club than the Reds.

• WHAT BABBEL SAID

  Babbel told Gameshub: “Ibrahima Konate should stay at Liverpool. Real Madrid is the biggest club in the world, but I’m not sure you can enjoy playing there because of the pressure and expectation on your shoulders.

  “Liverpool is a huge football club and are one big family; everyone looks after each other. You can still earn the best money playing for Liverpool and you’re playing in the best league in the world. What more could you want?

  “As far as competing to be the best, Liverpool play a great style of football as well. I saw a similar style to Liverpool while watching Paris Saint-Germain against Madrid in the Club World Cup semi-final; PSG dominated the game! If you join Real, you might be going to the best club in the world, but they are definitely not the best team, and I can’t see them becoming the best team in the next couple of years.

  “If I was in Konate’s position, I’d ask myself why I’d want to leave the best club in the world?”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Liverpool play Preston in their first pre-season friendly this weekend. Konate could well be involved.

The visitors won with 14 overs to spare which was enough to claim a bonus point

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2023

Fergus O’Neill took out Tasmania’s top order•Getty Images

Victoria jumped to top of the domestic one-day table after securing a convincing six-wicket win over Tasmania in a low-scoring contest in Launceston.After captain Peter Handscomb won the toss and elected to bowl first, Victoria knocked over the home side for 156 with quick Sam Elliott taking 4 for 26.In just his eighth 50-over game for his state, Elliott, the son of former Test opener Matthew, skittled the lower-order to finish with career-best figures.Elliott also claimed the crucial wicket of Beau Webster, with the dangerman dismissed for an innings-best of 47.In-form opening bowler Fergus O’Neill did the damage early, cleaning up the Tasmania top-order of Matthew Wade, Caleb Jewell and Charlie Wakim.They were left reeling at 42 for 4 following those breakthroughs and the hosts were never able to recover to post a defendable total.Victoria, led by star opener Matthew Short, took their time in the chase but were able to bring up their fourth win of the season with 14 overs to spare.They had briefly wobbled on 105 for 4 when Peter Handscomb and Sam Harper fell in quick succession, the latter bowled by a beauty from left-arm spinner Paddy Dooley who had taken a good catch at fine leg to remove Handscomb.But Short made batting look easy as he brought up the victory with a four down the ground, finishing unbeaten on 81 off 88 balls. In the 28-year-old’s last one-day match, he pounded 134 against Queensland in Mackay.Short will soon join the Australian squad for the five-match T20 series against India after the completion of the ODI World Cup.Victoria leapfrogged defending champions Western Australia into top spot, while Tasmania remain fourth with a 2-3 record.Victoria will be back in action on Thursday when they host Queensland in an important Sheffield Shield match at the MCG.Tasmania will stay put at home to host the resurgent NSW next Saturday in a four-day game.

Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat at Fulham kept them ten points behind Bournemouth on the rim of the top half of the Premier League, and it’s increasingly unlikely success will be found on the domestic front this season.

Ange Postecoglou is deep in his purgatory, cutting so many gloomy figures as the defeats roll in like hostile bowling balls. Spurs have indeed been left sprawling on the turf for much of the campaign, but hope remains.

Battling past AZ Alkmaar this month, the north Londoners are into the Europa League quarter-finals, pitted against dangerous Eintracht Frankfurt – who won the 2021/22 edition – next month.

Ange's increasingly uncertain future

Postecoglou is aggrieved as ‘Ange Ball’ has been reduced to flashes of style this season, injuries precluding his exciting tactics from being properly implemented. It has been a tough old season, and he’ll want to approach 2025/26 with a clean slate.

According to Monday’s Telegraph, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola is one of the leading candidates to take over at Tottenham Hotspur should Ange be given the boot.

Postecoglou will make a compelling case to Daniel Levy regarding the importance of keeping him in the dugout, but the 42-year-old Bournemouth boss would be the perfect replacement, should the headsman be summoned.

What Andoni Iraola could bring to Spurs

If Tottenham fall against Frankfurt after the international break, Postecoglou will earn no reprieve as Levy’s patience finally wears gossamer thin.

Especially if the Lilywhites chairman gets a whiff of something promising from Iraola’s corner.

Bournemouth appointed the tactician in June 2023 after the expiry of his Rayo Vallecano contract. It was a bold, some even felt brazen, decision to oust Gary O’Neil after he kept the seaside town afloat, but a tremendous one in hindsight.

Tenth in the standings this year, Bournemouth trail Chelsea in the top four by a mere five points. Much is owed to Iraola’s stylish tactics.

According to Understat, the Cherries are behind only Liverpool in terms of xG (expected goals this season. They have converted 48 chances but should have notched 59.42, speaking of profligacy in front of goal.

What does this tell us? Well, for one thing, it makes a declaration on Bournemouth’s attacking quality, with aggression and a pack mentality toward winning turnovers and advancing into dangerous positions proving the nuts and bolts of the approach play.

While Postecoglou is a fiercely attack-focused manager himself, there are signs Iraola has his number. After all, Understat also record the Australian’s squad to have an xG total of 52.90 in the Premier League this year.

Dominic Solanke was brought in last summer as a belated Harry Kane replacement down N17. The 27-year-old joined from Iraola’s Bournemouth, signing for a club-record £65m figure.

In keeping with the season’s narrative, the £90k-per-week Solanke has suffered a share of injury misfortune, though he’s still managed to chalk up 11 goals and eight assists across all competitions, starting 27 of his 33 outings.

But he’s not quite hit the heights the lofty price tag spoke of. A seven-goal return in the Premier League across 20 matches is average at best. Ten big chances missed, as per Sofascore, further detail a lack of incisiveness that Tottenham have desperately needed to stem their defensive problems.

24/25

Tottenham

20 (20)

7

3

23/24

Bournemouth

38 (37)

19

3

22/23

Bournemouth

33 (32)

6

7

19/20

Bournemouth

32 (17)

3

1

20/21

Bournemouth

10 (2)

0

1

Were Iraola to take the helm in the summer, the England international may return to the prolific heights of 2023/24, when he plied his trade under the Spanish gaffer’s wing.

That season saw Bournemouth break free of the relegation fodder and make headway in the top flight, fuelled by an attractive brand of football. Solanke was riding the crest of a wave, for sure, clinching 19 goals across the term, missing just 14 big chances and averaging a key pass every game (his rate stands at 0.7 with Spurs).

This serves as more corroboration as to Tottenham’s inferiority (this year, at least) in front of goal. Iraola is churning out a higher rate of clinical production and doing so with a flourish.

Solanke has already thrived in the system, the manager even hailing him as “good for any system,” his technical qualities making him the “complete number nine.”

As a consequence, it could just be a match made in heaven.

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There is of course optimism that Solanke can make a name for himself over the coming years, maybe even the coming months. Postecoglou’s ideology should be perfect for him, but Iraola has showcased a tactical grasp beyond that of Spurs’ somewhat rigid boss, eking every ounce of potency from him last year.

Postecoglou once presented the blueprint for total success at Tottenham. It was a new dawn, the start of a chapter promising prosperity. But the cracks have since splintered the playing surface, running deep. The period following the international break will be critical.

And if Levy gets some encouragement from Iraola’s camp? Why, he’d be bringing “one of the best in the league” down N17, as is the opinion of analyst Ben Mattinson.

Talks of a sacking might be held in abeyance at the moment, but Postecoglou is quickly running out of time. With Iraola doing such good work on the South Coast, indeed getting the best from Solanke, bringing him in as a replacement might be a golden ticket toward a new level of success.

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Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is ready to take a significant financial loss on a member of the Spurs squad this summer after claims he wants to leave the club, with one side planning to open early negotiations for his signature.

Players who could leave Tottenham this summer

Ange Postecoglou is currently preparing his side for an all-important Premier League clash at home to Bournemouth tomorrow, following a tepid 1-0 defeat away to AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie.

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A win is absolutely crucial for the north Londoners, as they seek to raise spirits, climb their way out of the bottom ten and head into their second leg against AZ with a degree of momentum.

Bournemouth (home)

March 9th

Fulham (away)

March 16th

Chelsea (away)

April 2nd

Southampton (home)

April 5th

Wolves (away)

April 12th

For some members of the Lilywhites squad, these next two games, soon followed by the final months of this season, will represent a final chance for them to make a significant contribution for the club before departing.

Timo Werner is expected to return to parent club RB Leipzig, with Spurs electing to trigger the £8.5 million buy-option in his loan deal, while uncertainty also surrounds the future of midfielder Yves Bissouma.

Sergio Reguilon, Fraser Forster and Alfie Whiteman are also out of contract at the end of this season, but the trio are unlikely to play a major role under Postecoglou during the final months of their Tottenham careers.

Ben Davies is also out of contract in the summer. However, Spurs are expected to trigger the 12-month extension clause Davies’ deal, which will keep him at the club for 2025/2026.

Mathys Tel’s long-term future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be determined by whether he elects to remain at N17 or return to parent club Bayern Munich, with Postecoglou’s side possessing an option to buy for around £45 million.

According to some reports, injury-ridden striker Richarlison could also leave this year.

The Brazil international is currently sidelined with a calf problem, and has suffered real bad luck with long-term injuries throughout the campaign. It is believed by some media sources that Richarlison has already told friends he wants to leave Tottenham for a fresh start this summer, with GiveMeSport sharing an update on his future.

Daniel Levy ready to take £20m Tottenham loss on Richarlison

Spurs signed the forward in a £60 million deal from Everton in 2022, but GMS report that Levy is now ready to sell Richarlison for just £40 million.

This is said to have piqued interest from his ex-club, with David Moyes’ side apparently eager to open discussions over a deal for the South American early in the next transfer window.

Everton have earmarked Richarlison as a “shock” target for Moyes, as per this report, and the Toffees are lining up a “sensational” move for their former star as they prepare for life in a brand-new, state-of-the-art stadium on Bramley Moore Dock next season.

Richarlison has impressed in flashes during his time at Spurs, most notably over a purple patch midway through last season, with pundit Micah Richards also calling him an “underrated” player.

Josh Little has been included in a full-strength Ireland squad for May’s ODI series against Bangladesh at Chelmsford, a series they must win 3-0 to qualify automatically for the 50-over World Cup at South Africa’s expense.Little, the left-arm seamer, became the first active Ireland international to play in the IPL earlier this month, representing defending champions Gujarat Titans, and is expected to miss at least three of their upcoming fixtures.Little is due to leave India after Titans’ fixture against Rajasthan Royals on May 5, and will miss their games against Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in order to play against Bangladesh.ESPNcricinfo understands that Cricket Ireland’s intention is for Little to feature in all three matches, even if they suffer a defeat that would rule them out of contention for automatic World Cup qualification and render the final games of the series dead-rubbers.Little is centrally contracted by Cricket Ireland, but his captain Andy Balbirnie admitted recently that the INR 4.4 crore (€500,000 approx.) he will pick up from his IPL contract “could take five, six, or even more years to earn while playing for Ireland.”He was granted leave to miss the recent tour to Bangladesh and the ongoing Test series in Sri Lanka in order to play in the IPL, but his availability for international cricket remains a matter of ongoing discussion between him, his representatives and the national board.Mustafizur Rahman (Delhi Capitals) and Litton Das (Kolkata Knight Riders) are also due to miss around 10 days of the IPL due to their involvement in the series, having been named in Bangladesh’s squad earlier this month.Ireland’s squad also includes Craig Young, who has missed the vast majority of the 2022-23 winter due to injury but made a return in last month’s T20I series in Bangladesh. Barry McCarthy, however, misses out due to a knee injury.PJ Moor, who made his Test debut for Ireland in Bangladesh last month, has been named captain of an Ireland Wolves side that will play a behind-closed-doors warm-up match against the same opposition on May 5.Ireland squad to play Bangladesh: Andy Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Craig Young.Fixtures: May 9 – 1st ODI, May 12 – 2nd ODI, May 14 – 3rd ODI (all fixtures at Chelmsford).