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While the November international break was one for the ages as teams around the globe kept their World Cup dreams alive in dramatic circumstances, the return of club football marks a magic time in the calendars of many fans, as it means we are now at the beginning of four uninterrupted months of club action. This is when narratives truly take form, with teams able to build momentum and set off on potentially season-defining runs.

Of course there will be those for whom an unhappy winter is only just beginning, and the relentless nature of the modern fixture list means there could be plenty of dark times ahead for some fanbases. However, given the action we saw upon the resumption of leagues around Europe, it's hard not to be excited by what's to come over the next weeks and months.

For now, though, here's our 10 biggest winners and losers from the past couple of days…

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  WINNER: Eberechi Eze

  Back in the middle of August, Tottenham fans were gearing up to welcome Eberechi Eze to north London after widespread reports that Spurs were closing in on a deal to sign the Crystal Palace midfielder. Fast-forward three months, and those same supporters could only watch on in horror as Eze scored a superb hat-trick to decide the north London derby in Arsenal's favour and further tighten the Gunners' grip on the Premier League title race.

  Arsenal's last-minute hijack of Eze's Tottenham switch was one of the most dramatic moments of the summer transfer window, and the England international has gradually grown into his role at the Emirates Stadium, most notably by stepping into the shoes of injured captain Martin Odegaard. And it was from that position on the right side of Mikel Arteta's midfield three where Eze did his damage on Sunday as he continually found space on the edge of the penalty area to cause problems for the Spurs defence.

  Eze set the tone for his virtuoso performance with a delicious chipped ball for Declan Rice to volley towards goal in the opening couple of minutes, and while Guglielmo Vicario could keep out that effort, he was powerless to stop Eze when he got into shooting positions either side of half-time. Eze showed unerring accuracy with his finishing, and by the end of the game was showing off his full array of flicks and tricks as the Gunners moved six points clear at the top of the table.

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  WINNER: Michael Olise

  Perhaps Eze was inspired by the performance of one of his former Palace team-mates just over 24 hours earlier? Michael Olise has taken his game to a new level since leaving Selhurst Park to join Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024, emerging as one of the most creative forwards in Europe while also forcing his way into the France line up during World Cup qualifying.

  On Saturday, however, it looked like it might be a long afternoon for Olise and his Bayern team-mates as they went 2-0 down at home to Freiburg inside the opening 17 minutes. From there, though, the ex-Reading youngster took over, as he first provided the assist for teenager Lennart Karl to pull one back before equalising himself in first-half stoppage time with a drilled effort from the edge of the box.

  After the break, it was Olise's corner which found an unmarked Dayot Upamecano to volley Bayern into the lead, and after Harry Kane had netted his customary goal, Olise danced through the Freiburg defence to set up Nicolas Jackson for goal number five. And Olise wasn't done there, either, as he rounded out the scoring with a superb individual strike after cutting inside from the right wing.

  His five goal contributions at the weekend takes Olise's tally to 22 combined goals and assists in just 23 appearances for club and country so far this season, and the 23-year-old still has plenty of room to improve even further. For now, though, his focus will turn to midweek and a reunion with Eze as Bayern take on Arsenal in a heavyweight Champions League clash.

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  LOSER: Liverpool

  Back in the Premier League, and while Arsenal edge further clear at the top, the reigning English champions' sorry season hit a new low on Saturday as Liverpool were beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest at Anfield. Boos rang down from the Kop as the Reds lost their sixth league game of the campaign already, leaving them languishing in the bottom half of the table just six months on from the joyous scenes that greeted them securing the title back in May.

  Successive wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid suggested Arne Slot's side had turned a corner ahead of the international break, but defeat to Manchester City has now been followed up by an embarrassing loss to Sean Dyche's side that has caused some to start questioning whether Slot possesses the tactical acumen to reverse this slide or if a new manager needs to be sought if things do not turn around.

  "We're definitely letting the manager down, but we've let ourselves down as well," said captain Virgil van Dijk as he tried to ease the pressure on his compatriot and coach. "At the moment it is a mess – that's just a fact. As the champions we can't be in the situation we are in right now."

  A 'mess' is an understatement. Liverpool aren't just the defending champions – they are also a team that spent over £400 million on bolstering their squad, led by the British-record acquisition of Alexander Isak, who returned to the line up on Saturday but mustered just 15 touches in another anonymous display. Isak is now the first Liverpool player to taste defeat on each of his first four league starts for the club, but he is far from the only person to blame for Liverpool's predicament, and right now it's difficult to see a route out of this for Slot and co.

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  LOSER: Phil Foden

  Given their own collapse last season, Manchester City know how Liverpool are feeling, but right now Pep Guardiola's side should be more focused on whether they can get themselves back into the title picture after Saturday's damaging defeat at Newcastle. Having got themselves to within four points of the Gunners heading into the international break, City slipped up on Tyneside thanks in large part to some miserable finishing.

  Phil Foden wasn't the only culprit in that regard, but there's no doubt that his chances to score – especially the one he spurned in the first half – were the most presentable, and the homegrown midfielder would have expected to have found the net at least once. Instead, Foden was left to rue a missed chance to not only boost City's title hopes but also his own chances of playing a key role at the World Cup this summer.

  Foden returned to the England squad for their games against Serbia and Albania, but had to make do with appearances off the bench on both occasions, suggesting he remains behind both Jude Bellingham and Morgan Rogers in the pecking order. And so on a weekend when both his main rivals for a starting role with the Three Lions, as well as Eze, showcased their abilities in front of goal, Foden was left wanting.

The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series last week, dispatching the New York Yankees in five games to capture the franchise's eighth championship. In an on-field interview following the title-clinching victory, Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly reveled in the Yankees' defensive miscues and suggested Fat Joe being shown on the scoreboard during Game 5 was the turning point.

Nearly a week later Kelly is still talking trash about the Yankees. Calling into his podcast, Kelly continued to rip the Yankees calling them one of the worst teams in the entire MLB postseason despite the fact that they were in the World Series.

"We were saying it every single game," Kelly said. "Just let them throw the ball to the infield, they can't make a play. I mean, you saw. Shohei got an extra base going to third on a sloppy Gleyber play. It's well known. We all knew. I mean, we're the Dodgers. We know every little detail."

"But I mean past that it was a fun series" Kelly continued. " I mean, they almost snagged a couple of wins you know what I mean? But I mean if it was like the NCAA, like basketball, baseball, hockey, or football I mean. Like it was just a mismatch from the get go. Like, we had a playoff re-ranking they might be ranked eighth or ninth best playoff team, you know what I mean? You're putting the Padres ahead of them. You're putting the Phillies ahead of 'em. You're putting the Mets ahead of 'em. You're putting the Braves ahead of 'em and the Braves just got unlucky 'cause they had to play that doubleheader. You're putting… I mean the Guardians played like crap, but the Guardians played better D, better baseball all-around."

This is where you might start to pick up some bias in Kelly's rankings as the Yankees, who had a slightly better regular season record than Cleveland, beat the Guardians in five games in the American League Championship Series.

Kelly then compared the 2024 World Series to the Boston Red Sox win over the Dodgers in 2018 when Boston won in five games.

"It was just a complete mismatch and it was kinda the same feeling from 2018 when we had to go play the Dodgers," Kelly explained. "Like the Red Sox were just the way better team. So all we knew is that we just had to play regular Dodger baseball. We didn't have to play out of our butts. We didn't have to do anything crazy and we're going to win the World Series. It's facts. Like just look at the team, look at the talent. Re-rank the teams and they're ranked eighth and they played against the number one seed."

Kelly pitched in all five games in the 2018 World Series, striking out 10 batters while scattering four hits over six innings while giving up zero runs for Boston. However, it should probably be noted that the Dodgers used 13 pitchers in the '24 World Series and Joe Kelly was not one of them.

For the first time in their history, Mumbai couldn’t defend a total in excess of 200

Alagappan Muthu01-Jun-20253:14

Rapid Fire review – Shreyas Iyer’s hat-trick of sixes turned the match

The Jasprit Bumrah yorker isn’t invincible. Not even when it starts to tail. Shreyas Iyer met it with extraordinary coolness and an open face of the bat to find a boundary. It gave him the 61st run of an enormously impressive innings and reinforced a feeling of helplessness on Mumbai Indians (MI). They were staring into the eyes of the man who was single-handedly beating them. The five-time champions came up short, and for the first time, couldn’t defend a total in excess of 200. This means IPL 2025 will mark the arrival of a new power. Punjab Kings (PBKS) or Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).Shreyas=KohliThere is something extra special about batters who do their best work in a chase. Even now, when the accepted wisdom is to know what your target is, the prospect of a batter playing like he owns every little blade of grass that surrounds him is the stuff of dreams. Shreyas had his eyes wide open. This was real. This was class.Related

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He arrived at the crease in the last over of the powerplay and knew he couldn’t take his time. The second ball went for four. He never looked flustered, even when PBKS needed two runs a ball for the last eight overs. He launched Reece Topley for a hat-trick of sixes in the 13th over. Those three hits doubled PBKS’ chances of victory. It was 25% coming into the over and 53% coming out of it.Standing deep in his crease, watching every ball right onto his bat, functioning sometimes on pure instinct. There was a four he got off Hardik Pandya where he seemed almost ready to leave the short ball only to ramp it as it passed him and get it over the keeper. There was a six that he got off Ashwani Kumar, he almost seemed to predict the bowler would go wide yorker to mitigate the damage of a free-hit ball and he shifted across his crease and scythed the ball over cover.His best shots, though, were those steers all along the ground to the backward-point boundary off the two best bowlers in the opposition – Trent Boult and Bumrah. That was when everybody at the ground knew the game was firmly in Iyer’s hand. That it had always been there. He was expressionless in victory. He knew it was his. He knew it was coming.2:31

‘Such a big over’ – Aaron on Inglis taking 20 off Bumrah in the fifth

The support actJosh Inglis produced a banger of an innings, one where he took Bumrah down for 20 runs in an over. Nehal Wadhera has had a campaign to remember. Batting at No. 5, he showed great steel and rode the kind of luck a batter at that position earns by being clear-headed. Wadhera could have been dismissed on 2 if Naman Dhir had not misjudged a catching opportunity on the midwicket boundary and came rushing in instead of holding his position. He enjoyed another life on 13 and made the most of it, the pick of his shots a straight six off Ashwani Kumar in the 16th over just before he was dismissed for 48 off 39.PBKS’ bowlers deserved credit as well. They understood that going into the pitch and taking pace off was a useful option. Kyle Jamieson took pace off once every 2.67 deliveries on average. He is a Test match bowler starting to find his way even when conditions aren’t in his favour. PBKS always found a way to come back just as MI were threatening to get away. A big powerplay was offset with a wicket in the seventh over. Fifty runs between overs nine and 12 was offset by the wickets of the set batters Suryakumar Yadav (44 off 26) and Tilak Varma (44 off 29) between overs 14 and 15. ESPNcricinfo’s Forecaster had MI looking good for 220 at the halfway stage. PBKS kept them to 203.Power to the maxA lot of teams this IPL have focused on not allowing an early wicket to disrupt the attempt to take advantage of the field restrictions. MI lost Rohit Sharma to the 14th ball of the innings. They attacked 11 of the next 22, with Jonny Bairstow leading the way even if on occasion he was beaten by slower balls into the wicket. MI collected 43 runs off overs three, five and six.1:26

Moody: Dhir should be batting ahead of Hardik

The SKY showSuryakumar arrived immediately after the powerplay. At that stage, PBKS were starting to string something together. They matched him up with Yuzvendra Chahal, whom he strikes at only 117 in the IPL. On Sunday, the MI lynchpin hammered the PBKS legspinner for 33 off 16 balls. That included three sixes – two majestic hits down the ground and one sweep shot that turned the bowler’s intentions to tie him down on leg stump into a real gimme. Over the course of his 44 off 26 balls, Suryakumar also took home a world record – the highest aggregate (717) in any T20 tournament by a non-opener, surpassing AB de Villiers (687 in IPL 2016).Tilak and Dhir’s high impactTilak came down the track and struck his second ball for a six. Later, he simply extended a defensive push and presented a high elbow and that was enough to send Vyshak Vijaykumar over the long-off boundary. His innings only had two fours and two sixes but he was striking at 152.Dhir was a lot more high-impact. He was 5 off 4 balls at the start of the 17th over. He took three boundaries off PBKS’ best death bowler, Arshdeep Singh, and never looked back. Arshdeep had to return for the 19th over and work with an over-rate penalty. He could only have four fielders on the boundary and Dhir exploited that handicap to score 37 off 18 with seven fours. At that point, it felt like anybody’s game. Except it wasn’t. It was Shreyas Iyer’s game. It was always Shreyas Iyer’s game.

Can Rangers start their Europa League campaign with a victory at Ibrox?

For those who don’t believe the Europa League to be the highest-quality competition around, well, on this occasion, they’d be right, given that Rangers sit second bottom of the Scottish Premiership, while visitors Genk are third bottom of the Jupiler Pro League.

Russell Martin is yet to oversee a league victory in five attempts, but did at least lead his side through to the League Cup semi-finals at the weekend, as the Gers defeated Hibernian 2-0 at home.

Key to that success was Nicolas Raskin, heading home the opening goal, back in the team following a two-match exile, which was both baffling and mystifying, considering he was, by some distance, the club’s best player last season.

If the Light Blues are going to make a winning start in the Europa League, Raskin will be a central figure once again, but Martin must also start his “creative” summer signing in attack.

Djeidi Gassama's start to life at Rangers

The unquestionable star of Rangers’ Champions League qualifying campaign during the summer was Djeidi Gassama.

After arriving from Sheffield Wednesday for £2.2m, the Frenchman announced himself by scoring home and away against Panathinaikos, doubling their advantage at Ibrox, before lashing home the clincher in Athens eight nights later.

In the following round, Gassama scored twice during a 3-0 demolition of Viktoria Plzeň in Glasgow which remains, by a landslide, the club’s best performance of the season.

Manager Martin said that the winger “really excites us”, labelling him a difference maker, while Nick McPheat of BBC Sport highlighted his excellent dribbling and goal-scoring statistics, concluding that he adds an extra dimension to Rangers’ attack.

So, while Gassama is yet to get off the mark in a domestic setting, a return to European competition could help to bring the best out of him, but who should start alongside him across the forward line against Genk?

Rangers' creative attacking star

Rangers signed a total of 13 new players during the summer, but the £3m paid to secure the signature of Oliver Antman could prove to be the best business of the lot.

The 25-year-old was outstanding at Go Ahead Eagles last season, scoring six goals and registering 16 assists across all competitions, helping them win the KNVB Beker, defeating AZ Alkmaar in the final on penalties at De Kuip, securing the club’s first major silverware since 1933.

The table below documents Antman’s impressive output in the Eredivisie.

As the table notes, Antman ranked first for assists, expected assists and big chances created in the Eredivisie last season, impressively doing so for the team that finished seventh in one of the most unbalanced leagues in Europe.

Well, just 24 hours after he arrived, Rangers supporters got a taste of what was to come, with Antman providing this assist, part of a free-flowing team goal, for Gassama during the aforementioned 3-0 annihilation of Viktoria Plzeň.

The Finnish international actually registered two assists on debut in that game, but is yet to notch either a goal nor an assist subsequently, left on the bench for all three matches in September so far, with Martin favouring Tottenham loanee Mikey Moore.

Nevertheless, his quality is unquestionable, with Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labelling Antman a “creative winger”, while his numbers at Go Ahead Eagles, as well as at international level, scoring seven goals for Finland to date, speak for themselves.

Thus, we have already seen Gassama and Antman link up well on the European stage this season so, alongside new striker Bojan Miovski, that is surely Rangers’ best front three, one that is capable of defeating a struggling Genk on Thursday.

Rangers must rue losing their own homegrown Bukayo Saka for £0

Rangers lost a talented young player this summer and he is already being compared to Bukayo Saka.

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Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has named one of his former teammates as the “worst” signing in the club’s history, branding him “so unprofessional”.

Scholes names former teammate as "worst" Man Utd signing

It would be fair to say that very few of the signings Man United have made since Sir Alex Ferguson retired have worked out, with YouTuber Adam McKola particularly critical of one of Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s additions on The Overlap earlier this month.

McKola said: “I think Jadon Sancho is the worst signing Manchester United have ever made. There’s big competition for it. We spent £80m on Antony who is useless.

“For me Jadon Sancho is the biggest waste of space I’ve ever seen in a United shirt. I think he’s a disgrace and I can’t wait to see the back of him.”

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Sancho has been widely reported to rake in £300k-a-week, yet he has never managed to deliver in a United shirt, being shipped out on loan to Chelsea last season, with the west Londoners agreeing to pay a £5m penalty fee to avoid having to sign the winger permanently.

You may expect Scholes to name one of the Red Devils’ current players as their worst signing ever, off the back of finishing 15th in the Premier League last season, but the club legend believes one of his former teammates is at the top of the list. The legendary midfielder said:

Bosnich undoubtedly one of Man Utd's worst signings

Bosnich was signed as a successor to the legendary Peter Schmeichel, but the goalkeeper was unable to make the step-up, making 23 Premier League appearances in the 1999-00 season before being snubbed by Ferguson.

Fabian Barthez was ultimately brought in to replace the Australian, who ended up moving to Chelsea, and the Frenchman fared a lot better, spending three full seasons at Old Trafford and winning two Premier League titles.

While Bosnich was undoubtedly a terrible signing for Man United, it may be a little harsh to suggest he is the worst-ever, considering the goalkeeper arrived on a free transfer from Aston Villa.

Sancho, on the other hand, is widely reported to have cost £73m, which is the fourth-highest fee Man United have ever shelled out on a player, making it even more criminal the 25-year-old mustered up just 12 goals and six assists in 83 matches.

MatériaMais Notícias

O embate do Fluminensecom o São Paulo, neste sábado (1), trará um contorno desafiador para Felipe Andrade. O jogador de 21 anos terá a esperada oportunidade de fazer sua primeira partida como titular da equipe principal e, principalmente, atuando em sua posição de origem. A partida será realizada às 16h, no Morumbi, pela décima-terceira rodada do Brasileirão.

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Revelado em Xerém, o atleta tenta justificar as razões que fizeram com que ele despontasse como uma das promessas do clube se destacasse como capitão da equipe sub-20 tricolor. Porém, mais do que enfrentar um adversário que é traiçoeiro como mandante, Felipe Andrade fará sua estreia como titular em um momento turbulento.

+ Confira a classificação do Brasileirão

O Fluminense sofreu gols nas suas últimas seis partidas no Campeonato Brasileiro. As oscilações defensivas coincidiram com momentos de lesões e suspensões do Tricolor das Laranjeiras e, às vésperas do duelo deste sábado (1), ficaram ainda mais acentuadas.

+ IMPERDÍVEL! Transmissão ao vivo dos jogos do Tricolor na Liberta por apenas R$1,00!

Como Nino está suspenso por ter recebido o vermelho diante do Bahia, Manoel recebeu suspensão preventiva da Conmebol por uso de doping e Vitor Mendes está afastado, Diniz inicialmente iria recorrer a David Braz. Entretanto, o veterano sentiu dores musculares no último treino do Fluminense antes do jogo com os são-paulinos. Diante deste contexto, Felipe Andrade encontrou um atalho para ser alçado a titular.

As dores de cabeça do elenco tricolor chegaram a exigir sacrifícios da promessa tricolor. O jogador de 21 anos havia estreado como profissional no decorrer do empate em 1 a 1 do Fluminense com o Atlético-MG. Porém, ele atuou improvisado na lateral esquerda, ao entrar no lugar de Guga. O improviso se manteve na vitória por 2 a 1 dos tricolores sobre o Bahia, quando substituiu Marcelo. Somente no finzinho do empate em 1 a 1 com o Sporting Cristal, Felipe Andrade foi lançado, mas não teve tempo de mostrar seu valor.

+ Para os tricolores apaixonados: produtos a partir de R$34,90 na FutFanatics!

Passado o período de solavancos, o defensor tenta aliar sua vivência como promessa do Tricolor das Laranjeiras com os conselhos de seu parceiro de zaga. O xará Felipe Melo vem crescendo de rendimento e surge como um dos pilares para fazer a equipe arrefecer os ânimos são-paulinos.

A luta do Fluminense por embalar passa por retomar a segurança defensiva. Diante de um São Paulo que tenta se aprumar após tantas oscilações no Brasileirão, Felipe Andrade se prepara para mostrar a Fernando Diniz o quanto tem maturidade para enfrentar desafios mais fortes. Afinal, como a diretoria se volta para o mercado em busca de uma opção para a defesa, o jovem parte para garantir a condição de ter seu espaço.

Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez is reportedly keen to take over at Manchester United, with Fabrizio Romano claiming the Spaniard would 'go immediately' if offered the job – even without European football. The revelation comes as Ruben Amorim faces growing scrutiny after the Red Devils' poor start to the Premier League season.

• Xavi to make a move to Old Trafford?

  Manchester United’s struggles under Amorim have raised fresh questions about the club’s direction, with the Red Devils languishing in 14th place after three defeats in six games. Their latest 3-1 loss to Brentford has added pressure on the Portuguese coach. Amid the uncertainty, Romano has revealed that Xavi is eager to return to management and views Old Trafford as an ideal opportunity.

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  Romano reveals Xavi's interest in Premier League move

  Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said: "Xavi is studying the Premier League. Xavi is monitoring the Premier League and Xavi would go immediately to Man United, even without European football – he would go immediately to the Premier League."

  Xavi’s interest comes at a time when Amorim is under mounting scrutiny following an underwhelming start to life in England. United’s hierarchy have yet to make a decision, but the prospect of a high-profile replacement could intensify pressure on the current boss.

• Xavi could help stabilise a sinking ship

  The former Barcelona boss, who won La Liga and the Supercopa in 2022-23, has been out of work since leaving Camp Nou earlier this year. His readiness to accept the United role highlights his confidence and belief in the long-term potential of the project at Old Trafford. Xavi’s attacking philosophy and elite playing pedigree would make him an appealing candidate for a club in search of identity.

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  Man Utd's next few games could decide Amorim's future

  United’s upcoming fixtures could be decisive in determining Amorim’s future, with any further slip-ups likely to test the board’s patience. Should the situation deteriorate, Xavi’s availability could tempt the club into making a change sooner rather than later. For now, the Spaniard continues to bide his time as speculation over the Red Devils' next move grows.

It was only three months ago that Chandrakant Pandit and Venkatesh Iyer were sitting in the Madhya Pradesh camp plotting against Ajinkya Rahane and his Mumbai team before the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final. Now, as IPL 2025 approaches, the three are on the same side with a common goal: crafting a winning formula for defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).With six key players retained and several familiar faces re-signed at the auction, KKR have kept the core of their title-winning squad, ready to take on the new season. The only major missing piece? Former mentor Gautam Gambhir and his coaching staff, who are now with the India national team. But in Dwayne Bravo, KKR have likely found a champion – pun intended – replacement.That said, with Bravo’s vibrant persona in stark contrast to Gambhir’s reserved intensity, might we see a change in KKR’s approach in the coming season? “I think it’s going to be disrespectful of me not to try and find out some of the good things he [Gambhir] did last season,” Bravo told the media in Kolkata on Thursday. “But also the core of the team is here, and that was the duty of the coach and myself to go back into the auction and try our best to get back as much as the same squad of players from the championship-winning team, and we were able to get that.Related

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• Ajinkya Rahane to lead KKR in IPL 2025

“But I think GG [Gambhir] has his style and I have my style, and we both have been successful in our own ways. I definitely messaged him a few times and stuff, so yeah… But again, I will be leaning a lot on the guys here because they had a successful formula, and it’s to follow that.”One thing that was made clear in Thursday’s chat was KKR’s desire to not allow Gambhir’s absence to become a central theme of their new season. When Venkatesh was asked about his opinion on the change in mentors, Pandit interjected: “Excuse me guys, please. You know the current scenario. Let us not go back. He [Bravo] has already answered on that, so, please.”In Bravo, they have a mentor whose T20 credentials are nearly unmatched. His 17 titles in T20 competitions are the most for any player. His five titles as captain – all in the Caribbean Premier League – are behind only MS Dhoni (9) and Rohit Sharma (8), and equal with Shoaib Malik.Rahane, who returns to the KKR camp after a forgettable 2021 season with the franchise, acknowledged Bravo’s value. “It is really exciting to work with him,” Rahane, KKR’s new captain, said. “Obviously, he’s been the [second] most capped T20 player in history, so he brings a lot of experience to the table. He’s a hard-working tactician of what I’ve heard of him. I’ve always seen him go around the boundary line, and [he] keeps talking to the bowlers. So I’m really excited to play under him.Venkatesh Iyer, Chandrakant Pandit, Dwayne Bravo and Ajinkya Rahane address the media•Kolkata Knight Riders

“And see, nothing can beat experience. He’s played so many games, [and] he’s won so many games for West Indies and the franchises that he’s played for. So, obviously, for us, working with him, I expect that I’ll get to learn a lot with him both individually as well as in a team.”Rahane himself comes into IPL 2025 with a lot of eyes on him. When the auction took place, in November 2024, Mumbai and Rahane had played only one Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match in the season. While Mumbai were one of the tournament favourites, very few would have imagined him going on to finish as the highest run-scorer. Bought for INR 1.5 crore (USD 180,000 approx.) – after initially being ignored by all teams and later picked by KKR at his base price in the accelerated round – KKR’s Rahane deal looks like a masterstroke in hindsight. But where he bats for KKR remains to be seen, Rahane said. Separately, he backed Venkatesh to come good on his INR 23.75 crore (USD 2.83 million approx.) price tag.”I have always played wherever the team wanted me to play throughout my career, and that’s been my thinking,” Rahane said. “Always team comes first. Still, for the first game, we have eight days to go, and we need to have more conversations with the coach and mentor. But whatever the team wants, I will always give my best on that particular number.””At the same time, I do want to tell you all that Venkatesh deserves that price. People are talking about all these things, but he has done well for this franchise on number of occasions. So I think he has deserved that price.”The reality is that pre-season questions around a price tag as hefty as Venkatesh’s are hard to avoid. Venkatesh has become familiar with this line of questioning over the last three months, and he said there will be pressure; but come the IPL, pressure is something every player experiences in some form.”Wherever I go, I get asked this question, so it [pressure] exists, right?” Venkatesh said. “You can’t ignore it altogether, but when the IPL starts, it really doesn’t matter. Pressure is always there irrespective. If not the price tag, it’ll be something else. Selection, performing at your batting position, playing at multiple positions, bowling, fielding – there’s pressure in everything for everyone. So the pressure will still be there. It’s just up to me now on how I absorb the pressure. I can’t ignore it altogether, so I’ll be looking to absorb it instead while fulfilling my responsibilities.”Bravo finished the chat by explaining how, having worked with Shah Rukh Khan at Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL over the past decade, he is keen to give back to the man who invested in franchise cricket in his home island, Trinidad and Tobago.”In the CPL, I started off with the Trinbago Night Riders when SRK bought the team, and I was one of the happiest persons on the planet to know that someone like him showed an interest to buy a team – not only in the Caribbean, but my hometown,” Bravo said. “I was able to help build the Trinbago Knight Riders into the most successful franchise in CPL history.”That energy and that vibe I’m going to try to bring that here as well. It’s already a successful team, you know – behind Mumbai and CSK [both sides that Bravo has previously represented], we have the third-most trophies in the cabinet. We are looking to build on that, and I think with a squad like this, we have every opportunity to do so.”As for the toughest question of the evening: “Is Bravo releasing a new song to seal his KKR association?” Bravo replied, wearing a smile, that the Caribbean version of would have to wait.

It was decided at the ICC Board meeting to give the PCB and BCCI more time to find a solution

Osman Samiuddin and Nagraj Gollapudi29-Nov-2024The intrigue over where and how the Champions Trophy 2025 will be held continues, with the ICC Board giving the PCB, the hosts, more time to find a workable solution along with the BCCI – whose India team will not travel to Pakistan – and the ICC. It is expected that any resolution will come within the next 24-48 hours.The decision to get the main parties together to work towards a solution was taken after an ICC Board meeting on Friday that lasted less than 15 minutes. The emphasis at the meeting was to find a way to break the deadlock around the eight-team tournament. A PCB team, led by chairman Mohsin Naqvi, was in Dubai for the meeting, although it was an online call for most boards.A couple of other member boards will now sit down with ICC leadership, the PCB and BCCI to work towards a solution that is acceptable to all parties. There is a suggestion that talks have been taking place on the matter over the last day or so, but they will continue on Friday and likely Saturday as well. Naqvi has said publicly that he was open to the BCCI discussing any issues they have with travelling to Pakistan with him, an opportunity that he has now been presented with.In all likelihood, any proposal will have to be run past the governments of both India and Pakistan before it is presented to the ICC Board for approval; India was refused permission to travel to Pakistan by the Indian government and the PCB has said repeatedly, as a result, that any action they take will have to be approved by their government.Related

Fate of Champions Trophy still unclear as no decision taken at ICC meeting

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CT25: PCB 'not prepared to accept' hybrid model

The ICC Board, which comprises representatives from all 12 Full Member countries, had called for Friday’s meeting with three options on the agenda for how the tournament would play out: The hybrid option, where the majority of the matches are in Pakistan but those involving India are played outside Pakistan The tournament is played entirely outside Pakistan, with the PCB retaining hosting rights The entire event is played in Pakistan but without IndiaThe PCB has more or less stuck to its public stance of not wanting a hybrid model, though in the last couple of days mention has been made of it being dependent on certain conditions – which could involve a similar reciprocal arrangement for future ICC events in India where Pakistan may not now get permission to travel. On Thursday morning, Naqvi didn’t directly rule out a hybrid model – as he had done in the past – but said only that any decision would have to be approved by the Pakistan government and would be in the best interests of Pakistan. One board director told ESPNcricinfo: “The hybrid model is the only possible way out of this impasse.”The tournament is due to begin in less than 90 days, on February 19. Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are the venues inked into host the games, though if a hybrid option is chosen, that will involve another venue outside Pakistan. A match schedule of the tournament had been approved at the ICC Board meetings in October this year, though the issue of India’s travel was always going to be an obstacle.That India would not be given permission to travel to Pakistan only became public, however, earlier this month when the BCCI informed the ICC of the development. That meant the official launch of the schedule, due on November 11, was postponed. The PCB has since been pushing for specific answers as to why India are unable to travel and when and how the BCCI informed the ICC. They have also insisted on a written explanation from the BCCI.An official explanation was referred to by a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday, who said that “security concerns” meant India were unwilling to travel. “The BCCI has issued a statement so I would refer you to it,” said the spokesperson during a routine press briefing. “They have said there are security concerns there and therefore it is unlikely the team will be going there. Please do refer to the statement issued by the BCCI.”The BCCI has not issued a public statement on the matter of their travel to Pakistan, nor has security been specifically highlighted as an issue. In fact, the BCCI has treated the decision on traveling to Pakistan as one to be made by the Indian government rather than the board.Additional reporting by Firdose Moonda