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Nottingham Forest have struck a “verbal agreement” with a “complete” forward, and they are now “pushing” to get a deal done, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.

Nottingham Forest set sights on forwards amid Gibbs-White saga

Forest fans may have been given some hope that Morgan Gibbs-White could remain at the City Ground, when the attacking midfielder was selected in the starting XI for the 0-0 draw against AS Monaco on Saturday.

However, Gibbs-White could still be on the move this summer, with The Boy Hotspur saying: “I’ve been told that the Premier League have received a complaint, and ultimately they will give direction, but to repeat the well-worn phrase, slavery was abolished in the 1830s in the UK. Gibbs-White will be a Spurs player, it’s done.”

However, one bonus for the Tricky Trees is that Tottenham will have to pay over the £60m release clause to get a deal for the England international over the line, providing Nuno Espirito Santo with additional funds for the manager’s own transfer business.

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With Anthony Elanga joining Newcastle United earlier this summer, it is important that Nuno gets a new winger through the door, and Forest now appear to be making progress in their pursuit of a potential replacement for the Sweden international.

Taking to X, Plettenberg stated Nottingham Forest are now “pushing to sign” Bologna’s Dan Ndoye, having already struck a “verbal agreement”, with the forward in line to move to the City Ground on a five-year deal until 2030.

With Ndoye giving the move the green light, the Tricky Trees are now preparing an opening bid, but they may have to spend big to get a deal over the line, as the Italian club are set to hold out for €40m (£35m). Fabrizio Romano has since added that an opening bid has been made, although doesn’t state how much a proposal is worth.

Nuno’s side will also have to contend with rival interest from Serie A champions Napoli, who are also pushing to get a deal done.

"Complete" Ndoye could be ideal Elanga replacement

It will be a tall order to replace Elanga, but the Bologna star could be the man for the job, given that he performed remarkably well last season, regularly chipping in with goals and assists across all competitions.

Competition

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Serie A

30

8

4

Italian Cup

3

1

2

Italian agent Lodovico Spinosi has also spoken fondly of his client, saying: “It is true that he is doing very well and everyone is realising how decisive he is in one-on-one situations, thanks to his speed. He can also play as a wing-back, despite being born as an offensive player.

“He is a complete player who, if he manages to be more decisive up front, will be at a top-tier club.”

Despite being versatile, Ndoye has most commonly featured at right-wing throughout his career to date, suggesting he could be the ideal replacement for Elanga, so it is exciting news that he has reached a verbal agreement over a move.

Following an excellent campaign last time out, Nottingham Forest are looking to use the summer transfer window to ensure that their European qualification was no blip. And that could reportedly start with the addition of a Bayern Munich midfielder.

Nuno Espirito Santo extends Nottingham Forest contract

Starting as they mean to go on this summer, Nottingham Forest confirmed the news that Nuno Espirito Santo has agreed a new deal with the club and will now remain in charge until at least 2028.

The Portuguese manager has taken the Midlands club to fresh heights in the Premier League and Evangelos Marinakis was clearly keen to ensure that he remains the man for the job at the City Ground.

The Greek owner told Nottingham Forest’s official media channels: “Nuno has made a great impact and performed very well during his time with us so far.

With that contract signed and delivered, Nottingham Forest can now turn their attention back towards the transfer window. Already, it looks as though Jair Cunha, Igor Jesus and Cuiabano are all on their way from Brazilian club Botafogo, who just defeated Paris Saint-Germain at the Club World Cup. But those in the Midlands could yet return to the market.

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Reports are now suggesting that the Midlands club have joined the race to sign a Champions League midfielder who looks destined to return to the Premier League this summer.

Nottingham Forest join £30m Palhinha race

According to Caught Offside, Nottingham Forest are now eyeing a move to sign Joao Palhinha this summer. The midfielder is reportedly free to leave Bayern Munich for up to €35m (£30m) in what is a cut-price deal considering that the German giants initially paid Fulham as much as £42m to secure his signature just one year ago.

The transfer fee is unlikely to be the main sticking point in any deal. Instead, there may be concerns about Palhinha’s wage demands. If he requests the same £8.5m-a-year contract that he earns at Bayern Munich then the likes of Nottingham Forest could instantly look elsewhere for options.

With Manchester United, former club Fulham, Benfica and West Ham United also in the race for his signature, Palhinha may have a decision to make regarding his salary if he wants to secure an exit away from Munich this summer.

At his best, there’s no denying that Palhinha is capable of making a significant impact with Fulham boss Marco Silva dubbing him “impressive” during his time in West London. Now, however, the Portugal international desperately needs a return to English football to rediscover his top form.

St. James’ Park’s overseers are not yet in situ, with sporting director Paul Mitchell set to leave at the end of the month, but Newcastle United plan to make headway in the transfer market all the same.

Namely, Eddie Howe has his sights set on Brighton & Hove Albion’s Joao Pedro, a dynamic and versatile striker whose qualities would see him complement and contest Alexander Isak in equal measure.

However, with Liverpool running rampant in the transfer market and monitoring Anthony Gordon, the Magpies may need to find an out-and-out winger to join Howe’s cause, too.

Newcastle in the race for PL star

As per Caught Offside, Newcastle United are in the race to sign Jadon Sancho, who is almost certain to leave Manchester United this summer.

However, the Toon are joined by a host of clubs on the continent – including Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, and AC Milan – after his loan spell with Chelsea, who paid a £5m penalty to waive their obligation to buy the 25-year-old for £25m.

A swarm of interest from the Saudi Pro League throws a spanner in the works, but from a sporting perspective, Howe may offer the electric winger the perfect lifeline in his homeland.

Why Jadon Sancho could thrive at Newcastle

There’s no denying that Sancho has fallen by the wayside since leaving Borussia Dortmund and signing for Man United in a £73m package.

His recent campaign at Chelsea wasn’t poor by any stretch, but neither was it show-stopping to the degree that was promised upon his first move to the Premier League.

24/25 – Chelsea

31

3

5

23/24 – Man Utd

14

2

3

22/23 – Man Utd

26

6

3

21/22 – Man Utd

29

3

3

20/21 – Dortmund

26

8

12

19/20 – Dortmund

32

17

17

His numbers for Chelsea in the Premier League certainly left something to be desired, but then Sancho also demonstrated his intense levels of fitness and athleticism, ranking among the top 11% of the division’s attacking midfielders and wingers for progressive carries, the top 9% for successful take-ons and the top 15% for ball recoveries per 90, as per FBref.

Contrast that with Gordon, who may yet leave and sign for Liverpool this summer in an £80m deal, and you begin to see how Sancho might just thrive in stable conditions on Tyneside.

Indeed, Gordon, for all his qualities, only scored six goals and assisted six more in the league last term, ranked only among the top 22% for progressive carries and the top 46% for successful take-ons per 90.

FBref considered through statistical analysis the two players to be of a certain likeness, but Sancho, arguably, offered a finer illustration of his underlying qualities and the potential for even more with a more potent finish.

He’s a powerful and pacy winger, but perhaps he didn’t activate his physical attributes to the best of their ability, evidenced by Howe’s decision to bench him across five of the final eight matches of the 2024/25 campaign.

Gordon is a brilliant player, but as pundit Stan Collymore says, “at his best” Sancho is an “unplayable” forward, outfoxing his opponents with fleet-footed movements and a potency that was, frankly, ridiculous during his Dortmund days.

It’s been a rough road for the Three Lions star these past several years, but his finest football lies latent, and Howe’s remarkable tactical and interpersonal skills might just see Sancho revived as a starring member of a high-flying Newcastle team.

Therefore, Newcastle could provide the perfect stomping ground for Sancho, whose fall from grace may yet see a resurgence that could see him realise his potential and surpass even the £80m-rated Gordon.

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Newcastle have yet to heave over some attacking additions in the summer transfer market.

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Tottenham Hotspur have now made a late approach to sign a Manchester United target, who has already agreed personal terms for a move to Old Trafford, according to a report.

Tottenham pursuing new signings as Frank deal advances

It is looking increasingly likely that Thomas Frank will be the man to replace Ange Postecoglou at N17, with reporter Ben Jacobs recently revealing the terms of the deal have now been agreed.

As such, Spurs’ transfer plans may be subject to change, in order to make sure they bring in players suited to Frank’s system, although the Dane is known to be more flexible than Ange, having used several different formations during his time with the Bees.

Regardless of who Daniel Levy ends up bringing in as the new manager, it is clear that a new goalscorer would be useful, given that Brennan Johnson’s tally of 11 goals in all competitions was the highest of any player last season.

Frank may also be keen to bring in a forward that he knows very well, and a report from Caught Offside has now revealed Tottenham have held talks over a deal for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, recently making contact with the Bees.

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Mbeumo has already agreed personal terms to join Man United this summer, and Old Trafford remains his favoured destination, but Spurs could throw a spanner in the works by getting involved in the transfer battle.

Brentford have already knocked back one offer from the Red Devils, but they could come back in with a new bid worth a total of £60m, so the north Londoners may need to move swiftly if they are going to hijack the deal.

"Deadly" Mbeumo could be exactly what Tottenham need

Despite making a success out of the season by winning the Europa League, the 2024-25 campaign was far from ideal for Tottenham, finishing 17th in the Premier League, and the lack of a consistent goalscorer was a real problem.

As such, the £45k-a-week Brentford star could be exactly what Spurs need, having scored 20 goals in 38 Premier League games last term, while also providing eight assists.

Scout Ben Mattinson singled out the 25-year-old for praise, describing him as “deadly”, while prospective new Tottenham boss Frank was also left impressed, hailing the Cameroonian as “unplayable” last December.

It appears as though Mbeumo still has his heart set on a move to Old Trafford, but Spurs will be hoping that Frank can convince the forward to make the move to N17 instead.

Going in pursuit of even greater success next season, Liverpool are now reportedly prioritising a move to sign an impressive La Liga midfielder in this summer’s transfer window.

Salah reiterates desire for even more success

Mohamed Salah may be a two-time Premier League winner and undeniably one of the greatest players to ever grace English football, but he is not slowing down. At 32 years old, the Egyptian has just broken the record for most goal involvements in a 38-game Premier League season, with 28 goals and 18 assists, and was recently crowned the Football Writers’ Player of the Season.

He still wants more, however. That new contract wasn’t signed with the intention of slowing down in the final stages of his Liverpool career. Instead, Salah reiterated that he still wants to win at least one more Premier League and one more Champions League at Anfield.

The winger recently told Gary Neville: “This year I won the Premier League and I think I never felt happier in the club for eight years like this moment in the Spurs game. I really wish we win the Champions League game. I know the Premier League is always nice for the club and that’s how it should be but I would love to win the Champions League and Premier League again.”

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To achieve exactly that though, Liverpool will need to back Arne Slot in this summer’s transfer window. As successful as the Dutchman’s first season has been at Anfield, there remains question marks about whether the Reds were simply in the right place at the right time. And those questions must be answered in emphatic fashion next season.

Well aware of that, FSG are already acting to replace the departing Alexander-Arnold with Jeremie Frimpong in the coming months and have now reportedly identified another target who could help them to match Salah’s clear ambitions.

Liverpool prioritising Jauregizar move

According to reports in Spain, Liverpool are now prioritising a move to sign Mikel Jauregizar from Athletic Club this summer. Slot reportedly rates the midfielder and could finally land the type of reinforcement that he has wanted since targeting Martin Zubimendi last summer. Given that the Reds are set to miss out on Zubimendi to rivals Arsenal, welcoming Jauregizar would arguably make perfect sense this summer.

La Liga stats 24/25 per 90 (via FBref)

Mikel Jauregizar

Martin Zubimendi

Starts

24

32

Progressive Carries

0.59

1.14

Progressive Passes

4.73

5.96

Ball Recoveries

5.78

4.32

The numbers highlight the similarities between the two midfielders, but also one key difference. Although Jauregizar has struggled to match Zubimendi’s ability to progress play, he has worked better out of possession – a trait that Slot has come to appreciate in Dominik Szoboszlai at Liverpool this season.

Labelled “underrated” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Jauregizar could be next in line to undergo the same transformation that Ryan Gravenberch has undergone in the last 12 months. From struggling star, the Dutchman is now a nominee for the Premier League Player of the Year award under Slot.

As for matching Salah’s ambitions, an added controller in the middle of the park in Jauregizar could go a long way towards Slot’s Liverpool side becoming far more dominant this summer and winning the top honours once again.

Liverpool are cantering towards a second title of the Premier League era and now look set to press ahead with some exciting transfer plans, including a pursuit of one of Europe’s most high-profile stars, per a report.

Liverpool set for exciting window after taking step towards Premier League title

Relief was the overriding emotion at full-time on Wednesday night as Liverpool saw off a stubborn Everton side courtesy of Diogo Jota to reclaim their 12-point advantage over Arsenal at the summit with eight matches left to play.

While the Premier League title is all but certain to head to Merseyside, Arne Slot is likely to already have an eye on potential market activity this summer to strengthen his bid for more silverware down the line.

In light of Virgil Van Dijk’s contract situation, Piero Hincapie has been lined up as a Liverpool defensive reinforcement and it remains to be seen if the Reds will meet his £42 million valuation. Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen is also on their list after winning plenty of plaudits, signifying that the backline may be a key priority to firm up before 2025/26.

Xavi Simons is also in the sights of Liverpool and could offer Slot a degree of versatility to bolster his attacking options. There has been no confirmation over Mohamed Salah’s future, while rumours that Trent Alexander-Arnold could leave for Real Madrid would produce a creative void needing to be filled.

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Either way, Liverpool aren’t expected to let up once the market opens for business and have now turned their attention to an exciting target as a marker of their future ambitions.

Liverpool set to intensify talks to sign Barcelona's Ronald Araujo

Per reports in Spain, Liverpool are set to intensify negotiations to sign Barcelona star Ronald Araujo, who has cropped up on their radar due to Van Dijk being at risk of departing Anfield on a free transfer.

The La Liga giants are battling with economic issues that need to be resolved to comply with financial fair play, which may embolden the Reds in their pursuit of the Uruguay international.

Ronald Araujo’s key La Liga statistics in 2024/25

Appearances

6

Tackles won

6

Duels won

23

Pass completion rate

92.2%

Goals

1

Assists

1

Valued at just over £42 million by Barcelona, Araujo has endured terrible luck with injuries this campaign and has only managed 14 outings across all competitions, with Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen among others limiting his involvement.

Nevertheless, Liverpool have spotted an opportunity to offer a new challenge to the 26-year-old, albeit it remains to be seen whether he views the prospect of a move to Anfield as a positive during the peak years of his career.

One thing is for certain, there will rarely be a better time to join the Reds following their recent success. Now, all supporters can do is sit back and wait to see if negotiations prove successful.

We knew he could strike the ball 100m relentlessly. What we hadn’t seen was the prodding before the power

Cameron Ponsonby03-Nov-2024Liam Livingstone asked for more responsibility. Got it. And delivered.Six weeks ago, Livingstone got a call saying he was dropped. The conversation was 30 seconds long, but preceded a chat with managing director Rob Key where cards were laid on the table. Livingstone understood why he had been left out. His returns over the past two years, by his own admission, weren’t good enough.But something rankled. His one complaint was that he felt that time that he hadn’t been given the chance to dictate games. He had been the bit-part player England called when they wanted him, but never when they needed him. In 30 ODIs, he had batted above No. 6 twice, and bowled his full allocation only twice as well.Related

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One Jos Buttler calf setback later, though, and he got another call saying they wanted him back for the Australia series, and they needed him back for the West Indies series. As captain.”It’s a bit like a relationship,” Livingstone had joked before the first ODI against West Indies.Across his last five ODI innings, Livingstone averages 133.50 with a strike rate of 145. A dramatic surge in form that he dates back to a single ball he faced in the Hundred against Luke Wood. Facing a hat-trick ball, Livingstone told himself to relax and just react to whatever comes. The ball is bowled into his ribs, and he tucks it away for one. Watching it back, it is entirely unremarkable.”Jesus,” Livingstone remembers recalling to himself at the time. “I think I’m back here.”Livingstone further said after the second ODI against West Indies, “It’s really weird because it’s one ball in the middle of the summer,” when he smashed an unbeaten 124 off just 85 balls in a successful chase of 329. “But I spent two years trying so hard to work it all out.”Livingstone is one of few players on this tour playing with real jeopardy. Interim head coach Marcus Trescothick had said after the first ODI that the message being framed to the group was to enjoy their “free-hit” opportunity with a mountain of players to come back in. But Livingstone isn’t in that boat. His ultimatum with Key had been agreed, and these matches were his opportunity “to not only say what I thought, but [also] for me to show people I mean what I say”.When he arrived at the crease in the second ODI, England needed another 222 runs in 29.5 overs. A required run rate of 7.50 that climbed all the way to ten an over the moment the 39th over came to an end. England required exactly 100 runs off the final 60 balls. They did it in 45.Of Livingstone’s nine sixes, eight came in the final 25 balls of his innings. His second 50 arrived in just 17 deliveries. He hit consecutive sixes on three occasions, and took two overs for north of 20.Combining the clubspeed of Byson DeChambeau with the biceps of Mike Tyson, Livingstone peppered all sides of the ground. Gudakesh Motie was bludgeoned out to the leg side, Jayden Seales was slapped over extra cover, and Shamar Joseph was lucky to survive when a straight drive flew back past his face.”I see my ability as being able to hit more than a couple of sixes”•Getty ImagesIt wasn’t a one-man effort, with all of Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell and Sam Curran contributing with half-centuries of their own, but it was a one-man show. After the 35th over, every England boundary was off the bat of Livingstone.Counterintuitively, despite the fireworks that got England over the line. The first 50 of his runs arguably proved the point Livingstone was trying to make more than the final 74.We knew he could strike the ball 100m relentlessly. He hit the ball over the football stand at Headingley, which was the type of shot that you only hear about from the 1800s when Sir.What’sHisChops apparently cleared the pavilion at Lord’s using a toothpick. That is to say, when people are lying. But Livingstone actually did it. We saw it.What we hadn’t seen was the prodding that came before the power. His 50 off 60 balls took the game deep, and put it on his shoulders. He had struck only three boundaries. England’s team selection, swapping Jamie Overton for Saqib Mahmood, meant that the tail was long, and Adil Rashid was at No. 8, just two wickets away.”People see me as this guy who can go in and smack a few sixes in a T20 innings,” Livingstone said. “But I see my ability as being able to hit more than a couple of sixes – being able to do things like I’ve done today.”Liam Livingstone reaches a maiden ODI century•Getty ImagesIt was a remarkable innings that more than saved what had otherwise threatened to be an ordinary day for the new captain. For the second time in history, England used nine bowlers across an ODI innings, with the only time before coming in 1987 when all of Bill Athey, Allan Lamb and Chris Broad bowled the only over of their ODI careers in a dead run chase.It encapsulated the other end of Livingstone’s desperation to do well on this tour. Muddled thinking in the guise of proactiveness, that resulted in Jofra Archer having an over left in the tank when Will Jacks, Dan Mousley and Bethell had sent down seven between them.”No,” Livingstone said. “It wasn’t the plan.”But where clarity was absent in the field, it was present in abundance with the bat. Livingstone admitted himself that despite his showing, “I don’t think I’m ever going to bat [at No.] 5 for England when we’ve got a full squad”.But regardless of the tangible long-term results of his performance, the intangible can matter just as much. He had proved to himself, and others, that he was capable of something he had always believed he could do, but until Saturday never had.”It’s amazing,” he concluded. “The last time I was here, I lost my grandad. I’m looking forward to speaking to some family back home. He’ll be looking down pretty proud.”

Which players currently hold the orange and purple caps in the 2023 IPL?

ESPNcricinfo staffUpdated on 27-May-2023Who is the orange cap holder in the 2023 IPL?Gujarat Titans opener Shubman Gill may not have ended up winning the title, but he finished as the highest scorer of the tournament, with 890 runs. Gill overtook Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis late in the season to take the orange cap. Du Plessis finished on 830 runs, in second place. Devon Conway of title winners Chennai Super Kings, who made 47 in the final, ended with 672 runs, which places him third, and Virat Kohli, also of RCB, is in fourth, with 639 runs. Gill is the only player with three hundreds this season; Kohli has two.The other seven century-makers of this season are Yashasvi Jaiswal of Rajasthan Royals, Suryakumar Yadav of Mumbai Indians, Cameron Green, also of MI; Prabhsimran Singh of Punjab Kings; Harry Brook and Heinrich Klaasen of Sunrisers Hyderabad; and Venkatesh Iyer of Kolkata Knight Riders.In addition to the top four run-makers, four other batters scored over 500 runs this season: Jaiswal; Suryakumar (605); Conway’s opening partner, Ruturaj Gaikwad (590); and Delhi Capitals captain David Warner (516). The top strike rate among batters to have scored at least 150 runs this season is 183, by Glenn Maxwell of RCB.Rinku Singh of KKR is at No. 9 on the run-makers’ list, with 474 runs. Ishan Kishan of MI rounds out the top ten with 454.Here’s the full list of the top scorers in the 2023 IPL.Who is the purple cap holder in the 2023 IPL?Gujarat Titans seamer Mohammed Shami finished the season as the leading wicket-taker, with 28 wickets at an economy of 8.03. His team-mates Rashid Khan and Mohit Sharma (who took three wickets in the final) follow, tied on 27 wickets apiece; Mohit has the better economy rate of the two, 8.17. The three bowlers accounted for 83 wickets among them.Mumbai Indians legspinner Piyush Chawla is in fourth place, with 22 wickets from 16 games. In fifth place, with 21 wickets each are Yuzvendra Chahal (Rajasthan Royals) and CSK fast bowler Tushar Deshpande.Varun Chakravarthy of KKR and Ravindra Jadeja of CSK follow with 20 each, and then come two bowlers tied on 19 – Matheesha Pathirana of CSK, who took 2 for 44 in the final, and seamer Mohammed Siraj of RCB. Siraj is the most economical bowler in the top ten, with 7.50 runs per over.Four five-fors have been taken this season – by LSG fast bowler Mark Wood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar of SRH, Akash Madhwal of Mumbai Indians, and Mohit Sharma of Titans in the Qualifier against Mumbai.Here’s the full list of the top wicket-takers in the 2023 IPL.

Their two big overseas batters have been left to perform a difficult juggling act: score quickly while also batting deep

Sidharth Monga17-Apr-20215:10

Manjrekar wants Jadhav in the Sunrisers middle order

Sunrisers Hyderabad must have been put in the mind of Groundhog Day. Three matches, three great positions in chases, all squandered, their worst start to an IPL. A weak middle order leaves their two big overseas batters – whether it be Kane Williamson or Jonny Bairstow playing alongside captain David Warner – too much to juggle: score at a quick tempo but also bat deep. With Williamson injured, one out of Bairstow and Warner has threatened to win each of their three matches, but their dismissal has always been followed by the middle order struggling on the slow Chepauk surface.The Sunrisers’ leadership has called for “smarter cricket”, better manipulation of the field, and for at least one set batter to go deep into the innings. That was Warner’s role in this chase against the Mumbai Indians, but he ran himself out, an event he shrugged off.Related

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“They [150 scores] are very chaseable,” Warner said after the game. “It’s just poor batting. If you get a partnership there and have one guy there at the end… like all the teams batting first have always had one person there at the end. If you’re able to do that you can chase 150 quite easily.”You just need smart cricket in the middle. At the moment we haven’t been able to produce that. I think our bowlers adapted fantastically to this wicket, and this wicket was a lot slower than the previous ones we played on.”VVS Laxman, the Sunrisers’ mentor, echoed Warner’s sentiments.”That’s a very important skill especially on these kind of wickets because it is not easy to hit through the line,” Laxman said. “You can’t rely on just boundaries and sixes. It’s very important to keep the dot-ball percentage low, and the only way you can do it is by manipulating the field by rotating the strike. I think that is one aspect of the game that is very important on these kind of wickets.”Unfortunately we were not able to do that especially when Rahul Chahar was bowling and even when other fast bowlers were bowling in the middle overs. That’s one aspect which is very critical if you have to put the pressure back on the bowlers and the fielding side.”Jonny Bairstow gave the Sunrisers a blistering start against Mumbai•BCCI/IPLLaxman was glad the Sunrisers got the first bit right: score quickly during the Powerplay to bring the asking rate down. “As the ball gets old in the second half of the innings, it is getting tougher to play your natural game, to play the big shots because the ball is just stopping on the wicket and it is two-paced,” Laxman said. “And also the spinners are extracting turn along with bounce. That is one of the aspects we definitely discussed. If you see the way Jonny Bairstow and David Warner capitalised on the powerplay, that will be very important going forward especially when you are playing on slow tracks like what we are seeing in Chennai. To use the new ball, to use the Powerplay restriction, so that you put the other batsmen who are coming in later under less pressure.”Also it is very important that one set batsman plays quite deep into the innings because it is quite difficult for a newcomer to get used to the surface straightaway especially when the asking rate is climbing up. The first 10 overs, the way you show your positive and aggressive intent, will help the second half of the innings.”The Sunrisers have tended to hold Abdul Samad, the one bright spot in a disappointing middle order last year, for the final few overs, but Laxman was asked if there was a temptation to drop the struggling Manish Pandey down the order and give Samad more time in the middle. “We have been flexible with our batting order,” Laxman said. “Even today we made changes, we had Virat Singh and Abhishek Sharma, two left-hand batters, to counter the Mumbai spinners. We have got some days before the next game, and we will definitely go back to the drawing board to work out the strategy to get a win under our belt and we will look at what the best combination and batting order is.”Between now and the next game, Sunrisers will also be looking at their medical team who now have T Natarajan’s sore knee to take care of in addition to Williamson’s elbow. Laxman revealed Natarajan was left out because of a niggle in the knee, but his replacement, Khaleel Ahmed, did a good job with figures of 4-0-24-1.

Four Lads Had A Dream have named their “biggest fear” at Rangers after another disappointing result in Europe this week.

Rangers fans want Thelwell and Stewart out

Gers supporters will have been hoping for a new manager bounce from Danny Rohl on Thursday, but instead, another woeful performance saw their team lose 3-0 away to Brann in the Europa League.

The pressure is building on sporting director Kevin Thelwell and CEO Patrick Stewart coming under fire, with Heart & Hand Podcast’s David Edgar calling for them to be relieved of their duties.

It is a sorry situation at Rangers, with Rohl coming in with so much to deal with, and Ally McCoist calling this his nadir as a fan on Friday.

“Last night is probably as depressed as I have been during this whole debacle, because I actually feel for the manager.I don’t know what he is going to do. He might improve them in terms of a little bit of organisation – set plays, you can do all that, bits and pieces, but I do not think there is anywhere near the level of improvement in that team that will even be required to get them up the league domestically, to tell you the gospel truth.”

"Biggest fear" at Rangers revealed

Writing on X, Four Lads Had A Dream claimed that Andrew Cavenagh is also a huge issue alongside Thelwell and Stewart at Rangers, due to him being blinded by the current problems surrounding them.

“We are in a really bad position, every game is a lottery & sadly not in our favour. Ally summed it up, we look like a team of young kids. He was also spot on when he said recruitment was horrendous. I fear more ‘nights/afternoons’ like tonight, which was painfully embarrassing.

“The spotlight continues to shine on the running of the club, those that have overseen this position and those heading up recruitment on and off the pitch taking us here. Yes Patrick and Kevin that means you. The biggest fear, Andrew Cavanagh is so entrenched he doesn’t see it either. “That’s wider than tonight. But tonight is in indication of exactly where they have taken us.”

Each Rangers fan will have their own person in mind when it comes to who is most to blame for the ongoing woes at Ibrox, but Cavenagh is clearly doing an unsatisfactory job as chairman.

Worse than Antman: Rohl must drop Rangers flop who's "nowhere near ready"

Glasgow Rangers manager Danny Rohl should drop this flop who was even worse than Oliver Antman.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 24, 2025

Some would like to see him depart, as well as Thelwell and Stewart, allowing the Gers to start from fresh, and it is hard to argue his corner right now.