Sophie Devine, Amelia Kerr and Lea Tahuhu return to New Zealand’s squad for the T20I series against Australia that will close out the 2024-25 home summer. Bella James also returns to the side, which is led by Suzie Bates, while Izzy Gaze misses out with injury. Polly Inglis has come in for her.Devine had taken a well-being break last month, which ruled her out of the Super Smash, the Women’s Premier League in India and New Zealand’s home series against Sri Lanka. “It’s nice to have had some time to reset and refocus and I’m really looking forward to getting back out there with the girls,” Devine said.Kerr returns to international cricket after missing the Sri Lanka series to be part of Mumbai Indians’ successful WPL campaign, where she took 18 wickets and won the Purple Cap. Tahuhu has recovered from a grade-two hamstring tear that she sustained in December.James, who missed the Sri Lanka series due to a quadriceps strain and is yet to make her T20I debut, passed her fitness tests on Monday, and will travel with the team to Auckland on Wednesday.Amelia Kerr was the highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded WPL•BCCI

“We’re stoked to have Soph, Melie and Lea back for this series,” said Ben Sawyer, New Zealand head coach. “They’re three key players who bring a wealth of experience and leadership to the group.”Wicketkeeper-batter Gaze could not recover from the hip-flexor sprain that kept her out of the T20I series against Sri Lanka. Inglis, her replacement, made her ODI and T20I debuts and played all six games against Sri Lanka, but got to bat only once in the three T20Is.Emma McLeod, Izzy Sharp, Flora Devonshire and Bree Illing are the players making way for Devine, Amelia and Tahuhu’s returns. The three-match T20I series will be played from March 21 to 26 in Auckland, Mount Maunganui and Wellington.New Zealand squad: Suzie Bates (capt), Eden Carson, Sophie Devine, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Georgia Plimmer, Lea Tahuhu.

أعلن المدير الفني لفريق برشلونة، هانز فليك، القائمة المستدعاة لخوض مباراة اليوم ضد نظيره فريق أولمبياكوس في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويستضيف ملعب “مونتجويك” مباراة فريقي برشلونة وأولمبياكوس في الجولة الثالثة من مرحلة الدوري من دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2025/26.

اقرأ أيضًا.. موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة برشلونة وأولمبياكوس اليوم في دوري أبطال أوروبا.. والمعلق

ويمتلك برشلونة 3 نقاط فقط بعدما فاز في مباراة ضد نيوكاسل يونايتد وخسر أمام باريس سان جيرمان.

وحسبما نُشر، عاد فيران توريس إلى صفوف الفريق بعد تعافيه من الإصابة حيث تحصل على التصريح الطبي، في حين أعلن برشلونة غياب أندرياس كريستنسن بسبب ألم في الجهاز الهضمي. قائمة برشلونة لمباراة أولمبياكوس في دوري أبطال أوروبا

حراسة المرمى: تشيزني، كوشين، إيدير ألير.

خد الدفاع: بالدي، أراوجو، كوبارسي، جيرارد مارتن، كوندي، إريك جارسيا، جوفري تورنتس، تشافي إسبارت.

خط الوسط: بيدري، فيرمين لوبيز، كاسادو، دي يونج، بيرنال، درو.

خط الهجوم: فيران توريس، لامين يامال، راشفورد، روني باردجي، توني فرنانديز، خوان هيرنانديز.

Tottenham Hotspur kick off their Champions League campaign later this evening as they prepare to welcome Spanish side Villarreal to North London.

The Lilywhites beat West Ham United 3-0 in the Premier League at the London Stadium on Saturday, thanks to goals from Micky van de Ven, Pape Matar Sarr, and Lucas Bergval.

Thomas Frank will have to make at least one change to his starting line-up for this clash with Villarreal, though, because Mathys Tel was not included in the squad for the Champions League.

The former Bayern Munich forward started in the number nine role for Spurs against the Hammers at the weekend, but failed to register a shot on target or a chance created for his side, per Sofascore.

This means that he may well have been dropped from the starting XI even if he had been included in the Champions League squad. Either way, he will not be involved this evening.

Interestingly, the player selected by Frank to replace Tel in the team may have to face off against former Tottenham central defender Juan Foyth tonight.

How Juan Foyth has fared since leaving Spurs

The Argentina international joined Spurs from Estudiantes LP in 2017 and only played 32 times in all competitions before his permanent move to Villarreal in the summer of 2021, after spending time on loan with the Spanish side the season before that, per Transfermarkt.

Foyth did not have much of an impact on the pitch for the club, playing just 16 matches in the Premier League in total, but Villarreal did pay £13m to sign him permanently from them.

At the time of writing (16/09/2025), Transfermarkt value the central defender at roughly £12.9m. This suggests that Spurs and Villarreal got good value out of that deal, as he has not significantly improved or declined in the last few seasons.

Foyth, who scored against Real Madrid back in March, has found a home in Spain, playing 139 appearances in all competitions for Villarreal to date, per Transfermarkt, and appears to be settled since moving on from England.

The Argentine central defender started 17 of his 19 appearances in LaLiga for Villarreal during the 2024/25 campaign, but he was not shy of making the odd mistake.

Appearances

19

Starts

17

Clean sheets

5

Ground duel success rate

56%

Aerial duel success rate

59%

Error led to shot

2

Error led to goal

1

As you can see in the table above, Foyth made three errors that led to shots or goals for the opposition, and his team only kept five clean sheets in his 19 outings.

This shows that Spurs can get joy out of their former defender if they put pressure on him and put a team out that can consistently test him with balls into the box and in behind the Villarreal backline.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

With this in mind, Frank could totally embarrass the former Tottenham centre-back by unleashing Richarlison in Mathys Tel’s place in the number nine position this evening.

The Brazil international played 19 minutes off the bench in the 3-0 win over the Hammers on Saturday. Now, he should be named in the starting line-up for the first Champions League match of the season.

Why Richarlison should start for Spurs

Richarlison should come into the team because he is a striker who has the physical and technical attributes to totally embarrass Foyth if the Argentine defender is not at his best.

In terms of being able to test the centre-back physically, the Brazilian forward is a willing runner who can stretch play by running the channels and making darts in behind to cause problems for the entire backline.

The centre-forward has also won 2.3 aerial duels per game, at a success rate of 45%, per Sofascore, which shows that he can hold his own in the air against physical Premier League defenders.

Richarlison is far from just a physical lump who will cause Foyth problems with his running and pure power, though, because he can also be very effective with the ball at his feet when at his best.

The former Everton and Watford attacker won the club’s Goal of the Month award for August, for example, with his stunning strike against Burnley on the opening day.

Richarlison has scored two goals and provided one assist in three starts for Spurs so far this season in the Premier League, per Sofascore, which shows that he has had a strong start to the campaign in front of goal.

In fact, his form over the last 365 days suggests that he has all the tools and form to cause real issues for Foyth in this Champions League clash this evening.

Non-penalty xG

0.41

Top 31%

Non-penalty goals

0.49

Top 25%

xAG

0.18

Top 15%

Assists

0.24

Top 14%

Progressive passes

2.19

Top 25%

Progressive carries

1.54

Top 30%

As you can see in the table above, the 28-year-old number nine ranks highly among his positional peers across the best leagues in Europe when it comes to both scoring and creating goals.

Richarlison was once described as a “goalmouth monster” by Ange Postecoglou. These statistics back that claim from the former Spurs manager up, as the striker has outperformed his xG over the last year.

The Brazilian forward is efficient in front of goal and can punish opposition defenders when they make mistakes, which is why he could embarrass Foyth if the former Tottenham man makes any ‘errors’ this evening.

Richarlison is a striker with the finishing quality to turn ‘errors that led to shots’ into ‘errors that led to goals’. It is now down to Frank, though, to select the forward and to set the team up in a way that can get the best out of him, and to put him in positions to press Foyth into making mistakes.

Worth more than Tel & Kolo Muani: Spurs let "sensational" star leave for £0

Tottenham Hotspur made a huge mistake in allowing one talent to depart the club.

ByEthan Lamb Sep 12, 2025

This season feels like it’s set to be a pivotal one for this Chelsea project.

Enzo Maresca has a season under his belt, the players from last season are that bit more experienced in the Premier League, and they looked unreal in pre-season.

Add to that the impressive signings the club made in the summer, and it’s not unreasonable to expect a genuine title challenge from the West Londoners this year.

There are several players who will play a key role in that challenge, including one who cost them even more than their old transfer target, Xavi Simons.

Chelsea's potential difference-makers this season

It should really go without saying at this point, but so long as he’s fit and available, Cole Palmer will be one of Chelsea’s most important players this season.

After all, in just two years, the Englishman has managed to rack up a simply incredible haul of 43 goals and 29 assists in 98 games.

Another key player for Maresca this year is going to be Trevoh Chalobah.

The defensive stalwart was an important player for the Blues upon his return from Crystal Palace mid-way through last season, but with Levi Colwill now out for most of the campaign, he’s become even more critical to the team.

Fortunately, he’s made an impressive start to the season, with three starts, two clean sheets and a goal to his name.

Finally, the first few games of the season have shown us that, despite still being just 18 years old, Estevao looks ready to play an important role in this team.

He might not start too many games when everyone is fit, but his direct approach means he could be incredibly effective as an impact sub, someone who could terrify settled defences.

Yet, there is another player who has impressed even more this season, someone who could be a serious difference-maker for Chelsea and cost more than Simons did.

The Chelsea star worth more than Simons

While they eventually decided against signing him, it was widely reported that one of the players Chelsea were keenly interested in for much of the summer this year was Simons.

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Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

However, when the Blues made it clear they were no longer interested, Tottenham Hotspur swooped in, paying around £51m plus add-ons to RB Leipzig for the talented Dutchman’s services.

Now, that may well end up being a brilliant deal for the North Londoners, but the Pensioners probably don’t care, as they made a game-changing attacking signing of their own, splashing £60m on Joao Pedro.

So far, it would be fair to say that the World Champions made the right choice in signing the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace, as he has looked like a player worth twice as much.

For example, he scored three goals in three games in the USA, bagged another two in the pre-season friendlies and already has two goals and two assists in three Premier League games.

Moreover, FBref place him in the top 3% of forwards in Europe’s top-five leagues for expected assisted goals, the top 5% for passes into the penalty area and the top 7% for carries, all per 90, which suggests he’s not just getting lucky.

Finally, if we compare his output from last season to that of Spurs’ new star, it becomes quite clear that BlueCo got the better deal.

For example, the “insane dribbler,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, scored 13 goals and provided seven assists in 33 appearances, totalling 2299 minutes, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.65 games, or every 114.95 minutes.

In contrast, the former Leipzig gem scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in as many appearances, totalling 2763 minutes, which is an average of a goal involvement every 1.73 games, or every 145.42 minutes.

Pedro vs Simons in 24/25
Players	Pedro	Simons
Appearances	33	33
Minutes	2299′	2763′
Goals	13	11
Assists	7	8
Goal Involvements per Match	0.60	0.57
Minutes per Goal Involvement	114.95′	145.42′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Ultimately, while Simons may well be a hit for Tottenham, Chelsea look like they have the better and more valuable player in Pedro.

Alongside Lopez: Chelsea join race for Barcelona gem with "infinite" talent

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يواصل الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي برشلونة استعداداته لمباراة ريال مدريد في كلاسيكو الدوري الإسباني الأول بموسم 2025/2026.

كان برشلونة قد اكتسح نظيره أولمبياكوس بسداسية مقابل هدف في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات الجولة الثالثة بمرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

طالع | معلقين مباراة الكلاسيكو اليوم بين ريال مدريد وبرشلونة

واستطاع رجال هانز فليك دك حصون الفريق اليوناني بسداسية مقابل هدف، ليكون الاستعداد الأمثل والأخير للقاء الكلاسيكو في الدوري الإسباني المقرر إقامته الأحد المقبل.

ويحتل برشلونة المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري الإسباني برصيد 22 نقطة، فيما يتصدر ريال مدريد برصيد 24 نقطة.

ويضرب النادي الكتالوني موعدًا ناريًا لأولى مباريات الكلاسيكو في هذا الموسم يوم الأحد المقبل على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا”.

ووفقًا لصحيفة “سبورت” فإن هانز فليك لم يهنأ بالأخبار السعيدة التي حصل عليها في تدريبات اليوم بعودة رافينها وفيران توريس مرة أخرى لاستكمال تدريباتهما بشكل طبيعي.

وغاب لاعب خط الوسط الهولندي فرينكي دي يونج، عن تدريبات برشلونة اليوم بسبب معاناته من نزلة معوية، مما يجعل مشاركته في مباراة الكلاسيكو أمام ريال مدريد محل شك.

الغيابات المؤكدة حتى الآن في فريق برشلونة، هم، الحارسين خوان جارسيا وتير شتيجن، جافي، ليفاندوفسكي وداني أولمو.

Ayush Mhatre is the latest in the list of newcomers who have impressed on IPL debut.Walking in at No. 3 for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night in IPL 2025, 17-year-old Mhatre – also on his T20 debut, incidentally – scored 17 runs off the first four balls he faced, hitting two sixes and a four. But before getting here, Mhatre, who plays domestic cricket for Mumbai, had impressed MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming during the trials with his skills and composure.”We’ve had a few players through at our trainings and he was a player that stood out,” Fleming said at the press conference after CSK’s loss to MI. “It’s still very hard when you’re in a nets situation to get a true gauge of a player, but from a skillset [point of view], he was very impressive and a very composed young man, which is often just as important. So both MS and I were very impressed with the way he held himself together for the trial. And then when the opportunity came up, we’ve obviously got a view to the future, and he was the name that was pretty easy to pick.”Mhatre was unsold at the last IPL auction, but an injury to CSK’s regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad earned him a call-up as a replacement.Related

• Fleming: Mhatre has 'everything that we like about a modern-day T20 player'

• Poor results made CSK to 'bring all squad members into play'

• Rohit, Suryakumar fifties seal NRR-boosting win for MI

• Dhoni: 'Important to get the right combination for next year'

“It’s probably the position we are in [CSK are bottom of the table] and with the injury to Rutu and the form of others made it quite an easy decision to get him in there,” Fleming said. “The stage seems big but it’s one that’s familiar. We banked on him being comfortable with his surroundings [at Wankhede] and he certainly looked all that, so it was an impressive debut.”Mhatre’s first boundary came off the second ball he faced, when he drove Ashwani Kumar’s full-length delivery down the ground. His first six, off the next ball, was smashed over deep midwicket, and he followed that with a hoick over square leg. He went on to hit three more fours, all off Deepak Chahar, in his short stay before Chahar had him caught at long-on for a 15-ball 32.”I think as a youngster, he batted really well,” Dhoni said on the broadcast after the game. “And you know, that’s the kind of approach that is needed where you play your shots but, at the same time, you pick the shots that are your strength. I feel right from the start he just wanted to play his shots. We also haven’t seen him much, so it’s a good sign for us. Top of the order, [if] you can keep playing the shots, it becomes slightly easy for the middle and the lower order.”Aaron Finch, who was wowed by Mhatre’s “statement” innings, noted his strengths as a batter.”I think the shot down the ground [off his second ball] was extraordinary,” Finch said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut. “That was nowhere near a half-volley, but he smacked it on the up through mid-off, [and then] he set up for the pull shot. Obviously looks like a very leg-side-dominant player just [going by] the way that he sets up, everything says that he wants to hit square on the leg side. There’ll be a few things for oppositions [to note] going forward but what a statement.””I feel right from the start he just wanted to play his shots,” MS Dhoni said of Ayush Mhatre•BCCI

Pujara: ‘Not easy to be fearless in your first T20 game’

While Mhatre came in with no senior-level T20 experience, he has played nine first-class games and seven List A fixtures and has two centuries in each format. He made his domestic debut for Mumbai in the 2024-25 season, and scored his maiden first-class century in just his third game, in the Ranji Trophy. Mhatre also broke List A records when he scored 181 off 117 balls in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to become the youngest to hit 150 in a men’s List A innings.For Cheteshwar Pujara, what stood out was Mhatre’s “fearless” approach despite not having played much top-flight cricket.”If you are not well-prepared and you are nervous when playing your first game, you don’t get that confidence,” Pujara said on TimeOut. “But to do that – we say they are fearless but it’s not easy to be fearless when you’re playing your first-ever T20 game, that too at the highest level. To do that, I’m sure he’s done enough preparation. I haven’t seen his journey so far, I don’t know much about it, but the way he batted he seemed very confident. He’s played a lot of cricket in Mumbai and that’s definitely helped him.”How are young batters these days this bold?Ayush Mhatre, who made his Mumbai debut last season, already has two centuries in both first-class and List A cricket•PTI

“Days are gone by [when] you walk into bat in your first game and you think, ‘how can I get another game, how can I get myself into a position to get picked next game’, and you get 30 off 25 and you go ‘I’ve actually done a pretty good job for myself’,” Finch said. “But these kids now [say], ‘you know what will get me another game – hitting three or four sixes’. Then you become an Impact Player. And you can put it on reels and it can go viral. That’s what the new generation is all about.”But while head coach Fleming is all about players expressing themselves, he hoped for balance in the way youngsters approach the game so that it’s sustainable in the long term.”I think there’s examples all around the place where players are playing free. It’s impressive, not always sustainable, but it’s very impressive and it’s contagious,” Fleming said. “And what you’re seeing is young players that are feeding off other performances. I think their expectation of how they should play is going up, or at least it has been based on what others are doing. It is creating quite a phenomenon.”I’ll still balance it with craft of the older players so that the mixture of having experience in these young players is probably the best mix, but certainly we’re seeing a wave of young players in India that are just taking on the bowlers from ball one. Is it sustainable in tricky conditions, I don’t know. There’s the subtlety of the game, but in terms of what they’re bringing and how they’re playing their first games, it is certainly impressive.”

DC will be looking to get back to winning ways after their perfect start was cut short in their last game

Ashish Pant15-Apr-20253:11

Rayudu: Hetmyer should bat at No. 4 for RR

Big picture – Can RR get their floundering season back on track?They lost their first two games, then won two and have now lost two more matches to have just four points after six games. And if they thought it could get any easier, Rajasthan Royals (RR) now travel to the Arun Jaitley Stadium to face second-placed Delhi Capitals (DC), who seem to have most bases covered.RR’s top order has been found wanting and without the depth in their batting, their middle overs have lacked teeth. RR have the second-best powerplay run rate of 9.72 in IPL 2025, behind Punjab Kings, but that drops to 7.86 in the middle overs: the second-worst behind Chennai Super Kings (CSK).That’s where RR will have to buckle up against DC. In Kuldeep Yadav, the hosts have one of the most potent middle-overs bowlers. Kuldeep has bowled 18 overs in this phase and has gone at an economy of just 5.94, picking up nine wickets, the second most only behind Noor Ahmad.On a flat surface, RR desperately need their inconsistent batting to come good. Sanju Samson has scored just fifty so far, Riyan Parag form has been indifferent, Nitish Rana has just had one innings of note, while Shimron Hetmyer’s entry point has stirred some debate. Only Yashasvi Jaiswal with two fifties in his last three games seems to have found some consistency. RR will need the rest of the power-packed batting unit to fire.Jake Fraser-McGurk is yet to click in IPL 2025•Delhi CapitalsFor DC, there are fewer issues, but Jake Fraser-McGurk’s form might have them sweating. He’s scored 46 runs in five matches at 9.2 and a strike rate of 100, a far cry from the sensational season he had last year. While the DC management has backed him, time might be running out for the youngster.DC have four wins in five games, but their loss against Mumbai Indians will sting them and they will want to get back to winning ways ASAP. A clash against a beleaguered RR might just be what they are looking for.Form guide: Can DC make it five out of six?Delhi Capitals LWWWW
Rajasthan Royals LLWWLRelated

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Team news and likely XIIs: Is du Plessis fit?There is still uncertainty over Faf du Plessis’ fitness with the word from the DC camp being that he is recovering. “He’s recovering well although I’m not sure (if he’ll play or not). As far as I know, it’s not a big concern,” Mohit Sharma said about du Plessis’ availability for the RR game. If he is fit, it is likely he will replace Fraser-McGurk at the top of the order, with Karun Nair slotting in at No. 3. If du Plessis is yet to recover, then DC might go with the same XII as the game against MI, with Nair swapping with Mukesh Kumar as the Impact Sub and vice-versa. Du Plessis, however, was not available for practice on the eve of the game.Delhi Capitals (probable): 1 Faf du Plessis/Jake Fraser-McGurk, 2 Abishek Porel, 3 Karun Nair, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Ashutosh Sharma, 7 Axar Patel (capt), 8 Vipraj Nigam, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohit Sharma, 12 Mukesh KumarRR do not have any injury concerns but need to take care of other issues. They could possibly look at having Akash Madhwal come in place of Tushar Deshpande, while Kumar Kartikeya is again expected to come in as the impact player replacing Rana.Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Jofra Archer, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Tushar Deshpande/Akash Madhwal, 11 Sandeep Sharma, 12 Kumar Kartikeya1:24

Bishop: Hasaranga and Theekshana need to get their lengths right

In the spotlight – Karun Nair and Riyan ParagAfter what has been a barely believable domestic season for Karun Nair, he’s made a statement knock in IPL 2025. In his maiden appearance of this season, Nair smashed a 40-ball 89 to nearly take DC home against MI. His takedown of Jasprit Bumrah – 26 runs in nine balls – will remain the highlight of the season. He came in as an Impact Sub against MI, but that is likely to change going forward, especially if Fraser-McGurk’s lukewarm season continues. Incidentally, Nair has had a couple of stints with RR, the most recent one coming in 2022, the last time he played in the IPL and also had one of his best IPL seasons with them back in 2014.There were a lot of expectations from Riyan Parag after the bumper season he had in 2024, but it’s been a season of what-ifs for the batter so far. He’s scored at least 25 or more in five of the six innings so far, yet his highest score remains 43. Parag has looked compact most of the time he’s walked out but has thrown it away more often than not. Considering the placid surface in Delhi, RR will rely a lot on Parag to provide the top-order muscle he is capable of. Another important battle will be between Parag and the DC spinners. He does not have a great record against spinners in the IPL; a strike rate of 118.61, and that will be crucial considering he will come up against Kuldeep and Vipraj Nigam, two of the better spinners in the tournament this year.The big questionPitch and conditionsDelhi has recently become a haven for batters with run-scoring at an all-time high. In the last seven games, teams batting first have posted scores in excess of 200 each time and have also won. The surface for the DC-MI game was once again a belter where the home side almost chased down 206. But, there was also some turn on offer and that could bring the likes of Wanindu Hasaranga, Nigam, Kuldeep and Maheesh Theekshana into the game.The temperature is likely to hover around the mid to late 30s on the Celsius scale, but the evenings are expected to be cooler.Stats and TriviaKuldeep’s economy in IPL 2025 of 5.60 is the best for any bowler with at least ten overs under his beltRR have taken the third-fewest wickets so far in the IPL: 29 in six inningsRR are marginally ahead in the head-to-head count, having won 15 out of 29 matches between the two sides, with DC winning 14Mukesh has had the wood over Jaiswal in the IPL. Jaiswal has managed just seven runs in two matches against the pacer and fallen twiceKL Rahul has a great record against Jofra Archer in the IPL: 89 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 151 without being dismissed even onceQuotes”I am not someone who… if the game demands that I should tell Sanju [Samson] or anyone that I can do something here or bowl, then I will. But there is no need to overthink. I always try to take whatever comes my way and help the team, be it bowling, batting or fielding. I also want to bowl regularly, because I have bowled before and am a decent bowler. If situation arises, why not, I will talk to Sanju and let’s see what happens.”
.”KD (Kuldeep) is bowling very well not just for DC but in the entire tournament. Despite bowling on small grounds, dew being around, he is not being read that well right now and hopefully he won’t be later also through the tournament. The way Axar has been using him to pick wickets, break partnerships is great.”

Already thinking about 2026 targets after a chaotic summer window, Newcastle United and PIF are now reportedly eyeing a move to sign a midfield star for Eddie Howe.

Newcastle's early 2026 targets

Now that they’ve solved their striker problem with the addition of Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, Newcastle have the chance to focus on other areas of their side in 2026.

The Magpies have already felt the full effect of balancing Champions League football with domestic action, having drawn at Bournemouth just days after defeat against Barcelona, and Howe has already reiterated that the depth of his squad will play a key part throughout the campaign.

The Newcastle boss also believes that he has a “strong squad” at his disposal this time around compared to the last time that Newcastle played Champions League football. But, on paper, it’s clear that the Magpies could still do with strengthening when 2026 arrives.

On that front, adding to their midfield seems to be one of a number of targets. Whilst Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton provide an impressive foundation, there is a drop in quality beyond them that the likes of Conor Gallagher would solve.

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The Magpies are reportedly keeping tabs on the Atletico Madrid midfielder ahead of a potential move. But he’s not the only former Premier League star on their radar. Reports are now suggesting that PIF could swoop in for a player that they already know well.

Newcastle eyeing Ruben Neves swoop

According to The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, Newcastle are now eyeing a move to sign Ruben Neves, who is keen to leave Al-Hilal amid “unfinished” business in the Premier League.

Of course, PIF already know all about the former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder, having welcomed him to the Saudi Pro League in 2023. Now, almost three years on, they could swoop in and welcome him back to English football. It almost goes without saying that Newcastle won’t be the only side interested, however.

Bailey told TBR: “I am told that Neves thinks there is ‘unfinished’ business in England – he had a wonderful time at Molineux and he is still highly respected.

“But it is not a given that he moves back to England. A return to Portugal would be considered whilst there is strong interest in Spain and Italy too – he is not going to be short of options.”

Dubbed “incredible” by former Wolves teammate Conor Coady, Neves is still a player capable of making an impressive impact at a Champions League club in the prime of his career. For the right price, Newcastle should go all in on the Portugal international.

Fast bowler was was primarily recovering from a back injury, and has been out of action since October 2024

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2025

Mayank Yadav will be in action again soon•BCCI

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)’s express pace bowler Mayank Yadav is set to join the squad on Tuesday. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Mayank will likely be available for LSG’s next game, against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday in Jaipur.His availability will be another boost for LSG, who had started IPL 2025 without him, Avesh Khan and Akash Deep, who were all recovering from different injuries. Mohsin Khan was also injured and ruled out of the tournament, before being replaced by Shardul Thakur.Avesh and Akash Deep later joined the squad, and have since played five and three games, respectively, out of LSG’s six matches so far. Despite a depleted pace attack, LSG have won four games, and host Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at home on Monday.Mayank, 22, was primarily recovering from a back injury, and has been out of action since October 2024. That is when he had made his international debut, and played three T20Is against Bangladesh at home. He missed the entire domestic season after that and was recovering at the BCCI’s Centre Of Excellence (CoE, formerly NCA) in Bengaluru. LSG head coach Justin Langer had said ten days ago after seeing videos of Mayank operating at “90-95%” that the fast bowler would join the squad soon.Mayank had played only four games for LSG last season, and was among their five retained players before the mega auction.Despite fielding a depleted pace attack from the start, LSG have been among the better bowling attacks this season, handing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) their first loss by restricting them to 190 in Hyderabad, defending 203 at home against Mumbai Indians (MI), and most recently derailing Gujarat Titans’ charge by restricting them to 180 after they were 122 for 2 in 13 overs.Thakur, LSG’s most experienced bowler, is second on the top wicket-takers’ list, while spinner Digvesh Rathi has been their find of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered from a lack of creativity during Saturday’s defeat against Bournemouth on home turf, losing 1-0 after such good work in claiming six points from six to get the Thomas Frank era off to a flyer in the Premier League.

The hunt for a playmaker worth their salt has dominated much of the Lilywhites’ transfer window, with Xavi Simons signed on but only after botched efforts for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze, who left Crystal Palace and joined Arsenal.

But the defeat against the Cherries, requiring more than an hour of action for a first shot on target, and Simons alone won’t provide the answer across the wide span of the campaign.

Mohammed Kudus has racked up a few assists already at this early point in his Tottenham career, but it’s not enough, and Daniel Levy looks ready to attack the market one last time and land a player with properties better suited to fixing this chink in the armour.

Spurs lining up D-day signing

Tottenham have what it takes to come on leaps and bounds this season, but much will depend on the coherence threaded through the first-team squad.

And without enough creative ammunition, Frank’s lofty ambitions might prove hard to hit. To put it another way, he could do with another impactful addition in the coming hours.

As per transfer insider Graeme Bailey, that man could be Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, with Tottenham having made an enquiry to ascertain the potential of a last-gasp bid for the England international.

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The chances of the energetic attacking midfielder leaving are admittedly slim, but Tottenham may well pull it off if they offer a sum in the ballpark of £80m, the figure quoted as other clubs – including Liverpool – circle.

What Rogers would bring to Spurs

Aston Villa only signed Rogers from Middlesbrough in the Championship for £15m in January 2024, and already, the 23-year-old has established himself as one of the most dangerous players in the Premier League.

After all, he notched 30 goal involvements across all competitions last term, blending his prolific touch with such power and confidence when carrying the ball forward.

Might Spurs be set to land a stunning repeat of their one-time masterclass in winning the race for Dele Alli, who also had strong interest from Liverpool before leaving MK Dons in League One and joining Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham in a £5m package, aged 18.

The rest is history. While Dele’s career has sadly swerved down a dark path, he will always be remembered fondly down N17 for his incredible and prodigious emergence, with Pochettino actually saying back in 2017: “If he is not the best young player in Europe, he’s one of the best. Look at his age and his statistics, the potential is massive.”

Rogers doesn’t quite carry the same weight, but he’s still showcased immense potential under Unai Emery’s wing at Aston Villa.

25/26 (Villa)

3

–

–

24/25 (Villa)

54

14

16

23/24 (Villa)

16

3

1

23/24 (Boro)

33

7

9

Not just a prolific midfielder, Rogers is something of “a machine” when on the ball, as has been noted by The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell. He won 4.7 duels per league match last year, as per Sofascore, and shifted from the centre to a more attacking berth with such gusto.

While he can play out on the flank, Rogers shares a further likeness with his countryman in that he is best utilised from the centre, with journalist Carl Anka actually remarking that he has a “Dele-esque” way about him in that regard.

Adding him to the ranks would strengthen Tottenham’s creative potential, to be sure, adding something that Kudus, for all his ability, doesn’t quite inject with the needed skill at this present moment. Indeed, last term, Kudus chalked up just nine goals and assists for the Hammers in all competitions, far fewer than Rogers’ haul of 30.

Kudus is a direct and dangerous winger, but he’s not the most effective of playmakers, and with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski both sidelined, adding a player of Rogers’ profile to the mix could go a long way toward weaving together the kind of tactical harmony needed for Spurs to hit their targets and exceed them.

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