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Aston Villa were steadily getting back to their best across October.

Indeed, five straight wins had been collected by Unai Emery’s men, with three of those victories falling in October, before a trip to Dutch outfit Go Ahead Eagles fell on the calendar in the Europa League.

Yet, even with Evann Guessand netting after just four minutes had been played, the Eredivisie hosts would collect a surprise 2-1 win come full-time, as Emery and Co. cursed their luck away from Villa Park.

On another night, Villa might well have at least collected a share of the points. Unfortunately, though, Emiliano Buendia noticeably underperformed throughout, with a second-half missed penalty from the ex-Norwich City midfielder only further confirming that it was the hosts’ lucky day.

Buendia's poor showing against Go Ahead Eagles

Before his Europa League hiccup, Buendia had very much shown Emery why he was deserving of more consistent first-team minutes.

It was widely reported this summer that Buendia was on the brink of a move away from the West Midlands, with his future at the club still remaining uncertain if Villa need to cash in on an asset here and there to satisfy PSR troubles.

Despite all this distracting chatter, Buendia had managed to let his football do the talking as of late, with a standout haul of three goals and an assist from 11 appearances.

However, his poor day at the office in the Netherlands does have the potential to trouble his concrete starting position.

The out-of-sorts number ten would spurn another big chance away from missing that vital spot-kick, with Buendia also uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball at his feet, with possession surrendered a worrying 17 times.

Off the back of this individual showing, leaving a sour taste in Emery’s mouth, the Spaniard could look to alternate options in the number ten spot when Premier League action returns, with Morgan Rogers an easy fix here.

He might not be afforded a spot down the left wing, either, with Guessand scoring from this spot on the pitch against Melvin Boel’s hosts, as the ex-OGC Nice forward was in the right place, at the right time, to poke home a rebound.

Emery will want all of his attackers to be as instinctive as the Ivorian when Manchester City come to town next, with this other notable Villa first-teamer fearful of his starting spot subsequently, after another quiet game passed him by mid-week.

Emery must axe Villa star who is "off it"

The former Arsenal boss isn’t blessed with plentiful options in the centre-forward department anymore, with super sub Jhon Duran now plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League, after once being seen as an ideal second-in-command figure.

This has ramped up the pressure on Ollie Watkins’ shoulders, arguably, with his forgettable season so far displaying a striker in clear decline, with talkSPORT’s Troy Deeney even calling out the England international as being way “off it” back in September, when his goal output had already begun to disastrously dry up.

Games played

12

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822

Goals scored

1

Assists

0

Since this scathing assessment from the former Watford centre-forward, Watkins has only gone on to pick up an unsatisfactory one strike for the Villans from 12 matches, with Emery clearly losing patience with his usual reliable starter when benching him last time out in the Premier League against Tottenham Hotspur.

Villa didn’t look lost without their 88-goal man leading the line, either, with ex-Borussia Dortmund man Donyell Malen filling in as the main marksman somewhat competently, as the likes of the aforementioned Rogers and Buendia stole the show with goals from the midfield areas.

Watkins didn’t exactly bang the door down to reclaim his top-flight starting spot with his shoddy showing against Go Ahead Eagles, with what should have been a confidence-boosting night only sapping the 29-year-old’s belief even more, as three shots failed to find the back of the net from his minimal 17 touches of the ball.

Guessand might even be the face that Emery chooses to start up top against Pep Guardiola’s challengers, if he wants to experiment away from a goalless Malen, with eight goals actually collected by the versatile Ivorian from this position for Nice, as Watkins fears another spot warming the bench is going to come his way later today.

£868m release clause: Aston Villa now willing to bid for "world-class" star

The Villans are prepared to make an offer for a new forward, who is now looking to leave his club.

ByDominic Lund Oct 24, 2025

Aston Villa are now circling to sign an “unbelievable” Premier League striker in the January transfer window, with his club open to a sale.

Villa "want to sign a new striker" next month

Ex-scout Mick Brown has made it clear his former club are looking to bolster their options at centre-forward this winter, saying: “Aston Villa want to sign a new striker in January,”

“Emery wants somebody to challenge Watkins and score regular goals, because they’ve lacked that so far this season, and they want to do it when the window opens.

“The problem is, there aren’t many strikers available, and the ones that are cost big money.”

While there may not be a plethora of options available, some exciting targets have been identified, with it being revealed Igor Thiago is highly likely to leave Brentford in January, amid interest from Unai Emery.

Bologna star Santiago Castro is another striker of interest to the Villans, with the Argentinian striker outscoring Ollie Watkins this season, although a deal could be on the expensive side at around £44m.

A slightly cheaper centre-forward has also emerged as a target, according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states Aston Villa are now circling to sign Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee next month, following a new update on the Dutchman’s future at Old Trafford.

Although Ruben Amorim wants to keep hold of Zirkzee, in light of his versatility, Man United are now open to sanctioning a departure, and Villa’s Premier League rivals could look to hold out for a fee of around £35m.

A whole host of clubs are in the race for the Netherlands international, however, with the likes of Sunderland, Brighton, Everton, West Ham United, Inter Milan and Juventus also being named as potential suitors.

Emery's a fan: Aston Villa willing to make mega-money bid for £52m "baller"

The Villans are lining up a winter move for a new midfielder.

ByDominic Lund Dec 7, 2025 "Unbelievable" Zirkzee back amongst the goals

The 24-year-old hasn’t had the easiest of rides at Old Trafford, failing to make it off the bench in seven Premier League matches this season, but he has impressed at times, with Sky Sports analyst Statman Dave hailing his mentality earlier this year.

The former Bologna man also returned to form in front of goal at the end of November, scoring the equalising goal to start Man United’s comeback in their 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace.

That said, Villa should have major reservations about signing Zirkzee, considering his very poor record in front of goal, netting just eight times in 58 outings for Man United, while also receiving heavy criticism from content creator Alex Turk this season.

Tottenham Hotspur’s much-needed 2-0 win against Brentford yesterday could be the victory Thomas Frank needed to kickstart his career in charge in North London.

Xavi Simons and Richarlison’s first-half efforts were enough to secure all three points for the Lilywhites, subsequently securing the first league win since the end of October.

The win was just the club’s second home triumph of the campaign, with the only previous three points coming against Burnley way back on the opening day of the Premier League season.

However, it’s given the Dane the platform he needs to be a success in the role, especially after the pressure has ramped up on his shoulders over recent weeks.

Despite the win, numerous players once again struggled within Frank’s side, which could lead to the manager finally discovering his best starting eleven at the club.

Spurs’ poor performers against Brentford

Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has fallen way below his usual high standards over the last couple of weeks, with his showing against Brentford yet another disappointing one.

The Uruguayan international featured for 65 minutes before being withdrawn after losing possession on six separate occasions – just over once every ten minutes.

He also failed to complete any dribbles and was also dribbled past on one occasion, with youngster Archie Gray managing to outperform him during the meeting.

However, he wasn’t alone in failing to deliver, with full-back Djed Spence also enduring an uncharacteristically poor performance on home soil against the Bees.

The full-back featured for the entirety of the win, but only managed to achieve a 40% success rate from the ten duels that he entered down the left-hand side.

He also failed to make any tackles, whilst not finding a teammate with any of his four crosses – subsequently highlighting his struggles at both ends of the pitch.

The Spurs player who needs to be dropped after Brentford

Since Frank’s appointment as Spurs manager, he’s often tinkered with his squad to try and stumble across his best starting eleven to lead the club up the Premier League.

Whether it be various different partnerships across the squad, or players operating in unnatural positions, the Dane has tried it all to push the side in the right direction.

Undoubtedly, the first home win since August yesterday demonstrated glimpses of a successful side, with the Lilywhites restricting the visitors to limited opportunities throughout.

However, that didn’t stop numerous players from struggling to make a positive impact, as seen with the aforementioned pairing of Bentancur and Spence.

They weren’t alone in struggling, with Randal Kolo Muani, another who was unable to produce his best performance of the season against Keith Andrews’ side.

The Frenchman was asked to operate off the left wing rather than his usual centre-forward position – something which no doubt affected his lack of impact on proceedings.

He featured for 74 minutes before being replaced, but his hard work and work rate only merely covered up his lack of tangible impact during the 2-0 victory against the Bees.

Randal Kolo Muani – stats against Brentford
Statistics	Tally
Minutes played	74
Touches	40
Dribbles completed	0
Crosses completed	0
Big chances missed	1
Duels lost	88%
Duels won	12%
Fouls committed	2
Stats via FotMob

The 27-year-old only registered a total of 40 touches of the ball during his time on the pitch – with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario managing more with his total of 45.

He also failed to complete any of his five attempted dribbles, whilst none of his crosses were able to find the men in white – showcasing his lack of impact in the final third.

When he did have the chance to find the back of the net, Kolo Muani did squander his opportunity, resulting in the loanee registering a missed big chance.

Out of possession, he was just as lacklustre in North London, subsequently winning just two of the 15 duels he entered – resulting in a total of 88% of duels lost.

There’s little denying that Kolo Muani has been a decent option for Frank’s men this season, but his showing was one to forget yesterday – which could lead to him being dropped from the side.

It was certainly a positive afternoon for Frank’s men, but one that has raised another issue for him, with the manager desperately needing to utilise the Frenchman in a more central role going forward.

Better than Kudus: Spurs leading the race for "world-class" £70m superstar

Tottenham are looking to seal an audacious signing for Frank’s side this January.

By
Angus Sinclair

Dec 5, 2025

The Los Angeles Dodgers may have a secret weapon when it comes to recruiting the best free agents: Shohei Ohtani's beloved dog Decoy.

During an appearance on the podcast on Monday, Los Angeles star Freddie Freeman revealed that Ohtani's dog was present during meetings between then-amateur international free agent Roki Sasaki and Dodgers players.

"Mookie [Betts], me, Tommy Edman, Will Smith and Shohei were the guys that were there," Freeman said. "And Shohei was with him the whole time. Shohei brought his dog. Roki likes dogs too."

And as Freeman amusingly indicates, it was a calculated decision to have Decoy, a Dutch Kooikerhondje, tag along for the meetings.

"We knew what we were doing," Freeman said with a laugh.

Freeman went on to explain that, while the meetings may have helped sell the Dodgers to Sasaki, they weren't intended to be recruiting pitches, at least in a traditional sense.

"But it was mostly like … We just kind of hung around in a circle. And it wasn't about like, 'Hey come to the Dodgers.' It kind of speaks for itself. It's just more of showing him how the culture is between us guys that are already on the team. And showing him that he will be comfortable if he came to us."

Sasaki inked a minor league contract, which included a $6.5 million signing bonus, with the Dodgers in January. And while the prospect of joining a star-studded roster that just won a World Series undoubtedly appealed to Sasaki, it also likely didn't hurt that the Dodgers' culture is also one welcoming to players' dogs.

As of February, Sasaki's dog had not yet met Decoy. But judging by the quick friendship struck up between Decoy and fellow pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto's dog this spring, it's likely only a matter of time until Sasaki's dog joins the mix.

WSL leaders Manchester City asserted their dominance with a resounding 3-0 win over rivals Manchester United. The game was ended as a contest in the space of four minutes, when Bunny Shaw slid in for her side's second before Lauren Hemp capped her return from injury with a powerful strike on the stroke of half-time after Rebecca Knaak had initially opened the scoring.

The hosts exerted their control from the off and almost took the lead in the opening minutes when Yui Hasegawa's shot was cleared off the line. United grew into the game, counteracting City's high line with balls over the top, but the course of the game was turned when City took the lead in the 26th minute. A Lauren Hemp inswinger to the back post was nodded back across goal by Shaw, with Knaak guiding the ball back across goal past Safia Middleton-Patel. 

Still United pushed forward but City were far more ruthless, doubling their lead in the 43rd minute when Kerstin Casparij's cross was met by a sliding Shaw to slot home. Hemp capped off a brilliant first half, both for herself and her team, with a thunderous third. The Lionesses star was given far too touch time at the edge of the United box, allowing her to power a left-footed effort into the near top corner. 

Knaak might've been sent off in the second half for what probably should've been a second yellow but, that aside, the second half passed by with little incident as City extended their lead at the WSL summit to four points, with second-placed Chelsea in action against Liverpool on Sunday.

GOAL rates Manchester City's players from the Etihad Stadium.

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Ayaka Yamashita (6/10):

Commanded her box well from set pieces but had little to do otherwise.

Kerstin Casparij (7/10):

Her inviting cross set up Shaw for the second. Bombed up and down the right flank throughout. 

Jade Rose (7/10):

Rebuffed United's advances after the introduction of Malard in the second half. Strong in the tackle. Put her head on the line to clear a late goalmouth scramble.

Rebecca Knaak (7/10):

Took the opener brilliantly, powering her header back across goal giving a scrambling Middleton-Patel no chance. Lucky to avoid a second yellow when her lunging tackle on Malard went unpunished with the referee playing advantage. 

Leila Ouahabi (5/10):

A touch indecisive on the ball at times. Her failure to deal with a long ball could have set up a United goal, or got Knaak sent off.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMidfield

Yui Hasegawa (6/10):

Denied an early goal when her effort was cleared off the line. Screened her back four with minimal fuss. 

Laura Blindkilde Brown (7/10):

A perfectly neat and composed performance. Sarina Wiegman will want to give her a competitive cap as soon as possible. 

Vivianne Miedema (8/10):

An early effort clipped the outside of the United post. Linked up well with Hemp and showed flashes of her brilliance on the ball. Dropped into a holding midfield role in the final 15 minutes and looked just as comfortable. Pure class.

Getty Images SportAttack

Aoba Fujino (6/10):

So strong in possession, her low centre of gravity making it impossible for United's defenders to win the ball. 

Lauren Hemp (9/10):

Back in the side for the first time since September. Provided attacking impetus down the left and on set-pieces. Her thunderous strike from the edge of the box killed the contest.

Khadija Shaw (8/10):

A constant aerial threat and a willing runner in behind and her decision to nod back into the box set-up Knaak's opener. Slid in with authority to double the lead shortly before the half-time break. Took a bang to the head that ended her afternoon. 

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Getty Images SportSubs & Manager

Iman Beney (6/10):

Came on in the 74th minute, winning a corner almost instantly with her direct dribbling. An exciting prospect.

Sydney Lohmann (5/10):

Helped to ice the game in the middle of the park. 

Grace Clinton (N/A):

Introduced for Shaw in the 82nd minute. Little time, or need, to affect proceedings. 

Andree Jeglertz (7/10):

Clearly saw no need to make any major changes. He will be thrilled with his side's tenacity in keeping a clean sheet.

Chelsea have by no means made a perfect start to the 2025/26 season, but their dramatic victory over Liverpool before the October international break ensured they stayed within a distance of the Premier League leaders.

Eyebrows were raised when BlueCo parted with Mauricio Pochettino in 2024 and replaced him with Enzo Maresca, a ‘Pep Protege’ and newbie on the scene, albeit excelling in the Championship with Leicester City. But Maresca has taken Chelsea back into the Champions League, and he won the Conference League and Club World Cup last year.

Now, sights are set on the next level, and while the Londoners hope to hit their targets and surpass them this season, with talents such as Estevao Willian cutting their teeth at Stamford Bridge, there’s more than a little cause for optimism.

Estevao is Chelsea's new star

Sometimes, you can just tell. When Cole Palmer clicked into gear two years ago, after joining from Manchester City, you could just tell. And now, the same is true for Estevao.

Described as having the potential to be a “future Ballon d’Or winner” by analyst Ben Mattinson, the Brazil international, still only 18, has already scored and assisted in the Premier League this season, averaging 1.8 dribbles per game, as per Sofascore.

His goal against Liverpool rubber-stamped his reputation as a high-level talent, but Estevao has long been regarded as a one-of-a-kind sort of up-and-comer. To put that another way, Chelsea feel they have signed a player who will dominate across England and Europe for many years to come.

A versatile and fleet-footed winger, he joined Chelsea from Palmeiras this summer after an initial £29m deal was put in place in May 2024. Estevao is representative of an impetus on signing the finest youth prospects across the globe.

Chelsea’s prudence isn’t restricted to just teenagers, though. Potential stars are found and signed ahead of time; this is a common theme in west London.

And, with Maresca still questing for a highest-class striker, fans might get excited over the reminder that such a talent has indeed been tied to Chelsea’s future, and he’s showing shades of one Didier Drogba.

Chelsea's new version of Drogba

Drogba is one of the greatest strikers in Premier League history, and the talisman throughout the richest period of sustained success in modern times at Chelsea.

The club have been dealt a mixed bag at number nine since the Ivorian left London, but in centre-forward Emmanuel Emegha, they might just find the second coming.

The 6 foot 5 Emegha, 22, will join Chelsea from partner club Strasbourg in 2026, with the Ligue 1 side’s captain rejecting interest from other top clubs to move to Stamford Bridge.

As per FBref, the Netherlands native ranks among the top 14% of strikers across Europe for goals scored, the top 3% for pass completion and the top 14% for carries into the penalty area per 90, highlighting his natural striking ability and indeed a mobility and technical skill beyond most of his positional peers.

Emegha, in fact, has been hailed by talent scout Jacek Kulig for his “simply phenomenal” finishing, and after scoring 14 goals and providing three assists across the 2024/25 campaign, he has already notched six contributions from as many matches this year.

Given that he is sharpening his tools in the French top flight and boasts a strong and dynamic physical profile, he may well arrive at Chelsea and draw comparisons to Drogba, who left Marseille for London in 2004 for a £24m fee.

Frank Lampard

648

211

Bobby Tambling

362

194

Didier Drogba

381

164

Kerry Dixon

363

157

Roy Bentley

352

144

Drogba is one of Chelsea’s all-time record scorers, and his big-game mentality was an iconic thing. Across nine seasons and two stints as a Blue, the 47-year-old won the full gamut. His tenacity and consistency once led an awed Jose Mourinho to describe him as a “remarkable” footballer.

Chelsea are building for the future, alright. But there’s also a sense that this new crop of acquisitions has been made with an eye on the past formulas too. Estevao evokes that X-factor emotion that the likes of Eden Hazard and more before him provided to the club’s doting fanbase.

With a towering and commanding talisman like Emegha in the centre, and Estevao running riot across the flanks, there’s no telling how dangerous Chelsea’s frontline will look in a few years time.

The likes of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, who is nursing a muscular injury, both joined Maresca’s side this summer, and the former in particular looks a real threat.

But strength in depth has always been Chelsea’s way, and Emegha has the completeness of style in the final third to make a real difference in the fight for prizes in the Premier League and Champions League.

A pacy runner who has not quite mastered the aerial game that his long frame should enable him to flourish within, Emegha remains a work in progress. Last season in Ligue 1, for example, his 14-goal haul was also met with 25 missed big chances, emphasising the work still to be done in front of goal.

Alongside Estevao, though, he would surely find his shooting boots and maintain a fearsome presence in front of goal. After all, alongside his electric pace, the youngster also ranks among the top 8% of positional peers for shot-creating actions per 90 (FBref).

The jury will remain out until Emegha gets going in the Premier League; many a talented prospect has fallen by the wayside when arriving in England.

But there’s such quality there, and Emegha’s physical robustness and quality on the ball suggest he might just have the skills to replace the legendary Drogba and lead Chelsea to illustrious success.

Estevao 2.0: Chelsea let one of "the best young wingers in Europe" leave for £0

The incredible former Chelsea talent could end up being as good as Estevao.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 10, 2025

With Ruben Amorim set to keep hold of his job at Old Trafford, Manchester United are reportedly preparing a January offer to sign a midfield star who he loves.

Ratcliffe defends making Man Utd staff cuts

After revealing that he’s willing to give Amorim as long as three years to make his mark at Man United, INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has defended his decision to make a number of staff cuts earlier this year. The British billionaire insisted that profitability is key to any success and used United’s recent record revenue as an example.

Alas, even as results begin to improve off the pitch, they’ve remained woeful on the pitch. Amorim’s side have won just twice in seven Premier League games and are yet to even win back-to-back league games under the former Sporting Club manager.

Alarm bells have been ringing all season, but Amorim maintains the faith of INEOS. In fact, instead of sacking the manager, the minority owners are reportedly prepared to back him in the transfer market once again and could even welcome a midfielder that he loves in 2026.

Man Utd preparing Hjulmand offer

According to reports in Spain, Man United are now preparing a €60m (£52m) offer to sign Morten Hjulmand from Sporting Club. The Denmark midfielder thrived under Amorim at Sporting and could now become the first player from his former side to complete a move to Old Trafford in 2026.

Man Utd scouts spotted watching Real Madrid target who's keeping up with Mbappe

He’s enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 10, 2025

Amorim has never shied away from praising the 26-year-old, either. The Man United boss told reporters after his final game in charge of Sporting, in which Hjulmand scored in a 4-2 victory: “It was a great goal by a fantastic player and captain who arrived at Sporting a year ago.”

The leader that the Red Devils are arguably lacking, Hjulmand would slot straight into Amorim’s midfield next to Manuel Ugarte – allowing Bruno Fernandes to move back to an advanced role in the process.

Minutes

720

626

Progressive Passes

50

61

Tackles Won

13

7

Ball Recoveries

50

43

When compared, it’s the Dane’s defensive traits that stand out and those traits would allow one of the best midfielders in the world to play in his best role under Amorim. If United can secure his signature for just £52m, then Hjulmand would simply be a no-brainer.

Manchester United are now lining up a move for a former Puskas Award nominee, with Ruben Amorim personally keen on the deal.

Amorim lining up targets for the January transfer window

The 2-1 victory over Chelsea at the weekend will certainly have bought Amorim some time, but the Man United boss has stressed the importance of carrying the momentum into the next game against Sunderland on Saturday.

Should United pick up victories against the Black Cats and Brentford in the following game, their Premier League standing will start to look a lot healthier, but after a slow start to the campaign, the manager has already started to identify potential January targets.

After missing out on a central midfielder in the summer, it would make sense to look to improve in the engine room in the upcoming window, and the Red Devils are on red alert over a potential move for Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher.

Not only that, but Man United are also looking to bolster their defensive options, according to a report from Il Napolista, which states they are now lining up a January move for Federico Dimarco, with Amorim personally very interested in a deal.

The United boss has placed Dimarco high on his list of winter targets, given that the left-back would be an ideal fit in his system, while he also ‘really likes’ the defender for his technical and shooting qualities.

The Italian’s shooting ability was perhaps best displayed in Inter Milan’s clash with Frosinone, during which he scored a remarkable goal from distance, earning a nomination for the 2024 Puskas Award in the process.

"Revelation" Dimarco could be ideal for Amorim

Given that the Inter Milan defender has regularly played at both left-back and left-midfield throughout his career to date, he could be an ideal fit in Amorim’s system, which, of course, utilises wing-backs.

£120,000-a-week star has played his last game for Man Utd after Amorim axe

The Red Devils are now ready to part ways on a permanent basis.

2

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Sep 23, 2025

The 27-year-old was also lauded by Paolo Cando, courtesy of his impressive performances in the 2022-23 season, with the Italian journalist saying: “Federico Dimarco has been the revelation of the season. He started at Inter as a backup, and quickly became one of the ironclad starting eleven players.”

Having averaged a 7.38 SofaScore rating so far this season, the Italy international is ranked as the third-best performing player in the Inter squad, and at 27-years-old, he could now be entering his prime.

Consequently, Dimarco could be exactly the type of signing needed to take Man United to the next level, and they should undoubtedly pursue a January move.

Punjab Kings (PBKS) are marching towards a spot in the IPL 2025 playoffs, moving up to No. 2 on the table. They dispatched one of their main rivals, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), with a power-packed batting performance, scoring 236 for 5, and winning by 37 runs.

The headliner

Shreyas Iyer actually wanted to bowl at the toss. But he said he was “up for the competition”, and it seemed so was his team. They hit 34 boundaries in the innings – 16 sixes and 18 fours – en route their 11th total of 200-plus in the IPL. Only Mumbai Indians (MI) have more.Prabhsimran Singh was the architect of this chaos. He attacked nine of his first 15 deliveries, and in that time he could have been dismissed for 22 off 11 balls. But Nicholas Pooran put down a skier. When a similar ball came down just seconds later, Prabhsimran played the same shot and found the straight boundary. He is an intent machine with a very short memory. He made his third fifty on the trot, having come into this season with only four fifty-plus scores in his IPL career.There was a small period when Prabhsimran stalled. He got to 45 off 24 balls. Then made only 8 from the next 11 balls. but made up for that by hitting 38 off his last 13 deliveries.1:48

Rayudu: ‘Maybe Mayank Yadav isn’t ready yet’

The support acts

The batters at the other end matched Prabhsimran’s fire. In fact, every time LSG took a wicket, the new partnership began with a boundary within two deliveries, leaving the visitors with no place to hide. Iyer once again showed he is a changed man. Until IPL 2024, he was striking at 125. Since then, he has been striking at 163. That has not come at the cost of his productivity. He averaged 32 before. Now it’s 44.Shashank Singh played the perfect cameo, 33* off 15 balls, which included a six off Mayank Yadav that legit tried to scale up to one of the Dharamsala mountain tops.

LSG’s woes

Mayank went for 60 runs in his four overs, the joint-worst figures by an LSG bowler in the IPL. Avesh Khan leaked 26 runs in the 19th over, which included three fours and two sixes. Digvesh Rathi went for 40-plus in only one of his first nine matches. In his last two, he has gone for 48 and 46. At a time when they need to be peaking, LSG were floundering. Their best hope was that their top order fired.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Arshdeep kills the contest

Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram and Pooran had made 63% of all their team’s runs coming into this game. Arshdeep Singh knocked two of them out in the third over, and returned for the last man standing. LSG were reduced to 38 for 3, their lowest powerplay score this season. Rishabh Pant fell for 18 off 17 balls, his ninth score below 25 in 11 innings. His dismissal was a spectacle. He swung so hard at the ball that he lost control of the bat, which flew out to midwicket while the catch was taken at deep cover.

Fightback

There was more than half the innings left to play when ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster suggested that LSG’s chances of winning was down at 0.13%. Guess being 73 for 5 is bad chasing 237. The last specialist batting pair they had – Ayush Badoni (74 off 40 deliveries) and Abdul Samad – delayed the inevitable by putting on a partnership of 81 in 41 balls.

Ajinkya Rahane has made a point about his suitability in the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batting order in his first outing with the team itself, his 31-ball 56 the star turn in their innings against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2025 opener. He can’t look back and relish the innings, though, since it came in a defeat. Instead, the focus is to bounce back quickly as KKR fly to Guwahati to face Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday.”I hope you all enjoyed my innings rather than me enjoying my batting,” Rahane said at the post-match press conference. “For me, it’s all about contributing for the team and that’s what matters to me. Whatever runs I score, it’s always about the contribution. An innings of 56 on the winning side would have been really nice. But it’s fine.”Rahane said the rush of wickets in the lead-in to the death overs was where KKR lost their way – they slid from an impressive 107 for 1 in the tenth over to a tepid 174 for 9 after 20. Sunil Narine’s 44, an innings that started sluggishly, alongside Rahane’s half-century had set the base for a score in excess of 200, but the middle-order – KKR’s famed engine room – failed to make the most of it.Related

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Barring No. 5 Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s 30, the others fell quickly, and KKR scraped together only 23 runs in the last four overs. It was far from enough as RCB cruised to victory with 22 balls to spare.”It is the first game of the season and the batting line-up which we have, we have guys who like to go after the bowlers,” Rahane, a new member of the team and its captain, said. “As a team, I thought there are a few areas we did well and there’s always areas we can improve.”I thought RCB bowled really well in the powerplay, but important was how they picked up wickets in the 13th and 14th overs [13th to 16th – they went from 125 for 3 to 150 for 6]. Those were crucial since that was the momentum-changer. I don’t focus on all the negative things because this side has players who have done very well for this franchise in the past. So I’m going to back them. In the game tonight it didn’t work out, but it’s okay.”Rahane also defended the selection of Quinton de Kock, who had one of his poorest IPL seasons in 2024 but was picked at the auction, over Rahmanullah Gurbaz as the wicketkeeper-opener.”Gurbaz is a fantastic player but you cannot play everyone,” Rahane said. “We have to fit the combination in that manner. So we thought as a team that the pair of Quinton and Sunil opening can be dangerous. You saw Phil Salt and Virat Kohli at the top of the other, two right-handers, so that [not following a left-right opening combination] doesn’t matter.”1:48

Why were RCB spinners successful?

On the bowling front, Rahane said Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora and Spencer Johnson – the three fledgling fast bowlers in the KKR XI for Saturday – needed to be backed. He felt their past performances made up for their relative lack of experience even though they went for combined figures of 8.2-0-105-1 on the night.”I don’t believe in making too many changes,” Rahane said. “[Anrich] Nortje has been coming out of an injury, and for fast bowlers it is a tough life. Harshit, Vaibhav and Spencer have been doing well. Spencer, with that left-arm angle, is different. So we made sure that we have that – a guy who can go with that left-arm angle with good pace. Vaibhav has also been doing really well.”Harshit is a confident player and I would like to back players who has done well for the franchise. He’s learning from each and every game, each and every season. It’s always about showing that trust and faith in them. All three guys are equally good, and it was just one of those days. I’m sure they will bounce back.”