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Aston Villa have now joined the race to sign an “agile” Emiliano Martinez replacement, who has been in impressive form so far this season.

Villa eyeing new goalkeeper amid Martinez uncertainty

Martinez is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but he has looked shaky at times this season, off the back of major interest from Manchester United during the summer transfer window, before they ultimately decided to bring in Senne Lammens.

The Argentinian was criticised for not doing more to prevent Lukas Nmecha’s goal in the 2-1 victory against Leeds United, although the performances against AFC Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers were much more encouraging.

That said, with the shot-stopper now 33-years-old, and Villa willing to accept January bids, potential replacements are now being identified, including Manchester City’s James Trafford and Real Madrid’s Andriy Lunin.

According to a report from Sky Sports, a Bundesliga star is also of interest to Unai Emery’s side, namely Borussia Monchengladbach’s Moritz Nicolas, who wants to move to a top club next summer, given his ambitions to play in Europe.

A number of clubs are in the race for Nicolas, who stands at 6’3, including Villa, who view the colossus as a successor to Martinez, although the Argentina international remains under contract until the summer of 2029.

Aston Villa plotting £18m bid for "tremendous" defender, Martinez is a big fan

The Villans are planning a move for a new centre-back, who is also being targeted by Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

ByDominic Lund Nov 27, 2025 "Agile" Nicolas in top form in the Bundesliga

The 28-year-old was nominated for Borussia Monchengladbach’s Player of the Season award last season, as a result of being the second-best goalkeeper in the Bundesliga in terms of xG prevented, conceding just 25 from an xG of 33.5.

After the nomination, the Monchengladbach star received plaudits from board member Roland Virkus, who said: “Mo is very agile for his height and is also really good with his feet.”

Having averaged a save percentage of 74.8% per 90 over the past year, the German places in the 81st percentile, when compared to other goalkeepers, which suggests he could be a solid replacement for Martinez, with the Villa goalkeeper averaging 71.1%.

Not only that, but the former Roda JC man has already amassed five Bundesliga clean sheets this season, including three in his last four matches, most recently making four saves to keep RB Leipzig at bay in a 0-0 draw.

Nicolas clearly has the quality to be Martinez’s successor, but Aston Villa should look to keep hold of their goalkeeper if possible, given that he is already proven in the Premier League, showcasing his quality by making three saves from inside the box against Wolves last time out.

While their start to the season might suggest otherwise, West Ham United do have some seriously talented players in their squad.

For example, the likes of Freddie Potts, Lucas Paqueta, Mateus Fernandes and El Hadji Malick Diouf are all quality options.

However, when it comes to the Hammers’ most crucial player, it’s impossible to ignore Mr West Ham himself, Jarrod Bowen.

At his best, the Englishman is a force of nature, and so fans should be excited about reports linking the club with someone who could be Bowen 2.0.

West Ham target their next Bowen

Since moving to West Ham in 2020, Bowen has made 251 appearances for West Ham.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

In that time, he’s provided 53 assists and scored 77 goals, including what will probably be the most important he’ll ever score, the winner against Fiorentina in the Conference League Final.

There can be no doubt that the Leominster-born international has been one of the greatest transfers the club have made in the modern era, and so it’s exciting to see that they might be about to make a similar one.

At least, that is according to a recent report from Sports Boom, which claims West Ham are interested in Scott Twine.

The report goes further, revealing that the Irons are in fact plotting an £8m swoop to sign the Bristol City star as soon as January.

However, the East Londoners are unlikely to get a free hit at the Englishman, as the report has also highlighted Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers as interested parties.

With that said, even if it’s not a straightforward deal, West Ham should pursue Twine, as he could be a Bowen repeat.

Why Twine could be a Bowen repeat

Now, the first thing to point out is that, yes, Twine is primarily a midfielder and therefore plays a very different role and style compared to Bowen.

However, where he plays is not what makes this a potential repeat of the move for the 28-year-old.

Instead, one of the main similarities is that, were this deal to go through in January, it would be another example of the Hammers signing one of the most interesting English players from the Championship.

For example, in the half-season before his move to East London in 2020, the former Hull ace had racked up a monstrous tally of 17 goals and six assists in 32 games.

Appearances

17

Starts

17

Minutes

1318′

Goals

6

Assists

4

Goal Involvements per Match

0.58

Minutes per Goal Involvement

131.8

Now, the Bristol star hasn’t been that much of a goal threat, but considering he is a midfielder, his tally of six goals and four assists in 17 appearances is still hugely impressive.

Moreover, while it would be foolish to expect the Swindon-born ace to be as good for the Irons as their captain has been over the years, there is at least one area of the game in which he’s arguably world-class: free-kicks.

For example, four of his 11 goals over the last two years have come from them, and when you see the quality of them, it’s hard to disagree with one content creator who has dubbed him “the best free kick taker in the world.”

With that said, Bristol’s manager, Gerhard Struber, has made clear that the 26-year-old “is not only a free-kick monster; he is also a really good transition player.”

Ultimately, while he isn’t going to be as transformative as Bowen has been, Twine could be another excellent signing from the Championship for West Ham, and given his price tag, a bit of a no-brainer.

Wilson upgrade: West Ham hold talks to sign new CF who "can't stop scoring"

The inform striker could be the perfect addition to Nuno’s West Ham squad and a dream upgrade on Wilson.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 26, 2025

Kobbie Mainoo is reportedly in talks with Napoli ahead of a January exit from Manchester United.

Across his last four games, manager Ruben Amorim has won 10 points from an available 12, stringing together a run of three wins and a draw. The former Sporting boss has seemingly, after over a year in charge, found some consistency in his first team.

This could prove crucial for Amorim, who has found himself under varying amounts of pressure since moving from Sporting to Old Trafford in November 2024. In becoming more sure of his first team, though, the Portuguese has limited the minutes of Kobbie Mainoo.

A product of the club’s prestigious youth academy, Mainoo has played just 138 minutes in seven Premier League appearances this season. As a result, rumours have started to circulate about his future and now, reports in Italy have suggested that a move to Serie A could be on the cards.

Amorim wants Mainoo to stay amid Serie A talks

As per Football Italia, Napoli have “been in contact with the agent” of Kobbie Mainoo and that “interest in a loan deal is mutual” between the player and club. Reportedly, the defending Serie A champions are looking for midfield depth following an injury suffered by Kevin De Bruyne.

Depth is made all the more imperative given that Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa will be absent during the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations and Napoli have retained the interest that they seemed to have in Mainoo back in the summer transfer window.

Despite keen interest from Antonio Conte’s side, it would seem that Amorim hopes that Mainoo remains in Manchester, though it has also been reported that a move to Italy is “more likely” and something that has reached the “advanced talks” stage of negotiation.

Though Amorim may want Mainoo to stay, it is understandable as to why the midfielder wants more first-team football, especially with a World Cup coming up next year. With Napoli’s current absentees, Mainoo would certainly receive minutes at the club.

Not only that, but Napoli’s status as a Champions League club may only make the move more alluring to Mainoo. It remains to be seen, though, whether the England international departs in the next transfer window.

Exciting update on young Man Utd defender's first team chances

The New York Yankees fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 4-2, on Monday night to fall into a 0-3 hole in the World Series. The Dodgers' win in the Bronx put them on the cusp of their second title in the last five seasons.

The disappointing loss for the Yankees in their first World Series home game in 15 years was quite reminiscent of the first two games of the series for star slugger Aaron Judge. Judge went 0-3 at the plate with another strikeout—his seventh in 13 World Series at-bats. He's now batting .088 in the Fall Classic, a total disappearing act from a historic offensive season that saw him hit .322 with 58 home runs and 144 RBI.

"You want to be getting the hits. You want to be doing your job, but I'm not doing my job right now," Judge said. "I've got to pick it up."

Judge is running out of time this postseason to burst out of his slump. He's hitting just 6-for-43 (.140) across 12 playoff games and is 3-for-22 (.136) with runners on base and 0-for-10 with six strikeouts with runners in scoring position throughout the playoffs. The numbers are staggering for one of the best hitters in baseball.

Game 4 between the Yankees and Dodgers is set for Tuesday night in New York, as the Bronx Bombers look to avoid the catastrophic sweep, while Los Angeles looks to capture another World Series title.

Tea Shubman Gill and KL Rahul weathered a testing spell from England’s bowlers to produce a wicketless middle session on day four in Manchester, but it was perhaps the only thing that went India’s way after Ben Stokes’ century carried his team to a total of 669 and a lead of 311. Then Chris Woakes struck twice in the first over before India could score any runs to create incredible drama.India went to tea at 86 for 2, still 225 runs behind. They could easily have lost their captain for 46 had Liam Dawson been able to hold on to a tough catch at gully but Gill made the most of that generosity to continue his run-spree. He went past Virat Kohli’s 655 runs against England in 2016 and is chasing down Sunil Gavaskar’s record of most runs as an Indian captain in a Test series (732).Stokes did not bring himself to bowl any of the 29 overs so far, a sign of perhaps the workload he has already taken on. He is playing back to back Tests. He picked up a five-for in the first innings and backed it up with a century – a rare feat among players and even rarer among captains. In scoring 141, he broke a spell of 35 innings without a hundred and earned himself a spot among the best allrounders in the history of cricket. There were, prior to his efforts at Old Trafford, only two with 7000 runs and 200 wickets – Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis.England’s innings reached incredible heights – 669 was their fifth-highest total in Tests – and it ended with 15 minutes for their bowlers to target India before lunch. Woakes produced a beauty from around the wicket to trap Yashasvi Jaiswal for a duck – angled in, seaming away, taking the leading edge to first slip. Then Sai Sudharsan made a mistake born out of spending 157 overs in the field, fatigue resulting in him misjudging a ball that was short and wide. In the end, he ended up getting caught at second slip trying to play the leave.

The curious case of Manchester City. Last season, Pep Guardiola’s side were four-in-a-row Premier League champions, and they were just a year ahead of a stunning treble.

But things went wrong; Guardiola’s is a complex machine, and some of the cogs fell out of place after so many years at the top. In a way, that was to be expected. That Man City dominated as they did for as long as they did was miraculous in many ways.

Heading into the current campaign, there was much uncertainty about City’s pre-season preparations, but there have been promising signs, and their position is fifth after seven games. Arsenal, top of the table, hold a three-point lead.

Arsenal probably have the most complete squad in the Premier League, while Liverpool boast the most threatening frontline, having broken the British transfer record twice this summer with Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.

When Man City missed out on Florian Wirtz

At the beginning of the summer, it looked as though the German was on his way to the Etihad. Reports indicated that he was ‘tempted’ to move to Manchester but the Citizens ultimately ended up pulling out of the deal.

Indeed, other claims at the time suggested that they had withdrawn their interest due to ‘the rising costs’ of the move. Quite. Liverpool ended up signing him for a whopping £116m.

That said, it’s unlikely they’ll be too upset. City have the unstoppable Erling Haaland leading the line while Wirtz continues to flounder, failing to score in Liverpool red just yet.

By Haaland’s standards, it’s been a slow start to the season. Nine goals from seven Premier League matches. How he must hang his head in shame.

Haaland by PL Season (7 games in)

Season

Goals

Assists

25/26

9

1

24/25

10

0

23/24

8

1

22/23

11

1

Data via Transfermarkt

Twice the Norwegian has posted more at this early stage, but we’re splitting hairs, and this really just underscores exactly how inimitable a goalscorer Haaland really is.

Aged 25, he’s now a robust and intelligent number nine, blending his physicality and innate shooting ability with movement and timing beyond all his positional peers.

If City reclaim their throne this term, there is no question that the unstoppable striker will be the main man.

Haaland is the most valuable player in the Premier League, according to CIES Football Observatory, but he’s not the only Citizen with a lofty price tag.

Indeed, Guardiola holds another in his ranks who actually eclipses the aforementioned Liverpool superstars, Isak and Wirtz.

Man City have struck gold with their "generational talent"

Manchester City might have emerged from a valley, but further back there have been plenty of peaks. And among the definitive stars of the Guardiola era is Phil Foden, who might just be hitting his stride once again.

Foden graduated from the City academy in 2016 and has made 197 appearances for City, winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League among many further honours. The Independent’s Miguel Delaney hailed him as a “generational talent”.

Exceptionally talented on the ball and a predator in the final third, the versatile attacking midfielder dipped last season, no doubt, but he has been a talisman throughout an illustrious era for City, and ostensibly stands before his prime years.

CIES Football Observatory outlined only in January that the Three Lions star is among the most valuable in the world, with his £126m worth above Wirtz and marginally ahead of Isak.

Liverpool garnered plenty of praise for their summer spending spree, and indeed look a force to be reckoned with in the long run, but with Haaland and Foden combining in the final third under Pep’s wing, there’s every chance City will be the team to beat once again in a short time.

This emphasises the quality at Pep’s disposal, and if Foden can raise his game that bit more over the coming months, he might produce a campaign that sees Liverpool’s big hitters pale in comparison.

Whether Foden hits the same meteoric heights as previous campaigns remains to be seen, but he’s starting to click together once again and has the ‘generational’ quality to have every bit as big an impact as Haaland across the year.

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Posts ByBen Gray Oct 10, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras venceu o Vasco por 1 a 0, neste domingo (27), no Allianz Parque, pela 21ª rodada do Brasileirão. O gol da vitória palmeirense foi marcado por Raphael Veiga, mas não foi um gol qualquer, foi um golaço, de falta, já no segundo tempo. Os vascaínos até chegaram a abrir o placar, mas o VAR apontou impedimento. A nota negativa foi a lesão de Dudu, que preocupou os torcedores alviverdes.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasLeila Pereira volta a negar a saída de Gustavo Gómez do Palmeiras: ‘Não será vendido’Palmeiras27/08/2023PalmeirasPrass, Luan, Pedrinho, Edmundo e mais: lembre jogadores que fizeram história por Vasco e PalmeirasPalmeiras27/08/2023VascoPor que Payet está suspenso e não joga Palmeiras x Vasco?Vasco26/08/2023

+ Veja tabela e classificação do Brasileirão-2023 clicando aqui

Com o resultado, o Verdão segue na perseguição ao Botafogo e vai a 40 pontos na tabela, 11 atrás do líder. Já o Cruz-Maltino segue na zona de rebaixamento com 16 pontos, na 18ª posição.

+ Copo Stanley a partir de R$120,00. Bebida gelada nos 90′ de jogo do Verdão!

CINCO LANCES QUE MARCARAM O DUELO

> VASCO MARCA, VAR ANULA! Apesar de o Palmeiras ter começado melhor, foi o Vasco ameaçou mais no primeiro tempo. Depois de uma saída errada de Weverton, Paulinho emendou um belo chute de fora da área e supero o goleiro alviverde marcando um golaço. No entanto, o VAR detectou um impedimento no início da jogada e anulou o tento vascaíno

continua após a publicidade

> DUDU SENTE, E O ESTÁDIO TAMBÉM! Já no fim do primeiro tempo, em um lance despretensioso, Dudu acabou sentindo o joelho direito na beira do campo. O camisa 7 ainda tentou voltar, mas logo pediu para sair deixando todos os palmeirenses preocupados no Allianz Parque. A torcida e os jogadores, inclusive, sentiram o baque.

> GOLAÇO! Pouco depois de Artur perder uma chance inacreditável na pequena área, Breno Lopes sofreu falta em uma ótima posição. Em grande fase, Veiga assumiu a responsabilidade e bateu no ângulo contrário do goleiro Léo Jardim. Um golaço para abrir o placar no Allianz.

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>AGORA NÃO, ENDRICK! Antes de Raphael Veiga marcar o golaço para abrir o placar, Abel Ferreira havia preparado para as entradas de Endrick e Fabinho. No entanto, com a bola na rede, o técnico desistiu das alterações, e quando foi mexer, optou por Marcos Rocha no lugar de Artur.

>SEQUÊNCIA DE GOLS PERDIDOS! No fim do jogo, quando o Vasco precisava avançar para tentar o empate, sobrou espaço para o Palmeiras, mas a equipe de Abel Ferreira cansou de perder gols.

PRIMEIRO TEMPO

O Palmeiras começou com um volume de jogo muito intenso, chegando por todos os lados da defesa do Vasco. No entanto, não conseguiu ter grandes chances de gol e não abriu o placar. Enquanto isso, o Cruz-Maltino cresceu na partida, criou oportunidades e até marcou um bonito gol, que foi anulado pelo VAR. Com o ímpeto palmeirense neutralizado, os vascaínos passaram a administrar a partida. O Verdão ainda chegou com perigo, mas Ríos perdeu o gol. Por fim, Dudu saiu machucado e deixou toda a atmosfera alviverde preocupada.

SEGUNDO TEMPO

Depois do baque com o problema de Dudu, o segundo tempo voltou morno e sem muita participação ofensiva do Vasco, que apenas tentou evitar os perigos de um Palmeiras pouco inspirado. Depois de Artur perder um gol inacreditável, foi a vez de Raphael Veiga ter a oportunidade de resolver. Em uma linda cobrança de falta, o meia marcou um golaço e abriu o placar no Allianz Parque. Com o Cruz-Maltino sem oferecer muitos problemas, o Alviverde ainda teve chances em contra-ataques, mas desperdiçou todas elas.

O QUE VEM POR AÍ

O Palmeiras agora foca suas atenções na Libertadores, torneio no qual enfrenta o Deportivo Pereira, nesta quarta-feira (30), pela volta das quartas de final. O Verdão pode perder por até três gols de diferença, que ainda assim estará garantido na semifinal. Pelo Brasileirão, o próximo compromisso é no domingo (3), contra o Corinthians, na Neo Química Arena. Já o Vasco disputa apenas o campeonato nacional e volta a campo também no domingo (3), mas contra o Bahia, fora de casa.

FICHA TÉCNICA
PALMEIRAS 1 x 0 VASCO
Local: Allianz Parque, em São Paulo (SP)
Data e hora: 27/8/2023, às 18h30 (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Wilton Pereira Sampaio (Fifa/GO)
Assistentes: Victor Hugo Imazu dos Santos (PR) e Leone Carvalho Rocha (GO)
VAR: Igor Junio Benevenuto de Oliveira (VAR-Fifa/MG)
Público e renda: 40.292 pagantes/R$ 2.558.309,65
Cartões amarelos: Luan e Richard Ríos (PAL) Zé Gabriel e Robson Bambu (VAS)
Cartões vermelhos: –
Gols: Raphael Veiga (19’/2ºT) (1-0)

PALMEIRAS: Weverton; Mayke, Gustavo Gómez, Murilo e Piquerez; Richard Ríos (Fabinho, aos 26’/2ºT), Gabriel Menino (Luan, aos 49’/2ºT) e Raphael Veiga; Artur (Marcos Rocha, aos 26’/2ºT), Dudu (Breno Lopes, aos 42’/1ºT) e Rony (Flaco López, 49’/2ºT). Técnico: Abel Ferreira.

VASCO: Léo Jardim; Robson Bambu (Puma Rodríguez, aos 42’/2ºT), Medel, Maicon e Lucas Piton; Zé Gabriel, Praxedes (Ferreira, aos 42’/2ºT) e Paulinho; Serginho (Alex Teixeira, aos 22’/2ºT), Gabriel Pec (Orellano, aos 22’/2ºT) e Vegetti. Técnico: Ramón Díaz.

Tudo sobre

BrasileirãoPalmeirasVasco

A lot of the DC batters got starts but none of them managed to cross 40, with Axar’s 32-ball 39 the highest of the innings

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Apr-2025After a tough couple of days, the Ahmedabad pitch gave a bit of respite for batters on a hot Saturday afternoon. Karun Nair, KL Rahul, and Delhi Capitals’ (DC) middle-order batters got starts, but none of them crossed 39. Gujarat Titans (GT) used only five bowlers for 19 overs of the innings. Prasidh Krishna, who got hold of the purple cap, pulled the visitors back after a great start with a four-wicket haul.DC leaving out Jake Fraser-McGurk created the new opening combination of Abhisek Porel and Nair. Porel’s boundaries in the first over; a drive on the up over mid-off and a help-along flick behind square, showed that the pitch could be trusted.He fell to a full toss from Arshad Khan and Rahul’s shift in approach kept DC ticking. Rahul cut Siraj and was able to pump him down the ground. His start was ominous but an outswinging yorker from Prasidh trapped him lbw for 28 off 14 balls.Nair, too, got boundaries on both sides of the wicket. He was out in a relatively soft manner, ramping a shortish ball straight to deep third.A pristine cover drive from Stubbs off Prasidh brought up DC’s hundred in the ninth over. But he and Axar Patel were relatively sedate after that during the 53-run stand off 36 balls. They were happy to take Rashid Khan and Ishant Sharma for ones and twos.Rashid bowled quicker and at the stumps in his first two overs. He slowed the pace down in his third as Stubbs took him for six down the ground but then miscued a swipe across the line. Rashid ran back but couldn’t hold onto the catch close to the ring at mid-on. It led to a slog-swept six from Axar next ball.Ishant was struggling in the heat and went off the pitch after two overs. Siraj returned and removed Stubbs, who reverse swept a yorker and the ball lobbed to short third.GT’s death bowlers included a lot of yorker attempts with short balls peppered in between. It nearly worked first ball, but Rashid dropped Axar at the start of the 17th.The DC skipper could not hit a boundary in his last nine balls and was out caught behind. He charged Prasidh and tried to slap a length ball over cover and got an edge. Prasidh was on a hat-trick a ball later, thanks to a brilliant diving catch from Jos Buttler to dismiss Vipraj Nigam.Ashutosh Sharma was the primary boundary hitter in the final overs. He got a six and a four off Arshad early in his innings and hit two sixes off Prasidh later on. R Sai Kishore, whose only over was the final one of the innings, went for just nine, as GT inched past the 200 mark.

In what is turning out to be a year of breaking jinxes, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium for the first time in ten years after they did the same in the corresponding fixture against Chennai Super Kings for the first time in 17 years at the Chepauk stadium.Even though RCB scored 221, the win didn’t come without a massive scare from Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma, who added 89 in 34 balls from 99 for 4 in 12 overs. With 123 off eight overs reduced to 41 off the last three, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and Krunal Pandya put on a defensive masterclass to deny MI.Related

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Rajat Patidar and Virat Kohli scored quick fifties before a finishing kick from Jitesh Sharma took them to 221 despite Jasprit Bumrah’s return and three excellent overs from Hardik. It was Kohli’s fastest T20 fifty since 2019, and his first in under 30 balls in the IPL since 2018. His intent allowed Patidar to get off to a watchful start before he took apart Hardik, who had stifled the other batters.By no means was the target beyond MI’s reach, but Hazlewood and Suyash Sharma bowled their first five overs for just 21 runs to leave MI with just a 2.25% chance of winning on the ESPNcricinfo forecaster at the end of the 12th over. Hardik’s sensational 42 off 15 and Tilak’s 29-ball 56 turned it into an even contest, but Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood nailed enough yorkers in the 18th and 19th overs to give Krunal 18 to defend in the last over. He consigned his brother’s team to a second straight defeat by 12 runs.Virat Kohli raced to a 29-ball fifty•BCCI

Kohli, Padikkal make light work after early wicketFor the 31st time in the IPL, Trent Boult struck in the first over of an innings, but Devdutt Padikkal hit his first ball for a four. The intent never stopped as RCB reached 73 after the powerplay. Kohli took 36 off 19, Padikkal 32 off 15. Kohli usually drops anchor but he took on the spinners with slog sweeps in the seventh and the ninth over to get to fifty in 29 balls.Hardik plays cat and mouseVignesh Puthur’s left-arm wristspin got the wicket of Padikkal for 37 off 22, but it was Hardik’s wide lines that suffocated RCB in the middle. Kohli still kept attempting big hits, allowing Patidar to be watchful for a start of 8 off 10.Patidar then managed to move across and take Hardik for runs and rearranged Mitchell Santner’s figures with 20 off his last over. It was here that Hardik’s wide lines brought him the wickets of Kohli and Liam Livingstone in the same over to make it 144 for 5 with 33 balls to go.2:26

Rayudu: ‘Patidar’s was a brilliant middle-order batting innings’

Patidar and Jitesh close out in styleTwo of the remaining five overs were going to be bowled by Bumrah, making his comeback from a back injury that has kept him out since the first week of January. So RCB needed to score heavily at the other end. Patidar did so off Hardik, taking 33 off 12 to ruin his figures to 4-0-45-2. Jitesh took 24 off eight off Boult to consign him to his costliest T20 analysis of 4-0-57-2. Bumrah went for only 14 in the 18th and 20th overs, but RCB believed they had done enough damage.Hazlewood, Suyash put RCB far aheadThat belief was only reinforced when Hazlewood’s impeccable lengths and Suyash’s unusual action troubled the MI top order. Hazlewood took Ryan Rickleton out thanks to an inspired DRS review from Jitesh before conceding just two in the final over of the powerplay. Suryakumar Yadav was the one caught in the spotlight. He was 8 off 13 after this over and one from Suyash. To make matters for MI, Suryakumar was dropped twice as he and Will Jacks added just 41 in six overs. When they finally caught Suryakumar at the end of the 12th over, MI needed what would have been the second-highest successful target achieved in the last eight overs of an IPL match.Hardik Pandya bashed 42 off just 15 balls•Associated Press

Dramatic endTilak, who was retired out in MI’s last game, kept Hardik off strike for seven balls, but in these seven balls he took 17 off Suyash’s last over, much like Patidar took the last overs of Santner and Hardik for a plenty. When Hardik finally got strike, he hit the coldest and sweetest of boundaries to turn the game around in just seven balls. These seven balls featured two sixes and two fours off Hazlewood, and two sixes off brother Krunal.With Hardik 32 off 7, the ask was now 71 off 33. A bit of gamesmanship followed to try to break Hardik’s rhythm, but MI kept going strong. Bhuvneshwar started the next over well, but Tilak hit a six and a four to take 13 off it. Still, only a little over two a ball was required. Yash Dayal managed to escape with some slower balls, but again a late six kept MI in it.Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood now dealt almost exclusively in yorkers. When they missed even slightly, runs came: a Hardik four, a Naman Dhir six first ball and a Santner six off a low full toss from Hazlewood.Still, MI needed 19 off the last over, and Krunal denied Santner and Deepak Chahar just enough power for them to be caught on the boundary. Krunal’s 4-0-45-4 were his best IPL figures.

It is understood that Mayank is recovering from a lumbar stress injury and has just resumed bowling at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru

Nagraj Gollapudi10-Mar-2025

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fast bowler Mayank Yadav is set to miss the first half of IPL 2025. ESPNcricinfo has learned that Mayank is recovering from a lumbar stress injury and has just resumed bowling at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, where he has been undergoing rehab after getting injured following his India debut in the T20I series against Bangladesh last October.There is no firm date set by the BCCI for Mayank’s return yet, but if he meets all the fitness parameters alongside increasing his bowling workload, he could feature in the latter half of the IPL.Mayank’s unavailability in the first half of the tournament is a setback for LSG, who had retained him for INR 11 crore ($1.31 million approx.) ahead of the mega auction. It was an astronomical leap monetarily for Mayank who had been bought for INR 20 lakh ahead of the 2024 season as an uncapped fast bowler.Mayank commanded such a huge salary primarily because of his ability to bowl at breakneck speeds, crossing 150kph-plus consistently, which earned him back-to-back Player-of-the-Match awards in his first two matches in the IPL. Encouraged by his potential talent, the national selectors added Mayank to the pool of quicks given fast-bowling contracts.Related

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Mayank’s time in IPL 2024 was limited to just four matches due to a lingering side strain in the last two matches he played. During rehab, Mayank picked a separate injury which delayed his comeback but he eventually played the Bangladesh T20Is. However, he picked up another injury immediately after which forced him to return to rehab. While the BCCI has not officially shared details on Mayank’s injury, it is understood that Mayank has a stress-related injury in his lower back on the left-hand side.In February, former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan, who has taken over as LSG’s team director, said that the franchise was working closely with the BCCI’s medical team to chart a roadmap for Mayank’s return. However, Zaheer stressed he would only want a totally fit Mayank back in the saddle. “As much as we are keen on having him [play IPL 2025], we want him 150% fit not just 100% fit so we’ll do everything possible to get him there,” he had said.LSG are set to play their first match of the season against Delhi Capitals on March 24 in Visakhapatnam, under new captain Rishabh Pant.