Plays of the day from the match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium

George Binoy25-May-2014The interception
In the final over of the Rajasthan Royals innings, Brad Hodge slogged a length delivery from Kieron Pollard towards cow corner. He had timed and placed the shot well and the ball seemed destined for a one-bounce four. Then there was a blur of blue. Corey Anderson had sprinted from deep midwicket and got to the ball just as it bounced over the boundary. He grabbed at it with his left hand, caught it and flung it back – doing all this while running at full tilt – before falling to the ground.The guitar hero
Pollard and Shane Watson have previous from the 2013 season, and Pollard took an outstanding catch to dismiss Watson today. After mis-hitting Harbhajan Singh towards wide long-on, Watson watched as Pollard covered lots of ground by running forward and to his right from the boundary, and then dived forward to catch the skier just before it hit the ground. He bounced up immediately and broke out an exuberant air-guitar celebration.The deterioration
Jasprit Bumrah is developing a reputation of being a capable death bowler, and he began the 19th over against Royals with three blockhole deliveries that the batsmen could only take singles off. He then began to miss his length but the next two legal deliveries were low full tosses that also yielded only singles. The last ball of the over, however, was a full toss on leg stump and James Faulkner swung it over the square-leg boundary.The contrasting shots
In the 11th over of Royals’ innings, Karun Nair tried to reverse-hit the legspinner Shreyas Gopal from outside off stump. He was cramped for room and managed to get a fraction of bat on the ball to send it racing past the keeper for four. Nair had been aiming square of the wicket and the execution was not pretty. His shot to the next ball, however, was outstanding. Nair drove a full ball against the turn through midwicket with hardly any flourish but his timing was perfect and the result was the same as his unorthodox shot the previous delivery.The start
Mumbai were facing an asking rate of 13 to qualify for the playoffs and there was no time to waste. Bowling the second over, Dhawal Kulkarni’s first delivery was a loosener – a short ball. It was also Michael Hussey’s first ball, but he was not having a sighter. Hussey pulled from outside off stump, and the ball disappeared into the screaming fans beyond the midwicket boundary.

It's been a busy but exciting summer for Manchester United this year.

Erik ten Hag's side weren't overly impressive during the preseason, but the work off of the pitch has been tremendous, with players like Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee, and soon Manuel Ugarte joining up to help bring Sir Jim Ratcliffe's vision of a rejuvenated United to life.

However, while most teams would now sit back and take pride in the business they have conducted, the Red Devils look intent on adding at least one more star to their squad.

The latest player touted for a move to Old Trafford could bring a mountain of goals with him and even has shades of a certain Dimitar Berbatov to boot.

Manchester United transfer news

According to a recent report from The Standard, United are once again interested in signing Brentford ace Ivan Toney.

In fact, the report claims that the Red Devils have already held initial discussions with the Bees over a potential move, and while the West Londoners want a fee of around £50m, the looming deadline could see the Englishman sold for just £40m.

However, the most significant barrier to this deal going through is that, as things stand, the player would prefer a move to Chelsea, who are also keen to secure his services before the clock strikes 11pm tomorrow.

That said, given Toney's incredible goal record and potential bargain price, this is a transfer well worth fighting for, especially as there are some apparent similarities to former United star Berbatov.

Toney's similarities to Berbatov

Now, the first thing to say is that while there are certainly some similarities between Toney and Berbatov, especially if this deal goes through, it would be unfair to expect the Brentford ace to match up with the Bulgarian at Old Trafford, as while he was an unorthodox player, the Bulgarian international left the Theatre of Dreams with two league titles, two League Cups, a Club World Cup and two Community Shields under his arm.

Berbatov's United record
Appearances	149
Goals	56
Assists	26
Goal Involvements per Match	0.55
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Moreover, he also racked up 56 goals and 26 assists in 149 appearances for the club, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 1.82 games, and while the Englishman might be able to reach those levels, it's still a lot of pressure.

That said, what are these similarities, then? Well, the first is that if this transfer is completed, then both poachers would have joined the Red Devils slightly later in their careers, as the Blagoevgrad-born ace was 27 in 2008, and the former Newcastle United ace is now 28.

Second, the pair of them would have made their big move to the three-time European Champions from a team in the capital, Tottenham Hotspur, in the case of the 79-capped international, and obviously Brentford for the man of the moment.

The final similarity based on the deal itself is that, like Berbatov, the Northampton-born "monster", as dubbed by manager Thomas Frank, would likely complete his transfer on deadline day.

Now, there are also a couple of stylistic similarities between the two stars as well, with the first being the fact that neither one was or is blessed with pace and that their biggest strength on the pitch is their ability to finish, placing the ball exactly where they want it to go.

The final point of comparison between the pair is that they share a level of self-belief that some may see as arrogance or even cockiness. Berbatov's former teammate at Spurs, Jamie O'Hara, described the striker as a "fantastic player" but "so arrogant."

Likewise, Toney has made no secret of how highly he rates himself in recent seasons, making disparaging comments about Brentford on holiday and openly telling interviewers which teams he'd like to play for more recently.

Ultimately, while the Englishman – who has scored 72 goals in 141 games for the Bees – isn't going to be the next coming of the Bulgarian legend at United, he'd undoubtedly bring plenty of goals with him, and therefore, at the reported price, signing him before the window slams shut feels like a no-brainer.

Man Utd close in on late move to sign their next Roy Keane

The incredible ace could be a game-changer for Ten Hag.

3

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Aug 26, 2024

Ravi Shastri has plenty of cricketing nous and can help jolt players out of their comfort zones, but his appointment should be the first of many decisions for the BCCI

Sidharth Monga20-Aug-2014There’s a new sheriff in town. The old coterie has been broken. Some action is better than none. Duncan Fletcher, Trevor Penney and Joe Dawes have had too long a run without proper scrutiny.Under the Fletcher fleet, India have won the Champions Trophy, reached a World T20 final, beaten Australia, West Indies and New Zealand at home. They have also forfeited a simple chase in a Test in the West Indies, have endured two whitewashes away, failed to close out Tests in South Africa and New Zealand, now lost haplessly in England, and have looked an ordinary ODI side in Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa.Looking at just the results is a bit unfair. Players go out and play on the field; there is only so much the coaches can do. Yet if you look at the shambles India’s slips are, the way bowlers have regressed over time, and the way the batsmen’s techniques have come apart in England, the support staff has something to answer for. That it is happening in the middle of a tour, and six months before a World Cup, shows what a shambles the BCCI itself is.That the BCCI has gone to its crisis manager, Ravi Shastri, is predictable. It always turns to him in crisis. After the Greg Chappell-era left India on a low, Shastri took the team to Bangladesh. When the Supreme Court asked the BCCI to nominate a neutral panel to investigate corruption in the IPL, Shastri was asked to step forward. When a coach is selected, Shastri is on the committee. He played part in the selections of Greg Chappell and Gary Kirsten as coaches. He is the loudest supporter of BCCI on airwaves.Don’t underestimate his cricketing sharpness and acumen, though. Whatever views people might have of Shastri the commentator, he is a sharp cricketing brain. It’s another matter he doesn’t share too much of it on commentary. He is also bullish by nature. He can’t be bad for a team going through a spell of caginess. Throughout this tour, and the previous few, the team’s media manager has been paranoid about journalists being seen near the team nets or team hotel, fans being too close to the nets, or too many fans getting too close to the players when asking for autographs. This kind of behaviour can insulate players. It’s as if they are doing something wrong, and they need to hide away.Shastri will ask them to open up. He will tell them they are not running the defence ministry. He will ask them to have fun and express themselves. He will free up a lot of minds. Earlier during the tour one of the India cricketers had a problem with an ESPNcricinfo headline that had a pun in it. The media manager was asked to convey the displeasure. If Shastri had been the coach and had he known this was bothering a player, he would have told the player these things don’t matter. Runs and wickets and catches do.Shastri has done interviews as soon as he has joined, and has not hidden behind excuses. He could bring the badly needed mirror to the dressing room. For instance, he won’t be shy of telling MS Dhoni he gets up too early in his keeping stance, and that he needs to go for catches between him and slip. He has temporarily got rid of Penney – brought in by Fletcher – and Dawes – in turn brought in by Penney. He can pull players out of their comfort zone.Shastri will bring old-fashioned tough love. This much was obvious when he managed the team in 2007. During one of the first net sessions he conducted, he asked the newcomer RP Singh to bounce a senior batsman. Shastri wanted to see how the batsman was going. RP didn’t seem too keen on annoying the senior. He got a mouthful from Shastri, who then stood as an umpire and made sure the bouncers were bowled. The senior had to go through that tough session.Shastri the cricketer was a courageous, resourceful and tough overachiever. He could match banter with banter, abuse with abuse, and good bowling with a dead defensive bat. He was confident, well-rounded, and a mature enough cricketer to have in mind a career when his cricket would be over. He would have made a good captain and a good coach. India looked meek and in a trance of defeat towards the end. Shastri can yank them off that treadmill. They might still lose, but they won’t repeat same mistakes over and over again.Shastri can be blokesy. He will simplify things for the team. You can’t be sure if the BCCI is thinking along the same lines, but he can be a bit of a Darren Lehmann. That, however, is when Shastri is at his best. At his worst he can be non-committal and avoid roles that bring accountability. Lehmann has taken a full-time job that he can be held accountable for. Shastri, like many other former players in India, won’t. By all accounts, he is here only for this ODI series. Ironically the man we hope will pull the cricketers out of their comfort zone needs to leave his own comfort zone.At the moment this looks like an appointment to pull the team’s morale out of the dumps, and to also assess from closer quarters how Fletcher works. Fletcher is on notice. Where Indian cricket goes from here depends on how this move is followed up on. Surely two assistant coaches can’t explain away three years of poor performance outside Asia? Surely all of Shastri’s bravado, experience and wherewithal can’t paper over the fundamental issues that the BCCI should have begun reviewing in 2011? It can only be hoped that this is a first step of many.

A £6.5 billion tycoon is preparing a Chelsea bid to buy out Clearlake Capital, and the wealthy businessman is convinced he can agree a deal.

Boehly unhappy with Chelsea operations as tensions boil over

Currently, chairman Todd Boehly – alongside fellow chiefs Behdad Eghbali and José Feliciano – have the final say on all key decisions at Stamford Bridge (Kaveh Solhekol).

Free agent once "close to signing" for Chelsea holds new talks to join them

He’s actively attempting to find a new club.

ByEmilio Galantini Sep 10, 2024

Eghbali and Feliciano, who represent Clearlake as the consortium’s co-founders, are part of the US equity firm which holds a majority 61.6 per cent of shares in the club – while Boehly has a separate stake in Chelsea of around 12.8 per cent (Sky Sports).

Clearlake therefore have the majority say on operations at Chelsea, and this is said to have caused a power struggle at the west London club recently. It is believed that Boehly is currently unhappy with how Chelsea is being run, and the American was also against sacking Mauricio Pochettino at the end of last season.

The decision to part company with Pochettino was taken following an extensive review of the 2023/2024 campaign by co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, with Boehly seemingly overruled by his Clearlake counterparts.

It is believed that Boehly now wants to buy-out Clearlake Capital’s shares, which would give him majority control in an internal takeover of the club. The differences between Chelsea’s ownership groups have been described as “irreconcilable”, and other reports suggest that a civil war could be brewing at Chelsea for full control.

“What a big story this has been this week,” said former Everton CEO Keith Wyness to Football Insider. “It’s incredible really. You’ve got Clearlake with roughly 60% of the club, while Boehly speaks for the rest of the club although he owns 13% himself. What I found fascinating in the past week is what the two sides have been leaking to the media.

Clearlake Capital

61.6

Todd Boehly

12.8

Mark Walter

12.8

Hansjorg Wyss

12.8

via Sky Sports

“Boehly has been leaking that he’s the one who wanted to be more hands-off and put the experts in place, letting the sporting directors run the football side. He’s saying Clearlake have been hands on, telling the experts to feed everything into them to make the final decisions.

“It’s a very messy situation. We’ve been criticising them for a lack of stability, and Boehly is saying that the decision that broke the camel’s back is the Pochettino sacking. Stability is key in a football club, and it has been lacking at Chelsea.”

This could even have an impact on their transfer activity, as Chelsea consider prioritising the signing of Patrick Dorgu from Lecce in January.

Boehly preparing Chelsea bid to buy out Clearlake Capital

According to HITC, Boehly is now preparing a Chelsea bid to buy out Clearlake and seize control, as the chief with a net worth of around £6.5 billion puts together backing from investors.

The 50-year-old is apparently confident he can agree a deal, and believes that one voice is required at the top after seeing his relationships with Eghbali, Feliciano and Clearlake become dismantled.

However, it is believed Eghbali and Feliciano have no intention of relinquishing their shares, and could dig their heels in for the foreseeable

MatériaMais Notícias

da bet7： Deportivo Cali e Corinthians se enfrentam às 21h desta quarta-feira (4), no estádio Olímpico Pascual Guerrero, em duelo válido pela quarta rodada da fase de grupos da Libertadores.

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da aviator aposta： > GALERIA – Fotos da nova camisa do Corinthians, que faz homenagem a 2012

O Timão,líder do Grupo E com seis pontos, precisa de mais seis pontos nos três próximos jogos para garantir a classificação ao mata-mata sem depender dos outros. Por isso, uma vitória na Colômbia deixaria a situação dos brasileiros encaminhada na chave.

O Alvinegro ainda não sabe se vai poder contar com Vítor Pereira, que não viajou com a delegação corintiana devido ao protocolo da Conmebol, que prevê a liberação a partir do 11º dia após o teste positivo para COVID-19. Paulinho e Rafael Ramos são os únicos desfalques.

Já o Cali vai querer usar a força da sua torcida para devolver a derrota sofrida por 1 a 0 na Neo Química Arena, onde Caldera (contra) fez o único gol da partida.

O Deportivo Cali não vive boa situação no Campeonato Colombiano, somando quatro vitórias, quatro empates e dez derrotas, amargando o18º lugar. Na última rodada, a equipe de Dudamel venceu o Once Caldas por 1 a 0, com gol de Luna. Na Libertadores, a equipe está empatada com o Always Ready-BOL na segunda colocação, com quatro pontos.

> TABELA – Confira a tabela e simule os jogos do Timão na Libertadores

Veja as informações sobre o jogo:

DEPORTIVO CALI-COL x CORINTHIANS

Local: Olímpico Pascual Guerrero, na Colômbia
Data/Horário:04/05/2022, às 21h (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Andrés Cunha (URU)
Auxiliares: Andres Nievas (URU) e Pablo Llarena (URU)
Onde assistir:Conmebol TV e em tempo real no LANCE!/Voz do Esporte

DEPORTIVO CALI
De Amores; Gutierrez, Burdisso, Caldera e Mafla; Robles, Camargo, Velasquez, Caicedo e Bonilla; Ángelo Rodríguez. Técnico:Rafael Dudamel.

Desfalques: não há
Suspensos: não há

CORINTHIANS
Cássio; Fagner, Gil (João Victor), Raul Gustavo e Fábio Santos (Piton); Du Queiroz, Maycon e Renato Augusto; Willian, Jô e Mantuan (Adson). Técnico: Filipe Almeida.

Desfalques: Rafael Ramos (não foi inscrito) e Paulinho (rompimento do ligamento cruzado anterior do joelho esquerdo)
Suspensos: não há

Aston Villa are one of a few Premier League clubs looking to sign a player who remains a free agent after the summer transfer window, according to a new report. The Villans got their Champions League campaign underway on Tuesday night in style, as they beat Young Boys 3-0.

Emery must instantly drop Aston Villa ace after 6/10 UCL display

He had fewer touches than Martinez in Switzerland.

ByJoe Nuttall Sep 18, 2024 Rogers continues excellent start to the season in Bern

Villa were very busy during the summer, adding several new players to the squad, their most high-profile being Amadou Onana, but it is a player from the January transfer window that is really excelling in the early stages of this campaign.

Morgan Rogers joined in the winter window from Middlesbrough, and while he has yet to get on the scoresheet or grab an assist this season, the midfielder has been really impressive, starting all five of their games so far.

The midfielder has impressed so much that he has been labelled as being “underappreciated” and “one to watch” by football pundit Robbie Mustoe, while Tony Cascarino is excited about what the future holds for him and has compared him to Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala.

Cascarino said on Rogers: “I really like Morgan Rogers coming in. He scored a couple in the Under-21s against Austria. I think he’s going to be a player. He really looks; there’s something about him; he reminds me a little bit of Jamal Musiala.

“He’s that guy that picks up the ball, and he’ll just make runs, and he’ll create problems for others. He’s got a lot about him.

Apps

21

Goals

3

Assists

1

“Comparing him to Musiala, well, that type of player, that’s a really big praise because Musiala’s a real talent. But I do see something in Morgan Rogers where he’s got that ability.

“He gets in his stride, and he’s going quick, but he doesn’t look particularly quick, and yet people don’t get to him. He just seems to ride the tackles and not get phased.”

But Villa don’t want to just rely on Rogers, and the Premier League side are now looking at the free agent market to help ease the burden on the young star after another quality display in Switzerland this week.

Aston Villa considering move for free agent

According to HITC, Aston Villa are considering whether to make an offer to free agent Yusuf Yazici. As well as the Villans being interested, AFC Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, and Brentford are also keen on signing the experienced attacking midfielder.

Yazici has been without a club since the end of last season, as he left French side Lille following the end of his contract. The Turkey international was in Lille for five years, during which time he scored 29 goals and recorded 15 assists in 135 games.

The 27-year-old would be unlikely to start a lot at Villa, but the report claims he would be brought in to provide depth and cover behind Rogers, given the similarities of both players being versatile enough to play across the attack, allowing the youngster to develop without the burden of playing two games every week.

The news of Villa weighing up an offer for Yazici comes after his agents were said to have offered the midfielder to them earlier this month – it seems they were at least a little bit enticed by those talks, and could now make their move in the coming days and weeks.

Batting higher, Brad Hodge could have easily scored 500 runs this season, but his captain will gladly take the 50 he scored under pressure from No. 7

Sidharth Monga22-May-2013There is something reliable about stocky men with low back lifts. When the pitch is slow or when the reverse swing is considerable, these are the batsmen you want to be finishing your innings with. They are the least likely to play stupid shots under pressure, a Twenty20 trademark. When they break into rock-the-baby celebrations, they easily defend it as not mocking the bowler they have just hit for a match-winning six, a bowler who has won many a heart with his celebrations and uninhibited play. “I was pointing out I have got children too.”Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid can tell reliable men when he sees them. Throughout IPL 2013 he has used Brad Hodge, the 38-year-old Australian, low in the order, where he doesn’t get many chances. Or so it seems. “He doesn’t get many opportunities to bat,” says Dravid. “If he bats 3 and 4, there is no doubt he can score 500 runs as well. But there is nobody who can finish the game better than Brad Hodge, especially against quality pace.”The strategy has been put to severe test this season, and almost seemed to backfire on the big night. Dravid’s young batsmen all seemed to fall to the pressure and the charm of Sammy even when chasing just 133. The eliminator was turning into a match to be decided by slogs and hoicks. Sammy’s catch on the midwicket boundary to dismiss Shane Watson – full stretch in the air to pluck it overhead – was sensational, but after that it was just straight length bowling that took Rajasthan Royals from 50 for 1 to 57 for 5. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s stroke-play hadn’t been much better.The game was crying out for someone to pull it out of mediocrity, and out came Hodge. The asking rate – already nudging eight – was getting out of hand on a sticky surface, and Sanju Samson was to score just 10 off 21 at the other end. It was now time for a calculated assault on a tricky pitch by the last batsman who could win the game. Just the time for a stocky man with a short back lift.There were no risks taken. Hodge picked his bowlers – the hitherto successful Sunrisers legspinners – and chose to time his shots instead of slogging. There was a lesson there for the younger batsmen who had fallen before him. He read a Karan Sharma googly and sent it over long-on. Then he flicked him over square leg. Then he finally got the short ball. This wasn’t a bad over, but it went for 18. The asking rate was back to seven an over now.Hodge went after Amit Mishra too, but now the Sunrisers raised their game. Back came Dale Steyn and trapped Samson with reverse swing. Then James Faulkner played out dots. Even our stocky man with short back lift felt pressure now. He went slogging after Thisara Perera to kill the game in the 19th over. Failed to connect any. He was happy to accept he felt pressure. No false bravado.”I was probably trying to get the Chris Gayle distance instead of the Brad Hodge distance,” Hodge joked. “That’s what can happen. When you are under pressure and looking to try to take the pressure off by going for the big maximum, and you try too hard.”In the next over, though, the cool Hodge was back, and he broke the heart of the other hero on the night. Sammy had been everywhere. Scoring runs, taking catches, doing commentary, taking wickets, Sammy had all but owned the night. Then he bowled a short ball, which Hodge pulled for a six that went the Brad Hodge distance and not the Chris Gayle distance. The game was all but over, and Hodge nailed it with another six over long-off and stole what has been Sammy’s celebration this year.For a few minutes after the defeat, Sammy sat sullen in the dugout, but he will agree he lost to the better player on the day. And he has got children too.

da betcris： West Ham United are thought to be leading the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle United in the race to sign an international defender who Michail Antonio already knows.

West Ham still eyeing more signings after busy summer

da cassino： The Hammers, led by technical director Tim Steidten, backed new manager Julen Lopetegui during the recent transfer window, signing 10 new players ahead of the Spaniard’s first season in charge at the London Stadium.

West Ham summer signings

From

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Max Kilman

Wolves

€47.5m

Crysencio Summerville

Leeds United

€29.3m

Niclas Fullkrug

Borussia Dortmund

€27m

Luis Guilherme

Palmeiras

€23m

Mohamadou Kante

Paris FC

Undisclosed

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Man Utd

€18m

Wes Foderingham

Sheffield United

Free transfer

Guido Rodriguez

Real Betis

Free transfer

Jean-Clair Todibo

Nice

Loan transfer

Carlos Soler

PSG

Loan transfer

West Ham summer departures

To

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Flynn Downes

Southampton

€17.85m

James Ward-Prowse

Forest

Loan

Maxwel Cornet

Southampton

Loan

Nayef Aguerd

Real Sociedad

Loan

Said Benrahma

Lyon

€14.4m

Angelo Ogbonna

Watford

Free transfer

Thilo Kehrer

Monaco

€11m

Nathan Trott

FC Copenhagen

€1.5m

Ben Johnson

Ipswich Town

Free transfer

Joseph Anang

St. Patrick’s Athletic

Free transfer

However, on the pitch, things aren’t going to plan for Lopetegui, who has won just one of his first five Premier League games incharge of the Irons. Four points from a possible 15 sees the Hammers in the bottom half of the table, with improvements clearly needed over the coming months.

Talking after the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea last time out in the league, Lopetegui said: “The message for supporters is first to say we are sorry about today. We had a big expectation today, and we are going to do all that we can to do our best, to work more and to change things, for sure, because the season is going to be very, very long, very long and I am sure that this team is going to change a lot of things. But okay, I think it’s a moment to work, to not talk a lot, and to look forward.”

Away from the pitch and behind the scenes, despite the transfer window shutting, West Ham have still been linked with more signings, using the free agent market to bolster Lopetegui’s defensive options.

The likes of Joel Matip has been a mooted target, with rumours earlier this month suggesting that West Ham had offered the former Liverpool defender a two-year deal. John Egan was another linked with a free switch to the London Stadium but has since moved to Burnley, and by the looks of things, a new defensive target has emerged on Steidten’s radar.

West Ham leading race to sign international defender

According to HITC, West Ham are leading the race to sign Richard King from Cavalier FC, who are the Jamaican Premier League champions for 2023/24.

The 22-year-old defender already knows West Ham forward Antonio due to playing alongside each other for the Jamaican national side, with the Irons in pole position to secure his services.

Related Lopetegui must axe West Ham man who earns more than Summerville & Todibo

This Hammers talent is approaching the end of the line…

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Sep 24, 2024

Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United are also name-checked with an interest in King, who stands at 6ft 1, but the report states that they are behind West Ham in the transfer race.

King has won 19 caps for his country and has played just under 90 games at club level. He could be one name to keep an eye on as we head into 2025, potentially being seen as competition for the likes of Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz will become the third Afghanistan player at Gujarat Titans who have signed the wicketkeeper-batter for IPL 2022 as a replacement for England opener Jason Roy.One day prior to the official announcement, ESPNcricinfo learned that Gurbaz, who went unsold at the IPL auction in February, has been picked at his base price of INR 50 lakh (approx $66,000) for one season. For the 20-year-old, it will be his first IPL stint.Titans, who will make their IPL debut along with Lucknow Super Giants this season, were forced to scamper for a replacement after Roy pulled out last month, citing the challenge of staying in the tournament bubble for an extended period. Roy, who has taken an indefinite break from cricket, was bought by Titans at the auction for his base price of INR 2 crore (approx $266,000).Related

• 'Your mindset can't be same every innings' – Shubman Gill shrugs off strike rate debate

• Mandatory three-day quarantine for IPL teams

• CSK vs KKR to kick off IPL 2022 on March 26

Gurbaz will be joining Afghanistan pair of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad at Titans. While Rashid had been acquired by the franchise pre-auction, Noor, who recently featured in the Under-19 World Cup, was bought at the auction.Gurbaz will be a back-up for Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade, who is likely to open alongside Shubman Gill. It is understood Gurbaz was part of the shortlist of contenders Titans considered as Roy’s replacement. The list also included Australian batter Ben McDermott, who recently hit his maiden T20I half-century during the home series against Sri Lanka after having finished as the leading run scorer in the 2021-22 BBL. However, availability was a hurdle in McDermott’s case, so Titans settled for Gurbaz, who has been impressive since he first made headlines at the 2018 Under-19 World Cup where he played a key role in Afghanistan reaching the semi-final.Since September 2019, among 65 players who have scored 1500-plus T20 runs, Gurbaz’s has the eighth-highest strike rate (153.05). A hard-hitting batter who can play shots all around the ground, Gurbaz struck a 24-ball 43 on his T20I debut, a 19-ball 50 on his BPL debut and a 22-ball 53 on his Lanka Premier League debut. On his ODI debut, he made a run-a-ball 127 and has three hundreds in nine matches in the format.Vikram Solanki, the Titans’ director of cricket, said on Wednesday*, “Whilst it is disappointing that Jason will not be a part of our campaign this year, we are mindful of the health and well-being of players in these times. We wish Jason well and look forward to his return to the field. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is one of the promising young batters to emerge from Afghanistan and we believe he is an ideal replacement for Jason. Gurbaz is an attacking batter and fits into our plans for the Gujarat Titans. He has given a good account of his talent in international cricket and a few tournaments around the globe.”Titans’ camp in Ahmedabad
Titans’ squad along with their coaching staff will assemble in Ahmedabad on March 13 for a preparatory camp at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The camp will be prefaced by the mandatory three-day quarantine, and is understood to start from March 17 and last till March 24. Titans’ contingent will then head to Mumbai for their first match on March 28 against Super Giants.All key players including Titans’ captain Hardik Pandya along with the coaching staff, led by team director Vikram Solanki, head coach Ashish Nehra and assistant coach Gary Kirsten, will be present at the camp. It is understood that South Africa batter David Miller will join Titans directly in Mumbai after the white-ball series at home against Bangladesh.This main camp follows a short camp Titans conducted in Vadodara, which was attended by just five Indian players under the supervision of Nehra. Along with Pandya, the other four players were Varun Aaron, Rahul Tewatia, young Karnataka batter Abhinav Manohar and Vidarbha fast bowler Darshan Nalkande.1425 GMT March 9 This copy was updated with an official announcement from Gujarat Titans

The American was brought on late and had an immediate impact, but Holstein holds on in 4-2 surprise win

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Reyna scores an absolute stunnerHelped bring Dortmund within 3-2Holstein scores dagger in the final secondsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

U.S. international Gio Reyna was brought on in the 59th minute and had an immediate impact, finding a way to launch a rocket from just outside the box past two defenders to score and cut Holstein Kiel's advantage to 3-1. Unfortunately for the American and under-pressure manager Nuri Sahin, it wasn't enough as Dortmund's rally attempt would end in a 4-2 loss at Holstein-Stadion.

, who are battling relegation this season, came out firing from the onset. Shuto Machino, Phil Harres and Alexander Bernhardsson all scored in the opening 45 minutes. Reyna's entry in the 59th minute changed everything for Dortmund as the American proved incisive, scoring his goal just 12 minutes after being brought on. His strike would then inspire Jamie Gittens, who scored a wondergoal of his own to bring the score within one at 3-2.

Yet, Dortmund's chase for the equalizer would ultimately prove costly. Jann-Fiete Arp would take advantage of sending men forward to easily score for the home side nine minutes into extra time.

AdvertisementWATCH REYNA'S GOALGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Reyna has shined when given extended minutes and will add more pressure on Sahin to give the American more opportunities in the starting XI. His last start for Dortmund came on Dec. 15 against Hoffenheim, where he also scored. He has two starts on the season, playing 10 matches in total for BVB.

WHAT NEXT FOR REYNA

Dortmund will hope to quickly rebound from this upset, with their next match coming this Friday against Frankfurt.