يواجه نادي برشلونة الإسباني فريق باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي مساء اليوم الأربعاء في الجولة الثانية من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
وسيستضيف ملعب مونتجويك مباراة بين اثنين من أبرز المرشحين للتتويج بلقب دوري أبطال أوروبا في بودابست في 30 مايو المقبل.
وعاد لامين يامال إلى الملاعب بعد غيابه عن آخر خمس مباريات، وكان قد دخل إلى الملعب قبل نصف ساعة من نهاية المباراة وأحدث ثورة كبيرة وصنع هدف الفوز لزميله البولندي روبرت ليفاندوفسكي خلال الفوز على ريال سوسيداد بهدفين لهدف.
اقرأ أيضاً.. لابورتا: نريد الثأر من باريس سان جيرمان.. ولا أعذار
وتدرب لامين يامال بشكل طبيعي هذا الأسبوع إلى جانب بقية زملائه وأصبح جاهزًا تماماً للمشاركة ضد باريس سان جيرمان حامل لقب دوري أبطال أوروبا.
ونشر لاعب برشلونة صاحب القميص رقم 10 عبر حسابه الرسمي على “إنستجرام” معلناً عودته وينتهي الفيديو برسالة تحدي لباريس سان جيرمان: “لقد عدت وعادت المهمة أيضًا”.
جدير بالذكر أن لامين يامال حصل على المركز الثاني في ترتيب الـ30 لاعباً المتنافسين على جائزة الكرة الذهبية من جانب مجلة “فرانس فوتبول” الفرنسية.
تحدث الإعلامي أحمد شوبير عن كواليس تعادل الزمالك مع الجونة في المباراة التي جمعت الفريقين مساء أمس ضمن منافسات الدوري الممتاز، مؤكدًا أن الأبيض أهدر نقطتين ثمينتين في سباق القمة.
وقال شوبير في تصريحات عبر برنامجه الإذاعي صباح اليوم الأربعاء: “لا توجد ظروف أفضل من تلك التي خاض فيها الزمالك مباراته أمام الجونة، صحيح أن الأهلي فاز على حرس الحدود، لكن مستواه لم يكن جيدًا، وجماهيره كانت غاضبة جدًا، وكان واضحًا على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي أن هناك حالة استياء”.
وتابع: “الزمالك واجه الجونة في القاهرة، وكنت قد أكدت قبل اللقاء أن الأهلي مرشح نظريًا للفوز على حرس الحدود، والزمالك مرشح نظرياً للفوز على الجونة، لكن ما هو نظري شيء وما يحدث في الملعب شيء مختلف تمامًا”.
وأضاف: “المباراة كانت صعبة للغاية، فقد هدد الجونة مرمى الزمالك بتسديدة قوية اصطدمت بالعارضة، قبل أن يسجل الزمالك هدفه الأول في الدقيقة السابعة والعشرين عن طريق عدي الدباغ بعد عرضية رائعة من ناصر ماهر، حارس مرمى الجونة محمد علاء كان متألقاً بشكل لافت، وتصدى للعديد من الفرص الخطيرة”.
طالع أيضًا | ميدو يهاجم مجلس الزمالك بعد التعادل مع الجونة ويتهمهم باستفزاز اللاعبين
وواصل: “مع مرور الوقت أجرى الزمالك عدة تغييرات، حيث دفع بعمر جابر وأحمد عبد الرحيم إيشو وأحمد حمدي وعمرو ناصر، لكن يانيك فيريرا ارتكب كارثة قبل أن يحسم مواجهة الجونة، فأراح بعض اللاعبين وخسر نقطتين غاليتين، لأنه يُفكر في مباراة الأهلي، وسمح لـ بيزيرا بأن يحصل على بطاقة صفراء في المباراة السابقة حتى يتمكن من المشاركة أمام الأهلي، الحقيقة أن كل مباراة في الدوري بثلاث نقاط، ولا يجوز التفريط في أي مواجهة مهما كان الخصم”.
واختتم: “قرأت بيان مجلس إدارة الزمالك قبل المباراة واستغربت كثيرًا من توقيته ومضمونه، فقد تحدث عن أزمة أرض السادس من أكتوبر، بينما اللاعبون لا علاقة لهم بهذه القصة، هم يريدون فقط الحصول على مستحقاتهم المالية، كان من الأفضل تأجيل البيان بدلاً من إصداره عشية لقاء مهم”.
تحدث الأوروجواني مارتن لاسارتي، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي الأسبق عن النادي الذي المفضل له خلال مسيرته التدريبية المختلفة.
وقاد لاسارتي النادي الأهلي في عام 2019 وكانت فترته مختلطة بين الإيجاب والسلب، لأنه المدرب الذي تلقى أكبر هزيمة للأهلي في تاريخه بدوري أبطال إفريقيا أمام صن داونز بالخماسية الشهيرة، بينما هو نفس المدرب الذي فاز بأصعب بطولة دوري في القرن الجديد للمارد الأحمر.
كما شهدت فترة لاسارتي انهيار الأهلي أمام الفرق الكبيرة سواء على المستوى المحلي أو الإفريقي، إذ لم يفز نادي القرن في عهده خارج أرضه ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا بعد 3 خسائر أمام سيمبا التنزاني وفيتا كلوب وصن داونز وتعادل وحيد أمام شباب الساورة الجزائري.
اقرأ أيضًا | الأهلي يدعو لجمعية عمومية طارئة
فيما كان ظهوره باهتًا للغاية في بطولة الدوري المصري إذ خسر أمام بيراميدز ذهابًا وإيابًا بنتيجتي 2/1 و1/صفر، وتعادل أمام الزمالك سلبيًا.
وقال المدرب الأوروجواني من خلال حواره مع صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “لقد فُزت بالعديد من الألقاب في تشيلي وأوروجواي ومصر مع الأهلي لكن فترة وجودي في ريال سوسيداد لا تُنسى”.
وأتم: “هناك استطعنا تغيير عقليتي السلبية عند وصولي وحولنا التشاؤم إلى تفاؤل، فتوجنا أبطالًا للدرجة الثانية وحققنا الصعود الذي طال انتظاره إلى دوري الدرجة الأولى، تأقلمت جيدًا وسرعان ما فهمتُ ما يتطلبه الأمر للعودة إلى دوري الأضواء”.
Arsenal will be one of the busiest Premier League sides in the transfer market over the coming months, and supporters can anticipate many twists and turns before the final deadline day on September 1.
Mikel Arteta challenges Arsenal hierarchy in transfer plea
Mikel Arteta has already confirmed that the north Londoners want to be very active when it comes to incoming signings, admitting to the press that he anticipates an exciting window before their 2025/2026 campaign.
Sky Sports: Berta now identifies £100m PL star among top Arsenal targets
The Italian’s shortlist has been revealed by a reliable media source.
ByEmilio Galantini Jun 6, 2025
The Gunners lost out on this year’s Premier League title to Liverpool by a whopping 10 points, and Arteta will be very keen for the Gunners to ensure they don’t squander their chances in a similar fashion next term.
19/20 – winter
£0
20/21 – summer
£81.5m
20/21 – winter
£900k
21/22 – summer
£156.8m
21/22 – winter
£1.8m
22/23 – summer
£121.5m
22/23 – winter
£59m
23/24 – summer
£208m
23/24 – winter
£0
24/25 – summer
£101.5m
24/25 – winter
£0
A combination of injuries and a general lack of potency in the final third saw Arne Slot clinch the domestic crown at the end of his very first season in charge at Anfield, and by contrast, Arteta still hasn’t got a single title to his name, nearly five years after replacing Unai Emery in the hot seat.
The Spaniard is under no disillusion – Arsenal need reinforcements.
“Obviously we need players because the squad is really short, and on top of that we are losing four or five players that are going to end contracts, and their loans are finished,” said Arteta about Arsenal’s summer window, towards the end of 24/25.
Arsenal manager MikelArteta
“So, we need to be sharp. Again, very disciplined in what we want to do, and make sure that we are strong in the next season. Finish the season, go to the beach and make sure the ones upstairs (hierarchy) do what they need to do.
“What I can promise is I will do my very best. I will give my life here. I will give everything. I will get every drop of everybody there is, squeeze it, to get the best.”
Arsenal’s ongoing pursuit of a new striker, with talks now advancing over a move for Benjamin Sesko (Fabrizio Romano), is taking centre stage right now – even if they have other key items on the agenda, like finally sealing a deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi.
Arsenal U-turn over selling Gabriel Jesus with new deal planned
Given their chase for a number nine, uncertainty has surrounded the long-term future of £265,000-per-week striker Gabriel Jesus.
The Brazilian enjoyed a real purple patch of form midway through 2024/2025, before succumbing to an ACL injury against Man United, but the consensus was that Arsenal will likely sell Jesus to make room for another centre-forward.
However, according to Football Transfers, a “shock twist” has come to light about the ex-Man City star.
Not only do Arsenal not plan to sell Jesus anymore, but they also wish to offer him a 12-month contract extension, which comes as a surprise when you consider Kai Havertz’s presence in the squad and their widely reported attempts to sign a prolific number nine.
Given this claim, perhaps Arteta is plotting a new role out-wide for Jesus? The 28-year-old can play there, and with Leandro Trossard entering the final 12 months of his deal, there could be more space in that area of the squad for him.
Following reports that Bryan Mbeumo favours a move to Manchester United this summer, Newcastle United have reportedly turned their attention towards a £51m alternative and PIF could soon open talks.
Mbeumo deals Newcastle frustrating blow
After qualifying for the Champions League and winning the Carabao Cup last season, it wouldn’t be absurd to assume that Newcastle entered this summer in a position of strength in the transfer window, especially compared to Manchester United. By contrast, the Red Devils suffered their worst-ever finish in the Premier League and compiled their misery by suffering defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
Newcastle negotiating to make £113k-p/w PSG ace their second summer signing
The Magpies are on the lookout for qualify reinforcements.
BySean Markus Clifford Jun 11, 2025
Without Champions League football or European football at all, for that matter, it was easy to predict that the lure of Old Trafford simply wouldn’t be the same this summer. That assumption would have been wrong, however. The Theatre of Dreams seemingly remains exactly that. Already, Matheus Cunha has picked the Red Devils in a move worth £63m and now Mbeumo looks destined to follow suit.
It’s frustrating news for Newcastle, who will feel as though they did everything right to put themselves in a position to sign such talents. Nonetheless, they’ve been forced to look towards alternatives in hope of signing the winger that they’ve been searching for across the last 12 months.
To that end, Anthony Elanga has been the main alternative mentioned in recent weeks with Newcastle reportedly making the Nottingham Forest star their top target. But he’s not alone on their shortlist, with reports now indicating that Newcastle are also targeting a move to sign a £51m winger.
Newcastle and PIF could open Catamo talks
According to Caught Offside, Newcastle and PIF could now open talks to sign Geny Catamo from Sporting Club this summer. The Magpies are one of a number of clubs interested in the young winger in a race which includes Atletico Madrid as well as Arsenal, and may now make their move.
Geny Catamo for Sporting Club.
Sources told Caught Offside there is an expectation that some clubs test the waters with an opening offer worth as much as €30m (£25m) in the coming months. Given that Catamo reportedly has a release clause worth €60m (£51m), it seems unlikely that they will accept a sale worth less than half of that price this summer.
Minutes
1,911
3,414
Goals
5
20
Assists
2
7
Expected Goals
5.4
12.3
Whilst he did add another two goals to take his total to seven outside of league action, Catamo’s numbers should be seen as a concern for Newcastle. If they were forced to pay the winger’s full release clause, then they should keep their focus on Elanga rather than spending big on a talent who is yet to prove himself on the big stage.
In an ideal reality, West Bromwich Albion would find themselves competing in the upcoming Championship playoff final after Tony Mowbray’s return had gone down as a rip-roaring success.
Unfortunately, that script hasn’t come to life, with Mowbray actually finding himself out of a job again after a dismal run of just five wins from 17 games led to the Baggies falling short of those coveted playoff spots.
West Bromwich Albion managerTonyMowbraybefore the match
West Brom do have plenty of time on their hands to assess who they would like to bring in as the 61-year-old’s successor now as the ongoing search shows no real signs of coming to a halt.
West Brom's list of manager targets
It’s been nearly a month since Mowbray was abruptly axed from the Hawthorns hot seat, meaning plenty of names have been linked to fill the vacancy.
Indeed, faces such as Stockport County manager Dave Challinor have been tipped to take on the reins, alongside ex-Southampton boss Russell Martin potentially getting back on the horse after his Saints dismissal.
Moreover, former Manchester United coach turned Minnesota United manager Eric Ramsay has also been regularly thrown about as a successor to Mowbray, but there’s one other name that looks to be the likeliest option away from any other rumoured bosses.
Indeed, journalist Graeme Bailey has revealed recently that West Brom still ‘really like’ Tottenham Hotspur background figure Ryan Mason, with his young and fresh approach one factor that ticks a lot of boxes for the Baggies hierarchy.
Tottenham's Ryan Mason
Ramsay is the same age as Mason – with both the fresh-faced managers only being 33 years of age – but the Spurs coach arguably has more experience of the hustle and bustle of the English game, meaning he might well be viewed as an upgrade on the left-field Minnesota boss.
Why Mason is an upgrade on Ramsay
There is a logic behind West Brom wanting to go down the route of appointing a youthful new manager, having been burnt by the experienced Mowbray returning and ultimately failing.
On top of that, the likes of Liam Manning – who is only six years older than Mason – managed to steer Bristol City to the playoffs just this season, whilst the equally blooming Danny Rohl improved on a near escape from relegation at the helm of Sheffield Wednesday by guiding them to a comfortable mid-table finish.
Whilst both of those figures will likely go on to achieve far more in their careers, Mason does hold an advantage over both of them currently – on top of also bettering Ramsay in this department – with the 33-year-old gaining experience on the job of what it’s like to be an interim boss of a Premier League team with Spurs.
Whilst Ramsay does have an impressive 24 wins under his belt in charge of Minnesota, he has no experience of what it’s like to be thrown into the deep end of Premier League action, having only ever watched from afar when situated at the Red Devils.
On the contrary, Mason has briefly shone when handed the reins of the North Londoners, with six wins collected during some testing and turbulent times after some notable managerial exits.
He could be what West Brom needs, therefore, to recover from the popular figure of Mowbray flopping, with Ange Postecoglou even going out of his way recently to label Mason as “outstanding” for his work at the Premier League side.
Tottenham's Ryan Mason
Clearly, the Baggies need to think somewhat outside of the box to bring success back to the Hawthorns after the tried and tested route of Mowbray unravelled.
Whilst Ramsay would fit that unorthodox label, he might well flounder attempting to adapt to the Championship. Whereas, the time could be just right for Mason to prove himself after a worthwhile education at Spurs.
Free transfer: West Brom in talks to sign 21 y/o with same agent as Fellows
Chelsea are reportedly preparing a bid to sign a new striker target who’s been “surprising” on-lookers with his form this year, as manager Enzo Maresca and Stamford Bridge chiefs begin to make transfer plans for the summer.
Chelsea's rumoured striker targets for the summer window
Nicolas Jackson is still yet to score a single Premier League goal this calendar year, while Christopher Nkunku was left out of the matchday squad entirely for Chelsea’s last game against Fulham.
Chelsea join race to sign £43m forward who scored winner at Stamford Bridge
The Blues have set their sights on a Premier League forward who has “blistering pace”.
ByDominic Lund Apr 22, 2025
Maresca’s shortage of prolific strikers has forced the Italian to get creative in recent weeks, with Pedro Neto even being utilised as a centre-forward in that time. Chelsea’s boss will be very eager to fix this hole in the squad ahead of his second full campaign in charge, and it is believed the west Londoners are eyeing a few top striker targets for next season.
Chelsea’s next five Premier League fixtures
Date
Everton (home)
April 26th
Liverpool (home)
May 4th
Newcastle (away)
May 11th
Man United (home)
May 16th
Nottingham Forest (away)
May 25th
According to reliable journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea have the likes of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, Ipswich Town starlet Liam Delap, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitiké and long-term target Victor Osimhen on their radar.
Sesko is a “very serious” potential signing for Chelsea, following another excellent campaign with Leipzig in the Bundesliga, while Delap is likely to be up for grabs this summer after Ipswich’s relegation to the Championship.
Sesko
The latter’s contract has a £30 million release clause tied with Ipswich’s relegation, so Delap could be a very astute option after his impressive season in an otherwise struggling team at Portman Road.
However, other elite clubs who are on the look-out for number nines will be fully aware of the 22-year-old’s exit clause too, and Sesko’s, which is rumoured to currently stand at around £62 million.
With Arsenal, Man United and Tottenham also in the market for proven forwards, according to reports, the competition will be fierce, so Chelsea may also have to think outside the box when it comes to solving their striker woes.
Chelsea preparing £43m bid for Como star Assane Diao
According to reports out of Spain, it is now claimed that Chelsea are targeting Como’s new striker, Assane Diao.
Assane Diao for Como.
The Senegal international only just signed for Cesc Fabregas’ side in January, and has enjoyed a rip-roaring first few months of his Serie A career with eight goals from his last 15 top flight matches.
There is now a belief that Chelsea are preparing a £43m summer bid for Diao after being impressed by his excellent form at Como, with the 19-year-old “surprising” critics after a prolific start.
Liverpool have also been linked with a move for Diao, so he’s clearly turning heads in the Premier League, with journalist Antonio Mango also calling the teenage talent “ridiculous” within his first few weeks as a Como player.
His place in the side coincided with South African Test success, and his personality always made him stand out
Firdose Moonda22-Dec-2023There goes Dean Elgar and with him, the last link South Africa have to the team that became and stayed world No.1 in the early 2010s.There goes Dean Elgar, who scored his first Test runs at Newlands and plans to score his last there, a tribute to the format he has excelled in at the ground that hosted South Africa for more Tests than any other.There goes Dean Elgar, and with him a particular kind of cricketer from a particular period in time, the likes of which we may not see again.To call Elgar one of South Africa’s post-readmission OGs is not an exaggeration. His entire professional career coincided with the country’s golden age in Test cricket and when the gloss faded, he still shone. He will walk away from the international stage among his nation’s top 10 batters with hundreds against all but two of the opposition he played against, contributions to some of the team’s most celebrated victories and a member of the generation that were the best to represent South Africa in Tests.Between December 2006 and November 2015, South Africa played 30 Test series and only lost two, both to Australia at home. In that period, they beat England and Australia in away series twice. Elgar made his professional debut in 2006 and his international debut in 2012, in the second of the wins over Australia. By the time he and South Africa got to India in late 2015, the team had gone nine years unbeaten on the road. Kagiso Rabada, the next most capped player after Elgar in the current set-up, made his debut in that series, which South Africa lost 3-0 to begin an unravelling that some would argue has not yet ended. Though Temba Bavuma, the third-most experienced in this outfit, first made an appearance the summer before, it was in fact in that year – 2014 – that South Africa briefly lost their grip on the No.1 rankings.Elgar was the last to taste the real success of being on top even though his participation was limited to only two of their nine magical years. Still, his emergence on the international stage was evidence that South Africa’s domestic system produced high-quality players, who could have long, successful careers. As evidence of that, in the 2009-10 season, Elgar topped 1,000 first-class runs in the domestic competition but he was not the leading run-scorer of that summer. Rilee Rossouw scored 129 runs more than him and Stephen Cook just 47 fewer. Elgar is the last of the generation of players who played enough first-class fixtures to be able to accumulate numbers like that.As Elgar’s Test career matured and his seniors retired (and there was one in every year of Elgar’s career starting with Jacques Kallis in 2013), they were replaced by players who did not have his depth of experience. So the onus was on him to carry the responsibility of anchor and aggressor. He did both and he did it well. The lack of depth was evident on the domestic scorecards too as the last time anyone crossed 1,000 first-class runs was in 2015-16 (Heino Kuhn). That same summer, South Africa lost the No.1 ranking definitively when they were defeated by England at home. They have not got it back since.File photo – Elgar receives treatment after a blow to his helmet•Marco Longari/AFP/GettyBeing a left-hand opening batter, comparisons to Graeme Smith were unavoidable, especially as there were more similarities. Like Smith, Elgar’s technique was not aesthetic and the joy of watching him play was in seeing the success of the struggle.At the crease, he was stubborn and streetwise and when he decided to have a say on a game, he did. His most decisive statements came in Galle in 2014 when his 103 set up a first series win on the island in more than 20 years, and in Perth in 2016 when a defiant second-innings hundred set Australia an unchaseable target. That knock saw the ‘baby-Smith’ rhetoric soar but Elgar was always his own person. His most successful Test year was in 2017 when he scored five hundreds, including a 199, and finished as the world’s third-leading run-scorer. Like Smith, Australia was a favourite foe of Elgar’s and his 141 at Newlands was one of the final nails in the coffin of their misery in that series. His last great knock – 160 in Visakhapatnam – provided a sliver of hope on another South African tour of India that went horribly wrong.India were also an opposition Elgar thrived against. He led South Africa to a home series win over them in the 2021-22 season, one of the many false dawns that suggested things were getting back on track. By then, South African cricket was on the verge of complete derailment. The COVID-19 years and the Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) hearings ravaged the game and in that time, Elgar was a symbol of consistency.Apart from his runs, he offered honesty from a player’s perspective at a time when Cricket South Africa (CSA) was trying to recover from an administrative upheaval that left it without sponsors or public confidence. Elgar spoke his mind about what he thought was a lack of support for team management during the SJN and later called the emphasis on the disciplinary proceedings which instituted against then-head coach Mark Boucher and director of cricket Smith as bullshit.His defence of Boucher came not because he had played with him, but because he played for him. Boucher was the Titans’ coach from 2016 to 2019; Elgar moved to the franchise in 2014 and played under Boucher’s guidance throughout his time there and the loyalty Elgar had towards him appeared immense. Not to mention that they were cut from similar cloth. Boucher, like Elgar, was known for being hard and uncompromising. Elgar seemed the same when he told Bangladesh to harden up after they complained of excessive sledging in 2022.”It’s a man’s environment,” Elgar said then, and it was the kind of mantra he lived by. He may also be among the last of this kind of boys’ club, one that creates old-fashioned environments of hierarchy and cliques that are becoming relics of a time before the T20 league circuit, which promotes camaraderie and skill-sharing.Why Elgar never made it on the white-ball stage remains a bit of a mystery. He was often among the top batters in the domestic scene, and the leading run-scorer in the franchise one-day cup in 2011-12. That earned him an ODI debut but modest returns against India meant he was dropped. But the runs kept coming. In the 2014-15 one-day cup, he was sixth on the run-charts and scored back-to-back centuries in the semi-final and final in the Titans’ run to the trophy.As recently as this season’s domestic one-day cup, Elgar was among the highest run-scorers and came in seventh but he has attracted no interest in T20 leagues, including the IPL. Perhaps it hasn’t helped that he was once quoted as saying he didn’t put his name in the auction because he couldn’t stand the “satisfaction of retiring in a few years because of a million dollar contract.” Neither did he get a team in South Africa’s SA20. Elgar always said he’d finish his career in England; with talk of a deal with Essex, he looks set to do exactly that.So there goes Dean Elgar, who may be among the last of those who will look for their final cricket-playing pay cheques on the county circuit as more and more players turn to T20 leagues instead. He is a certain kind of player, from a certain time, and the end of his international career marks the end of a certain era.
David Warner and Rashid Khan are no longer in the team, but Sunrisers boast a potent bowling attack. Will that be enough?
Shashank Kishore23-Mar-2022
Where they finished
Sunrisers Hyderabad finished last in a season where little went right. David Warner lost his place midway, with Kane Williamson taking over the captaincy. Then there were the off-field murmurs over their handling of Warner and benching of youngsters even after they were eliminated. All of this may have led to Trevor Bayliss’ exit along with a slew of other changes in the coaching staff. This season has started on a controversial note already with Simon Katich resigning as assistant coach after being unhappy over their auction strategy. Can the Sunrisers turn it around on the field?
Potential First XI
1 Rahul Tripathi, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 5 Aiden Markram, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Umran Malik
Player Availability
Injury management, not player availability, is the bigger concern. Williamson has a long-standing elbow niggle. T Natarajan is returning from long stretches of rehabilitation for knee troubles. Washington Sundar is returning from a hamstring injury he picked up in February during the West Indies ODIs at home. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has also had a troubled two years with various injuries.Related
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Tim David might be the IPL's (and Australia's) next star
Batting
For all their riches earlier, there was a sense of dependency around Warner and Williamson to do the heavy lifting. They’ve given a huge boost to Abdul Samad by retaining him, along with the likes of Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma, who have been bought back. Role clarity will be key for their younger players as they seek to identify a new template that helps them put behind the disappointment of 2021. Rahul Tripathi’s inclusion comes as a massive boost in their quest to identify this early.Aiden Markram and Washington give them multi-skilled abilities, while Pooran, who has had the experience of playing on Indian wickets for a while now, is expected to keep wickets and shore up the middle order.They also have the uniquely different Glenn Phillips. Apart from being an excellent keeper and a bristling batter, he can offer overs of offspin, both with the new ball and at other times, something he has done for New Zealand. This is a definite possibility because the Sunrisers’ squad composition allows them the luxury of picking primarily an Indian attack.Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for IPL 2022•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Bowling
Bhuvneshwar is the new-ball specialist, Natarajan the death-overs king. Umran Malik’s hustling pace adds to the exciting variety. They have the all-round abilities of Washington, Samad and Markram to boot. Marco Jansen is coming off an impressive maiden home season as an international cricketer, and will be looking to build on his initiation. If they go slightly left-field, they can look at Romario Shepherd, who offers a fast-bowling option and handy lower-order hitting.The absence of a pedigreed legspinner – no Rashid Khan, remember – could be a bit of an issue. They do have Shreyas Gopal in the line-up, but the Karnataka legspinner has been up and down on form, and hasn’t been the same potent force he was with Rajasthan Royals a few years ago. Although this could be an opportunity for him to make a name for himself.
Young Players to Watch Out for
Umran Malik was raw and unpolished when he burst into the scene late last year. Since then, he’s become more aware of his body, the technicalities of his action, load-up, follow through and other areas having trained for a better part of the last three months under National Cricket Academy coaches. He has also been a net bowler with the Indian team, and had a stint with Jammu & Kashmir during the domestic season. Can he build on his impressive initiation?Abhishek Sharma was part of India’s Under-19 World Cup winning batch of 2018, but hasn’t always garnered the same kind of attention as the more-established Shubman Gill or Prithvi Shaw. Having worked on his bit-hitting – he was always a clean striker – under Yuvraj Singh, Abhishek comes with renewed hope and confidence of impressing, like he has for Punjab in domestic cricket. Key to getting the best out of him will be to give him a role and back him with games, which hasn’t always happened in the past
TORONTO — Remember, Shohei Ohtani wanted to remain an Angel. Freddie Freeman all but begged to stay in Atlanta. Mookie Betts thought he would spend his entire career in Boston.
Max Muncy was released by the A’s. Tommy Edman was traded while on the injured list. Blake Snell was available to anyone on the open market—twice.
And it’s the who are ruining baseball?
Sure, the money helps. The team that is headed to its second straight World Series, and fifth in the last nine years, with a chance to win three in that span, boasts, at $329 million, the highest payroll in the sport. After winning the World Series last season, they added $450 million worth of new players. Their local TV deal pays them $334 million a year, and this year they launched a paid fan club in Japan, with membership tiers ranging up to $500 per person.
But the No. 2 Mets ($323 million) didn’t make the playoffs. The No. 3 Yankees ($288 million) were bounced in the American League Division Series. And 48% of that TV money and 97% of that fan club money goes into revenue sharing, so everyone else is benefiting from it, too.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers have given out only three of the top 30 most lucrative deals, and so far all three look worth it: $700 million over 10 years for Ohtani (and that is an unusual case, because 97% of the money is deferred, so the contract functions as a credit card), $365 million over 12 years for Betts and $325 million over 10 years for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ohtani is the biggest star in sports. Betts is a three-time World Series champion, twice for the Dodgers, an eight-time All-Star and a finalist for this year’s National League Gold Glove at shortstop—a position he never played professionally before last season. Yamamoto is their ace and just threw a shutout in the National League Championship Series.
Mostly the Dodgers excel at evaluating players, and then they excel at developing them. And then, once they’ve done all that, they excel at keeping them.
Angels owner Arte Moreno, incredibly, reportedly balked at the deal structure Ohtani offered. Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos didn’t want to give Freeman the sixth year he sought. Red Sox owner John Henry—estimated net worth: $5.7 billion—wasn’t interested in coughing up the $350 million or so it would take to lock up the franchise’s best homegrown young player since Ted Williams. Those were all mistakes of evaluation.
Freddie Freeman is among the key members of the Dodgers who didn’t receive the offer he wanted with his former team and opted instead to make way for L.A. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Muncy had a good eye in Oakland but no power and no defensive home. The Dodgers adjusted his swing and played him everywhere. Now he’s perhaps their fourth most important hitter. Anthony Banda had a 5.69 ERA in parts of seven seasons all across the league. The Dodgers fixed his slider and told him to ditch his changeup. Now he’s a key left-handed fireman. Roki Sasaki came to L.A. in part because he had lost fastball velocity in Japan and wasn’t sure why. After a dreadful start to the season, the Dodgers told him to flex his back leg. Now he throws 100 mph again and gets nearly every crucial late-game out. That’s development.
And as for keeping players, they’re turning them away. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says he gets so many calls every winter that he could fill more than one roster—and that number only increases as the team continues its success.
“In 2015, our goal was to create a destination,” he says. “Somewhere our players don’t want to leave and other players are looking longingly that they want to be. It’s fragile, and it’s something that you have to continue to get better at every year, but that is the thing I’m most proud of—the inroads we’ve made on that front.”
Right fielder Teoscar Hernández, who signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Dodgers before 2024, all but begged to come back. Yamamoto essentially told other teams to stop offering him more money; he wanted to be in L.A. Relievers Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates took less money for a better shot at a ring. Across the league, players perk up when they hear the Dodgers are asking about them; they know they’re about to get a lot better, and, as outfielder Alex Call put it shortly after he was dealt from the Nationals at the deadline: “I’m going to the World Series!”
The Phillies’ Bryce Harper had it right. “Only losers complain about what they’re doing,” he said this spring.
And that’s because they’re doing it the proper way. Betts turned himself into a Gold Glove–caliber shortstop by sheer force of will—and thousands of ground balls. Freeman, a 36-year-old father of three who has made almost $300 million, plays every day and scolds anyone who doesn’t. Clayton Kershaw treats February bullpens like World Series games.
“You can come early at Dodger Stadium or when we’re on the road, and watch our star players out here early, taking ground balls out in the field, doing everything to try to help them gain some edge for that night,” says Friedman. “And you can look across the field, and the team we’re playing—their players are not out.”
They’re not ruining baseball. This is what baseball is supposed to look like.