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He doesn’t turn the ball big, doesn’t have mystery deliveries, but whatever little he has is ideal for T20 and he keeps winning big moments

Sidharth Monga04-Jun-20251:27

Moody: Krunal Pandya screams character to me

Don’t look at numbers. Just close your eyes and say if you think Krunal Pandya is among the ten best bowlers in the IPL. You will, of course, say yes on the day that he became the first to win multiple Player-of-the-Match awards in IPL finals, but answer seriously: does he have any business being in the list of top-ten bowlers in the best, most competitive T20 league in the world?Now look at the numbers. He is among the top ten on every major metric in IPL 2025. He is No. 10 on most wickets, No. 7 on economy (among those who have bowled at least 25 overs), and No. 6 on ESPNcricinfo’s list of most impactful bowlers. Add to all that his 73 not out against Delhi Capitals (DC), and you have ESPNcricinfo’s second-most impactful performer of this IPL.This match was the perfect example of why Krunal sneaks into these lists, why he is valued by champion sides – this was his fourth title, after all – despite not looking like he should be. He doesn’t turn the ball big, he doesn’t have the classic action to get him alarming dip or drift, he doesn’t have mystery deliveries. But whatever he has is ideal for T20s: the right pace, the ability to pitch the ball where he wants to, the knowledge of where he should be pitching the ball, and a competitive streak.Related

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Krunal’s combination of high pace and lengths almost provides him immunity from the shot that spinners hate the most: the sweep. All through this IPL, he has conceded just 65 runs to all the varieties of the sweep shot put together. Nine spinners have gone for more. In the final, they tried sweeping him twice but couldn’t score a run. The option then for the batters is to either get a bad ball or try to manipulate the length by going deep into the crease or skipping down the track.This is where Krunal shows his smarts. When a subdued Prabhsimran Singh finally decided to step out against him, Krunal watched till the end and bowled his slowest delivery till then and also went wide because Prabhsimran looks to make room when he charges a spinner. Bowled at 81.49kph, this also turned the most till then and went out of Prabhsimran’s reach.When Josh Inglis, Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) best batter of the night, charged him, Krunal went the other route: bowling only his second 100kph-plus delivery and looking to cramp Inglis for room because he advances straight down. Both those balls created wickets, but it was as much the work around those deliveries that won Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) their first IPL final.Krunal Pandya has now won four IPL titles•Getty ImagesKrunal bowled unchanged for an analysis of 4-0-17-2 after RCB had been kept to 190, the lowest first-innings score all season in Ahmedabad. In his four overs, Krunal overpitched only once. And that was a yorker. There was nothing in the 2-4m zone that you can hit without stepping out. Only one delivery out of the 20 that he bowled to right-hand batters pitched more than a set of stumps wide.Because Krunal relies on bowling into the pitch and tries to put work on the ball with his hand more than his action, he can tend to err on the shorter side. In T20 cricket, if you must err, it is better you do so on the shorter side. Still, only five balls went shorter than 7m, only one shorter than 8m.The only boundary Krunal conceded was when he pitched shorter than 7m and also went really slow, probably his attempt to turn the ball big gone wrong. His pace ranged from 79.88 to 108.33. Krunal said it takes guts to slow the ball down in T20 even though it did seem to him going slow was the thing to do.Coach Andy Flower said that RCB wanted Krunal precisely for his temperament, his experience of having been part of big matches. He repaid them immediately with his first match in the RCB red. He was only beginning as he meant to end. Now he is one of only eight players to have won four IPL finals. Another top ten you wouldn’t have bet on him making.

Stokes himself was culpable too, not only for England’s needlessly negative fields to Starc but for his obstinate refusal to change the pace of the game

Matt Roller06-Dec-20255:03

‘Neser has justified his selection ahead of Lyon’

Frankie’s Smokehouse on Stanley Street offers a pre-match barbecue before day-night Tests in Brisbane, and for three-and-a-half hours on Saturday, England’s bowlers were left to slow-cook on the Gabba grill. In 30-degree Celsius heat and 70% humidity, they were gradually charred and smoked in the second Test by Australia’s lower order and tail until ready to be served with a side of coleslaw.It was the ultimate demonstration of the hard-nosed pragmatism that has served Australia so well. Across 44.3 painstaking overs, their lower order and tail ground England down with a series of blocks, ducks and leaves that left their bowlers and fielders utterly deflated, and highlighted the stark contrast between the approaches of these two teams.Australia did not “run towards the danger”, as Brendon McCullum might have implored, but approached this third day in the knowledge that every over they spent at the crease increased the impending jeopardy that would arrive at nightfall. It was a familiar feeling for England in this country, their decision-making falling victim to long hours spent melting in the afternoon sun.Related

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• Starc's all-round show leaves England facing humiliation at the Gabba

The telling moment came towards the end of a ninth-wicket stand between Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland that spanned 27.2 overs, the longest partnership of the series. Pat Cummins joined Fox’s commentary with a smile so broad that it could be heard without being seen: “Really intelligent batting,” he purred, as Starc staunchly blocked his 117th ball.Cummins – who also confirmed that he “should be right” for the third Test in Adelaide after injury – revealed that Australia’s lower-order batters have often discussed in meetings with management the target of facing 30 balls as a KPI [Key Performance Indicator]. “If our four bowlers can face 30 balls [each],” Cummins said, “we thought that was a big tick.”This was a huge one: their Nos. 8 to 11 managed to soak up 275 balls between them, with Starc (141) accounting for more than half of them. It was hardly edge-of-the-seat viewing, with Australia adding 133 for 4 to their overnight score at a shade under three runs per over, but Cummins, Steven Smith and Andrew McDonald could not have cared less as they watched England toil.It begged the question of how England’s lower order would have approached the same situation. In this series, they have swung from the hip with some success: their Nos. 8-11 have cumulatively scored at a strike rate of 95.03, with Gus Atkinson (37 off 32 in Perth) and Jofra Archer (38 off 36 in Brisbane) both contributing useful cameos.But only three lower-order batters have lasted 30 balls – Australia’s target – and none have reached 40, let alone Starc’s 141. England’s management hates team meetings, which Harry Brook memorably described as “the most over-rated things ever,” earlier this year; most of their players probably think KPI is the man who used to bat in their middle order.Mitchell Starc left Ben Stokes exasperated•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesEngland struck twice in the first hour on Saturday, Neser edging the old ball behind and Alex Carey the new one. But Starc’s partnership with Boland exposed their tactics as predictable: Ben Stokes abandoned any hope of getting Starc out, spreading the field and letting him leave on length, then watched Boland get in line and defend resolutely for at most two balls per over.Starc’s 77 was his third-highest Test score, and was a classic lower-order innings. He identified two main scoring areas – down the ground and through cover – and stuck to them resolutely, passing Stuart Broad to become the most prolific No. 9 in Test history in the process. It was measured, mature, and mightily effective: this is quickly becoming Starc’s Ashes.”The message was obviously to try to keep them out as long as possible because we knew the later we went into the night session with that harder ball was going to benefit us,” Neser said. “It actually went perfectly: the way Starcy went about it, scored runs and batted time, put us in a great position to bowl under the lights with that new pink ball.”It also meant more back-breaking work for England’s fast bowlers whose inexperience has been laid bare: among their four seamers, who shared 96 of the first 97 overs between them, Stokes is the only one to have played more than 20 Tests or even 60 first-class games.”Being a Gabba local, I know how hard it is bowling under the heat,” Neser said. “It seems just to radiate through the Gabba.” As England are quickly learning, charging in to bowl 87mph/140kph in the heat one day is one thing, but doing so two days in a row is another entirely.After arriving at the Gabba clutching a pillow, Jofra Archer spent the first session looking half-asleep, to his team-mates’ obvious frustration. Archer’s failure to turn Starc’s top-edge into a catching chance at mid-off was met by double-teapots all round, and Stokes berated him for a flat-footed effort at cover which allowed Boland to take a single off the first ball of an over.But Stokes himself was culpable too, not only for England’s needlessly negative fields to Starc but for his obstinate refusal to change the pace of the game by introducing his spinner. Will Jacks’ first ball after tea turned and bounced sharply, and he regularly threatened Boland and Brendan Doggett’s outside edge during an encouraging spell: why not try him sooner?Australia had the game-awareness to realise that time, not runs, had become the most important currency – though their eventual first-innings lead of 177 meant they had plenty of both. Batting time ensured that they would have a hard, new ball to use under lights, when most of the damage has been done: 14 of the 26 wickets in this Test have fallen in the final session.It was an obvious, simple gameplan, which Australia executed to perfection, totally at odds with England’s bullheaded conviction in their singular method. England arrived with the weight of history stacked against them in this series, and it is turning into the same old story.

South Africa are juggling Rabada’s fitness, an unpredictable pitch, and a stack of selection dilemmas as they chase a rare series win in India

Firdose Moonda20-Nov-20253:30

Botha: New ball should play a role with early start to the Test

At least no one knows what to expect.With Guwahati playing host to its first Test, conditions are a mystery for everyone, and South Africa will hope to read them right as they go there in search of a first series win in India in 25 years. The first big decision they’ll have to make is team selection, which will depend largely on what they think the surface will do, while leaving open the possibility of being completely surprised, like they were in Kolkata.There, variable bounce from the first over set the tone for a low-scoring match. South Africa, in fact, said it actually became slightly better to bat on the third morning. In Guwahati, they anticipate run-scoring to be less hazardous but not necessarily easy. “What we heard is that it tends to be a good batting wicket up front, and it becomes a spinning wicket later on in the game,” Piet Botha, South Africa’s bowling coach said.Even if there is a bias to spin, South Africa’s first choice would be to have their premier seamer Kagiso Rabada back, if available. Rabada is still recovering from the rib injury that kept him out of the Kolkata Test and there remains uncertainty over his availability. He has not bowled since sustaining the injury in training last Tuesday in Kolkata. He did not train on Wednesday in Guwahati either, and the medical staff is expected to “make a call in the next 24 hours,” Botha said.Related

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If Rabada is fit, the question facing South Africa is whether he would be a straight swap for Corbin Bosch, who replaced Rabada in the first Test. Or, given how well Bosch batted, if they would look to tinker with the makeup of the team. One option would be to leave Wiaan Mulder out, given he only bowled five overs at Eden Gardens, and move Tony de Zorzi to No.3. de Zorzi was initially picked in that position but hasn’t batted at No. 3 since the Cape Town Test in January 2024. He has spent most of his short Test career as an opener, but most recently batted at No. 5.The more interesting question is what South Africa will do if Rabada is not available, because the options are many, starting with the simplest: change nothing. There’s logic to sticking with a winning XI, especially one that came back from the brink of a big defeat to pull off a win like South Africa did last weekend. But if conditions are going to be different, an unchanged eleven would also go against Shukri Conrad’s horses-for-courses approach.Botha feels the early start will bring “a little bit moisture” to the red soil surface, which generally means more bounce on offer. Albeit still two days out from matchday, the pitch also has healthy grass covering, which makes Lungi Ngidi an obvious contender. Ngidi has not played a Test since the World Test Championship final at Lord’s, where he was picked specifically because he offered more pace than South Africa’s other choice, Dane Paterson, and for his ability to generate extra bounce. Though Ngidi had an expensive first innings, he returned to take 3 for 38 in the second. In the end, it was not bounce but seam movement that he exploited for his returns.It won’t worry South Africa that Ngidi’s last ball red-ball match was five months ago, because they put faith in Ngidi against Australia when he hadn’t played a Test for 10 months and it paid off. He has also been in action in other formats recently, and played in South Africa’s white-ball matches in Australia, England and Pakistan, alongside a domestic match at home. Should he be picked, Ngidi is likely to replace Bosch, though that would leave South Africa a batter short.Wiaan Mulder might be dropped if South Africa can do without his bowling services•Getty ImagesAnother choice, especially if there is significantly less grass by the time the match starts – paired with an expectation of bounce early, and then a crumbling surface later – would be to include an extra spinner. South Africa have left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy, who was player of the series in Pakistan, in the squad. Muthusamy could either replace Bosch or another of the batters, potentially Tristan Stubbs, who continues to struggle for form. With nine first-class hundreds to his name and a career-best of 89* in his last Test, Muthusamy is a solid lower-order batting option. Unlike Ngidi, he also would not shorten the line-up.The challenge with including Muthusamy is that South Africa may be wary of more of the same, with Keshav Maharaj already providing left-arm spin. India’s slew of left-handers would make another offspinner handy, so they may use Aiden Markram more – with Simon Harmer also in hand – and leave Muthusamy out.All that said, there is also no harm in South Africa considering a tinker to the batting line-up, which was heavily reliant on Temba Bavuma and the lower order in the first Test. The jury is still out on the best No.3 option. Mulder currently occupies the spot, and while he is technically solid, he is perhaps too defensive, and his bowling may not be required anyway. Stubbs was initially given the spot and played five successive Tests at No. 3 last year. He could move up or out of the side altogether.South Africa have a reserve batter in Zubayr Hamza, who Conrad said was “close to” playing in Pakistan but just missed out. Hamza comes off a good run of form for South Africa A, against India A in a pre-Test tour in Bengaluru, where he scored two half-centuries in two matches. He has batted at No.3 in Tests in four matches between 2019 and 2020, including the 2019 tour of India, where he scored a half-century in Ranchi.A top six made up of Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Hamza, Bavuma, de Zorzi and then either Stubbs or Mulder is one option. Otherwise, South Africa might look at a specialist top five, with Kyle Verreynne at No.6, and a lower order that can simultaneously score runs and provide plenty of bowling options.

Southampton decided to part ways with head coach Will Still after the former Lens boss only won two of his 13 matches in charge of the club in the Championship.

Interim manager Tonda Eckert has won both of his league games in the dugout so far, including a 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday last time out, but it remains to be seen what the future holds for him.

Irrespective of what happens now, Eckert has delivered back-to-back wins that were much-needed after a dismal start to the campaign, which led to Still’s dismissal.

Why Will Still was unfortunate to be sacked by Southampton

The Belgian-born tactician won two of his 13 league matches and averaged 0.92 points per game, per Transfermarkt, which is why it was not a surprise to see him lose his job.

However, per FotMob, Southampton rank sixth in the table for xPTS and are currently 11 places lower in the division than they would be if every game was decided by who created the higher-quality chances.

Of course, football is not played on paper and it is, ultimately, a results-based business, but these statistics suggest that performances from individuals let him down, as the Saints have underperformed their xG and conceded more than their xGA suggests that they should have.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

Whilst it is hard to know what goes on behind the scenes, perhaps Still was unable to motivate a team to win consistently, as he finished between 11th and 8th in his three seasons as a manager in France, which means that he is not used to competing at the very top of a league.

This is why Southampton could find a major upgrade on the former Lens boss by hiring reported target Brendan Rodgers as their new manager during the break.

Why Southampton should hire Brendan Rodgers

The Northern Irish manager resigned from the Celtic job last month and he could be the dream appointment for the Saints if they can convince him to drop down to the Championship.

Rodgers, who was once dubbed “world-class” by Gabriel Agbonlahor, may have the perfect track record for the situation that Southampton find themselves in, because he has experience in the Championship, the Premier League, and the Premiership.

The 52-year-old coach won promotion via the play-offs with Swansea in the 2010/11 campaign, which is relevant for where the club is now, and helped them to stay up with an 11th-placed finish in the Premier League the following season, which should be Southampton’s long-term goal.

As you can see in the table above, Rodgers is a proven Premier League manager who has excelled at Swansea, Liverpool, and Leicester City in the top-flight, which is why he would be the perfect appointment for now and in the future.

On top of that, the Northern Irishman is also a proven winner. Per Transfermarkt, he won four Scottish Premiership titles, four Scottish League Cups, and four SFA Cups with Celtic, along with an FA Cup and a Community Shield with Leicester.

This means that Rodgers has won a whopping 13 trophies in his career as a manager, whilst Southampton have not won a major trophy since the FA Cup success in 1976.

Overall, the former Celtic manager would be a major upgrade on Still, who has only managed midtable success and has no trophies under his belt, because of his career record, his history in the Championship and the Premier League, and his proven track record of winning trophies.

Dream O'Neil alternative: Southampton considering "insanely talented coach"

Southampton are still considering a head coach who would be a dream alternative to Gary O’Neil.

By
Dan Emery

Nov 8, 2025

If they can convince him to take the job, Rodgers could be the ideal candidate to get the Saints out of the Championship, as well as to establish them in the Premier League.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele picked up the 2025 Ballon d’Or, but who will lift the famous individual honour in 2026?

With the 2025/26 season well and truly underway, players are beginning to make their case to land the historic award, and in a World Cup year, there could be many twists and turns.

Here are the 20 players who are best placed to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or right now, based on current form and their respective team’s chances of silverware.

Ranking factors: To help rank the players in order, we have considered the following criteria:

• Current form – how well a player has performed in the past few months
• Importance to their teams – how influential they are to their teams’ performances
• Reputation – what others say about them

10

Gabriel Magalhaes

Arsenal and Brazil

An injury halted the Brazilian’s progress but he is currently the most in-form defender on the planet, scoring goals, dominating in both boxes and leading Arsenal’s incredible defensive record.

While the spotlight often went to William Saliba in recent seasons, Gabriel has emerged as the true rock at the heart of the best defence in world football.

9

Ousmane Dembele

PSG and France

Could he go back to back? Well, if PSG continue their dominance in France and in Europe, and if Ousmane Dembele helps his country to a World Cup win, there is every chance.

The forward netted his first goals of the season at the end of August before a hamstring injury halted his progress. Still, the 28-year-old has plenty of time to return to full fitness and make his claim of another Ballon d’Or.

8

Michael Olise

Bayern Munich and France

Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise has continued his fine form at the Allianz Arena into his second season.

A regular on the right wing under Vincent Kompany, Olise is already into double figures for goal contributions with Munich. Meanwhile, his national manager, Didier Deschamps, has said Olise “has everything”, with France and Bayern teammate Dayot Upamecano calling the attacker a “magician”.

7

Pedri

Barcelona and Spain

Pulling the strings in Barcelona’s midfield, Pedri is seen as one of the greatest midfielders in football and will be looking to improve on his 11th place finish last time out.

The Spaniard has even caught the eye of iconic midfielder Paul Scholes, with the Man Utd legend calling Pedri his “new favourite footballer”.

Hansi Flick has also called Pedri a “special” player, adding that he “is also becoming a better leader” for his side.

6

Vitinha

PSG and Portugal

Vitinha’s stunning hat-trick against Tottenham in the Champions League vaulted him up the rankings, with the all-action midfielder providing a mixture of end product, tenacity and control in Paris, averaging over 100 passes per game this season.

The Portugal star has gone from strength to strength in recent seasons having won the quadruple with PSG in the 2024/25 campaign, and will look to cement himself as one of the best in world football at next summer’s World Cup.

5

Erling Haaland

Man City and Norway

Jamie Carragher has recently called Erling Haaland the “greatest goalscorer to ever play in English football”, with his ridiculous start to the season leading to the forward himself saying he’s in his best form ever.

Scoring goals for fun with Man City and Norway, Haaland will now play at his first World Cup in 2026, which will be his country’s first since 1998. A strong performance to take them on a knockout run would cement his status as a legend of Norwegian football.

4

Harry Kane

Bayern Munich and England

Harry Kane is continuing to do what he does best – score goals on a regular basis. With Bayern Munich, Kane scored a remarkable 17 goals in the first nine games for the German champions, becoming the fastest player this century to reach 100 goals for a side playing in one of Europe’s top five leagues.

The England captain will also have his eyes on the 2026 World Cup, which could be his last at the age of 32. Delight for club and country in 2026 will put him in a strong position.

3

Lamine Yamal

Barcelona and Spain

Lamine Yamal has won the Kopa Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards for the last two years, so it feels as if it is just a matter of time until the Barcelona star takes home the major individual honour.

However, Barca currently trail Real Madrid in La Liga and have already dropped points in the Champions League group stage.

Still, if Yamal carries the Catalan giants to silverware and stars in his first World Cup, 2026 could be his year.

2

Declan Rice

Arsenal and England

Now a vital member for club and country, Declan Rice is arguably the best midfielder in the world right now, shining in a slightly further forward role at the Emirates under Mikel Arteta.

After his two stunning free-kicks against Real Madrid in the Champions League last season, Rice has continued to add end product to his game and has been praised by England legends David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

1

Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid and France

Leading the way as the current 2026 Ballon d’Or favourite is Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappe.

The Frenchman has begun the 2025/26 campaign in red-hot form in front of goal, registering the second fastest Champions League hat-trick of all time in a win over Olympiacos, even scoring a fourth for good measure.

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal has even called Mbappe the “best in the world”, and on current form, it’s hard to argue against the Madrid fan.

Hasaranga took 2 for 25 upon his return from injury

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2025They began their high-stakes contest against Sri Lanka miserably, slipping to 0 for 2 after Nuwan Thushara and Dushmantha Chameera bowled back-to-back wicket maidens with the new ball. But Bangladesh went into the innings break with the match still alive in tricky batting conditions, thanks to an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 86 between Shamim Hossain and Jaker Ali.They came together at 53 for 5 in the tenth over, and walked off together at the end of the innings, unbeaten on 42 and 41 respectively. That both went at strike rates in the 120s, and both struggled to find the boundary for long stretches – including a barren spell of 21 balls – indicated both the excellence of Sri Lanka’s defensive bowling, particularly that of Chameera whose yorkers achieved a rare level of precision in overs 18 and 20, and the two-paced nature of this Abu Dhabi surface.Shamim hit the only six of the innings, a pick-up shot over midwicket off Matheesha Pathirana in the 19th over, and that shot and Pathirana’s figures – 0 for 42 in four overs – indicated that pace onto the bat was one quantity batters could feed off in these conditions.Sri Lanka’s other frontline bowlers were exceptional, however, with Thushara and Chameera finding swing with the new ball and mixing up their pace nicely with the old ball to finish with identical figures of 4-1-17-1. Wanindu Hasaranga, meanwhile, made a big impact in his comeback game, taking two wickets and nearly having another when a wrong’un burst through Jaker’s defences and brushed the off stump, only for the bails to stay put.That Bangladesh managed to set Sri Lanka a target of 140 was remarkable given how they began, with their left-handed openers Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon struggling to find the middle of the bat against the new ball and perishing when they tried to hit out, scoring a combined 0 off 10 between them. Litton Das helped them recover somewhat with a 26-ball 28 that included three fours in the sixth over when he went after Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka’s fifth bowler, but Bangladesh didn’t do their cause any good by losing Towhid Hridoy to a run-out when he attempted a risky third run.They could have lost Shamim in this manner too, when he was on 11 in the 13th over, but a superhero dive ensured he just about beat keeper Kusal Mendis’ between-the-legs flick onto the stumps.

He’s scored only 51 runs off 58 balls of spin this season, allowing opposition teams to effectively shut him and CSK out

Alagappan Muthu24-Apr-20254:52

Ravindra Jadeja looks ‘confused’ up the order

Ravindra Jadeja was following the plan. He was 31 off 23 at the start of the 18th over. Now was the time to go.Chennai Super Kings (CSK) do not have the confidence in their batting line-up to hit hard from the first ball. They fear that will lead them to below-par totals and kick them out of the match before their bowlers can get a say. So many of the statistics that have them at the bottom – run-rate in the powerplay, or even overall, for that matter – is by design. It isn’t a good design, but it is what the players they have and the form they are in has left them with.CSK were 145 for 4. Jadeja was set. And Mumbai Indians (MI) gave him a left-arm spinner to target. The over went for a-run-a-ball and that was only because it had wides. Mitchell Santner doesn’t normally bowl in the death. Prior to this game, he had bowled only one full over in the block between 17 and 20 in IPL 2025. But MI saved him for exactly this match-up; a match-up where the stock ball spins into the batter’s hitting arc.Related

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Several teams have gone to spin with Jadeja at the crease to shut him down. He’s faced 58 balls of it and scored only 51 runs. This is in keeping with his returns over the last few years. He has turned himself into a pace hitter, but he’s always struggled when it’s taken off.CSK head coach Stephen Fleming would like to see Jadeja do better. “There’s a lot of room for improvement in our view and it’s a little bit of opportunity,” he said. “I know in the past that he’s done it for a couple of games but he hasn’t had a big run at it and it’s more the attitude towards it.”In other words, a willingness to hit the ball hard. Jadeja, in this season, has only hit two boundaries against spin. Sometimes it doesn’t even look like he’s trying. That’s why he’s had to face a lot of it, even in the death. Fleming is trying to fix this.”So we’re exploring a lot of things at the moment to see whether there are gains within the side with one view on trying to win every game remaining in the IPL but also in the future,” he said. “So we think there are areas that we can explore with our players where they haven’t perhaps conquered it in the past and just trying to change some attitudes around it.”

Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski was delighted to see his team reduce the deficit with table toppers Real Madrid after powering the Catalans to an emphatic 4-2 victory against Celta Vigo, while their rivals dropped points against Rayo Vallecano. The Poland international believes the international break will help Barca regain their lost form as they look to regain control of the league title race.

• Barca back on track!

  After sharing the spoils with Club Brugge in the Champions League mid-week, Barcelona are back on track with a sensational win over Celta Vigo. Lewandowski, who warmed the bench in the last two games after his recovery, got a place in the starting lineup against Celta and helped the Catalans thwart the home team with a brilliant hat-trick. In the 10th minute, he netted his first goal from the spot, though it was cancelled out a minute later by Sergio Carreira's equaliser for Celta. In the 37th minute, Barca earned their second of the evening through the Polish ace's prowess, only to concede an equaliser six minutes later. The first half ended 3-2 with Lamine Yamal's late goal and Barca went on to limit Celta's attacking force before the 37-year-old netted his third of the game in the 73rd minute. 

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  Lewandowski happy with reducing deficit

  Courtesy of the win, and Madrid's 0-0 draw with Rayo Vallecano at the Bernabeu, Barca are now just three points behind their Clasico rivals. Winner of the matchball in the Celta game, Lewandowski cited the same to the media. He said: "Yes, we're very happy to win a game here 2-4. It's always difficult for us to play in Vigo, but the most important thing is that we won and we're now two points [sic] behind Real Madrid. In the second half we had the game more under control. In the first half I think Celta scored some very easy goals. At half-time, we talked about what we can improve, how we could play better. The fourth goal was very important in allowing us to play with more patience and composure.

  Barca will now have 12 days to prepare for their next game, as the international break brings a cooling period for Flick's squad. The Polish lynchpin believes this break will allow the team to resume action with renewed energy. He claimed: "After this game we can analyse what we can improve, both defensively and offensively. Now we have two weeks to disconnect from the team, but I hope that when we return we can play much better."

• Flick happy to have Lewandowski back

  The former Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund star's treble takes him to seven goals from just nine La Liga games so far this season. It was the veteran's fourth start of the campaign, having been seen his role under coach Hansi Flick reduced. Lewandowski's contract at the Catalan club will expire at the end of the season and it is not clear if he will be offered a contract extension. Recent reports stated that his agent has held talks with AC Milan over a possible free transfer, with the Rossoneri interested in uniting him with former Clasico rival Luka Modric.

  Flick recently heaped praise on him following his return from injury, telling reporters: "I don't know what's in his DNA, but he recovers in three weeks from injuries that should last five…  When Lewandowski and [Dani] Olmo returned, training was different. The level rose considerably, as did that of the younger players. We need these players to reach our full potential. And that takes time. It's not just about winning, but about understanding the situation and managing it."

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  Tough challenges for Barca after international break

  After the international break, Barca will take on Athletic Club in La Liga, followed by a visit to London to face Enzo Maresca's Chelsea in the Champions League. It is going to be a vital continental clash with the teams level on seven points after four games. They will round off the month with a La Liga clash against Alaves before kicking off December with a home game against Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid.

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez is one of the hottest names as Major League Baseball's July 31 trade deadline approaches.

The question remains whether the Diamondbacks will decide to part with him or keep the slugger in hopes of competing for a National League wild card spot, as they currently sit 5.5 games out of the final slot. According to a new report from the 's Jon Heyman, that question remains unanswered, but Arizona is unsurprisingly receiving calls on Suárez.

Heyman named the New York Yankees as a team that has checked in with the Diamondbacks on the 34-year-old slugger. He also named the Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners among many other teams that would make sense as a landing spot should the Diamondbacks decide to sell.

Although Heyman didn't explicitly name them in the recent report, another team who may be interested in Suárez's services is the team with the best record in baseball—the Detroit Tigers. Suárez began his career in Detroit and recently said it would mean a lot to him to finish where he started via Evan Petzold of the .

If the Diamondbacks do decide to become sellers, it's clear they won't have an issue moving Suárez, who's slated to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. They have just under two weeks to figure it out.

Through 96 games this year, he's slashing .251/.322/.567 with 31 home runs and 78 RBIs. He's currently tied with Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber for the fourth-most homers across the MLB this season and he's also tied for fourth in RBIs, but with Tigers star Riley Greene.