Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Cade Smith walked away unscathed after a scary moment during the one inning he threw against the Seattle Mariners Friday night.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, he threw a splitter down in the zone to Mariners slugger Rowdy Tellez, who smacked a line drive right back up the middle. The ball screamed straight toward Smith's head and made contact, but he somehow walked away like nothing happened.
Miraculously, the bill of Smith's hat ate the force from the 107-mph comeback liner. As the crowd cheered when they realized he was alright, he held the hat—now adorned with a jagged brim—which kept him from a potentially serious injury.
Here's another angle:
The ball bounced into the outfield at T-Mobile Park and Tellez made it to second base for a double. But everyone inside the ballpark was just thankful Smith walked away O.K. After he was checked out by the Guardians' staff, he remained in the game to finish out the fifth inning.
Tellez's liner, which could have turned out much worse, was the only hit Smith gave up on the night. The Mariners had a four-run seventh inning to pull away with a 7-2 victory in the weekend-series opener.
Normally, ball caps are good for shade—apparently they can serve as protective headgear too.
Almost everyone knows about Baseball Hall of Famer and New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter's iconic, walk-off home run in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series.
Jeter hit his fateful dinger after the clock struck midnight on November 1, making it the first time the Fall Classic spilled into the 11th month on the calendar. The clutch homer earned Jeter the nickname “Mr. November” and forever became a part of baseball lore.
The homer also forever changed the life of former Yankees vendor Neil Dunleavy, who caught the ball. He told his amazing story to ESPN's Jeff Passan in a story published on Friday.
Dunleavy's story includes one nugget that baseball fans may not know about. Jeter, rather than keep the ball for himself, autographed it and returned it to Dunleavy.
On the night of Game 4, nearing the end of his shift selling programs across Yankee Stadium, Dunleavy perfectly positioned himself in the right field corner, where he knew Jeter's inside-out swing tended to deposit balls. As Jeter connected on his swing in the bottom of the 10th inning, Dunleavey was busy organizing hundreds of dollar bills he had gotten from fans in exchange for programs throughout his shift, and had to sacrifice the currency to dive for the ball. Thankfully, a nearby security guard was able to recover the cash he had tossed aside for a bigger prize.
Once he retrieved it, he left the ballpark that night planning to give the ball to Jeter the next day. He met with a Yankees ballboy and, thinking it would be the last time he ever saw that infamous ball, handed it over. But the ballboy returned with the 'Mr. November' ball, which Jeter had signed, dated and added the No. 2, his jersey number with the Yankees.
"Had I known I was going to get it back," Dunleavy told Passan. "I would've given him a better pen."
Dunleavy went on to pursue a career in the medical field, but held onto the baseball. Now 43 years old, married and with three children, he has decided to sell the ball, believing he could find a better purpose for the memento.
After connecting with the auction house Goldin and authentication company JSA, Dunleavy now has the baseball on sale, with bidding set to close on June 14. The bidding is up to $120,000 and counting.
Not only did Jeter's classy gesture ensure that the baseball was authentic—thus providing Dunleavy and his family the chance for a large return in the souvenir's sale—but the Yankees legend also provided the now-orthopedic surgeon with memories and feelings he'll never forget.
And Dunleavy plans to pay it back to Jeter. He intends to donate a portion of the proceeds of the sale to Jeter's Turn 2 Foundation.
It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster season for Chelsea already this year.
One week, they’ll demolish Barcelona in the Champions League and hold Premier League leaders Arsenal to a 1-1 draw despite being down a man, but just a few days later, they’ll go and lose 3-1 away at newly promoted Leeds United.
The West Londoners do have a lot of talent in the team, but they’ve also got areas that are underperforming, like their summer striker signings, Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.
It looks like the club aren’t overly pleased with the pair’s output either, as reports are now linking them with a goalscoring striker who could send them both packing.
Chelsea target Delap & Pedro upgrade
As is the case every year, Chelsea have started to be linked with a whole host of brilliant players ahead of the winter transfer window opening next month.
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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
For example, Club Brugge’s highly rated young centre-back, Joel Ordonez, has been touted for a move to Stamford Bridge, where he would join up with former Independiente del Valle teammate and compatriot Moises Caicedo.
However, while the Ecuadorian international could be the answer to the Blues’ defensive issues, he’s certainly not an upgrade on Delap or Pedro, unlike Serhou Guirassy.
Yes, according to a recent report from German publication BILD, Chelsea are one of several sides interested in signing the prolific centre-forward.
In fact, the report has revealed that the West Londoners have already been in contact with the player’s camp over a potential move.
However, any move would have to take place in the summer as the 29-year-old has made it clear he wishes to end the season with Borussia Dortmund, who have placed a €50m release clause in his deal, which is about £44m.
Even so, this is a transfer Chelsea should be pushing for, as Guirassy is a goal machine and would be a clear upgrade on Pedro and Delap.
How Guirassy compares to Delap and Pedro
Now, there are two things that both Pedro and Delap have over Guirassy.
These are their ages, as the Guinea international is now 29, and they have Premier League experience.
However, the Dortmund star has them not just beaten, but comfortably so, when it comes to the most important metric of all for forwards: output.
For example, so far this season, the 26-capped international has scored nine goals and provided four assists in 19 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.46 games, or every 115.46 minutes.
In contrast, the Brazilian has produced seven goal involvements in 17 appearances, totalling 1345 minutes, which comes out to an average of one every 2.42 games, or every 192.14 minutes.
For his efforts, the Englishman has produced a single goal involvement in ten appearances, totalling 421 minutes.
Okay then, what about last season? Surely it wasn’t as one-sided?
Unfortunately for the two Chelsea stars, it very much was, with the Dortmund monster racking up a truly world-class tally of 38 goals and nine assists in 50 appearances, totalling 4244 minutes.
That comes out to an outrageous average of a goal involvement every 1.06 games, or every 90.29 minutes, which more than justifies Lothar Matthaus’ claim that he is “one of the best strikers in Europe.”
Guirassy vs Pedro vs Delap
24/25
Guirassy
Pedro
Delap
Games
50
33
46
Minutes
4244′
2299′
2976′
Goals
38
13
13
Assists
9
7
3
25/26
Guirassy
Pedro
Delap
Games
19
17
10
Minutes
1501′
1345′
421′
Goals
9
4
1
Assists
4
3
0
All Stats via Transfermarkt
For comparison’s sake, Pedro produced 20 goal involvements in 33 appearances, totalling 2299 minutes, which is an average of one every 1.65 games, or every 114.95 minutes.
Delap did even worse than that, producing 16 goal involvements in 46 appearances, totalling 2976 minutes, which comes out to an average of one every 2.87 games, or every 186 minutes.
Ultimately, while it might not be a simple transfer to complete, Chelsea should be going all out to sign Guirassy, even if that spells the end for their two summer signings.
Watch out Cucurella: Chelsea in pole position to sign "exceptional" £53m star
Cucurella could find himself with some extra competition if Chelsea sign this international monster.
Newcastle United’s December fixture list is looking extremely busy already.
By the time the action-packed month closes, Eddie Howe’s Toon will have played eight games in all competitions, with Bayer Leverkusen up next for the frantic Magpies in the Champions League.
So far for Howe and Co, it’s been one draw and one win in the hectic month, with the 2-1 win over Burnley secured last time out in the Premier League far more nervy than it needed to be, after the hosts had gifted the ten-man Clarets a penalty right at the death.
Thankfully, no late fightback was on the cards, but with fixture congestion obviously going to become a big issue the more the month goes on, some changes could be on the agenda for the trip to Germany on Wednesday night, whether it’s because of tired legs or an actual drop in performance.
Where Eddie Howe needs to rotate against Leverkusen
With 17 shots tallied up on the Burnley goal throughout, Newcastle, arguably, should have notched up a far more comprehensive win against Scott Parker’s valiant visitors.
Nick Woltemade didn’t cover himself in much glory up top, in this regard, with just 18 touches of the ball passing him by, leading to zero on-target shots being powered at Martin Dubravka’s busy goal.
With Yoane Wissa back and available for selection after a lengthy injury, too, it could well be the perfect time to test out the ex-Brentford striker from the start against Leverkusen, with the German dismissed as having a “sloppy” performance, as per the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope.
He wasn’t the only performer on the pitch that stood out for all the wrong reasons, though, with Jacob Ramsey struggling throughout, next to Bruno Guimaraes, who grabbed another memorable Toon strike.
Sandro Tonali and Joelinton will likely walk back into the midfield spots ahead of Ramsey, who would give up the handball that gifted Zian Flemming a 94th-minute lifeline.
Anthony Elanga also continues to look lost in Newcastle black and white, with just one of his seven dribbles coming off against Burnley, but other Newcastle faces managed to cement their first-team position even more on Saturday afternoon, as this often hit-and-miss attacker continues to turn around his initially underwhelming season.
Newcastle's "best player" is now undroppable again
Newcastle have been very hit and miss so far this season, but with three Premier League victories now from their last four clashes in the tough division, Howe will hope his wobbly team have turned a corner.
Anthony Gordon certainly has, with the ex-Everton winger’s days of drawing blanks in league action this season firmly over, as he has now converted two crucial penalties back-to-back at St. James’ Park.
Without the England international’s ice-cold precision from the spot, the Magpies might well have been staring at two completely different results.
It’s been a very sharp turnaround in fortunes for the 24-year-old, with one analyst claiming that Gordon had entered “Gabriel Obertan territory” earlier in the campaign when he was consistently drawing blanks in the Premier League.
Obertan would only go on to score three goals for the Toon across a difficult 77-game spell, having never lived up to his early hype in England, when on the books of Manchester United.
Thankfully, Gordon now looks to have recaptured his gung-ho best, away from looking passive down the channels, with Howe – come the full-time whistle of the Burnley win – even labelling the Liverpool-born forward as the “best player” on the pitch as his “direct running” ultimately helped Newcastle overcome a stern Clarets battle.
Gordon’s numbers in 25/26
Stat
Gordon
PL games played
10
PL goals scored
2
PL assists
0
Champions League games played
5
CL goals scored
4
CL assists
1
Stats by Sofascore
Looking at the table above, too, Gordon has the chance to firm up why he deserves to be one of Howe’s first names on the teamsheets by putting in another memorable showing in the Champions League at the BayArena, having mustered up a sublime four goals and one assist this season in Europe’s first-class competition.
With a whirlwind 37 goals and assists amassed over his previous two seasons on Tyneside, too, Gordon will hope he can enter into another purple patch of form after suffering from some shaky moments here and there this campaign, off the back of his manager’s glowing words.
There’s certainly plenty of action ahead for Gordon to sink his teeth into, as he prays more words of praise come his way soon from his manager and beyond, alongside Newcastle continuing to pick up more wins.
Fewer touches than Ramsdale & 1 duel won: Newcastle star could be dropped
This Newcastle star struggled in the 2-1 win vs. Burnley
Liverpool haven’t been very good this season. That’s an understatement, too, with Arne Slot’s side having fallen so far below expectations after so dominantly winning the Premier League last year.
Though the Reds have stopped the rot that was spreading after nine losses from 12 fixtures in all competitions, winning at West Ham before drawing against Sunderland at Anfield, there is still so much to be desired from this group, whose mini-revival is presently built atop a house of cards.
Whether the head coach finds the formula that will shift Liverpool back into a winning outfit is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear that performances and results have been so far below the firmly set standard that it beggars belief, and Slot needs to make changes before he finds himself on borrowed time, with potential successors already being touted in the media.
Liverpool looking at Slot replacement
According to Caught Offside, Liverpool chiefs Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes are putting serious thought into appointing Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner to replace Slot.
Glasner, 51, has defied the odds at Selhurst Park over the past few years, winning the FA Cup in May and then the Community Shield (against Liverpool) at the start of the current campaign. They are currently fifth in the Premier League.
It’s important to stress that there have not been any talks with Palace or the Austrian’s entourage. FSG remain committed to guiding their Dutch coach through this storm.
However, if it doesn’t abate, sources indicate Glasner is emerging as the preferred candidate to take the Anfield hot seat.
What Oliver Glasner would bring to Liverpool
Glasner has achieved great things with Crystal Palace, and his past Europa League-winning success with Eintracht Frankfurt corroborates the claim that he is a “top-five manager in the world”, as suggested by one English football content creator.
Though appointing Glasner would require something of a tactical transformation on Merseyside, with the Palace boss typically fielding a 3-4-2-1 formation, he is relaxed about the minutiae of his systems, which are interchangeable and open to tweaks. This tactical pliability suggests that he could be an interesting pick from the FSG hierarchy.
Glasner gets it. And, moreover, he speaks with the clarity and intellect to throw down with any top manager in the Premier League, perhaps even having the credentials to wage tactical battle against the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.
The ever-outspoken Jamie O’Hara has even gone as far as to suggest that Glasner is “a better manager” than Arteta, with his trophy-winning credentials and the instant level-up he has overseen in south London bearing testament to that claim.
O’Hara’s football allegiances may lend themselves to a dislike of the high-flying Gunners project, but there is something to be said of Glasner’s success in taking over a Palace side that had lost their way under Roy Hodgson and have since achieved superstardom, plying their craft in Europe and enjoying new status as multi-trophy holders.
There is an urgency to Palace’s creative play that does not detract from their grace and elegance. They have created more big chances this season than both Arsenal and Liverpool. In fact, Manchester City are the only outfit with a higher count at this stage.
Man City
35
46
Chelsea
25
41
Brentford
21
41
Crystal Palace
18
41
Arsenal
27
40
Palace’s inherent playmaking prowess under Glasner’s wing suggests that he could be the perfect fit for a Liverpool side chock-full of devastating attacking quality.
Things might have gone stale in Slot’s system, but Glasner would prove the likes of O’Hara right by joining the Anfield side and elevating this Reds side back to illustrious heights.
Glasner could be the project manager Liverpool need to rival Arteta and Arsenal and reclaim their place on their perch, should Slot indeed face the axe in the coming months.
Liverpool ace who's fallen off a cliff looks like "Fabinho in his final year"
Liverpool’s draw against Sunderland illustrated a litany of problems Slot is still dealing with.
Manchester City are now willing to make a £70m January bid for an “absolutely incredible” Real Madrid star, with Pep Guardiola personally a fan.
Man City looking to boost title push by signing new forward
Man City have bounced back from their 2-1 loss at Newcastle United by winning their last two Premier League games on the spin, but they haven’t made easy work of it, scraping past Leeds United 3-2 courtesy of a late Phil Foden winner.
City then travelled to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham and raced into a 5-1 lead, but they only just managed to get over the line, with the hosts fighting back to 5-4, which will be a worrying sign for Guardiola.
Conceding six goals in the last two matches, against two of the weaker sides in the Premier League, suggests the Blues could do with strengthening their defence in January, and a new right-back is of interest, with Newcastle’s Tino Livramento being identified as a target.
However, Guardiola is also eager to upgrade his attacking options, with a report from Spain revealing Real Madrid star Rodrygo is one of the Man City manager’s top targets for the January transfer window.
City are determined to make a move for the Brazilian, with it being revealed they are willing to make a €80m (£70m) offer for his services, and Guardiola believes the forward would be a perfect fit in his system.
The 24-year-old’s agents have been working to secure their client a move away from the Spanish club this winter, offering him to a number of top Premier League clubs, but the Blues are making the most decisive moves to get a deal done.
"Absolutely incredible" Rodrygo may need fresh start
The Brazil international has been a fantastic servant to Real Madrid, with journalist Bence Bocsak praising him for the impact he’s made in the Champions League.
However, the former Santos man, who is regarded as one of the best wingers in the world, may be in need of a fresh start, given that he has now gone 31 games without a goal for the La Liga side, which is the worst streak ever for a Real Madrid attacker.
That’s not to say the Osasco-born forward wouldn’t make an impact at the Etihad Stadium, however, as he has previously shown a keen eye for goal, chipping in with 68 goals and 53 assists in 286 matches for the Spanish side.
Man City now favourites to sign "incredible" £88m star, Pep's captivated by him
City have taken the lead in the race for a Premier League star, with Pep Guardiola a big fan.
ByDominic Lund Dec 2, 2025
£70m would be a huge fee to pay for a player in such poor form though, and Man City should test the waters with a lower offer to begin with.
It’s understood Azhar felt the appointment of Sarfaraz Ahmed in a role that aligned closely with his own responsibilities led him to feel his position had become untenable
Danyal Rasool19-Nov-2025
Azhar Ali was first brought into the PCB as a member of the selection panel in October 2024•AFP/Getty Images
Azhar Ali has resigned from his position at the PCB as selector and head of youth development, ending a 12-month stint in that role. The departure, which was not publicly announced by either Azhar or the board, has been confirmed by ESPNcricinfo.ESPNcricinfo has learned Azhar’s departure came after an extended period of simmering differences in outlook between the former Pakistan captain and the board. Matters eventually came to a head after Sarfaraz Ahmed was reportedly appointed – though, again, not officially confirmed by the board – as the head of Pakistan Shaheens and Under-19 sides, with his remit extending to the organising and managing of tours, as well as conducting training camps.It is understood Azhar felt the appointment of Sarfaraz in a role that aligned closely with his own set of responsibilities led him to feel his position had become untenable. He sent in his letter of resignation earlier this week, which the PCB accepted.Azhar, who captained Pakistan in Tests and ODIs, was first brought into the PCB as a member of the selection panel for Pakistan’s men’s national side in October 2024. A month later, he had the role of youth development head tacked on, one which was publicly announced by the PCB at the time.The official announcement of his appointment on the PCB’s website stated that he had been “tasked with shaping the future of Pakistan cricket by designing and implementing comprehensive youth cricket strategies, establishing robust grassroots cricket structures and talent pathways, collaborating with regional cricket associations to strengthen age-group programmes, educating emerging cricketers under the PCB’s Pathways Programme, and organising seminars and clinics to build awareness of off-field development essentials for aspiring players”.The next major assignment for a Pakistan age-group side comes at the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, which runs from January 15 to February 6, and will take place in Zimbabwe and Namibia. Co-hosts Zimbabwe, Scotland and England are in Pakistan’s group at the competition, which Pakistan have won twice – in 2004 and 2006.
Tottenham Hotspur are starting to make headway under Thomas Frank’s stewardship. However, the Danish coach’s side have been inconsistent since he arrived in the summer, and he has confirmed he will be in the market for transfers in January.
Though the defence have encountered some problems throughout the campaign, Spurs’ attacking play has drawn plenty of criticism, with xG (expected goals) recording a total of just 14.8 from 15 fixtures, as per FBref.
James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski have both been sidelined since the summer, while Dominic Solanke has suffered more issues of his own, but there’s a sense that Heung-min Son’s potency in the final third has been missed.
ENIC Group appear to have recognised this, with plans drawn to sign an attacker next month.
Spurs' January search for a forward
Tottenham are 11th in the Premier League but only trail fourth-place Chelsea by four points. With a bit more flair and precision up front, Frank’s side could start playing with the consistency that has been missing.
Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo is on the London club’s shortlist, but Liverpool and Manchester City are also interested in striking a £65m deal this winter.
With six goals and three assists in the league this year, the 25-year-old could restore the Son-like presence to Spurs’ side, but he’s not the only one on Johan Lange and Fabio Paratici’s radar.
According to TEAMtalk, Kenan Yildiz is on Tottenham’s radar as one of their ‘dream’ targets, having been bumped up ahead of Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman.
Juventus’ financial problems mean they would be open to parting with one of their most coveted players, who has started the season in fine form.
His signature won’t come cheap. Arsenal have also been linked with the Turkish international, with Juve reportedly demanding £88m.
What Yildiz would bring to Spurs
Yildiz is one of the brightest attacking midfielders in the world. The 20-year-old became a regular presence in Juventus’ first team last season, posting 20 goal contributions in all competitions.
This year, he’s cranked his efficiency in the final third up a notch, already with six goals and six assists apiece across 20 matches.
European football writer Danny Corcoran has observed that the versatile attacker has “Mbappe-like ability” when running with the ball, and he ranks among the top 8% of positional peers across Europe for shot-creating actions and the top 13% for successful take-ons per 90.
Matches (starts)
13 (12)
Goals
5
Assists
3
Touches*
51.5
Shots (on target)*
2.4 (1.1)
Accurate passes*
26.8 (85%)
Chances created*
2.2
Dribbles*
1.4
Recoveries*
3.4
Tackles + interceptions*
0.7
Duels won*
3.8
Eight goal involvements from just 12 Serie A starting appearances underline how Yildiz could grow into one of the most prolific forwards in Europe, so such an ambitious bid on Tottenham’s part could land a blistering new goalscoring star to replace Son.
The South Korean, 33, left the Lilywhites from Los Angeles this summer after winning the Europa League in May, ending a decade of service with a trophy.
While the likes of Mohammed Kudus have been in promising form this season, he lacks the old captain’s clinical edge in front of goal, something Yildiz could add to Frank’s side.
Son scored 127 goals from 333 Premier League outings, and Yildiz might just have natural goalscoring ability to replace him, just as competent out on the left wing as he is playing off the central striker.
Any dynamic forward who shares some of Real Madrid superstar Mbappe’s athletic and physical attributes has a chance at making it big in the Premier League, and this could be the spark that Frank’s team need to kick on and challenge for a place in the top four while pushing deep in cup competitions too.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig has said that the fleet-footed Turk is “translating his ability into consistent numbers” this season, and if he could continue that trend down N17 in the Premier League, Tottenham may just crack this attacking nut that has been holding Frank’s vision back this season.
ENIC could fund the Semenyo move by selling Spurs' £55k-p/w "liability"
Tottenham are planning to get rid of some of the deadwood this January.
ذكرت تقارير صحفية، أن الأوروجوياني داروين نونيز مهاجم الهلال السعودي، يرغب في الرحيل عن صفوف الفريق، واللاعب غير سعيد.
وكان نونيز قد غادر صفوف ليفربول الإنجليزي في الصيف الماضي، وانتقل إلى الهلال السعودي ولديه عقد مع النادي حتى عام 2028.
وبحسب ما ورد في صحيفة “Ole” الأرجنتينية، لا يريد نونيز الاستمرار في الدوري السعودي، واللاعب غير راضِ عن مستوى الدوري ولديه مخاوف بشأن المستوى التنافسي ومسيرته المهنية.
ويرى نونيز أنه من الصعب عليه التطور أكثر في مثل هذه الظروف، ويضع في اعتباره اقتراب كأس العالم 2026، ويخشى على مكانه في تشكيلة منتخب بلاده أوروجواي للمونديال، وهو ما يزيد من رغبته في الرحيل.
اقرأ أيضًا | نتائج قرعة نصف نهائي كأس خادم الحرمين الشريفين.. الأهلي يواجه الهلال
وذكرت صحيفة “جلوبو” البرازيلية أيضًا أن نونيز يشعر باستياء شديد من بيئته الحالية، ويسعى للرحيل عن الهلال في أقرب وقت ممكن.
وتفيد التقارير الواردة، أن هناك عرض لنونيز من ريفر بليت الأرجنتيني، لكن يُفضل لاعب ليفربول السابق العودة إلى أوروبا.
يذكر أن نونيز شارك في 11 مباراة مع الهلال السعودي منذ انضمامه للفريق، وقد سجل 5 أهداف وساهم بتمريرتين حاسمتين.
Tim Southee, the New Zealand fast-bowling great, has been appointed Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) bowling coach for IPL 2026, as reported by ESPNcricinfo earlier.”We are delighted to welcome Tim Southee back to the KKR family, this time in a coaching capacity,” KKR chief executive Venky Mysore said in a statement. “Tim’s vast experience and technical expertise will be instrumental in shaping our bowling unit. His leadership qualities and calm approach make him an ideal mentor for our young bowlers.”Southee, who hasn’t retired as a cricketer but has taken on coaching assignments over the past year, including with the England men’s national team, said returning to KKR, who he represented as a player, felt like a natural step.Related
Shane Watson joins KKR as assistant coach
Abhishek Nayar appointed KKR head coach ahead of IPL 2026
“KKR has always felt like home to me, and it’s an honour to return in this new role,” he said. “The franchise has an incredible culture, passionate fans, and a great group of players. I look forward to working closely with the bowlers and helping the team achieve success in IPL 2026.”His appointment came amid significant changes to KKR’s coaching group, now headed by Abhishek Nayar.Former bowling coach Bharat Arun and spin coach Carl Crowe have both moved to Lucknow Super Giants, while Ottis Gibson, who served as assistant coach last season, has exited the setup. Shane Watson has joined as their new assistant coach, and Dwayne Bravo continues in his role as team mentor.Southee had a long but somewhat up-and-down IPL career as a player. Between 2011 and 2023, he represented Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians, before joining KKR in 2021, where he remained until 2023. He has 31 wickets from 43 matches in the IPL, with his best season coming with KKR, in 2022, when he claimed 14 wickets in nine matches.