وزارة الرياضة تستفسر من اتحاد الكرة عن حقيقة المراهنات.. وإجراء منتظر حال ثبوت تورطه

أكد مصدر خاص بوزارة الشباب والرياضة أنه تم التواصل مع الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم للوقوف على حقيقة ما تردد بشأن تورط الجبلاية في عملية مراهنات.

وقال المصدر في تصريحات خاصة لـ”بطولات”: “الوزارة استفسرت من اتحاد الكرة بشأن ما أثير حول المُراهنات ودخول اتحاد الكرة في الأمر”.

طالع | سيد معوض: لن يستطيع أي فريق الوقوف أمام الأهلي في حالة واحدة

وأضاف المصدر: “نتحقق من الأمر بشكل رسمي ونتطلع للتأكد منه”.

واختتم: “حال ثبوت تورط اتحاد الكرة في أمر المراهنات سيتم إحالة الواقعة إلى المسائلة القانونية”.

West Ham fans erupt over McKennie talks

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have erupted over an update involving Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie.

The USA international has emerged as a target for manager David Moyes after a development involving star man Declan Rice.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-developments/” title=”West Ham developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, as explained by Football Insider, GSB apparently plan to sell the 22-year-old if they receive a £90 million bid for his services – with sights also set on his replacement.

In an update, the same outlet explain that West Ham are now laying the groundwork to sign McKennie from Juventus and talks have already taken place over a swoop.

Indeed, according to their information, the Irons are already working on a deal to bring him to east London as a potential heir to Rice.

Flocking to this news, despite the nature of possibly losing Rice, many of these West Ham fans feel as if McKennie could be an ‘incredible signing’ for the club.

It’s hard to argue with this assessment given he has already managed 25 international caps at the age of just 23.

Find all of their best verdicts from Twitter down below.

West Ham fans erupt over McKennie talks…

“I would cry”

Credit: @EllYouSeeAyeEss

“Would hate to lose Rice but I absolutely love Weston Mckennie. I will say he’s more of a box to box than DM, but I guess Rice’s role has been changing anyway.”

Credit: @USAWestHamUSA

“This would be an incredible signing”

Credit: @GreenEggsWHU

“This would make my year”

Credit: @SingleFinMax

“Would be a fantastic signing!

I still think we’d need 2 players to really “replace” Rice though…”

Credit: @WhufcSloth

“Buying the jersey already”

Credit: @DonThomasMiller

“I’m kinda worried based on the maturity issues he’s had lately. BUT I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be buzzing to see a young American at West Ham. He’s got great potential too, but will probably never happen anyways.”

Credit: @TheWestHamYank

“Moyes would turn him into a complete midfielder and he’s everything West Ham want in a player. Would be a perfect Noble replacement”

Credit: @robertsdaniel

In other news: Journalist says 50-cap international now likely to leave West Ham in January, find out more here.

Tamil Nadu continue winning, Delhi upset

The results from the fifth day of the Ranji Trophy one-day tournament 2008-09

Cricinfo staff19-Feb-2009
Ajinkya Rahane’s century steered Mumbai to their second straight win © Cricinfo Ltd
South ZoneAn aggressive 95 from M Vijay and good support from opener Srikkanth Anirudha and Arun Karthik handed Tamil Nadu a comfortable eight-wicket win – their fourth consecutive victory in the tournament – over Andhra Pradesh in Visakhapatnam. Tamil Nadu’s job was made easier by their fast bowlers R Suthesh and Yo Mahesh, who took five wickets between them to help restrict Andhra for 190. The duo struck to leave Andhra reeling at 37 for 6. However, Duvvarapu Shivkumar, who top scored for Andhra with 56, triggered a lower-order revival, with the last four wickets added 153. Garikina Prasad, the offspinner, who batted at No. 10, contributed 41. But the total proved inadequate, with Tamil Nadu’s batsmen scoring at more than 5.5 runs an over, led by Vijay, who struck 12 fours and two sixes.Fast bowlers M Arjun and Shoaib Ahmed took three wickets each to help Hyderabad inflict a 105-run defeat on Goa in Visakhapatnam. The two took the first five wickets to fall and left Goa – who were chasing 261 for victory – reeling at 48 for 5 in the 15th over. Though the lower order helped Goa salvage a more respectable final score, the flurry of wickets early in their innings meant they were always behind the eight-ball. Asked to bat, Hyderabad were provided a good start by opener DB Ravi Teja, who scored 69. Though the highest partnership in their innings was only 50 – between Teja and Anoop Pai for the third wicket – the middle order made important contributions to help their team post a competitive score. Amol Shinde made 43, wicketkeeper Abhinav Kumar chipped in with 34, and Ashish Reddy scored a quick 29 to take their team to 260 for 8. Shadab Jakati, the left-arm spinner, took 3 for 52. Goa, at the bottom of the table, have no chance of making it to the knockout stage.A threatening 89-run stand for the seventh wicket between centurion Devraj Patil and Raju Bhatkal could not prevent Kerala from beating Karnataka by a narrow 15-run margin at the Port Trust Golden Jubilee Stadium. Medium-pacer Prasanth Parameswaran took 3 for 15 in 7.3 overs, and was ably assisted by the rest of the bowling line-up as Karnataka faltered in pursuit of 243. They started off poorly, losing their openers Robin Uthappa and CM Gautam with 19 on the board and slipped to a precarious 111 for 6, despite a 54-run partnership between Patil and B Akhil. Though Patil and Bhatkal took their team within reach of the target, Parameswaran’s two wickets ensured Kerala won. Earlier, Kerala squandered a solid foundation for a sizeable score, losing five wickets for 68 runs in reaching 258 for 9. Half-centuries from Karimutthatu Rakesh, Sreekumar Nair and Preambhastn Prem had put Kerala in a dominating position, but three run-outs jolted their hopes of getting a total beyond Karnataka’s reach. It was Kerala’s first win in the tournament.West ZoneMumbai kept alive their chances of finishing in the top two by beating Maharashtra by seven wickets at the Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground in Rajkot. Maharashtra, put in, managed a score over 200 thanks to an unbeaten 58 from No. 7 Ganesh Gaekwad, who added 71 for the eighth wicket with Rohit Motwani after they had been reduced to 110 for 7. Dhawal Kulkarni struck two early blows for Mumbai, while Iqbal Abdulla and Abhishek took three wickets apiece. Chasing 211, Mumbai’s openers – Wasim Jaffer and Ajinkya Rahane – put on 145 in 22 overs. Gaekwad took the three wickets to fall in the innings, while Rahane reached his century before Mumbai completed the win with 12.4 overs to spare. Mumbai, who now are tied at the top with Maharashtra and Gujarat on eight points, will have to rely on the results of the remaining games in the group phase – Mumbai have completed their four.Half-centuries from opener Sagar Jogiyani and Cheteshwar Pujara helped hosts Saurashtra beat Baroda by five wickets. Set a challenging target of 248, Saurashtra began soundly with the openers adding 36 in under ten overs. However, Chirag Pathak’s dismissal slowed down the innings and Saurashtra were behind the asking-rate when they lost No. 3 Bhushan Chauhan with the score on 83 in the 26th over. But Jogiyani batted steadily, and Pujara stepped up the scoring after Jogiyani fell to finish with 75 off 68 balls and take Saurashtra past Baroda’s total in the final over. Pratik Mehta supported Pujara well with a 28-ball 33, adding 60 for the fifth wicket. Baroda, after opting to bat, wasted a solid foundation laid by a 106-run third-wicket stand between Azharuddin Bilakhia, who top scored with 85, and Rakesh Solanki. They lost their last six wickets for 78 runs, with medium-pacer Jayesh Odedra taking 4 for 44 to precipitate a quick end to the innings.North ZoneAjay Mannu, the Himachal Pradesh wicketkeeper, made an invaluable 70 to help his team record a narrow two-wicket win over Delhi in Una. HP were struggling at 194 for 6 in pursuit of a challenging 282, but Mannu steadied the innings, getting involved in crucial partnerships of 31 for the seventh wicket with K Diwan, and 41 for the eighth with offspinner Sarandeep Singh to take his team within reach of the target. HP had begun their run-chase well, with opener Sangram Singh scoring a quickfire 57. However, the middle-order batsmen failed to build on starts – Vikramjeet Malik made 31 and captain Paras Dogra was trapped lbw on 44. Mannu’s rescue act, though, led the team to their third straight win. Delhi’s innings was anchored by opener Aakash Chopra’s century. He and was involved in a 96-run fourth-wicket stand with allrounder Rajat Bhatia, who made 77 off 68 balls.Haryana too completed a close two-wicket win against Services. Batting first, Services – who had complained about poor facilities in Una – managed only 181. Joginder Sharma struck three early blows, while India legspinner Amit Mishra grabbed 5 for 44 as only three Services batsmen made it past 20. Services’ opening bowlers Rakesh Kumar and Narendra Singh took five wickets to leave Haryana at 78 for 6, but Dhruv Singh and Joginder revived the chase with a 79 -run stand. Arun Sharma then removed Joginer and Sandeep Singh – he finished with 2 for 29 off ten overs – but Dhruv’s unbeaten 68 ensured his team reached the target with 4.2 overs to spare. At the other end, Gaurav Vashisht survived 11 balls for his 1.Uday Kaul top scored with 79 as Punjab posted the first win – a six-wicket victory over Jammu & Kashmir in Dharamsala. Set 219, Punjab’s chase was over in the 38th over, with Ravi Inder Singh and Ankur Kakkar chipping in with 40s. It was the third straight loss for J&K, who were off to a steady start after being put in. Openers Imraj Thakur and Ian Dev Singh scored contrasting 45s, but the middle order, barring Manoj Joglekar, failed to capitalise. Joglekar scored 73 to push his team past 200; the best from the rest was 12. Taruwar Kohli was the pick of the Punjab bowlers, with 3 for 28 off his 7.1 overs.East ZoneRanadeb Bose took a three-wicket haul as Bengal’s bowlers put on an impressive display at Eden Gardens to help their side book their place in the knockout stage. Chasing 250, Tripura were bowled out for 158. Ashok Dinda and spinners Iresh Saxena and Manoj Tiwary scalped two wickets each. Shreevats Goswami scored 74 in Bengal’s 249, with Tiwary making 55 and wicketkeeper-opener Wriddhiman Saha 41. For Tripura, opening bowler Rana Dutta, playing his third List A game, took 4 for 43.A seven-wicket win over Jharkhand in Kolkata boosted Orissa’s chances of qualification. Subit Biswal’s maiden List A century and an unbeaten 88 from Halhadar Das steered Orissa to their target of 261 with 5.3 overs remaining. Jharkhand reached 260 thanks to Saurabh Tiwary’s 76, and a 47-ball 62 from Shiv Gautham.

Rangers: Ryan Kent’s value has soared

When Steven Gerrard was handed the Rangers job back in 2018 there was one question that is bound to have popped up in the minds of supporters… how can he use his Liverpool connections to improve the side?

The answer to that question came fairly quickly as he landed Ryan Kent on loan from Anfield in his first transfer window in charge at Ibrox. Kent joined on a season-long loan and quickly caught the eye before earning a permanent deal with the Scottish giants the following summer.

Transfermarkt valued him at £1.58m at the time of the move, having scored six goals and provided six assists in 23 Premiership matches for the club on loan. This showed an immediate impact from Gerrard in terms of what he offered off the pitch with his notability within the game and links to Premier League side Liverpool allowing the Gers to strike gold on this occasion.

Kent has established himself as one of the best players in Scotland over the past few seasons since joining the club. He has been nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award in two separate campaigns, whilst also winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2019.

Former Gers attacker Kris Boyd previously heralded Kent as being phenomenal and praised the way he excites supporters with his style of play.

He said: “There’s Ryan Kent who is phenomenal – he gets you off your seat. His numbers have increased season after season. Even if the team are not at the level we saw at the start of the campaign, he is still a threat. He is so comfortable with the ball – it is like he has superglue in his boots!”

Last season, Kent averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.23 in the Premiership as Rangers won the title. He racked up an impressive ten goals and nine assists to help the Gers claim the crown ahead of Celtic, proving that he has the quality to be a difference-maker for the club.

This has led to the 24-year-old’s reputation and profile improving considerably since he joined the club permanently in 2019. At the time of writing (06/10/21), Kent is valued at £12.60m by Transfermarkt. This is a stunning 697% value increase in two years since the move became official.

Gerrard hit the jackpot with Kent and Rangers have benefitted from his quality on the pitch ever since. His exponential rise in value could also see the club benefit from a financial standpoint. If they ever decide to cash in on him, which could provide a huge boost to the coffers if a Premier League side, for example, comes in with a big-money offer.

Therefore, the signing of Kent was a masterstroke by Gerrard. Hopefully, he will continue to grow and improve as a player, with his market value following him on an upwards trajectory.

AND in other news, Davis 2.0: Rangers must swoop for £4.1k-p/w “exciting talent”, he won’t cost a penny…

'Now is a time for cool heads' – Arthur

Mickey Arthur has implored players and officials to maintain cool heads as they attempt to rebuild from a devastating Test series defeat to Australia

Alex Brown12-Mar-2009

“The nucleus of our squad is still there, and it’s a very strong one. I think we will bounce back from this in the not too distant future.”•Getty Images

Mickey Arthur has implored players and officials to maintain cool heads asthey attempt to rebuild from a devastating Test series defeat to Australia.The South African coach was confident his side would quickly rebound fromback-to-back losses in Johannesburg and Durban, but warned that swift,radical change would serve only to destabilise a team that had beenundefeated in its 10 previous series.Within an hour of Australia closing out a 175-run victory in Kingsmead – aresult that sealed South Africa’s first Test series defeat since July 2006- the hosts announced the immediate axing of Neil McKenzie and Morne Morkel,and installed Ashwell Prince as captain; a decision they would laterrescind.The flurry of activity prompted murmurings as to whetherSouth Africa’s recently-installed convenor of selectors, Mike Procter, wasover-reacting to a rare set of defeats, but Arthur insisted rationalthinking would guide the side through the current tempest.”This is not a train smash,” Arthur said. “Now is a time for cool heads. Wehave to think clearly and rationally in terms of strategy and reflect on ourrecent performances and how we can improve on them. It sets you back alittle in the immediate term. But in the long-term, I think it mightactually do us some good. This will force players to sit down, reflect andfocus. We must now dig deep, and that goes for everyone, including Graeme(Smith) and myself.”Things have been hunky-dory for ten or so series and two years. Playerslike Morne Morkel, Paul Harris and even Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn havenever really felt what it’s like to lose a Test series. As strong as anycricketer is, I think they have to know that pain of losing to be complete.It is a real driving force for many great players. The nucleus of our squadis still there, and it’s a very strong one. I think we will bounce back fromthis in the not too distant future.”The decision to stand-down McKenzie from the third Test was perhaps notsurprising, given his failure to score a Test century in nine months, andhis underwhelming return of 223 runs at 24.77 in his past five Tests againstAustralia. Less expected was the move to drop Morkel, who, just two monthsprior, had formed part of a pace attack compared favourably by some pundits with the WestIndian line-up of the late 90s.Morkel struggled for consistency in Johannesburg and Durban – reflected inhis series return of six wickets at 49.83 – but aged just 24, and blessedwith the intimidating combination of height and pace, the right-armer isviewed as a future leader of the South African attack. Arthur was adamantMorkel remained a key part of South Africa’s plans, despite his omission from the Cape Town Test.”He will be disappointed to be out of our squad, and I hope he uses thistime to reflect on where he is as a bowler, and where he wants to be,”Arthur said. “He will be an integral part of this team going forward, andhopefully in the not too distant future. He just needs to get himself towhere he needs to be.”There was a lot of emotion in that dressing room after the game. Theplayers were really hurting. The series was obviously gone, and one or twoof them knew they would be left out of the next Test. When you lose, thereare consequences and in this case it meant losing one or two players whohave been integral to our performances in the past year or so. Graeme and Ispoke to them strongly, but calmly, about the need to reflect on this resultand back strongly so we don’t experience something like that again. It was afirm chat, but certainly not as hard as the one we had after the Wanderers.”Arthur called upon the South Africans to duplicate the response of theAustralians to their shock 2005 Ashes defeat. Ricky Ponting’s squad wereundefeated in 21 matches – a sequence that included a worldrecord-equalling 16 consecutive victories – immediately after the final Test at The Oval toquash speculation they were a team on the wane.”We have the players to still be at the top of the game, there’s no doubtabout it,” he said. “Hopefully, this will build the character of the team.We can look at what Australia did in the Ashes in 2005 and see that, afterone bad series result, just how strongly they came back in the period afterthat.”We are in the same position going into Cape Town as Australia was goinginto Sydney. This is important for us. There is no such thing as a deadrubber for our team.”

أسامة نبيه: الزمالك سيحسم لقب الدوري بأقدام لاعبيه ودون النظر للمنافسين

أكد أسامة نبيه، المدرب العام الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، أن فريقه لم يحسم لقب الدوري المصري، رغم الفوز على بيراميدز.

وفاز الزمالك على بيراميدز بثلاثية نظيفة في المباراة التي جمعت الفريقين أمس على استاد القاهرة، في الجولة الثامنة والعشرين لمسابقة الدوري.

وقال أسامة نبيه في تصريحات عقب المباراة: “نخوض جميع المباريات كمباريات كؤوس لا بديل فيها سوى الفوز”.

طالع أيضًا.. أمير مرتضى : كنا نبحث عن مدرب بمواصفات فيريرا.. وأبلغته عند التعاقد أن خبرات رئيس النادي تغيرت

وتابع: “الفوز بمسابقة الدوري سيكون بأقدام لاعبي الزمالك دون النظر لنتائج المنافسين”. أهداف الزمالك في مباراة بيراميدز

جدير بالذكر أن الزمالك يتربع على عرش صدارة جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 66 نقطة، ويتواجد بيراميدز في الوصافة بـ 59 نقطة.

Amarela e azul: Fotos da terceira camisa do Fla circulam na Internet

MatériaMais Notícias

Mais uma vez amarela e azul! O Flamengo irá estrear no próximo sábado, contra o Coritiba, na Ilha do Urubu, em partida válida pela 15ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, seu terceiro uniforme para a temporada de 2017. A nova camisa será predominante amarela, com detalhes em azul.

Amarelo e azul foram as primeiras cores do Flamengo e por isso foram escolhidas para o terceiro uniforme do clube para 2017. Fotos oficiais ainda não foram postadas pelo clube ou pelo patrocinador, mas na Internet os torcedores já estão compartilhando o modelo teria sido o escolhido através de votação.

RelacionadasFlamengoDe saída, Leandro Damião é liberado pelo Fla e não encara o PalmeirasFlamengo19/07/2017FlamengoNova camisa do Flamengo poderia ter o Cristo Redentor… Veja 14 opções que entraram em pautaFlamengo19/07/2017

Antes do terceiro uniforme, os dois primeiros também já haviam sido vazados na Web e dividiram opiniões dos Rubro-Negros, assim como esse amarelo e azul. Nas redes sociais, o clube colocou a foto de perfil com um pedaço com as cores da nova camisa e contra o Coritiba será a primeira vez que os atletas irão usar o terceiro uniforme de 2017.

Em 2010, o clube já havia lançado uma camisa com as cores amarela e azul em listras verticais, mas não foi “aceita” pelos torcedores como o marketing da época esperava. Modelo foi desenhado e votado em uma ação do patrocinador e estreia será na nova casa, na Ilha do Urubu.

Diego exalta reação do Flamengo contra o Timão: 'foi muito boa'

MatériaMais Notícias

Após o empate com o Corinthians no último domingo, o meia Diego destacou a entrega do time do Flamengo e o poder de reação que o clube carioca teve diante do líder do Campeonato Brasileiro, fora de casa.

– Pode ser que tenhamos perdidos a organização depois do gol. Nos primeiros minutos deu certo, depois nos perdemos, não temos o motivo ainda. Nos confundimos em alguns minutos e apesar de não ter criado muitas chances eles dominaram um jogo em um tempo. O que vale é a reação do segundo tempo, que foi muito boa.

Para o camisa 35, o empate na Arena Corinthians não é um resultado ruim e ressaltou a importância dos próximos jogos na Série A.

– Esse empate dependendo da situação do resultado era um bom resultado. Ponto importante. na soma do primeiro turno vai nos dar tranquilidade para no segundo turno seguir trabalhando atrás do objetivo. Precisamos vencer os próximo jogos para fazer valer esse ponto.

– Não foi o resultado que esperávamos. Dependendo do resultado contra Santos e Vitória, será muito importante esse ponto conquistado aqui – completou.

RelacionadasFlamengoApós empate contra o Timão, Zé ainda pensa no título: ‘Não tem porque não acreditar’Flamengo30/07/2017FlamengoPara o estreante Diego Alves, Fla merecia a vitória em ItaqueraFlamengo30/07/2017

كلوب يعلق على إصابة ألكانتارا.. ويعترف: كنا محظوظين بالخروج بنقطة أمام فولهام

علق يورجن كلوب المدير الفني الألماني لفريق ليفربول على التعادل مع فولهام في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن الجولة الأولى من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ليفربول تعادل بهدفين لمثلهما أمام فولهام، في مباراة شهدت تسجيل محمد صلاح هدفًا وصناعته آخر.

وقال كلوب في تصريحات عبر شبكة “بي إن سبورتس” القطرية، بعد المباراة: “لقد فزنا بنقطة ولم نخسر نقطتين، في مباراة صعبة خارج أرضنا وبأول لقاء في الموسم”.

وأضاف: “لم نستحق تحقيق الفوز ولم نلعب بشكل جيد، وكنا محظوظين بأن نخرج بنقطة من ملعب فولهام في مباراة مثل هذه”.

وعلق على إصابة تياجو ألكانتارا، قائلًا: “أعتقد أنها كانت إصابة غير جيدة، وكان واضحًا على ملامح وجهه أثناء خروجه، وبعد مغادرته تلقينا هدفًا وكنا تحت سيطرتهم (فولهام)، حتى سجلنا التعادل”.

وتابع: “لعبنا بـ10% من مستوانا، ولو كنا قدمنا 40% لربما كان الأداء أصبح أفضل، كانت مباراة فوضوية وكان لدينا مشاكل في التمريرات بين الخطوط”.

واختتم: “فولهام قدم مباراة جيدة هي الأولى لهم بعد الصعود، وكانت لديهم لحظات إيجابية، على عكس فريقنا الذي لم يحصل على أي إيجابية خلال المباراة سوى النتيجة”.

McCullum replaces Ganguly as Kolkata captain

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum will lead Kolkata Knight Riders for the second season of the IPL, which begins on Saturday in South Africa

Cricinfo staff17-Apr-2009

Brendon McCullum takes over the reins from Sourav Ganguly•Getty Images

New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum will lead the Kolkata Knight Riders for the second season of the IPL, which begins on Saturday in South Africa. He has replaced former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who led Kolkata during the first season of the IPL.Ganguly said he was “okay” with the decision. “I’ll play as an ordinary player and support McCullum in whatever way I can,” he told the Kolkata-based . “Shah Rukh has spoken to me and he’s given Buchanan everything he wanted, including the captain, and stated that there could now be no excuse for not performing.”The move has cleared some doubt regarding the multiple-captain theory proposed by Kolkata coach John Buchanan. The team had been using different captains in each of their practice games in South Africa, but it is now clear the strategy has been done away with.”Prior to coming here there was obviously some speculation about the multi-captains,” Buchanan said. “We’ve appointed Brendon, who is very happy about it. He has the support of Sourav Ganguly, Brad Hodge and Chris Gayle as senior members and obviously Matthew Mott as team coach.”McCullum will also keep wicket and open the batting. “I’m immensely proud to have been named Kolkata Knight Riders captain. It’s a tremendous honour,” he said.”We’ve got some quality players in our line-up and I will be looking to use the skills and expertise of Sourav, Brad and Chris throughout the tournament.”I don’t know how it looks from the outside, but Sourav has been extremely supportive of my role in Kolkata Knight Riders, right from the inaugural season,” McCullum wrote in his column for . “He is an icon who has always had a way with younger players and it is wonderful to watch how they respond and react to him. I am sure that Sourav will be one of the chief motivators for the youngsters in the group this year as well.”As a unit, our expectations from him are high and we feel that he will now be able to express himself more freely as a batsman and of course he will be making huge inputs in planning and ideating.”Buchanan said the decision was taken in the best interests of the team. “I’m sure there’ll be the odd objection to it, but hopefully the fans will understand that what we are trying to do is the best for them, the best for the franchise and the best for Sourav. We don’t make these decisions lightly.”Ganguly is the third captain to have lost the captaincy after the IPL’s first season. VVS Laxman was the first to go when the Deccan Chargers appointed Adam Gilchrist to lead the side, followed by Rahul Dravid making way for Kevin Pietersen at the helm for the Bangalore Royal Challengers.Kolkata will play their first game against Deccan on Sunday.

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