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What do the six PSL 2025 squads look like after the disruption, and where do their campaigns stand at this stage?

Danyal Rasool16-May-2025Quetta GladiatorsGladiators are arguably best placed. Having already secured a top-two berth for the playoffs, they know precisely the path they will need to tread if they are to replicate their heroics from 2019, when they won the title. The one game they have left in the league phase comes against the already-eliminated Multan Sultans, giving them an opportunity to test out a fresh team composition.And on that note, too, they have perhaps done better than most.Rilee Rossouw, their greatest ever overseas player and an architect of their 2019 triumph, has opted to return for what remains of the league. As has Finn Allen, maintaining to a large extent their top order composition. While significant overseas names like Kusal Mendis, Sean Abbott and Mark Chapman do not make the trip back, Gladiators have bolstered their ranks with Dinesh Chandimal, Gulbadin Naib and Avishka Fernando.Karachi Kings’ superstar captain David Warner will continue to lead the side•PCBKarachi KingsAmid all the uncertainty over the league’s postponement, the one thing everyone seemed to be sure of was that Kings’ superstar captain had no qualms about returning. David Warner will continue to lead a side that has seen a transformation from the last three seasons, when they missed the playoffs, to sitting on the cusp of finishing inside the top two. They have two games left, coming against sides that would be desperate for the points: Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, who are both fighting to finish inside the top four.Aside from Warner, Kings have Mohammad Nabi. Tim Seifert and James Vince returning too. The quartet formed the core of Kings’ playing overseas roster for much of the earlier part of the season. Kane Williamson will not return, but Kings have been strengthened by bringing in Scotland top-order batter George Munsey, described eye-catchingly on his ESPNcricinfo profile as “the reverse-sweeping demon of the Associate world”.Ben Dwarshuis is one of the key players who have returned to Islamabad United’s ranks•PCBIslamabad UnitedWhat’s happened to the best side in PSL history? Having stormed to the title last year, they began 2025 in the same vein, winning the first five matches to register a ten-game winning streak across seasons, the best in the league’s history. They rested five players for the next game, and suddenly, they couldn’t buy a point. The last four games have been relatively comprehensive defeats, leaving them on a precarious ten points with the third-worst net run-rate and just one game to go – against Kings.However, United have built a reputation as a side that is well managed, and, just as importantly, one that drafts exceptionally well. They have perhaps been the best of all six sides at bringing in the players they require. Ben Dwarshuis returns, while Rassie van der Dussen, unavailable for the first part of the season, will now be a part of their squad. Alex Hales returns, while allrounder James Neesham and fast bowler Tymal Mills also come into the roster.Lahore Qalandars need to win their game against Peshawar Zalmi•PCBLahore QalandarsQalandars, much like United, found themselves relatively comfortable until two-thirds of the way into the season, but two rain-affected games, one of which ended in a no-result even as they lost the other, now leave them in a virtual must-win knockout before the playoffs. Nine points from nine games mean they need to win their game against Zalmi on Sunday, or they will not be a part of the playoffs – which take place in Lahore – for an unprecedented seventh time in ten seasons.They pulled out all the stops to ensure Sikandar Raza came back to join them for that one game on Sunday. He has a Test match to play against England at Trent Bridge that starts just four days later, so he will not be a part of the playoffs, even if Qalandars make it. With David Wiese and Sam Billings also not returning, Qalandars have turned to Shakib al Hasan – who has not played competitively since November last year – and Bhanuka Rajapaksa – who has not played competitive cricket since January.Mitchell Owen will not return to the PSL and instead play in the PSL•Getty ImagesPeshawar ZalmiZalmi’s record of making every single playoff in the league’s history is under threat. For the first half of the league, they looked like they would have fallen out of contention by this stage, but three wins in the last four have helped them cling on. Sitting fifth, one point behind Qalandars, they have the advantage of a game in hand. Victory against Qalandars will guarantee them passage to the playoffs, but they also have a game against Kings, which offers them a slightly more circuitous route, with net run-rate potentially entering the mix.They have not managed to hold on to Mitchell Owen amid interest from the IPL, but do bring back Tom Kohler-Cadmore, one of Zalmi’s mainstays over the years. Luke Wood, the second-most economical fast bowler this year, will also be part of what remains of their campaign, as will big-hitting Australian Max Bryant. While Alzarri Joseph and Nahid Rana will be absent, Afghanistan top-order batter Najibullah Zadran returns.Dilshan Madushanka is one of the new recruits for Multan Sultans•ICC/Getty ImagesMultan SultansWhat Sultans really care about is the end of this season. Already eliminated with one of the worst campaigns in the history of the PSL, they sit rock bottom, having lost eight of their nine games. At one stage, it appeared they would bring in no overseas player at all and, indeed, none of their overseas players from their original roster will come back.However, with the league requiring a minimum of three overseas players per game, they brought in Australian batter Josh Brown and spinner Peter Hatzoglou. In keeping with the season they have had, Brown has pulled up injured, and will be replaced by Sri Lanka fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka. ESPNcricinfo understands Sultans will also bring in a batter, though they are yet to confirm the name.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have now submitted an offer for Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia, with it being revealed the forward could be available for a bargain fee.

Wolves certainly need some inspiration from somewhere if they are to dig themselves out of trouble, given that they are currently sitting bottom of the table, having taken just two points from their opening 11 Premier League matches.

Not only do the Old Gold have the worst defensive record in the top flight, but they have also been extremely poor from an attacking point of view, having scored just seven goals, the fewest of any Premier League side.

In fact, not a single one of Rob Edwards’ players has scored more than one league goal, with Jorgen Strand Larsen failing to make the impact he did last season, so it would make sense for the new manager to pursue a new forward in the January transfer window.

Wolves make offer for Gonzalo Garcia

That is exactly what Wolves are planning to do, according to a report from Spain, which states they are one of several Premier League clubs to have made an offer of around €20m (£18m) for Real Madrid forward Garcia.

Sunderland and Aston Villa have also made moves for the Spaniard, who could seemingly be available for a bargain fee, given that cashing-in for £18m is regarded as an ‘attractive financial opportunity’ for the La Liga club.

The Old Gold want to get a deal done quickly, given that the 21-year-old’s value could increase as the season goes on, with some key figures at Real Madrid of the belief he could still have a future at the Bernabeu.

In truth, it would be surprising if the youngster was prepared to make the move to Molineux, given that Wolves are at serious risk of being relegated, but he could be a major coup if Fosun were able to get a deal done.

Journalist Zach Lowy clearly believes the Madrid starlet could be capable of playing for a club competing at the top level, having singled him out for praise courtesy of his impressive displays at the Club World Cup.

The centre-forward bagged four goals in six games out in the USA, while also providing one assist, but unsurprisingly, he has since been unable to displace the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr in the starting XI.

Consequently, it would make sense for Garcia to move to a new club this January, but Wolves will have to improve their league standing considerably to stand a chance of winning the race.

Wolves and Edwards keen to sign Premier League striker Wolves and Edwards keen to sign "aggressive" £90,000-p/w Premier League flop

He’s cost £1m for every appearance made so far.

ByCharlie Smith Nov 14, 2025

Captain Bavuma and head coach Conrad are happy for curators to prepare the pitches as they would like

Firdose Moonda25-Nov-2024It’s a stereotype as common as they come: go to the subcontinent and expect to be spun out, come to South Africa and watch your head (and all your other belongings – but that’s a different conversation). Except this time.South Africa will not prepare green tops for their four must-win Test matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan this summer.Despite what gut instincts may say about the best way for them to maximise home advantage and even though they are playing Sri Lanka at venues where they lost five years ago, South Africa will leave it to individual ground staff to and hope for fair surfaces for their matches.Related

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“We’re not at liberty to instruct the groundsmen to prepare what we’d like. We just try to play on whatever has been prepared,” Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s captain said in Pretoria, where the team held their preparation camp before traveling to Durban for the first Test. “And there’s not a lot of concern from my side where we are playing Sri Lanka. Obviously Sri Lanka will be confident in those two venues because they were successful but we’re not going to ask for specific conditions”Sri Lanka beat South Africa in Durban and Gqeberha in 2019 but lost the next series in 2020-21, when they were beset by a spate of injuries. But that 2019 series was the first time a subcontinent side had beaten South Africa in a home series, which some say makes the decision to go back to those venues curious. Durban, in particular, has been a difficult place for South Africa in the last 15 years. Since March 2009, South Africa have played 10 Tests at Kingsmead and lost seven, including two each to Sri Lanka (their first Test win in the country came in 2011), Australia and England and one to India. Their last outing was in March 2022, when they beat Bangladesh by 220 runs, at the end of the Covid-19 restrictions, with a side that was depleted by the absence of IPL-bound players, which made up most of the first-choice attack.But Test coach Shukri Conrad is not buying into the talk that the coastal venues are more suited to subcontinent teams and wants to reclaim them as places South Africa consider their own. “You can’t play all your cricket at Centurion and the Wanderers,” he said earlier this month, referring to the Highveld venues which do give pace bowlers the edge. “We’ve got a fan base in Durban. We’ve got a fan base in Gqeberha and we’re looking forward to playing Test matches there.”Like Bavuma, he does not expect the groundstaff to prepare anything other than what is usually expected of them. “We just want good cricketing wickets,” he said. “That’s all I can ask for.”Keshav Maharaj is expected to play an important role in South Africa’s upcoming home Tests•AFP/Getty ImagesSo what might that be?First up, at Kingsmead, Durban’s long-serving groundsman Wilson Ngobese will retire at the end of this year and has been handing over the reins to his successor Wonderboy Khanyile. Along with former Newlands and Wanderers groundsman Evan Flint, a prodigy of Ngobese’s, who has been working in Kwa-Zulu Natal as a consultant, they have prepared the Test pitch together. It should be livelier than it is for domestic matches, where the local team, the Dolphins tend to prefer it slower and lower.”I was in conversation with Evan and it’ll be one of the new wickets and Evan guarantees me there’ll be some good pace,” Conrad said. “Domestically, they prepare it to spin because of the strength of their bowlers so I think the Dolphins go out deliberately preparing spinning wickets.”That is in stark contrast to the messaging of five years ago when, under Ottis Gibson, South Africa’s groundstaff were instructed to prepare green-tops, particularly for a 2017-18 series against India. The Wanderers got it so badly wrong that the pitch was rated poor and they were handed three demerit points, which have since expired. Gibson wanted to maximise the advantage an attack of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi could give South Africa, at the expense of their batters. South Africa’s ability to score big runs diminished to the point that between January 2018 and December 2021, only West Indies (among teams in the World Test Championship) had fewer centurions.The second Test at St George’s Park could see plenty of movement off the seam and perhaps even reverse swing come into play. “If you look at the records domestically, [Warriors allrounder] Beyers Swanepoel, for example, takes a host of wickets there,” Conrad said. Swanepoel has 52 first-class wickets from nine matches at the venue at an average of 14.44. “It can be very favourable for seamers as well.”It is also known to take turn later on, and South Africa back their first-choice left-arm spinner, Keshav Maharaj, to take centre stage. “You want spin later on in the game and why we play arguably one of the best spinners in the world in Keshav in our side,” Conrad said.South Africa have also included spin-bowling allrounder Senuran Muthusamy, who took a career-best 4 for 45 in Bangladesh last month, in the squad but have no room for offspinner Dane Piedt or wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi, which suggests that even if there is turn, they’re not expecting it to be that big.All the discussion over home advantage is pressing because of what is at stake for the hosts. South Africa need to win all four of their remaining matches to guarantee a place in the World Test Championship final. They could still get there with three wins but would be dependent on other results. Either way, their fate lies in their own hands and they don’t plan on putting it in conditions.

Trent Alexander-Arnold had to be substituted in the 55th minute of Real Madrid's 3-0 victory over Athletic Club after appearing to sustain an ankle injury. The former Liverpool right-back had finally picked up his first assist in La Liga when he set up Kylian Mbappe's early opener but had to be replaced early in the second half after receiving treatment.

• Trent picks up agonising injury

  Alexander-Arnold had enjoyed one of his more positive outings in a Madrid shirt on Wednesday night, finally picking up his first assist in La Liga since signing for the club in the summer from Liverpool. His long pass forward was brilliantly controlled by Mbappe, who sped through Athletic's midfield and produced an impeccable finish to send Los Blancos into the lead. Alexander-Arnold had also looked secure enough at the back despite being up against the lively Nico Williams, but he was soon down on the turf receiving treatment before he had to be withdrawn, with Raul Asencio coming on as his replacement. It's another worry for manager Xabi Alonso, who is already without first choice right-back Dani Carvajal due to injury, and he'll now have to await the results of tests to see how long the new man could be absent for.

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  TAA finally ends assist drought

  Alexander-Arnold's diffcult start to life at Santiago Bernabeu has been widely reported, with the Spanish press taking a pop at the England international after his previous performance in the 1-1 draw with Girona. He had been labelled "clueless" by a prominent journalist, having failed to convince many Madrid fans with his displays during his first few months at the club. However, he now finally has another assist to add to his first in Madrid colours which he picked up during the Club World Cup in the summer. It wasn't a trademark assist, with Mbappe doing a lot of the work to finish the job, but it certainly would have done the 27-year-old the world of good if he hadn't been struck down by a fitness issue later on. It comes just short of three months after he suffered a hamstring problem at the start of the season which caused him to miss six matches.

• Second injury ruins Alonso's positive night

  It wasn't just Alexander-Arnold's injury that Alonso now has to worry about. Eduardo Camavinga, scorer of Madrid's second goal on Wednesday, also received treatment before coming off. The Frenchman seemed to pick up a muscular issue, having suddenly pulled up off the ball, and he alongside Alexander-Arnold now faces an anxious wait as medical examinations are conducted and results are gathered. Camavinga suffered a severely disrupted 2024-25 season, making only 15 appearances over the course of the campaign, and a further setback would be devastating for the versatile midfielder. Alonso is already without some important players, namely Carvajal, David Alaba, Dean Huijsen and Ferland Mendy, and another injury would further restrict the options at the former Bayer Leverkusen boss' disposal.

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  What comes next for Alexander-Arnold and Real Madrid?

  Alexander-Arnold will undergo tests over the next few days to learn the severity of his injury. It seems unlikely that he will be available for Madrid's next fixture, which comes on Sunday when they host Celta Vigo, while he may also be missing for the huge Champions League clash with Manchester City. After that, Los Blancos have fixtures against Alaves and Sevilla before a short break over the Christmas period. Their victory in Bilbao did alleviate some of the pressure building on Alonso's shoulders, with the former Liverpool and Bayern Munich midfielder facing criticism after a run of three La Liga games without a victory. They remain a point behind leaders Barcelona, who impressively beat Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night, and a strong run of form is now essential if Los Blancos are to wrestle the league title back off their famous rivals.

Malolan Rangarajan to fill in as head coach for Luke Williams this season due to a schedule conflict between WPL and BBL

Shashank Kishore03-Nov-2025Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have appointed former England fast bowler Anya Shrubsole as their new bowling coach as part of a reshuffle of their support ahead of WPL 2026.Shrubsole will work alongside Malolan Rangarajan, the former Tamil Nadu spinner, who will step in as head coach for the upcoming season. The change was necessary because Luke Williams, who came onboard as head coach ahead of the 2024 season, is set to miss WPL 2026 due to his commitments with Adelaide Strikers in the BBL.A scheduling conflict has arisen because the WPL has been advanced by a month. The tournament is set to begin on January 8 and will end in early February. India is then slated to co-host the men’s T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka in the February-March window, before IPL 2026.A World Cup winner in 2017, Shrubsole retired from international cricket in 2022 with over 200 wickets. In the season that followed, she served as player-and-assistant coach under Charlotte Edwards at Southern Vipers. Her stint with RCB will be her first in the WPL. Sunetra Paranjape was previously bowling coach of RCB until 2025.Rangarajan has been part of RCB’s WPL setup since the first season. After working under Ben Sawyer and Mike Hesson in 2023, Rangarajan – who also serves as lead scout for the men’s team – was assistant to Williams during their title-winning season in 2024 and the most recent one, in which they didn’t make the final.The other members of the RCB support staff include R Muralidhar, who will continue as batting coach, while Navnita Gautam is likely to continue in her role as head physio.Rangarajan’s first task will be to finalise the players RCB are retaining ahead of the November 5 deadline, with the WPL mega auction likely to be held on November 26 in New Delhi. The franchise is understood to be unanimous in their choice of Smriti Mandhana as the top retention and captain for the next WPL cycle. They are also in talks with Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh, Sophie Molineux and Shreyanka Patil as possible retentions.RCB had two fourth-place finishes either side of a title-winning run under Mandhana in 2024 – their first ever trophy, before the men’s team followed suit in 2025 and won their maiden IPL title.

Will Rangers be busy in the January transfer window?

Well, new manager Danny Röhl will certainly demand that they are, having taken over a complete mess, following Russell Martin’s short but ill-fated tenure.

Well, after spending around £30m on 13 new recruits in the summer, Rangers reported annual losses of £14.8m in their latest accounts on Friday, despite seeing revenue increase to £94.1m, a club record.

Despite this, the club are still expected to be busy in the January transfer window, but sporting director Kevin Thelwell will be tasked with finding gems in the market, so has one already been identified?

Rangers' search for a new attacker

One of Rangers’ many issues this season so far has been a lack of attacking firepower.

Across all competitions, only captain James Tavernier and Djeidi Gassama have scored more than three goals, with youngster Findlay Curtis and Danilo the only players on three.

Thus, according to a report in Kazakhstan, Rangers are attempting to sign winger Galymzhan Kenzhebek.

They note that “negotiations began” between his representatives and the Glasgow-based giants, while Dundee United and Aberdeen as well as clubs in Slovakia, Russia, Greece are also in the race.

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So, could he soon become the first Kazakh player to represent Rangers, with Kazakhstan thereby becoming the 67th different nationality represented at Ibrox?

What Galymzhan Kenzhebek would bring to Rangers

Despite the fact he is only 22 years old, Galymzhan Kenzhebek has had something of a journeyman career to date.

After bouncing around various Kazakh clubs including Kairat Almaty, a name that’ll send a shudder down the spine of any Celtic fan, and then did something few of his compatriots do by venturing abroad, enjoying stints with Akritas Chlorakas​​​​​​​ in Cyprus and Košice in Slovakia.

He did return home in June, joining Yelimay Semey, for whom he was on fire, scoring six goals in his final nine Kazakh Premier League appearances before the season concluded on 26 October, firing his team up to fourth, thereby qualifying for a major UEFA competition for the first time ever.

However, by the time they play that historic Conference League qualifier in August, it seems unlikely that Kenzhebek will still call Semey home.

The Rangers Journal labels him a “very pacy and direct” winger, also praising his “goal-scoring instincts” and outlining that he is a high-volume winger who “loves to just get the ball and commit defenders”.

Meantime, Kai Watson was also impressed, noting that he is a “quality ball carrier” and could add quality to the Rangers squad at a pretty low price.

Well, as well as starring for his club, Kenzhebek has also made the breakthrough at international level this year too.

He scored his first-ever international goal at the Borisov Arena against Belarus in a friendly in June, before netting twice during a 4-0 demolition of Liechtenstein last month, thereby starting each of Kazakhstan’s last six World Cup qualifiers, including Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Belgium, a famous point, a match Nicolas Raskin also started.

So, could Kenzhebek replicate Daizen Maeda’s success from across the city?

Well, when the Japanese international arrived at Celtic from Yokohama F. Marinos on a bargain deal in January 2022, he was a complete unknown, but his skillset sounds very reminiscent​​​​​​​ to that of Kenzhebek, as a pacey forward who typically operates off the left flank.

While an “inconsistent finisher” right now in the view of Watson – much like the at-times erratic Maeda was when he arrived in Glasgow – Rangers will hope their potential new recruit can go on to eventually prove equally as clinical in Glasgow derbies.

So, while Kenzhebek is not proven at an elite level, he is seemingly worth the risk and, at a low fee, could prove to be a masterstroke in recruitment?

Thelwell can upgrade on Souttar by signing £8m defender for Rangers

With Danny Röhl in need of defensive reinforcements, could Rangers sign an “aggressive” £8m-valued star better than John Souttar and Nasser Djiga?

By
Ben Gray

Nov 20, 2025

Who has impressed and who has struggled during the first half of the tournament?

Andrew McGlashan20-Apr-20251:38

Bishop: We saw the best of Starc tonight

Mitchell Marsh (Lucknow Super Giants)

Matches: 7 | Runs: 299 | Average: 42.71 | S/R: 167.97It’s been a notable return to action for Marsh, who missed the latter part of the Australia season through injury following his Test omission. He hammered four half-centuries in his first six innings before missing a game due to an illness in the family. He has benefited from the Impact Sub rule and has rarely had to push his body through fielding. “I’ve never been more motivated to score runs,” he said wryly about the ability to put his feet up. Marsh remains Australia’s T20 captain and has a big year ahead of him with the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka next February.

Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Matches: 7 | Wickets: 7 | Average: 36.00 | Economy 10.21It hasn’t been a stellar IPL yet for Australia’s Test and ODI captain while his team languishes near the foot of the table. Cummins hadn’t played since the end of the India Test series in January, having missed the Champions Trophy. His most recent outing brought his best return of 3 for 26 against Mumbai Indians but, overall, wickets have come at a price. From Australia’s perspective, if SRH don’t make the playoffs, it would give Cummins some extra time to prepare for the WTC final.Related

• Kohli, Padikkal fifties fire RCB to fifth away win

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Travis Head (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Matches: 7 | Runs: 242 | Average: 34.57| S/R: 168.05There have been flashes of brilliance from Head, who started the tournament with 67 off 31 balls as SRH piled up a massive 286 for 6 against Rajasthan Royals. More recently, he flayed 66 off 37 deliveries in a rollicking stand of 171 with Abhishek Sharma, as the duo produced another iconic IPL moment with SRH chasing 247 with room to spare.

Josh Hazlewood (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)

Matches: 7 | Wickets: 12 | Average: 15.91 | Economy: 8.17Hazlewood is going along very nicely, which has been good news for both RCB, who are challenging towards the top of the table, and him personally, having not played since mid-December before the IPL started. His 3 for 21 against Chennai Super Kings was out of the top drawer and he bettered that return with 3 for 14 against Punjab Kings, although that came in defeat. It is looking increasingly like another Hazlewood vs Scott Boland debate for the WTC final.Josh Hazlewood has made an encouraging return from injury•Associated Press

Mitchell Starc (Delhi Capitals)

Matches: 7 | Wickets: 10 | Average: 26.70 | Economy: 10.68Starc began the season with a bang, taking eight wickets in his first two outings including a career-best T20 return of 5 for 35 against SRH, which included again removing Head. Since then, he has only taken two wickets in five matches, but played a starring role in DC’s Super Over victory against Royals when he nailed his reverse-swinging yorkers to secure the tie across 20 overs before keeping the Super Over to 11.

Tim David (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)

Matches: 7 | Runs: 142 | Average: 142.00 | S/R: 194.52David’s numbers neatly sum up the role he plays. Only dismissed once, facing 73 balls across five innings with an eye-watering strike rate of 194.52. Yet, two of his innings have come from No. 8 – where he has only batted five times in 249 T20 innings – to keep the talk going of when he comes in. Against PBKS, he single-handedly lifted RCB to a total that gave them half a chance with 50 off 26 balls.

Glenn Maxwell (Punjab Kings)

Matches: 6 | Runs: 41 | Average: 8.20| S/R: 100.00 | Wickets: 4 | Average: 27.50 | Economy: 8.46It is becoming another forgettable IPL with the bat for Maxwell, who was dropped for PBKS’ latest match against RCB after barely being able to make an impact in the first half of the tournament. That follows last season’s returns of 52 runs at 5.77. He has held his own with the ball, but that wasn’t enough to keep his place.Jake Fraser-McGurk is among those to have been dropped by his franchise•BCCI

Jake Fraser-McGurk (Delhi Capitals)

Matches: 6 | Runs: 55 | Average: 9.16 | S/R: 105.76It’s also been a tough tournament for Fraser-McGurk, who has not come close to replicating his success from last season. He made 38 of his runs in one innings against SRH but otherwise it has been five single-figure scores. He lost his place in the starting XI for DC’s latest match. The IPL struggles follow a BBL where he only came good at the end with 95 off 46 balls against Brisbane Heat.

Marcus Stoinis (Punjab Kings)

Matches: 6 | Runs: 66 | Average: 22.00 | S/R: 157.14 | Wickets: 0 | | Economy: 11.37There is not too much to show for Stoinis’ tournament to date. Curiously, he was left out after producing his best innings – 34 off 11 balls with four sixes in the high-scoring game against SRH – before being recalled in place of Maxwell one game later. Has been used sparingly with the ball and has been expensive.

Adam Zampa (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Matches: 2 | Wickets: 2 | Average: 47.00 | Economy: 11.75Zampa’s tournament never really got going before being ended by injury, used twice as an Impact Sub and coming away with two wickets. One of his outings was the astonishing 528-run game against Royals.Xavier Bartlett had to wait his turn, but has played in back-to-back victories•BCCI

Josh Inglis (Punjab Kings)

Matches: 2 | Runs: 16 | Average: 8.00 | S/R: 69.56Having started on the bench, Inglis has been brought in for the last two matches which have seen PBKS register back-to-back victories to climb up the table. But he has yet to get going with the bat – the first game he played was very low-scoring, as PBKS somehow defended 111, and the second shorted by rain.

Xavier Bartlett (Punjab Kings)

Matches: 2 | Wickets: 2 | Average: 28.00 | Economy: 9.33Ricky Ponting has no shortage of Australians in his squad and Bartlett is another who has been called off the bench for the last two matches. He has been used extensively in the powerplay and his two wickets have been key ones, of Quinton de Kock and Liam Livingstone.

Nathan Ellis (Chennai Super Kings)

Matches: 1 | Wickets: 1 | Economy: 9.50Only a single outing so far for Ellis, who came into the tournament off the back of an impressive run as captain of BBL champions Hobart Hurricanes and then consistent performances for Australia in the Champions Trophy.

Spencer Johnson (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Matches: 4 | Wickets: 1 | Average: 133.00 | Economy: 11.73It’s been slim pickings for left-arm quick Johnson with one wicket in four outings, and he has been left out of KKR’s last two matches.*Aaron Hardie, who is in the Punjab Kings squad, has yet to play.

It’s reached a point of stagnation – there are no new ideas and they seem to be stuck in the mid-2010s in an ever-evolving format

Mohammad Isam07-Oct-2024George Costanza was a famously incompetent character from the 1990s TV sitcom . After several misadventures, including in his role as the assistant to the traveling secretary with the New York Yankees, Costanza gets a job in Kruger Industrial Smoothing. There, he meets the company president Mr Kruger, who matches Costanza in incompetence. After skipping office two days in a row, Costanza one day reveals the company’s motto to Jerry Seinfeld: “We don’t care and it shows”.It might sound harsh, but Bangladesh’s T20 cricket over the last several years, including in the first T20I against India in Gwalior on Sunday, is along the lines of “We don’t care and it shows” too.They looked out of depth against a relatively (internationally) inexperienced India side. The three changes to the playing XI since the T20 World Cup didn’t really make much of a difference as the majority of those who remained felt like liabilities. Worse, the team management also seems to be out of ideas.Related

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• Mahmudullah to retire from T20Is after series against India

• New-look India blow away Bangladesh to take 1-0 lead

.India mopped up the chase in 11.5 overs after bowling out Bangladesh for 127. India played like the world champions they are. They also played like owners of one of the best attitudes a T20 side can have. If there’s a higher gear available, they invariably opt for it.Bangladesh, meanwhile, are more or less the same unit that played at the T20 World Cup four months ago, where they only made a statistical improvement on the previous seven campaigns. They don’t appear to have planned something new or different for the format. They batted against India with the blueprint they employed at the T20 World Cup. After trying (and failing) to hit a few big ones in the powerplay, they struggled against the spinners before meandering to a low total.They brought in Parvez Hossain Emon, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Jaker Ali to replace Tanzid Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan and Soumya Sarkar from the last T20 World Cup game against Afghanistan.Parvez’s struggle was expected given his lack of international experience, and having played just four BPL matches this year. Mehidy top-scored with 35* but he batted at No. 7 – chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain had specified that he had been picked primarily as a batter. Jaker might be destined to remain a one-hit wonder.3:12

Takeaways: Mayank-Varun too hot to handle for Bangladesh

What about the regulars then? Litton Das timed a beautiful boundary before slashing across an Arshdeep Singh length ball. His shift in outlook in Test batting from Pakistan to India was a concern, and this needless – and careless – shot underlined the need for the team management to treat him differently when it comes to the different formats.Towhid Hridoy, Bangladesh’s most prolific T20I run-getter since the start of 2023, is showing definite signs of second-season blues. Not just that. He bats where the team management wants him to bat, but that can’t be good for someone who provides consistency.Mahmudullah’s second-ball dismissal in this game – at No. 5, where he hasn’t often batted – will raise questions about his place in the team, but the 139-game veteran showed the right attitude in trying to take on India’s fastest bowler, Mayank Yadav. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who backed Mahmudullah vehemently in a recent press conference, is himself struggling to shift between formats. He scored 27 off 25 balls but the innings lacked punch and panache.Perhaps four wickets falling while he was at the crease forced Shanto to play a sedate game. Or, perhaps, the T20I captaincy is weighing heavier on him than in Tests and ODIs.Mehidy Hasan Miraz is frustrated – he wasn’t the only one•AFP/Getty ImagesWhich brings us to the team management. Bangladesh continue to play a dull form of T20 cricket. It is stuck in the mid-2010s when batting sides had anchors, and a middle-order batter with a strike rate of 120 or thereabouts mattered.Times have changed. The BPL isn’t providing the players with meaningful play time either, or the team management doesn’t really rate the BPL highly enough. The tournament’s top-scorer from the latest edition – Tamim Iqbal – was in the commentary box in Gwalior. Should someone not try to bring him back into the fold? Then there is the other experienced batter Mushfiqur Rahim. He was one of the top-five scorers in the BPL. Can’t he be brought out of T20I retirement?Bangladesh have shown in the last 12 months that they want to stick to a young-looking side even if results don’t come. It might be fair for the long term, but the long term that they talked about in September 2023 has moved to October 2024.Kruger had fired everyone in the company and given Costanza all the key files. What of the Bangladesh T20I team?

One Rangers player who Danny Rohl does not rate could be on his way out of Ibrox amid interest from the Championship, according to recent reports.

Rohl praises "fantastic" Rangers reaction

After back-to-back draw against Falkirk and Dundee United, Rangers couldn’t afford to drop points again in the Scottish Premiership. They’ve been much improved since Rohl’s arrival, but another day without victory would have sparked all too familiar concerns around Glasgow.

The German and his Rangers team bounced back from those draws in style against Kilmarnock, however. With a brace from Bojan Miovski to accompany Mikey Moore’s effort, the Gers sealed a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Rohl shared his delight at full-time, but also urged Rangers to “develop” their “game management” – telling reporters: “From the first minute tonight, I knew the fans were behind the team. We have to do this together.

“I think looking back through the whole week, It was a good performance on Wednesday from Bojan Miovski. I’m glad Mikey [Moore] is back but in general, it was a whole team performance.

“We have to develop our game management, but tonight it was a fantastic reaction and now we have five wins in seven so this is a good step forward. We have to continue, everyone wants to win against us or take something from us. This is a tough league so we have to put the work in.”

It would be a good time for those at Ibrox to hit top form, given how frantic the festive period is and with the January transfer window now less than a month away from swinging open.

The winter window represents the first chance for Rohl to stamp his mark on his side and rumours have already claimed that he’s after a clinical striker.

Arrivals are unlikely to come without departures, though, and Kieran Dowell is among those who could reportedly be heading for the Ibrox exit door.

Hull City keen to sign Kieran Dowell

According to Alan Nixon on his Patreon, Hull City are now keen to sign Dowell in the January transfer window. The midfielder is yet to feature under Rohl, who quite clearly doesn’t rate him, and now looks destined to leave on loan in just under a month.

It’s been the story of Dowell’s Rangers career, but he must get his move in the January window.

The 28-year-old was offered some hope when Russell Martin arrived instantly jumped to his defence by saying: “And by the way he tries really, really every day, trains like an absolute beast, which I don’t think some people have come to this club and been bought for a lot of money, and I don’t think they have done that.”

Not just Miovski: Rohl must drop Rangers flop who lost 86% duels

Danny Rohl should ruthlessly drop this Rangers flop as well as Bojan Miovski this evening.

ByDan Emery 6 days ago

Any hope of a Rangers revival has now evaporated, however, with Rohl seemingly ready to bid farewell to the midfield flop who has struggled since arriving in 2023.

Rangers prioritising move to sign "strong" 6ft 4 box-crasher after scouting mission

A super spell from South Australia quick Nathan McAndrew inspired the reigning one-day champions to a 79-run bonus-point win against Victoria.Set a target of 274 at Adelaide Oval on Thursday, Victoria were in trouble straight away as McAndrew dismissed openers Matt Short and Campbell Kellaway cheaply.After steering Victoria to victory in a dramatic Sheffield Shield finish two days earlier, teenage sensation Oliver Peake also fell to McAndrew When Peake departed, the visitors had crashed to 61 for 4.Wicketkeeper Sam Harper saved some face for Victoria, crafting a team-high 59 from 68 balls. Harper had more than solid support from Blake Macdonald.But SA did all the early work and Victoria couldn’t recover, with McAndrew taking the final scalp for a five-wicket haul as Victoria were out for 194 in the 45th over.SA defeated their state rivals again after claiming bragging rights in last season’s Dean Jones Trophy final. They endured a difficult start to their title defence, losing the first two one-day games to slump to 0-2.Victoria also entered the match winless from two starts, meaning they have dropped to 0-3 and requiring a power of work to be in contention for back-to-back finals.Earlier, Jake Lehmann’s superb run of form continued with an outstanding 85 to anchor SA’s 273 for 8.Fringe Australia white-ball batter Jake Fraser-McGurk showed some promising signs at the top of the order after a difficult 12 months. He smashed 34 from 29 balls, while Harry Manenti made 34 off 46 deliveries.Xavier Crone was the pick of the Victorian bowlers with 4 for 61 which included bowling Fraser-McGurk with a beauty and having Jason Sangha taken at second slip with consecutive deliveries.SA took a liking to the under-strength Victorian bowling line-up missing captain Will Sutherland and Fergus O’Neill. Opening bowler Cameron McClure went for 1 for 68 from his eight overs.Victoria are next in 50-over action on October 20 when they host New South Wales at the Junction Oval in Melbourne, while SA face Queensland on the same day at Karen Rolton Oval.