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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has provided an injury update on one of his key players after the EFL Cup defeat at the hands of Brentford.

Villa's poor start continues against the Bees

Villa finally found the back of the net on Tuesday night, after failing to score in their opening four Premier League games, but Harvey Elliott’s first goal for the club didn’t count for much, with Brentford ultimately progressing in the EFL Cup.

After a 1-1 draw in normal time, the Bees progressed on penalties, with John McGinn and Matty Cash both missing from the spot, meaning Emery’s side are still searching for their first victory of the campaign.

Emery has been forced to make do without a number of his key players already this season, with the likes of Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley, Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans spending time on the sidelines, but there has now been a promising new update on the latter player.

Reporter Jacob Tanswell subsequently confirmed that Emery is also optimistic that Tielemans could return before the next international break, with the Villa boss stating the central midfielder is likely to be out for one or two more weeks.

Monchi identifies "incredible" Aston Villa target who'd fix Emery's attack

The Villans are ready to make their move.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

Sep 16, 2025

Tielemans' return will be boost for Aston Villa

With the Belgian ruled out against Brentford, Lamare Bogarde was given the nod in central midfield, but the 21-year-old was unable to impact the game in the way he would’ve liked, being shown a yellow card before being replaced by Kamara in the 74th minute.

Tielemans, on the other hand, has been a vitally important player for the Villans over the course of the past two seasons, playing a major role in Emery’s side qualifying for the Champions League and Europa League by regularly providing goals and assists in the Premier League.

Season	Premier League appearances	Goal contributions
2023-24	32	9
2024-25	36	10

The 28-year-old was also arguably Villa’s most consistent player in the Premier League last season, averaging a 7.38 SofaScore match rating across the campaign, which was by far the highest of any player in the squad.

Emery is under no illusions as to just how important the Belgium international is to his side either, saying last season: “He is really doing fantastic work. He is very, very professional. The mentality he has, really I appreciate in the highest level we can achieve.”

As such, it is promising news that Tielemans is set to return within the next two weeks, but it appears as though Aston Villa will have to do without the £150k-a-week midfielder when they take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light this Sunday.

Dhoni and Dube came together during a tricky situation to put up a match-winning 57-run stand

Sreshth Shah14-Apr-20253:43

Bishop: LSG quicks lacked execution in the end

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were staring at the prospect of a sixth loss in a row when MS Dhoni joined Shivam Dube with five overs left in the chase and 56 to get. But Dhoni won the battle against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) seamers with an unbeaten 11-ball 26 while Dube made 43 not out in 27 to give CSK their second win in seven outings at IPL 2025.LSG captain Rishabh Pant said right after the game that LSG were “10-15 runs short” after being asked to bat. Despite Pant’s own 49-ball 63, his first half-century in LSG colours, they scored only 166 for 7 in 20 overs, their lowest total of the season. They were pegged back by Ravindra Jadeja’s two wickets and kept in check by Noor Ahmad’s miserly four overs that went for only 13 runs.Related

Dhoni effect on show as CSK find a way

The Bishnoi over that Pant left out 'a major point' in LSG's loss to CSK

Dhoni: Tweaked attack gives 'more manoeuvrability for the captain'

After CSK’s opening partnership put them on course, LSG dragged the game back with their spinners. Digvesh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi, and part-time offspinner Aiden Markram produced combined figures of 11-0-66-4, but a 19-run over from Shardul Thakur in the 19th ended LSG’s hopes.Dhoni, Dube take down pacersWhen Dhoni walked out after 15 overs, Dube had made only 17 in his first 20 balls. Dube had failed to boss the spinners like he usually does and the dismissals of Vijay Shankar and Jadeja had only added to the pressure.But Dhoni enjoys pace – he came into the game with a strike rate of 222 against quicks since IPL 2024, and LSG supplied him with just that. Despite one over of Bishnoi left, LSG went for Avesh Khan and Thakur, and their wide-yorker plan ended up being too predictable.Dhoni edged a couple of fours down to deep third but showed his power by punching a boundary through the covers, flicking a full toss over midwicket, and dragging a one-handed six over deep square-leg.4:32

Why did Pant not give Bishnoi another over?

He also ran his ones and twos, sometimes gingerly, with Dube and took the pressure off his partner. When Thakur bowled two full tosses at the start of the 19th over, Dube smacked him for four and six, the second of a no-ball.Dhoni picked up his first IPL Player-of-the-Match award since 2019 and Dube, soon after hitting the winning runs, said he was pleased about taking the game deep. Their partnership of 57 came in only 28 balls. Rasheed steps up on IPL debutShaik Rasheed’s ability was never in doubt. He is a former Under-19 World Cup-winning vice-captain, has a Syed Mushtaq Ali century, and a double-century in first-class cricket. It’s for those reasons CSK have kept a close eye on him since IPL 2023.With Devon Conway not among the runs, CSK gave Rasheed an IPL debut and he took strike to start the chase. By the second over, he had pumped three fours off Akash Deep, with one flick over midwicket described on the broadcast as “Virat Kohli like”.His 19-ball 27 with six fours helped CSK reach fifty in only 4.2 overs, and alongside Rachin Ravindra’s 22-ball 37, gave them a rare successful opening stand. Those runs proved crucial as a collapse against spin followed.2:04

‘What Dhoni is doing is extraordinary’

Pant fights his way to 63With a strike rate of 80 and a high score of 21 this season, Pant needed to do something big. He walked out in the fourth over with Markram and Nicholas Pooran out to Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj respectively for low scores.He started on a positive note, improvising a reverse lap over short third early for six along with a handful of pulls and cuts. But his strike rate of 165 plummeted to 103 when CSK’s spinners applied the squeeze. Pant saw wickets at from the other end, and ended up playing ten dots in 15 balls against Noor, scoring only six runs. His strike rate of 40 against the Purple Cap holder ended up being the second worst for any batter against a bowler in IPL (minimum 15 balls).However, after 40 in 39 balls, Pant found his touch against the pace of Matheesha Pathirana and Khaleel to turn his innings around. He couldn’t stay till the end, though, and the CSK spinners’ effort ensured LSG could make only 166 on a day where their second-highest individual score was Mitchell Marsh’s 30.

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O Corinthians acertou a venda do atacante Gustavo Mantuan ao Zenit, da Rússia, por 2 milhões de euros (R$ 9,5 milhões, na cotação atual). A equipe russa agora ficará com 90% dos direitos econômicos do jogador. Eles já tinham 50%, repassados quando o Timão adquiriu o centroavante Yuri Alberto em definitivo, no início deste ano.

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+ Corinthians aproveita erros do Santos, e Ruan Oliveira se destaca em vitória; veja notas

Mantuan estava emprestado ao clube europeu desde junho do ano passado, envolvido na troca de empréstimos que o Alvinegro fez com os russos para ter Yuri Alberto. Na ocasião, o goleiro Ivan também foi emprestado ao time de São Petersburgo.

+ Renove o seu estoque de camisas do Timão com o cupom LANCEFUT 10% OFF

A opção de compra do Zenit pelos 40% que o Corinthians ainda possuía dos direitos de Mantuan era de 10 milhões de euros (R$ 47,7, na cotação atual). Porém, a quantia foi considerada alta pelos russos para que o atleta fosse comprado. A direção corintiana, por sua vez, aceitou negociar, e o acordo foi firmado por um valor menor.

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Revelado pelas categorias de base corintiana, Mantuan sofreu três lesões sérias no joelho, sendo que em uma delas já atuava no elenco profissional. No entanto, o atleta se destacou com a camisa corintiana no primeiro semestre do ano passado, com o então treinador Vítor Pereira.

+ Timão se afasta do Z4? Veja tabela e os próximos jogos do Brasileirão

Mantuan foi uma espécie de “12° jogador” nesta temporada no Zenit, começando grande parte das partidas como reservas, mas sempre contribuindo positivamente ao sair do banco. O meia-atacante disputou 28 jogos em seu primeiro ano na Europa, marcando seis gols e dando quatro assistências. Seu vínculo com o Timão vai até 2027.

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Leeds United made the perfect start to life back in the Premier League on Monday night with an impressive 1-0 victory over Everton at Elland Road.

The Whites were the protagonists for much of the match, with the Toffees sitting back and almost allowing them to dominate, and Daniel Farke’s side were eventually able to turn their possession into a winning goal.

A late penalty, awarded for a handball from James Tarkowski, provided Lukas Nmecha with the opportunity to slot home from the spot to claim all three points for the home side on his competitive debut for the club.

Lukas Nmecha's match-winning cameo

The Germany international was introduced with just 13 minutes left to play, replacing Joel Piroe in the number nine position, and got the perfect chance to make an impact when the penalty was awarded.

He still had to beat Jordan Pickford, though, and, as you can see in the clip above, the striker brilliantly tucked his spot-kick into the bottom corner and beyond the reach of the England number one.

Nmecha also won as many duels (one) as Piroe managed (one) in 78 minutes on the pitch, per Sofascore, which perhaps speaks to the difference in physicality and mobility between the two forwards, as the substitute immediately looked to cause problems for Tarkowski and Michael Keane.

Despite scoring the goal that won the game for Leeds, though, Nmecha was not the true hero of the night, as Anton Stach deserves that level of praise for his display.

Why Anton Stach was the true hero for Leeds

The former Hoffenheim midfielder made his debut in the middle of the park for the Whites and it is always hard to predict how a player will fare when they come over from another country to play in the Premier League.

It is fair to say, though, that Stach took to the intensity, the physicality, and the pace of the game like a duck to water. He put in a midfield performance that most players in the division would be delighted with.

LeedsLive reporter Isaac Johnson hailed his display as “brilliant” and awarded him a player rating of 8/10, which could have been even higher and still not been a questionable decision.

Minutes

90

Pass accuracy

80%

Chances created

4

Long passes completed

4/5

Tackles + interceptions

3

Clearances

5

Dribbled past

0x

Possession lost

20x

As you can see in the table above, Stach was all over the place, in a positive sense, for Leeds against the Toffees.

Leeds vs Everton ratings supplied by Sofascore

He won duels, tackles, made clearances, created chances, played plenty of accurate passes, and only lost possession due to how many times he broke up play to clear the ball.

Ending the full 90 minutes without being dribbled past a single time, despite playing in the middle of the park, is testament to his defensive prowess, physicality, and positioning, as Everton’s players could not get the better of him in physical battles.

He held down the midfield, alongside Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu in fairness, and played his part in the goal with his shot from distance deflecting onto Tarkowski’s arm.

This is why the 6 foot 4 colossus was the real hero of the night for Leeds, instead of Nmecha, because he was a dominant force in all phases of the game, defensively, in transition, and in the crucial moment offensively.

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As far as Premier League debuts go, Stach had a match to remember. Farke will now be hoping that he can expect to see that level of consistency in the German midfielder’s game for the rest of the season, as his displays could play a big part in their efforts to avoid relegation.

Ronald Koeman was far from satisfied with his Netherlands team after they avoided an embarrassing slip-up against Lithuania in World Cup qualifying.

• Netherlands escaped after losing two-goal lead
• Koeman left 'a bit angry' with his team’s lack of urgency
• Depay scored twice to secure vital three points

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Netherlands secured a narrow 3-2 victory away to Lithuania in their World Cup qualifier on Sunday but were pushed all the way after squandering a two-goal lead. Goals from Memphis Depay, now the national team's all-time top scorer, and Quinten Timber gave the Dutch a comfortable 2-0 lead after 33 minutes, but Lithuania stunned the visitors by scoring twice before half-time. Depay scored the winner in the 63rd minute to spare his team's blushes.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The victory keeps Netherlands top of their World Cup qualifying group, level on points with Poland but with a game in hand. However, the performance against a side ranked 143rd in the world was far from convincing. After a strong start, the Dutch became complacent and were defensively frail, forcing Koeman to make a late defensive substitution, bringing on Matthijs de Ligt for attacker Donyell Malen to protect the lead. While the three points are crucial, the nature of the win raises questions about the team's ability to control games they are expected to dominate.

• WHAT RONALD KOEMAN SAID

  Despite the victory, Koeman was upset by his team's struggles, telling : "I'm a little angry. We played with fire today. Fortunately, it didn't cost us any points today, but it could have been disastrous. The urgency diminished. Players started doing things ten to 15 percent less. We shouldn't be getting into so much trouble here, even at the end of the game. Then I have to add a fifth defender for extra height and power. That's not what you want to do, but I do want to win." 

  On Depay's match-winner, he added: "We can be happy he was there. He scored two very good goals. The first and last, too. He can be proud of that.

  "We also have a history. I supported him in a period when others might not have done so, but he proves beyond doubt that he is still the best striker."

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• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR NETHERLANDS?

  Despite the poor performance, Netherlands are now a step closer to securing qualification for the World Cup. They remain in control of Group G but will need a much-improved display in their next set of qualifiers to solidify their top spot. Koeman will demand a response from his players during the next international break.

Chelsea have now made contact with the agents of an “amazing” Premier League star, who is open to a move to Stamford Bridge this summer, journalist Simon Phillips has revealed.

Maresca looking to bolster his backline

Enzo Maresca is proud of the strides his side have taken since last summer, having recently been crowned Club World Cup champions, with the manager saying: “For me, the biggest achievement this season is that exactly one year ago, no one was talking about Chelsea for football (reasons), but talking about the big squad, big money.

“Now, no one is talking about this, but they are talking about the way we play, and the way we win games. This is personally the biggest achievement of this season.”

The Blues silenced a lot of critics with their shock 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain, but their squad arguably still needs to be trimmed down, with Nicolas Jackson now unhappy about potentially being behind Liam Delap and Joao Pedro in the pecking order.

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At the opposite end of the pitch, however, Maresca may still need some new recruits, given that Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah or Benoit Badiashile could be used as part of a swap deal for Aston Villa attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers.

As such, according to Phillips, Chelsea have now made fresh contact with the agents of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, who is expected to cost around £40m, as he has now entered the final year of his contract and doesn’t plan to renew.

The journalist also added: “Guehi has a lot of interest and not just from Chelsea, and he is expected to depart his club this summer.

“Guehi is believed to be open to making a move back to Chelsea this summer but is also aware of other interest from big clubs in the Premier League.”

Guehi could be "amazing" signing for Chelsea

It could be difficult for the Palace defender to immediately force his way into Maresca’s starting XI, given that the Blues’ backline impressed considerably at the Club World Cup, keeping four clean sheets, including one against PSG in the final.

However, having proven himself in the Premier League over a number of years, the 25-year-old clearly has the talent to be a success at Stamford Bridge, with international teammate Harry Maguire even dubbing him as “amazing”.

The England international made 44 appearances in all competitions last season, displaying his leadership abilities by captaining the Eagles, while also impressing manager Oliver Glasner.

Guehi could be a fantastic signing at just £40m, and Chelsea should have the funds to make a deal, considering their recent Club World Cup triumph.

Celtic missed out on the domestic treble earlier this month when they were beaten by Aberdeen on penalties in the final of the SFA Cup at Hampden Park.

The Hoops had already won the Scottish Premiership and the League Cup, but they were unable to claim the third trophy in the collection against the Dons.

Brendan Rodgers may want to go all the way next season, after failing to win the treble in both of his first two years back at the club, and could do that by improving his squad in the summer transfer window.

With that in mind, here is the dream starting line-up that Rodgers could build to attack the 2025/26 campaign head-on when they return to action later this year…

1 Kasper Schmeichel

Starting off between the sticks, Kasper Schmeichel should still be the number one for Celtic next season, at least to begin with, after an impressive debut campaign, despite his own goal in the SFA Cup final.

The former Leicester City stopper racked up an impressive 24 clean sheets in 49 appearances after joining from Anderlecht on a free transfer last year.

2 Alistair Johnston

At right-back, Celtic should be aiming to keep hold of Alistair Johnston amid reported interest from English sides Ipswich Town and Fulham this summer, after he scored four goals and provided ten assists in the Premiership this season.

3 Cameron Carter-Vickers

At the heart of the defence, Cameron Carter-Vickers should be a mainstay in the team again next season, after he was named in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year yet again. The colossal central defender has the right-sided centre-back position locked down, and it should stay that way.

4 Liam Scales

The left-sided centre-back position is up for debate, unlike the right side, with Auston Trusty, Maik Nawrocki, and Liam Scales all in contention to play that role.

Scales, however, ended the season as the first-choice for Rodgers, despite Trusty and Nawrocki being fit and available, which suggests that he will head into pre-season as the obvious partner to Carter-Vickers.

5 Kieran Tierney

Left-back is another position that should be fairly obvious. Kieran Tierney is joining on a free transfer from Arsenal and should be the go-to option in that area of the park when fit and available.

The Scotland international produced 37 assists in 170 matches for Celtic during his first spell at the club, which suggests that he could provide a huge creative outlet down the left flank for the Scottish giants next season.

It remains to be seen whether or not Greg Taylor, who is out of contract this summer, will be at Parkhead next term, so Tierney is currently the only senior left-back who is guaranteed to be in the squad.

6 Callum McGregor

At the base of the midfield three, captain Callum McGregor is another obvious pick for Rodgers. The skipper started 34 of his 35 appearances in the Premiership this season, which does not suggest that he is close to being on his way out of the XI.

7 Arne Engels

Celtic broke the bank to sign Arne Engels from Augsburg last summer in a club-record £11m move, and he repaid them with a return of ten goals and 13 assists in 52 appearances for the club in his debut season.

8 Lennon Miller

Another new addition to the squad, alongside Tierney, could be Motherwell central midfielder Lennon Miller, who could arrive to complete the midfield trio with McGregor and Engels.

Serie A side Udinese have been linked with a summer move for Reo Hatate, and Celtic could sign the Scottish starlet, who is a reported transfer target, to replace the Japanese ace.

Appearances

37

32

Goals

10

2

Big chances created

14

12

Key passes per game

1.2

1.6

Assists

2

8

Tackles + interceptions per game

1.1

3.1

Ball recoveries per game

3.2

6.3

Duel success rate

44%

53%

As you can see in the table above, Miller would be an exciting replacement for Hatate because he offers a similar threat as a creator whilst being better out of possession, albeit he does not provide as much of a goalscoring presence.

At 18, the Scotland U21 international is also nine years younger than the Celtic star and could be the long-term option for Rodgers in that position, which is why it could make sense to cash in on the Japanese star to sign the Motherwell maestro.

9 Nicolas Kuhn

Nicolas Kuhn ended the 2024/25 campaign with an eye-catching haul of 21 goals and 15 assists in all competitions from a right wing position for the Hoops.

The left-footed star provided a constant threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Scottish giants, which is why he should remain the starting option on that flank.

10 Mathias Kvistgaarden

The third signing that could be added to this dream starting XI, alongside Tierney and Miller, is Brondby centre-forward Mathias Kvistgaarden.

Celtic are reportedly weighing up a club-record swoop for the Danish marksman, who is valued at in excess of £12m, and it could be a fantastic piece of business for the club to upgrade on Adam Idah.

Appearances

29

35

FotMob rating

7.29

6.86

xG

13.99

13.57

Goals

17

13

Chances created

19

19

Assists

5

0

As you can see in the table above, their respective performances at league level this season suggest that Kvistgaarden would offer far more than the Irishman as a superior finisher.

Therefore, Celtic should attempt to conclude a deal for the 23-year-old centre-forward, dubbed “sensational” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, in the weeks to come as he could add an even greater goal threat to Rodgers’ side than Idah currently does.

Chelsea are now racing to sign an “incredible” forward from one of their bitter Premier League rivals, who are now willing to cash-in this summer, according to a report.

Blues set sights on new forward

With Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku failing to do the business in front of goal, the Blues have now set their sights on signing a new striker in the summer transfer window, and they have a number of top-level targets in mind.

Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy, who has been extremely impressive in the Champions League this season, is one of the latest strikers to be targeted, with the 29-year-old joining the likes of Liam Delap and Viktor Gyokeres on the shortlist.

Not only are the west Londoners looking to bring in an out-and-out striker, but there have also been suggestions they could look to bolster their wide options, with fellow Dortmund star Jamie Gittens well-liked, alongside Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki.

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The Blues are set to battle it out for a defender, who has been in very impressive form this season.

By
Dominic Lund

Apr 21, 2025

However, according to a report from Caught Offside, there may be an option from much closer to home, with Chelsea now keen on signing winger Mohammed Kudus, who currently plays for bitter rivals West Ham United.

The Blues are not alone in their pursuit of Kudus, however, with Arsenal and Liverpool also in the race, alongside Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, who have reportedly already submitted a £87m bid for the Ghanaian.

Enzo Maresca’s side are yet to make any moves to sign the forward, but there are some indications they could be successful if they choose to formalise their interest, as West Ham are now willing to cash-in to fund their own summer transfer business.

"Incredible" Kudus impressing at West Ham

The 24-year-old’s debut campaign at the London Stadium last season certainly caught the eye, picking up 14 goals and nine assists in 45 appearances in all competitions, establishing himself as a key player under former manager David Moyes.

In light of his impressive performances, the Ghana international received high praise from journalist Raj Chohan, who believes the right-winger would be able to make the step-up to a top club.

The Accra-born attacker has been less impressive this season, failing to score and picking up just one assist in his last 15 Premier League games, but it is difficult to stand out in a very poor West Ham side, who sit in 17th place.

Kudus, who ranks in the top 2% of all wingers for successful take-ons per 90 over the past year, as per FBref, could be an exciting signing for Chelsea, but given his goal and assist return this season, it would be unwise to match Al-Nassr’s £87m offer.

He missed four years of top-flight cricket after being dropped by MP but has reignited his career as a six-hitter in domestic cricket and IPL

Ashish Pant19-Apr-20242:20

Jaffer: Ashutosh impressed everyone in Kings’ trials

Ashutosh Sharma is a six-hitting machine. In 18 T20 innings, he has clubbed 43 sixes; that’s an average of 2.38 sixes per game. He hit seven of these on Thursday to revive Punjab Kings’ floundering chase of 193 and put them on the brink of an unlikely win against Mumbai Indians.But it was that one six off the penultimate ball of the 13th over against Jasprit Bumrah which is likely to linger in his – and the people’s – consciousness for a while though his blitz ended in vain.Sure, it was a free-hit, but this was against Bumrah – the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2024, going at an economy rate of under six this season. Before this, Bumrah had conceded just two sixes in the tournament. But Ashutosh wasn’t going to let an opportunity pass. He anticipated the yorker, went low and across his off stump, down on one knee and swept Bumrah over deep backward square-leg.No wonder Ashutosh was smiling ear to ear as he walked across to his partner and bumped fists with a little jump and child-like enthusiasm. “That was a dream to sweep Bumrah for a six and it came off today. I have been practising these shots, and I played it against the best bowler in the world,” Ashutosh said after the game.Related

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Ashutosh breaks Yuvraj's record for fastest T20 fifty by an Indian

Ashutosh has batted four times in IPL 2024 and each time walked in with Kings in trouble. On debut against Gujarat Titans, he came in with the required rate at 11.11 (50 off 27), and took Kings to an unlikely win with an unbeaten 15-ball 33. In his next game, the required rate was 15.33 (69 off 27) when he arrived. Kings lost by two runs.Against Mumbai, Ashutosh had to rebuild the chase after Kings had slipped to 77 for 6 in the tenth over. It was the first time that he was batting inside the first 15 overs in the IPL. At that stage, the asking rate was at 10.88 (116 off 64) and he hit the ground running.The 25-year-old had earlier in an interview said he idolises Suryakumar Yadav and Glenn Maxwell. Both batters would have been proud of some of his wristy hits to the leg side and beyond. His first six, a nonchalant whip off Akash Madhwal over fine leg had Suryakumar, who had been subbed out after the first innings, nodding in approval in the Mumbai dugout. His reverse-scoop off the same bowler a few overs later was Maxwell written all over it.ESPNcricinfo’s forecaster had Kings’ win probability at 1.88%. By the time he fell, on the first ball of the 18th over for a 28-ball 61, it was 76.13. Kings faltered at the finish once again, but that they eventually made it to within nine runs of Mumbai’s total was down to Ashutosh’s brilliance.ESPNcricinfo LtdIt isn’t the first time that Ashutosh was showing off his six-hitting prowess. Barely six months back, he rewrote the record books when he slammed an 11-ball fifty for Railways against Arunachal Pradesh in a Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 clash, eclipsing Yuvraj Singh’s record of the fastest T20 fifty by an Indian. He hit eight sixes and one four in that match and finished the tournament with a strike rate of 277.27 in six innings, the most for any batter who faced more than five balls. In this IPL, Ashutosh has been striking at 205.26.But behind all the recent highs, there is a story of years of toil and heartbreaks. Born in Ratlam, a town in Madhya Pradesh, Ashutosh was just eight when he moved to Indore to hone his cricketing skills as his hometown did not have adequate facilities. Away from his parents, he was staying in a small accommodation and often didn’t have money to eat. He even took up umpiring so that one meal was ensured. But joining the MPCA academy in Indore under the tutelage of former India batter Amay Khurasiya was the turning point of his life, according to Ashutosh.”Amay Sir has played a very important role in my life,” he said during a media interaction earlier this month. “He has taught me a lot of discipline and a lot of things about mental health. I have worked a lot with him with regard to my batting.”Ashutosh rose up the ranks, playing age-group cricket for MP, and soon made his senior debut at the 2018 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The next season, he finished as the second-highest run-scorer for MP with 233 runs which included three half-centuries. But the following year, he fell out of favour with the MP set-up. It was heartbreaking for the then 22-year-old, who was given no explanations for his ouster.1:58

Rapid Fire: What stands out the most about Shashank-Ashutosh duo?

“In 2019 I scored 84 runs in my last game for MP [against Puducherry]. Then next year, there was a professional coach who came in and he had his likes and dislikes. He did not like me and sat me out of the team,” Ashutosh said without naming the coach. ” [I went into depression]. That was the Covid time, so only 20 people used to travel, and I used to stay back at the hotel.”I stayed at the hotel for one to two months. I was not even able to see the ground. All I did was go to the gym and come back to the room. I got really frustrated and slipped into depression. It was tough to come out of that. I kept thinking, where did I go wrong? I could not sleep for days. No one even said anything. I was driven out of the set-up without explanation. Those two to three years were pretty bad.”Ashutosh then found a new home at Railways. He was offered a job and made his debut for them in the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. While he missed out on playing top-flight cricket for four years, a move to Railways, he said with conviction, was what changed the course of his career. Two months later, he was picked by Kings in the accelerated round of the auction for his base price of INR 20 lakh.Ashutosh credited the work put in the pre-season camp with the Kings’ head of cricket development Sanjay Bangar and captain Shikhar Dhawan for his IPL success.”In the pre-season, Sanjay sir told me that you are not a slogger, you play some extraordinary cricketing shots,” Ashutosh said. “Believe in that. That one statement meant a lot to me. I was just focusing on timing the ball and playing cricketing shots.”Ashutosh has faced 76 balls in IPL 2024 and sent 13 of those over the ropes. Having missed plenty of top-flight cricket, Ashutosh is not just making up for lost time, but also doing it in style on the biggest T20 stage.

She leaves as the leading run scorer, but she should also be remembered for all the work she did to bring the women’s game into the mainstream in India

Shashank Kishore10-Jun-2022″I’m done with seeing women’s cricket occupy a corner of sports pages,” Mithali Raj once told me. “It’s upon us to make it to the front page.” It was the first time I saw her emotions bubble over for in over three weeks of following the team at the 2012 Women’s T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.India had exited the tournament in the group stage, and a crestfallen Raj was embarrassed further when she was instructed to look left and right at the press conference, as if to suggest she was answering questions from all sides of the room. In truth, she was looking at empty seats but for a lone journalist, this writer, and a cameraperson.”Hopefully, women’s press conferences will also be packed in a few years,” she said, while leaving that empty press-conference room in Galle. “Hope I will still be playing.”Three weeks before that, in Bangalore, she had waited alone at a pre-World Cup press conference for ten minutes before the team manager told her the event had been cancelled because no journalist had turned up. A little while later, India men’s captain MS Dhoni’s pre-World Cup media conference was crammed. The general mood from Raj’s cancelled media interaction highlighted neglect and indifference – the qualities that marked the popular response in India to women’s cricket for much of her career.Related

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Raj went on to play three more 50-over and T20 World Cups (12 overall), a testimony to her commitment and hunger to make women’s cricket mainstream. And five years on from that 2012 tournament, her dream came true when India finished runners-up at the 2017 World Cup in England.On arriving in India after that 2017 tournament, the squad had to be whisked out of the Mumbai airport because of the unmanageable number of fans and media persons who had turned up to see them. Raj finally had recognition without having to ask for it. She was firmly on the front pages, having, with her team, moved from lives of relative anonymity to ones in the public glare.The team got a grand welcome, and endorsements, TV campaigns, celebrity meet-and-greets, and public appearances followed, which brought with them financial windfalls. Raj had to remind people a few times that this wasn’t India’s first appearance in a World Cup final. They had done so in 2005, too, but with hardly any fanfare.Even if her career had ended there in 2017, she would have walked away as a pathbreaker. She had already played for 18 years then. She was the youngest century-maker in women’s ODIs at the time, the most-capped player in the format, and a recipient of the prestigious Arjuna award. She had led India to four Asia Cup titles (three in ODIs and one in T20Is), a landmark Test win in England, and a first series win in Australia – the list is long. Yet the much-awaited attention in 2017 was as satisfying as any other win. To see the fans clamour for the players, who had turned into stars overnight, told you how things had changed.Mithali’s 214 in Taunton in 2002 is the second-highest individual score in women’s Tests. She’s also the youngest double-centurion in the format•Getty ImagesIn 2016, when I visited her at her home in Hyderabad to write a profile of her, we spoke about social media among other things,. She had a few hundred Twitter followers then. “Why don’t you like the limelight?” I joked. “People aren’t queuing up to find out what Mithali Raj is up to or what she is eating,” she laughed.On Wednesday, when Raj announced her retirement on social media she had a following of over 2.5 million across Twitter and Instagram and she was the toast of the nation, among the trending topics on Twitter, back on the sports pages again. I couldn’t help but remember that Galle afternoon ten years ago.Many of Raj’s contributions to the game have come away from the spotlight. As a teenager, she said she trained like a racehorse, because cricket was her only career path – at a time when there was no money in the game and the BCCI was nearly a decade away from taking over women’s cricket.From Silchar to Surat, Faridabad to Mangalagiri – she batted on all sorts of pitches and grounds, travelling in trains, sometimes without a seat reservation, on measly allowances that barely covered one meal, and lived in barely acceptable accommodations.She was the link between a generation that played for the love for the game and the one that plays for contracts – both domestic and international. In the days before there were adequate numbers of support staff, she was the one young players turned to for adviceRaj has organised nets and travel to and from venues, played manager, negotiated better pay, waited in the BCCI’s corridors in Mumbai, even as captain, to lobby for central contracts, which were eventually granted in 2016.For players like Harmanpreet Kaur (extreme left), Raj (centre) was the gateway to a career in cricket•Pal Pillai/ICC/Getty ImagesThe absence of a World Cup winner’s medal in her CV can’t define her legacy. The runs, the hours of toil, the way she has inspired a generation of girls to take up cricket as a career path, should.You may wonder if Raj delayed her eventual exit by a few years, but that doesn’t take anything away from her intangible contributions to the game in India. Beyond the runs and wickets, trophies and contracts, she gave women’s cricket dignity and respect, and was a role model in every sense for the Mandhanas, Rodrigueses and Shafalis who followed.Harmanpreet Kaur, who succeeded her as India’s captain, put it succinctly when she said, “Cricket was a dream and when I started off my career, I had no idea that women’s cricket existed. But the only name ever told or heard was yours, Mithali . You sowed the seed for all the young girls to take up this sport and dream big.”At 39, a glorious second innings beckons for Raj. She will have options to choose from – a career behind the mic, or in coaching or administration. Whatever she picks, it will only add to her legacy as a trailblazer who paved the way for a better future.