While Mumbai’s resilient run to the playoffs got a lot of attention, no one is talking up LSG’s chances in the final four

Vishal Dikshit23-May-20236:33

Will Green’s high-risk game work at Chepauk?

Big picture: Can LSG keep their cleansheet against Mumbai?Of the four teams that made it to the playoffs, Lucknow Super Giants are the least glamorous and talked about. They obviously don’t have the rich history of Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, but even Gujarat Titans get a lot more attention than them. LSG’s highest run-scorer – Marcus Stoinis – is the 19th on the run charts this season, and their top bowler – Ravi Bishnoi – is 11th on the list of top wicket-takers. They don’t have a future Indian superstar at the top, an experienced fast bowler, or a magician of a wristspinner.That LSG qualified for the playoffs without their regular captain and star batter KL Rahul speaks volumes of Krunal Pandya’s captaincy. Under his leadership, they won three of their last four completed games; those victories coming at the end of the league to qualify without much stress.The one thing they do have in common with the Titans is a clean sheet against one of the IPL’s most successful teams. Just like Titans had a 3-0 record against CSK before Qualifier 1, LSG have a 3-0 record against Mumbai, their opponents in the Eliminator. They played only once during the league stage this season, and LSG won that home game by five runs.LSG have won by setting and chasing targets in recent games but they have depended on their overseas batters – Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Kyle Mayers and Quinton de Kock – for most of their runs. Apart from Rahul, their other Indian batters have scored only two half-centuries this season, compared to ten fifties from overseas.Another area they would want to improve is their bowling in the powerplay. They’ve taken the fewest wickets in that phase, and conceded the most wicketless powerplays during the league stage. They’ve used a variety of bowlers with the new ball, and early wickets will be vital against Mumbai’s power-packed and deep batting line-up.Mumbai had a much rougher ride to the playoffs because of injuries to key players but they have once again benefitted from unearthing Indian talent: Nehal Wadhera has impressed with his striking ability, and Akash Madhwal is becoming their go-to death bowler. They squeaked through to the playoffs in fourth place by beating Sunrisers Hyderabad on the final day of the league, and then Titans did them a favour by knocking out RCB.While Mumbai are the best chasing side this season, LSG are the best defenders of totals. Both will have to factor in the possibility of a slow pitch, and whether or not dew will play a part, when deciding what to do if they win the toss. There are no second chances in Chennai on Wednesday: the winner takes a step closer to the final, the loser gets eliminated.LSG beat Mumbai by five runs in their only league meeting this season•BCCIForm guideMumbai Indians WLWWL (last five completed games, most recent first)
Lucknow Super Giants WWWLLTeam news: No injury issuesLSG don’t have any known fitness issues. For Mumbai, Tilak Varma seems to be fit because he was on their list of Impact Player subs for their previous game and was padded up, but wasn’t needed to bat.Impact Player strategyLSG will swap an opening batter, like Karan Sharma, with one of their frontline bowlers like Mohsin Khan or Yash Thakur.Lucknow Super Giants (probable XII): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 , 3 Krunal Pandya (capt), 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Ayush Badoni, 7 Prerak Mankad, 8 K Gowtham, 9 Naveen-ul-Haq, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Mohsin Khan, 12 Mumbai will also use a similar strategy and sub out a bowler like Madhwal for Tilak if they bowl first, or vice versa if they bat first.Mumbai Indians (probable XII): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Nehal Wadhera, 5 Tim David, 6 , 7 Cameron Green, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Hrithik Shokeen/Kumar Kartikeya, 10 Piyush Chawla, 11 Jason Behrendorff, 12 Stats that matter: Can Suryakumar shine away from Wankhede? All four of de Kock’s dismissals have come against legspinners this season; Piyush Chawla dismissed him in the previous LSG-MI fixture. De Kock also doesn’t have a great record against Chris Jordan in T20s: 59 runs off 41 balls with four dismissals. Bishnoi has dismissed two of Mumbai’s in-form batters three times each. While Ishan Kishan has scored at run a ball against Bishnoi (21 off 21), Suryakumar has done marginally better (29 off 25) against the legspinner. There is a significant difference between Suryakumar’s home and away performances this season. At the Wankhede, he has scored 367 runs while striking at 201.64, including a century and three half-centuries. But away from home, he has managed just 144 runs in seven innings while averaging 20.57. Mumbai have reached the playoffs for the 10th time in 16 seasons; LSG have made it two in two.Pitch and conditionsThe Eliminator is likely to be played on the same pitch on which CSK beat Mumbai in a low-scoring contest. Chennai will again be warm and humid.

Ayden Heaven has finally revealed why he left Arsenal to join Manchester United after impressing Ruben Amorim on the post-season tour of Asia.

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• Heaven signed with Man Utd in January from Arsenal
• Has been offered a contract until 2029
• Impressed with the history of how United handled youngsters

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 19-year-old centre-back, who joined the Gunners' youth academy at age 14, made the switch after five years in north London. Despite making his first-team debut for Arsenal in October and being a regular fixture in Mikel Arteta's pre-season plans last summer, Heaven opted for a fresh start. His appearances were limited to just three games, and by the end of the January transfer window, he had secured a move to United.

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  After signing for the Red Devils, Heaven quickly began to make his mark. He was handed his debut in the Emirates FA Cup clash against Fulham and followed it up with notable performances against his former club Arsenal in the Premier League and Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

  Unfortunately, his momentum was briefly halted by an injury sustained during a match against Leicester City. However, he made a timely recovery, regaining fitness in time for United’s post-season tour of Asia. Heaven capped off the campaign by scoring in a 3-1 victory over Hong Kong, leaving a strong impression on the coaching staff and fans heading into the summer.

• WHAT HEAVEN SAID

  Speaking to , the England U19 international said the opportunity to grow and play regularly as a young talent influenced his decision to leave Arsenal.

  "The opportunities that the young players have got here in the past," he said. "I think United had the most minutes given to teenagers last season [2023-24]. That convinced me to come here. And the people and the fans here are quite loving, and I felt that when I was playing. They're so supportive."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Heaven credited head coach Ruben Amorim with playing a pivotal role in convincing him that United was the right environment to nurture his potential.

  "He just said that our play style will suit me, because they play three at a back and I play on the left of the three, so that allows me to run with the ball," Heaven remembered.

  "That's one of my strengths. And defending out wide is one of my strengths as well."

Kagiso Rabada and Temba Bavuma win Test player of the year and ODI player of the year awards respectively

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2023Quicks Anrich Nortje and Shabnim Ismail were named South Africa’s men’s and women’s cricketer of the year respectively at the Cricket South Africa (CSA) awards that were held in Midrand on Friday. The pair had previously won big at the CSA awards in 2021. In all, this was the third time that Ismail had taken top honours.The recently-retired Ismail had picked up eight wickets in six matches at an economy rate of 5.86 in South Africa’s run to a home T20 World Cup final in February. Nortje has been a strike force for South Africa across formats while his partner-in-crime Kagiso Rabada was named men’s Test cricketer of the year. Temba Bavuma scooped up the men’s ODI player of the year award while the men’s T20I award went to Reeza Hendricks who had struck back-to-back half-centuries against West Indies at home in March.Related

Shabnim Ismail retires from international cricket

Nonkululeko Mlaba was named women’s T20I player of the year while Laura Wolvaardt claimed the women’s ODI player of the year award. Mlaba, 23, often fronts up to bowl in the powerplay in T20Is and in the home T20 World Cup earlier this year, she came away with six wickets in as many games at an average of 24.16 and a strike rate of 6.59.The MLC-bound Gerald Coetzee was adjudged men’s newcomer of the year. Coetzee had made both his Test and ODI debuts in March this year. In only his second Test, the 22-year-old fast bowler bagged a match haul of six wickets to cap South Africa’s home Test summer and their World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with a 284-run victory over West Indies in Johannesburg. Coetzee was also Faf du Plessis’ go-to bowler at Joburg Super Kings during the inaugural SA20 earlier this year.”On behalf of Cricket South Africa, I would like to congratulate all the winners on their awards,” Chief Executive Officer Pholetsi Moseki said. “There were so many strong performances and outstanding candidates for awards over the past season; it really made the task of the judges exceptionally tough.”We have seen a real improvement of all our national teams over the past season, the proof of which are in the results.”PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: NATIONALSA Women’s Player of the Year: Shabnim Ismail
Women’s T20I Player of the Year: Nonkululeko Mlaba
Women’s ODI Player of the Year: Laura Wolvaardt
Women’s Players’ Player of the Year: Nonkululeko Mlaba
SA Men’s Player of the Year: Anrich Nortje
Test Player of the Year: Kagiso Rabada
ODI Player of the Year: Temba Bavuma
T20I Cricketer of the Year: Reeza Hendricks
International Men’s Newcomer of the Year: Gerald Coetzee
SA Men Players’ Player of the Year: David Miller
SA Fans’ Player of the Year: Sinalo Jafta
Best Delivery Fuelled by KFC: Kagiso Rabada

West Bromwich Albion will travel to Norwich City up next in the Championship hopeful of another positive result to ensure their grip on a playoff spot becomes tighter.

The battle for sixth spot could well heat up across some crunch games to follow in the second tier, with Tony Mowbray’s Baggies currently occupying the coveted position, but the EFL’s elite league is known for its many thrilling twists and turns.

If the playoffs are clinched, West Brom will hope their luck is in, having slipped up on their last two appearances in the Championship’s unpredictable lottery.

Amazingly, their playoff misfire during the 2018/19 campaign occurred even with Harvey Barnes in the Baggies camp, who has since become a Premier League star away from the Hawthorns.

Harvey Barnes' impressive rise since leaving West Brom

West Brom has been home to many rising stars over the years on loan, with Romelu Lukaku once lining up for the West Midlands club during the infancy of his playing days.

Barnes has a similar story to the lethal Belgian, with the now Newcastle United winger entertaining Baggies supporters for one short, but sweet season, even if promotion ultimately evaded his loan side.

The 27-year-old attacker fired home an impressive nine strikes from 28 appearances for Albion, alongside also picking up eight assists as his new employers very nearly jumped up to the Premier League.

Whilst West Brom had to make do with staying put in the second tier, Barnes managed to leap up to the top-flight on his own and never looked back, with the Magpies winger now up to a stunning 75 goal contributions in the Premier League from 190 overall outings.

So, who will inspire the Baggies to a play-off place this time around?

West Brom's new version of Barnes

West Brom haven’t exactly been the most free-flowing team to watch this season, with a mammoth 18 draws next to their name reinforcing their ability to grind out a result if needed, on top of the fact they’ve only scored a meagre 48 strikes from 38 games.

But, regardless of this, Tom Fellows has still managed to stand out as a full-throttle option on the left wing, with the homegrown gem subsequently morphing into his side’s next Barnes.

A dazzling fleet-footed winger, there are plenty of similarities between the two with their ability to drive forward with the ball in a positive fashion catching the eye of the Hawthorns masses.

Looking at the table above, Fellows matches Barnes’ electric output in terms of big chances missed and big chances created, with a whopping 11 assists next to his name actually bettering the 27-year-old’s assist count by five.

Only two goal contributions off matching his counterpart’s overall loan numbers at the Hawthorns, the “unbelievable” talent – as he’s been lauded by Baggies teammate Karlan Grant previously – will hope he also can follow Barnes’ upward trajectory by making it in the top-flight soon, potentially with Mowbray’s men.

Heartbreakingly, much like Barnes, Fellows could also just leave West Brom behind in pursuit of bigger and better things, with Everton reportedly keen admirers of the England U21 international.

The blistering winger’s long-term future in the West Midlands could all rest on whether promotion is sealed or not, therefore, with the 21-year-old perhaps the spark that’s needed to break his club’s playoff hoodoo.

West Brom must rue losing amazing loan star who's now outperforming Fellows

This former West Bromwich Albion loanee has come on leaps and bounds since his days at the Hawthorns.

By
Kelan Sarson

Mar 19, 2025

Manchester City can still finish the 2024/25 season holding the FA Cup aloft, but it’s safe to say this campaign has been an eye-opener for Pep Guardiola and Co.

Indeed, the reigning Premier League champions find themselves all the way down in an unsatisfactory fifth in the league standings, with a mammoth 22-point gap opening up between the lacklustre Citizens and Arne Slot’s seriously impressive Liverpool at the top of the tree.

Therefore, it isn’t out of the question this summer that Guardiola will rip up what was once successful at the Etihad in order to bring in some exciting new blood, with Phil Foden in danger of dropping out of the Spaniard’s first-team plans if he doesn’t improve.

The numbers behind Foden's poor form at Man City

Out with the old and in with the new could well be the mantra at City this summer with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne perhaps moving on after such a disorienting season is over and done with.

Foden is unlikely to up and leave like his Belgian teammate, but the 24-year-old is still a shadow of the skilful talent he was just last campaign when he was crowned PFA Player of the Year as Guardiola’s men romped home to yet another top-flight triumph.

Critiqued on the international stage by Roy Keane for some uninspiring showings donning England white, Foden has failed to pick up a goal or assist in Premier League action since Chelsea away in January, leading to the agile midfielder having to make do with spots on the substitute bench as of late.

While he’s not impressed on the international stage, he also needs to do more at club level. Last term the attacking midfielder found the net 27 times but in 2024/25, he’s only scored ten times.

Thus, his minutes could deplete further at City, particularly if they complete a mega-money transfer in the summer.

Man City City "want to sign" big Foden upgrade

A few tweaks here and there to the first team personnel could inspire City to get back to their best down the line, especially if they are able to sign their number one target this summer.

As per a report by Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, the bruised outfit “want to sign” Bayer Leverkusen superstar Florian Wirtz when the window reopens.

The Bundesliga side are preparing to offer Wirtz a new deal that would keep him at the club until 2028 but it will include a release clause allowing club’s to him out of that deal in a year’s time.

It should be seen as a priority on City’s end to try and snap up the services of the explosive German, with sumputous strikes such as the one below helping Leverkusen lift the Bundesliga title proudly last season.

He could well steer his new employers back to the very summit of the Premier League, therefore, but it will come at a significant cost, with Plettenberg further revealing that Xabi Alonso’s men would only consider parting ways with their electric ace if an offer around the £108m mark was made.

Away from his side being crowned champions last term, Wirtz has also torn open top-flight defences in 2024/25, with the German up to a ridiculous 27 goals and assists in all competitions next to Foden’s inferior 15.

Games played

25

25

Goals

9

7

Assists

10

2

Big chances created

15

7

Successful dribbles per 90

2.9

0.5

Ground duels won per 90

5.4

2.3

Key passes per 90

1.9

1.7

His continued ridiculous performances for Leverkusen has even seen him branded as “world class” by 1. FC Köln boss Gerhard Struber, with Wirtz’s swagger and skill on the ball making him a perfect replacement for a declining Foden, considering he can operate either as a number ten or as a winger, much like this counterpart.

City do find themselves at a crossroads at this moment in time with some uncomfortable decisions having to be made soon over first-team stalwarts, leading to Foden being ditched potentially for Wirtz to shine.

The next captain after De Bruyne: Man City have struck gold with £62m star

Man City have hit the jackpot on a player they signed in 2019

ByRoss Kilvington Mar 24, 2025

أعرب لويس إنريكي، المدير الفني لنادي باريس سان جيرمان، عن سعادته البالغة بفوز فريقه الكاسح على ريال مدريد بنتيجة 4-0، في نصف نهائي كأس العالم للأندية.

ويستعد باريس سان جيرمان لمواجهة تشيلسي في نهائي كأس العالم للأندية، في محاولة لإضافة اللقب الرابع هذا الموسم بعد الفوز ببطولات دوري أبطال أوروبا، والدوري الفرنسي، وكأس فرنسا.

اقرا أيضًا.. بيريز يوجه رسالة قوية إلى جماهير ريال مدريد بعد السقوط أمام باريس سان جيرمان

وقال المدرب الإسباني في المؤتمر الصحفي عقب المباراة: “هاتفي مليء برسائل من جماهير برشلونة يهنئونني، عندما تواجه فريقًا كبيرًا مثل ريال مدريد، عليك أن تقدم 100% لأنك تمثل ناديًا وقميصًا وفكرة، وعلينا الاعتراف أن ريال مدريد كان ولا يزال وسيظل فريقًا عظيمًا”.

وتابع: “لم نُبطئ الإيقاع بأي شكل، صحيح أن بعض اللاعبين احتاجوا للراحة بسبب التقلصات والإجهاد، لكننا لم نتوقف لأن كرة القدم بهذا المستوى لا تسمح بذلك”.

وتحدث المدرب الإسباني عن الفارق بين مشروع باريس الناضج ومشروع ريال مدريد الجديد تحت قيادة تشابي ألونسو، قائلًا: “مشروعنا مستمر منذ موسمين، بينما مشروع تشابي بدأ منذ 6 مباريات فقط، لقد أثبت مستواه أينما ذهب، لكنه يحتاج إلى وقت للتحضير الحقيقي والتدريب، لا يمكن تقييمه الآن”.

وأضاف: “الهدفان المبكران منحانا الكثير من الثقة، وساعدانا على فرض أسلوبنا مبكرًا في اللقاء”.

وأشاد إنريكي بعدد من نجوم فريقه، مشددًا على جودة الأداء وروح الفريق، حيث قال: “أشرف حكيمي ونونو مينديز هما أفضل ظهيرين في العالم حاليًا، الفريق كله يتمتع بجودة لا تُضاهى، وسخاء كبير، وطموح لا يتوقف”.

واختتم لويس إنريكي تصريحاته بالتأكيد على تطلع النادي الفرنسي لصناعة التاريخ يوم الأحد، موضحًا: “نريد أن نصبح أول نادٍ فرنسي يفوز بكل بطولة شارك فيها خلال موسم واحد، هذا هدفنا، وسنقاتل لتحقيقه”.

There aren’t many fairytale finishes in elite-level sport, but Stuart Broad came closer than most players ever could. In claiming Australia’s final two wickets at the Kia Oval, Broad put his personal seal on a thrilling fifth Test, closing out a series-squaring 49-run victory, and bowing out on a high with a final tally of 604 wickets at 27.68 in his remarkable 167-Test career.”It was absolutely wonderful,” Broad told Sky Sports at the close. “The crowd were unbelievable. It was so loud and we just jumped on the back of that. To contribute to the team with two wickets is very special. When you make that decision you wonder what your last ball will be so to take a wicket to win an Ashes Test match is pretty cool.”Broad’s decision to retire was announced at the close of play on day three, at which point England led by a hefty 377 runs and appeared nailed on to seal victory in the remaining two days. As things turned out, however, Usman Khawaja and David Warner bit a large chunk out of that with an unbeaten century stand on a truncated fourth day, and it wasn’t until Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali came together in a crucial fifth-wicket alliance on the final afternoon that England’s path to victory was reopened.”I thought Chris Woakes and Moeen Ali set the tone absolutely unbelievably,” Broad added. “Woakesy picked up a couple of wickets, particularly Steve Smith, who has just been a wonderful player to play against all these years. Once we got a couple we really started to believe.”Related

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• From 'team man' to poster boy – Woakes finally commands the spotlight

• Ben Stokes: 'Hope we've inspired a new generation of Test fans'

• Stuart Broad to retire from cricket at end of Oval Test

• 'Stuart Broad is the ultimate Ashes warrior'

Moeen bowled 23 overs for his three wickets, despite being hampered with a groin strain sustained while batting on the first day. And afterwards, he too confirmed that this Test would be his last, joking that “if Stokesy messages me again I’m going to delete it,” after the WhatsApp exchange that triggered his return to the side after a two-year absence.”A special mention to Moeen, he’s not officially announced he’s moving on, but we’ve played a lot together and he’s been such a special friend,” Broad added. “To put that performance in to help England win an Ashes Test match will be a dream come true for him.”England’s victory was not without controversy, following a ball-change late on day four that offered significantly more bounce and movement than the 37-over-old original that it replaced. But with Australia’s ninth-wicket pair, Alex Carey and Todd Murphy, whittling the requirement down into the 50s, it took one last act of Broad black magic to break the contest open again. Having successfully swapped the bails in the first innings, moments before Marnus Labuschagne snicked off to Mark Wood, he repeated the trick at the non-striker’s end, then immediately found Murphy’s edge to dismiss him for 18.The fact that England persevered with the same ball that had claimed all ten wickets was, Broad admitted, a lesson that they had learned from their crucial two-wicket loss in the series opener at Edgbaston.”I don’t have many regrets with cricket,” he added. “I wouldn’t have taken the second new ball at Edgbaston. Throughout the series the new ball has been the hardest time to bowl. We found it hard to create changes after that.”If I could turn back the clock for that final hour I’d have maybe stayed with the old ball, stayed heavy and short and see if they’d made a mistake. I had blood in my socks, sweat, and I knew the team had put their heart and soul into it. When you lose to a great team like that, but you know you’ve done everything like that, you’ve got to hold your head high.”Stuart Broad bowls in his final Test match•ECB via Getty Images

On his remarkable longevity, maintaining his standards over a 17-year England career, and even reaching a new peak of performance in his final three post-Covid years, Broad put that down to his relentless curiosity, and desire to keep learning new tricks – not least his angle into left-handers from round the wicket, which contributed significantly to his tally of 17 dismissals against Warner.”I like detail, data and I like to research things,” he said. “I almost need facts and data for me to believe something. That was something that was very evident when I decided to come round the wicket in 2015 and really worked on bowling to left-handers around the wicket. My data wasn’t very good so I had to make a change. I did a lot of research into Davey Warner because I found him difficult to bowl at and to try and find a way to dismiss him.”In Test cricket it is about knowing what your weaknesses are but finding your exact strengths and sticking to them so strongly and not getting knocked away. Test cricket and the whole environment, there’s a lot of things trying to knock you off the straight road, but if you can stay on it you’ll have a lot of success coming your way. I’ve found that a lot more in the last 10 years and I’ve focused solely on what my super strengths are and I’ve stuck to them in this series.”To complete a special personal occasion, Broad even hit his final ball for six – a feat last achieved by West Indies’ Wayne Daniel in 1984. “The six was the only ball I’ve middled all year! I was quite happy that went for six.”

Gerard Martin remains focused on Barcelona despite being forced out of the Under-21 European Championship due to a major injury in his first match.

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• Gerard Martin suffers hand injury at U21 Euros
• Confirms commitment to Barcelona amid exit rumours
• Expected to return in time for pre-season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Gerard Martin has returned to Barca after sustaining a hand injury during Spain's 3-2 victory over Slovakia in the opening match of the Under-21 European Championship. The 23-year-old dislocated the fifth metacarpal in his right hand and is slated to undergo surgery, ruling him out for the remainder of the tournament.

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  Despite recent rumours of a potential exit from the Spanish club, Martin confirmed that he remains committed to Barcelona. The left-back stated he is "happy and focused" on the club and believes the coaching staff are satisfied with his progress. His absence from the U21 Euros is a blow to Spain, but he is expected to recover in time for Barcelona's preseason under star manager Hansi Flick.

• WHAT GERARD MARTIN SAID

  Gerard Martin addressed the rumours, telling reporters: “I'm not paying attention to the rumors. I'm happy and focused on Barça, I'm happy with my season. I think the staff is also happy with me, with my growth and what I still have to improve. I'm not thinking about anything other than Barca, so I'm calm."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GERARD MARTIN?

  Martin will undergo surgery in Barcelona and is expected to be sidelined for a few weeks. If recovery proceeds without complications, he is likely to be available for the pre-season training, which is reported to start on July 13. The defender so far aims to compete for a place in Flick's squad amid interest from other clubs.

Real Madrid are keen to sign Alvaro Carreras from Benfica but are refusing to trigger his release clause, aiming to negotiate a structured deal.

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Madrid want Carreras after Club World CupLos Blancos refuse to pay full €50m clauseTransfer on hold despite personal terms agreedFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Madrid want Carreras as their new left-back but have not met the €50 million (£42m/$57m) release clause in his contract. According to , the Spanish club offered €40m (£34m/$46m), with Benfica willing to consider €48m (£40m/$55m), but no agreement was reached. With both clubs now at the Club World Cup in Florida, Carreras remains a Benfica player for now.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Los Blancos see the 22-year-old as a long-term solution at left-back, but they're applying the same financial strategy used for Dean Huijsen and Franco Mastantuono, staggered payments over time rather than a one-time fee. Activating the release clause would force them to pay the entire fee in one lump sum. The Spaniards' preferred approach gives them flexibility with cash flow and helps avoid unfavourable tax rates. However, Benfica know Madrid need Carreras and are using their leverage. The additional 20 per cent resale clause owed to Manchester United complicates the deal further.

WHAT RUI COSTA SAID

Benfica president Rui Costa denied any agreement with Madrid, and said: "We haven't reached an agreement with Madrid. There were proposals that didn't convince us. Not for Alvaro or any other player."

His message from Florida was clear: Benfica are not in a hurry to sell and will not accept terms that don’t match their valuation.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Madrid will continue talks with the Portuguese side in hopes of reaching a compromise deal. Their internal plan is to finalise the transfer in July, but unless Benfica budge on the payment structure, the saga could drag on.

South Zone take a 248-run lead at stumps on day three with only three wickets in hand

Shashank Kishore14-Jul-2023

The Duleep Trophy final has seen a combined 189.4 overs out of the 266 possible (four overs lost to change of innings) across three days. Yet, the game has galloped along so quickly that prospects of play going into the fifth day seem far-fetched, with South Zone only having a slight edge.Throughout the tournament, the fast bowlers have been in business all day on surfaces that have been so different to the turners we’re accustomed to seeing in India. This has meant batters have had to focus that much harder, seamers’ ability to bowl long spells has been tested and spinners have had to learn to play a holding role.All these elements provided an engaging third day in Bengaluru, with no side runaway favourites. South Zone would’ve fancied their chances when they pocketed a 67-run first-innings lead, thanks to Vidwath Kaverappa’s career-best 7 for 53, but West Zone have hit back to keep themselves alive. At the end of day three, South Zone were 181 for 7, their overall lead at 248, with Washington Sundar unbeaten on 10, hoping to showcase his red-ball chops after a prolonged sequence of in-out-in-out due to injuries and form.As such, Washington has had no bowling to do in the game. In the first innings, he was unbeaten on 22 when the lower order caved in. Now in the second dig, having come in at No. 7 again, he’s got the unenviable task of batting with the lower order to help stretch the lead.South Zone will look back at their innings with a tinge of disappointment. Four of the top six got off to starts but threw it away after West Zone added 17 to their overnight 129 for 7. Kaverappa picked up each of the three West Zone wickets to fall on Friday, with the one to Dharmendrasinh Jadeja being the standout, as he got one to bend back in to sneak through the gap between bat and pad and crash into the stumps.South were rocked immediately as R Samarth was out to a delivery that scooted low. Mayank Agarwal took 23 deliveries to get off the mark, and when he finally did, it came off a sumptuous cover drive. On 13, he was given out caught behind, only for the value of DRS in domestic cricket to shine through as it was overturned.Dharmendrasinh Jadeja celebrates after getting rid of Ricky Bhui•PTI

Then on 23, he survived a terrible mix-up with Hanuma Vihari; a better throw from square leg at the non-striker’s end would’ve had Agarwal after he was sent back halfway through what they thought was a single. But Agarwal would run out of luck eventually, dismissed pulling a bouncer from Arzan Nagwaswalla to leg gully for 35.Agarwal, though, was furious with the decision. He contended that the bowler had already bowled two short balls in the over and the one that got him was above the shoulder, nearly head-high. However, the benefit of replays didn’t convince third umpire Saidharshan Kumar that the decision be overturned.Between Samarth and Agarwal’s dismissals, Nagwaswalla also had the Caribbean-bound Tilak Varma with a beauty, the ball jagging back in off a length and cutting him into half to rattle the stumps. Varma ended the game with scores of 40 and 3.Vihari held fort for a bit after lunch, playing some lovely cover drives, ensuring he was playing close to the body and getting behind the line, but was out driving to the slips off Atit Sheth from around the wicket. At that point, South had slipped to 95 for 4. Ricky Bhui and Sachin Baby then played a few shots to conjure quick runs before the late collapse.Bhui was out lbw to sharp turn as Jadeja beat him in the air and off the pitch, while Baby was cleaned up by Sheth. R Sai Kishore earned a reprieve on 2 with a leading edge, but didn’t last long as an attempted slog was brilliantly taken by Suryakumar Yadav running back from midwicket.Soon, West Zone’s substitute fielder Arpit Vasavada injured his right hand, having collided with Suryakumar in trying to take the catch. There was no further drama in the day as Washington shut shop in the hope of trying to eke out some runs.