A total of 277 players (83 overseas) will vie for a maximum of 73 slots (23 overseas) in the auction in Delhi on November 27

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2025Allrounder Deepti Sharma and fast bowler Renuka Singh are the two Indian players among the eight listed in the marquee set that will open the bidding at the WPL 2026 auction. Sophie Devine, Sophie Ecclestone, Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr and Laura Wolvaardt are the others in the marquee set.Among the players in the marquee set, only Renuka (INR 40 lakh) and Wolvaardt (INR 30 lakh) have listed their base price lower than the maximum of INR 50 lakh.A total of 277 players have registered for the WPL 2026 auction for a maximum of 73 available slots. A total of 83 overseas players will vie for the 23 slots available for them in the auction that will be held on November 27 in Delhi.Three players in the marquee sets – Deepti, Ecclestone and Healy – have played for UP Warriorz (UPW), who have four right to match (RTM) options available. UPW retained just one uncapped player in Shweta Sehrawat.Related

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Tahlia McGrath, who played for UPW, and Sophie Molineux, who represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), are not part of the 23 players from Australia. That aside, there are 22 players from England, 13 from New Zealand and 11 from South Africa in the auction pool. Chamari Athapaththu, batter Harshitha Samarawickrama and left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera are the three from Sri Lanka. Athapaththu was part of UPW last season. Three players from Bangladesh – Marufa Akter, Shorna Akter and Rabeya Khan – have listed themselves at INR 30 lakh.India batter Harleen Deol, who played for Gujarat Giants (GG) for the first three seasons, has listed her base price in the highest bracket of INR 50 lakh and in the capped allrounders’ list. Her GG team-mate, Australia’s Phoebe Litchfield also has a base price of INR 50 lakh. But since GG have retained two overseas players, Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner, they cannot exercise their RTM for Litchfield.Alyssa Healy and Sophie Devine are part of the marquee set for the WPL 2026 auction•ICC/Getty ImagesRadha Yadav, Sneh Rana, Grace Harris, Chinelle Henry and N Shree Charani are among those in the set of capped allrounders. In that set all players except Deol have a base price of INR 30 lakh.Assam’s Uma Chetry, who was the back-up wicketkeeper in India’s World Cup-winning squad, and allrounder Kranti Gaud, who has represented UPW, both have listed themselves in the highest bracket of INR 50 lakh. Australia legspinner Alana King (INR 40 lakh), India’s Asha Sobhana and Priya Mishra (both INR 30 lakh) as well as Saika Ishaque (INR 30 lakh), who was part of Mumbai Indians (MI) for the first three seasons, are all part of the first set of spinners, which is the sixth set.Left-arm spinner Thipatcha Putthawong is the only Thailand player listed, while Tara Norris, who played for Delhi Capitals (DC) in WPL 2023 and is the first player to pick up a five-wicket haul in the competition, is the only player from USA.UAE captain Esha Oza and wicketkeeper Theertha Satish round-off the four players from Associate teams. No players from Ireland or Scotland are in the list; Scotland wicketkeeper Sarah Bryce was part of DC last season.UPW and GG will enter the auction for WPL 2026 with the highest purse – INR 14.50 crore and INR 9 crore respectively – followed by RCB (INR 6.15 crore), MI (INR 5.75 crore) and DC (5.70 crore). MI and DC, who retained five players each, will not have any RTM option available.

Chelsea have built a squad full of brilliant players over the last few years, with the likes of Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella all being genuinely world-class.

However, it would also be fair to say that, so far, their summer signings have not exactly hit the ground running.

In particular, Jamie Gittens has failed to live up to the expectations people had of him after his impressive campaign with Borussia Dortmund last year, during which he recorded 17 goal involvements.

So, it’s not a surprise to see reports linking Chelsea with an exceptionally exciting winger who could end up being a significant upgrade on the Englishman.

Chelsea target Gittens upgrade

With the transfer window less than a month away from reopening, Chelsea have once again been linked with a plethora of brilliant players.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

For example, while there has been plenty of talk about Emmanuel Emegha, the Blues have also been linked with his free-scoring teammate, Joaquín Panichelli.

On top of that, the West Londoners have also been one of several sides linked with Nottingham Forest’s imposing Murillo.

However, while both players would improve Maresca’s squad, because of where they play, neither could be described as an upgrade on Gittens, unlike Yan Diamonde.

Yes, according to a recent report from Spain, Chelsea are one of a handful of top teams interested in signing the Ivorian winger.

In fact, the report goes further than that, revealing that the Blues’ board are convinced about the 19-year-old wonderkid and see him fitting into the team perfectly.

However, on top of having to get ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, the Pensionsers would also have to stump up a lot of money to secure the player.

According to the report, RB Leipzig would want up to €100m to sell their star asset, which is about £87m, but even so, Diomande looks like a player Chelsea should go all out for, especially as he’d be a significant Gittens upgrade.

How Diomande compares Gittens

Now, while Diomande is someone who can play on both flanks and has actually spent a little more time on the right recently, he is seen as a left-sided player.

Therefore, were he to join Chelsea next month, one of his main rivals for game time would be Gittens, but who is the better player?

Well, when it comes to raw output, which is fundamentally the most crucial metric of all, it’s not even close.

For example, in 15 first-team appearances this season, totalling just 951 minutes, the Ivorian star has scored seven goals and provided four assists.

That comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.36 games, or every 86.45 minutes, which is a rate of return that lends credence to journalist Bence Bocsák’s claim that he is a “generational talent.”

Diomande vs Gittens
Player	Diomande	Gittens
Appearances	15	18
Minutes	951′	830′
Goals	7	1
Assists	4	4
Goal Involvements per Match	0.73	0.27
Minutes per Goal Involvement	86.45	138.33′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

In stark contrast, the Englishman has scored a single goal and provided five assists in 18 appearances this season, totalling 830 minutes.

That comes out to a pretty underwhelming average of a goal involvement every three games, or every 138.33 minutes.

Moreover, a caveat about the Reading-born ace’s age cannot be made, as the Leipzig star is just 19 and already running games in attack.

On top of having the better output, the Abidjan-born superstar in the making also has some brilliant underlying numbers to his name.

For example, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons, the top 2% for progressive carries, the top 10% for shot-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Finally, while the competition is less fierce, it is impressive that the Ivorian monster has already won four senior caps for his country, compared to none for the Englishman.

Ultimately, Gittens may well come good, but at the same time, Diomande is massively outperforming him and looks like someone Chelsea should break the bank on.

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Former Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers made several additions to the playing squad during the summer transfer window, and Wilfried Nancy is tasked with getting the best out of them.

The Northern Irish boss made 11 signings to bolster his options across the pitch before he eventually resigned after a 3-1 defeat to Hearts at the end of October.

Nancy has to try to get the best out of those signings in the coming months and years, as many of them have failed to live up to the hype so far this season.

Ranking Celtic's summer signings

Whilst this may say more about the rest of the business done in the summer, Benjamin Nygren has been the club’s best signing of the season, as he is currently Celtic’s top goalscorer in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, with seven goals in 25 games.

Kieran Tierney, who arrived on a free transfer, and Marcelo Saracchi, who joined on loan from Boca Juniors, have also been solid additions in the left-back position, sharing duties in that role.

Callum Osmand joined from Fulham after his contract expired with the English side and scored one goal and won a penalty in three first-team matches before picking up an injury, which suggests that he is an exciting talent to watch out for when he is back fit.

Ranking Celtic’s summer signings

Rank

Player

1

Benjamin Nygren

2

Kieran Tierney

3

Callum Osmand

4

Kelechi Iheanacho

5

Marcelo Saracchi

6

Ross Doohan

7

Sebastian Tounekti

8

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey

9

Hayato Inamura

10

Shin Yamada

11

Michel-Ange Balikwisha

Ross Doohan, who joined on a free transfer as a third-choice goalkeeper, is the dividing player between poor and good signings in the rankings above, as the most average addition to the squad.

We have Sebastian Tounekti in the lower half of the rankings because he is starting to look like one of the biggest wastes of money since Albian Ajeti.

Why Sebastian Tounekti looks like a waste of money

After creating four chances, completing five dribbles, and scoring one goal in his first two matches, per Sofascore, the Tunisia international looked primed to be a star for the Hoops. Rodgers even claimed that he “excites the crowd”.

Celtic paid £5.2m to sign the forward from Hammarby to make him the most expensive signing of the summer, falling just shy of the £6m mark that would have taken him into the club’s top ten most expensive signings in their history.

Unfortunately, three months later, Tounekti has recorded two goals and zero assists in 18 appearances in all competitions for the Hoops, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has struggled to make an impact at the top end of the pitch.

Since Celtic paid £5m for Ajeti, who scored just nine goals in 48 games as a striker (Transfermarkt), the Hoops have signed six players for more than £5m: Jota (twice), Cameron Carter-Vickers, Arne Engels, Adam Idah, Auston Trusty, and Tounekti.

Jota was sold for £25m, before being re-signed, and Idah was sold for £6m after scoring 20 goals in all competitions last season, which shows that they were not complete wastes of money.

Carter-Vickers, of course, has been a long-serving regular starter for the club and Auston Trusty has made 50 appearances, now established as a regular starter, per Transfermarkt.

Engels, signed for £11m from Augsburg, has been fairly effective at the top end of the pitch, per Transfermarkt, with a return of 12 goals and 17 assists in 76 appearances since the start of last season.

This shows that the five other most expensive signings since Ajeti flopped at Parkhead have either been successful signings or had plenty of positives in their time at Celtic, even if it did not work out perfectly.

Tounekti, though, has one goal and no assists in his last 16 appearances for Celtic, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be a regular starter under the new manager, after he was the first player to be substituted in the 2-1 defeat to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

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For a player signed for £5.2m, he has not delivered enough quality at the top end of the pitch to suggest that he was a worthwhile signing, which is why he currently looks like one of their biggest wastes of money since Ajeti flopped at the club with his nine goals in 48 games.

Glasgow Rangers were dealt a big blow in their 3-0 win over Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday, as Nedim Bajrami was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury after 21 minutes.

The Albania international had scored one goal and created seven chances in his last two starts in the league, per Sofascore, which shows that he was finally finding his feet in the 2025/26 campaign.

Unfortunately, the former Sassuolo man is now set for a spell on the sidelines after this latest injury blow, which means that Danny Rohl will need to find a new left winger for the game against Ferencvaros on Thursday night.

Why Findlay Curtis should not start against Ferencvaros

Academy graduate Findlay Curtis came off the bench to replace Bajrami in the 21st minute against Kilmarnock on Saturday, but the Scottish youngster failed to take his chance to impress.

Perhaps it was nerves, as it was only his third appearance since the start of November, but the 19-year-old winger produced a shaky display before being substituted in the 76th minute.

Per Sofascore, Curtis completed one of his three attempted crosses, created one chance, and failed to score with either of his shots on goal, whilst one of those failed crosses sailed high and wide in the first half and led to some frustrated reactions in the penalty area.

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The teenage forward also struggled with the physical side of the game. Per Sofascore, he lost three of his four ground duels and was dribbled past three times, which shows that the Kilmarnock players found him too easy to get the better of on the night.

With this in mind, Rohl could solve the Bajrami injury blow by leaving Curtis on the bench to be an impact sub and starting Thelo Aasgaard in a new role.

The new role that Thelo Aasgaard could play for Rangers

It is fair to say that the summer signing from Luton Town has not enjoyed an ideal debut season with the Ibrox giants so far, with a return of one goal and one assist in 22 appearances in all competitions, per Sofascore

He was described as a “passenger” by Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar last month, and his lack of goals and assists for the Light Blues backs up that comment.

Per Transfermarkt, all of his starts this season have come in central positions. This is why Rohl should flip the script and attempt to ignite Aasgaard’s Rangers career by playing him in a brand-new role on the left flank.

AM

70

20 + 10

LW

21

5 + 0

CM

19

1 + 0

LM

6

1 + 1

CF

5

0 + 1

As you can see in the table above, the Norwegian talent is no stranger to playing on the left flank, as he has played 27 matches there in his career, which suggests that he is capable of playing out wide.

A return of seven goals in those 27 games also suggests that moving him out on the left could ignite his goalscoring potential at Ibrox, after a run of one goal in 22 matches in central positions so far for the Light Blues.

Unlike Curtis, Aasgaard has the physical and defensive attributes to his game that could make him a reliable operator out of possession in a left wing position. Per Sofascore, he has won 58% of his ground duels and only been dribbled past once in 12 appearances in the Premiership.

The Scottish youngster, meanwhile, has lost 53% of his ground duels and been dribbled past three times in 119 minutes of football, which suggests that the summer signing from Luton offers more physicality on the pitch.

Physicality is not everything, though, and Aasgaard will still need to prove that he can deliver goals and assists on a regular basis if Rohl opts to provide him with a chance to shine on the left wing after injuries to Bajrami and Oliver Antman in recent days.

With Mikey Moore, who can play centrally or out wide on either flank, also returning to fitness, it will be interesting to see what the German head coach ultimately decides to go with against Ferencvaros on Thursday night.

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It could be a good move, though, to unleash Aasgaard over Curtis in that left wing spot on Thursday night, both because of the physical element and how it could ignite the ex-Wigan star’s career at the club.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl will be looking to mastermind his first-ever win in European football against Ferencvaros in the Europa League on Thursday night.

After a 3-0 win against Kilmarnock away from Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday night, the German boss will be hoping that his players are full of confidence and ready to secure that first win of the league phase.

Several players will need to raise their levels, though, because too many members of the squad have failed to perform on the European stage this season.

The worst Rangers performers in the Europa League this season

When looking at the worst performers for the Gers in the Europa League, it is impossible to look past Mohamed Diomande as the standout player for the wrong reasons.

The Ivorian central midfielder has been sent off two times in three appearances in the competition, remarkably, and it is hard to get much worse than that.

Youssef Chermiti, who was signed for £8m from Everton, has challenged Diomande for that spot, though, with no goals and four ‘big chances’ missed in five starts, per Sofascore, in the league phase.

1

Mohamed Diomande

2

Youssef Chermiti

3

Thelo Aasgaard

4

Oliver Antman

5

Jayden Meghoma

Summer signings Thelo Aasgaard and Oliver Antman also rank in the worst five performers, as they have both failed to deliver a goal or an assist and both average under one key pass per game, per WhoScored.

The attacking duo have also struggled in the Premiership, with one goal and two assists combined, but they are not the only attacking players who have underperformed, as Djeidi Gassama must be dropped for Thursday’s game.

Why Djeidi Gassama should be dropped by Danny Rohl

The summer signing from Sheffield Wednesday made an electric start to his career at Ibrox with four goals in six games in the Champions League qualifiers.

Since then, though, the French forward has found it tough to make an impact on a regular basis, with one goal in 15 Premiership games and one goal in five outings in the Europa League, per Sofascore.

At the end of last month, Rangers fan and scout Kai Watson posted that Gassama “deserves just as much criticism as Antman & Aasgaard”, which is a fair comment when you look at their respective performances in the Premiership.

As aforementioned, the Frenchman has not delivered much in the way of quality in the league for the Gers, and he blanked again in the 3-0 win over Kilmarnock, with no goals, assists, or ‘big chances’ created, per Sofascore. He also lost the ball a whopping 23 times.

Games

15

22

Goals

1

1

Big chances missed

3

3

Big chances created

1

2

Assists

1

2

As you can see in the table above, Aasgaard and Antman’s combined output in the Premiership is better than Gassama’s, which shows that he has not been at a level above the pair this season in the league.

These statistics show that all three of those summer signings have failed to provide goals and assists on a regular basis for the Light Blues, and that is also reflected in their combined return of one goal and no assists in the Europa League.

With this in mind, Rohl should ruthlessly ditch Gassama from the starting line-up for Thursday evening’s clash with Ferencvaros because he has not offered enough quality in the final third of late.

Instead, the ex-Sheffield Wednesday manager should bring Mikey Moore back into the fold after he marked his return from injury with an impressive goal against Kilmarnock.

The Spurs loanee has scored two goals in his last two appearances for Rangers, and it would have been three if not for VAR ruling out his second goal against Killie for an innocuous foul in the build-up.

Moore is starting to show that he can be a difference-maker in the final third, with two goals and one assist in the league, and should be given an opportunity to shine from the start ahead of Gassama on Thursday.

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The Australia allrounder is recovering from a shoulder complaint she has been managing for some time

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Nov-20254:35

Chatter: What type of players could attract most attention at this WPL auction?

Australian bowling allrounder Jess Jonassen is understood to have pulled out of the WPL auction due to injury. Jonassen’s exit was disclosed to franchises by the WPL at the pre-auction briefing on Wednesday.The WPL has also told franchises that batter Pratika Rawal, wicketkeeper-batter Yastika Bhatia and seamer VJ Joshitha are all injured though their names are part of the auction pool. However, these three players cannot be part of the mandatory 15-person squad. In case any franchise picks these players, they will not be allowed a replacement.Rawal listed her base price at INR 50 lakh while Bhatia at INR 30 lakh. Meanwhile, Joshitha will invite bids from INR 10 lakh.The WPL has also told franchises that India fast bowler Pooja Vastrakar is not fully fit but will be part of the auction. Kashvee Gautam, meanwhile, has been declared fit. Vastrakar has listed her base price at INR 50 lakh while Gautam at INR 30 lakh.Related

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Jonassen, 33, has made a big impact in the WPL, winning five Player-of-the-Match awards. Only Harmanpreet Kaur has won more Player-of-the-Match awards (7) in the WPL. It is understood that Jonassen is recovering from a shoulder complaint she has been managing for some time.Alyssa Healy, Meg Lanning, Amelia Kerr and Laura Wolvaardt are listed in the marquee set that will open the bidding at the WPL 2026 auction. Allrounder Deepti Sharma and fast bowler Renuka Singh are the two Indian players in the marquee set.

More than any other location, Wembley perhaps marks the turbulent nature of Casemiro’s Manchester United stay best.

Indeed, in February 2023, United’s emerging talisman nodded home the opener as Erik ten Hag’s side went on to claim Carabao Cup glory, with the Brazilian proving to be the “cement” in the team that season, in the view of his manager.

Roughly 15 months later, however, and the ex-Real Madrid man merely watched on as the Red Devils shocked Manchester City to win the FA Cup, with the much-maligned Sofyan Amrabat acting as the midfield pillar on the day.

Confusion remains over just why Casemiro was absent, having initially been included in the matchday squad, before pulling out due to a reported tight hamstring.

Was he merely perturbed by being axed for Amrabat, or was there a genuine issue? Either way, that day – like the debacle at Selhurst Park a few weeks earlier – appeared to mark the beginning of the end for the veteran’s Old Trafford career.

Position

Player

GK

Andre Onana**

RB

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

CB

Raphael Varane

CB

Lisandro Martinez*

LB

Diogo Dalot*

DM

Sofyan Ambrat

DM

Kobbie Mainoo*

RW

Alejandro Garnacho

LW

Marcus Rashford

CF

Bruno Fernandes (C)*

CF

Scott McTominay

*Still at the club

** out on loan

Remarkably, with 2026 looming, the 33-year-old has defied the odds to recapture his starting berth under the Ruben Amorim regime, even if his long-term future remains murky.

Why Man Utd still need to let resurgent Casemiro leave

Had his legs given up on him, or did the midfielder merely give up on Ten Hag, with the five-time Champions League winner looking so out of sorts when deployed as a makeshift centre-back in that 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.

With Amorim in the door, the ageing talent has looked like a different player, it must be said, with the Portuguese coach among those seemingly surprised at the manner of his resurgence.

While Casemiro did start alongside Christian Eriksen for Amorim’s first game at Portman Road, he initially faded from view, having been “behind every midfielder, even Toby [Collyer]” at one stage, according to his manager.

A firm fixture of last season’s Europa League run, the £70m signing has since started 13 Premier League games in 2025/26, scoring key goals against Chelsea, Brighton and Nottingham Forest.

He is a man on the rise, but should that cloud the judgment of Amorim and INEOS? A player whom Sir Jim Ratcliffe pointed to as a problematic signing, prior to his arrival at Old Trafford, there must surely be a willingness to get such an expensive asset off the books.

On a reported £350k-per-week, it is difficult to see the merit in extending Casemiro’s deal, with just six months left to run on his current contract.

The suggestion is that INEOS will indeed look to let him leave for nothing, and for all his recent uptick, that should seemingly be the correct course of action, not least considering the midfield warrior will turn 34 in February.

That process of transitioning Casemiro out of the side could be made far easier too if Amorim looks to a forgotten United figure – and no, it’s not Manuel Ugarte.

Man Utd's forgotten star can replace Ugarte & Casemiro

Upon his move to Manchester in the summer of 2024, there was a sense that Ugarte would be the ready-made Casemiro replacement, emerging as something of a tackling machine during his stint at Sporting CP, albeit less so at Paris Saint-Germain.

18 months later, while he does still rank in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for tackles made per 90, as per FBref, the Uruguayan has drifted into the periphery, starting just two league games all season.

The subject of criticism from his manager at the end of last term, the 24-year-old is staring down the barrel of his own swift exit heading into 2026, amid reports he too could be let go either in January or next summer.

Again, the decision to allow him to leave in the New Year could be made far easier if Amorim does decide to reintegrate the aforementioned Collyer, with there a debate to be had over recalling the Englishman from his spell on loan at West Bromwich Albion.

Currently back in Manchester receiving treatment for a fresh injury, which could keep the 21-year-old sidelined for eight weeks, there could be merit in keeping the former Brighton and Hove Albion man on board when he is back to full fitness, not least considering the lack of midfield depth at Amorim’s disposal.

The player whom Ten Hag made a beeline for during those FA Cup final celebrations, as he had done with Kobbie Mainoo in the Carabao Cup a year earlier, Collyer went on to make 13 first-team appearances last term, following his debut off the bench in the Community Shield loss to Man City.

Now, he may not be the glamorous, Mainoo-style ball player that United are also in need of, but what he does possess is a real engine and work ethic, with such athleticism distinctly lacking from the experienced pairing of Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes.

Indeed, in the view of his former Brighton coach Mark Beard, he almost “plays like two men sometimes”, such is the ground he can cover, having been hailed as arguably the “best in the country” in that department at his age group.

Also noted as being “like a Kante” by Beard, Collyer showed flashes of that defensive nous last season, memorably producing a remarkable goalline clearance against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Of course, it hasn’t been a fruitful loan spell due to injury and a lack of game time, after starting just three Championship games for the Baggies, although when fit and available again, the two-footed talent could be deserving of a chance to stake his claim back in Amorim’s first-team set-up.

Ugarte, among the worst signings of modern times, just isn’t cutting it, while Casemiro is surely heading toward the climax of his United stay.

Collyer, albeit while a wildcard option, might just represent the perfect replacement to help nudge them out the door.

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Big Picture: Series on the line, with T20 World Cup on the horizon

India’s brilliant bowling performances, bamboozling Australia with spin, in Hobart and the Gold Coast has turned the series on its head. Josh Hazlewood’s stranglehold of India’s batters earlier in the series feels like a long time ago as a shorthanded Australia – without frontline players turning their focus to the Ashes – stare down the barrel of a series defeat.Australia can’t win the series, but can salvage a draw in the fifth and final T20I at the Gabba. Even though almost all the attention across the country is on the Ashes, meaning scrutiny on this series is minimal, Australia’s hierarchy have a few things to ponder ahead of a fast-approaching T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.Related

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Australia have a clear plan of all-out attack, which can look spectacular on faster surfaces or against the right match-up. But this high-voltage batting-order failed to execute on a slower Gold Coast surface in game four. Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar completely dominated as Australia collapsed to a sizeable defeat after laying a good platform.With the T20 World Cup to be played in what could be spin-friendly conditions, Australia are facing questions over whether they can combat high-quality spin attacks. A faster Gabba pitch is unlikely to provide answers, but Australia will want a confidence boost and to avoid a third straight T20I defeat – undoing somewhat the team’s rousing form since the last World Cup.After a sluggish start to the series, India have continued their strong record having never lost a T20I series in Australia – bar a one-off match in 2007-08. With their slew of spinners running rampant, India have proven why they are so hard to beat in this format as they eye becoming the first country to successfully defend their T20 World Cup crown.After conditions were to their liking over the past couple of games, India will face a challenge in Brisbane and the spotlight will be on how their top-order can fare even though a Hazlewood-less attack is slightly a less scary prospect.If they seal a series triumph, India will head home feeling well pleased ahead of a T20 World Cup they will start as favourites.

Form guide

Australia LLWWW
India WWLWW
Australia have had a strong run in T20Is but won’t want to lose three in a row•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Josh Inglis and Shubman Gill

It’s been a frustrating start to the Australian season for Josh Inglis, who suffered a calf injury before the tour of New Zealand and it took longer to recover. Inglis has finally made it back, but his returns with the bat this series have been modest with just 33 runs in three innings. A noted player of spin, Inglis was completely bamboozled by Axar on the Gold Coast in a poor dismissal. At No. 3, Inglis holds a valuable spot in the order and his struggles have contributed to Australia’s indecisiveness this series. He will also be eyeing a good hit-out in the middle before switching to the red ball in the Sheffield Shield having been selected in Australia’s first Test Ashes squad as the reserve wicketkeeper. He is the only member of the 15-player squad playing in this game.It has not been a fruitful tour for Shubman Gill, who could not get going with the bat as India slumped to an ODI series loss to start his captaincy reign in the format. Without the captaincy burden in the T20Is, he has fared slightly better in this series although has still yet to crack a half-century on tour. He came close on the Gold Coast when he top-scored with 46 off 39 balls. Gill, however, lacked fluency in the innings, struggling against the new ball before some of his favoured flat-bat shots started to return. He will be hoping the momentum can carry over as he looks to end a tough tour on a high.Nathan Ellis has been outstanding•AFP/Getty Images

Team news: Philippe’s middle-order role, India to remain unchanged

Fringe white-ball player Matt Short was in good touch on the Gold Coast after replacing Travis Head, who is preparing for the Ashes. Short made 25 off 19 balls before the wheels fell off the innings. Josh Philippe made just 10 at No. 5 in his first T20I innings in almost two years and may be battling to hold his spot, with Mitch Owen a chance to return.Australia (possible): 1 Matt Short, 2 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Tim David, 5 Mitch Owen/Josh Philippe, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Xavier Bartlett, 9 Ben Dwarshuis, 10 Nathan Ellis, 11 Adam ZampaIndia are unlikely to tinker with their successful blueprint and should roll out the same XI even though conditions probably won’t be as conducive to turn.India (possible): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Axar Patel, 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Jitesh Sharma, 8 Shivam Dube, 9 Arshdeep Singh, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

As is the norm this time of year in Brisbane, there is the threat of thunderstorms later in the day. The Gabba surface traditionally has plenty of pace and bounce to encourage the seamers, but runs can also flow freely with BBL games at the ground often noted for high totals.

Stats and trivia

• Jasprit Bumrah is one away from 100 T20I wickets. He would become the first India player to have 100 wickets in all three formats.
• The last time Australia lost at least three straight T20Is was a four-game skid to West Indies and Bangladesh in July 2021.
• India have not won three consecutive T20Is against Australia since a clean sweep in January 2016 in Australia.
• Australia’s four-run victory over India in November 2018 is the only previous T20I match between the teams at the Gabba.

Quotes

“I find it challenging in bilateral series because you’re bowling to the same batters every second night, every third night. So it becomes a little bit of cat-and-mouse of what did I do to them last time, what are they looking for?”
“The quality bowling we have, the spinners, the fast bowlers, I trust them and the whole team trusts our bowlers.”

MatériaMais Notícias

A chegada de Juan Pablo Vojvoda ao Fortaleza mudou, com toda a certeza, a história do Laion. Desde 2021 no comando do clube, o técnico soma, ao todo, 235 jogos pelo clube, com 115 vitórias, 56 empates e 64 derrotas. Relembre como era a história do clube antes da chegada do argentino!

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Um Fortaleza sem títulos de expressão

Antes de Vojvoda, o Fortaleza era um clube com uma torcida apaixonada, mas não possuia grandes títulos ou campanhas. Até 2021, a equipe, que já havia começado sua reconstrução, possuía uma Série B, 43 campeonatos estaduais e uma Copa do Nordeste.

Antes do argentino, por exemplo, a equipe jamais havia participado de uma competição internacional e, agora, já tem uma participação em Libertadores e uma final de Copa Sul-Americana no currículo. Com Vojvoda, o Laion conquistou três cearenses e uma Copa do Nordeste, além de ter feito sua melhor campanha no Brasileirão e na Copa do Brasil.

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Confira todas as informações que você precisa saber sobre o confronto entre CRB e Fortaleza (onde assistir, horário, escalações e local).

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
CRB X Fortaleza
Final – Copa do Nordeste
🗓️ Data e horário: domingo, 9 de junho de 2024, às 16:30 (de Brasília);
📍 Local: Estádio Rei Pelé (AL);
📺 Onde assistir: SBT (Nordeste); ESPN e Star+.
🟨 Árbitro: Emerson Ricardo de Almeida (BA);
🚩 Assistentes: Alessandro Álvaro Rocha (BA) e Daniella Coutinho (BA);
🖥️ VAR: Pablo Ramon Gonçalves (RN).

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⚽ PROVÁVEIS ESCALAÇÕES:

CRB (Técnico: Daniel Paulista)
Matheus Albino, Hereda, Saimon, Fábio Alemão e Matheus Ribeiro; João Pedro, Falcão e Gegê; Facundo Labandeira, Léo Pereira e Anselmo Ramon.

Fortaleza (Técnico: Juan Pablo Vojvoda)
João Ricardo, Brítez, Kuscevic e Titi; Yago Pikachu, Matheus Rossetto, Zé Welison, Moisés e Bruno Pacheco; Lucero e Pochettino.

Tudo sobre

Copa do NordesteFortalezaStar +

تحدث أوريلين تشواميني، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد حول مباراة مانشستر سيتي ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ومن المقرر أن يخوض ريال مدريد مباراة هامة نظيره مانشستر سيتي مساء غدٍ الأربعاء ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا، على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.

وقال تشواميني، في المؤتمر الصحفي والذي نقلته صحيفة “آس”: إنه لمن دواعي سروري اللعب في دوري أبطال أوروبا، وخاصةً على أرضنا وأكثر من ذلك، ضد مانشستر سيتي، منافسنا القوي، نتطلع إلى ذلك بشوق”.

وأضاف حول طلب ألونسو باللعب بحماس أكثر: “لا أعرف موقفنا ولكن إذا لم نفُز، فذلك لأننا بحاجة إلى تحسين أدائنا، أن نلعب بشكل أفضل دفاعيًا وهجوميًا، علينا أن نتحسن، نأمل أن نتمكن من ذلك، ما يحدث الآن لا يمكن أن يستمر”.

وأكمل: “علاقتي مع ألونسو؟ كلنا في هذا معًا، إذا أردنا الفوز، فعلينا جميعًا القتال من أجل ذلك مع المدرب، مع الفريق، نحن في الملعب وعلينا أن نبذل قصارى جهدنا، غدًا لدينا فرصة جيدة لقلب الأمور”.

اقرأ أيضًا | ألونسو يعلق على معاقبة محمد صلاح ويوضح موقفه من تدريب ليفربول

وعن عدم الضغط العالي على الفرق المنافسة كما كان، أوضح: “علينا التحسن في هذا الجانب، في البداية نرغب في الضغط، أحيانًا نؤدي ذلك بشكل جيد، وأحيانًا أخرى بشكل سيء للغاية، علينا التحسن لاستعادة المزيد من الكرات”.

وتابع حول مواجهة هالاند: “سنناقش خطة اللعب مع المدرب اليوم، لدينا العديد من الإصابات في خط الدفاع لكن لدينا العديد من اللاعبين القادرين على تقديم أداء عالي، علينا جميعًا أن ندافع معًا ونظهر التزامنا، نلعب ضد فريق رائع، هالاند لاعب مذهل لكن إذا لعبنا بكامل طاقتنا، يمكننا الفوز بهذه المباراة”.

واستطرد” النقص في الحدة؟ ضد سيلتا بالطبع، وفي مباريات أخرى أيضًا، إذا لم نلعب بأقصى قوة فسيكون الفوز صعبًا للغاية، علينا أن ندرك أن الفوز بهذه المباريات يتطلب بذل قصارى جهدنا، لم نفعل ذلك ضد سيلتا، ويجب أن نفعله غدًا”.

وسُئل تشواميني ما هي المشكلة، في الفريق أم ألونسو، فأجاب: “ضد سيلتا، كان لدى المدرب خطة جيدة لكننا نحن اللاعبين من نلعب، إذا خسرنا 2/0 فذلك بسبب مشكلة، مثل نقص التركيز وذلك ليس خطأ المدرب، سنتحسن”.

وأتم: “مانشستر سيتي فريق رائع خاصةً عند الاستحواذ على الكرة، علينا أن نكون متماسكين دفاعيًا، وأن نخلق الفرص لمهاجمينا عند الاستحواذ على الكرة، ستكون مباراة ممتعة للغاية”.