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Leeds United have now submitted a £11m offer for a midfielder, who would be a “real coup” for the 49ers this summer, it has been revealed.

Farke looking to bolster Leeds options in all areas

With last season’s three promoted sides suffering instant relegation from the Premier League, the 49ers will be well-aware of the need to improve Daniel Farke’s squad this summer, and they have been very active in the opening stages of the transfer window.

Sebastiaan Bornauw became the third summer signing on Tuesday, with the centre-back arriving from Wolfsburg on a four-year deal, while the arrivals of fellow defender Jaka Bijol and forward Lukas Nmecha have already been confirmed.

As such, the only outfield position which is yet to be strengthened is midfield, but Leeds aren’t short of potential options, having made approaches for a number of players from Ligue 1 and the Serie A.

Habib Diarra was seemingly one of the newly-promoted side’s main targets, with a £22m bid being rejected by Strasbourg prior to the maestro’s move to Sunderland, but they now appear to have moved on to a like-for-like alternative option.

Indeed, according to a report from Sudinfo, Leeds have now submitted a €13m (£11m) bid for Union Saint-Gilloise midfielder Noah Sadiki, with fellow Premier League side Brentford offering €15m (£13m), but neither proposal is viewed as good enough by the Belgian side.

Leeds in talks to sign £42m star who could push for Elland Road move in days

The Whites have lodged an enquiry over a “world-class” player, who could look to seal a move to west Yorkshire very soon.

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By
Dominic Lund

Jul 1, 2025

Union Saint-Gilloise have set an asking price of €20m (£17m), which is justified by the youngster’s age, given that he is still only 20-years-old, as well as the fact he remains under contract with the Belgian champions until 2027.

However, since this update, it has been reported that fellow promoted side Sunderland are set to sign Sadiki for €17m plus €3m in add-ons.

"Artisan" Sadiki "would be a coup" for the 49ers

As things stand, the two clubs remain some way apart in their valuation of the midfielder, but there are some indications that Leeds should look to return with an improved offer, with Sebastian Stafford-Bloor singling him out for particularly high praise.

The Athletic reporter said: “He’s a sturdy, dependable ball-winner, but an artisan in possession with a cultured passing range.

“Leeds United have shown interest — signing Sadiki would be a coup for a newly-promoted team.”

The DR Congo international also played a major role in Union Saint-Gilloise winning their first league title in 90 years last season, making a total of 55 appearances in all competitions, which is an impressive feat at just 20-years-old.

As such, Sadiki could now be ready to test himself at a higher level, but it would be a risk for Leeds to sign the young midfielder when Douglas Luiz is also an option, with the Juventus man having already proven himself in the Premier League during his time with Aston Villa.

Wes Agar has been forced to cut short his 2024 season at Kent after sustaining a shoulder injury in their County Championship match against Worcestershire in the second week of May.Though Agar recovered sufficiently enough to play against Essex at the end of last month, the decision has been taken for the fast bowler to return to Australia to facilitate a full recovery. Agar, who has two ODI caps, was originally due to be at Canterbury until the end of July, available for both the County Championship and the Vitality Blast. He leaves having not appeared in the latter this summer.The loss of the South Australian was softened by confirmation that Agar will return for the 2025 season, again on an all-format deal running from April to July, subject to regulatory approval. Agar took 12 County Championship wickets at 34.25 this season, having taken 21 at 28.33 during his first stint at the club in 2023, which saw him finish the campaign as their joint-leading wicket-taker alongside Matt Quinn, despite playing just six matches.”I’m thrilled to be coming back to my ‘home away from home’ again next year,” said Agar in a statement on Tuesday. “I feel fully part of the Kent Cricket Family now – it’s a great Club full of great people on and off the field and the decision to sign on again for another English summer was an easy one to make. I can’t wait to pull on that Kent shirt again and perform in front of our Members and supporters in 2025.”I’m gutted to be leaving the lads early this time, and I’ve absolutely loved my time in Canterbury this year. See you all in April!”Kent’s Director of Cricket, Simon Cook, said: “Wes is a talented multi-format cricketer and a very popular member of our dressing room – we’re extremely pleased that he will be joining us again next Summer.”His ethos and work ethic is great to have around the place, and we’re looking forward to him being an important part of our attack at the front end of our 2025 season. It’s sad to see him leave early with his shoulder injury, but we know that he will come back with the same enthusiasm to perform at his best in a Kent shirt next year.”Agar’s recovery will be with a view to playing a full part in South Australia’s Sheffield Shield campaign. He will then turn out for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League, having left Adelaide Strikers after eight seasons as the first player in the BBL to be traded as part of a pick exchange in the overseas draft.

Sunderland have now made an approach to sign an international defender who has 25 Champions League appearances to his name, reporter Ben Jacobs has revealed.

Black Cats set to have money to spend after Bellingham sale

Despite the Black Cats securing promotion to the Premier League in dramatic fashion at Wembley, Jobe Bellingham decided to forge a similar path to his brother by opting to move to Borussia Dortmund, in what was a club-record £32m deal.

The departure will no doubt be disappointing for Regis Le Bris, given that the 19-year-old was a crucial player last season, making 43 appearances in all competitions, but there should now be additional funds to bring in a suitable replacement this summer.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Tommy Doyle is one of the players who has been earmarked as a potential replacement for Bellingham, but central midfield is not the only area in which Le Bris is looking to strengthen, having also set his sights on a new left-back.

Aston Villa’s Alex Moreno was identified as a potential target earlier this week, following the Spaniard’s return from a loan spell with Nottingham Forest, and Sunderland have now made an approach to sign a different left-back, namely Atletico Madrid’s Reinildo.

That is according to Jacobs, who took to X to reveal that a number of clubs have come forward to sign the Atletico defender, with Leeds United and Forest making approaches of their own, while clubs from Saudi Arabia and Turkey also retain an interest.

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The Black Cats are looking to continue their summer business.

ByTom Cunningham Jun 10, 2025

The 31-year-old’s contract is set to expire after the upcoming Club World Cup, potentially opening the door for a move to the Stadium of Light, and given that he currently earns around £13k-a-week, wages shouldn’t be too much of an issue either.

"Talented" Reinildo needs to leave Atletico this summer

The Beira-born defender is still at an age where he should be playing regular first-team football, but that has not been the case at Atletico Madrid for quite some time, having been benched for all of the Spanish side’s La Liga games since the end of March.

As such, the Mozambique international needs to move on this summer, and the Stadium of Light could be an attractive destination, given that the Black Cats have returned to the Premier League.

There are also some indications the left-back could be a savvy signing on a free transfer, considering Le Bris would be bringing in a player with a lot of experience at the top level, having made a total of 25 appearances in the Champions League.

Once described as a “talented” player by Zach Lowy, Reinildo could be a solid addition to the Sunderland squad this summer, but there may be some justified concerns that he is now past his best, given that Atletico were willing to let his contract run down.

There is no getting away from it: this season has been one big disappointment after another for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side crashed out of both domestic cups, couldn’t get past Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and are so far behind Liverpool in the Premier League that it would be hard to say they were even in a title race.

However, while this has not been a campaign to remember for the North Londoners, there have at least been a few positives, such as the form of Declan Rice.

The Englishman has been one of the team’s best players and currently has a tally of 18 goal involvements in 50 games, so fans should be excited about recent reports linking the club to someone who could be their next Rice.

Arsenal's hunt for a new midfielder

Before getting to the player in question, it’s worth reviewing some of the other midfielders linked with a move to Arsenal in recent weeks, like Martin Zubimendi and Hugo Larsson.

Transfer Focus

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The former’s proposed £51m move to the Emirates actually got the ‘here we go’ treatment from Fabrizio Romano on Saturday morning, and with Spain manager Luis de la Fuente previously describing him as one of the “best central midfielders in the world,” fans should be excited.

Interestingly, Larsson would also reportedly cost just as much this summer, but as he’s still just 20 years old, his move would likely be one for the future, and if Arteta and Co want to sign an up-and-coming central midfielder, they’d be better served acting on their supposed interest in Adam Wharton.

Yes, according to a recent report from Caught Offside, Arsenal are one of several sides keen on the Crystal Palace star.

Alongside the Gunners, the report revealed that Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Newcastle United are interested in the young Englishman.

A potential price tag is not mentioned in the story, but another report from earlier this month claimed that it would take a massive fee of around £80m to get the midfielder out of Selhurst Park this summer.

It would be an incredibly complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Wharton’s ability and potential, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as he could be their next Rice.

Why Wharton could be Arsenal's new Rice

The first thing to say is that we aren’t claiming Wharton is on the same level as Rice at the moment, but there are enough similarities to suggest he could develop into someone just as brilliant.

One of the key similarities is their position and style of play, as, just like the Arsenal star, the young Palace ace started his career and primarily still plays in defensive midfield but is now incredibly influencing things at the sharp end of the pitch while maintaining his defensive output.

For example, FBref has placed him in the top 6% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for ball recoveries, the top 7% for progressive passes, shot-creating actions and dribblers challenged, the top 10% for crosses into the penalty area, the top 11% for expected assisted goals, the top 12% for goal-creating actions and more, all per 90.

Wharton’s Scout Report

Statistics

Per 90

Percentile

Ball Recoveries

6.73

Top 6%

Progressive Passes

7.76

Top 7%

Shot-Creating Actions

3.91

Top 7%

Dribbles Challenged

2.95

Top 7%

Crosses into Penalty Area

0.32

Top 10%

Inswinging Corner Kicks

1.22

Top 10%

Expected Assisted Goals

0.19

Top 11%

Goal-Creating Actions

0.45

Top 12%

Key Passes

1.67

Top 14%

Passes into Penalty Area

1.28

Top 14%

All Stats via FBref

On top of that, just like the former West Ham United captain, the young “generational talent,” as dubbed by members of the media, would be moving to the club from a fellow London-based Premier League side in Palace.

Finally, just like the Gunners’ number 41, the up-and-coming Eagles star earned his first England cap at 20 years old and under the management of Gareth Southgate.

Ultimately, while Wharton still has a lot of developing to do, he already looks like a special player, and if Arsenal have a chance to sign him, they should take it, as they may just be getting another Rice in the making.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes May 14, 2025

With the summer transfer window approaching, Aston Villa now reportedly lead the race to sign a Champions League striker who would cost them just over £33m in the coming months.

Aston Villa set to finally replace Duran

If those in the Midland believed that Unai Emery’s attacking options were too good to be true at the start of the season then they were quickly proven right in the January transfer window. The Villans were spoilt for choice with both Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran – both of whom were in excellent form in the opening stages of the season – but it was not a luxury that the latter appreciated.

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They could land an absolute bargain…

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Often forced to perform in cameo roles as Emery’s super sub, Duran headed for the exit door in January, swapping the Midlands for Saudi Arabia and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr side. And whilst since then Marco Asensio has joined Marcus Rashford to add more firepower to their frontline, Villa need a permanent solution away from their loan deals.

With money still to burn from Duran’s sale, a fresh attacking option could be on the cards given recent links to previous target Joao Felix and now another Serie A star.

According to TeamTalk, Aston Villa are now leading the race to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus this summer ahead of their Premier League rivals. The Serbian striker has gradually fallen down the pecking order in Turn and new manager Igor Tudor has now reportedly been told to hand him game time in an attempt to maximise his value.

As things stand, Vlahovic is worth just €40m (£33.5m) in what would hand Villa the chance to land an undeniable bargain. Emery has already helped both Asensio and Rashford rediscover their best form and could now take a gamble on Vlahovic before doing the same next season.

"Amazing" Vlahovic needs Aston Villa move

Villa Park is the place to be for struggling stars to rediscover their golden touch and that may not be any different for Vlahovic. It’s worth noting that, even amid criticism as Juventus, the Serbia international has still scored 14 goals in all competitions in a record that could only improve given that he’s just 25 years old.

It wasn’t so long ago that the forward found himself at the centre of praise either, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig describing the Juventus man as “simply an amazing centre-forward when fully fit” midway through last season.

Juventus already made one mistake by letting Dean Huijsen leave for the Premier League last summer, before watching the defender thrive at Bournemouth. Now, a year on, Villa could take full advantage of their exit door swinging open once again as Vlahovic desperately seeks the chance to get back to his best.

Offspinner has found her place as a vital cog in England’s four-pronged attack

Valkerie Baynes12-Oct-2024From questioning whether she belonged in an England shirt to being part of one of the coolest girl gangs around, Charlie Dean has found her place.Boss of the off-spin department in England’s four-pronged spin attack at the T20 World Cup, Dean says she is at ease with her role in the team, no longer feeling like she has to fight for position or fear failure.”I’m certainly more self-assured now,” Dean told ESPNcricinfo in Dubai. “I probably doubted why I was even in the squad or even on the pitch to begin with. I felt like I was there on potential and I felt like every game I played was a trial almost, I had to impress otherwise that was it, it was all going to be over.”I’ve really matured into my role, into how I approach my cricket, because I love cricket but I always felt like if I did something wrong that was it. I really feel like I’ve grown as a person and as a player in terms of that self-confidence.”Related

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So far at the World Cup, 23-year-old Dean has taken three wickets at an average of 15.66 and economy rate of 5.87. That includes 2 for 22 against Bangladesh in England’s first match of the tournament, where left-arm spinner Linsey Smith marked her return to World Cup cricket after nearly six years with 2 for 11.Sophie Ecclestone, another left-armer and the long-time leader of England’s spin attack was wicketless in that game but took 2 for 15 against South Africa. Legspinner Sarah Glenn has taken two wickets across both matches, which England have won to remain the only unbeaten side in Group B.

“Although competitive sport is about that competition for places, it’s really lovely to be able to work together.”Charlie Dean

Helping the spinners is the fact that Enlgand’s first three games, including Sunday’s clash with Scotland, have been scheduled in Sharjah, where a low, slow pitch has played into their hands. Glenn, Ecclestone and Dean combined through the middle section of South Africa’s innings last Monday to take three wickets for 18 runs in the space of 3.4 overs after Smith had removed opener Tazmin Brits inside the powerplay.And Dean has learned, after working with England Women’s assistant coach Gareth Breese early in her international career and overcoming the disappointment of being overlooked for last year’s Ashes Test in England, that selection based on conditions is a positive, not a threat.”It’s really exciting to be in a place where you feel a bit more comfortable in a team, you know that you’ve got a role and it’s quite nice to feel relied on a little bit or to have that responsibility,” Dean said.”Glenny and I, a lot of the time early on, we were competing for the same place, but to be able to be in the team with her is really exciting because although competitive sport is about that competition for places, it’s really lovely to be able to work together.”Four out and out spinners is quite rare, but it’s a formula that’s working really well for us, especially out here with the lower bounce and the more pace you have on the ball, the quicker it goes away. We’re all really different spinners, and that adds another string to our bow.”Dean made her debut in the first of five ODIs against New Zealand during the English summer of 2021. In the second, she picked up 4 for 36 as the hosts won a rain-hit fixture in Worcester.Four months later, she made her T20I debut in another rain-affected game, the second match in that leg of the Women’s Ashes, where England reached 25 without loss before play was abandoned.It would be nearly a year before she played another match in the format, on the tour of West Indies in December 2022, and she took 4 for 19 in the second of five games, which remain her career-best figures in 31 T20Is to date. She has also played 34 ODIs and two Tests.”I’m just cherishing every moment,” Dean said. “We’re out here in Dubai and I’ve never been here before and playing for England, it’s really special and it’s something that I don’t want to lose.”But actually I realised, ‘okay, I’m not going to if I continue to do the right things and enjoy it in the way I am’. I’m excited now as to where I can get to, which feels like a bit of a flip of mindset. It is just experience, growing up. People come into their prime in their late 20s, in their 30s even, so a bit of perspective and having those conversations and being aware of your vulnerabilities, of your self-consciousness.”I’m being a bit more open about it and then people can be like, ‘you’re being ridiculous,’ they can check you and make sure that you’re going in the right direction. That’s really helpful and time is the biggest builder of confidence. I’m lucky that I’ve been able to grow on that journey rather than maybe falling off before I managed to. I’m certainly a different person and I’m so excited for where this England journey could go.”Charlie Dean celebrates a wicket with team-mates•ICC/Getty ImagesSpeaking on the eve of England’s match against Scotland, captain Heather Knight agreed that her team’s spin formula was a big plus.”Against South Africa, left-arm spin was a really good matchup,” Knight said. “The pitch we’re going to play on tomorrow is the pitch we played against South Africa. What having a broad squad does give us is the opportunity to chop and change based on match-ups, based on conditions, and we feel like whoever we do bring in can do a really good job.”Seam has still played a pretty big part in this tournament. That’s been pretty hard for us to get away and particularly in the middle overs seam’s been really tricky. It’s a little bit of a balance of working out what our best attack is or what the best attack to win a certain game in certain conditions is. There is an option to change it, but that four spinners has worked quite well for us.”

Less than a year after Australia won it for the first time, we’re all set for another edition of the tournament. We’ve put together some FAQs for you

Himanshu Agrawal15-Oct-2022So, another T20 tournament, eh?
Yes, but this is the big one. Sure, the BBL-IPL-PSL-CPL-BPL-Hundred (we must be forgetting a couple) are big deals too (some bigger than others, admittedly), and soon there will be at least two more – the SAT20 and the ILT20 – to add to the list. Don’t forget the Asia Cup as well. But this is the cup that counts for more than all the others.Okay, I’m hooked – tell me more …
It’s the eighth edition of the T20 World Cup. The first one was back in 2007 in South Africa, and it was India’s victory there that gave birth to today’s franchise cricket phenomenon. A few players from that tournament – Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma, Shakib Al Hasan and Sean Williams – are part of this one too, 15 years later. India haven’t got their hands on the trophy since 2007, and it’s been passed on from Pakistan (2009) to England (2010), West Indies (2012 and 2016), Sri Lanka (2014), and now the current champions Australia (2021).Has the T20 World Cup been held in Australia before?
No, the ODI World Cup has been held in Australia in 1992 and 2015, but this is the first time they are hosting the T20 World Cup. It was supposed to be held there in 2020, but then the Covid-19 pandemic happened. So it’s happening two years later and Australia have the chance to defend their title at home.Dates and venue details, please?
It starts on October 16 in Geelong in the state of Victoria, with the final in Melbourne on November 13. The other host cities are Hobart, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide – the who’s who of Australian venues.Okay, what’s the format?
It’s the same as last year. The meaty part of the T20 World Cup is called the Super 12, comprising 12 teams – like it says on the tin. Eight of the 12 have qualified directly for this round – Australia, England, New Zealand and Afghanistan in Group 1; and Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and South Africa in Group 2. The Super 12 stage begins on October 22, with last year’s finalists Australia and New Zealand squaring off in Sydney.That’s eight of the Super 12 spoken for, what about the other four?
Before the Super 12 begins, there’s a first round that starts on October 16 and runs until the 21st. Netherlands, Sri Lanka, UAE and Namibia comprise Group A of round one, while Ireland, West Indies, Scotland and Zimbabwe form Group B. The top two teams from each group progress to the Super 12 stage.Last year’s finalists kick off the Super 12 stage on October 22•ICC via GettyThere was one last year? Aren’t World Cups usually played a few years apart?
A fair question. The T20 World Cup has been happening every two years since 2010, but then there was a five year gap after the 2016 tournament …Why?!
The ICC gave it a miss in 2018 because the calendar was just too crowded with bilateral cricket. There was a thought of conducting it in South Africa that year, but the government had banned Cricket South Africa from hosting any major events for not meeting transformation targets.Okay, go on …
There was an ODI World Cup in 2019, and so the plan was to stage the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia and the 2021 Champions Trophy in India. But then the Champions Trophy was scrapped and replaced by another T20 World Cup – so there were T20 World Cups scheduled back to back for 2020 and 2021. But then the pandemic ensured the 2020 edition didn’t happen, and because India wanted to keep their 2021 T20 World Cup (which ended up happening in the UAE), Australia’s tournament moved to 2022.So Australia’s reign as T20 champs could be the shortest?
Umm, this has happened before. Pakistan won the 2009 T20 World Cup in England, and England won the 2010 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. So Pakistan’s joy was pretty short-lived. Again, it was held in consecutive years because of some issues around the Champions Trophy … but shall we get back to the present?The MCG is the arena for the match between India and Pakistan on October 23•Darrian Traynor/Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesOkay, regale us with some tales of the past World Cups …
Let’s start with Chris Gayle and the first match of the first T20 World Cup. He gave the tournament the perfect start by smashing the first hundred in T20 internationals. And then Yuvraj Singh went 6,6,6,6,6,6 in one over from Stuart Broad in Durban 2007. Nine years later, Carlos Brathwaite went 6, 6, 6, 6 in the final over of the 2016 T20 World Cup final, to leave Ben Stokes and England shellshocked. There’s lots more … but shall we talk about the big one?You mean India …
… versus Pakistan, yes. They are playing each other on October 23 in what should be a full house – more than 90,000 fans – at the MCG. It will be quite the spectacle. It’s the opening game of their campaigns, just like last year. Back then, it was Pakistan who ended decades of pain by beating India for the first time in any World Cup, and pushed them towards a group-stage exit from the tournament.So, what’s new at this World Cup?
There are some rules. This is the first tournament that will implement the new playing conditions that came into effect on October 1 this year. The most significant among them is that teams will be slapped with a fielding penalty if they are slow with their over rate.

Most CSK squad members congregated in Chennai, but the highlight was just one man

Deivarayan Muthu in Chennai02-Mar-2020After being beaten by a rocket throw from Martin Guptill by inches on July 10 afternoon in Manchester last year in the World Cup semi-finals, MS Dhoni first took to the cricket field once again for proper training only on Monday, at his beloved Chepauk. It was the first training session of the 2019 IPL runners-up Chennai Super Kings, and Dhoni led a small group of players including Ambati Rayudu, M Vijay, Karn Sharma, and new recruit Piyush Chawla.And like with all “first day, first shows” in the movie-and-cricket crazy Chennai, a few thousand fans witnessed Dhoni and his team-mates sweating it out on a balmy Monday evening. Three stands were thrown open to spectators, and Chennai welcomed back its with rousing chants of “Dhoni !Dhoni! Dhoni!”The cheers swelled to a crescendo when Dhoni walked out to the middle of the practice pitch with a pair of bats and tapped the middle of the pitch with one. Dhoni tossed away the other bat, took a leg-stump guard and then faced up against the left-arm fingerspin of Super Kings’ new recruit R Sai Kishore. Dhoni and Rayudu took turns at the main net, feeling their way back after taking breaks from competitive cricket.

A grand waltz to take guard! #StartTheWhistles #SuperTraining pic.twitter.com/tQbDqqnmT2

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 2, 2020

It was a significant moment in Indian cricket, considering Dhoni and his future have been hotly debated since the World Cup semi-finals. After that tournament Dhoni took a voluntary break, spending a few weeks with the Indian Army. But since then his name has not featured in any of the limited-overs squads with MSK Prasad, the selection committee chairman, saying his panel had moved past Dhoni.However, India’s head coach Ravi Shastri reiterated that Dhoni was still a contender for spot in the squad for the T20 World Cup, scheduled for this October, if he had a good IPL.As far as Dhoni’s IPL future goes, there are barely any doubts, at least for Super Kings’ fans. Recently N Srinivasan, the former BCCI president and head of India Cements, which owns the Super Kings franchise had said that Dhoni would be retained for the 2021 season, ahead of the mega auction that will see all teams rebuild their squads from the scratch.The importance of the moment was not lost upon the leading sports broadcaster Star, which did not mind interrupting the post-match analysis of India’s 2-0 Test series defeat in New Zealand on Monday morning, to switch to footage of Dhoni making his way out of the Chennai airport.On the way to the ground the Super Kings’ bus was surrounded by honking motorists, scrambling for pictures of Dhoni. The man himself presented a blank, God-like stare.Unlike last year, though, when Chepauk was packed to the rafters to welcome Dhoni in the lead-up to IPL 2019, this time the fanfare was somewhat low-key to begin with. However, soon, a crowd of about 1000 turned up and Dhoni rewarded them when he dashed down the track and launched Kishore over his head.MS Dhoni stretches out on return to proper training•PTI Rayudu, too, took some trips down the pitch to deal with the new Super Kings spinners – Kishore and Chawla. Rayudu was in action in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy and the 20-over Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, but had pulled out of the following four-day Ranji Trophy.
Both Rayudu and Suresh Raina, who is returning to action from knee injury, had also trained in Chennai in January under Super Kings trainer Greg King. Vijay, who had hurt his ankle earlier during the domestic season, had also been part of that January camp.The 35-year-old opener had an hour-long stint at the nets on Monday evening, tackling the spinners and KM Asif, the reserve quick in the squad. Raina and head coach Stephen Fleming, though, are yet to join the pre-season camp. It is understood that Raina will link up with the squad on Monday night, while Fleming will take charge of the side soon.King, Rajiv Kumar the fielding coach, Narasimhan V the throwdown specialist, and L Balaji the bowling coach, put the players through their paces during their three-hour training session.

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#thala #darshan.. On the way to the ground for the first practice session.. #csk2020 #cskfans #ipl #csk

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It is understood that the training camp will go on until March 19 with Dhoni and some of the other big names heading for a short break before reassembling for the tournament opener on March 29, when Super Kings will clash with defending champions Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium. It is also likely that the three closed stands – I, J and K – at Chepauk will be opened in time for Super Kings’ first home game against Rajasthan Royals on April 2.

Kumar Sangakkara will perform the dual role of head coach and director of cricket at Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2026, with Vikram Rathour, batting coach last season, elevated to assistant coach.As reported by ESPNcricinfo in September, in Sangakkara’s case, the change in designation is a formality, even as Rahul Dravid, who was head coach during IPL 2025, and the franchise, parted ways in August.Sangakkara had previously served as the team’s head coach from 2021 to 2024, “a period that marked a clear rise in the team’s performance and consistency,” an RR statement said. While Sangakkara was in charge, RR reached the IPL final in 2022 and made the playoffs in IPL 2024.Related

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• IPL 2026: How the squads stack up ahead of the auction

“We are delighted to have Kumar return as head coach,” Manoj Badale, the franchise’s lead owner, said. “As we looked at what the team needed at this stage, we felt that his familiarity within the squad, his leadership and his deep understanding of the Royals culture would bring the right balance of continuity and stability.”Kumar has always had our complete trust as a leader. His clarity, calmness and cricketing intelligence will play an important role in guiding the squad into this next phase.”Along with Rathour’s promotion, the franchise also announced that Shane Bond would continue as the bowling coach, while Trevor Penney and Sid Lahiri will remain assistant coach and performance coach respectively.

“I’m honoured to return as head coach and continue working with this talented group,” Sangakkara said. “I’m also pleased to have a strong coaching team alongside me. Vikram, Trevor, Shane and Sid each bring valuable experience in their areas, and together we are focused on preparing the players in the best possible way.”We have a clear understanding of where we want to go as a group, and our aim is to build a team that plays with clarity, resilience, and purpose.”The team management group will, however, have a new captain to work with after RR released Sanju Samson in a trade deal with Chennai Super Kings, where they acquired Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, ahead of the next auction.They have also released or traded out Nitish Rana, Akash Madhwal, Ashok Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kumar Kartikeya, Kunal Singh Rathore, Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga. And, along with Jadeja and Curran, have also traded in Donovan Ferreira from Delhi Capitals.At the upcoming auction, they will have a purse of INR 16.05 crore and have nine slots, including one overseas, to fill.

Lizelle Lee kept Hobart Hurricanes rolling, and Brisbane Heat winless thanks to a power-packed knock in their rain-impacted 16-run WBBL win in Sydney on Saturday.Lee hit an unbeaten 59 off 45 balls, striking six fours and three sixes either side of a rain delay on Saturday. Hurricanes were flying before their innings was reduced to 12 overs and they purred to 114 for 1, with Heat’s target increased to 125 based on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system.Jess Jonassen (1 for 12 from three overs) and Lucy Hamilton (0 for 26 off three) were the only Heat bowlers to escape punishment.Danni Wyatt-Hodge (44 in 26 balls) combined with Lee in a 106-run opening stand, which only ended in the final over.Grace Harris (28 in 21) hung in as Heat lost regular wickets attempting to maintain the scoring rate and finished at 108 for 9 thanks to a last-ball six from Sianna Ginger.Molly Strano (2 for 17), Heather Graham (2 for 25) and Nicola Carey (2 for 10) proved too clever for the Heat batters.The loss was Heat’s third straight to begin the season while Hurricanes sit on top of the table with three wins.