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On a nervy night at Eden Gardens, both players made crucial contributions to wrest the advantage away from KKR

Sreshth Shah21-May-20232:21

Should Pooran bat higher?

Lucknow Super Giants have invested time and money on Ravi Bishnoi and Nicholas Pooran. It now seems a while ago, but Bishnoi was one of LSG’s out-of-auction signings before their maiden IPL season. In the most recent IPL auction, LSG kept bidding on Pooran till they acquired him for INR 16 crore. They spent 20% of their salary budget on one player.That’s because Bishnoi and Pooran are both quintessential X-Factor players in T20s. A hard-hitting batter and a wily wristspinner are two types of cricketers who can turn white-ball games around within an over. Give them a couple of more overs to settle, and before you know it, they are all over you. It was a lesson that Kolkata Knight Riders got on Saturday night.Related

• IPL playoffs: RCB, MI and Royals in race for final spot

• Pooran, Bishnoi seal Lucknow Super Giants' playoffs spot with thrilling one-run win

In both innings, KKR held the aces after the first ten overs, only for these two men to snatch the advantage back in LSG’s favour. It started off with Pooran walking in at No. 7 in only the 11th over and LSG’s score reading 73 for 5. He stayed till the penultimate over of the innings and by the time he was dismissed, his five sixes and four fours in a score of 58 gave LSG a defendable total of 178.Then, when KKR seemed to be running away with the chase, blitzing to 78 for 1 in 8.2 overs, the squeeze began with Bishnoi dismissing Nitish Rana and stringing together a series of tidy overs. He frustrated Andre Russell before picking up his wicket in the last over and completed his four-over spell with miserly figures of 2 for 23 that included 10 dots and only two boundary shots. In a must-win game for LSG where the margin of victory was eventually just one run – thanks to Rinku Singh’s continued heroics – without either of these two performances, LSG would’ve been nervously waiting for Sunday’s games to know their playoff fate, a position they’d hated to be in.That LSG had their nerves jangling was visible even as Bishnoi spoke after their win. “To win a game like this, the morale is down. Oh sorry – I mean the morale is high. See, I can’t even talk properly (laughs). We were feeling scared every ball,” he said.”I haven’t seen anyone bat like Rinku Singh for a long time. The way he has batted this season, it is unbelievable. We knew if we bowl a string of dot balls, then it will be tough for them to chase. The goal was wickets or dot balls, the plan was to bowl stump to stump and the challenge was to ensure we do that.”Ravi Bishnoi struck in his first over•Associated PressEven as Bishnoi beamed in the glory of LSG securing a second consecutive playoff appearance, it would never have been possible without Pooran’s innings. Bishnoi was essentially closing what Pooran had initiated.Pooran had walked in at No. 7 – wearing the Mohun Bagan maroon that is reminiscent of his national team colours – with a rescue job at hand. LSG’s top order had essentially failed, and were in real danger of posting a total that would not be competitive in Kolkata. The natural order of things was that Pooran would take a few overs to get his eyes in, having the luxury of entering in the 11th over, but he did the opposite. He smashed 23 in his first 10.This was not the Pooran we know. Even though he has built his game as an imperious hitter, Pooran is not a very quick starter. In his last three years of the IPL, his first-ten-ball strike-rate when coming in before the 14th over had been 116.4. Even when he walked in after the 14th, the corresponding strike-rate was only 135.6. But here he was, playing against the grain.It was such a jolt to the KKR bowling that they looked helpless for a brief moment. Having neutralised Varun Chakravarthy’s danger in his first three deliveries by hitting him for two fours and two sixes within his first ten balls, he pounced on Suyash Sharma and Vaibhav Arora through the late-middle overs. He also ran hard in Ayush Badoni’s company and reached his fifty in 28 balls by hitting the first of two consecutive sixes off Shardul Thakur. Even though Pooran fell, his 42-minute stay had changed the game’s complexion.”I knew I had to go as deep as possible,” Pooran said. “I knew that once the spinners were bowling, they’d give me some bad balls and I was ready to capitalise on this small ground.”I’ve been batting pretty decently through the tournament. And when you’re batting well, you need to take advantage of it, and today was a must-win game for us. Ayush and I had a partnership in Chennai that was similar to this. And I told him we have to go as deep as possible and also pick our moments.”The bottom line is that Pooran’s most recent innings is an extension of his IPL 2023 form. This is his best IPL season – in terms of runs (358), fours and sixes, and strike-rate (173.78). According to Pooran, he finds joy in “repaying the faith” to a team that has “backed him immensely” but LSG head coach Andy Flower has a different theory; Pooran 2.0 was unlocked after his brief captaincy stint with West Indies.Nicholas Pooran hit a 28-ball fifty to lift LSG to a competitive total•Associated Press”One thing that would help his development as a bloke and a team member is his captaincy experience with West Indies recently,” Flower said. “Once you experience the variety of challenges that come your way when you’re captain, it makes you a much better team member.”He made the difference today. It takes a lot of confidence in yourself to hit balls that early in your innings. It has been wonderful to have him remaining in our dugout for that last section of a 20-over innings. He is getting greater clarity on his game, each time I see him. Today was a wonderful mixture of boundary hitting, six hitting, and also alternating the strike so that he elongated his innings.”He’s a beautiful striker of the ball. He’s worked on his bat swing. And he knows that if he gets the ball in a certain area then he’ll clear the boundary. And he’s done that with trial and error with a lot of boundary-hitting practice. He’s put in the hard yards to get to where he is now. And he’s also had a lot of ups and downs in his young career. We think people will have linear developments – heading upwards – but that’s not how life works and how international sport works.”He’s had some bumps along the way, but I do think that captaincy experience has helped. He’s realised how tough it was and now I think he appreciates the game and his team-mates even more. And that’s what brings a really balanced young man to the party.”LSG needed a hat-trick of wins in their last three league-stage games to secure a playoff spot. They now need another hat-trick of wins to take the IPL title. Saturday’s Pooran-Bishnoi show will ensure the side remains in a happy space. And now they have earned the right to put their feet up and enjoy Sunday’s cricket to learn who their opponents at the eliminator will be.

Chris Sale is enjoying a bounce back season in 2024, having joined the Atlanta Braves to pitch in the National League for the first time in his career.

After struggling with injuries throughout much of the last few seasons and making a total of 31 starts from 2020 to 2023, Sale has been arguably MLB's most dominant pitcher this year. Not only will Sale be a NL Cy Young candidate, but he managed to set Braves' franchise history during his outing on Tuesday.

In the third inning of Atlanta's clash against the Colorado Rockies, Sale sat down Drew Romo for his third strikeout of the evening. In doing so, he reached 200 strikeouts on the year and became the first left-handed pitcher in Braves' history to strike out as many batters in a single season.

It's far from the first time that Sale has struck out 200 batters in a season, but he hasn't achieved the statistical milestone since 2019. Prior to his laundry list of injuries, Sale had racked up 200+ strikeouts in each season from 2013-19, including 308 punch-outs in 2017.

He's returned to his previous form in 2024 with the Braves, and looks better than ever during his age 35 season.

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has been spared jail time despite being caught on camera driving dangerously in his Lamborghini. This was the French defender's ninth driving offence, and he is already serving a driving ban until May 2027. Fofana, who has been plagued by injuries in recent years, has appeared in five matches across all competitions for the Blues in the 2025-26 campaign, including three in the league.

• Fofana slapped with fresh driving ban but avoids jail time

  According to , Fofana was caught speeding and weaving through traffic on the A3 Esher Bypass in Hook, Surrey. The incident was caught on a dashcam and the footage was presented in court. While the Blues star was spared jail time for what was his ninth driving offence at the age of 25, he has been ordered to serve 300 hours of unpaid community service. He has also been hit with a fresh 18-month driving ban, although his licence is suspended until May 2027 for previous offences. The Frenchman has also been ordered to pay just £85 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge. The video below was shared by the Crown Prosecution Service.

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• Fofana slammed by judge

  District Judge Julie Cooper slammed Fofana inside the courtroom for setting the wrong example for young people who look up to professional footballers like him.

  She said: "You obviously realise there are a lot of young people who look up to you and they would like to be like you and follow you. That’s part of the whole gig. However, they will not be able to afford these expensive cars, with all their additions that keep them safe and you could have some 17-year-old, who has just passed their test, who think they can copy you. They will not be able to handle their car and do some ridiculous driving manoeuvres and they are dead. You need to be much more responsible about your behaviour."

  Prosecutor Rabbi Khan said: "The witness identified the danger and this defendant was driving on the hard shoulder at speed in a 50mph zone. The offence is aggravated by an approaching bend that was signposted and he is not indicating when making these manoeuvres. He refused to abide by the road rules at speed."

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  'There is no explanation or excuse'

  Representing Fofana, his solicitor Imogen Cox told the court: "The video speaks for itself – 15 to 20 seconds of driving that are conceded. There is no explanation or excuse for his driving on that day. He attended voluntarily for an interview at Guildford Police Station and apologised for driving and said he had learned a valuable lesson about his driving and had no explanation for his driving on that day. This offence pre-dates the speeding offences, which were all within a seven-month period and tied-up at Lavender Hill. He is essentially of good character, having no criminal convictions against him. He is fit and healthy and able to carry out community work."

Mohamed Salah has been branded “greedy” and accused of “hating” Florian Wirtz after passing up the chance to tee up his team-mate for what would have been a first competitive Liverpool goal for the German playmaker. Said incident occurred during the closing stages of the Reds’ 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League – with the potential there for that result to have been even more emphatic.

• Salah benched: Slot makes big selection call

  Salah was named among the substitutes as Liverpool sought to snap a run of four successive losses. Arne Slot named big-money summer signings Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike in the same starting XI, meaning that somebody had to miss out in his attacking unit. Salah was only introduced in the 74th minute of the Reds’ latest European fixture.

  That was enough time to fire in three shots on goal, with two of those on target, but end product has been in short supply for the legendary Egyptian forward of late. He has failed to hit the back of the net since helping Liverpool to a dramatic 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid on September 17.

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  Salah accused of being selfish

  He was clearly desperate to get in on the act against Eintracht, but that proved detrimental at times to those around him. Wirtz, who moved to Anfield for £116 million ($155m) in the last transfer window, is still waiting on opening his goal account for the Premier League title holders.

  Salah opted against squaring for Wirtz in Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, when the Germany international had a better angle for a shot, and ignored the 22-year-old again late on in Frankfurt. Rather than present his club colleague with a tap-in, Salah went for goal himself.

• Fans react to Salah failing to tee up Wirtz

  Wirtz was left visibly frustrated, as he clung onto the post, with Salah going on to hurry off the pitch after the final whistle. Liverpool supporters have been quick to ask questions of why Salah is being so selfish. @TheKopWatch posted on social media: “That’s so greedy from Salah, Wirtz is right there for his first goal ffs.” @CiebacT added: “Salah personally hates Flo, no other explanation.”

  As that debate continued, @_bubblxs said: “Imagine how good we could be if Salah played WITH wirtz instead of against him.” On a similar theme, @SanchezKing13 chimed in with: “If I’m Wirtz I’m airing Salah and not passing him the ball for the next 8 games”. @LFCApproved went on to say of some lacklustre displays: “Salah has come on, thrown his arms about when it’s not passed to him, only thought about shooting and scoring for himself, never looked for a team-mate. Attitude looked poor.”

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  Carragher supports huge Salah call from Slot

  Reds legend Jamie Carragher had suggested in the build-up to a clash with Eintracht that Salah should be taken out of the firing line. He told a television audience in the United States during CBS Sports’ coverage of Champions League action: “I spoke about that last night and obviously Arne was watching. Maybe he's got a dodgy box! Punditry isn't my full-time job… I've got a little side one where I speak to the Liverpool coaching staff.

  “When Mo Salah isn't being the legendary Mo Salah, he gets treated like one of the other players, which is right. He's 33 years of age and Liverpool will have three games in six days. At the moment, if he isn't at his best, he shouldn't play three games in six days. There are other options there as well. We know Liverpool have spent a lot of money. Liverpool have got a big game at the weekend as well, so great decision, Arne.”

West Ham are weighing potential replacements for under-pressure boss Graham Potter behind-the-scenes, and chairman David Sullivan favours one man in particular amid difficulties surrounding Nuno Espírito Santo.

Nuno tipped as West Ham favourite to replace Graham Potter

Nuno is currently the favourirte to replace Potter at West Ham, owing to his availability and obvious suitability to the role.

A public fallout with Evangelos Marinakis cost the Portuguese his last job, but before his unceremonious departure, Nuno helped to transform Nottingham Forest into a European outfit for the first time since 1995.

Nuno first went to the City Ground with Forest in major danger of a drop back down to the Championship, but the 51-year-old avoided relegation, solidified their leaky defence, gave them an identity and got the very best out of his squad.

On paper, Nuno’s appeal to West Ham is there for all to see, and he is by no means a one-club wonder, having achieved similar feats with Wolves, where he first made his name as a noteworthy Premier League manager.

His brief stint at Tottenham is one to forget for all involved, and he was sacked by Al-Ittihad just months after winning the Saudi side a league title.

However, you can make a serious case that Nuno is the best available manager for West Ham right now by some distance, with Potter on the verge of being sacked with looming games against Everton and Arsenal poised to decide his future.

ExWHUemployee is among the reliable media sources to state that Nuno is the favourite for West Ham’s hot seat, and he says that talks have already been held with both Sullivan and Karren Brady as the tactician considers joining them.

Other top contenders include Gary O’Neil, following his “respected” work at Wolves and Bournemouth (Miguel Delaney), while former West Ham defender Slaven Bilic is also reportedly very keen to make a return to east London (GiveMeSport).

Bilic was in charge between 2015 and 2017. He guided West Ham to one of their highest ever Premier League finishes (7th), earning them a place in the Europa League qualifying rounds, before he was sacked at the start of 2017/2018 with his side languishing in the relegation zone.

Sullivan in "regular contact" with Bilic as West Ham dealt Nuno roadblock

While Nuno is still the managerial favourite, journalist Pete O’Rourke has now said that West Ham have been dealt a roadblock regarding his potential appointment.

In a piece for Football Insider, the reporter claims that ‘legal issues’ are delaying a move for Nuno, so much so that they could even be forced to push back Potter’s sacking, with it now being unlikely he’ll leave before the October international break.

The legalities around Nuno surround his departure from Forest, and until they’re resolved, the race to replace Potter remains open.

Sullivan is apparently in regular contact with Bilic as a West Ham alternative to Nuno, and the Croatian would be the Irons chairman’s first choice.

However, Bilic would only be given the job on a short-term basis, even if insiders like ExWHUemployee have claimed that the former West Brom boss is already plotting a major backroom reshuffle.

Mark Noble could come in as his assistant coach if he gets the job, with Julian Dicks also potentially joining Bilic’s would-be team of staff.

In terms of whether Bilic is the right man, even just for the season, the jury is very much still out — as best encapsulated by a confused Simon Jordan.

Vincent Kompany’s new Bayern Munich contract runs until 2029 without a release clause but with a Champions League bonus. The Belgian, who led Bayern to the Bundesliga title in his first season, has been rewarded for his rapid success as the club look to secure their long-term future under the 39-year-old tactician.

• Kompany signed long-term deal with Bayern until 2029

  Bayern recently announced the extension of Kompany’s contract until June 2029, a major show of confidence in the Belgian manager after a stellar debut campaign in Bavaria. The new deal makes Kompany the first coach since Hansi Flick in 2020 to be offered a renewal by the club, underlining the hierarchy’s satisfaction with his work.

  Bayern’s leadership finalised the agreement at the club's headquarters, marking the occasion with a celebratory toast. The 39-year-old’s deal was initially due to expire in 2027, but the two-year extension ensures long-term stability after several seasons of managerial turnover.

  Importantly, Kompany’s new contract does not contain a release clause, a key move to safeguard the German club against potential future interest from Manchester City, his former club, or other top European sides. Instead, the deal features performance-based incentives, including a lucrative bonus if Bayern win the Champions League.

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  The structure behind Bayern’s long-term faith

  The ex-Burnley manager's immediate impact in Munich has been undeniable. After taking over from Thomas Tuchel in the summer of 2024, he guided Die Roten to a dominant Bundesliga title, finishing 13 points clear and scoring 99 goals in 34 matches – a return to the free-flowing, aggressive football that defines the club’s identity.

  This season, Bayern’s resurgence has continued. They currently sit top of the Bundesliga with 24 points from eight games, boasting both the best attack with 30 goals and the best defence with only four conceded. Their recent 3-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach marked their 13th consecutive win across all competitions, equalling an elite European record previously held by AC Milan in 1992-93.

  Such results have cemented Kompany’s growing reputation as one of Europe’s most promising young managers. His emphasis on tactical flexibility, ball progression through the backline, and vertical attacking transitions has rejuvenated a Bayern squad that looked disjointed under previous management.

• Inside Kompany’s Champions League clause and Bayern’s ambitions

  Bayern’s management see the Champions League as the next major frontier for Kompany. After the club’s quarter-final exit to Inter last season, the new clause offers tangible reward for continental glory, a €1 million bonus should the team lift the trophy, according to .

  The clause symbolises Bayern’s renewed belief in a long-term project built around the former Manchester City captain’s modern footballing vision. Kompany himself spoke about his pride and motivation to build on their progress: “I’m grateful, honoured and would like to thank FC Bayern for the trust and the working environment they’ve given me from day one. It feels like I’ve been here a lot longer and that I know the club well. It’s been a great experience so far. We’ve started on a wonderful journey. Let’s keep working hard and celebrate much more success!”

  His words reflect a growing harmony between the club's leadership and coaching staff, something that had been missing since Flick’s departure.

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  Tough tests ahead for Kompany’s record-breaking Bayern

  The Bavarians' focus now turns to a crucial ten-day stretch that could define their early-season momentum. Kompany’s men face three major fixtures: a DFB-Pokal clash against Koln on October 29, a Bundesliga showdown with Bayer Leverkusen on November 1, and a high-stakes Champions League meeting with Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain, on November 4.

  Bayern are targeting a return to continental dominance after five years without a Champions League title. With Kompany now secured until 2029 and a strong blend of youth and experience in the squad, Bayern believe they’ve finally found the leadership stability to compete for Europe’s biggest prize once again.

  If the Belgian can translate his domestic brilliance to Europe, that €1m bonus may be just the beginning of a golden era under his watch.