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There were signs that Unai Emery was building something special at Aston Villa last season, but no one could have foreseen the Villans' sudden rise into the Premier League's top four in the current campaign. As the season approaches Christmas, there's a very real possibility that the Midlands club could be sitting top of the tree in what would be the shock of the season. Given that Emery's side sit just two points adrift of leaders Liverpool and have just beat the two teams immediately above and below them, it would certainly be deserved too.

Their place among the very best that English football has to offer doesn't mean that Aston Villa will stop making changes within their squad though, with one particular player attracting interest from a European giant ahead of the January transfer window.

Aston Villa transfer news

Aston Villa have put themselves back on the map both on and off the pitch in the last 12 months. First came their qualification for the Europa Conference League, then came their rewards away from Villa Park. The Midlands club, with European football to offer, attracted one of the Bundesliga's top stars in Moussa Diaby. Diaby's goals and assists for Bayer Leverkusen – a combined 25 last season – saw him shoot to stardom and Villa have benefitted from securing his signature ever since.

Emery could ease Luiz blow by handing start to £75k-p/w Aston Villa gem

This £75k-p/w gem could help Aston Villa ease the loss of Douglas Luiz this weekend.

By
Adam Scully

Dec 14, 2023

One signing who hasn't quite found his feet, however, is Clement Lenglet. The Frenchman signed on loan from Barcelona in the summer but could already leave the club in January. According to Calcio Mercato, AC Milan have made contact with Barcelona to sign Lenglet, whose struggle for game time at Villa could see his loan spell cut short by the La Liga giants.

If Milan do want to sign the defender on loan in January, then they will have to cover his wages, which reportedly sit at €6m (£5.2m) a year. This means that the Italian side would have to fork out £2.6m across a six-month loan spell and that the move may only be possible if Barcelona covered a percentage of Lenglet's wages.

"Strong" Lenglet needs Aston Villa exit

After impressing on loan at Tottenham Hotspur last season, Lenglet would have been hoping to make a similar impact at Aston Villa. That, however, has been anything but the case, with Lenglet's game time highlighting his struggles for all to see. The Frenchman hasn't made a single appearance in the Premier League and has only featured in the Europa Conference League. If anyone needs a move in January, it is Lenglet.

It's a shame for the Barcelona man, who earned the praise of Hugo Lloris whilst at Spurs last season. The former Lilywhites captain said via The Daily Mail: "He's a modern defender. Comfortable to be able to play from the back. He has a great left foot and can be very strong in one v one and he's strong in the air. Even if it's never easy when you arrive in the Premier League and he will have to adapt to the intensity of the games but he is a high level player, with experience."

Wolverhampton Wanderers have made an impressive start to life under Gary O'Neil and could now enter the market in January for a high-profile defender.

Wolves 1-0 Burnley

On Tuesday evening, Wolves secured a vital 1-0 victory over Burnley at Molineux, with a solitary strike from Hwang Hee-chan proving to be the difference between the sides as the West Midlands-based outfit moved on to 18 points from their first 15 matches played in the Premier League this campaign. O'Neil hailed his side's "massive" victory over the Clarets in his post-match press conference, saying:

"It’s a massive win for us. I’ve watched a lot of Burnley, they’re very well organised and every team I’ve watched against them has struggled to progress up the pitch with the ball."

"Burnley are a good side. It’s maybe disrespectful to say ‘job done’, because they won the Championship by some way and were big spenders in the summer. They (Burnley) have every right to be competitive at this level and no Premier League game is easy, so I’m really pleased. It’s a big win."

Wolves could sign a "monster" £25m Dawson upgrade

This £25m “monster” could be the perfect replacement for Craig Dawson at Wolves.

ByAdam Scully Dec 3, 2023

Generating momentum will be key for Wolves if they have designs on breaking into the top half of the league standings over the coming weeks and they will hope to record successive home victories on Saturday when Steve Cooper's struggling Nottingham Forest side will make the trip to Molineux in an all-Midlands clash. Looking ahead to January, though, Wolves have now reportedly put their hat in the ring to sign a World Cup winner as O'Neil looks to bring in reinforcements.

Wolves eyeing Marcos Acuna move

According to reports in Spain, Wolves are interested in a swoop for Sevilla left-back Marcos Acuna, who is under contract at the La Liga outfit until the summer of 2025. The outlet claim that the Argentina international is valued at around €12 million by his current employers, which is a fee the Old Gold can pay for his services.

Marcos Acuna statistics in 2023/24 – all competitions (Transfermarkt)

Appearances

13

Goals

0

Assists

2

Despite this, the Zapala-born man is an important presence at Sevilla so it may not be easy for Wolves to prize him away from his present environment, making the situation one to watch out for further developments in over the next few months.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola labelled Acuna as a "top defender" earlier this year following the Citizens' UEFA Super Cup victory against Sevilla on penalties, which is praise that can be backed up by the fact the 32-year-old has won 1.5 successful challenges per match in La Liga this term (Acuna statistics – WhoScored).

With Jonny Otto's uncertain future at Molineux leaving Wolves light in the full-back areas, bringing Acuna to the West Midlands in January could be a shrewd bit of business from O'Neil as he looks to bolster his defensive ranks, making this one to keep an eye on.

An "unbelievable" Liverpool player could seal a move away from the club in the January transfer window, according to an update from reliable journalist Gregg Evans.

Potential Liverpool exits

There is so much to admire about Jurgen Klopp's side at the moment, who aren't necessarily performing at their highest level, but still find themselves top of the Premier League after battling their way to numerous late wins.

The signings of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch have made a world of difference in midfield, while Klopp looks reborn after cutting a dejected figure during a dispiriting 2022/23 season. While there are so many important players at the club right now, whether it be Alisson, Virgil van Dijk or Mohamed Salah, to name just a few, there is always the risk that individuals could move on at some point.

Joel Matip and Thiago are both out of contract at Liverpool at the end of this season, for example, and it remains to be seen if either will end up signing extensions at the club. The same applies to Adrian, although he is clearly a more expendable figure, considering he is the Reds' third-choice goalkeeper.

Other fringe players and loanees could also look for new challenges in the coming months, and an important update has dropped regarding one such individual.

Fabio Carvalho could be set new loan move

According to Evans on X, Liverpool are now thought to be "considering a new loan for Fabio Carvalho", such has been his lack of impact at RB Leipzig so far this season.

The 21-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements by Klopp during the summer, so a temporary switch to the Bundesliga side came to fruition.

In Evans' report for The Athletic, he goes into more detail, explaining that a number of clubs are interested in the Liverpool man, should he return to Anfield next month:

"Liverpool are in discussions with Fabio Carvalho over his future after an unsuccessful loan spell at RB Leipzig. The 21-year-old could be recalled early and then sent on another loan in January with a number of clubs already showing an interest. Carvalho is unlikely to be reintegrated into the Liverpool first team this season, though."

Bringing an end to Carvalho's time at Leipzig seemingly makes complete sense for all parties, with the youngster growing stagnant there, starting just one Bundesliga match this season. That isn't helping his development at all, so it would be far wiser for Liverpool to end his loan spell prematurely, before allowing him to move elsewhere in January, to a club who are genuinely willing to offer him regular playing time.

Fabio Carvalho's stats in the Bundesliga this season

Total

Appearances

7

Starts

1

Goals

0

Assists

0

Key passes per game

0.1

Carvalho's career in the short term is in danger of petering out a little if he isn't careful, so he could do with settling at another club for the second half of the season and get things back on track, rather than being an exciting young talent who falls by the wayside.

He is still someone who Klopp himself has hailed as "unbelievable" in the past, however, so a strong loan spell elsewhere could reinvigorate him.

Alisha Lehmann made the most of having Douglas Luiz around on Sunday as she went roller-skating with her boyfriend and two pet dogs.

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• Brazilian star serving suspension
• Villa women not in weekend action
• Free time enjoyed by famous couple

• Getty/Instagram
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Luiz would have been otherwise engaged had he not been forced to sit out Aston Villa’s impressive 2-0 victory over Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal. The Brazilian midfielder was, however, able to enjoy a fun day with his partner.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Lehmann had no football business to attend to either, with Villa’s women’s team not due to be back in action until facing defending WSL champions Chelsea on Wednesday. With that in mind, the Swiss star was able to head out with “the family”.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  While Luiz was happy to go for a dog ‘walk’ when boasting some free time, Lehmann opted to head out on roller skates. She required the assistance of her boyfriend when it came to remaining upright, with the pair locking arms.

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• WHAT NEXT?

  Luiz was suspended for Villa’s trip to Emirates Stadium, after collecting 10 yellow cards in the Premier League this season, and will also be banned for a home date with Bournemouth next Sunday. He will, however, be available for the second leg of a Europa Conference League quarter-final clash with Lille on Thursday that the Villans currently lead 2-1 on aggregate.

Roshen Silva’s 85 helped Sri Lanka to a first-innings lead via a battling lower-order fightback in Pallekele

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele15-Nov-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA graceful Dhananjaya de Silva 59, and a watchful 63 from Dimuth Karunaratne gave the Sri Lanka innings some early substance, but both those turns were outshone by what was arguably the innings of the series so far – a resolute 85 from Roshen Silva that carried Sri Lanka 46 runs into the lead.Almost as impressive as his score, and the 174 balls he batted, was the fact that he forged such fruitful partnerships with the tail, coaching them through the tough periods. The last three partnership in Sri Lanka’s innings were worth 125 – Roshen scoring 60 of those runs. Soon after Roshen had arrived, Sri Lanka had been six-down and still 120 runs behind. Given the extremely challenging nature of this surface, and the variety in England’s attack, it was a monumental recovery.Of England’s bowlers, Jack Leach was the most relentless, delivering beautiful lines, and immaculate lengths through the course of 29 overs in the innings, taking 3 for 70. Sri Lanka’s right-handers found him particularly difficult and were wary of taking risks. Adil Rashid, meanwhile, bowled the highest number of unplayables, finding dip, drift and rip-snorting turn, to take the big wickets of de Silva and Angelo Mathews shortly after lunch. He finished with 3 for 76 from 22 overs, eventually taking the wicket of Roshen, who miscued a lofted drive to mid-on. Moeen Ali had a less successful day – he took 2 for 85 and bowled too many loose balls.Roshen began his innings when wickets were falling quickly – Sri Lanka lost 4 for 38 either side of lunch – and he had difficult moments himself early in his knock. There were edges that just bounced short, thanks in part to his playing the ball with soft hands, and lbw shouts that were turned down. During that period, Rashid even brought point into the circle, so powerful did his grip over Roshen seem. But the batsman battled. He dug in. He made sure to cover the stumps. He made peace with the fact that he was going to have his outside edge repeatedly and resoundingly beaten. Like Karunaratne in the first session, Roshen had come prepared for a dogfight.Eventually things got easier. The singles began to come. He was finally able to squeeze Rashid away through point for four. Unlike many of the batsmen that have prospered so far on this surface, though, Roshen did not really use the sweep. Occasionally he tried reverse-sweeping, and coming down the track, but it was not until he had passed fifty that he attempted either of those ploys regularly. The back-and-across flick to leg, the late cut, the measured off drive – these provided the substance to his innings.His most aggressive stroke – and there were very few of those right through his innings – came in the 92nd over, when he flitted down the pitch to thump Moeen into the sight screen for six. Otherwise, this was old-fashioned bad-pitch batting. He didn’t change his approach even in the company of No. 10 Akila Dananjaya, with whom he went on to post his best partnership of 56. The tail supported him superbly, Dananjaya making 31, while Suranga Lakmal and Dilruwan Perera made 15 vital runs apiece.Earlier in the day, the 96-run stand between Karunaratne and de Silva had imbued some calm into the Sri Lanka batting effort, after nightwatchman Malinda Pushpakumara was out trying to heave Moeen to leg in the third over of the day. Where Karunaratne was tetchy early in his innings, particularly against Moeen, de Silva was serene – or as serene as any batsman could be on such a surface. His liquid drives, and glides to third man were a joy, as always, and unlike Karunaratne, he was sure to be severe on the bad balls that England sent his way. There were two graceful fours down the ground when Moeen had overpitched, and late in the session, he smoked two misdirected Ben Stokes bouncers through midwicket, and then mid on.Karunaratne battled his way to a half-century though, eschewing the sweep as Silva would later do, but playing the reverse sweep on occasion, especially to the bowling of Leach. The pair seemed to be set for a truly massive stand when two pieces of Stokes brilliance sparked the middle-order mini-collapse. Karunaratne was run out attempting to complete a quick single that de Silva had called him through for, with Stokes swooping on the ball at point, swivelling and letting fly a direct hit with one stump to aim at.A few overs later, Stokes also completed an outstanding reflex catch to dismiss Kusal Mendis off Leach, lunging low to his left to intercept the chance flawlessly. England played as a team smelling blood – and a big first-inning lead – through that period. Then Roshen produced his gem.

Newcastle United have been dealt a potential major blow after one of their players was withdrawn from training on international duty, according to fresh reports.

Newcastle United's injury nightmare…

As we all know by now, Newcastle United have an enormous injury list and face the prospect of missing some of their key players for a considerable period of time, which is bound to have an impact on Eddie Howe's team selection and potential results. The unavailable players for the Magpies include Callum Wilson, Alexander Isak, Miguel Almiron, Javier Manquillo, Matt Targett, Sven Botman, Elliot Anderson, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes and Dan Burn, with a report on Wednesday revealing Wilson and Botman are facing significant time out.

Sandro Tonali is suspended from footballing activity due to breaching betting rules and will be unavailable until next year, while Bruno Guimaraes served a one-match suspension for an accumulation of yellow cards in their 2-0 defeat away to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Down to the bare bones, youngsters Lewis Miley and Ben Parkinson were both called upon during the Premier League clash, which produced a major flashpoint at the end of the game, as Kieran Trippier shared a passionate exchange with a travelling supporter and appeared to respond to their protestations with the question "how many injuries have we got?" after both parties were seen in heated debate.

Nevertheless, the England international played down events in an interview with Sky Sports, stating: "The fans are emotional, they have travelled a long way. I had a chat with one of them, saying we are giving everything and there's no need to panic. We got beat and we apologise for that result, but the lads are giving everything."

Now, it looks as if things could be about to go from bad to worse for Newcastle United after one of their players was withdrawn from full-contact training on international duty.

Fabian Schar injury update

According to a report from Switzerland cited via Sport Witness, Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar has been withdrawn from Switzerland's crucial EURO 2024 tie against Israel due to 'muscular problems' and he will instead participate in individualised training in his hotel room with a personal trainer.

Fabian Schar in 2023/24 – all competitions (Transfermarkt)

Appearances

17

Goals

1

Assists

0

Full training is now an option that is off the table for the 31-year-old, who is believed to earn in the region of £40,000 per week at St James' Park, for now, as he recovers from his muscle issue. Switzerland will book their ticket to Germany next summer if they manage to see off Alon Hazan's Israel side.

Performing admirably in 2023/24, Schar has averaged around 3.4 clearances and 1.4 tackles per match in the Premier League this campaign for Newcastle United (Schar statistics – WhoScored).

Despite his impressive form, Schar could now be set to join a lengthy list of absences for Magpies boss Howe to contend with, as he aims to improve on their current showing in the English top-flight that has landed the Toon in seventh position with 20 points from their opening 12 matches.

Michael Holding believes Hardik Pandya is not effective as a batsman and lacks control and consistency with the ball

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Aug-2018Hardik Pandya is not yet ready to take the allrounder’s spot in India’s Test team, according to former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding, because he is not effective as a batsman and lacks control and consistency with the ball.”The [Indian] attack has not been the right balance,” Holding told ESPNcricinfo. “Apparently they are playing Hardik Pandya as an allrounder to help out with the bowling. When he bowls he isn’t as effective as he should be. If he was a good batsman, if he was getting runs – 60s, 70s, not even regular hundreds – at the number at which he bats and then he bowls and gets two or three wickets, happy, hallelujah. Happy with that. But he is not getting the amount of runs that can then allow him to get a wicket or two in the Test match. That doesn’t work.”Pandya made his Test debut last July in Sri Lanka, scoring a fifty in Galle and followed it with his maiden Test century in Pallekelle in his third Test. He has played nine Tests so far and, barring the home series against Sri Lanka for which he was rested late last year, he has been the only constant in the Test XI along with captain Virat Kohli.In his fledgling Test career, Pandya has had more success with bat than ball – 458 runs at an average of 32.71 with a century and three half-centuries, and 10 wickets at an average of 39.30 and a strike rate of 71.50. Overseas, Kohli has used Pandya largely to give the frontline bowlers relief. The Lord’s Test was Pandya’s most hectic in terms of bowling workload in a single innings – he bowled 17.1 overs and performed the role of the third seamer, assisting the new-ball pair of Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma.That Pandya had to bowl more was a consequence of Kohli’s decision to field two spinners in wet and overcast conditions. Pandya took three wickets, having gone wicketless in the first Test at Edgbaston. Incidentally, he is the second highest run-scorer for India – after Kohli – this series. But the fact that R Ashwin is five runs behind Pandya, who has scored 90 in the two Tests, only illustrates how horrific the series has been for India’s batsmen.Before the Lord’s Test, Pandya had gone wicketless for four Tests, starting from the second match in South Africa in January. While appraising Pandya’s bowling, Holding said he did not have many skills.BCCI

“I don’t think he does a lot with the ball. That is number one,” Holding said. “He is not consistent. He does not have the control that puts batsmen under pressure constantly. He will bowl a couple of good deliveries, yes, but you need to have the control to put batsmen under pressure consistently. And he doesn’t have that. If you are going to be a frontline bowler anywhere in the world, if you are going to be someone that your captain can rely on, that can throw you the ball and expect you to get wickets and expect you to have control, he is not really the man in my opinion.”Holding said India were shooting themselves in the foot by playing Pandya as the third seamer because he does not have the “firepower” to help them take 20 wickets.When asked to describe his role after the third day’s play at Lord’s, Pandya did not want to classify himself as a batting or a bowling allrounder. “If I’m batting I think as a batsman and if I’m bowling I think as a bowler.” Pandya had said. “I don’t have any one particular role.”Holding said India were trying to make Pandya perform the roles of two players, which he was not yet equipped to do. “Not if I have someone else who is fit,” Holding said, when asked if Pandya should play at Trent Bridge. “If there is no one else, sure you have to play him. If there is someone else that is a specialist batsman or specialist bowler I will certainly prefer that. There must be someone that can bat better if they want a batsman, there must be someone who can bowl better if they want a bowler. But it seems as if they are trying to fill two spots with one person. He (Pandya) is not there yet.”Despite his scathing assessment of Pandya, Holding said he is young and has time to develop as an allrounder.”I am not going to tell anyone that you won’t be there because he is a young man. But he is not there yet. I heard a mention, when I was working in South Africa: ‘he is the next Kapil Dev’. I ain’t going to tell anybody he’s not going to be the next Kapil Dev, but he is nowhere near there yet. And they need to find someone who can contribute a lot more to this team right now.”

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has revealed he has his sights set on making the Red Dragons' women's team "the best in the world".

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Wrexham Women to go on U.S. tourPromoted fom Adran South last seasonMcElhenney reveals "best team in world" dreamWHAT HAPPENED?

McElhenney and his fellow Hollywood co-owner Ryan Reynolds have brought unbridled change – and success – to the Welsh club since their takeover in February 2021. Much of this focus has been on the men's back-to-back promotion charge, but the Red Dragons' women side tasted promotion themselves from Adran South last year. McElhenney has claimed that his goal is to make Wrexham become the best football club in Wales, and when that is achieved the 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' star is setting his sights even higher.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT McELHENNEY SAID

The Red Dragons co-owner told : "Our goal this year was to become the best football club in Wales. Heading into the second phase of our season, we have a true shot at making that happen. Our ultimate goal is to make Wrexham the best women’s football team in the world. I say that with great respect for the incredible talent around the globe in women’s football. We know the journey will be long and arduous, but if you’re gonna dream, why not dream big?”

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That promotion via the play-offs last term has seen Wrexham Women continue their rise to prominence. They now play their football at the 3,000-seater The Rock Stadium and announced they will be taking part on the 'Wrex Coast Tour' of the United States this summer. They also featured in an episode entitled 'Ballers' in season two of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary, and McElhenney hinted that there would be more screentime to come: "We’ve continued to tell the story of our women’s team, both from a human and sporting point of view. I’m most excited for our fans to continue to get to know our players on and off the pitch and for our journey to be the best in Wales.”

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Instagram @wrexhamafcwomenWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

Wrexham currently sit second behind typical Welsh powerhouses Cardiff and Swansea in the Adran Premier. The Red Dragons will look to bridge the six-point gap with the Swans in second when they face league leaders Cardiff on Sunday.

After a gruelling tour of England, where they were swept 6-0 in the limited-overs series, Australia might have hoped that a short trip to Zimbabwe would provide a welcome change of pace and a change of fortunes. But their tri-series opener will be against the No.1 T20I side, and after Pakistan’s clinical drubbing of the hosts in Sunday’s game it seems there will be no let-up in intensity for Australia just yet.”England was a tough tour, losing the one-dayers and the T20 game,” Australia T20 captain Aaron Finch admitted. “But we’re here to win. There’s only a handful of us that have played here before, but we know reasonably well what the conditions are going to be. Half the boys trained this morning, and half were [at Harare Sports Club] to watch today to just try and find out some more info.”What they found out could well trouble them. Australia had struggled to impose themselves on England’s slow bowlers, and conditions are usually more suited to the spinners in Zimbabwe. On Sunday, Pakistan’s spinners claimed a combined 5 for 43 in 8.5 overs, with Mohammad Hafeez celebrating his return to legality as an international bowler by taking 2 for 3 in five balls. Left-armer Mohammad Nawaz had done the early damage, taking a wicket in the first over and immediately putting the brakes on Zimbabwe’s chase. He is likely to perform a very similar role with the new ball against Australia.”For the last couple of seasons I’ve been opening the bowling in T20 cricket,” Nawaz said. “[Against Zimbabwe] I was varying the pace and getting a little help from the track. The slower deliveries were turning a bit, though with the new ball there wasn’t that much.”We’ll go in with the same mindset tomorrow and play our best cricket,” he said. “We’ll keep the same strategy we had today, and probably the same gameplan too.”Pakistan appear to have the firepower in their spin attack to keep Australia in check. But it was Australia who had outgunned Pakistan the last time the two sides met, at the World T20 in Mohali, with James Faulkner taking 5 for 27 to seal a 21-run win that knocked Pakistan out of the tournament. There will be a completely different complexion to both sides this time around, however, with Pakistan enjoying their hottest winning streak in T20Is while Australia are floundering for stability.Pakistan have won their last eight T20I series, and their last eight games. Since that disastrous World T20, they’ve undergone a fundamental personnel change in the format and won 20 of the 23 T20Is they have played. During the same period, Australia’s record reads: played 14, won 9, lost 5.Shadab Khan led Pakistan’s fightback with a flurry of wickets•Getty Images

Yet, Australia are still ranked third, just one point behind India, and if they are able to completely reverse their fortunes and go undefeated through this tri-series, they could leave Zimbabwe as the top-ranked T20I side in the world, usurping Pakistan.”We’re ranked no. 3 in the world behind Pakistan, so this is a really good opportunity to test ourselves again and make sure that we’re measuring up and still improving in this format,” Finch said.”And you can never take anything for granted in T20. We know it’s a game that anyone can win by themselves on a given day,” Finch said, echoing what has already become a familiar refrain in this tri-series.”There is no weaker side in T20 cricket,” Nawaz agreed. “If it’s your day, you’ll dominate, if it’s not, you won’t. Going in to this game, there is an equal chance for both teams.”A short, sharp series means they won’t have much time for Australia to get their combinations right in Zimbabwe, and the situation hasn’t been helped by a couple of delayed flights that have slowed preparations. They are also already missing several frontline players through injury or misadventure.”All the teams are missing a couple of players, but that’s just the nature of sport,” Finch said. “You have some injuries, you have some other issues that pop up every now and then. So we’re still really confident in the players we have coming into this series. Everyone who’s here has a chance to play. When you pick a squad you like to mix and match the guys who can fit in anywhere.”

In a nutshell

A chaotic start welcomed Chennai Super Kings back to the MA Chidambaram Stadium: protests and a delayed toss due to the late arrival of match officials. The end was even more frenetic, as Super Kings hunted down 17 off the final over, bowled by Vinay Kumar, to edge a high-scoring thriller and keep the IPL’s trend of successful chases this season alive.Chasing 203 after Andre Russell blitzed 88 off 36 balls, the highest score by a No. 7 batsman or lower in the IPL, Super Kings’ pursuit ebbed and flowed until the final over. Super Kings were given an imperative, rapid start by Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu, whose 75-run opening stand off 35 balls brought the voice of a subdued home crowd back. Then MS Dhoni’s 25 off 28 pushed Knight Riders ahead once more as the required rate soared.Eventually, the innings that gave Super Kings a chance came from Sam Billings. His strength is against pace, so he bided his time against Knight Riders’ spinners, using his feet and tucking twos into large gaps. Off the seamers, he pulled, drove and scooped his way to a 23-ball 56, his fastest T20 half-century, but holed out in the penultimate over.Then the final over. Vinay’s first ball, a full toss on leg stump that was questionably deemed a no-ball for height, was swung away over fine leg for six by Dwayne Bravo. Off the penultimate delivery, Ravindra Jadeja thumped a six over long-on to complete another stunning come-from-behind win for Super Kings.

Boundaries, wickets or both?

Given their personnel and the roles assigned, Knight Riders have set their template for the season: attack from the outset and don’t let wickets get in the way too much. The trend is already discernible. At the end of the Powerplay in their first game, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Knight Riders were 68 for 2. At the same point against Super Kings, they were 64 for 2. After nine overs in the previous game, Knight Riders were 92 for 3. In this game, they were 87 for 4.The top three of Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine and Robin Uthappa scored a combined 63 runs off 36 balls against Super Kings. The approach of attempting to score boundaries despite losing wickets is fraught with risk, but it has worked for Knight Riders twice in two games.

In Russell’s hitting arc

Russell had a strike rate of 128 and a dot-ball percentage of 43 against legspinners in T20s, prior to Tuesday. So, it wasn’t surprising that Imran Tahir was brought on immediately after Russell came in. He conceded five runs off eight balls against Russell.With the main threat seen out, Russell feasted on Super Kings’ fast bowlers, who either had the wrong plan or missed their execution too often. As the bowlers repeatedly erred too full, Russell teed up the straight boundaries. Russell’s most productive hitting area was straight: he scored 50 runs off 15 balls between long-off and long-on. Overall, 84 of his 88 runs came in front of square on both sides. Off full balls, he scored 52 runs off 15 balls, at a strike rate of 346.7. His eventual smart strike rate of 347.22 over a 36-ball innings was a just indicator of the the impact of his blitz. In all, he hit 11 sixes out of 31 in the match – that is the joint-highest match tally in the tournament’s history.

Pacing a tough chase

Without a strong start in a 200-plus chase, the probability of getting close to the target reduces drastically. During the course of such a chase, wickets further bump up the required rate. So, against a strong bowling attack, the only chance Super Kings had was if their openers started aggressively.Shane Watson hit 42 off 19 balls, with three fours and three sixes, at a smart strike rate of 278.69 compared to his actual strike rate of 221.05. Ambati Rayudu kept abreast with Watson for the entirety of the Powerplay, adding 39 off 26 balls. Together, their partnership compensated for a stuttering Dhoni innings to give Super Kings a chance in a tough chase.