Sir Dave Brailsford has warned Manchester United's playing staff of the need to 'step up' in order to become a world-class institution once again.

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• Brailsford told Man Utd they needed to improve
• Cycling guru believes United must become 'world-class'
• INEOS' 25% stake to be ratified within six weeks

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Brailsford, INEOS' director of sport who transformed British cycling, visited United's training ground last week with Sir Jim Ratcliffe for the first time since the firm agreed to buy a stake in the club. He has been conducting an internal review on behalf of Ratcliffe. According to , he told the club's football staff that they needed to raise their game and that the new sporting regime would not accept anything below 'world-class' standards.

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  INEOS agreed to take charge of United's sporting operation in exchange for purchasing a 25 percent stake in the club for £1.25 billion ($1.58bn). The deal still needs regulatory approval from the Premier League and Brailsford, Ratcliffe and co are not expected to take charge until late February. Their arrival comes amid the club's worst start to a season in the Premier League era, with United also suffering a humiliating exit from the Champions League. The tone of Brailsford's words to staff was described as 'collegiate', but he reportedly made it clear that change was in the air and there would be more pressure to perform.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  United have already lost nine times after 20 Premier League matches, as many defeats as they suffered in the entirety of the 2022-23 season.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

  The Red Devils will hope to lift the mood when they visit League One strugglers Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup on Monday. They then face a hugely testing Premier League game against Tottenham on Sunday. They will hope the ratification of Ratcliffe's takeover is completed within the expected timeframe.

Arsenal have made an offer to sign forward Ansu Fati from Barcelona this summer, with the Catalans apparently replying in a swift manner.

Who will Arsenal sign?

Mikel Arteta has been backed with major summer signings as sporting director Edu and the Gunners board spend over £200 million on marquee additions thus far.

Germany international Kai Havertz, who scored a Champions League-winning goal against Man City in 2021, has been added to the Arsenal roster alongside versatile defender Jurrien Timber and England star Declan Rice.

Timber joined for a figure in and around £38 million from Ajax, while Havertz's move from Chelsea set Arsenal back £65 million. Their biggest outlay, and by some distance, comes in the form of Rice as the north Londoners signed him for a club-record £105 million fee.

The new boys got off to a flying start on Sunday as well, with all three players featuring as Arsenal beat last season's treble-winners Man City in the Community Shield.

Despite their significant spending already, reliable media sources claim Brentford keeper David Raya could soon join Arsenal as well, as Arteta seeks to provide competition for current number one Aaron Ramsdale.

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

New targets, like Dinamo Zagreb defender Josip Sutalo, are also regularly emerging as we enter the final few weeks of this summer window.

Fati, who found consistent starting places hard to come by under Barca boss Xavi last season, is now another player on Arsenal's radar.

That is according to Spanish outlet Sport, who claim they've made a "very tempting offer" to sign the 20-year-old forward this summer.

The exact nature and figures of this bid aren't disclosed, but it couldn't have been enough, as Barca swiftly replied by rejecting Arsenal's approach for Fati.

The Spaniard will apparently continue at Barca as he is deemed untransferable.

Sport and journalist Ivan Saint Anthony wrote:

"Arsenal has been one of the last clubs that have taken a serious interest in the player and they made it known with a very tempting offer to the culé entity. This proposal has been rejected by both the player and the club. There is no case. The youth squad player will continue to play all season at Barça because that is his intention and, from the club, they assure that they will respect it."

How good is Ansu Fati?

The £199,000-per-week starlet still contributed effectively for Barca in La Liga last season, scoring seven goals and assisting three others in 36 total appearances (WhoScored).

Those outings, however, came largely from the bench as Fati struggled to force himself into Xavi's starting eleven – having made just 12 starts (WhoScored).

That isn't to say he isn't highly-rated by the Catalans boss, though, who called Fati a "star" and "dangerous" player just last summer.

"We started him on the left today but we know we can play anywhere,” Xavi said.

“We wanted him to cut inside, but if he has two chances, he scores one, he is dangerous in the box. There are some players who are very good but I think he is just a star.”

An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to add further additions to the playing squad before the end of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Celtic transfer news?

According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, the Hoops remain keen on a deal to sign Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic as Brendan Rodgers looks to bolster his options between the sticks.

The reporter told the CeltsAreHere’s podcast that the Bhoys are "closely monitoring" the Croatia international's situation and that his proposed move to Fenerbahce could be on the "brink" of collapse, despite the Turkish giants having agreed a fee for his services.

Fabrizio Romano had claimed that the Super Lig side had reached an agreement on a €9m (£7.7m) deal to sign the shot-stopper but this latest update suggests that they may be unable to get the move over the line, which opens the door for the Scottish giants to swoop in.

How good is Dominik Livakovic?

The 28-year-old titan's performances for club and country last season suggest that he is an exceptional goalkeeper who would be a fantastic signing for Celtic.

Livakovic has the quality to be a big upgrade on Joe Hart between the sticks for the Bhoys and could form part of a new-look backline alongside Maik Nawrocki, who recently joined the club on a permanent deal from Polish side Legia Warsaw.

At the age of 22, the Poland U21 international is Celtic's youngest central defender and could be a colossus at the back for Rodgers for many more years to come, which could be alongside Livakovic – who has plenty of seasons left in the tank.

The Croatian cat is eight years younger than Hart, who is the current no.1 at Parkhead, and could, therefore, have the best part of a decade as the club's number one if he is a success and remains loyal to the Scottish Premiership champions.

Livakovic averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.93 across 35 HNL matches last season and saved 74% of the efforts on his goal. The impressive ace also averaged a rating of 7.33 over seven World Cup outings in Qatar last year, in which time he stopped 78% of the shots against him.

Hart, on the other hand, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.77 over 37 Premiership games and only saved 65% of the shots on target from the opposition.

This suggests that the £7.7m-rated star has the quality to perform at a higher level than Hart on a consistent basis whilst being able to prevent more goals by saving a higher percentage of the strikes between his posts.

Livakovic, who was dubbed "different class" by former Hoops ace Frank McAvennie, could, therefore, form a rock-solid defence alongside Nawrocki.

The 22-year-old machine made 2.5 tackles and interceptions per game in the Polish top-flight last season, which is more than any Celtic centre-back managed last term.

This suggests that Nawrocki could be an upgrade on Rodgers' other options in that position in terms of the frequency at which he wins the ball back for his side, by reading the game to make an interception or using his strength and timing to make a crucial tackle.

Pair his ability to cut out opposition attacks with Livakovic's super shot-stopping quality and you have the bedrock of what could be a sturdy defence for the Northern Irish head coach this season.

Paul Mullin has been practising a “new technique” that is allowing him to become even more of a goal threat for Wrexham from free-kicks.

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Striker is a prolific presence for Red DragonsCan score just about any kind of goalWorking on his game to make it even betterWHAT HAPPENED?

The prolific frontman has been a regular source of end product for the Red Dragons since moving to North Wales in the summer of 2021, with just 10 more efforts required in order to reach a century for the club. His latest strike was a stunner, with a 25-yard set-piece curled into the top corner against Barrow – a la Manchester United and England legend David Beckham.

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Mullin had been working on that skill set in the build up to a League Two clash between two promotion hopefuls, and has told of how he is always looking to improve his game: "I was practising free-kicks on Sunday after training. Having a little mess about and trying a new technique and things like that. Thankfully it managed to go in the goal."

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Mullin has been giving Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney plenty to shout about, with the intention being to get them absorbed in another FA Cup run this season – with a third round tie against Shrewsbury next on the agenda. Mullin added: "The FA Cup is obviously a massive competition and one we want to do well in. I don't think I realised how big it was to the supporters here until I came. The club has got a real history with the FA Cup and it is up to us to try and give them some more, and last year was phenomenal. Competing against the better sides higher up the divisions than us and giving them more than a game, that gave us even more belief to go on in the season. Hopefully this year we can try to use the FA Cup to do the same."

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WHAT NEXT FOR MULLIN & WREXHAM?

Mullin claimed the FA Cup Golden Boot last season, as Wrexham made their way to the fourth round before coming unstuck against Premier League-bound Sheffield United, and he is up to 11 efforts in all competitions this season as Phil Parkinson’s side make another push for promotion out of League Two.

Newcastle United are now interested in signing Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Jesper Lindstrom, but they will have to battle the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal for his signature, according to recent reports from Denmark.

What's the latest Newcastle transfer news?

There have been suggestions that Newcastle have made contact with Galatasaray over a move for Nicolo Zaniolo, as a result of the "excellent impact" he made for the Turkish club after arriving in January, but they have no interest in selling him this summer.

That has not deterred the Magpies, however, as they are expected to make an official offer this week, with Zaniolo emerging as one of their key midfield targets, but they do have a few other options in mind, including Flamengo youngster Victor Hugo.

Eddie Howe's side have "decided" to make a bid of around €24m (£21m) for the 19-year-old, having closely monitored him for some time now, and the Brazilian club will have to be prepared for an "astronomical proposal" this summer.

Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…

There are no other clubs named as potential suitors for Hugo, but Newcastle are set to face a lot of competition in their pursuit of Lindstrom, with Ekstra Bladet, via Sport Witness, recently detailing that a whole host of clubs are vying for the Frankfurt star's signature.

Alongside the Magpies, Tottenham Hotspur, RB Leipzig, Inter Milan and Napoli are all interested in the 23-year-old, who could be on the move this summer, with his current club said to be planning for a sale.

Frankfurt would find it hard to say no to a good offer, and if an auction breaks out, the fee could rise as high as €55m (£47m), although he is valued at around €35m – €40m (£30m – £34m). At the moment, Arsenal, Liverpool and Juventus are the clubs that have taken the most concrete steps, having "already been in contact" with the Bundesliga club to discuss a deal.

How good is Jesper Lindstrom?

Football writer Seb Stafford-Bloor has praised the attacking midfielder on a number of occasions, describing him as "fun to watch", before recently adding:

"Jesper Lindstrom is a fascinating player. Really talented and unusual, but also hard to define."

Having arrived in the Bundesliga from Brondby ahead of the 2021-22 campaign, it was always going to take the Dane some time to adapt, but teammate Kevin Trapp believes he has already come on leaps and bounds since his arrival:

"Jesper is very young and came from a different league. The Bundesliga is a tougher league than the Danish league, you have to get used to it. It’s normal, and everyone in the club and the team knows that. Jesper has already made significant steps forward… you can see that he's an outstanding footballer and has very good technique."

Of course, a move to the Premier League would be another step up for the maestro, but he has proven he may be up to the task, having scored seven league goals last season, the third-highest amount in the squad. If Newcastle are able to sign Lindstrom for a fee close to his valuation of around £30m, he could be a quality addition, but it may be difficult to win the race for his signature, given the level of interest.

Sabbir Rahman’s 70 and Nasir Hossain’s fighting half century were not enough as Sylhet lost their fourth completed game in a row

Mohammad Isam20-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrendon McCullum looks to paddle•Raton Gomes

Rangpur Riders came back to winning ways after their seven-run win over Sylhet Sixers at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum lived up to their billing as the star opening act but the Bangladeshi duo, Sabbir Rahman and Nasir Hossain , gave Rangpur a real scare before Sylhet’s chase faded away.Rangpur now have two wins in five outings while Sylhet continue to struggle, losing for the fourth time. They haven’t won a game since leaving their home territory almost two weeks ago.The storm finally makes land-fallGayle played out a maiden over bowled by Hossain, a sure sign of settling down for the Jamaican giant. As he took things slowly, McCullum swatted Shuvagata Hom for two sixes in the second over before Danushka Gunathilaka dropped McCullum’s offering of a return catch in the fourth over.In the following over, Gayle officially got underway in the BPL. He slammed Nasir over his head for his first six before Gunathilaka was tonked for two sixes in a row, on either side of long on. He hit his fourth and fifth sixes off Liam Plunkett and Nasir, both over the square leg-side field.Rangpur’s slowdownWhen Nasir got McCullum in the ninth over, Rangpur started to slow down. McCullum had made 33 off 21 balls with three fours and as many sixes; in the 11th over it was Gayle who left, bowled by Abul Hasan for 50 off 39 balls, with his five sixes and two fours.With the destructive pair gone, Mohammad Mithun and Shahriar Nafees played out 14 balls without going anywhere before Andre Fletcher took a superb catch at backward point to get rid of Nafees in the 13th over. Only Ravi Bopara hit a six among the middle-order batsmen, as Rangpur reached 169-7 in 20 overs.Hasan finished with 2 for 24 from his four overs while there was a wicket each for Nasir, Bresnan and Plunkett.Sylhet lose three quicklySohag Gazi got the initial breakthrough, removing Gunathilaka in the second over. Babar Azam, playing his first match for Sylhet, holed out to deep midwicket off Mashrafe Mortaza before Andre Fletcher’s dismissal in the fourth over, caught behind off Rubel Hossain, made it 25 for three.Sabbir takes overSabbir and Nasir played well thereafter, for the first time in the tournament. The pair added 117 runs for the fourth wicket, taking only 13.4 overs. Sabbir made 70 off 49 balls with seven fours and two sixes but when he fell in the 18th over, Sylhet slipped out of the chase.Nasir ended up unbeaten on 50 off 43 balls with a four and a six while Tim Bresnan struck a six off the last ball but to no avail.Mashrafe, Sohag, Rubel and Thisara Perera took one wicket each as they combined to bring the big-spending Rangpur side a much-needed win.

Ghana boss Chris Hughton was subjected to scary scenes following a shock AFCON defeat to Cape Verde, with fans reportedly out to attack him.

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• Black Stars suffered dramatic setback
• Supporters quick to air frustration
• Clash with Salah & Egypt next on the agenda

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Nottingham Forest and Brighton boss saw his side suffer a dramatic 2-1 reversal in their opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations. The Black Stars were subjected to late heartache in that contest, as Garry Rodrigues grabbed a 92nd-minute winner, and frustrated supporters were caught on camera airing their frustration in the direction of those on the field and bench.

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  WHAT REPORTERS SAID ABOUT HUGHTON

  Some supporters took their anger out on Hughton at the hotel where Ghana’s squad is based, with mixed reports shedding light on confrontations that required security forces to step in. Journalist Saddick Adams has claimed on social media that: “One member of the Ghanaian supporters in Abidjan has been arrested for an attack on coach Chris Hughton at the team's hotel. It took the intervention of some Ghanaian diplomats who were around to save the coach. The unidentified man has been handed to the Ivorian Police.”

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  Those claims have been contradicted by Muftawu Nabila Abdulai, who said in his own post on X: “[I'm] told supporter was angry and used foul words on Chris Hughton and security took him away, but he's not been arrested. In fact, there was no contact with the coach.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Hughton told reporters of seeing his side come unstuck against Cape Verde: “We are incredibly hugely disappointed with the result. We came into the game with a game plan to start on the front foot. We thought the team that were put out was certainly a more offensive team. This was our intention. I think it rocked us the goal that we conceded but I thought we got back into the game. At that stage it looked like we could go on and win it. We are hugely, hugely disappointed with our result. And I know and this group of players also know how the Ghanaian people see this game, see this tournament and our expectations going into this one. It's a defeat we're hugely disappointed with.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTaskin Ahmed bowled an over in which three wickets fell•Raton Gomes/BCB

Taskin Ahmed bowled Chittagong Vikings to their first win of the season, helping restrict Rangpur Riders to 155 for 8 in their chase of 167. He took three wickets, including two in succession in the 13th over, and ran out Ravi Bopara off the next ball with his boot to suck the life out of Rangpur’s chase. Luke Ronchi had given Chittagong a blistering start with the third-fastest BPL fifty.Rangpur eventually fell 11 runs short with some of their batsmen getting set but not converting. Left-arm medium-pacer Luis Reece took two for 26 in his four overs.Ronchi made 78 off only 35 balls, hammering seven sixes. But after his dismissal, Chittagong slowed down, adding only 54 runs in the last 10 overs.Ronchi’s belligerence A whip of his wrist gave Ronchi his first six, off the third ball of the match. He hit another six in the same over, off Mashrafe Mortaza, before he struck three fours in the second over, bowled by Sohag Gazi. Ronchi, in the next over, struck Nazmul Islam over mid-on and cover for consecutive sixes before cutting past point for a four. That over finished with a six over long-off, as Ronchi lifted Chittagong to 50 runs in the first three overs, a BPL record.When Mashrafe claimed Soumya Sarkar’s wicket in the fifth over, he had faced only seven deliveries out of the 28 in the opening partnership. Ronchi struck two more sixes during his 40-run, second wicket stand with Dilshan Munaweera.One boundary in 10 oversWhen Bopara had Ronchi caught at long-on, Chittagong were 99 for 2 in the ninth over. Ronchi had made 78 of those runs, having struck seven fours and seven sixes.Munaweera struck Samiullah Shenwari for a six over midwicket at the end of the 10th over, but there was no boundary for 50 balls from that point.Munaweera fell in the 11th over after which Misbah and Luis Reece added 19 runs in the five overs of their fourth-wicket stand. Anamul Haque could only manage 17 off 14 balls. The only boundary in the last 10 overs came from Misbah, who was unbeaten on 31 off 32 balls.Setting up the chaseRangpur lost Johnson Charles in the third ball of their chase, before Ziaur Rahman was dismissed after hitting a six and a four. Mohammad Mithun was the third wicket to fall in the Powerplay, undone by Reece for a 15-ball 23.Shahriar Nafees and Bopara tried to keep up with the required run-rate, adding 49 runs in the following 6.4 overs, putting Rangpur in control.Taskin rips through RangpurIn the 13th over, Nafees was knocked over by an accurate yorker from Taskin, having made 26 off 23 balls. He then removed Shenwari next ball after he clipped a catch to Misbah at midwicket. Off the next ball, Taskin’s boot came in the way of a Thisara Perera drive, which caught Bopara short at the non-striker’s end.Taskin then took his third wicket by having Perera caught at deep midwicket, reducing Rangpur to 119 for 7 in the 15th over.Subashis takes on Mashrafe With the match entering its decisive stages, emotions got the better of Mashrafe and Subashis Roy. Mashrafe dug out a yorker, and gestured to the bowler to get back. Subashis charged at Mashrafe, with Sikandar Raza running in to separate the pair. Subashis later apologised to Mashrafe.

Darren Sammy’s scorching last-over burst, followed by Mohammad Sami’s four-wicket haul, broke Comilla Victorians’ five-match winning streak, as they lost to Rajshahi Kings by 30 runs in Chittagong

The Report by Mohammad Isam25-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBCBDarren Sammy’s scorching last-over burst, followed by Mohammad Sami’s four-wicket haul, broke Comilla Victorians’ five-match winning streak, as they lost to Rajshahi Kings by 30 runs in Chittagong.Rajshahi had seemed to be ambling towards a middling score, but blitzed 72 runs off 22 balls following Sammy’s arrival. They ended up with 185 for 7, with Sammy unbeaten on 47 off 14 balls. His strike-rate of 335.71 is the highest for a batsman to have struck more than 40 runs in a BPL innings.Sammy tonked six sixes in total, four of which came in the last over that went for 32 runs. Mohammad Saifuddin, who had the misfortune of sending down that over, now holds the unenviable record of conceding the most runs in an over in BPL history.Comilla recovered well from that late onslaught and were going well in the chase, with Tamim Iqbal and Shoaib Malik putting together an 87-run stand. But once Sami dismissed Tamim, the rest simply caved. It was similar to their bowling effort that came apart after a very good start.Comilla hit back after early blowsEach of Rajshahi’s top four fell after getting their eye in. Dwayne Smith, who had got going with four punchy boundaries, was first to fall when he inside-edged Saifuddin onto the stumps after reaching out for an expansive drive. In the next over, Mominul Haque, who had raced away to a brisk start with five crisply-struck fours, paid the price for a moment’s hesitation. Mominul pushed the legspinner Rashid Khan behind point and Luke Wright called for a single straight away. Mominul, though, wasn’t as convinced and was felled by a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Zakir Hasan found the bounce of an Al-Amin Hossain bouncer disconcerting and top-edged a pull that was snaffled by the bowler, before Imrul Kayes’ terrific catch at long-on ended Mushfiqur Rahim’s stay. From 43 for no loss, Rajshahi lost four wickets by the time they could double that score.Wright keeps Rajshahi tickingThe gift of timing completely abandoned Luke Wright, who struggled for large parts of his 42. But to his credit, he gritted it out. After scratching around for 20 balls for his first 14 runs, Wright showed the first signs of acceleration by collecting 16 runs off his next six balls. That included two sublime fours through midwicket off successive deliveries against Al-Amin. He added 37 runs for the fifth wicket with James Franklin in quick time, before the latter fell leg-before to a Hasan Ali yorker. Wright fell in the following over, when his scoop found short fine leg. He fell eight short of a fifty but had kept Rajshahi intact till the 18th over before Sammy took over.Sammy lays a brutal finishing touchWhen Tamim Iqbal threw Saifuddin the ball for the final over, it was in the hope that he could finish off a job well-started. Saifuddin had figures of 3-0-18-3, but nothing could have prepared him for the onslaught he suffered at the hands of Sammy. His first delivery to Sammy was a fuller ball that came into him, and all Sammy had to do was help it on its way to deep backward square leg. The rest of the over was a generous mix of fuller deliveries, or worse still, full tosses that were shoveled with brute force. Saifuddin set out on a search for the wide yorker and instead fed to Sammy’s swinging arc and offered him ample room. To make matters worse, Saifuddin sent down two wides, extending Sammy’s party to an eight-ball over. Just last month, Saifuddin had suffered a similar shellacking at the hands of David Miller, who took him apart for five successive sixes in one over, in a T20 international against South Africa.Comilla shrug off early stutterFakhar Zaman’s BPL debut lasted just five balls as he chopped Sami onto his stumps, and Imrul Kayes fell to a harsh lbw decision, with replays suggesting the ball would have missed leg – as Comilla lost two wickets in the first two overs of their chase.Tamim and Malik then resurrected Comilla’s chase with an 87-run stand for the third wicket. It was broken when Malik’s stroke-filled 45 ended tamely. One ball after a stunning four that split short third man and backward point, Malik chipped a simple return catch to Dwayne Smith, leaving Comilla with 95 to get in 52 balls.Sami’s 3-in-1Comilla did not feel the pinch of Malik’s dismissal as much as Buttler picked up from where Malik left. With Tamim, he struck 34 runs in three overs to keep Comilla’s prospects alive. Tamim launched Hossain Ali over extra cover to bring up his fifty and the 4000th run of his T20 career while Buttler used his favoured reverse sweep to good effect.Sami then got Tamim to skew an inside-out shot to deep point in the 15th over to open the gates. Alok Kapali perished two balls later when he swung across the line and lost his stumps. Sami then ended the over by having Saifuddin hole out to deep point. He gave away just one run in his last over to finish with 4 for 9 in four overs. His effort left Comilla with 32 to get from the last over, which was precisely how much Sammy hit in Rajshahi’s last over.What they said”Darren Sammy doing that made a huge difference. I think if we just got 150, we would have probably lost. And then Mohammad Sami with the ball was amazing, but I think Sammy put massive pressure on them, which helped take those wickets in the end.”

The South African is set to join the team in a coaching role although Daniel Vettori will remain part of the management group

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Dec-2017

Former South Africa batsman and India coach Gary Kirsten is likely to return to the IPL in a coaching role at Royal Challengers Bangalore. Although the franchise has not yet made the news public, Kirsten will handle the coaching responsibilities although a defined role is yet to be established. Daniel Vettori, who has been head coach in the past, will remain part of the management group.Kirsten’s first coaching stint in the IPL lasted all of two years, ending after Delhi Daredevils removed him as their head coach in 2015. Kirsten had signed a three-year contract with Daredevils in 2014, but the franchise ended terms with him following two seasons in which they finished eighth and seventh on the points table. Numbers-wise, Kirsten’s IPL coaching record was far from flattering: Daredevils won only seven out of 28 matches, with 20 defeats across the two seasons.Despite suffering that dent on his CV, Kirsten has managed to stay afloat. This week he makes his debut in the Big Bash League as the coach of Hobart Hurricanes. Kirsten was shortlisted for the job by the former Tasmanian and Australian pair of Ricky Ponting and David Boon, as the Hurricanes needed a replacement for Damien Wright, who had parted ways with the team after a second-from-bottom finish in the 2016-17 BBL.Despite his struggles in the T20 format, Kirsten’s reputation as a coach remains strong. He is one of the few coaches to have taken two teams to the top of the ICC Test ranking – India in 2009 and South Africa in 2012.Vettori took over as Royal Challengers’ head coach before the 2014 IPL, which the team finished in seventh place. In 2015 they finished third in the league stage and lost the second Qualifier to Chennai Super Kings. The next year, led by Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers marched into the final with phenomenal performances in the league stage but they ended runners-up to Sunrisers Hyderabad. This was followed by a poor 2017 season, which they ended at the bottom of the table with only three wins from 14 matches, with Kohli sitting out the initial part of the season to recuperate from a shoulder injury.Along with Kohli, Royal Challengers are expected to retain South Africa batsman AB de Villiers and could be tempted to use the right-to-match card for India legspinner Yuzuvendra Chahal and possibly the West Indies batsman Chris Gayle.