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Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl took on an unenviable task when he decided to join the club to replace Russell Martin, who had won just five of his matches in charge.

The German head coach has had to take over a side that was incredibly low on confidence and turn things around without any signings, which he did with four straight Scottish Premiership wins.

However, the Gers were unable to make it five after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Falkirk at Ibrox on Sunday, and the manager made it clear that underperforming players will face consequences.

One of the team’s underperforming flops who will not make the starting line-up for the clash with Dundee United on Wednesday is Oliver Antman, who has been ruled out for two months through injury.

Why Danny Rohl must replace Oliver Antman

Even without the injury, the Finland international should have been dropped by Danny Rohl because he failed to deliver a quality performance for his side from the start against Falkirk.

Antman ended the 2024/25 campaign with a return of seven goals and 17 assists in all competitions for Go Ahead Eagles, per Sofascore, yet his time at Ibrox has been barren in comparison.

In 20 appearances for Rangers, per Transfermarkt, the Finnish forward has failed to provide a goal or an assist in 18 different games, providing three assists in the other two outings.

The 24-year-old flop played 57 minutes against Falkirk on Sunday without registering a shot on target or creating a ‘big chance’ for his teammates, per Sofascore, and his absence through injury will now provide others with an opportunity to nail down that position.

The Rangers talent who could end Antman's Ibrox career

The Light Blues head coach could end Antman’s Ibrox career by finally unleashing academy graduate Findlay Curtis as a starter on the flank, as the Scottish youngster could nail down that position and leave the ex-Eredivisie star starved of minutes.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Rohl must give the 19-year-old star his first senior start in the Premiership this season on Wednesday night because his output this year suggests that he deserves more minutes on the pitch for the Gers.

Curtis, as shown in the table above, showed that he has the physicality to compete at first-team level in his cameo off the bench on Sunday, winning four of his six duels and winning two fouls.

The teenager starlet, who was dubbed a “Boy Wonder” on Premier Sports against Panathinaikos in July, has also shown glimpses of his exciting quality at the top end of the pitch this term, with three goals in 259 minutes of action.

Curtis, who scored off the bench against St Mirren in the Premiership in August, has not started a game for the first-team since he started both of the games against Panathinaikos in July, despite scoring two goals since then.

His lack of minutes, as a starter or off the bench, has been fairly surprising, particularly given Antman and the team’s general form, which is why now is the time for Rohl to finally unleash him from the start.

If the Scotland U21 international can get a run in the side and provide goal contributions on a regular basis for the Light Blues, the underperforming Antman would surely struggle to get back into the team given his lack of form this season.

Therefore, Curtis, who delivered four goals and three assists in eight B team matches at academy level, could be the player who ends the Finland international’s career at Ibrox, as the winger, who can play either flank, could snatch his place in the squad away from him.

A "spell on the sidelines" is needed for the "best player" at Rangers

This Glasgow Rangers star who was called the team’s best player should be dropped from the starting line-up.

By
Dan Emery

Dec 2, 2025

However, it is, firstly, down to the Rangers manager to provide the academy graduate with the platform that he needs to kick on and end Antman’s career at the club, starting with the league clash with Dundee United on Wednesday night because of Antman’s injury.

As South Africa’s most experienced specialist batter, his role is multi-fold in the two-Test series. It’s a challenge he’s up to take on

Firdose Moonda13-Nov-20252:04

Bangar: South Africa’s spin-bowling allrounders will be critical

Temba Bavuma had played only four Tests before he first batted in one in India, as the least experienced specialist batter of a side that was already defeated. He opened the batting, which he told ESPNcricinfo today was, “the best thing that could have happened because batting in the middle order was quite tough,” but back then, he called it “the toughest piece of batting I’ve had to do in my life.”If only he knew how much tougher it was going to get.Fast-forward a decade and Bavuma has realised that “Test cricket doesn’t get any easier.” He lists the 2018 sandpapergate series against Australia, when he had just returned from a broken hand, as “quite tough having not played any cricket,” and the 2019 series in India, which South Africa lost 3-0, as “also quite tough,” but arguably his toughest Test knock was most recent one. In the World Test Championship final, chasing the highest score at Lord’s against Australia, Bavuma was nursing a hamstring injury and scored the most important 66 runs of his career.Related

• Colossal task awaits SA's eight newcomers in India

• Eden Gardens conditions could weaponise quicks

• Smith: 'Crucial for South Africa to start well' in India

• The World Test Champions begin their toughest test

Interestingly, 66 is also Bavuma’s highest first-class score in the subcontinent, for South Africa A in 2015, where he has only batted 22 times. That innings came a few months before the Test series. This time, Bavuma has been in India before most of his team-mates, again playing for an A side as he makes his return to the longest format. After a first-ball duck against India A, he scored 59 last week in South Africa A’s successful chase of 417. More importantly, he familiarised himself with his subcontinent gameplan after missing South Africa’s series in both Bangladesh last year and Pakistan this year through injury.”Having come off a long layoff from Test cricket, it was just about getting back on the field, proving my fitness to myself and everyone around and spending some time at the crease,” Bavuma said at the pre-match press conference. “I think that was important – to try to make whatever adjustments that I need to with conditions here in the subcontinent. I spent a lot of time on my feet in the field and it was a good exercise.”

“He’s our best player. It’s as simple as that. If you take the last two years maybe, he’s been one of the best players in the world.”SA head coach Conrad on Bavuma

It was also an opportunity to remind himself of what lies ahead. Bavuma is now the most experienced specialist batter in a side that knows success far better than its opposite. South Africa, at full strength, have not lost a series under Bavuma (the 2024 makeshift squad that lost in New Zealand did not include him, nor any of those on this tour). And his stocks continue to rise.”Whenever we go into a series, there’s a lot more of an expectation for us as a team to uphold the world champion status,” Bavuma said. “From a confidence point of view, it’s a case of us kind of walking proudly with that badge, being known as the champions. We have a lovely opportunity now coming up against India in their own conditions. It’s a great opportunity for us to kind of stamp ourselves with that label.”While Bavuma said “not much” can trump winning the WTC, “second to that would be winning in India.” Not England. Not Australia. But India, because, “we haven’t been able to do it for the longest time.”Temba Bavuma checked out the Eden Gardens pitch•Associated PressSouth Africa last won a Test in India in 2010, when none of the current crop were involved in international cricket. They have been on two tours of India since with humbling results as they lost 3-0 on each occasion. They last won a series there in 2000, when Tristan Stubbs and Marco Jansen were not even born. “The longest time” seems a reasonable description, especially considering India’s formidable home record. Never mind South Africa, no team beat them in a home series for a dozen years between England winning in 2012 and New Zealand’s victory last year. That’s 18 successive home series wins for India which puts into perspective the scale of the task. “We understand the magnitude of the challenge,” Bavuma said. “For some of us, there have been moments of hurt having come from India. We know what it’s about. We look forward to the challenge.”Bavuma knows that better than most. His most recent Indian heartbreak is fresher than anyone else’s and didn’t involve Tests. It came at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he captained South Africa to the semi-finals but was the only batter in the top five who did not score a century and played with an injured hamstring in the knockouts. The memes were cruel and included images of Bavuma seeming to fall asleep in the pre-tournament captain’s presser when the camera angle had just caught him awkwardly looking at his hand and being pushed in a wheelchair by the batters who were scoring runs. The experience could either have turned him away from leadership entirely or made him stronger and it seems to have done the latter.”It wasn’t the greatest of World Cups for me from a batting point of view, so I could understand why the criticism would have come but that’s probably more from a player point of view,” he said. “From a captaincy point of view, it always felt as if it’s a process of discovery. You’re always kind of learning a little bit more about yourself. You start off with maybe an understanding as to how you want to go about things but then as time goes by, as things happen, you work with different coaches, that generally comes into your whole idea. Now, I’m a lot more comfortable in my own skin. There’s no case of having to prove to myself, prove to the players or prove to people back home that I’m deserving of the title. The results that we’ve achieved speak for themselves. The type of reaction that I get from the players, also speaks for itself. The criticism, all of that, that’s not going to go away. For as long as you’re in these types of positions, the magnifying glass is always going to be on you. That’s just something that you have to accept. I just try to take it day by day and to enjoy it.”In the South Africa changing room, Bavuma is undisputedly regarded with the utmost respect. “He’s our best player. It’s as simple as that,” South Africa’s coach Shukri Conrad said. “If you take the last two years maybe, he’s been one of the best players in the world.”Bavuma scored 59 in South Africa A’s win over India A in the outskirts of Bengaluru last week•PTI Since February 2023, which is when Conrad took over the Test side, of batters who have scored more than 500 runs in Tests, Bavuma’s average is 56.93, the sixth-highest.Amongst the South African public, the perception of Bavuma has changed from seeing him as a bit-part player to someone who tried hard but couldn’t convert scores into centuries to being regarded as crucial to the operation and that’s largely because of his role in winning the mace. “I feel like there’s been a major shift in mindset towards the Proteas and towards cricket,” Bavuma said. “There’s been a lot more appreciation and love that’s been shown towards the team, but also to individuals within the team. For myself, probably a lot more, appreciation for my presence within the team.”And globally? That’s still to be determined, and Bavuma knows it. He is eyeing at least another two years in the game, both as ODI captain with a home World Cup to prepare for and as Test captain in the current cycle, which is where he believes this team will really be measured. “We have our own goals,” he said. “We know we want to do it as a team, and we know at what point we want to start measuring ourselves. We know that after two years, we can’t consider that a proper legacy. Winning the Test Championship was big in a lot of ways but we’d like to see ourselves after four years. We will continue doing what we set out to do two years ago.”By then, Bavuma will be 37, would have played international cricket for 13 years and will likely be on the cusp of retirement. He probably won’t play another Test series in India between now and then which makes this one crucial to his place in cricket’s pantheon.

The upcoming tour of West Indies, which starts a new WTC cycle, could prove a line in the sand

Andrew McGlashan14-Jun-20252:00

Hayden: ‘Defensive Cummins missed a trick’

As a rule, Australia don’t lose ICC finals. Only once in ten deciders since 1996, when Sri Lanka famously overcame them in another seismic result, had they fallen short – the 2010 T20 World Cup against England in Barbados. Therefore, the defeat in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s is significant and likely to lead to the first stages of regenerating the side for the next cycle when the squad reaches the West Indies.Australia were favourites coming into the final against South Africa – although not perhaps by as big a margin as some perceptions – and also lost from a position of strength: 102 runs ahead on the second day with ten wickets in hand, before losing 7 for 45 as they were unable to navigate the South Africa quicks as the clouds came over. Australia didn’t earn the right to have more batting under sunshine on Friday, the third day of the Test. That had followed being 67 for 4 in the first innings, which ended with a collapse of 5 for 20.Australia played some excellent cricket to reach the WTC final, prevailing in numerous tight situations along the way over the two years, and they do not suddenly need a complete rebuild. It does not need a national enquiry, but it does warrant some introspection.Related

• Australia's new-look batting order 'prepared for anything'

• 'Good enough to play that role' – Voges backs Inglis as top-four Test batter

• Australia's batting issues: questions surround Khawaja, Labuschagne, Konstas and Green

• Markram delivers WTC glory to end SA's history of heartbreak

• Smith avoids surgery, faces race to be fit for West Indies Tests

The biggest questions heading into the game were around the top three. Though the selectors were clear on the fact that this was being treated as a one-off occasion, and that decisions made here did not have to link to what’s to come, Australia leave Lord’s arguably less clear of a path forward than before.”We always knew this was going to be a one-off – it’s pretty specific conditions over here,” captain Pat Cummins said after the defeat. “Losing the toss on day one and being sent into bat is never going to be easy for the top three. I think there are probably quite a few people in the line-up that kind of wish they could have done a little bit more. The top three was an obvious one in this game.”It’s not to say that had Australia managed to defend 282, the key issues wouldn’t have been addressed, but there is often a reluctance to change a winning team. Although there remains uncertainty over the strength of the bowling attack which England will be able to bring to Australia later in the year, coach Andrew McDonald has already acknowledged that the hosts will need a settled opening pair by then. Now the tour of the West Indies, which begins on June 25, could prove a line in the sand.”I don’t particularly know why, but it does feel like a little bit of a fresh start,” Cummins said, “Fast forward a couple of years, you start maybe thinking about who’s going to win. Hopefully we make the final, who’s going to win that, and maybe do we want to get some games into them?2:11

Should Khawaja’s pattern of dismissals worry Australia?

“Do we feel like now’s the right time to change, or do you hold with the team that got us to the final? We’ve got a couple of weeks before the first Test of the West Indies, so we’ll sit down and have a bit of a think after we digest this game. For me, I think a new WTC cycle in some ways does feel like a bit of a reset.”The clearest option with a view to the next generation is Sam Konstas, who hasn’t featured since his first two Tests against India. It’s hypothetical to ponder how he would have fared at Lord’s – and there’s no guarantee he’ll be the immediate answer after just 17 first-class matches – but even before Steven Smith’s nastily dislocated finger, it was difficult to see how he wouldn’t get an opportunity in Barbados. Josh Inglis is another who will to be given serious consideration.The immediate change is unlikely to be dramatic, or, beyond Konstas, especially youthful. Inglis, should he get a chance, is 30; the reserve quicks are 36-year-old Scott Boland and 31-year-old Brendan Doggett, although they will be key if the selectors decide the time is right for more rotation of the big three quicks to keep them fresh. However, the overall next WTC cycle could see a more significant remaking of the team.”In white-ball series, a lot of the time you build on four-year cycles around World Cups for ODIs,” Cummins said. “I think maybe it’s an opportunity in a Test match to do something similar. Everyone gets thrown back into the conversation, and it’s a little bit of a reset for that first half.”The biggest questions heading into the WTC final were around Australia’s top three•PA Photos/Getty ImagesQuestions may also be asked of Australia’s build-up where they opted for centre-wicket and nets. It’s worth noting they did the same in 2023, when they beat India in the final. South Africa hoped to have four days of cricket against Zimbabweans, but rain reduced that to one.There was no clear pattern to draw between how players prepared and their output at Lord’s: Usman Khawaja hadn’t played since March and struggled, Cameron Green churned out runs for Gloucestershire and failed twice, and Smith had three months without batting and made 66 in tricky conditions in the first innings.”I thought we got it spot on,” Cummins said. “I think the weather helped us out as well in that lead-in. I thought the fast bowlers, particularly, from the medical staff as well – they did fantastically well to make sure everyone was firing all cylinders from basically ball one.”It remains a fantastic bowling attack, but this time that wasn’t enough. They were excellent on the fourth morning, but when South Africa began the final day requiring another 69 runs to win, it would have needed something extraordinary for Cummins to continue his winning run in ICC finals.Now it all starts again, and events over the last four days at Lord’s have meant it will be an intriguing time for Australia’s Test team.

Harry Kane hailed Bayern Munich’s fighting spirit after his side secured a last-gasp 3-1 victory over St. Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday afternoon. Vincent Kompany's league leaders bounced back from their Champions League defeat against Arsenal in midweek thanks to late goals from forwards Luis Diaz and Nicolas Jackson at the Allianz Arena.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Diaz and Jackson score late on as Bayern go eight points clear

  Locked level heading into stoppage time, Bayern looked set to drop points against strugglers St. Pauli. Alexander Blessin’s visitors took a surprise lead when Burnley loanee Andreas Hountondji scored after just six minutes, before Diaz recorded a stunning assist for Bayern defender Raphael Guerreiro’s equaliser before half time.

  And then after three minutes of second-half stoppage time, former Liverpool forward Diaz saved Bayern’s blushes as he headed home from Joshua Kimmich’s teasing cross, before substitute Nicolas Jackson – on loan from Chelsea – made it 3-1 on 90+7. On a day when second-placed RB Leipzig were held to a 0-0 stalemate with Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayern’s victory saw them move eight points clear at the top of the table.

  The win also saw Bayern bounce back from their 3-1 loss against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday. Suffering defeat for the first time in Europe’s premier club competition this season, Kompany’s side fell to goals from Jurrien Timber, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli after youngster Lennart Karl scored in the first half.

Advertisement

• 'Proud' Kane pays tribute to Bayern team-mates after the game

  And after the final whistle, England captain Kane took to social media to pay tribute to his Bayern team-mates following the all-important win. Writing on X, he said: “Important win today, proud of the boys for pushing until the very end!”

  Echoing Kane’s thoughts, Bayern head coach Kompany also praised his side’s determination against St. Pauli, telling reporters: “Such hard-fought wins are part of a season. That gives us confidence in the future that we can win in such situations. Compliments to the boys that they kept going and believed in themselves. We need that over the course of the season.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  German giants' director of sport delivers update on Kane's future

  While he was unable to join Guerreiro, Diaz and Jackson on the scoresheet, Kane was a topic of discussion after the match as Bayern director of sport Max Eberl delivered a cryptic update on the striker’s future amid speculation linking him with a move to Barcelona.

  Asked whether the Bavarians have entered into contract renewal discussions with Kane, whose current terms expire in 2027, Eberl told “Harry knows exactly what he wants and we have plans for him. We would like to continue. We can very, very well imagine that, but we will basically discuss everything with Harry.”

  And when pressed on the future of defender Dayot Upamecano, whose contract expires next summer, Eberl added: “We definitely want it [a renewal]. I think we've communicated that clearly enough. I believe he feels very, very comfortable here.”

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• England captain insists he is calm regarding his future at Bayern

  While speculation continues to swirl, the former Tottenham forward insists he remains calm over his future at Bayern, saying there is “no rush” to enter into discussions regarding a new contract.

  “I haven't had any contact with anyone, nobody has contacted me,” he told this week. “I feel very comfortable in the current situation, even though we haven't yet discussed my situation with Bayern.

  “There's no rush. I'm really happy in Munich. You can see that in the way I'm playing. If there's contact, then we'll see. But I'm not thinking about the new season yet. First up is the World Cup in the summer. And it's very unlikely that anything will change after this season.”

The Braves may be out of contention after a rough season, but on Saturday they will get a much-needed morale boost.

Atlanta is activating pitcher Chris Sale from the injured list and he will start Saturday against the Phillies, the team announced. In a corresponding move, pitcher Nathan Wiles has been optioned to the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers.

Sale, 36, is 5-4 this year with a 2.52 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings pitched. He has not pitched since nearly throwing a complete game on June 18 against the Mets; during that game, he suffered a rib injury making a play in the field.

In 2024, defying years of injury and stagnation, Sale dramatically returned to his 2010s form. En route to the NL Cy Young Award—an accolade that eluded him with the White Sox and Red Sox—he went 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts.

The Braves currently sit fourth in the NL East, 17 games behind first-place Philadelphia.

His two wickets on the opening day slowed down Pakistan’s progress and helped South Africa go to stumps after an “even day”

Danyal Rasool20-Oct-2025It may not have seemed that way when Pakistan were 146 for one, but by stumps, South Africa had clawed back enough into the Test for Keshav Maharaj to call it an even day. The left-arm spinner – who did not play the first Test owing to a groin injury – began South Africa’s comeback when he dismissed crowd favourite Babar Azam early on in his innings. In the final session, Maharaj struck once more when he drew Shan Masood into a sweep, which he could only drag to Marco Jansen at square leg. By the end, there was time for Kagiso Rabada to snag a fifth wicket, forcing Pakistan to see off the final half hour cautiously. They finished on 259 for five.”I think it was an even day,” he said. “We managed to control their run rate. When the ball gets softer – which happens quite quickly because the wicket’s quite hard, we managed to just go to old-fashioned Test cricket… I felt if we got one more wicket at night, we’d probably have had a little bit of an upper hand.”Related

• South Africa are selecting based on character rather than just stats now

• First day in Pindi = first day in Lahore

• South Africa, Pakistan share opening-day honours after Masood 87

The first two sessions were shaping up to tell a different story, using the same, frustrating script for the visitors. Having lost the toss and being inserted to field once more, they were sloppy, putting down five catches – just as they had on the first day in Lahore. Abdullah Shafique was the primary beneficiary, with South Africa spurning three opportunities to dismiss him. Earlier, Marco Jansen had nipped one in that Shafique left. The ball had kissed the off stump, only for the bails to be left undisturbed.”As a collective we know how important catches are, not just in the subcontinent. No one means to drop catches; it was nice to see the guys bounce back and take the catches that they did. Bit frustrating but no one means to drop chances.”Simon Harmer bowled 23 overs of spin to complement Maharaj•AFP/Getty Images

The fielding tide for South Africa began to turn when Tony de Zorzi took an excellent catch, which sent Babar on his way. South Africa have placed a lot of faith in their leading offspinner; he bowled 31 overs – the most for any bowler on a day this series. Harmer bowled 23 further overs of spin, but Senuran Muthuswamy, the leading wicket-taker in Lahore, sent down just four.Maharaj, who said he regretted being unable to play in Lahore, called the decision to use Muthuswamy more sparingly “tactical”. “We saw that the wicket didn’t play like Lahore and we felt like we just wanted to try and restrict the Pakistani batters. I don’t think there was an issue. Sen came back nicely with the second spell that he bowled.”In the end, Pakistan scored 54 fewer runs than they did on day one in Lahore, with South Africa drying up the runs, giving the final session a slightly different tinge to the first day they had during the first Test. They will be further encouraged by the knowledge that Pakistan have a collapse in them, something Masood highlighted following the first Test. In the first Test, Pakistan lost their last five for 16 in the first innings, and their last six for 17 in the two innings. One more wicket, and South Africa will know there are opportunities to run through the lower order.”Tomorrow’s an important day,” Maharaj said. The first sessions in the series so far have been quite action-packed. “Hopefully, we can make inroads tomorrow morning. The main thing is to try bowling as many dot balls as we can. We saw for a period of time when we did do it, that it brought us a little bit of reward, and we created opportunities. I think it’s important we start really well tomorrow. Hopefully we can get Saud and Agha early in the morning and open up an end with the lower-order batters. But it’s about just trying to bowl our best balls for long periods of time.”

Who are the players unavailable? And what have been the key takeaways?

Hemant Brar28-May-20253:45

Moody: ‘A clear gap’ in GT’s middle order

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Players unavailable for playoffs: Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, Lungi NgidiReplacements: Mayank Agarwal, Tim Seifert, Blessing MuzarabaniKey takeaway: Tim David sat out of RCB’s last league game with a hamstring injury and remains “a work in progress”, according to team mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik. Among those who have scored at least 100 runs this season, David has the sixth-highest strike rate (185.14). If he stays unavailable, it will rob RCB of the lower-middle-order firepower. Can Liam Livingstone, who has a strike rate of 126.08 this season, up his game in David’s absence?On the bright side, Josh Hazlewood is likely to be available for Qualifier 1. He has been outstanding both in the powerplay and at the death. RCB’s flawless away record this season – seven wins in seven matches – should also boost their confidence.Related

• Jitesh 85* trumps Pant 118* as RCB make Qualifier 1

• GT bowlers 'losing form at the wrong time'

• Arya and Inglis take PBKS to Qualifier 1 and send MI to the Eliminator

Likely best XII: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Mayank Agarwal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Tim David/Liam Livingstone, 8 Romario Shephard, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Yash Dayal, 11 Josh Hazlewood, 12 Suyash Sharma

Gujarat Titans

Players unavailable for playoffs: Jos Buttler, Kagiso Rabada, Glenn PhillipsReplacements: Kusal Mendis, Dasun ShanakaKey takeaway: Shubman Gill, B Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler have scored almost 73% of GT’s bat runs. Therefore, Buttler’s unavailability leaves a massive hole for Kusal Mendis to fill. Another concern for GT is Rashid Khan’s form. No matter what parameter you look at – average, strike rate or economy – he is having his worst IPL season. In 14 games, he has picked up just nine wickets at an economy rate of 9.47. He has been hit for 31 sixes, the joint-most for any bowler in an IPL season.Likely best XII: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 B Sai Sudharsan, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 M Shahrukh Khan, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Gerald Coetzee, 9 Arshad Khan, 10 R Sai Kishore, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Prasidh KrishnaPunjab Kings sealed their top-two spot with a win against MI•Associated Press

Punjab Kings

Players unavailable for playoffs: Marco Jansen, Glenn Maxwell, Lockie FergusonReplacements: Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell OwenKey takeaway: PBKS’ biggest strength this season has been their Indian core, be it in the batting department or bowling. That said, Marco Jansen’s absence will take away some sting from their bowling and lower-order batting. Can Kyle Jamieson step into those shoes? Yuzvendra Chahal missed the last two league games because of an issue with his right wrist but he is expected to be available for the playoffs.Likely best XII: 1 Priyansh Arya, 2 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 3 Josh Inglis, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Azmatullah Omarzai, 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Harpreet Brar, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal

Mumbai Indians

Players unavailable for playoffs: Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton, Corbin Bosch, Vignesh PuthurReplacements: Jonny Bairstow, Charith Asalanka, Richard Gleeson, Raghu SharmaKey takeaway: Despite losing two of their last three games, MI remain a formidable unit. Moreover, Ryan Rickelton and Will Jacks’ unavailability should not affect them much. Jonny Bairstow can replace Rickelton at the top of the order and behind the stumps. To cover up for Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav can move up to No. 3 and one of Charith Asalanka and Bevon Jacobs can slot in the middle order. Asalanka can also chip in with his offspin if required.Likely best XII: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Charith Asalanka/Bevon Jacobs, 6 Hardik Pandya (capt), 7 Naman Dhir, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah, 12 Karn Sharma

Celtic are now reportedly confident that they’ll beat Manchester City to the signature of a rising star who made history back in February.

O'Neill confirms fresh Celtic timeline

It’s set to be a chaotic week at Celtic, with Wilfried Nancy set to arrive and Martin O’Neill set to take charge of his final European game as caretaker boss. The 73-year-old has done an admirable job and the Bhoys’ trip to Feyenoord represents the perfect way for him to pick up a win in the Europa League in his final attempt.

The veteran manager also confirmed that Nancy’s arrival is “imminent”. Whether that means the new manager will be in place in time to take charge of Celtic’s game against Hibernian this Sunday remains to be seen, however.

The Columbus Crew manager is already reportedly planning January reinforcements from the MLS side. Both Wessam Abou Ali and Diego Rossi have both already been linked with moves to Scotland ahead of Nancy’s arrival and both would certainly help to solve the Bhoys’ goalscoring issues.

If Celtic are to stand a chance of catching Hearts in the Scottish Premiership then the January window will be crucial. They must make up for their summer failure by reinforcing their attack in January, before continuing that work into the next window.

It’s then that they could welcome 17-year-old Michael Noonan by fending off interest from Premier League giants Manchester City.

Celtic confident they'll sign Michael Noonan

According to the Scottish Sun, Celtic are now confident they’ll sign Noonan ahead of interest from Man City next year in what would be an impressive coup for a rising star. The 17-year-old made history when he became the youngest goalscorer in Europa Conference League history at 16 years and 197 days old in February.

After scoring three goals at the U17 World Cup, Noonan earned the praise of scout Jacek Kulig, who dubbed the forward “a superb advanced striker” and “the future of Irish football”.

Nancy must unleash Celtic's most frustrating player since Engels

Wilfried Nancy must unleash this Celtic star who is their most frustrating player since Arne Engels.

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By
Dan Emery

Nov 26, 2025

Everything points towards a top star on the rise and one that Celtic should do everything to sign. Beating Man City to such a talent would be an impressive move too, and the Hoops’ confidence suggests that Noonan could yet be on his way to Glasgow.

Celtic agree deal to appoint 54-year-old coach to Wilfried Nancy's backroom team

Lamine Yamal believes that "special nights" are coming ahead of Barcelona's long-awaited return to Camp Nou. The teenager has become a Blaugrana sensation in recent years and he has done that while barely playing at the Catalan outfit's iconic stadium. But the countdown to being back at their hallowed home ground has very much begun, and the Spaniard is clearly very excited.

• Yamal excited for Camp Nou return

  In May 2023, Barcelona said goodbye to Camp Nou as the stadium began a huge redevelopment initiative. After many delays and some controversies involving workers, the giant ground is preparing for a staggered reopening later this month. The defending La Liga champions have been given the light by the local council to host around 23,000 fans when competitive games return to this venue, which has already seen 23,000 supporters watch an open training session earlier this month. Incidentally, Yamal has played just a handful of times at Camp Nou after making his first-team Barca debut in April 2023. Now, the 18-year-old has taken to social media to express his delight about playing at this famous stadium.

  In an Instagram story, he wrote: "Special nights are coming," before zooming in on Camp Nou with his phone camera.

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  When will Barcelona play at Camp Nou again?

  For much of the past two years, while the Camp Nou works have gone on, Barcelona have played at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, which holds upwards of 50,000 fans. Reports suggest that Barca are waiting for a 1B license to be granted to them, which will allow them to open up another stand and host 45,401 supporters at Camp Nou. Now, Barcelona executive Joan Sentelles says he is hopeful they can play at their iconic home, with its reduced capacity of under 30,000, against Athletic Club on November 22 in La Liga.

  He told Esport3: "Our goal is to have it ready in time for the match against Athletic Club. As soon as we obtain the 1B license, we’ll open the Lateral Stand, which will already give us a capacity similar to the Olympic Stadium. At that point, it wouldn’t make sense to continue playing there – all our matches will be here."

  Sentelles added that they hope to nearly triple their current limit by the end of 2025.

  "The goal is to have the entire stadium open to 62,000 spectators before the end of the year," he revealed.

• Yamal an injury concern

  While it will be an emotional return to Camp Nou for Barcelona players and fans alike, there is no guarantee that Yamal will line up for this upcoming fixture. The youngster has been suffering with a groin problem known as pubalgia, something he has played through for club and country for a while now. There has been a war of words between Barca boss Hansi Flick and Spain manager Luis de la Fuente over Yamal's playing time, with the former concerned about him being overplayed. Moreover, in the past week, the Spanish Football Association (RFEF) expressed its "surprise and dismay" at seeing Yamal undergo an "invasive procedure" that led to his withdrawal from the latest La Roja squad. 

  After he was released from the national squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Turkey, the RFEF said: "The Medical Services of the RFEF wish to express their surprise and discomfort after learning at 13:47 on Monday, November 10, the day of the start of the official training camp with the national team, that player Lamine Yamal had undergone an invasive radiofrequency procedure for the treatment of his pubic discomfort that same morning. This procedure was carried out without prior communication to the medical staff of the National Team, with knowledge of the details only through a report received at 22:40 last night, which indicated the medical recommendation of rest for 7-10 days. Given this situation, and prioritising at all times the health, safety and well-being of the player, the Royal Spanish Football Federation has made the decision to release the athlete from the current call-up. We are confident that he will recover well and wish him a speedy and full recovery."

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  What comes next for Yamal and Barcelona?

  Meanwhile, De la Fuente said Yamal was "very sad" to not take part in these games for his country.

  "Lamine is sad. He’s a player deeply committed to the national team and very well-liked," he said. "He left very sad; he was looking forward to playing these matches. He wants to have a great season with his club, and he also has the Finalissima and the World Cup etched in his memory. He’s the one who suffers the most. He always wants to come. He left sad and hurt. Anyone who says otherwise is lying or has bad intentions. I spoke with him. When we received the report last night, we let him rest. We went to his room and I spoke with him. I told him it was the first news he'd heard from the national team; I don't know if he had any information about Barcelona. He was incredibly sad and hurt. He was fine when he arrived. We didn't know anything until last night."

  When the international break ends, Barcelona take on Athletic Club, Chelsea, and Alaves in the space of a week to round off the month. It is hoped that Yamal will feature in those encounters despite his ongoing pubalgia issues.

Both teams have strong bowling line-ups but will want their batters to fire

Andrew Fidel Fernando17-Sep-20252:45

Maharoof: SL will be tempted to bring in Wellalage

Big picture

The headline is that Afghanistan absolutely to win in order to make the Super Four, or else Bangladesh get in ahead of them. Sri Lanka merely have to avoid being handed an all-time thrashing.If Sri Lanka bat first and make 150, for example, Afghanistan would have to chase that target down in 11.4 overs in order to knock Sri Lanka out and have Bangladesh accompany them to the Super Four. If Afghanistan bat first and make 150, Sri Lanka would have to score 84 or fewer for Bangladesh to qualify.Essentially, Afghanistan need to win. Bangladesh would ideally like Sri Lanka to win. But if Sri Lanka lose, Bangladesh need them to lose by a gargantuan margin.Related

• Naveen-ul-Haq ruled out of Asia Cup, Abdollah Ahmadzai named replacement

• Pathum Nissanka is raising his bar one notch at a time

This is what cricket is like midway through the third decade of the 21st century. India and Pakistan won’t shake hands after a match, but organisers insist on them playing each other at every major tournament nevertheless. This Asia Cup is structured to give them the best chance of having at least two meetings. Everyone else has little choice but to accept that competitive equilibrium must now be laid on the altar of capitalism.Sri Lanka, for the record, are very capable of collapsing. They almost lost against Hong Kong on Monday, their middle order entering a familiar nosedive following another Pathum Nissanka fifty. You only have to look back to about three weeks for an occasion in which they were all out in double figures – Zimbabwe rolling them for 80 in Harare. Afghanistan are also a team they have lost to three times in their eight T20I meetings.Both teams’ strengths over the last several years, however, have been their bowlers. Afghanistan have Rashid Khan, and Sri Lanka Wanindu Hasaranga – both excellent legspinners who add plenty with the bat. Both teams also tend to rely on allrounders and have flexibility built into their T20 play. There is also fragility to both batting orders and suspicions over whether their lower middle orders are up to scratch against the best teams in the world.Rashid Khan has been one of Afghanistan’s biggest strengths•Asian Cricket Council

The pressure to win, though, is on Afghanistan. Sri Lanka will be fine just muddling through. If they get through to the Super Four, they will back themselves to regroup as they did in 2022, when they won this tournament. Afghanistan scrambled mighty tournament charges even more recently, though, when they got to the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: WWWLW (last five T20Is, most recent first)
Afghanistan: LWLWW

In the spotlight

Rahmanullah Gurbaz has hit 248 runs at a strike rate of 172 against Sri Lanka in six T20I matches. These are outstanding numbers, but perhaps unsurprising ones when you consider that he has been a regular player in the Lanka Premier League, often playing in the more successful teams. He has played alongside the likes of Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, and Binura Fernando, so he has a better idea than most about the challenges Sri Lanka’s bowling unit will present. Given his stats against Sri Lanka, his team-mates will probably pay attention.Dushmantha Chameera has been Sri Lanka’s most dependable fast bowler•Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images

Dushmantha Chameera has, in his most recent run in international cricket, begun to carve out a niche as Sri Lanka’s most dependable fast bowler. He still pushes 145kph when in good rhythm, but importantly, he has learned to combine that pace with excellent control. The yorkers at the end of the innings are in especially good shape at the moment, and there are death overs when he bowls full and wide, almost exclusively, and has found success with that method. Sri Lanka’s strategy, generally, is to use him to take wickets with two overs in the powerplay, then have him shut out scoring options with two overs at the death.

Pitch and conditions

Abu Dhabi tends to be one of the higher-scoring venues in the UAE, although slower bowlers have still got purchase there in this tournament.

Team news

Although licking their wounds after the loss to Bangladesh, Afghanistan may keep the same XI.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Saqidullah Ataq, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Ibrahim Zadran, 4 Gulbadin Naib, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Karim Janat, 8 Rashid Khan (capt.), 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 AM Ghazanfar, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiSri Lanka will also likely ride with the same crew. Theekshana went wicketless against Hong Kong, but maintained a good economy rate. Matheesha Pathirana and Fernando may have to sit out.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kusal Mendis (wk), 3 Kamil Mishara, 4 Kusal Perera, 5 Charith Asalanka (capt.), 6 Kamindu Mendis, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dushmantha Chameera, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Nuwan Thushara

Stats and trivia

• Gurbaz’s strike rate of 172.22 against Sri Lanka is his highest against any opposition.
  
• In 2025, Chameera has taken 11 wickets in five innings, and maintained an economy rate of 6.40, although he is frequently called upon to bowl in the powerplay and the death.
  
• Since 2020, these teams have played seven T20Is. Sri Lanka has won four of those matches, and Afghanistan three.