Most franchises agree that this year’s smartest pick will be JP Duminy, the South African batsman

Cricinfo staff05-Feb-2009
Duminy is now being tagged by the franchises as “a favourite and one of the top three picks” © Getty Images
The IPL franchises are expected to splurge over US$3 million on Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, two of the biggest stars in world cricket, at the player auction in Goa on Friday. But after the pullout of Michael Clarke, the other star player who could have got well over a million dollars, most franchises agree that this year’s smartest pick will be JP Duminy, the South African batsman.Duminy, who is also a brilliant fielder, played a key role in South Africa’s success in Australia and is now being tagged by the franchises as “a favourite and one of the top three picks” for the season.The franchises concede the big money will be spent on Pietersen (base price: $1.35 million) and Flintoff ($950,000), especially after Clarke’s withdrawal. “Now if you are thinking long-term, current form and availability, then Duminy is your man,” a franchise official said.Duminy’s base price is $300,000 but what has made him a particularly attractive purchase, according to franchise officials, is that he will be available for most of this tournament, which starts on April 10 – the South African players are free after the home ODI series against Australia ends on April 17. In contrast, England players will be available only for the first three weeks of the IPL while the Australians will be free towards the end after they play Pakistan in an ODI series after the South Africa tour.”Duminy is also a natural strokeplayer, a great fielder, and at 24, your player for the future,” the official said. “You can expect vigorous bidding in his case.”The auction, which is scheduled to start at 10 am, is expected to be short and intense affair and IPL officials have confirmed that 17 slots would be available for purchase from a revised list of 50 players after the withdrawal of Pakistani cricketers.Last year, the inaugural IPL auction had featured over 75 top cricketers, including the entire Indian team, and the auction spilled over well into the evening. “This time, all the action will be foucused on a handful of cricketers,” a franchise official said. “After Pietersen, Flintoff, Duminy and possibly Shaun Tait, there are not many left to bid big for.”But of course, the big buzz is all about Pietersen and Flintoff. The Bangalore franchise, owned by industrialist Vijay Mallya, is expected to go the distance for Pietersen, while Punjab and Mumbai will bid hard for Andrew Flintoff. Chennai had originally targetted Clarke, but are now likely to join the race for Duminy while Rajasthan, the IPL champion, hasn’t ruled out the possibility of going after one of the top players. Incidentally, Graeme Smith, Duminy’s national captain, is a key member of the Rajasthan team.In fact, questions have already been asked whether Pietersen’s price would touch the $2m mark, which is the maximum a team can spend at this auction. And IPL officials are happy to let the price tag float around – it is great publicity, an official said.However, $2m for Pietersen is highly unlikely, going by IPL rules. “Each franchise will have the sum of US$ 2mn to spend on 2009 player fees for players who are acquired either: in the auction, through signing uncapped “new” players, through re-signing any 2008 temporary replacements,” the IPL rules state. Chennai is the only franchise that has the full amount at its disposal as the team has not yet signed on an uncapped player or resigned a temporary player from last year.Then, there are teams with specific needs. Delhi wants a specialist batsman; Kolkata, which has been hit by the absence of Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul, needs a fast bowler, possibly Shaun Tait; Mumbai would like to purchase an allrounder. “It has been generally accepted that multi-skilled players will be in demand, but most of the teams will enter the auction room with a clear, short list,” a franchise official said.The missing Pakistani players have also left the teams with a delicate balancing act to perform at the auction. According to IPL rules, teams can pick one-year replacements for the Pakistani players at the auction but will have to stay within the US$ 2 million cap. However, if the teams go for a replacement after the auction, they can spend the equivalent of the amount they would have paid the Pakistani player this year – this replacement will have to be from the original IPL list of 111 players released last week

Rafa Benitez has overseen an impressive start to the season as the new manager of Everton.

There were significant worries over the Spaniard’s credentials when he first entered Goodison Park but those fears have been quashed with aplomb.

Everton have gathered seven points from their opening three matches but there is one controversy that continues to rage on.

That surrounds one of Benitez’s former players; James Rodriguez.

The 61-year-old took charge of Rodriguez during his spell at Real Madrid but it doesn’t seem as though their relationship has blossomed.

He wants to leave Merseyside behind and came so close to departing for good this summer. However, after failing to seal a switch away, he’s now back in training for the Toffees as they prepare to face Burnley.

James has immense quality in his locker, something that ten Premier League goal involvements last term testifies.

Yet, does he really deserve to play for Everton again? Arguably not. Benitez will presumably give him a second chance at Goodison but if he continues to strop, there are young players waiting in the wings.

One of them is Charlie Whitaker. The attacking midfielder joined Everton at the age of 12 and has risen through the academy ranks with some stellar contributions.

He scored six times for the U18 side but since making an early transition to the U23s, has been catching the eye even more.

Whitaker has scored eight goals in nine outings at the highest academy bracket, three of which have come in four Premier League 2 outings this term.

A central midfielder by trade, David Unsworth has found a new position for him as a second striker, picking up small pockets of space in the hole and carving out goal scoring opportunities.

Speaking about the 17-year-old back in May, Unsworth commented: “We have tried to get someone up there with him and he has been sensational. He is a great trainer, great to work with and a great lad. He does the hardest thing in the game, which is score goals, and he makes it look really easy.

The boss continued: “For the size of him, he is good in the air, he is brave, we just need him to link play and the future is bright for him. I’m not getting over-excited, because you can’t, it is too early. But the signs are very, very good.”

Versatile, dynamic and exciting, Whitaker isn’t the first attacking midfielder to come through the production line.

You only need to think of Kieran Dowell, a similarly tricky player who failed to make the grade at Everton and is now plying his trade for Norwich after several loan spells away.

However, if James does depart, then an opportunity to thrive in the first-team set-up has to come Whitaker’s way.

His ability to transition with such perfection through the age groups at youth level, coupled with his ability to score goals, makes him an appealing option for Benitez.

AND in other news, Rafa must ruthlessly axe “sloppy” £69k-p/w Everton liability, he’s “regressed awfully”…

Sri Lanka’s cash-strapped board is facing more problems after sports minister Gamini Lokuge admitted that sponsors were deserting cricket as a result of the global downturn.”The global economic crunch and the economic slowdown in Sri Lanka has had an impact on companies coming forward to sponsor our national team,” Lokuge said. “It’s a shame. We have a full calendar of games this year.”Dilmah, who had been national team sponsors for the last three years, declined to renew when their contract expired, and there has been a lack of interest in replacing them. Sri Lanka’s biggest mobile operator Dialog Telekom signed an US$89,000 deal to sponsor the side on a three-month trial basis, with a spokesman saying that there was an option to extend the deal “if the business climate improves and our team performs well in the upcoming tours”.The forthcoming tour by India will help the board. Clothing manufacturers MAS Holdings will continue its sponsorship until the end of March in a deal worth almost US$300,000, while SLC seeks broadcast rights for the series.

Tottenham Hotspur are set to compete with Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain for the prospective free transfer of AC Milan’s Franck Kessie in January, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Tuttomercatoweb), and the trio of suitors may have been given some encouragement following recent developments. 

The Lowdown: Contract problems 

Since his permanent move to AC Milan in 2019 following a two-year loan spell, Kessie has been linked with a move to top clubs across Europe. 

The 24-year-old, who has made 44 appearances for the Ivory Coast national team, hasn’t appeared for the Serie A side since his brace earned all three points at the end of May against Atalanta.  He is yet to feature for Stefano Pioli’s side this season after helping his nation to the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games in Tokyo during the summer. 

With his contract running out next summer, the interest in Kessie is set to increase during the upcoming 12 months. 

The Latest: Contract roadblock

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Tuttomercatoweb), Kessie has rejected a contract extension from Milan worth €6.5m (£5.57m) a year. 

The Italian newspaper reported that the midfielder wants €8m (£6.86m) a year plus €2m (£1.7m) in bonuses, and Spurs are said to be keen on the midfielder, who scored 13 goals in 37 league appearances for the Rossoneri last season. 

Milan will be fearful of losing one of their key players for nothing like they did with Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG) and Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter). 

Kessie claimed in July that he wanted to stay at Milan ‘forever’ but has now rejected a new deal with the club.

The Verdict: Perfect Box-to-Box 

Kessie’s quality has been clear to see since he arrived at the San Siro. Last season he carried an 89% pass completion per match whilst making 2.07 blocks per game. 

Spurs currently have a couple of gifted centre-midfielders in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp, but with doubts having circulated over Tanguy Ndombele’s future, the arrival of Kessie would be an added bonus to Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad. 

Former Milan striker Antonio Cassano even lauded the midfielder as “intelligent” and “devastating” earlier in the year during one of the best seasons of his career, and we will have to see whether the Lilywhites can beat the pulling power of PSG or Liverpool next summer. 

In other news: Many Spurs fans have been raving about one of their summer signings – find out more here.

Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie, who plays for the Ahmedadbad Rockets, felt it is only a “matter of time” before a resolution is reached between the ICL and the BCCI

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Feb-2009
Jason Gillespie: “It is very clear the ICC would like to see a resolution, the ICL wants a resolution but it just seems BCCI is not very keen” © ICL
Players and officials at the ICL remain positive and hopeful despite the failure of talks between the ICC, BCCI and the ICL in Johannesburg on Monday. “We are moving forward,” Kapil Dev, chairman of the ICL board, told Cricinfo. Kapil said he could not provide further details as he is yet to chat with league owner Subhash Chandra (the ICL business head Himanshu Mody, who attended the meeting.ICL has been fighting hard to get rid of the rebel tag slapped on it by the BCCI, which has banned the ICL players from all forms of official cricket. But the involvement of the ICC recently as a mediator was seen as a shot in the arm for the unofficial league and its people now are optimistic.Former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie, who plays for the Ahmedadbad Rockets, felt it is only a “matter of time” before a resolution is reached. “It is very clear the ICC would like to see a resolution, the ICL wants a resolution but it just seems BCCI is not very keen on a resolution,” Gillespie said. “The good thing is all parties are talking and I’m very confident that some sort of understanding will be reached. The parties have met a few times now and the ICC executive board is scheduled to discuss the issue in April again. That shows people are keen and I’m quietly confident.”Royal Bengal Tigers’ Rohan Gavaskar said he was hurt by the fact that despite playing the game in the proper way the ICL players have been termed as outcasts. “It is unfair,” Gavaskar said, hoping there will be some sort of arrangement in the future and the BCCI will understand their side of the argument.Gavaskar’s Bengal team-mate Deep Dasgupta went one step ahead and demanded the BCCI to honour its duties. “The BCCI is a parent body and has been known to stand up for the rights of the player and there is no reason that they can’t think of all cricketers as one, be it from the ICL or the IPL,” Dasgupta said.Marvan Atapattu, the Delhi Giants captain, was hurt by BCCI’s double standards of giving recognition to the Indian Premier League (IPL) while denying the ICL, which plays similar form of cricket, the same status. “Injustice has been done to the ICL. Everybody should be treated the same way. They have opened the window in the international calendar for another league and that doesn’t sit well with me,” Atapattu said.The ICL and BCCI first met in September last year but talks collapsed twenty minutes into the meeting after Chandra refused the Indian board’s offer to disband the ICL and take up an IPL franchise instead. However the ICC is keen to have the matter sorted out at the earliest.

Tottenham Hotspur head into the international break sitting top of the Premier League after three games.

That, of course, means very little at this stage but so far the Nuno Santo era has got off to a very encouraging start.

Although, there should be some caution as Jose Mourinho had the north Londoners in the exact same position back in December. And by mid-April, he was sacked.

There is, however, still a lot to come from this squad.

Harry Kane is yet to properly start his season after his late return to training amid intense transfer speculation, whilst we’ve hardly seen any of the new summer signings in action.

Spurs ended deadline day with a bang by bringing in Emerson Royal from Barcelona and cancelling Serge Aurier’s contract.

But Nuno may have an ace up his sleeve with another one of his additions this transfer window – his likely trump card, Bryan Gil.

The 20-year-old gem signed in a €25m (£21.5m) deal from Sevilla, which also saw Erik Lamela move in the other direction. In signing a six-year contract, it shows that the young Spaniard is seen as one for the future.

But he can make an impact now.

The £27m-rated dynamo started both UEFA Europa Conference qualifying clashes against Pacos de Ferreira, where he provided an assist in the second leg to help steer Spurs into the group stages.

Gil is yet to feature for more than two minutes in the Premier League but that should change after the international break.

Versatility, creativity and energy.

Those are the three key things the Spain U21 international can provide Nuno with in attacking midfield.

“The Spaniard has a lovely style about the way he plays the game, with real confidence in what he does,” claimed football.london’s Alasdair Gold following his debut last month.

Meanwhile, Gil’s style has been likened to one of the Portuguese’s former players, Pedro Neto.

According to Twenty3, the 5 foot 9 dynamo and the Wolves sensation are “almost identical in terms of output last season” – Both are said to be high volume dribblers that are more creative than goalscoring.

Indeed, Gil averaged 1.7 crosses and 1.9 key passes per 90 in La Liga last season, via WhoScored. Only Kane and Heung-min Son were more creative in Spurs’ squad.

Similarly, the Sevilla youth product has been likened to Jack Grealish by ESPNUK editor David Cartlidge. “Bryan Gil a potential star in the making,” he claimed prior to the move. “Spurs landing a very, very exciting talent if reports hold true. Still raw and with lots to polish but he’s easily top 5 most exciting young talents in Spain.”

“[He’s a] LW with potential to be a AMC in the future, unbelievable amounts of technique, agility and good in 1v1s. A left foot on him you’d kill for as a footballer. Player comp for those who are unaware of him probably Grealish.”

This sort of unpredictability and quality to play anywhere along the front three is exactly what Spurs need to keep their fine form up this season.

Also lauded as a “big talent” by football scout Jacek Kulig, it’s time for Nuno to unleash Gil in the big time.

AND in other news, Paratici masterclass: Spurs eye “extraordinary” £34m-rated gem, he won’t cost a penny…

Speaking to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur ‘insider’/club source John Wenham has made a managerial claim involving Mauricio Pochettino.

The Lowdown: Pressure on Nuno…

This Sunday could play centre stage to one of the most crucial games of Tottenham’s season already as the pressure grows on new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

After a brilliant start, even managing to pick up the Premier League Manager of the Month award for August, the 47-year-old is now at the centre of reported unrest behind the scenes.

Tottenham have lost their last three league games in humiliating fashion, conceding three goals to a trio of their London rivals in the space of a few weeks.

Now, Wenham made a managerial claim involving former fan favourite Pochettino.

The Latest: Pochettino claim dropped…

As per the Spurs insider/club source, who regularly breaks news on his social media channel Lilywhite Rose, Tottenham and by extension chairman Daniel Levy ‘are watching’ Pochettino’s situation at Paris-Saint Germain.

“Tottenham are watching the situation at PSG,” Wenham told Football Insider.

“The Messi-Pochettino thing has somewhat quietened down by the looks of things.

“If Pochettino became available, would Tottenham replace Nuno with him?

“I think they would. All you have to do is look at how hard Levy went for him in the summer.

“They were scared off by the financial muscle of PSG. I think that is the only way Tottenham would get rid of Nuno.”

The Verdict: Tall order…

Nuno arguably hasn’t had enough time to change Tottenham’s fortunes and it’s only logical he gets a fair crack at the whip.

If results continue to slump in devastating fashion as they have done, though, Pochettino would come as an amazing appointment if they can prise him away from the French capital – especially considering former keeper Heurelho Gomes called him a ‘football genius’.

However, Spurs tried and failed to bring him back to N17 earlier this year and it could be an even taller order now given the squad Pochettino has to play with at PSG.

As it stands, Levy bringing back the £115,000-per-week boss certainly seems unlikely from our point of view.

In other news: ‘Unbelievable’…Sky pundit suggests Spurs stadium naming rights boost after what’s happened, find out more here.

MatériaMais Notícias

Derrotado em Guayaquil por 1 a 0, o Palmeiras conta com a força do Allianz Parque para classificar-se às quartas de final da Libertadores. Embora há 28 jogos sem perder na sua arena, o Verdão receberá no dia 9 de agosto um rival traiçoeiro. Nos três jogos que fez como visitante no torneio, o Barcelona (EQU) venceu dois e fez gol no outro em que acabou derrotado.

O time equatoriano venceu Botafogo e Estudiantes (ARG) fora de casa na fase de grupos – 2 a 0 nos dois jogos. Contra o Atlético Nacional (COL), o time perdeu em Medellín, mas fez gol: 3 a 1. Este placar serviria para o Palmeiras avançar de fase na Libertadores.

A última derrota alviverde no Allianz Parque foi em julho de 2016, para o Atlético-MG, pelo Brasileiro. No período, são 21 vitórias e sete empates a favor do Verdão, que já espera por dificuldades. Cuca considera que o adversário fora de casa arma um ferrolho e sai perigosamente em contra-ataques.

-A primeira metade foi hoje (quarta), a segunda é em um mês. Até lá vamos melhorar em todos os sentidos para fazer um jogo melhor. Somos muito fortes como mandantes, assim como o Barcelona aqui. No Brasil, com a força dos nossos torcedores, com certeza temos boa chance de reverter, ainda que seja muito difícil, porque o Barcelona é uma boa equipe – afirmou o técnico.

Depois de perder por 1 a 0 no estádio Monumental, o Verdão precisa vencer por dois gols de diferença para classificar-se diretamente. Caso ganhe por 1 a 0, a decisão irá para os pênaltis – outras vitórias por um gol de diferença beneficiam aos equatorianos.

O Palmeiras volta ao Brasil nesta quinta-feira e no domingo já tem jogo contra o Cruzeiro, pelo Brasileirão. Ainda terão outros oito jogos até o reencontro pela Copa Libertadores.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasCuca relata desespero de Guerra, mas diz que emocional não definiu derrotaPalmeiras06/07/2017PalmeirasWillian e Tchê Tchê lamentam gol no fim, mas já projetam volta no AllianzPalmeiras06/07/2017LibertadoresATUAÇÕES: Palmeiras não brilha e acaba castigado no EquadorLibertadores05/07/2017

أعلن بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي تشكيل فريقه لمواجهة بايرن ميونخ في المباراة الودية التي ستجمع الفريق الإنجليزي مع نظيره الألماني.

ويلتقي مانشستر سيتي وبايرن ميونخ ضمن تحضيرات الفريقين للموسم الجديد، وذلك على ملعب “لامبو فيلد” في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية.

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة الواحدة صباح اليوم الأحد، بتوقيت القاهرة، الثانية بتوقيت السعودية.

طالع القنوات الناقلة لمباراة مانشستر سيتي وبايرن ميونخ  تشكيل مانشستر سيتي ضد بايرن ميونخ

حراسة المرمى: إيدرسون

خط الدفاع: كانسيلو، دياز، آكي، ويلسون

خط الوسط: رودريجو، دي بروين، برناردو سيلفا 

خط الهجوم: محرز، جريليش، هالاند

📋 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦📋

XI | Ederson, Cancelo, Dias (C), Ake, Wilson-Esbrand, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Mahrez, Grealish, Haaland.

SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Walker, Phillips, Alvarez, Kayky, Delap, Bobb, Mbete, Palmer, Lewis,
McAtee, Burns, Knight.@Haystechnology pic.twitter.com/EKmuIVqhbl — Manchester City (@ManCity) July 23, 2022

وأعلن يوليان ناجيلسمان مدرب بايرن ميونخ، عن تشكيل البافاري لمواجهة فريق جوارديولا. تشكيل بايرن ميونخ ضد مانشستر سيتي

حراسة المرمى: نوير

خط الدفاع: بافارد،أوباميكانو، هيرنانديز

خط الوسط: كومان، كيميش، سابيترز، ديفيز

خط الهجوم: مولر، ساني، جنابري

ويغيب ساديو ماني، بينما يتواجد الوافدون الجدد ماتياس دي ليخت وجرافينبرخ ومزراوي على مقاعد البدلاء. 

🔴⚪ Unsere 11 für #FCBMCI!
#packmas #MiaSanMia #Anzeige pic.twitter.com/zRBMt9aHwr

— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) July 23, 2022

Steven Gerrard’s fitness concerns are continuing to build ahead of their game against St Johnstone this weekend, with Filip Helander the latest doubt ahead of Rangers’ trip to McDiarmid Park.

What’s the word?

Gerrard’s squad has already been put to the test in recent weeks with injury and covid issues but they have also been impacted by the international break, with Nathan Patterson forced to withdraw from Scotland duty after picking up a knock against Moldova recently.

Now Helander looks like he could be the latest name on the list of doubts after Sweden manager Janne Andersson suggested that he could miss their clash with Greece on Wednesday due to a fitness issue.

He said:

“Filip Helander (has) run individually in the gym. Some players have been given an adapted training load and will step up gradually.”

“It’s too early to say. We can’t take it for granted.”

A blow for Rangers?

Given that Helander was the hero in Rangers’ last game as they triumphed 1-0 in the Old Firm derby thanks to his header, it would undoubtedly be a blow for Gerrard if he wasn’t fit for their game against St Johnstone on Saturday afternoon.

Whilst there is no real explanation as to why Helander is struggling, the fact that he is a doubt for Wednesday suggests that he might not be at full fitness when he returns to Ibrox after international duty, which will surely anger his club manager.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

Gerrard was full of praise for the Swedish defender back in 2019, saying:

“He did ever so well for us in Portugal and he has stepped up and been a leader for us again. So I’m delighted with what he has done this week.”

The 41-year-old manager does have plenty of options at centre-back but has generally preferred Helander and Connor Goldson at the heart of his defence during his time as Rangers boss and will be disappointed if he has to deviate from that in important upcoming fixtures, especially with a Europa League game against Lyon to come at Ibrox next week.

And, in other news… Gerrard dealt potentially big blow with “outstanding” Rangers star