Tag Futebol

Ryan Mason has undergone a lot of pre-seasons as a player.

However, the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder turned West Bromwich Albion boss is now close to completing his first summer in football as a rookie manager, with all the pre-season fixtures done and dusted ahead of Championship action kicking back off.

Mason will be hoping he’s the spark from the dug-out that guides the Baggies back up to the promised land of the Premier League, with West Brom deep into their fifth straight season as a second-tier outfit when matches get back underway.

The 33-year-old has been well-backed in the transfer window, with a whopping £4.7m solely splashed out on landing the clinical Aune Heggebo from Brann, as the lavish spending looks set to potentially continue in the centre-forward department.

West Brom could go back in for £4.3m star

The proof will soon be in the pudding as to whether that amount was too steep to fork out for Heggebo.

However, his numbers playing in his native Norway do not lie, with a mightily impressive 51 goals coming his way for Brann from 146 appearances. Subsequently, Mason is now spoiled for choice up top between his new, shiny 24-year-old and West Brom’s main marksman, Josh Maja.

He could have even more options to call into action if reports from Spain are to be believed, with a new update coming to light on West Brom’s previous centre-forward target, Chris Ramos.

Indeed, Diairo De Cadiz has stated that the Cadiz attacker is generating plenty of interest this summer in his services, but there is no rush to offload him just yet.

The La Liga 2 club is waiting for an offer in the £4.3m region to consider parting ways, having had a far lower £2.1m bid from the Championship side come their way in recent times.

The hope will be that the 6-foot-3 Spaniard can go on to be Mason’s very own Salomon Rondon, with the lofty striker often a physical brute when powering home goal after goal for Cadiz, much like the imposing Venezuelan was at the Hawthorns.

How Ramos can be Mason's own Rondon

Of course, when Rondon was leading the line as a formidable centre-forward, West Brom were seen as Premier League regulars, rather than second-tier promotion material.

While the now 35-year-old was never the most clinical or the most eye-catching – with a reasonable 28 strikes coming his way from 120 Baggies outings – nobody could speak ill about his commitment to the cause, as his final season at the Hawthorns saw him win a dominant 7.7 duels on average per Premier League clash.

Ramos has shown off a similar prowess in the air for Cadiz all across his ongoing stay at his hometown club, with this powerful effort above showing off the 28-year-old’s ability to head home under pressure in a similar vein to Rondon.

Staggeringly, Ramos wasn’t too far off Rondon’s duels won total either when plying his trade in La Liga during the 2023/24 campaign, as the Spanish forward averaged a mighty 7.1 successful duels per match, even as Gaizka Garitano’s side succumbed to relegation.

Ramos’ league numbers for Cadiz (23/24) + (24/25)

Stat – per 90 mins*

Ramos (23/24)

Ramos (24/25)

Games played

37

37

Games started

30

24

Goals scored

5

10

Scoring frequency

Every 525 minutes

Every 223 minutes

Big chances missed

16

15

Total duels won*

7.1

5.1

Stats by Sofascore

West Brom do need an option up top that can throw themselves about with conviction, especially with Daryl Dike now back in the treatment room, with Ramos also a reliable source of goals for Cadiz across his last two breakout seasons, as seen in his tally of 15 strikes in all competitions.

While Ramos might struggle initially to instantly break into the first-team ranks, possessing a striker with such strong physical attributes will be an effective weapon for Mason to have up his sleeve across the long EFL season to come.

If he does go on to be a success, the Cadiz number 16 could retrace Rondon’s footsteps even more by becoming a tough, no-nonsense attacker for the West Midlands outfit in the luxurious Premier League.

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Test captain awaits scan on hamstring as he works his way back to full fitness for Pakistan tour

Andrew Miller24-Sep-20243:18

Matt Roller on the big challenges ahead for England coach Brendon McCullum

Ben Stokes says “it’s definitely going to be a yes” if Brendon McCullum asks him to come back to play for England’s rebooted white-ball teams, but insists that no such conversations have happened yet, as he focusses first on regaining full fitness in time to lead next month’s Test tour to Pakistan.Stokes, 33, famously played matchwinning innings in each of England’s World Cup final victories across formats, at Lord’s in 2019 and at Melbourne in 2022, but he has not featured in a white-ball international since the ODI team’s ignominious title defence in India in November last year. However, with the next major ICC event, the Champions Trophy, fast approaching in February, Luke Wright, England’s selector, recently admitted that both Stokes and Joe Root remained in consideration.Stokes had previously retired from ODI cricket in 2022, citing the risk of burn-out in an increasingly crowded international schedule, while he withdrew his availability from the most recent T20 World Cup in June, in order to focus on regaining full fitness following an operation on his long-standing knee issue.Now, however, with Stokes’ bond with McCullum well established by their captain-coach partnership in the Test team, he says he is open to a cross-format comeback, but only if it is in the best interests of the white-ball squad that has begun to pivot to a new generation, among them this month’s new cap Jacob Bethell, whom Stokes believes is going to be a “superstar”.”It’s an amazing opportunity for the white-ball team to experience what Baz has brought to the Test team,” Stokes told Sky Sports during the third ODI at Chester-le-Street. “He’s an incredible coach who speaks with utter commitment, and it’s nice to have all three teams now with the same messaging and the same philosophies towards playing cricket.Stokes tore his hamstring while batting during the Hundred•Gareth Copley/Getty Images”If I get the call and [Baz] says, ‘do you want to come and play?’ Then obviously, it’s definitely going to be a yes, but I’m not going to be too disappointed if I don’t, because I can just sit back and watch everyone else go out and smack it.”I’ve played a lot of white-ball cricket for England, and I’m very happy with what I’ve achieved in that form of the game,” he added. “But to be honest, we’ve not even spoken about anything like that whatsoever. I think he’s just letting me concentrate on what I need to concentrate on, especially around the Test team.”The next challenge for Stokes’ Test team is fast approaching next week, when they embark on another three-Test tour of Pakistan – a venue where they famously won 3-0 in December 2022, in one of the most notable triumphs of the Stokes-McCullum regime to date.After some weeks of uncertainty, Multan has now been confirmed as the venue for the first Test, beginning October 7. And while Stokes expects to be fit enough to lead his team in that match, having missed the Sri Lanka series following a hamstring tear in August, he says he will be cautious about fulfilling his bowling duties after a lengthy period on the sidelines.Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum celebrate England’s series win on their last tour of Pakistan in 2022•Matthew Lewis/Getty ImagesSpeaking ahead of a six-and-a-half week scan, which confirmed on Wednesday that his recovery is on track, Stokes said that he was feeling optimistic about the prognosis. “It was a hamstring tear that just sneaked into my tendon, so that’s why it’s taken a week or two longer, but my rehab has gone really well, so hopefully tomorrow everything gets the all-clear, and we can start pushing it a bit more.”There’s a lot more than just my hamstrings that I need to get back firing again, in terms of bowling, because you use everything,” he added. “So I need to get that all right to make sure that I don’t do any more damage to any other parts of my body.”Although England’s experience from the 2022 tour will stand them in good stead on this visit, Stokes admits that there are plenty of unknowns about the conditions they will face in Pakistan, and not simply because it has taken so long for the venues to be confirmed.”It’s probably not until we get out there that we’ll have a real understanding of it,” he said. “I know that Shan Masood [Pakistan’s captain] has been asking for quicker, more lively wickets for their fast bowlers. Obviously, last time we were there, they were slow, dry and spun a bit. So, we’ve got to go there with an open mind about what we’re going to get.”This story was updated at 5.53pm BST on Wednesday, September 25, following the results of Stokes’ scan

تحدث حسني عبد ربه، نجم منتخب مصر السابق، عن فوز الفراعنة على منتخب إثيوبيا في التصفيات المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم 2026.

وقال حسني عبد ربه عبر قناة “أون سبورت”: “ما كنا نريده من المباراة حصلنا عليه، ولكن كانت هناك بعض السلبيات”.

طالع.. ترتيب مجموعة مصر في تصفيات كأس العالم 

وتابع: “الشوط الأول كان مختلفًا عن الثاني، كما أن التبديلات تأخرت كثيرًا في الشوط الثاني”.

وواصل: “الفرص التي استهترنا بها كانت من الممكن أن تكلفنا الكثير، فقد كنا قادرين على الفوز بستة أو سبعة أهداف، كنت أتمنى أن نرسل رسالة اليوم مفادها أننا لسنا أقل من منتخب بوركينا فاسو”.

وحقق منتخب مصر الفوز على إثيوبيا بهدفين نظيفين، في الجولة السابعة من التصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026.

It is the start of a new era at Glasgow Rangers after Russell Martin was officially unveiled as the new head coach at Ibrox last week, shortly after the takeover was made official.

The former Scotland international has joined the club as their long-term replacement for Philippe Clement, having left Southampton at the end of last year, and is tasked with bringing glory back to Ibrox.

Rangers have failed to win the Scottish Premiership title in each of the past four seasons, and they ended the 2024/25 campaign without a single trophy to show for their efforts.

The Light Blues know that they will need to be active in the summer transfer window to improve their squad, as the current playing group ultimately failed this season.

This means that there could be several new stars added to the club before the deadline in September, which could create uncertainty for some of the fringe players.

One player whose future at Ibrox could be thrown into doubt by possible new additions in their position could be Brazilian forward Danilo, who has not had the easiest of times in Glasgow so far.

Why Danilo’s future at Rangers could be in doubt

The Light Blues swooped to sign the centre-forward from Dutch outfit Feyenoord in the summer of 2023 for a reported fee of £6m, as Michael Beale looked to improve the club’s attacking unit.

Danilo is a bit of a tricky player to judge at Rangers because there is little doubt that he has the quality to make a big impact on his day. In fact, the striker scored five goals and provided four assists in just 878 minutes in the Premiership this season.

However, the fact that he only played 878 minutes, despite his impressive statistics in that time, is part of the problem for the Light Blues marksman.

As you can see in the table above, Danilo’s injury record during his time at Ibrox so far is less than ideal, as he has missed a whopping 53 matches in two seasons.

Put simply, his injury history suggests that he will not be a player who can be relied upon by Martin moving forward, because the attacker has yet to prove that he has the durability to be available week-in-week-out at Ibrox.

This is why the Scottish head coach should consider ruthlessly parting ways with the Brazilian forward before the end of the summer transfer window, particularly when you consider the club’s reported interest in other players in his position.

Rangers eyeing up Pro League centre-forward

According to the Daily Record, Rangers are keeping tabs on KVC Westerlo centre-forward Matija Frigan, as Martin lines up a potential swoop for the gem in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that he is one of the strikers the club are watching, after a £20m cash injection from the new owners, and that they are also in talks to sign Maccabi Tel Aviv marksman Dor Turgeman after seeing an initial offer turned down for the Israel international.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

It does not state that they have made an offer, or that they are in talks, to sign Frigan as of yet, which means that he could be behind Turgeman on their wishlist in the number nine position.

The Croatian marksman, though, is being tracked by the Premiership side, as they weigh up their options, and could be a genuine target for Martin and Kevin Thelwell.

However, the outlet does not reveal how much the Belgian side are set to demand for their centre-forward this summer, so it remains to be seen how much the Scottish giants would have to pay for his services.

Why Rangers should sign Matija Frigan

The Gers should swoop to sign the 22-year-old forward because he could arrive at Ibrox as a big upgrade on Danilo, not least because of his reliable availability record.

He has played 69 matches in all competitions for Westerlo since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, including 39 times this term, which shows that he has been consistently available for the Belgian outfit.

Frigan’s form in front of goal in the Pro League this season also suggests that he has the quality to be a big goal threat for Martin next term, whilst also potentially exciting supporters with his skills in the final third.

The young marksman marksman, as shown in the clip above, has the technical ability to beat defenders to create moments of magic, which could be particularly useful when facing low blocks of defenders sat behind the ball in the Premiership.

Frigan’s statistics in the Pro League this season in comparison to Danilo’s also suggest that he has the potential to offer even more in front of goal than the Brazilian.

As you can see in the table above, the Croatian forward scored more than twice as many goals, averaged more goals per game, and had a better conversion rate of shots to goals than the Rangers flop.

Frigan, who was once described as a “complete” striker by talent scout Jacek Kulig, could come in as a big upgrade on Danilo as a goalscorer in the Premiership, as evidenced by their respective league form, because of how clinical and reliable he is in front of goal.

The Westerlo attacker would also be a big upgrade on the Gers number 99 because of his aforementioned availability record, which suggests that he is more likely to be available to Martin on a regular basis throughout the campaign.

Therefore, Rangers should sign Frigan and attempt to part ways with Danilo before the end of the summer transfer window because it would represent an improvement in the squad ahead of the 2025/26 season.

He wants to leave: Martin must axe Rangers dud who earns more than Igamane

Russell Martin must instantly axe this player from the squad if he is appointed.

By
Dan Emery

Jun 4, 2025

Arsenal may have saved themselves from a potential embarrassment on Sunday afternoon, but that does not change the fact that this summer has to be a monumental one.

Mikel Arteta told us it would be early last month, and while the arrival of Martin Zubimendi is certainly exciting, the area that needs reinforcing more than anywhere else is the attack.

Moreover, while the team’s need for a new striker – or two – is undeniable, a dynamic, direct, and dangerous left-winger is arguably just as crucial to support Bukayo Saka’s efforts on the other flank.

The good news is that the board seem to agree, as recent reports have linked the club with one of the most exciting wingers in world football, someone who’d be a massive upgrade on Leandro Trossard.

Arsenal's winger search

Given Arsenal’s lack of threat off the left this season, the last few weeks have seen several top-quality wingers, such as Rafael Leao and Daizen Maeda, linked with the club.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The former could reportedly be available for around £85m, and while that is a considerable sum of money, his tally of 12 goals and 13 assists in 48 games this season suggests he’d be worth it.

Maeda, on the other hand, could be the Gunners for just £25m, which might be a steal considering he’s scored 33 goals and provided 12 assists in just 49 games this season.

However, Andrea Berta and Co might be after someone slightly cheaper than the AC Milan star but with more experience in a top-five league than the Celtic ace, which is where Nico Williams comes into play.

According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Arsenal is one of several teams incredibly interested in the Spanish superstar.

In fact, he goes a step further, revealing that the North Londoners are ‘at the front of the queue’ for the dynamic winger, and that Berta and Co have already held talks with his camp.

If Arsenal successfully convince the 22-year-old to join them this summer, they’ll have to pay his £48m release clause to get the deal done, but even so, he’d be more than worth it and a significant upgrade on Trossard.

How Williams compares to Trossard

If Arsenal get their way and bring Williams to the Emirates in the coming weeks and months, he’d likely only join with the promise of regular game time, which in turn would put him up against Trossard, but who comes out on top?

Well, when it comes to their raw output, it’s the Spaniard who emerges victorious.

For example, in just 44 appearances, totalling 3050 minutes, the Pamplona-born star has scored 11 goals and provided seven assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.44 games, or every 169.44 minutes.

In contrast, the Belgian international has scored ten goals and provided nine assists in 54 appearances this season, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.84 games, or every 175.78 minutes.

What about when we take a look under the hood, then? Which winger has the more impressive underlying numbers?

Non-Penalty G+As

0.49

0.49

Progressive Passes

3.14

3.80

Progressive Passes Received

11.3

7.57

Progressive Carries

5.69

2.81

Shots

2.67

2.62

Shots on Target

1.12

0.84

Passing Accuracy

70.2%

74.8%

Key Passes

2.08

1.39

Shot-Creating Actions

5.34

3.28

Goal-Creating Actions

0.63

0.44

Successful Take-Ons

3.36

1.25

Ball Recoveries

4.28

3.45

Aerial Duels Won

0.44

0.29

Unsurprisingly, this is another comparison in which the “world-class” Bilbao star, as dubbed by journalist Zach Lowy, comes out on top and quite comfortably at that.

For example, he does better in most relevant metrics, including, but not limited to, progressive carries, shots and shots on target, shot and goal-creating actions, successful take-ons, key passes, ball recoveries, aerial duels won and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Trossard could still be a valuable squad player, Williams is the far superior winger in practically every facet, and he’s eight years younger. Therefore, Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign the Spaniard this summer.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes May 12, 2025

Fabrizio Romano has shared an update on Tottenham Hotspur and their chances of appointing a former Bayern Munich manager who they’ve reportedly contacted.

Tottenham players back Ange Postecoglou amid mounting pressure

Ange Postecoglou faces a very uncertain future in N17, following a disastrous Premier League campaign, where they’ve tasted defeat on 19 occasions in the top flight alone.

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According to The Telegraph, this woeful domestic form means Postecoglou and Spurs could part ways at the end of the season, regardless of their campaign in the Europa League.

Tottenham’s final Premier League fixtures

Date

West Ham (away)

May 3rd

Crystal Palace (home)

May 10th

Aston Villa (away)

May 18th

Brighton (home)

May 25th

However, midfielder James Maddison has now publicly backed the 59-year-old, stating that the squad are “100 per cent” behind their head coach despite their “unacceptable” 2024/2025.

“We’re behind the manager, 100 per cent. I think he’s a great man,” said Maddison in a press conference.

“He’s the first person to tell you, I’ve heard it myself, that we’ve had a poor season, especially in the league. We’ve been very good in Europe, but the league season’s probably been unacceptable, and we can all take collective responsibility for that.

“But he’s my manager, he’s my gaffer, I respect him an awful amount.

“The narrative is something that we players try and keep away from because it’s not healthy to read into what you lot are talking about – the manager’s position. I just know that I come into work every day and see the lads listening, taking on the messages, how he wants to play and trying to do what’s best for this club.”

Intense pressure has surrounded the Australian for months, and a succession of managers have been linked as candidates to replace him.

According to reports in Germany last week, one of the names under consideration is Borussia Dortmund boss Niko Kovac.

The 53-year-old has helped to steady the ship at Dortmund after Nuri Şahin’s dismissal midway through the campaign, and enjoyed previous success at Bayern, where he won a Bundesliga title, DFB-Pokal and German Super Cup.

According to Bild, Tottenham made recent contact with Kovac via an intermediary, and are believed to be big fans of his intense style of play.

Fabrizio Romano shares update on Niko Kovac's links to Tottenham

Following these reports, the reliable Romano has shared an update on Kovac and his links to Spurs.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, the journalist says that nothing is advanced between Kovac and Tottenham just yet, based off the lack of information he’s heard, but he doesn’t entirely rule out the tactician as an option.

“I’m not aware of anything advanced on this one yet,” said Romano.

“Spurs will not make any decision now with the Europa League semi-finals due to start soon.”

The former Croatia captain could be a solid outside candidate, with Kovac attracting praise for his leadership qualities.

“He [Kovac] has experience, he was a very good player and was the captain of the Croatia national team,” said German footballing legend Lothar Matthäus.

“He has charisma, he has passion, he knows about football. He was a leader as a player and is showing this as a coach too.”

The teams, the format, the big names, and everything else you might have been wondering about

Abhimanyu Bose05-Jul-2024First things first. When does it start?The first match is on Friday, July 5, with MI New York taking on Seattle Orcas in Morrisville. The tournament will go on till July 28. There will be a total of 25 matches.So who are the teams participating? And who won it the first time around?The six teams are Los Angeles Knight Riders, MI New York, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings and Washington Freedom.It was MI New York, inspired by a whirlwind Nicholas Pooran century, who beat Seattle Orcas in the final to win the inaugural title.Are you sure it’s the MLC and not the IPL? There seem to be a lot of familiar names…That’s because IPL franchises have invested in most of the teams in the tournament, as they have in other franchise leagues like SA20, ILT20 and the CPL. IPL franchises own four teams in the MLC. Apart from the three obvious ones, Seattle Orcas are owned by the GMR Group, who co-own Delhi Capitals.Washington Freedom, owned by Indian-American entrepreneur Sanjay Govil, have Cricket New South Wales as their high-performance partner. San Francisco Unicorns, owned by Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan, have a partnership with Cricket Victoria.We saw games in New York and Lauderhill in the T20 World Cup, apart from Dallas. Will the MLC also be played in those grounds?No. This year’s MLC, like in 2023, will only be played at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas in Texas and Church Street Park in North Carolina’s Morrisville.Last season, the first eight league games were played in Dallas and the next seven in Morrisville, before the tournament shifted back to Dallas for the knockout rounds. This year, however, both stadiums will host games throughout the season.Nicholas Pooran’s 137* in the final helped MI New York win MLC 2023•SportzpicsSo you said Pooran played the last season. Who are some other big names that were there last season and will play this year as well?A total of 23 overseas players who turned out in the inaugural season will be in action in MLC 2024 as well. Among them, some of the big names include Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, Heinrich Klaasen and Kieron Pollard.Afghanistan’s left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad will replace Daryl Mitchell – who has been ruled out by an injury and is currently doing rehab in New Zealand – for Texas Super Kings. You can find the full list of retained overseas players here.And any exciting new additions this year?Yes indeed. Pat Cummins, Travis Head and Steven Smith are some high-profile Australian signings, while Daryl Mitchell, Shakib Al Hasan and Romario Shepherd are some of the other new signings. You can see the full squads here.USA pulled off a surprise and made it to the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup. So who will their local heroes line up for?USA did have an impressive showing at the T20 World Cup, with a Super Over win over Pakistan the highlight. Their captain Monank Patel, Noshthush Kenjige and Shayan Jahangir will be representing defending champions MI New York, while last year’s runners-up Seattle Orcas have USA vice-captain Aaron Jones and Harmeet Singh in their ranks.Milind Kumar, who took a blinder against Pakistan as a substitute fielder, will play for Texas Super Kings, while Andries Gous and Saurabh Netravalkar will play for Washington Freedom.Saurabh Netravalkar, who was impressive in the T20 World Cup, will be playing for Washington Freedom•AFP/Getty ImagesAll this sounds good. So, what is the format of the league?Like most franchise leagues, the MLC will first have a round-robin league stage. Last year, each team played the other once, but this time every team will play seven matches each in the league stage. This has contributed to the tournament growing from 19 games last year to 25 this season.The top two teams will meet in the Qualifier, with the winners of that match advancing to the final.The third and fourth-placed teams will meet in the Eliminator. The winner of the Eliminator will face the team that loses the Qualifier in the Challenger, where the second finalist will be decided.You can see the full fixture list here.But the MLC games don’t count as official T20s, right?That was the case last year, but the tournament has been given List A status by the ICC. It has become the second Associate-run franchise competition to acquire List A status from the ICC, following the UAE’s ILT20 earlier this year.This means MLC will now be recognised as an official T20 league, with tournament playing records now counted as official format statistics.And with the packed cricket schedule, is it not clashing with any of the several other T20 leagues around the world?The Lanka Premier League is on till July 21, so Matheesha Pathirana will remain unavailable till Colombo Strikers are knocked out.There will also be a six-day clash with the Hundred , which means that 12 players who are part of the MLC could arrive late at the UK.

The team have adopted an aggression-first, high-risk-high-reward approach this season. Is it paying dividends?

Matt Roller28-Apr-2022Punjab Kings are the IPL’s mavericks. Their matches this season have been appointment-to-view TV, ranging from convincing wins to blow-out defeats with nail-biting final-over drama in between.Kings have the IPL’s third-best balls-per-six ratio, third-highest dot-ball percentage, and second-lowest batting average. It was obvious from their auction strategy that they would be a boom-or-bust batting team, and their totals this season have borne that out: they have made five totals of 180 or more, and three of 151 or less.Only Kolkata Knight Riders have a batting style that is high-risk, high-reward to the same extent but that has been their identity for a number of years; Punjab, by contrast, are the franchise whose captain described strike rate, perhaps T20 cricket’s most fundamental metric, as “very, very overrated” 18 months ago.Related

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But after seven consecutive seasons without reaching the playoffs, it was clear something needed to change. Their research and development consultant, Sankar Rajgopal, put together an auction team focused on exploiting market inefficiencies and recruiting six-hitters. Of their six most expensive auction purchases, five were bought primarily for their attacking ability with the bat: Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan, Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow and Odean Smith.The result was a squad filled with power, as Kings sacrificed bowling strength for batting depth and backed their hitters to succeed. The first two matches showed the trade-off involved in their approach: in their opening game, they chased 206 with an over to spare against Royal Challengers Bangalore; in their second, they were bowled out for 137 by KKR.