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Chris Gayle has joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for the 2011 season as a replacement for injured Dirk Nannes, Vijay Mallya, the owner of the franchise has confirmed

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2011Chris Gayle, the West Indies opener, has joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for the 2011 season as a replacement for injured Dirk Nannes, Vijay Mallya, the owner of the franchise has confirmed. The development means that Gayle will not be available for the home limited-overs and Test series against Pakistan, which begins on Thursday.”It’s official now. The explosive Chris Gayle is now a part of the RCB squad after receiving clearance from the WICB,” Mallya said on Twitter.Gayle, along with Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, had refused the West Indies board’s central contracts so that he would be free to pursue his Twenty20 interests in the IPL. In a media release on April 4 regarding the participation of West Indies players in the IPL, WICB chief executive Ernest Hilaire had this to say about Gayle: “With Chris Gayle it has not been a productive discussion and therefore it is a little more difficult for me to make any pronouncements as it relates to Chris. But we are open to discussing with players what their plans and objectives are and how best we can accommodate them within the commitment that they must also play for country and to represent West Indies cricket.”In January, Gayle, who scored 463 at a strike-rate of 141.59 for Kolkata Knight Riders in the previous three IPL seasons, surprisingly went unsold at the player auction. His base price of $400,000 found no bidders over concerns that he would not be available for much of IPL 2011 because of international commitments.He has since been left out of West Indies’ ODI squad (for the first two matches) that will take on Pakistan from April 23, with the WICB deciding to focus on grooming youngsters after the quarter-final exit from the World Cup.Nannes, who was injured during Bangalore’s second match of the league, was bought for $650,000 at the auction. IPL rules prevent franchises from signing replacement players at a higher value than the player they are replacing. Bangalore made a poor start to the IPL, losing three of their first four matches, and are languishing at the bottom of the table.

Brian Lara might not have played active cricket for four years but he is one of the 21 names to attract the highest reserve price of $400,000 ahead of the IPL players’ auction, to be held in Bangalore on January 8 and 9

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2010Brian Lara might not have played active cricket for four years but he is one of the 21 names to attract the highest reserve price of $400,000 ahead of the IPL players’ auction, to be held in Bangalore on January 8 and 9. Alongside Lara, in the same bracket, are the former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, the Indian trio of Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and IPL first-timers Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Michael Yardy and Luke Wright, all part of England’s 2010 World Twenty20 winning side.Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh and Mahela Jayawardene, who all played for Kings XI Punjab, will also enter the auction at the highest base price. They will be joined by other prominent IPL names such as Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chris Gayle.

Players valued at a reserve price of $400,000

Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, James Anderson, Kevin Pietersen, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Yuvraj Singh, Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Brian Lara, Chris Gayle

Almost as interesting as the names who have made it to the auction list of 416, are the players who haven’t. The most notable absentees – in addition to Pakistan’s cricketers, who continue to get the IPL cold shoulder – are some of Australia’s biggest current players: Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson. Andrew Flintoff, who became the most expensive buy in the IPL when Chennai Super Kings signed him for $1.55 million ahead of the second season, has been left out too. Flintoff had retired from professional cricket last September. Also missing from the 2011 pool is the retired Australian pair of Matthew Hayden and Glenn McGrath, who played in the previous editions of the IPL after ending their careers.Jacques Kallis and Muttiah Muralitharan, who featured significantly for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai in the first three seasons, find themselves in the $300,000 bracket. Zaheer Khan and Yusuf Pathan are the big Indian names in that list, which also includes Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Kumar Sangakkara, and Angelo Mathews.Sourav Ganguly, who was Kolkata Knight Riders’ ‘icon’ in the first three seasons, has been relegated to the third band of players whose base price is $200,000. Gautam Gambhir, who led Delhi in 2010, and the Australian pair of Michael Hussey and Doug Bollinger, who played crucial roles in Chennai’s victorious IPL and Champions League campaigns in 2010, are also in that bracket, along with Dirk Nannes, Eoin Morgan, Robin Uthappa and Sanath Jayasuriya. Eighty-seven players are at the next level – a base price of $100,000 – the biggest names being Tamim Iqbal, R Ashwin, Morne Morkel and Ben Hilfenhaus.Previous IPL auctions have shown that base prices are not indicative of the final amount for which the franchise will buy the player. For example, at the first auction in 2008, Ishant Sharma was listed at $150,000 but was bought by Kolkata at $950,000, while Hayden was listed at $250,000 and was bought by Chennai at $375,000. “With the requirement of each franchise minimal, virtually more than half of these players in the auction list will not attract any attention,” an IPL official said.Only 12 players were retained by their teams ahead of the auction, with three of the eight existing franchises – Punjab, Deccan Chargers and Kolkata – choosing to release all their players into the auction pool. As a result, those three franchises will have the entire complement of $9 million at their disposal for the auction, while the other teams will begin the auctions with purses reduced in accordance to the number of players they retained. Chennai and Mumbai, who retained the maximum allowed four players each, will go into the auction with only $4.5 million to spend.The season is set to go ahead with 10 teams and 74 matches as originally planned, since the BCCI is not likely to move the Supreme Court after it lost High Court appeals against the stay orders granted to the termination of Punjab and Rajasthan. The auction plan sets at rest speculation that the auction would be delayed by the various court cases the IPL is currently fighting.

Phillip Hughes said he was “hit pretty hard” by Ian Botham’s claim that he was cheating for appealing for a catch during the SCG Ashes Test

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2011Phillip Hughes, Australia’s opening batsman, said he was “hit pretty hard” by Ian Botham’s claim that he was cheating for appealing for a catch during the SCG Ashes Test. Hughes was fielding at short-leg when he took the ball off Alastair Cook and quickly expressed his uncertainty over whether the ball had carried – replays showed it hadn’t.But by then Botham, commentating on Sky Sports, had said: “Terrible. Cheating. How much do you want it to bounce into your hands? He knows he hasn’t caught it.”Hughes was defended by both Cook and Michael Clarke, the captain, and said he was “shocked” by the comments. “I remember [Clarke] came back into the sheds and said, ‘Botham’s called you a cheat’,” Hughes said in the Sunday Telegraph. “I said, ‘what’s he talking about? What’s going on here?'”If you saw the replay you could see I wasn’t sure, and I even said to Alastair Cook I wasn’t sure. People will look back on the incident and know I wasn’t sure. I was a bit shocked by the comments. It doesn’t matter when people say your technique isn’t great, but when you’re called a cheat, it hits you pretty hard.”Hughes struggled for runs after replacing the injured Simon Katich, managing only 97 in the final three Tests of the series. “I suppose when you lose everyone comes out and nails you, but if you score 50 or 100 and win the game, people don’t comment,” he said. “That’s part and parcel of professional cricket.”He was also in trouble during the series for attending pre-game breakfasts with Clarke in Sydney and Melbourne. James Sutherland, Cricket Australia’s chief executive, called the decision “a supreme error of judgment” that opened them up to criticism. “You learn through your journey,” Hughes said. “Everyone makes mistakes and this was a mistake.”

Round-up of the first day of matches in the Caribbean T20 2010-11

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2011Andre Fletcher led an impressive batting performance by Windward Islands that saw them beat Combined Campuses and Colleges by 28 runs
at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. Fletcher scored 88 off 59 balls at the top of the order as Windward amassed 189. Fletcher added 68 runs with his opening partner Johnson Charles and then another 78 with Keddy Lesporis. But it was the last two overs that took Windwards’ total from a competitive one to a match-winning one. They were 146 for 2 when Lesporis was out off the last ball of the 18th over. Captain Darren Sammy walked in, faced five balls, hit two of them for boundaries and one for six, and finished with 18 not out. Fletcher was equally aggressive at the other end as Windwards added 43 in the last two overs.CCC managed to stay abreast with the required run-rate till around the 12th over of their innings. Captain Romel Currency and Miles Bascombe put together 65 for the first wicket and they had moved to 102 for 2 in 11.1 overs. A couple of quick wickets set them back, William Perkins falling to seamer Keon Peters, and Floyd Reifer dismissed by fast bowler Nelon Pascal. The run-rate slowed and wickets fell in a heap at the end as the lower-middle order tried to reach the total. CCC finished at 161 for 8.

Defending champions Guyana sunk to a 50-run loss against Jamaica in the opening game of the Caribbean Twenty20 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. In a low-scoring fixture, Marlon Samuels starred with 42, striking four fours, to guide his team to 115 for 7. Offspinner Royston Crandon bagged three wickets to restrict Jamaica to what seemed like a below-par score, but Guyana were abject in their reply. Opener Travis Dowlin was the team’s highest scorer with 14, and only two batsmen reached double-figures, as Guyana were shot out for 65. Fast-bowling allrounder Andre Russell picked up three wickets and was supported by Dave Bernard and Krishmar Santioke, who grabbed two each.

Zulqarnain Haider, the Pakistan wicketkeeper who fled Dubai for London after receiving threats, has announced his retirement

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2010Zulqarnain Haider, the Pakistan wicketkeeper who fled Dubai for London after receiving threats, has announced his retirement. Haider, 24, went missing from the team hotel on the morning of Pakistan’s fifth ODI against South Africa in Dubai and resurfaced in London later the same day. He was said to be seeking some sort of protection in the UK after he was threatened by unidentified people following his team’s one-wicket win in the fourth ODI against South Africa.

A number of Liverpool fans have been calling for Ben Davies for make his Reds debut against Newcastle United this weekend.

Jurgen Klopp’s men host the Magpies in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime, knowing a win could be significant in the top-four battle.

Victory at Anfield would see Liverpool leapfrog Chelsea and West Ham, taking them fourth in the table, prior to the Blues and the Hammers meeting later in the day.

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The Reds’ centre-back crisis continues to not go away, with Nathaniel Phillips still sidelined with a hamstring injury, having missed Monday’s 1-1 draw away to Leeds United.

He joins Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip in the treatment room, meaning Ozan Kabak could partner Fabinho against Newcastle.

There is the option of Klopp giving Davies his debut, however, having arrived from Preston in February, but not yet making a single appearance.

Liverpool fans want to see Davies make his debut

It would be a surprise if the centre-back was handed his Liverpool bow for such an important game, but these Reds supporters talked up the idea on Twitter after the news of Phillips’ continued absence.

“Surely Ben Davies finally gets a game”

Credit: @Rehgqllq

“Give Ben Davies his debut I beg you”

Credit: @ben_mccluskey

“If Ben Davies doesn’t play against Newcastle now I’ll be 100% convinced he doesn’t exist”

Credit: @Jbusuttil96

“Gotta play Davies so Fabs can get back in the middle”

Credit: @PaulBen29353194

“Time for Ben Davies”

Credit: @mokoh001

“It’s Ben Davies timeee”

Credit: @mail19941120

In other news, some Liverpool fans are delighted by the return of one Reds player. Read more here.

Marcel Brands could give Carlo Ancelotti his own version of Dayot Upamecano by launching a bid for Everton to sign Valenciennes defender Ismael Doukoure.

What’s the word?

According to La Voix des Sports, via Sport Witness, Valenciennes owner Eddy Zdziech is expected to demand a record-setting fee to sell Doukoure at the end of the season.

The 17-year-old centre-half is understood to be a target for a host of Europe’s elite clubs after impressing in Ligue 2 this term, and it is not likely to be long before he is on the move.

Everton are one of the sides credited with an interest in Doukoure, but they could face rival Premier League interest from Leicester City and Arsenal.

Spanish giants Barcelona, Italian powerhouse Juventus and German outfit Borussia Monchengladbach are said to be just a few of the European outfits currently keen too.

Recent reports in France have also claimed that RC Strasbourg have already made an approach to the teenager’s agent to sound out his interest in a move to the Meinau Stadium.

But any side wishing to land Doukoure’s services this off-season faces having to pay Les Atheniens more than the €5m (£4.5m) that MLS franchise LA Galaxy recently paid for Kevin Cabral.

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The winger’s move to the United States set a new club record for the departure of a player from the Stade du Hainaut, but that record is expected to be short-lived with Doukoure thought to be worth between €6m-€8m (£5-7m).

Should Everton sign Valenciennes’ Doukoure?

Everton would no doubt be purchasing Doukoure with a view to the 5 ft 11 defender being a player for their future, though that should not stop Brands from spending a modest sum on the Valenciennes product.

Olivier Guegan only awarded Doukoure his Les Atheniens debut in October but the teenager has already established a key role for himself at the Stade du Hainaut and has now started 10 of his 17 appearances across all competitions.

Doukoure’s efforts in Ligue 2 and for the French side’s academy ranks have also drawn comparisons with Upamecano – who Bayern Munich have paid £37m to sign from RB Leipzig this summer – for his precocious talents and positional awareness.

Upamecano was one of Europe’s most highly sought-after players before his move was announced, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United linked as well as Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

Doukoure has also been attracting widespread interest, firstly given his age, but also because he is considered to be solid in duels and boasts good technique on the ball.

If Everton miss out on signing Doukoure this summer for between £5-7m, they may have to face a similar hike in valuation in a few years’ time to what Bayern have for Doucoure, who RB Leipzig acquired for €10m (£8.5m) in 2017 after just half a season with RB Salzburg.

AND in other news, Everton have been tipped to sign a £25m star once dubbed “a freak of a talent”…

Former England striker Kevin Phillips has hailed Diego Llorente as Leeds United’s ‘lynchpin’ moving forward.

The Whites snapped up the Spaniard for £18m from Real Sociedad last September, with big things expected of him from the off. Llorente has taken time to settle, however, with injury problems making his early months at Elland Road a struggle.

As time has passed, the 27-year-old has begun to make his mark, enjoying eight Premier League starts, including an impressive showing in the memorable 2-1 win away to Manchester City earlier this month.

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Phillips heaps praise on Llorente

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips – a scorer of 92 Premier League goals – lauded Llorente’s ability, seeing him as a key player for Leeds for the foreseeable future: He said:

“Llorente is a top-quality player. It is as simple as that. It is just about getting him regular game time. He seems to have got himself fit and now he is finding that consistency.

“Marcelo Bielsa knows a good player when he sees one. Yes, it has taken Llorente a while to settle but now he is putting in good performances consistently and he is the lynchpin for them at the back.

“When you look at that team, they are tough to play against. He is definitely a big part of that now.

“I am not surprised to hear Bielsa is going to build his team around him because you cannot keep quality down. When you get enough minutes, like he is doing now, the consistency comes with it.”

Transfer Tavern take

Llorente is fully deserving of the praise coming his way at the moment, going to show that patience is often required with new signings. As per WhoScored, he has the fourth-best tackling average, fifth-best interceptions average and joint-second best clearances average per game among Bielsa’s squad, consistently proving his worth to the team.

Settling at a new club is rarely easy, especially with fitness issues holding a player back, but the Leeds defender is now looking every bit a seven-cap Spain international.

While the likes of Liam Cooper, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk are also strong options for Marcelo Bielsa, Llorente should be a guaranteed regular for the rest of this season and beyond.

In other news, a pundit has claimed that one Leeds player will be ‘disappointed’ at the moment. Find out who it is here.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy could try to offload winger Erik Lamela as Spurs aim to sell six players this summer. 

Levy could offload Lamela

Lamela, who has made the vast majority of his appearances from the bench this season, starting just five times, has been described in the past as the ‘perfect’ Jose Mourinho player, due to his ability to get under the opposition’s skin.

However, with his contract expiring at the end of 2022 and no sign of a new deal yet, the Mail’s report touts Lamela as one of the players Levy could look to offload as he plots a Lilywhites summer overhaul.

While he has attracted plenty of pundit praise this season, with the likes of Paul Robinson calling him a ‘fantastic player’ and Noel Whelan lauding the ‘world beater’ – could this summer be Lamela’s time to leave north London?

Transfer Tavern take

The Argentine’s career at Spurs could perhaps be best summed up by a brief cameo against Arsenal in the north London derby recently.

Coming on for Heung-min Son in the 19th minute, the 29-year-old went on to score a sensational rabona flick before being sent off later in the encounter for a flailing arm (BBC) – brilliance and petulance.

Proving impactful on occasion, the time could still be right to offload Lamela given his age and contract situation – not to mention any funds recuperated could go a long way to fund possible new signings in a difficult climate.

As Tottenham search for a ‘leader’ to marshal their backline (Alasdair Gold), maybe now is the time to wave goodbye and raise a kitty to invest at the back.

Alongside Lamela, Danny Rose, Serge Aurier, Hugo Lloris and Juan Foyth are touted as potential candidates for summer exits.

In other news: Tottenham make enquiry for ‘extraordinary’ star, find out more here.

Football finances expert Dr Rob Wilson has recently talked about the impact of a new Celtic CEO on the club’s shareholders.

Dr Wilson was talking to 67HailHail and the expert was asked numerous things about the finances involved with the Hoops’ off-the-pitch rebuild, with Dominic McKay in particular at the centre of discussion.

McKay was initially expected to take over at Parkhead later on, but he’s already taken up the office even though Lawwell isn’t retiring from his position until the end of the current campaign.

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Positive claim made about McKay appointment

When talking about the benefits of the appointment of a new CEO, Dr Wilson said that because McKay has come into his job earlier than expected, it could lead a share price increase for the Bhoys. He revealed that any change in CEO is likely to bring about positivity in the market for the club and the same could apply for the Bhoys.

Dr Wilson stated: “It absolutely would. If a new CEO is coming in and they have proven pedigree or their reputation is strong in the market, that will always help support a share price improvement. Or, conversely, if the CEO is not fancied by the market that lead to a reduction.

“Any handover period is normally received positively. It allows you to maintain some of the current trajectory, look at the strategic plan and keep things moving in the right direction.

“It gives that person the opportunity to understand the business whilst not having full control. That change-over period can be quite beneficial sometimes.”

McKay coming in early should be a big positive

While Dr Wilson believes that McKay’s early entry at Parkhead could well help the Bhoys as a club from a business perspective, it perhaps shows McKay’s willingness to get into the role early and make an impact straight away on the football side of things too.

Eddie Howe reportedly had an agreement in principle with the Hoops, but he has made demands to the club before taking over, so McKay already has his work cut out for him solving that situation.

Other than that, the Hoops are set to undergo a major overhaul in the summer anyway and it won’t be long before the early stages of European qualifying kick off the new season, so McKay getting a head start is absolutely a huge boost for the club.

In other news, ‘Bound to be interest’ – Claim dropped on Celtic star; Hoops phone could be ‘off the hook’