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CSK handed Urvil Patel a debut, while also bringing Devon Conway and R Ashwin back

ESPNcricinfo staff07-May-2025Ajinkya Rahane, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain, has chosen to bat first against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in Eden Gardens’ last league game of IPL 2025. KKR are still in the playoffs race with three league games left, but likely need to win all three to stay in contention. CSK are already out.KKR come into this game having won their last two matches. They batted first in both those games, and this, Rahane said, was one of the reasons for his decision at the toss. The pitch at Eden Gardens wore a tacky look before the start of play, with a few loose plates on its top surface – spinners from both sides could come into play as the match goes on.KKR were without Venkatesh Iyer, who picked up an injury while training on the eve of the match, and has stitches in his hand. Manish Pandey came in for him. KKR named a starting XI that bats deep, with Moeen Ali slotted at No. 9. Harshit Rana will be their likely Impact Player, though Anukul Roy or Mayank Markande could also come in if the pitch proves particularly spin-friendly.CSK made three changes, handing Urvil Patel, recently signed as a replacement for the injured Vansh Bedi, a debut and bringing back offspinner R Ashwin and the New Zealand top-order batter Devon Conway. They replaced Shaik Rasheed, Deepak Hooda and Sam Curran. Shivam Dube, who starts on the bench, is expected to come in during their chase as their Impact Player.Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 4 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Moeen Ali, 10 Vaibhav Arora, 11 Varun ChakravarthyImpact Player list: Anrich Nortje, Mayank Markande, Harshit Rana, Anukul Roy and Luvnith SisodiaChennai Super Kings: 1 Ayush Mhatre, 2 Urvil Patel, 3 Devon Conway, 4 Ravindra Jadeja, 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 R Ashwin, 7 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 8 Anshul Kamboj, 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Matheesha PathiranaImpact Player list: Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Ramakrishna Ghosh.

Virat Kohli and Prasidh Krishna continue to lead the Orange Cap and Purple Cap tables respectively after Sunday’s double-header

ESPNcricinfo staff05-May-20251:04

Rayudu: Skillful Arshdeep takes pitch out of the equation

Purple Cap table

Arshdeep Singh’s superb spell against LSG has taken him to third place on the Purple Cap table. He registered figures of 3 for 16 from his four overs to help PBKS seal a 37-run win in Dharamsala, and now has 16 wickets in ten bowling innings this season.Gujarat Titans’ (GT) Prasidh Krishna continues to lead the table with 19 wickets from ten innings, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) Josh Hazlewood is second with 18 wickets from the same number of outings.There are two other players on 16 wickets along with Arshdeep – Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) Noor Ahmad and Mumbai Indians’ (MI) Trent Boult. But Arshdeep remains above them because of his superior average and economy rate.Another player to move up the Purple Cap table after the double-header was KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy, who is now on 15 wickets following his 2 for 32 against RR.

Orange Cap table

While the top three on the Orange Cap leaderboard remain unchanged from Saturday, there’s a new name in fourth position. RR opener Yashasvi Jaiswal has moved to just behind the top three with 473 runs from 12 innings following his 34 off 21 balls against KKR.RCB’s Virat Kohli leads the list with 505 runs from 11 innings, and GT’s B Sai Sudharsan is second, just one run behind Kohli from one fewer innings. MI’s Suryakumar Yadav is at No. 3 with 475 runs.Another player to have made some gains is PBKS opener Prabhsimran Singh, who went past Nicholas Pooran to move to No. 7. His 91 off 48 balls took his tally to 437 runs in 11 games. LSG’s Pooran, who was on top of the batting charts for the best part of in the first half of the tournament, has fallen behind after average returns in the last few games and is now at No. 8.Jos Buttler (GT, 470 runs), Shubman Gill (GT, 465 runs) are fifth and sixth on this table, respectively.You can also take a look at what ESPNcricinfo MVP table looks like at this stage.Here are some other IPL 2025 tables.

• Highest batting strike rates
• Best bowling economy rates
• Most sixes
• Best bowling figures in a match

RCB secured a berth in Qualifier 1 with a thrilling win in their last league game

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-20259:02

Moody: ‘Two in-form teams, we’re in for an absolute cracker’

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the last league game of IPL 2025 to finish second and secure their spot in Qualifier 1 against table-toppers Punjab Kings (PBKS) on May 29. As a result, Gujarat Titans (GT) finish third and will take on Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Eliminator on May 30.RCB chased down 228 against Lucknow Super Giants with half-centuries from Virat Kohli and stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma as Rishabh Pant’s 61-ball 118 went in vain, giving RCB their third Qualifier 1 appearance, having previously finished in the top two in 2011 and 2016.RCB and PBKS, who both had one game each abandoned due to rain, finished on 19 points each, with PBKS boasting a better net run rate. PBKS had defeated MI a day prior to confirm a top-two finish for them, leaving MI on 16 points. Meanwhile GT’s defeats in their last two matches, against LSG and Chennai Super Kings, meant they finish on 18 points.When Pant’s ton took LSG to 227 for 3, it looked like RCB would have to settle for playing the Eliminator, but an unbeaten 33-ball 85 from Jitesh helped them complete the third-highest chase in IPL history. RCB became the first team to win all seven of their designated away matches.RCB will have just one day to prepare for their Qualifier 1 match against PBKS in New Chandigarh on Thursday, while GT and MI will square off at the same ground on Friday.The second Qualifier is scheduled on June 1 in Ahmedabad, with the final on June 3.

Goal takes a look at each of the goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and attackers named in Gareth Southgate's side

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  1 – Jordan Pickford | GK | Everton

  Jordan Pickford recovered from a slow start to his Everton career to prove himself as one of the best keepers in the league.

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  2 – Kyle Walker | DF | Man City

  Kyle Walker has been a key player in one of the best Premier League teams ever as Man City hit 100 points this season.

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  3 – Danny Rose | DF | Tottenham

  Danny Rose hasn't featured much for Tottenham this season playing only 10 games in the league, but the class he has shown in previous season's has been enough to merit a call-up.

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  4 – Eric Dier | DF/MF | Tottenham

  Eric Dier's consistency and versatility has made him one of the most important players in Gareth Southgate's squad.

The Barcelona superstar earns an amazing €126 million, according to France Football, which far outstrips his rivals, including Cristiano Ronaldo

Lionel Messi is the highest-paid player in world football, with a staggering value of €126 million!

The figure, which includes bonuses and commercial revenue, far outstrips Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Gareth Bale, who trail in Messi's wake.

Goal takes a look at the highest-paid players in world football, according to France Football's latest list!

• 20Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich | Value: €20.8m

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  19Paul Pogba | Manchester United | €22m

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  18Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | €22.2m

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  17Oscar | Shanghai SIPG | €22.2m

Kylian Mbappe is fighting to win the award for a second time but faces competition from the likes of Christian Pulisic and Phil Foden

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  Trent Alexander-Arnold

  Trent Alexander-Arnold. Liverpool. Defender. 19.

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  Kelvin Amian

  Kelvin Amian. Toulouse. Defender. 20.

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  Houssem Aouar

  Houssem Aouar. Lyon. Midfielder. 20.

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  Musa Barrow

  Musa Barrow. Atalanta. Attacker. 19.

Who would make a Dream Team of the two Nations Cup finalists?

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  Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy

  Endured a tricky spell against Equatorial Guinea, but beyond that, has done little to dent his reputation as the finest African goalkeeper in the game.

  Mendy has kept clean sheets in four matches, although he was breached in both the quarter-final and the semi.

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  Right-back: Omar Kamal

  Squeezing out Bouna Sarr in the toughest decision of the lot, Kamal only made his full Egypt debut in the Pharaohs’ second group game, but has excelled defensively, averaging 3.6 tackles per match.

  It’s not bad going for a player who made his name as a winger.

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  Centre-back: Kalidou Koulibaly

  Like Mendy, had a few nervous moments against Equatorial Guinea, but he remains one of Africa’s finest defenders of his generation and isn’t going to be squeezed out of this dream team by any of Egypt’s options.

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  Centre-back: Abdou Diallo

  Left-back: Saliou CissMaking the team ahead of the likes of Ahmed Hegazy or Mohamed Abdelmonem, Diallo has taken to international football seamlessly after being coaxed away from a future with France.

  He complements Koulibaly well, offering technical poise and composure, and also opened the scoring as Burkina Faso were defeated in the semi-finals.

Flying wingers and playmakers who love a late run into the box are the order of the day with regard to smart FPL picks

Who are the best Fantasy Premier League midfielders for 2022-23?

Midfielders are historically the best assets on FPL, with players who fall into that category quite often providing more goals and assists potential than forwards in the modern game.

Explosive wingers who cut inside are always popular, while central midfielders who dart into the box at every opportunity are also essential, and there is great value to be found from the top of your budget right down to the bottom.

With the game now open for another season, GOAL has a list of the top midfielders to help you pick the strongest possible squad.

• Alexander-Arnold & the best fantasy football forwards
• Here are the best forwards to pick on FPL
• Which goalkeepers are best for fantasy football?

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  Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | £13m

  Liverpool's Egyptian king Mohamed Salah was the highest scoring player on FPL once again last season as he won a share of the Golden Boot by scoring 23 Premier League goals.

  Salah also recorded 13 assists, and his potential for both scoring and setting up goals will be as high as ever in 2022-23, especially now that he has £64 million ($76m) new boy Darwin Nunez to link up with in the final third.

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  Son Heung-min | Tottenham | £12m

  The man who shared the Golden Boot with Salah last term is available for a whole million less than the Liverpool star on FPL in 2022-23.

  Son Heung-min will be one of the most popular picks on the game again on the back of his best season yet for Tottenham, who appear to be heading in the right direction under Antonio Conte.

  With Harry Kane and £50m ($60m) summer signing Richarlison to work alongside, Son will surely have plenty of opportunities to reach the same heights in the upcoming campaign.

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  Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | £12m

  Kevin De Bruyne recorded 15 goals and eight assists in 30 Premier League appearances last season to help Manchester City clinch their sixth title.

  That haul earned the Belgian 195 FPL points, the fourth-best tally on the game for a midfielder, and that number could increase drastically in 2022-23.

  De Bruyne will now have prolific Norwegian forward Erling Haaland to provide for, which boosts his chances of breaking the assists record he holds alongside Thierry Henry.

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  Raheem Sterling | Manchester City | £10m

  Raheem Sterling will be a great option for FPL managers once again in the upcoming campaign, though he may not necessarily be turning out for Manchester City.

  The England winger's output in the final third has been impressive throughout his seven-year stay at the Etihad Stadium, but he has the potential to improve even more, wherever he plays.

Real Madrid came back from two goals down to defeat Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield on Tuesday in a historic Champions League performance.

Los Blancos looked to be in big trouble in the early stages of the last-16 game, as Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah gave the Reds an electric start with two quickfire goals.

But a brilliant effort from Vinicius Junior set in motion a dominant turnaround for Real Madrid.

GOAL takes a look at all the records Real Madrid broke in Tuesday's eventual 5-2 victory…

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  First visiting European team to score five at Anfield

  Actually, Real Madrid became the first visiting club to put four goals past Liverpool at Anfield when Karim Benzema's shot was deflected in off Joe Gomez, and then they added another for good measure with Benzema rounding Alisson and shooting into an open net.

  It was also the second time this campaign that the Reds conceded at least four times in the Champions League after doing so against Napoli on September 7.

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• Benzema first to score six in European career vs Reds

  With his brace at Anfield on Tuesday night, Benzema has now scored more goals against Liverpool in European Cup and Champions League history than any other player (6). He entered play level with Didier Drogba for the record.

  Meanwhile, with his pair of strikes earlier in the game, team-mate Vinicius Junior is now in second place in that category (5).

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  Vinicius Junior youngest since Cruyff to score twice as Anfield visitor in Europe

  Vinicius Junior broke Liverpool hearts last year with his winner in the Champions League final, and he hurt the Reds again in the first leg on Tuesday.

  At 22 years old, he became the youngest player since Johan Cruyff to score at least twice as a visitor in a European match at Anfield.

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• Benzema equals Messi for consecutive UCLs scored in

  The French forward was injured for much of the group stage, but after breaking through with his first goals of the European season, he has now netted in 18 consecutive Champions League campaigns.

  That's level with Lionel Messi for the all-time record.

The Dutch coach has been lauded for his in-game tactics since arriving at Old Trafford, with his early changes proving crucial so far

Erik ten Hag is never afraid to shake things up early in a game, and his half-time substitutions have been immense during the early months of his Manchester United tenure.

The Dutchman is never afraid to make a change, even if it means undermining an earlier decision he has made with the starting line up, and his quick thinking has paid dividends on many occasions this season.

Hauling a player off at half-time might come across to some as a mark of disrespect, but the United manager puts the team's results above anything else, including his own authority.

Ten Hag has made half-time changes during 14 of United's 43 matches this season. They have won on 11 of those games while losing only three. Only once did the changes lead to a worse result than the team had at half-time, the 1-0 defeat at home to Real Sociedad in September.

GOAL takes a look at the six occasions when Ten Hag's half-time substitutions have truly swung the match United's way…

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  Omonia Nicosia 2-3 Man Utd: Rashford makes all the difference

  Just days after being trounced 6-3 by Manchester City, United found themselves 1-0 down at half-time to minnows Omonia in Cyprus.

  Ten Hag was ruthless at the break, hauling off Tyrell Malacia – who had given the ball away in the build up to Karim Ansarifard giving the hosts a shock lead – for Luke Shaw and Jadon Sancho for Marcus Rashford.

  Rashford equalised seven minutes after coming on with a shot from outside the box, and then set up a similar goal for Anthony Martial with a clever flick off his backheel.

  Rashford then combined with Cristiano Ronaldo to slot in the third and effectively clinch three valuable Europa League points.

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  Wolves 0-1 Man Utd: Rashford learns from his big mistake

  When the United team sheet landed on New Year's Eve, jaws dropped. Despite being in the form of his life, Rashford was not in the starting XI at Molineux. Was he struggling with a knock? No.

  "Internal discipline" was how Ten Hag described the reason for leaving his talismanic striker out, and it later emerged Rashford had overslept and arrived late to a team meeting on the morning of the game.

  However, Rashford's importance to the team quickly became apparent as they struggled in a tough game against Wolves. Turning to the player who had fallen foul of the team's rules risked undermining the very decision to leave him out, but Ten Hag swallowed his pride and brought his naughty boy on.

  Rashford won the game with a tremendous solo goal and at full-time embraced Ten Hag, showing player and manager had already moved on from the incident.

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  Man Utd 2-1 Man City: Martial goes off, Rashford wins it

  United and City went in at half-time in the derby with the game goalless after an evenly matched 45 minutes, although there was concern among Reds that Rashford would have to go off after requiring treatment for an apparent muscle problem.

  Ten Hag did make a change at the break, but instead it was Martial who came off, for Antony. The Brazilian did not make much of a difference, but the decision to allow Rashford to run off his problem was a masterstroke.

  After Jack Grealish gave City the lead, Rashford played a huge role in Bruno Fernandes' highly controversial equaliser.

  He then knocked home Alejandro Garnacho's cross to complete a remarkable comeback victory over United's local rivals, who were in a fit of rage.

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  Man Utd 2-1 Barcelona: Antony puts Weghorst in the shade

  After a brave display at the Camp Nou, United were staring defeat to Barcelona in the face after falling behind at Old Trafford to a Robert Lewandowski penalty.

  Xavi Hernandez's side had the game where they wanted it and were in an ideal position to grind out a 1-0 win. Ten Hag, though, reacted quickly, taking the struggling Wout Weghorst off and bringing on Antony.

  United suddenly had what they did not have in the first half, a focal point in attack.

  Even though he no played no part in Fred's equaliser, Antony's mere presence sparked the goal and United suddenly had the momentum and a booming Old Trafford behind them.

  The Red Devils' swarmed the Catalans for most of the second half and Antony could have put United in front long before he eventually won the game, proving the pinball wizard after Alejandro Garnacho and Fred fired shots against Barca bodies.