Afghanistan were all systems go in their opener against Hong Kong, and could go clear at the top with another win on Tuesday

Mohammad Isam15-Sep-20252:26

Abhinav Mukund impressed by Afghanistan’s on-field trial

Big picture: Afghanistan’s chance to make it two in twoAfter the net run-rate-boosting win over Hong Kong on the first day of the Asia Cup, Afghanistan have the chance to go clear at the top of Group B on Tuesday. Bangladesh are up next, fresh from the hiding at the hands of Sri Lanka. Afghanistan are the more confident of the two sides, which gives them the advantage before the start of the game.Azmatullah Omarzai’s record-breaking half-century from No. 6 led them in their 94-run win against Hong Kong. He added 82 runs for the fifth wicket with Sediqullah Atal, who ended unbeaten on 73. Afghanistan’s bowling was true to their reputation, hardly allowing the hapless Hong Kong batters a whiff.Related

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Afghanistan get their win but Trott wants improvement

Rashid Khan must have also been pleased with AM Ghazanfar and Noor Ahmad now taking more responsibility. Mohammad Nabi didn’t bowl against Hong Kong, but is likely to be back in the attack against Bangladesh, who have to take on an irrepressible spin attack, a particularly hard task given their own frailties and the conditions in the Emirates.Their batting was under pressure against Sri Lanka right from the start as they played out two wicket-maidens to begin with. Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy couldn’t revive the innings, leaving the job to Jaker Ali and Shamim Hossain. They have often done this well in the past, but couldn’t on the day.Bangladesh’s catching was below par. The bowlers also collapsed in the face of sensible and aggressive batting. Dropping Taskin Ahmed in favour of Shoriful Islam might have destabilised a side that looks up to Taskin for inspiration.They have to get their act together against Afghanistan, a side headed in the direction opposite to where Bangladesh are going. Bangladesh must lift themselves, otherwise their Asia Cup campaign could well be over before even taking off.1:14

Maharoof: Bangladesh have been lacking in major tournaments

Form guideAfghanistan WLWWW
Bangladesh LWWLWIn the spotlight: Azmatullah Omarzai and Shamim HossainAzmatullah Omarzai is emerging as Afghanistan’s top pace-bowling-allrounder, who can bowl in pressure situations and bat effectively in the top six. His half-century against Hong Kong was Afghanistan’s fastest in the format. Omarzai struck five sixes and two fours in his 21-ball 53. He is more than useful with the ball too, often helping Afghanistan break partnerships. He would, however, like to improve his T20I batting record against Bangladesh, having scored just 88 runs in six outings so far.Shamim Hossain dug Bangladesh out of a hole against Sri Lanka, but his unbeaten 42 – and Jaker Ali’s unbeaten 41 – couldn’t quite get them to a winning position. Shamim and Jaker added 86 for the sixth wicket, both doing the sort of fire-fighting job they are asked to do often. The good part about Shamim’s innings was that he took the attack to the Sri Lanka bowlers at the end of the innings, something that should give him confidence against Afghanistan.Taskin Ahmed should return to the Bangladesh XI•AFP/Getty Images

Team newsAfghanistan are likely to stick to the same XI that played against Hong Kong in the tournament opener.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Sediqullah Atal, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Ibrahim Zadran, 4 Mohammad Nabi, 5 Gulbadin Naib, 6 Azmatullah Omarzai, 7 Karim Janat, 8 Rashid Khan (capt), 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 AM Ghazanfar, 11 Fazalhaq FarooqiSaif Hassan and Nurul Hasan are top-order batting options Bangladesh could look at, while Taskin is likely to return into the playing XI.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shamim Hossain, 6 Jaker Ali, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Tanzim Hasan, 9 Rishad Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur RahmanPitch and conditionsAbu Dhabi has rewarded batters with intent in the Asia Cup so far, but the bowlers too have found help from the pitches. The forecast is for high temperatures.Stats and trivia The two maiden overs Bangladesh played out at the start of their innings against Sri Lanka was only the second such instance in a men’s T20I match between two Full-Member teams. Zimbabwe did it against West Indies in 2010. Omarzai struck the fastest T20I fifty for Afghanistan in their Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong. His 20-ball half-century beat Nabi’s 21-ball effort against Ireland in 2017.

There are four double-header days scheduled, with the league stage ending on December 28

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2025The fourth season of the ILT20 is set to begin on December 2, 2025, with defending champions Dubai Capitals set to take on Desert Vipers in a rematch of last year’s final, in Dubai.There are four double-header days scheduled, with the league stage ending on December 28. The knockout stages will begin with Qualifier 1 on December 30, followed by the Eliminator on January 1. The winner of the Eliminator will have to play Qualifier 2 on the following day, after which there will be a day’s break before the final, on January 4, 2026, in Dubai.Sharjah Warriorz and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders will begin their respective campaigns against each other on December 3, while Gulf Giants will take on MI Emirates for their first game, on December 4.The matches will be played across the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Cricket Stadium and the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, like previous seasons.Dubai Capitals, who have reached the last two finals, won the title in the previous season with a four-wicket win over Vipers.Before them, MI Emirates lifted the trophy in 2024 and Gulf Giants in the inaugural season in 2023.

Liverpool were comprehensively beaten by Manchester City on Sunday. That’s five defeats from six in the Premier League for Arne Slot’s side, and the crisis switch has been flicked back on.

As things stand, there are fears that the eighth-place Reds face an uphill battle to seal a top-four (or top-five, depending on UEFA coefficients), much less challenge against Arsenal and the resurgent Citizens for the throne they so spectacularly won last year.

This is a pale imitation of that title-winning team, and though Pep Guardiola tactically dismantled Slot and his men at the Etihad Stadium, Liverpool continue to come unstuck by their own self-destructive tendencies.

So sluggish and limp against City on Sunday. Liverpool’s press was non-existent, and neither has the stable framework of recent years been in sight since the summer.

But, right at the very epicentre of all this is Ibrahima Konate, who was targeted by the Sky Blues at the weekend and it worked out for them and then some as they sent Liverpool packing, having shipped three.

Why Konate is such a big problem for Liverpool

Against Manchester City, Konate took 88 touches of the ball, whereas captain Virgil van Dijk was in possession 58 times, data via Sofascore.

That tells the tale. Guardiola set his side up to put pressure on Liverpool’s France centre-back and he was unable to respond, having been at fault for the early penalty that Giorgi Mamardashvili saved and then again when Erling Haaland rose and scored soon after.

This is a defender whose form has gone beyond out of sorts. Konate is failing to do the basics, and he is now being preyed upon by opposition coaches. Sky Sports fan voice Lewis Anderson commented after the match that the 26-year-old “needs dropping like a hot stone”, given his consistent inconsistency this season.

But who to replace him? In spite of Liverpool’s thrilling transfer window success this summer, the lateness of their concerted effort to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace ended with FSG empty-handed, for the Eagles played hardball after struggling to find a suitable replacement.

Konate is one of the biggest flashpoints within Slot’s squad right now, and he needs to be dropped. Options are slim, admittedly, but there’s one man who will fancy his chances of taking the powerful defender’s place in the starting line-up in the future, albeit not for a while as he recovers from injury.

The teen who can end Konate's Liverpool career

There was a real buzz around Anfield when sporting director Richard Hughes swept over to Italy and returned with one of the region’s most prodigious talents in Giovanni Leoni.

The 18-year-old joined for a £26m and had also been sought after by the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle United.

However, this fairytale move to Liverpool quickly devolved into a nightmare for the Italian centre-back, who ruptured his ACL on his debut against Southampton in September, the severity of which is so great that Slot said afterwards that he would be sidelined for around a year.

From a wider perspective, this has been a damaging blow for a Liverpool backline lacking depth and balance. Moreover, Konate’s abject performances have left him droppable, save for the threadbare defensive line that is now forcing Slot’s hand.

With Konate out of contract at the end of the season and attracting interest from heavyweights such as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, Liverpool chiefs face a decision as they continue to probe in discussions to try and make a breakthrough, extending the £70k-per-week talent’s stay on Merseyside.

However, could Konate’s departure on a free transfer actually be a scenario that would not prove detrimental? After all, Van Dijk is sticking around for a while longer, and when Leoni returns, he could establish himself as the next big thing.

After all, he caught the eye against Saints before that bitter injury.

Giovanni Leoni vs Southampton

Match Stats

#

Minutes played

81′

Touches

102

Accurate passes

88/91 (97%)

Possession lost

3x

Recoveries

3

Tackles won

0/1

Interceptions

3

Clearances

6

Ground duels

1/2

Aerial duels

3/3

Data via Sofascore

Hailed as a “Rolls-Royce” of a defender who can “be the leader of that defence” in spite of his youth by one content creator, Leoni’s season-ending injury on his senior debut for Liverpool can only be described as agonisingly unfair.

But it has happened, and nothing can change that. The defender’s road to recovery is long indeed, but there remains every expectation on Merseyside that he will bounce back and realise his potential.

And, with the data analysts sure to be mulling over Konate’s future as the end of his contract edges ever nearer, we might even see that stance on the Les Bleus star slacken.

Crystal Palace’s Guehi remains a top target, and Leoni showed a glimpse of his quality in less than 90 minutes of football this season, proving he has what it takes to slip into his struggling senior peer’s seat.

Van Dijk must rally his Liverpool forces across the remainder of the campaign and ensure that this brutal dip in form does not fester and linger as a wider, more damaging issue.

However, this acclimatisation period of new signings struggling to bed into life under Slot’s wing will not go on forever, however interminable it seems right now.

But there’s no denying more is needed, and if Konate cannot bring himself together over the coming months, it’s hard to envisage Liverpool offering new and improved terms.

And given Leoni took to his Liverpool role like a duck to water before disaster struck, there’s every chance he will respond next season in a more stable tactical set-up, quickly vindicating the potential decision to let Konate leave when his contract expires this summer.

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Posts ByDan Emery Nov 10, 2025

Will Celtic appoint a new manager during this international break?

Following Sunday’s 4-0 Premiership victory over Kilmarnock, interim manager Martin O’Neill honestly admitted that he does not know whether or not he will still be in charge when the Hoops are next in action against St Mirren in Paisley a week on Saturday.

Reports this week suggest the board are intensifying their search for Brendan Rodgers’ long-term replacement, currently in London holding talks with candidates, with a leading target having now emerged.

Whoever takes charge, considering Celtic will play 11 matches, including a League Cup Final, before the transfer window opens, will need to get the best out of the Hoops’ current squad, so could landing their dream target be good news for the club’s best attacker?

The 'frontrunner' to become Celtic manager

As has been widely reported, Kieran McKenna, Wilfried Nancy, Craig Bellamy and Robbie Keane are among the candidates to become Celtic manager.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

However, their dream candidate all along has been Bodø/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen, who, according to a report by TEAMtalk, ‘remains a frontrunner’.

They claim that a move to Glasgow is viewed as the ‘perfect next step’ for the 57-year-old, who is out of contract in the Arctic Circle later this year, having worked miracles with Bodø/Glimt since being appointed in 2018.

His team demolished Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic 5-1 on aggregate in a Conference League tie back in February 2022, so could he soon be returning to Parkhead, only this time in the home dugout?

And would his arrival help to get the best out of Daizen Maeda?

Why a change of manager could revive Maeda

Earlier this season, Maeda revealed that he had asked to leave Celtic this summer to take the next step in his career, but was not allowed to do so, following the sales of Nicolas Kühn and Adam Idah, while no replacements for them were even brought in until the final hours of the window.

Well, after scoring 33 goals last season, the Japanese forward has not been at his scintillating best this time round, scoring only four goals so far, most notably nodding home the stoppage time winner against Motherwell, also on target against Killie last weekend.

Overall, most of Maeda’s statistics have decreased this season, as the table below highlights.

As the table documents, the majority of Maeda’s numbers have endured a downturn this season, including goals, shooting accuracy and chance creation, missing more big chances on a per-90 basis too.

When the Japanese international is at his best, he is able to ferociously close down defenders and burst into space, as this goal in last season’s League Cup Final highlights, something he has not been allowed to do very often this season, hindered by the Celts’ stodgy style of play.

However, could that all be about to change, allowing Maeda to rediscover his best form?

The reason Knutsen is the outstanding candidate is that he has completely transformed Bodø/Glimt.

When he was appointed manager in 2018, the Yellow Horde were still in the Norwegian second tier, but they have now won four of the last five Eliteserien titles, chasing another with two games to go of this campaign.

Having said that, Bodø/Glimt have really made a name for themselves in Europe, reaching the Conference League quarter-finals in 2022 and last season’s Europa League semi-finals, qualifying for the Champions League group stages for the very first time earlier this year.

Michael Stewart believes Knutsen has done an “incredible” job in the Arctic Circle, while Jan Åge Fjørtoft praised Knutsen’s “clear philosophy” and “attractive” style of play.

Across his 351 matches in charge, Bodø/Glimt have always used a fluid 4-3-3 formation which, as outlined by Total Football Analysis, features attacking full-backs, thereby allowing the wide-attackers to drift inside and score goals.

Meantime, as documented by the Coaches’ Voice, Knutsen’s team consistently rank highly in terms of ‘most dribbles and 1v1 moments’, favouring quick interplay and direct attacks.

Well, all of this sounds like it would suit Maeda’s skillset, whether the Japanese forward was to be deployed centrally or out wide.

Concerningly, Maeda may still harbour hopes of a move away in January, with a World Cup on the horizon, but Knutsen, should he arrive, surely would not sanction the sale of Celtic’s best attacker, while his appointment may represent such a coup that the forward is convinced that the Celts are heading in the right direction once again.

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By
Ben Gray

Nov 12, 2025

Liverpool boss Arne Slot is continuing to build what he hopes will be a long-term dynasty at Anfield, though he may well need to plan for the future without Ryan Gravenberch.

The Reds are keen to push once again for the Premier League title. They will feel a renewed sense of optimism on that front with the international break to come, helped in no small part by Arsenal’s last-minute collapse at Sunderland on Saturday.

No matter what happens as the campaign continues to take shape, Liverpool know that their presence near the top of the pile has the potential to make other sides feel uneasy, even if a mixed start to the season has left supporters searching for more out of their side.

Florian Wirtz has failed to fully ignite at Anfield and there are still question marks over Jeremie Frimpong and Alexander Isak’s form. Nevertheless, one man Slot has been able to hang his hat on over the course of his tenure is Ryan Gravenberch.

Strutting his stuff and getting on the scoresheet against Aston Villa last weekend, the Netherlands international followed that performance up with an excellent engine room display as the Reds edged past Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Enjoying life in midfield, Gravenberch has been in fine form since returning from an ankle injury sustained against Manchester United. Fundamentally, his availability is crucial to Liverpool’s title bid, and he is now firmly one of the first names on Slot’s teamsheet.

Either way, the Reds are constantly pitting themselves against the elite sides in world football, and they have witnessed first-hand that rival heavyweights aren’t daunted by the prospect of trying to steal players from under their nose.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is a key example of that practice. However, they could now face a battle on their hands to retain Gravenberch amid recent developments from Spain.

Barcelona want to seize opportunity to sign Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch

According to reports in Spain, Barcelona want to capitalise on Ryan Gravenberch’s Liverpool situation and retain an element of confidence that they may be able to reach an agreement to sign the Netherlands international next summer.

Intriguingly, the former Ajax man values the opportunity to fulfil a career dream by signing for a top-level side such as the La Liga giants, though La Blaugrana will need to balance their finances before making an official approach.

Ryan Gravenberch’s 2025/26 season – Premier League

Shots

12

Successful dribbles

7

Chances created

5

Pass accuracy

87.7%

Duels won

42

Despite no exact price being named by the outlet, Liverpool’s valuation of their star midfielder has soared due to his recent performance and role in last term’s Premier League title triumph, making Gravenberch a hard player to attain for any elite side.

Liverpool may have their next Gini Wijnaldum in midfield

Like any potential move, selling the project on offer in Catalonia will be key to initiating movement. In contrast, the Reds will hope their upward trajectory as a club will convince the 23-year-old to stay put on Merseyside.

Harry Kane believes England are "one of the favourites" to win next year's World Cup after his brace against Albania. The Three Lions secured a 2-0 win in Tirana to ensure they finished their World Cup qualifying campaign with eight wins out of eight. Now, the Bayern Munich star has sent a warning out to the other contenders for the 2026 tournament in North America.

Kane stars again for England

Kane's two second-half goals meant England finished their qualifying campaign with a 100 per cent record and took his goal tally for his country to 78 – taking him past Brazilian great Pele. The Three Lions have now kept a clean sheet in each of their last 10 games in the World Cup qualifiers, a run of 1,032 minutes without conceding a goal. The 32-year-old has so often been the saviour for England and that proved to be the case again on Sunday night in Albania. 

Incidentally, former England defender Conor Coady says it is a "pleasure" to watch the ex-Tottenham striker in full flight.

He said on BBC Radio 5 Live: "Harry Kane plays every minute of every game because he does the job. Playing for his country means a lot to him – it is a pleasure to watch him. I thought England were top draw tonight. The manage is in a fantastic place going into next year. It was hard at times, but the subs that came on were outstanding."

AdvertisementGettyKane says England are among World Cup favourites

In recent years, England have reached the final of the Euros for two straight tournaments and made it to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Ahead of the next edition of this famous event, Kane appears to be confident about his country's chances.

When asked how he rates his team against other top nations, he told ITV Sport: "I think it's as good as we've ever had, I think when you look at starting 11, you look at the players coming off the bench, we're going to go into the tournament as one of the favourites, we have to accept that, we've been like that now for the last few tournaments and that's part and parcel of it so we've been building, we've had a great year together with the new coach and now we look forward to obviously a big 2026."

Tough test in Albania

England boss Tuchel made seven changes to the side that beat Serbia 2-0 in midweek. The Three Lions had to be patient at Arena Kombetare, with Kane scoring in the 74th and 82nd minutes. For the ex-Spurs man, Albania provided a stern test for him and his team-mates.

"I think it was a really tough game, probably one of the toughest games we've had in the group, and we had to be patient, we had to grind them down defensively, really solid, and we've done that, and we ended up with a two-nil win, another clean sheet, we can be really happy," he said. "Yeah so we kind of changed it, first half we went in a different out swing and then when Saka come on, we know how good he is at hitting that kind of front post zone and we kind of went to the front post, got a little bit lucky with the flick on but thankfully I was there to put it away. If you're going to go far in any tournament you need a whole squad, you need the players who don't start to come off the bench and make an impact, that's what football's about, it's not just the 11 that play so we're going to need everyone and you know the guys who come on today made a big difference. I think we've set the standard now, especially in the last few camps, and we carried it on into this camp, and it's an important win, you don't want to finish with a loss on the end of the year and then have to wait until March to play again, we can go away and enjoy this now."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for England?

After this successful World Cup qualifying campaign, Tuchel's side will wait to find out which friendly games are in store for them in 2026. It remains to be seen what level of opposition England will face before heading to North America next summer as they seek their first World Cup win since 1966.

Mohammad Mithun has become the new president of Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) after winning the players body’s election, held in Dhaka on Thursday. Election commissioner Iftekhar Rahman announced that Mithun got 154 votes, beating Salim Shahed who was the interim CWAB convenor since May this year. Shahed got 34 votes.”We will try to solve everything through negotiation,” Mithun said shortly after the election results were announced. “If that’s not possible, as I have come here to protect the rights of the cricketers, I have to speak for them. The BCB is our guardian. We can go to our guardian with whatever demands that we have. I hope the BCB sees those demands positively.”CWAB was established in 2004 but it hasn’t had any elections in the 21 years of existence. Naimur Rahman, the former Bangladesh captain and Awami League MP, was the CWAB president for 11 years, alongside general secretary Debabrata Paul. The pair quit their posts earlier this year, before Shahed was made the interim head of an ad-hoc committee.After many years, CWAB saw involvement from the country’s top cricketers. Before Thursday’s elections, the other positions in the executive body were filled uncontested.Former batter Shahriar Hossain is the senior vice-president while Nurul Hasan is the vice president. Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shamsur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rumana Ahmed, Khaled Mashud Pilot, Imrul Kayes, Irfan Sukkur, and Akbar Ali are new executive committee members.CWAB is an affiliate of the World Cricketers’ Association (formerly known as FICA). It came under the spotlight when Bangladesh’s top cricketers went on an indefinite strike in 2019, and one of their demands was CWAB’s overhaul at the time. CWAB bosses Naimur and Paul promised elections, but it was never held in the following five years.

If SRH had a bit of a hole at No. 3 last season, they may have found the perfect candidate to fill it this time around

Karthik Krishnaswamy23-Mar-20252:46

Rapid fire: Are Kishan and SRH a perfect match?

Did you see that?Did you see Abhishek Sharma step out, realise that Fazalhaq Farooqi had followed him with a bouncer into his body, and still have the time to lean back, manufacture room, and carve the ball over backward point?Did you see Sanju Samson hook Mohammed Shami for six, and slap and chop him either side of point for a pair of surgical first-over fours?Did you see Dhruv Jurel welcome Pat Cummins to IPL 2025 with a 90m six over long-on, with a bat-swing like the smoothest golf drive?Related

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Kishan's 106* ensures SRH ease to win in 286 plays 242

This was quite a match if you were a top-order batter, keeper-batter, or keeper-batter who bats in the top three and has been part of India’s recent T20I squads. Abhishek and Samson are India’s current opening pair in the format, and Jurel their reserve keeper in their most recent series.Between them, they scored 160 off 83 balls.It wasn’t quite the match for Yashasvi Jaiswal, but it could so easily have been that. If he had uppercut Simarjeet Singh a few inches higher, or if Abhinav Manohar had mistimed his jump at point by a few milliseconds, you might be reading an open-mouthed appreciation of his gifts.2:06

‘Kishan hammered everyone to every corner’

India’s T20I present was there, as was India’s all-format future, in a clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) that produced an aggregate of 528 runs, the second-highest in IPL history.The defining innings of this match, however, came from someone else – another top-order batter who keeps wickets, who could easily be a defining face of India’s present and is young enough to be their future too, but whose innings on this day, for complicated reasons, felt like a blast from the past.A blast, perhaps, from November 2023, when Ishan Kishan was India’s Test keeper in the long-term absence of Rishabh Pant; their back-up opener in ODIs, with a double-hundred in that format; and possibly their first-choice T20I keeper, with his last three innings in that format including two blistering fifties against Australia.November 2023 wasn’t all that long ago, but try measuring that in Indian cricket time. The Kishan of March 2025 is a cricketer who hasn’t played for India in nearly 16 months and is out of the BCCI’s central contracts list. Others have taken his place in India’s squads, and taken full ownership of their roles. Time has stood still for Kishan, seemingly, and Indian cricket has simply kept moving.An unfettered version of Ishan Kishan was on show on his SRH debut•BCCIBut then, he’s only 26. And did you see that?Did you see Kishan step out to Maheesh Theekshana on Sunday afternoon and send him whistling over the ducking umpire’s head with that trademark, unfettered follow-through? Did you wonder why the sight of this familiar figure kitted out in unfamiliar colours made so much sense?The shot brought up SRH’s fifty, and it was just the fourth over of their innings. It was just the third ball Kishan had faced. Travis Head and Abhishek had put on 45 in 3.1 overs, and it made so much sense that another no-holds-barred intent machine would follow them to the crease. This has been the SRH way since their revolutionary 2024 season, and this has always been the Kishan way.Interviewed between innings, Kishan gave a glowing endorsement of the SRH management, particularly their captain Pat Cummins, and if you were so inclined, you could have listened to his words and heard less-than-glowing assessments of previous captains and managements.”The captain especially, the skipper in our team is just giving a lot of freedom to everyone, doesn’t matter if you get a lot of runs or if you get out early. [As long as] you’re doing everything for the team, it’s all fair, and that is the confidence every player needs, so hats off to him, and hats off to the management.”Now everyone says pretty much the same things about the captains and managements they happen to play for, but SRH can only play the way they do if they fully empower their batters to keep taking the high-risk option. There’s a clarity to how Abhishek and Head bat, a seeming absence of the thought of failure or its consequences, and Kishan, at his best, plays the same way.Ishan Kishan slammed his first IPL hundred•BCCIOn 25, for example, he went after a short ball from Sandeep Sharma that was angled away from him, aiming for the gap to the left of deep point. The ball bounced a little more than ideal for this horizontal-bat slap, and there was perhaps less width than ideal, but Kishan threw himself into the shot. He didn’t quite middle it, and was perhaps lucky that the ball didn’t quite carry to the fielder. But from the way he played that shot, it was clear it would have been okay for him to get out that way.On 39, he leaned across to the off side to try and scoop Jofra Archer over short fine leg, and this shot was almost entirely premeditation, hugely dependent on guesswork as to the bowler’s intended line and length. He guessed the line right, but not quite the length, and only managed a top-edge, but it went for six anyway.It’s precisely this sort of educated abandonment of control that unlocks the ability for teams to score at 14 or 15 an over as SRH did right through their innings. It was the first ball of the over, and Kishan had shown Archer he was coming for him, no matter what. Under these circumstances, the bowler running in can’t just think of the field he’s set and the line and length he wants to bowl, but also the means by which the batter can manipulate those things. Kishan hit two more sixes in that Archer over, the 13th of the SRH innings, and they too were all about manipulation – both times he stepped away to the leg side and freed his arms to launch full balls aimed at the base of the stumps over the cover point boundary.Kishan hit 11 fours and six sixes in all, and while some of these flew unstoppably off the middle of his bat, there were others that could count as miscues or chancy hits that could have led to his dismissal on other days. Those, though, were in one sense his best shots of the day, because they fully captured the spirit of his innings: that top-edged scoop that put Archer under pressure; that low full-toss that was close to being a well-executed wide yorker, stabbed off the toe-end to just elude mid-off; the collapsed back-knee slog-sweep that barely cleared deep square leg.This is the SRH way, and this is the Kishan way. If they had a bit of a hole at No. 3 last season, they may have found the perfect candidate to fill it this time around. And along the way, he could yet find a way to force himself back into conversations about India’s present and future.