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There is no need to shy away from the fact that Glasgow Rangers need to improve in a lot of areas if they want to claim to be the best club in Scotland once again.

They have not won the Scottish Premiership title for four years and ended the 2024/25 campaign without a single trophy added to the cabinet.

Russell Martin has arrived at Ibrox this summer with the ambition of bringing the Light Blues back to the top, but there also needs to be improvements made off the pitch when it comes to recruitment.

Kevin Thelwell and the recruitment team have to ensure that the former Scotland international has the tools at his disposal to put a successful team on the pitch, whilst also maximising any potential sales.

As you can see in the graphic above, the Gers do not have a particularly rich history of selling talent, with no sales worth more than £20m in their history to date.

However, they have still done well to maximise the money that they have got from sales in recent seasons, with Antonio Colak’s exit from the club standing out as one great example of that.

Rangers hit the jackpot with Antonio Colak

There was a point in time when it looked like the Croatian centre-forward was on course to go down as one of the greatest Rangers strikers of the modern era, after his lightning-fast start to life at Ibrox.

He joined the Light Blues from Greek side PAOK in the summer of 2022 and caught the eye with his early performances in the Scottish Premiership as Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s first-choice number nine.

Colak’s first ten Premiership matches

Opponent

Goals

Assists

Livingston

0

0

Kilmarnock

1

0

St Johnstone

1

0

Hibernian

0

1

Ross County

2

0

Celtic

0

0

Dundee

2

0

Hearts

2

0

St Mirren

2

1

Motherwell

0

0

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Colak scored ten goals and provided two assists in his first ten games for the club in the top-flight, which shows that he was on course to be an incredibly prolific number nine for the club.

However, a change in management, with Michael Beale coming in, essentially put an end to his time at Ibrox, as he only went on to score four goals in his last 14 outings in the league after that.

Colak was then sold to Parma for a reported fee of £2.5m in the summer of 2023, and the Gers hit the jackpot with that fee when you consider what he has gone on to achieve.

The Croatian forward has only scored four goals in 48 matches for Parma and Spezia combined since leaving Scotland, and is now valued

at just £850k by Transfermarkt.

This shows that the Scottish giants struck gold with his sale because he failed to replicate his early form at Ibrox elsewhere and is now worth significantly less than the £2.5m they got for him.

European club pushing to sign Rangers star

The Light Blues could be about to repeat the masterclass they played with Colak amid interest from a European side in one of their current centre-forward options.

Transfer Focus

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

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According to The Scottish Sun, AEK Athens are pushing to sign Cyriel Dessers from the Scottish giants within the next 48 hours, from Sunday night.

The report claims that the Greek team want to accelerate a deal for the Nigeria international in the next couple of days because they want him to join them on their pre-season tour of the Netherlands this week.

It adds that they have offered a fee of £4m for the experienced marksman, but Rangers are holding out for a fee of £5m, and that haggling over the fee is the last step in a potential deal.

Dessers has already agreed personal terms with AEK Athens, which is why it is now down to the clubs to thrash out a fee, and there could be progress in the coming hours.

Why Dessers could be Colak 2.0

The Nigerian striker could follow in Colak’s footsteps by leaving Rangers and failing to replicate the success that he had at Ibrox in front of goal.

Given how dominant Rangers and Celtic are in the Premiership, playing for one of the big two in Glasgow is a great opportunity for strikers because they know that they will get plenty of chances to shine.

In two seasons at Ibrox, Dessers missed a staggering 48 ‘big chances’ in the Scottish top-flight for the Light Blues, which shows that he has had plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net in the division.

A haul of 34 league goals in two seasons is a respectable return for the striker in isolation, but the 48 ‘big chances’ that he missed suggest that his finishing has not been good enough and that the forward should have even more goals to his name.

24/25 Europa League

Cyriel Dessers

Appearances

12

xG

5.49

Goals

3

Big chances missed

10

Ground duel success rate

36%

Aerial duel success rate

45%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Dessers also struggled in front of goal in the Europa League, underperforming his xG and missing ten ‘big chances’.

These statistics suggest that the Nigerian striker, who former Aberdeen chief Keith Wyness described as “infuriating” and “invisible” at times, will not continue to score goals at an impressive rate if he is in a team that does not create enough chances for him, because of his below-par finishing.

AEK Athens only scored 48 league goals this season, compared to the 80 Rangers scored in the Premiership, which suggests that Dessers would be part of an inferior attacking unit and would not get as many chances to score.

This, therefore, means that the striker’s value could decrease in the years to come, as a result of a lower goal return, and the Light Blues could look back on a £4-5m deal as a great success, as they can with Colak’s £2.5m exit, as Dessers may not be able to replicate his goalscoring form for the Gers in Greece due to his underwhelming finishing.

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It is now down to the club to get the best possible deal for the Nigeria international in these negotiations with AEK Athens in the coming hours.

Was that the goal that sealed Jadon Sancho’s Chelsea fate? With the Blues having already completed the comeback in Wednesday’s Conference League final, the Englishman extended that lead even further with a stunning strike from the left flank.

Introduced off the bench on the hour mark, the on-loan winger swiftly helped to rubberstamp victory with that delightful curling effort past a helpless Adrian, with that marking his 15th goal involvement of the season on his 41st outing for the west London side.

While there remains lingering doubts over whether Enzo Maresca’s side will sign the £25m man permanently – amid the presence of a £5m cancellation clause – the latest suggestion is that talks are now being held with the player’s representatives over contract terms.

As reported in recent days, the Blues are hopeful of negotiating fresh terms with the Manchester United outcast, in order to bring him in line with their current wage structure at Stamford Bridge.

If a deal can be agreed, the one-time Borussia Dortmund man could be set to stay put for the long term in the capital. That said, even if a deal is struck, it may not prevent the club from seeking out further attacking reinforcements this summer.

Latest on Chelsea's search for a winger

Liam Delap is all but confirmed as the latest exciting arrival under the Todd Boehly regime, with the £30m acquisition set to join the likes of Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez in bolstering Maresca’s ranks next season. Sporting CP teenager, Geovany Quenda, meanwhile, will make his move next summer.

With the likes of Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke already on the books – alongside the suspended Mykhaylo Mudryk – there does appear to be significant depth on the flanks, yet recent reports have indicated that a new winger remains a priority target for the club.

According to one Spanish news outlet, the Blues are said to be turning their attention toward AC Milan sensation, Rafael Leao, with Boehly and co believed to be ‘stepping up their interest’ in the Portugal international.

Transfer Focus

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

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As per the report, the Conference League winners are said to be readying a ‘concrete push’ to land the 25-year-old from the San Siro, with the Serie A side’s financial woes – and lack of European football next term – opening up the possibility of a sale occurring this summer.

Leao himself is said to be ready to move on from his current side, with Chelsea viewing this as the opportune time to pounce, having been keeping tabs on the player over an extended period.

With negotiations set to ‘accelerate’ over the coming weeks, the former Lille star could be the new attacking figurehead at Stamford Bridge..

How Rafael Leao compares to Sancho

As noted already, Sancho did end the campaign with five goals and ten assists to his name under Maresca, although there remains that nagging feeling that he is damaged goods, not least amid his dismal spell at Old Trafford that has yielded just 18 goals and assists in 83 games.

Equally, there must also be alarm bells ringing at the fact that Sancho’s best work in 2024/25 arguably came in Europe’s third-tier competition, having actually only scored three goals and provided five assists in the Premier League.

With just 22 goal involvements to his name in 89 games in England’s top-flight to date, the question remains as to whether the Manchester City youth product is entirely suited to the rigours of the Premier League.

Indeed, as pundit Tony Cascarino noted earlier in the campaign, Sancho is lacking that real athleticism to be able to beat his man, as he ‘doesn’t have that burst of acceleration to get at defenders’, while largely playing a ‘conservative game’.

That is not an accusation that can be labelled at Leao, by contrast, with the Milan ace hailed by national team boss, Roberto Martinez as “one of the best players in the world one-on-one and when it comes to exploiting spaces.”

Such dribbling prowess is evidenced by the fact that he ranks in the top 5% among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref. Sancho, for instance, ranks in just the top 18% in that regard, with both men typically lining up on the left flank.

Leao’s greater threat is also laid bare by the fact that he ranks in the top 14% for touches made in the attacking penalty area, with that again placing him ahead of his Chelsea counterpart, who ranks in the top 18% for that same metric.

Equally, even amid a disappointing season collectively for the Italian giants, Leao was still able to register 23 goals and assists, with that return including 18 goals and assists in Serie A .

Rafael Leao’s Serie A record

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

2024/25

34

8

10

2023/24

34

9

10

2022/23

35

15

10

2021/22

34

11

10

2020/21

30

6

6

2019/20

31

6

1

Total

198

55

47

Stats via Transfermarkt

As evidenced in the table above, the wantaway star has hit double figures for assists in each of his last four seasons in Italy’s top-flight, while scoring at least eight goals in that time.

For comparison, since moving to England in the summer of 2021 on a £73m deal, Sancho’s best league return came in 2022/23, when he scored six times and provided only three assists for United.

Of course, the caveat is that Leao is yet to try his hand in the Premier League, although he seemingly possesses the pace and power to thrive. As noted by Bologna defender Nicolo Casale, “when he accelerates it’s difficult to hold him and in a moment he runs away and you don’t catch him.”

It’s arguably a long time since anyone said anything similar of Sancho…

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Posts ByRoss Kilvington May 30, 2025

After signing Omar Marmoush in the January transfer window, Manchester City have now reportedly opened talks with another Bundesliga star in what would be a repeat of their deal for the Egyptian.

Marmoush's instant Man City impact

Having arrived for a reported £59m in a season that Manchester City couldn’t afford to get things wrong in the January transfer window, the pressure was certainly on Marmoush to perform. You wouldn’t know it, however. The Egyptian has enjoyed an excellent start to life at the Etihad, scoring seven goals in 18 games in a run that includes a stunning 14-minute hat-trick in a 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle United.

Pep Guardiola hasn’t shied away from praising the former Eintracht Frankfurt winger, either, telling reporters last month: “The numbers are really good.

“He arrived in the middle of the season and in a moment when we are not good. Sometimes when you come when everything is fluid and everything is fine it’s easy to adapt. But coming when the team is not playing good, that is a big credit.”

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The Spaniard will be hoping to see Marmoush only continue his bright start as Manchester City head into the final four games of their season. Still battling to secure their Champions League place, the Citizens have put together an impressive run of form at the perfect time and have three Premier League games to keep hold of their spot in the top five.

It will then be all eyes on Wembley as City attempt to avoid an upset and defeat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. Suddenly, from concerns that they may not even qualify for the Champions League, it’s still possible for the Citizens to finish as high as second and end the campaign with a trophy.

Man City open talks with Hugo Ekitike

Following the success of Marmoush, it looks as though those at the Etihad could return to the Bundesliga once again this summer. According to Bild, as relayed by Sport Witness, Manchester City have opened talks with Hugo Ekitike in an attempt to land a Marmoush repeat and a second Frankfurt player in six months.

The deal, like Marmoush’s in January, will not come cheap, however. The German side are reportedly demanding as much as €100m (£81m) to sell their star striker amid interest from Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and others.

Dubbed “superb” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Ekitike is someone who would stand every chance of thriving in the current Manchester City side, especially given how successful his partnership with Marmoush was at Frankfurt. By taking that into the Premier League, the duo could help take City back to the top of English football alongside Erling Haaland.

Fabrizio Romano has shared an update on Tottenham Hotspur and their managerial search, following another blow for Ange Postecoglou in the form of Spurs’ seventeenth Premier League defeat of the campaign against Wolves.

Ange Postecoglou comments after 4-2 Tottenham loss to Wolves

A series of calamitous goals, thanks to errors from key players, cemented yet another Spurs loss in the top flight on Sunday, with Wolves running out 4-2 winners against the Lilywhites on another lacklustre afternoon for Postecoglou.

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You couldn’t have asked for worse preparation ahead of Tottenham’s vital Europa League quarter-final second leg against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday, a must-win game for Postecoglou after their 1-1 draw with the Bundesliga side last week.

Rayan Ait-Nouri, Djed Spence’s own goal, Jorgen Strand Larsen’s strike and a Matheus Cunha finish compounded a miserable day at Molineux for the north Londoners. Mathys Tel and Richarlison made the scoreline less embarrassing with consolation goals in their 4-2 defeat, but Postecoglou did his best to back the players following a series of high-profile errors.

“Obviously a disappointing result,” said Postecoglou after Tottenham’s defeat at Wolves.

“Funny game, because for the most part, I thought our football was decent considering all the changes we’ve made. For the most part we controlled large parts of it, were a threat going forward and didn’t give them too much. But then obviously we conceded some pretty poor goals and that made it awfully difficult to get an outcome today.

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 21st

Liverpool (away)

April 27th

West Ham (away)

May 3rd

Crystal Palace (home)

May 10th

Aston Villa (away)

May 18th

“It’s not like the players are doing it on purpose, so you have an understanding that that’s the unfortunate things that sometimes happen in a game of football. Probably be more frustrated if it was something that we did from a tactical perspective or organisational perspective, but they’re individual errors, you know, the players don’t mean to do it and, especially Lucas and Romero, I mean they’re two fantastic footballers and what’s important now for both of them is that they recover and we focus on the next game.”

In the background, chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly contemplating the sacking of Postecoglou, with Spurs on course for their worst-ever Premier League season.

Tottenham stance on appointing Thiago Motta to replace Ange Postecoglou

According to recent reports, Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is Tottenham’s top managerial target after his very impressive campaign in the Cherries dugout, while both Thomas Frank (Brentford) and Marco Silva (Fulham) are also on their radar (The Athletic).

There’s also been recent murmurs of a potential Spurs move for Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, as well as former Juventus head coach Thiago Motta, who was recently sacked by the Serie A heavyweights.

The Italian failed to mount a successful title challenge, or show any signs of promise in terms of winning major silverware, prompting Juve to ruthlessly hand Motta his P45.

The 42-year-old is now without a club, and is currently linked with a move to N17, but Romano has since told GiveMeSport that Tottenham have no plans to appoint Motta as things stand.

“I’m still hearing about Iraola and Silva as two concrete options,” said Romano.

“For Motta, no contacts at this stage.”

Despite his failed stint at Juve, Motta did attract praise as a tactician during his time in Turin.

“Thiago is unique and unrepeatable: he is not at Juve, Juve is at him,” said journalist Ivan Zazzaroni.

“Inside the notebook that he always carries with him and shows during press conferences, also to note down the questions and their authors, there must be a world of ideas that he scrupulously hides from the eyes of the laymen. Motta is undoubtedly the most stimulating and original coach in the championship.”

With the management needing to decide between Taskin and Nahid for the second Test, it shows that pace bowling in the country is currently in a good space

Mohammad Isam29-Aug-2024It says a lot about a pace attack when the fastest bowler in the group, who took out the opposition’s best batter in a crucial moment in the first Test, is the one most likely to sit out for the next match. It also speaks richly of a pace attack when the top two wicket-takers of the last three years aren’t part of a match-winning overseas Test. There is enough ammunition with Bangladesh right now that they are not missing those sidelined by injury or those who need workload management. Welcome to the new-look Bangladesh pace attack.The man who changed that perception was Taskin Ahmed. His comeback story in 2021 was so inspiring that the rest of the pace attack followed in his footsteps. They started to win matches, which prompted the team management, hitherto so reluctant about pace, to build the attack properly. Taskin was picked in this Test squad with the caveat that he would only be available for the second Test. He is recovering from a long-standing shoulder injury and could replace Nahid Rana in the second Test in Rawalpindi.The tearaway Nahid, the first Bangladeshi fast bowler to reach speeds of 150kph in a Test match, removed Babar Azam to rock Pakistan on the fifth day. The hosts were 146 all out, their lowest total against Bangladesh.Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto had given Nahid a relatively free hand to use his pace to his best advantage. When asked after the win about this particular facet, Shanto said: “We let him go. We allowed him to bowl fast, without worrying about leaking runs. Look who he got us. Babar Azam. So we were okay with his runs per over.”Taskin, more experienced than Nahid, could offer much more to Shanto. He is a proven force with the new ball, while also developing the delivery that wobbles. He has been known to bowl a hard length, but can often slip in the yorker, or bowl the bouncer at will. Taskin is the complete package, one who has been excellent in white-ball games too this year.Nahid, meanwhile, is still new but has already turned heads with his pace. However, his inexperience of playing only his second Test did show in the first innings when he leaked runs after Shoriful Islam and Hasan Mahmud had reduced the hosts to 16 for 3. He is, however, a long-term prospect, and Shanto had enough faith in him to be the one bowling at Babar in the second innings.Nahid Rana clocked 149.9kmh in the same over in which he dismissed Babar Azam•Associated PressHailing from Chapainawabganj, Nahid is the second product of former fast bowler Alamgir Kabir, after Shoriful. Nahid didn’t take the conventional Under-19 route in Bangladesh cricket but has instead made his place after a superb season of first-class cricket, before getting a break in the BPL.But Bangladesh’s pace-bowling attack is more than just about speed. Shoriful has developed to become a mainstay in the attack, often using his angle with the new ball, and then coming around the wicket to strangle batters when the ball gets old. He is a workhorse too, and is already being talked up as Taskin’s heir.Mahmud is not far behind either. To his credit, he has improved across formats and his ability to move the red ball was impressive in his Test debut against Sri Lanka this year. Khaled Ahmed, the most experienced of Bangladesh’s fast bowlers in Pakistan, is missing out, but he cannot play himself down either. Khaled held his own in Bangladesh’s last overseas tour, in the West Indies, and is not far behind in the pecking order.In Islamabad, there are more fast bowlers with the Bangladesh A team. Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who left a mark during the T20 World Cup and kept Shoriful out of the XI is around. As is Rejaur Rahman Raja, having warmed the bench for Bangladesh several times in the last couple of years. That he is still uncapped is a surprise given the number of squads he made it to. The selectors are also giving a run to left-arm quick Ruyel Miah, who can be called a late bloomer. He has toiled for several years in domestic cricket before finally getting this second-string call-up.The fact that Ebadot Hossain doesn’t even make the first half of the conversation is a testament to the fast-bowling group that is expanding every few months. Ebadot is still Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker in the last three years in Tests, but he is still recovering from an ACL surgery and last played a Test in December 2022. For long, he had a very ordinary average and strike rate in Tests but has improved so much that he also made the white-ball set-up before his injury.With Bangladesh now eyeing an outright Test series win in Pakistan, they have a tough decision to take. Picking Taskin isn’t a difficult choice, but dropping Nahid most certainly will be. Still, they are likely to do it since Taskin is more than just about pace. But that Bangladesh have the luxury of making such decisions shows how much their pace unit has grown in recent years.

Dawson, Wheal, Crane and Ellis all ply their usual trade at Hampshire and it’s Brave’s loss

Cameron Ponsonby12-Aug-2022Home, famously, is where your heart is. A quirk of the modern cricketer, adorned in various shades of neon as they trot across the globe, is that they live out of a suitcase whilst pledging their heart and soul to a different franchise six weeks at a time.And tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be a Chattogram Challenger.A lifelong adventure of international flings that rarely, if ever, collide with your one true love at home. But sweat away, sailor you don’t mind.However, in today’s fixture between Southern Brave and London Spirit, four of the visiting Spirit side and 80% of the bowling attack in Liam Dawson, Brad Wheal, Mason Crane and Nathan Ellis ply their trade at Hampshire, with a fifth, Glenn Maxwell, also previously of this parish.The result was a cricketing episode of Whose Home Is It Anyway? A comedy improv show where the away team’s five ‘home’ players outnumber the home team’s three (James Vince, James Fuller and Ross Whiteley) and they trade gags as Jake Lintott and Crane bowl googlies to their heart’s content in the background.”We had the Blast here”, said Hampshire’s T20 final match-winner Ellis to Sky Sports ahead of the game, “so I was expecting some noise when my name came up on the screen. There was nothing.”When I played for Hampshire I got a room with a balcony [in the adjoining Hilton]. Now I’m here as a visitor, I’m facing the other way with no balcony.”Nathan Ellis. A stranger in his own kingdom.Mason Crane celebrates taking the wicket of Alex Davies•ECB/Getty ImagesIn the first innings, London Spirit reached an ultimately match-winning total of 147 thanks to Daniel Bell-Drummond who, in his first appearance of the competition, top scored with 46 off 33 balls.But the plot thickened when Spirit’s ‘away’ bowling attack took on Brave’s home batting line-up. Between Dawson, Ellis, Wheal and Crane, London Spirit’s attack had taken 69 Blast wickets this year for Hampshire. And of Brave’s top seven, Vince, Whiteley and Fuller had combined for over 1000 runs.”It’s pretty much the Hampshire winning attack with Chris Wood on the bench”, Bell-Drummond said after the game. “So they obviously know the ground really well and know Vince and Fuller extremely well. So that was very helpful for us.”Ahead of the opening game of the season, Southern Brave had asked to reduce the boundaries to 70m all around only to be denied due to competition regulations. It is unclear whether the change was requested for reasons of business or pleasure, but crucially, it would have made it different.The result of the move not being allowed, however, is that the dimensions of the ground remained the same as those in the Blast. A fact all the more important due to Hampshire’s longstanding success at the Ageas existing on a diet of pace-off bowling being combined with boundaries that are large enough to be considered intercontinental borders.As the chase began, so too did the all Hampshire affair as Vince faced up to the offspin of Maxwell. However, in a moment very much not in the script, Vince was bowled. A big wicket has never been met with such silence, as a stunned stadium looked on in disbelief. Most of all Vince, who stood his ground and waited for the replay in disbelief that a ball would have the audacity to go anywhere near his stumps on his own ground of all places.It wasn’t until Jordan Thompson came on as second change that Spirit abandoned their Hampshire connection. Dawson bowled his 20 deliveries in two sets of 10, conceding just 21 runs in the process, before Crane too bowled a set of 10. In total, all of Crane and Dawson’s deliveries were sent down from the Pavilion end as London Spirit’s Hampshire played Southern Brave at their own game.”Hampshire play on used wickets here”, said Spirit captain Eoin Morgan to Sky at the close, “they’ve pushed the boundaries out with Mason, Dawson, [Danny] Briggs over the years and taken pace off the ball and used variations.”Whether they’ve set targets or chased them down, they’ve been really busy, they’ve not gone gung-ho with the bat, looking for boundaries, they’ve built momentum with ones and twos and applied pressure in a different way.”It was fitting then, that it was only to Ross Whiteley that Spirit’s plan almost came crumbling down. Whiteley, newly signed to Hampshire this year after playing for Brave last season, struck 52 off 33 balls to get Brave within striking distance before ultimately falling nine runs short.”It’s always fun playing against your mates,” Whiteley said after the game, “and knowing how successful they’ve been it’s always going to be tricky.”They’re great bowlers and they know how to bowl on that surface. They’ve shown it, winning a trophy this year, and they’ve done it again tonight.”In the end, home advantage won out. Just not in the way we’re used to.

Despite the square boundaries being the longest, Sharma struck 49 off 20 balls that were short or back of a length

Saurabh Somani24-Sep-20205:55

Manjrekar: Felt like KKR bowled to see the best of Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma’s overall record in the IPL is substantial, but over the past three years, his numbers had dipped somewhat. That the Mumbai Indians still won twice in those three years speaks to the strength of the franchise, but they did it with a somewhat lesser contribution from their captain than they have usually been accustomed to.From 2017 to 2019, Sharma averaged 25.60 and struck his runs at 127.52, both well below what his numbers had been from 2008 to 2016: an average of 33.68 and a strike rate of 131.72. The difference is more stark when you look at his impact per innings according to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats algorithm – among the 12 years he’s played in the IPL, his two lowest years were 2017 and 2018, while 2019 ranks eighth.Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, the years 2017 to 2019 also saw an upswing in the overall scoring rate in the IPL, with run rates for the tournament being 8.41, 8.64 and 8.41 in each successive year – having never gone past the 8.40 mark in any previous IPL year.That’s not to say the pace of the T20 game was becoming more rapid than Sharma could handle. He can – and has been – as devastating in the shortest format as he is in one-day cricket. But in his latest avatar, Sharma has worked out a method which generally sees him be more circumspect at the start before exploding later on. It works a treat when he stays for any length of time, but if he’s out early, his numbers suffer. And the nature of T20 cricket is that you will be out early more often than you go deep.Rohit Sharma goes for the big one•BCCIAs among the smartest thinkers of the game, Sharma will have worked out the method that suits his team best, even if that means a dip in his personal numbers, and there are sound reasons for his approach. Given the Mumbai Indians’ depth and hitting power, even a below-par Sharma score can be absorbed. And when he’s at his best, he can add a layer of firepower that takes the team to another level. On balance, that is a trade-off that benefits the team, and the results are inarguable too.And now, with the IPL moving to the UAE, it might just be a reversion to the mean that sees Sharma’s method be even more effective. The first evidence of that was in how Sharma packed a punch in his 80 off 54 balls against the Kolkata Knight Riders, leading his side to a formidable 195 for 5 and, eventually, a comprehensive win.The Mumbai Indians play eight of their league matches in Abu Dhabi, with three each in Dubai and Sharjah. The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi has not been as conducive to big-hitting as the Wankhede has been. Before the Mumbai Indians played the Knight Riders, a six was hit every 49 balls at the venue, as opposed to every 17 balls at the Wankhede. The ground itself is bigger, and the pitches have tended not to be as flat. In T20s since 2017, the run rate at Abu Dhabi has been 7.3, lower than any IPL venue in that timeframe.A lower par score means that if Sharma does fall early, it will cause even less of a dent to the side than it normally does. But the fun comes when he goes big, because then, ground size becomes irrelevant, and he can power his team to a Wankhede total in Abu Dhabi.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var e in a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var t=document.getElementById(“datawrapper-chart-“+e)||document.querySelector(“iframe[src*='”+e+”‘]”);t&&(t.style.height=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][e]+”px”)}}))}();