GOAL takes a look at some of the major MLS storylines emerging ahead of Matchday 24

Matchday 24 is here, and is highlighted by a massive rivalry. On Saturday, Supporters' Shield-leading FC Cincinnati hosts fourth-place Eastern Conference foes Columbus Crew in another edition of the Hell is Real derby, while in Southern Florida, things heat up for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami..

The host a red-hot Nashville SC as two of the East's finest go head-to-head. A victory for B.J. Callaghan's side on the road could be pivotal in their hopes for an Eastern Conference title.

In the West, Dejan Joveljic and Sporting Kansas City host the Seattle Sounders as the red-hot Serbian forward looks to keep his goalscoring prowess going.

GOAL dives into all that and more in The Kickoff, a weekly preview of each MLS Matchday.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowUSA TodayHell is Real returns

Both teams arrive on four-match unbeaten streaks. In their first meeting this season, the Crew and FC Cincy played to a 1-1 draw at Lower.com Field. Saturday's meeting will pit the Ohio rivals head-to-head once more, as their historic rivalry takes center stage.

FCC sit first in the Eastern Conference and atop the Supporters' Shield standings heading, while the Crew narrowly trail, just four points behind. A victory for Wilfried Nancy's men would see them close the gap to one point, while a win for the hosts could push their lead in the conference up to four points – depending on other results from around the league.

The Crew comes in with loads of confidence, having secured results against the Philadelphia Union and the Seattle Sounders over the past two Matchdays, while FCC arrives off four-straight wins, highlighted by a recent 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportJoveljic has Sporting dreaming

SKC is on a three-match unbeaten streak, and in their last nine matches, have found results in six. The streak of form arrived after an abysmal start to the campaign – winless in their first six matches, with longtime manager Peter Vermes sacked during the stretch.

Spearheading their positive run right now is striker Dejan Joveljic, whom they acquired for $4M from the LA Galaxy ahead of the campaign. The Serbian international has registered a goal contribution in seven of their last nine, and leads the team in scoring with 12 goals.

When they host the Sounders, it will be their first meeting of the season – but a pivotal one for both clubs. With a victory, SKC would move up to 26 points, which – pending other results – could see them shoot up into a playoff spot in the West. Seattle, meanwhile, sit fifth in the West and with a win, could climb as high as fourth.

Getty Images SportNashville's big moment

The surprise performers of the current MLS campaign, Nashville SC, have an opportunity to prove any doubters wrong when they take the pitch at Chase Stadium Saturday. It will be their biggest test of the campaign, but with their red-hot form, anything is possible.

Current Golden Boot leader Sam Surridge, who has 16 goals on the season, will lead the line for B.J.Callaghan's men, with 2022 league MVP Hany Mukhtar looking to support him.

Messi recently made MLS history, becoming the first player to record multiple goal contributions in four-straight matches, as the South Beach club defeated the New England Revolution midweek.

The competed at the FIFA Club World Cup this summer and will now be playing their third match in seven days. With a win, Nashville could move up atop the East and the Supporters' Shield standings, while Miami could climb as high as fourth with all three points.

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+ With one goal and two assists against Miami Saturday, Nashville's Hany Mukhtar would become the fifth player in MLS history to score at least 10 goals and record 10 assists in four different seasons.

+ With a win over Real Salt Lake Saturday, Houston Dynamo manager Ben Olsen would become the seventh coach in MLS history to reach 150 career regular-season victories.

+ With a goal or an assist against the Sounders, Joveljic would tie striker Diego Rubio for the second-longest goal contribution streak in club history.

Stuttgart won't budge on Nick Woltemade unless Bayern return with a sensational new offer after their €45 million bid was firmly rejected.

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• Bayern's initial €45m offer swiftly turned down
• Stuttgart insist striker will stay for next season
• Club chief refuses any face-to-face negotiations

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to Stuttgart turned down Bayern’s opening bid for the Under 21 Euros star Woltemade, reportedly worth €40m (£35m/$47m) plus €5m in bonuses, which would paid in four instalments. The Bavarians made contact via telephone, but Stuttgart CEO Alexander Wehrle says he has “categorically rejected” meeting Bayern officials at this stage.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Stuttgart remain unshaken in their stance, with CEO Wehrle now publicly reinforcing the position already echoed by head coach Sebastian Hoeness and sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth that Woltemade is not for sale under normal circumstances. Despite the striker having expressed a preference for a move to Bayern, Stuttgart hold all the leverage. The 23-year-old scored 17 goals in 33 games during his first season with Stuttgart, after arriving from Werder Bremen on a free transfer. He was also the top scorer at the U21 Euros with six goals. His value has skyrocketed, but is under contract with the Swabians until 2028. Bayern’s initial proposal was swiftly rejected, with Stuttgart’s top brass insist that only a truly “extraordinary” offer will even merit formal discussion.

• WHAT WEHRLE SAID

  "We're not giving him away. He'll play football with us next season," Wehrle told .

  "Unless Bayern really do something extraordinary, then we're all professional enough to talk about it," the VfB chief added, leaving the door open only for a truly blockbuster bid.

  The CEO also revealed that there has been no formal meeting with Bayern yet, despite preliminary contact: "The negotiations have so far been conducted by telephone," he confirmed. "And normally you meet then, but I have categorically rejected it so far."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WOLTEMADE?

  With Stuttgart unwilling to negotiate at current terms, Bayern may delay their pursuit until 2026, unless they dramatically raise their bid. Meanwhile, Stuttgart will try to refocus Woltemade on a new season with a growing leadership role.

Former South Africa captain hopes to finish his Test career in Cape Town, his “favourite stadium in the world”

Firdose Moonda22-Dec-2023Dean Elgar, South Africa’s former Test captain and stalwart opening batter, will play his last international series against India this summer. Elgar, 36, announced his decision to retire from international cricket after the New Year’s match, which is scheduled to start on January 3 in Cape Town.If in the playing XI for both Tests against India, Elgar will finish on 86 Tests in a career that has spanned 12 years. “Playing the game of cricket has always been a dream of mine but having the opportunity to represent your country is the ultimate! Having had the privilege to do it for 12 years internationally is simply beyond my wildest dreams,” he said in a statement. “It has been an incredible journey that I have been fortunate enough to have.”The Cape Town Test will be my last. My favourite stadium in the world. A place I scored my first Test run against New Zealand and hopefully my last too.”With 5146 runs, Elgar is South Africa’s eighth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket – only eight have gone past 5000 runs – and 352 runs behind Mark Boucher, who is seventh on the list.ESPNcricinfo understands that Elgar was informed that he was not part of red-ball coach Shukri Conrad’s long-term plans. He has been linked with Essex as an overseas player for the 2024 season.

“Dean Elgar represents a rare brand of cricketer in an age where everything is about innovation and power-hitting. He is a real old-school cricketer that can dig in, absorb and fight. I have no doubt the game will dearly miss him”Enoch Nkwe

Elgar’s decision means he will be unavailable for South Africa’s two-Test series in New Zealand, where they will be forced to send a makeshift side because several frontline players will be involved in the SA20 league. Elgar does not have an SA20 deal and would have been the most experienced player in the squad, and potentially even asked to captain in Temba Bavuma’s absence. Instead, Titans’ batter Neil Brand is expected to lead South Africa and partner Tony de Zorzi at the top of the order. Brand and de Zorzi opened the batting together for South Africa A against West Indies A in a recent three-match series.Asked ten days ago whether Elgar was considering ending his international career, CSA director of cricket Enoch Nkwe told ESPNcricinfo that “nothing has come to my table”, but would be meeting with players and their agents “over the next couple of weeks”. Nkwe has held several discussions in the interim and paid tribute to Elgar’s contributions over the years.”Dean Elgar represents a rare brand of cricketer in an age where everything is about innovation and power-hitting. He is a real old-school cricketer that can dig in, absorb and fight. I have no doubt the game will dearly miss him,” Nkwe said. “He has always given everything for his country and never showed any fear, no matter the opposition. He was always there to take on the challenge, leading as captain when the country needed him most.”Dean Elgar led South Africa in 17 Tests, winning nine of them•AFP/Getty ImagesElgar made his debut in Perth on South Africa’s tour of Australia in 2012, when they were ranked No. 1 in the world, and became the 38th player to record a pair on debut – a list that stands at 45 now – but scored a century in his third match and went on to record 13 hundreds, against all Test opposition other than Pakistan and Zimbabwe. His favourite opponents were Sri Lanka, against whom he scored a match-winning hundred in Galle in 2014, followed by two more centuries in 2017 and 2021.Elgar stood in as captain for Faf du Plessis, who was on paternity leave, for the first Test of South Africa’s 2017 tour of England and again for two Tests against Pakistan in 2019, and was named permanent captain of the Test side in mid-2021. He led South Africa to series wins in the West Indies and against India at home, and drew a series against New Zealand in early 2022, which saw them top the World Test Championship (WTC) table at the time. But away losses to England and Australia in 2022-23 meant South Africa missed out on the WTC final earlier this year. Elgar was replaced as captain when there was a reshuffle of the coaching staff in February but continued to play under Bavuma.It is understood that Elgar was unhappy with the decision to be stood down but accepted a new central contract at the end of March. With South Africa only due to play two Test series in the 2023-2025 WTC cycle, Elgar felt his Test career would be limited by the schedule and sources have confirmed he wanted to finish on a high at home.

MatériaMais Notícias

O perfil do Internacional nas redes sociais aproveitou a empolgação após a vitória por 1 a 0 diante do São Paulo, na última terça-feira (8), pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, para dar uma “cutucada” na equipe paulista.

Depois do apito final e exaltando a comemoração do torcedor do Colorado que compareceu ao Estádio do Morumbi, o perfil do Inter chamou a casa do clube paulista de “nosso salão”.

RelacionadasVídeoVÍDEO: Os melhores momentos da vitória do Internacional sobre o São PauloVídeo09/11/2022São PauloSão Paulo perde para o Internacional, vê Libertadores mais distante e aprofunda crise no MorumbiSão Paulo08/11/2022Futebol InternacionalEx-Inter e Vitória, Geferson completa 150 jogos pelo CSKA Sofia, da BulgáriaFutebol Internacional08/11/2022

𝘝𝘢𝘪 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘢 𝘍𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢, 𝘷𝘢𝘪 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳… 🎶

No nosso salão, a torcida colorada DEU SHOW! 🇦🇹👏 pic.twitter.com/u3K38Kvecb

— Sport Club Internacional (@SCInternacional) November 9, 2022

>Confira como ficou a tabela atualizada do Brasileirão

Aproveitando o clima, o ex-jogador Rafael Sobis fez questão de comentar na publicação onde o clube informou o fim de jogo a frase “Morumbi querido”, fazendo alusão aos dois gols que marcou na decisão da Libertadores em 2006 na vitória por 2 a 1 sobre o São Paulo. Resultado esse que, com o empate em 2 a 2 no Beira-Rio, concedeu ao Inter o primeiro de seus dois títulos da principal competição continental.

Em seu perfil, o Internacional também relembrou o fato de que, em 2021, o time Sub-20 comemorou um título no estádio são-paulino depois de vencer o embate de ida por 2 a 0, em Porto Alegre, e empatar o compromisso de volta, com o placar de 1 a 1, em território paulista.

David Warner, who has signed up at the ILT20, is set to feature in both series, while Tim David could play too

Alex Malcolm20-Jan-2024

A lighter-than-expected workload for Australia’s three-format fast bowlers across the Test summer so far could allow the selectors to pick them for one or both of the upcoming T20I series against West Indies and New Zealand, which are the only six T20Is Australia play before the T20 World Cup in June.Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc have got through four Tests unscathed so far, with none of the four home matches reaching a fifth day. Neither has had to bowl more than 38 overs in a game, and Cummins is the only one who has bowled 20 overs in an innings more than once; but he has only done it twice in eight innings across the summer.All three are being rested from the ODIs against West Indies in early February, and it seemed likely they would be rested from the T20Is too. But given how their workloads have unfolded across the summer, there may be an opportunity to play one or both of those series, with the selectors meeting on Monday to finalise those squads.Related

Marsh to captain T20Is against West Indies with Warner named

Australia's big three quicks on track to play a full summer of Test cricket

Hazlewood takes career-best haul but Khawaja hurt in victory

David heads to ILT20 but may be called back for Australia duty

“We’ll give some thought to that,” Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said. “There’ll be some that may play, and there’ll be some that might not play. It’ll be different squads [for each series]. We’ll look to potentially be at full strength for the New Zealand series.”We’ve got six games before the World Cup. A lot of the World Cup planning is in place at the moment. We’ll try to be as close to full strength for the New Zealand series as possible. The West Indies series is slightly nuanced.”There were concerns over how all three would come out of the ODI World Cup into the Test summer, but those fears have disappeared as they are in great shape and keen to play all seven Tests this season, including two against New Zealand in early March.Australia’s selectors are wary of the workload that both Cummins and Starc will have at the IPL as big-money signings, meaning they could be rested from the West Indies series before only playing part of the New Zealand series. However, Hazlewood would be the likeliest of the three to play both T20I series, given he is not going to play in the IPL unless an opportunity arises to be a replacement player.None of the three played any of Australia’s eight T20Is last year, as they were all rested in order to be fit for Test assignments and the ODI World Cup. Australia even defied the odds to win a T20 World Cup in the UAE in 2021 and an ODI World Cup in India in 2023 with an attack comprising Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc and only one specialist spinner in Adam Zampa. Glenn Maxwell was the second spinner and first-choice fifth bowler, with other overs being provided by allrounders.It appears as if Australia will back the same structure in for the T20 World Cup on the slower pitches in the West Indies, with Australia not scheduled to play any matches in the US.David Warner is set to return from the ILT20 for Australia duty•AFP/Getty Images

David Warner to play both seriesMcDonald confirmed that David Warner would be selected for both the West Indies and New Zealand T20Is, and will be required to leave the ILT20 to return to Australia by February 7. Tim David is in the same boat, having signed for MI Emirates, and will likely return to Australia if selected. Marcus Stoinis, who is at the SA20 with Durban’s Super Giants, might also return home early if he is selected for both of Australia’s series as expected.”Davey will be picked,” McDonald said. “He will come back from the ILT20. I think most of our players that are going over there are due back in on [February 7] in preparation for the [first] T20 in Hobart.”However, Australia are still yet to confirm who will captain the team at the T20 World Cup. Despite leading Australia to the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup last year, Cummins is very unlikely to be named T20I captain, having not led the team previously in that format.Mitchell Marsh captained the side on an interim basis in South Africa last year with great success, leading an inexperienced group to a 3-0 series sweep. He was also Australia’s vice-captain during the ODI World Cup, having led the ODI team too in South Africa. Immediately after the World Cup, Matthew Wade captained the T20I side in Marsh’s absence for the five-match T20I series in India.Meanwhile, McDonald will not coach the ODI and T20I series against West Indies in order to spend some extra time at home ahead of the New Zealand T20I and Test tour, although he is likely to be with the squad for some of the matches. Assistant coach Daniel Vettori will take the reins for those two series, having rested during the Adelaide Test. Fellow assistants Andre Borovec and Michael Di Venuto both coached Australia’s T20I sides last year in India and South Africa, respectively, when McDonald remained at home.

يستعد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، لمواجهة نظيره فاركو، غدًا الجمعة، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الأهلي وفاركو غدًا الجمعة، على استاد القاهرة الدولي، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من بطولة الدوري الممتاز.‏

طالع| علي معلول يتوجه بطلب إلى الصفاقسي التونسي بشأن الأهلي

الأهلي الذي تعادل مع مودرن سبورت، بهدفين لمثلهما، في اللقاء الذي جمع الفريقين يوم السبت الماضي، في افتتاح مبارياته ‏بالموسم الجديد، يبحث عن أول انتصار في المسابقة المحلية.

وعلى الجانب الآخر، يسعى فريق فاركو لتحقيق مفاجأة أمام الأهلي وخطف ثلاث نقاط، أو على الأقل خطف نقطة من أنياب حامل اللقب، بعد التعادل أمام إنبي سلبيا.

ويحتل الأهلي المركز السادس في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد نقطة، فيما يأتي فاركو في المرتبة 13 بنفس الرصيد.

ويغيب عن الأهلي ياسر إبراهيم مدافع الفريق بعد خضوعه لفحوصات طبية خلال الساعات الماضية قبل مواجهة فاركو، أكدت إصابته بتمزق في العضلة العانية للفخذ اليسرى.

ومن المقرر أن يجري خوسيه ريبيرو، مدرب الأهلي، عدة تغييرات على تشكيل الفريق، لعل أبرزها أليو ديانج لاعب الوسط، على حساب أحمد رضا الذي تعرض للإصابة أمام مودرن سبورت.

ومن المقرر أن تنقل مباراة الأهلي أمام فاركو، على شبكة قنوات “أون سبورتس”، الناقل الحصري لمباريات الدوري المصري.

Fans have called for Erling Haaland to move to Serie A after he professed his love for Italy in a post on social media while on a summer break in Rome.

Haaland says "I love Italy!"On holiday with girlfriendFans call for Serie A transferFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

In a post uploaded to Instagram, Haaland confessed he loves Italy and praised the beauty of Rome, where he has recently spent time on holiday with girlfriend Isabel Johansen. The Norwegian pair were spotted wandering the streets of Rome and also attended a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show in recent days.

Haaland's post was met with a series of responses from fans who called for him to move to Italy full-time with a Serie A transfer from Manchester City.

AdvertisementWHAT HAALAND SAID

Haaland's post to his 37.9 million Instagram followers read: "Rome is without doubt one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever been to! And the food? Omg. Incredible. I’m enjoying the summer! Thanks D&G and the city of Rome for making the time here smooth. I love Italy!"

TELL ME MORE

Fans flooded to the comments with responses, many in Italian.

One fan said: "If you love Rome so much, come."

Another added: "What if you come to Naples?! Ask KDB…"

Journalist Piero Armenti commented: "Come to play in Italy."

Another fan said: "Come to Rome, come to Serie A in the end it’s not that bad!!!"

Someone else added: "Erling next to Dovbyk would be a great offensive partnership."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR HAALAND?

Haaland is set to return to City for the new season, with a move to Serie A unlikely to materialise at this stage in his career. But fans have certainly shown that the 300-goal striker is welcome in Italy if he ever does decide to pursue a change of scenery and a new lifestyle. It has been suggested in the past that the prolific frontman would like to experience playing across Europe before his career is done.

Marcus Harris, who recently missed out on a Test recall, has been signed as a replacement player by defending champions Perth Scorchers for the closing stages of the BBL.Scorchers have lost Zak Crawley to England Test duty and will also be without Laurie Evans for the finals as he has an ILT20 deal. Stephen Eskinazi returned to the line-up against Brisbane Heat but Scorchers have bolstered their options by bringing in Harris, who did not have a BBL deal, as a replacement for the injured Jhye Richardson.Related

• Hobson, Connolly hurt Heat again but Scorchers' bigger challenge awaits

• Scorchers, Heat face crunch depth test in bid for BBL title

Harris’ previous BBL outing came for Melbourne Renegades last season. He also played 14 matches for Scorchers between 2014 and 2016. Overall he has 981 runs in T20s at 20.43 and a strike-rate of 121.71.”We saw the need to add to our batting options with Laurie Evans and Zak Crawley unavailable for finals, and Marcus fits the bill nicely,” Perth Scorchers general manager, Kade Harvey, said. “He has plenty of domestic and international experience playing on a variety of surfaces, and he knows WA well having started his career in Perth. We’re pleased he’s on board for the remainder of the season.”Scorchers secured a place in the finals with victory over Brisbane Heat on Saturday, but face a key game against Sydney Sixers on Tuesday to earn a spot in the Qualifier, also against Heat, which would allow them the crucial second chance to reach the decider on January 24 as they aim to become the first team to complete a hat-trick of BBL titles.Harris would be able to play in finals even if he does not face Sixers. Overseas signings have to make a regular-season appearance in order to be eligible, but that does not apply to local replacement players.Harris was overlooked for a Test comeback last week when the selectors opted for Matt Renshaw as the spare batter in the squad to face West Indies after deciding to promote Steven Smith to open and recall Cameron Green at No. 4.

The striker impressed in his first game for his new club, scoring in front of his national team coach

• Downs nets first Southampton goal
• Pochettino in attendance
• Striker joined Saints from Koln this summer

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Damion Downs scored his first preseason goal for new club Southampton, and it just so happened to come with U.S. men's national team boss Mauricio Pochettino watching on.

  With his side down 2-0 to another of Pochettino's former clubs, Espanyol, Downs netted in the 92nd minute, pulling one back in the final moments of Southampton's eventual 2-1 defeat. With time waning, Downs broke through down the right-hand side to get onto the end of a through-ball, rifling a first-time finish into the back of the net to start life with his new club with a bang.

  "It was a nice experience," Downs said after the match. "Obviously, scoring as a striker is the nicest thing you can do…It's been very nice. The staff are great, my teammates are great. Everyone around the whole team is great. It's been very welcoming so far, so I'm looking forward to more."

  Downs joined Southampton this summer after a breakthrough with Koln in the 2. Bundesliga last season, seeing him score 11 goals to fire the team to promotion. The Saints, who will play in the Championship this season, paid $9.5 million to acquire his services shortly after his run through the Gold Cup with the USMNT.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The goal came in front of Pochettino, who just had a summer-long look at Downs throughout the Gold Cup. Downs dealt with a few injuries, limiting him a bit during his first camp with the USMNT, but he did still have one major moment as he netted the winning penalty in the quarterfinal shootout win over Costa Rica. In total, Downs earned five caps this summer, coming off the bench in each of them.

  Saturday's goal, then, will surely have made an impression on Pochettino and his staff as they now look ahead to September camp, with Downs one of the candidates to be involved at the striker position. Pochettino had previously coached both clubs, getting his start at Espanyol before breaking through in England with a single season with Southampton.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR SOUTHAMPTON?

  Downs and Southampton will have a week before their next friendly, which comes on Aug. 2 against Brighton. After that, they'll kick off their Championship campaign on Aug. 9 against newly-promoted Wrexham.

Sunrisers Hyderabad sussed out the conditions quicker than Chennai Super Kings on a black-soil surface and cruised to their second successive win at home. In the absence of Mustafizur Rahman, who had returned to Bangladesh to sort out his US visa for the upcoming T20 World Cup, and Matheesha Pathirana, who is nursing a niggle, a depleted CSK side slid to their second successive defeat on the road.Last week, Hyderabad had rolled out a red-soil pitch that produced a 277 for 3 vs 246 for 5 contest. Friday’s pitch was a whole lot slower and Sunrisers’ seamers used it to their advantage by bowling one cutter after another into it. After Pat Cummins and Co limited CSK to 165 for 5, Sunrisers smashed 78 for 1 in just the powerplay, with Abhishek Sharma clattering 37 of those runs, off just 12 balls.Related

• Abhishek: 'We knew we had to take the powerplay on'

• Gaikwad, the anchor at the top weighing CSK down

• Live Blog – SRH trump CSK on slow Hyderabad pitch

CSK had scored 30 runs fewer in their powerplay and their batting machine was shut down in the slog overs too.Sunrisers eventually completed their chase with six wickets in hand and nearly two overs to spare, Aiden Markram doing the heavy lifting with a 36-ball 50.

Dube does Dube things

Rachin Ravindra was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 12 off nine balls in the fourth over. Ruturaj Gaikwad got off to a start, but Shahbaz Ahmed, the left-arm fingerspinner, had him swiping a catch to long-on for 26 off 21 balls.Ajinkya Rahane hit Cummins and Bhuvneshwar over the top for boundaries in the powerplay, but he struggled to get the ball away once it became softer and the field was spread out in the middle overs.Shivam Dube took down Sunrisers’ spinners but the rest of CSK’s batting struggled on a slow pitch•AFP/Getty Images

Shivam Dube, though, got cracking immediately against spin. He launched the third ball he faced, from Shahbaz, for six and scored 25 off his first ten balls, from Shahbaz and legspinner Mayank Markande.Dube also lined up T Natarajan, who was returning from injury, for back-to-back sixes before Cummins stopped him on 45 off 24 balls. The Sunrisers captain hid a slower short ball away from Dube’s swinging arc and had him popping a catch to backward point.

SRH pin down CSK

CSK could score only 50 runs in their last seven overs. Cummins, Natarajan and Unadkat kept taking pace off the ball. CSK’s power-hitters failed to manufacture pace for themselves on the night.Rahane was undone by a 105kph slower delivery while Mitchell fell to an on-pace Natarajan delivery that stopped in the pitch. Ravindra Jadeja’s down-the-track swatted four off a 111kph cutter from Unadkat was only an aberration.The decibel levels soared when MS Dhoni came out to bat at No.7, ahead of Moeen Ali, with just three balls left in CSK’s innings. But even he could manage only one off two balls.Abhishek Sharma played 12 balls and hit seven of them for fours or sixes•AFP/Getty Images

Head, Abhishek tear up the powerplay

With the target in front of them and the knowledge that the pitch would become even slower later in the night, Sunrisers maximised the powerplay.According to ESPNcricinfo’s logs, Sunrisers attempted to hit 16 balls in the powerplay to the boundary. CSK, on the other hand, had looked to hit only eight balls to the boundary during that phase.Travis Head stayed leg-side of the ball and cracked Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande through the off side. He finished with 31 off 24 balls. He could have been dismissed on 0 in the very first over had Moeen not dropped him at slip.Abhishek faced only half as many balls as Head did, but produced a bigger impact, pumping 37 at a strike rate of 308.33. Twenty-seven of those runs came in the first over from left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary, who bowled like someone who was playing his first competitive game since December 2022.After Head and Abhishek departed, Markram controlled the chase with a half-century. Moeen trapped Markram (50) and Shahbaz (18) lbw with the old ball, but it was too late for CSK. Sunrisers had already inflicted irreparable damage in the powerplay.