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Tottenham Hotspur are at the start of a new chapter, and Thomas Frank knows he must not only emulate his predecessor Ange Postecoglou in winning silverware at the Lilywhites helm but make significant gains in the Premier League too.

Last season’s Europa League champions juxtaposed their triumph with a dismal 17th-place finish in the league, and have thus completed a series of signings across the summer to compete in the Champions League and domestically too.

But while the likes of Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus add much to Tottenham’s attacking fluency, Frank remains eager to sign a centre-forward before the window slams shut.

Spurs in late bid for new striker

According to Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham have almost agreed personal terms with Randal Kolo Muani, who is being targeted on a loan deal with an option to buy.

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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Kolo Muani, 26, had been expected to sign for Juventus this month before issues between Paris Saint-Germain and the Italians ground that one to a halt, thus opening the door for Spurs.

Tottenham previously went in for the France international in January, but Juventus one the race there. It’s understood he would cost in excess of £50m to take away from Paris on a permanent basis.

What Kolo Muani would bring to Spurs

Kolo Muani is not just a dangerous presence in the final third but a high-speed and mobile forward, recognised by Les Bleus teammate Kylian Mbappe for his “complete” qualities.

His half-season spent with Juventus led to ten goals and three assists across 22 games, ending what had turned out to be a miserable 18 months with PSG, leaving Eintracht Frankfurt for the Ligue 1 giants in September 2023 for a £76m fee.

But class is permanent, and his reliable nature and link-up ability at number nine suggests he could be Frank’s new version of Yoane Wissa, who is set to join Newcastle United from Brentford for £55m.

Having scored 19 goals in the Premier League last season, Wissa, 28, proved his worth and then some, and it must be exciting for Kolo Muani to consider how Frank could now raise the level of his own game.

Kolo Muani vs Wissa (past 365 days)

Stats (per 90)

Kolo Muani

Wissa

Goals scored

0.48

0.57

Assists

0.11

0.10

Shots taken

2.45

2.76

Touches (att pen)

6.28

4.95

Shot-creating actions

2.34

1.99

Pass completion

70.2%

75.5%

Progressive passes

1.49

2.05

Progressive carries

1.54

1.82

Successful take-ons

1.54

0.44

Ball recoveries

2.24

2.42

Tackles + interceptions

1.28

0.94

Data via FBref

Wissa might be a more clinical goalscorer at this point in time, but Kolo Muani has more variation to his game, and indeed demonstrated in Turin his potential to score clinically, bagging eight Serie A goals across only 13 matches.

Skilful and tenacious, the Frenchman would be a fantastic addition for the Londoners, who already have solid options in the final third, but perhaps need that extra something.

Wissa has developed into a clinical shooter under Howe’s wing, and given Kolo Muani has a higher bar already, there’s no telling how high he will soar if welcomed to the spearhead of an exciting Tottenham project.

Related He's a Kudus upgrade: Spurs make enquiry for "Dele-esque" £80m talent

Tottenham remain active in the transfer market as the window reaches the eleventh hour.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Sep 1, 2025

Southampton have entered talks over a deal for a “physically strong striker”, with negotiations now underway, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed.

Saints keen on new forward amid Dibling uncertainty

The emergence of Tyler Dibling was one of the only positives for the Saints last season, in what was a very disappointing Premier League campaign, but there is a great deal of uncertainty over the academy graduate’s future.

Will Still has now dropped a new update on the youngster’s future, with the manager admitting he doesn’t know whether the teenager will remain at St. Mary’s beyond the September 1st deadline.

Still said: “I want good players and if Ty is here (Tyler Dibling) and Matty is here by the end of it then great, if they’re not, we will work out a way of winning games without them and wish them the best but I have no idea where that’s going right now.”

Related Southampton now 'most concrete option' for £3m star likened to John Stones

The Saints could be about to land an exciting talent.

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Aug 15, 2025

Should Dibling depart, Still may be keen to bring in at least one new attacker, and a preliminary contract has been offered to Krasnodar’s Eduard Spertsyan, while talks have also been opened over a deal for West Bromwich Albion star Tom Fellows.

Another forward has now entered the frame as a target for the Saints, and he’s a player Still knows very well, with Romano taking to X to reveal that Southampton have now opened talks over a deal for Lens’ Morgan Guilavogui.

The Saints’ negotiations to sign the forward are now “underway”, but they are yet to strike an agreement with Lens regarding a transfer fee.

The French club reportedly shelled out €4.5m (£4m) to re-sign their former player earlier this summer, however, which indicates a deal may not break the bank.

Guilavogui would be versatile attacking option for Still

Still should have a good knowledge of the Lens forward’s abilities, with the Saints boss spending time working with him during his stint at the French club, and he would be a versatile addition to the forward line.

The 27-year-old is capable of playing on both wings, suggesting he could be brought in as a direct replacement for Dibling, while the France born attacker has also been praised for his ability through the middle.

St Pauli manager Alexander Blessin said: “Morgan is a physically strong striker who is very active and direct and constantly making runs in deep. He can make chances for himself by taking defenders on and also creates good opportunities for his teammates.”

“Equally important for our game, however, is the fact that Morgan transitions quickly and works very hard defensively.”

Having scored 54 career goals at club level, including six in the Bundesliga last season, Guilavogui clearly has a keen eye for goal, and the former St Pauli man has the talent to play a major role in the Saints’ promotion push.

Club

Appearances

Goals

Paris FC

87

32

SC Toulon

56

13

Lens

29

2

St Pauli

27

7

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has just overseen two pre-season friendlies in one day, but off the field, technical director Johan Lange is working to back his fellow Dane with more new signings.

Tottenham advancing move for £24m defender after 'emerging' as favourites

Spurs have been told what it would take to get a deal done.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 23, 2025

Spurs battled against both Wycombe Wanderers and Luton Town today, with the senior squad split into multiple sides as Frank looked to hand as many minutes to his players as possible.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

The Lilywhites are now set to travel to Asia for a pre-season tour of the Far East, where they face off against north London rivals Arsenal in Hong Kong before taking on Newcastle in the South Korean capital of Seoul.

Spurs have a final pre-season game against Bayern Munich in Germany before their highly-anticipated UEFA Super Cup clash against European champions PSG – a match that gifts Frank an opportunity to win silverware almost immediately after his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou.

A surprise win against the Ligue 1 heavyweights would be the perfect start to Frank’s tenure in charge, and he’d ideally have a few more summer recruits through the door before they battle Luis Enrique’s men at the Stadio Friuli.

Tottenham are still trying to sign Morgan Gibbs-White despite Nottingham Forest blocking his once-imminent move to N17 earlier this month.

Forest threatened both the north Londoners and Gibbs-White’s agent with legal action for what they deemed to be an ‘illegal approach’ for the playmaker (Sky Sports), but there remains an expectation that Frank could eventually welcome him to Hotspur Way (Fabrizio Romano).

Tottenham were set to welcome Gibbs-White and Mohammed Kudus in quick succession, with a medical scheduled over two weeks ago (BBC). However, Frank is now having to wait a lot longer for the 25-year-old’s arrival with the legalities involved.

According to reports, Spurs are targeting a new centre-back too and have shortlisted a variety of targets for the number six role, including Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha (Alasdair Gold).

This comes after they confirmed the signings of Kudus, Kota Takai, Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel on a permanent deal from Bayern Munich earlier this window.

Mathys Tel shares conversation with Harry Kane about joining Tottenham

Speaking of Tel, the Frenchman has now lifted the lid on a conversation he had with Spurs legend Harry Kane about joining the club.

After initially backing out of a transfer to N17 in January, Tel ultimately U-turned and agreed a move to England on an initial loan deal, which included an option to buy for around £45 million.

Chairman Daniel Levy, following a mixed start for the 20-year-old, then negotiated a cut-price £30 million deal for Tel, who’s now signed for them indefinitely ahead of his first full season at the club.

Speaking to Sky Germany, as transcribed by Sport Witness, Tel says that Kane played a role in convincing him to sign for Spurs – with the club’s all-time top scorer offering a helping hand through emotional support.

“Yes, I spoke to him [Kane] beforehand,” Tel said.

“He told me, if you need anything, send me a text, give me a call. I spoke to him; he’s a top guy. (Now it’s a) new challenge, I’m ready for my team, the clubs and also the fans.”

The versatile attacker was tipped for a 40-goal season one day by ex-Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann, with supporters hoping the still-raw Tel can deliver on that glowing prediction.

As the Premier League campaign draws near and they continue their summer business, reports are now claiming that Tottenham Hotspur have launched an approach to sign a Barcelona midfielder.

Palhinha reveals delight at Premier League return

After missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White, who opted to sign a new contract at Nottingham Forest instead of joining up with Thomas Frank’s side, a new midfielder always seemed on the Tottenham agenda. And whilst Joao Palhinha is a different type of player to Gibbs-White, he will offer the Lilywhites the reinforcement that they’ve been craving.

Delighted to be back in the Premier League following a tough year at Bayern Munich, Palhinha – on paper – is the perfect midfielder for Frank’s hard-working, combative midfield.

It wouldn’t even be absurd to suggest that the ex-Fulham man could be the Dane’s new version of Christian Norgaard, who thrived under his management at Brentford before leaving for Arsenal this summer.

That said, Palhinha isn’t the only midfield name to find himself on Tottenham’s radar following their Gibbs-White disappointment earlier in the summer transfer window.

Tottenham make first Casado approach

As reported by Sport in Spain, and relayed by Sport Witness, Tottenham made an approach to sign Marc Casado from Barcelona before they secured Palhinha’s signature.

The 21-year-old is free to leave the La Liga giants for around €30m (£26m) this summer and, although he reportedly turned down the chance to complete a move the first time around, it will be interesting to see whether Spurs come calling with a second attempt to secure his arrival this month.

Praised for his “superb attitude” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Barcelona’s loss could quickly become Tottenham’s gain if they managed to convince Casado into a move this summer. Whilst Palhinha’s arrival does ease their desperation for another midfielder, the chance to sign a La Masia graduate is not one that the Lilywhites should turn down.

At just 21 years old, the Spaniard would be the long-term option that Palhinha – at 30 years old – can’t guarantee Frank’s side, especially given that they have no obligation to buy the latter after his loan spell next summer.

أثار بيب جوارديولا، المدير الفني لفريق مانشستر سيتي، تعجب الجميع بعد تصرفه الغريب في مباراة يوم الأحد ضد نظيره آرسنال، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

واستضاف ملعب “الإمارات” مباراة آرسنال ومانشستر سيتي في الجولة الخامسة من الدوري الإنجليزي، موسم 2025/26.

وانتهت المباراة بالتعادل الإيجابي بين الفريقين بهدف لمثله، حيث تقدم إيرلينج هالاند بهدف في الدقيقة التاسعة من الشوط الأول، قبل أن يتعادل آرسنال بهدف قاتل في الدقيقة 93 عن طريق جابرييل مارتينيلي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. جوارديولا يفجر مفاجأة بشأن سبب استبدال هالاند في مباراة مانشستر سيتي وآرسنال

وتسبب جوارديولا في إثارة حيرة الجميع بتصرفه قبل دقائق قليلة من تسجيل هدف التعادل لصالح آرسنال في الوقت القاتل.

وشوهد جوارديولا وهو يتبادل حديث قصير مع الحكم الرابع لمباراة آرسنال ومانشستر سيتي، قبل إعلان الوقت المحتسب بدلًا من الضائع للشوط الثاني.

وبعدما انتهى جوارديولا من حديثه مع الحكم الرابع، قام بتقبيله قبل أن يذهب الأخير بعيدًا، ولم تمر لحظات قبل إعلان 7 دقائق كوقت محتسب بدلَا من الضائع، ثم جاء الهدف القاتل في الدقيقة الثالثة.

وليس من المعروف سر تصرف جوارديولا مع الحكم الرابع أو محتوى الحديث الذي دار بينهما، ولم يسُئل عن الأمر في تصريحاته بعد المباراة.

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Voll top-scored with 71, but it was a 60-run stand for the ninth wicket that took Australia A past 200

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-2024

File photo: Georgia Voll top-scored for Australia A with 71•Getty Images

Spinners Minnu Mani and Priya Mishra shared nine wickets between them to help India A bundle out Australia A for 212 on the opening day of the four-day match in Gold Coast.After opting to bat, Australia A were reduced to 144 for 8 before a 60-run partnership for the ninth wicket between Kate Peterson and Grace Parsons helped them past 200. In reply, India A finished the day on 100 for 2 with opener Shweta Sehrawat unbeaten on 40 with Tejal Hasabnis keeping her company with 31 not out.Australia A started on the right note through openers Emma de Broughe and Georgia Voll, who faced little trouble from seamers Sayali Satghare and Shubha Satheesh. Legspinner Mishra, who was the fifth bowler introduced in the 13th over, struck in her second over when she bowled de Broughe with a wrong’un. Mani then got into the act and had Australia A captain Charlie Knott jabbing one to short leg. Mishra then had Nicole Faltum miscue one to cover to have the home team on 68 for 3.File photo: Minnu Mani picked up five wickets to bundle out Australia A•BCB

Voll played a fluent innings at the top, scoring 71 off 95 balls and hitting 12 fours. However, she was caught behind in an attempt to cut left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap.With Mishra and Mani bowling disciplined spells, Australia A lost regular wickets on a surface that was not as slow and spin-friendly as the one in Mackay for the third one-dayer. Peterson and Parsons, though, showed patience and used the crease well against spin.Mani finally broke the stubborn stand by trapping Parsons lbw from around the wicket before Mishra’s wrong’un did Peterson in.India A’s reply started on a slightly shaky note when Priya Punia was hurried on by a short one from Maitlan Brown. She was a tad late on the pull and was caught at midwicket. Shubha sped up the scoring and looked at ease against the fast bowlers. She was particularly severe on the offspin duo of Knott and Lilly Mills before being trapped lbw by Peterson.Sehrawat was slow to start off but looked at home as the innings went along. By stumps, she and Hasabnis had added 53 in an unbroken third-wicket stand.

As they look to commence their summer business, Fulham have now reportedly become the latest side to enter a hectic race to sign a Premier League-winning midfielder for Marco Silva.

Fulham confirm released and retained list

With another impressive Premier League season under Silva now over, the Cottagers have already commenced planning for the next campaign – confirming the list of players that will be leaving when their contracts expire this summer. The list includes Willian, who arrived for a short period in January, and striker Carlos Vinicius, whilst the likes of Tom Cairney have been offered new deals.

Whether Cairney joins Fulham’s list of departures amid interest from Wrexham is the big question. The experienced midfielder told reporters last month: “Nothing is sorted yet. Next week is my final game for Fulham. Hopefully it’s not. In football, sometimes things go to the last minute, and hopefully it’s not my final time at Craven Cottage next weekend.”

With a deal now on the table, all that is left for Cairney to do is put pen to paper and commit his future to the West London club once again. The midfielder was fairly clear that he wants to stay put at the club and that in itself suggests that negotiations should be routine at this stage.

Fulham now pushing hardest to sign £15m midfielder with 10 UCL appearances

The Cottagers have expressed a serious interest in an “outstanding” midfielder, with Marco Silva set to be backed this summer.

By
Dominic Lund

Jun 5, 2025

Whether it’s this summer or in the coming years, however, Fulham will need to find a replacement for their 34-year-old midfielder sooner or later. Replacing that experience won’t be easy, either, but those in West London may well hope that the lure of Silva’s project is far more tempting than it once was.

An established Premier League side these days, who have been threatening to creep into the European places in recent years, Fulham could even welcome a Premier League-winning midfielder this summer.

Fulham enter Kalvin Phillips race

According to Caught Offside, Fulham have now entered the race to sign Kalvin Phillips this summer. They have reportedly joined Leeds United, Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town in the battle to secure the Manchester City midfielder.

It’s been a rough few years for the England international. Ever since completing what would have been a dream move to Manchester City, Phillips has struggled for game time and form. Even out on loan at both West Ham United and Ipswich, the 29-year-old has still struggled to ever truly rediscover his best form. Now, he simply has to get his next move right.

Craven Cottage may be the perfect environment for revival too. The likes of Andreas Pereira and Raul Jimenez have burst into life courtesy of Silva’s Fulham side. The same can be said for Alex Iwobi. Now, Phillips could be next in line to complete a similar transformation.

Dubbed “strong” by Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna whilst on loan last season, Phillips showed glimpses of the quality that he could yet take to West London this summer. A Premier League winner no matter the criticism he has received, the midfielder has another crucial decision to make this summer.

Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign a young forward with a big future in the game, according to an update from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Man Utd have one foot in Europa League final

The Red Devils are in dream land after the first leg of their Europa League semi-final tie with Athletic Bilbao on Thursday evening, having won 3-0 in Spain. After taking the lead through Casemiro, following brilliant work from Harry Maguire on the right wing, Bruno Fernandes doubled the advantage from the penalty spot after the hosts were reduced to 10 men.

Fernandes continued his superb form with his second of the night before half-time, and United saw out the second half in professional fashion, ensuring they take a 3-0 lead with them back to Old Trafford next Thursday.

In the other semi-final, Tottenham won 3-1 at home to Bodo/Glimt, meaning there is now a strong possibility of an all-English final in Bilbao later this month, with both teams knowing that victory will book a place in next season’s Champions League. That will aid their hopes of signing top players this summer, and a key Red Devils transfer update has now emerged.

Man Utd agree deal to sign Enzo Kana-Biyik

Taking to X on Thursday evening, Romano claimed that Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Le Havre striker Enzo Kana Biyik on a five-year deal, with an official announcment ‘soon’.

United clearly need to sign proven players who can immediately hit the ground running next season, but bringing in top young talent is always essential, with the Red Devils known for snapping up teenage stars and turning them into world-beaters, from Cristiano Ronaldo to Wayne Rooney.

In Biyik, United look set to be signing a hugely exciting prospect, with the 18-year-old scoring nine goals in just 17 appearances for Le Havre’s Under-18s.

United are in need of a new striker this summer, with Rasmus Hojlund struggling badly for form and the jury also still arguably out on whether Joshua Zirkzee is at the level required.

97% passing: 8/10 Man Utd star is now as undroppable as Bruno & Casemiro

Man Utd romped to a superb 3-0 win on the road on Thursday evening in the Europa League…

By
Robbie Walls

May 2, 2025

While Biyik wouldn’t be the immediate solution – a proven No.9 has to be a primary summer target – the hope is that he will blossom into a key starter over as the years pass.

The chances of CSK’s old squad-building methods bringing them success were lower this year than ever before, because while CSK hadn’t changed, the IPL had – unrecognisably

Karthik Krishnaswamy25-May-20251:39

Kumble: Brevis, Mhatre set the tone for CSK

Urvil Patel, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis. None of them were part of Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) original squad for IPL 2025, so there’s some irony to the fact that they finish the season on top of the team’s strike rates list (minimum 50 balls faced), having gone at 212.50, 188.97 and 180.00 respectively.These three sit some distance above the next name on the list, Ruturaj Gaikwad (150.61), who is himself a fair way above the rest of the pack (Sam Curran is next at 135.71).That list tells the story of CSK’s season: an under-powered squad finishing bottom of the table, finding a small measure of consolation through a trio of players signed too late to change their fate. They won two of their last three games, passed 200 twice in their last four – having done so just once in their first 10 matches – and signed off on Sunday with their biggest total and their biggest win of the season, beating Gujarat Titans (GT) by 83 runs, but they began the day at the bottom of the league table and knew all along that they’d end it there.Related

IPL 2025 showed the might of the uncapped Indian batter

Dhoni on his IPL future: I have four-five months to decide

Brevis, Mhatre, Urvil help CSK sign off gloomy season on bright note

CSK and the Dhoni retirement question: how late is too late?

For whatever it was worth, though, Mhatre, Urvil and Brevis were key to CSK’s late surge.That two of those players are uncapped Indian batters in their debut IPL seasons tells another story: a team that has demonstrated, for close to two decades, a preference for the tried-and-tested over raw potential almost unwillingly buying into the idea of youthful promise.But there’s a bigger story too, which goes beyond CSK. We’ll come to it soon enough.Now while CSK have always been old-school in their approach to squad construction, they’ve tended to be ahead of the curve when it comes to their actual playing philosophy. They recognised before anyone else in the IPL that T20 is a fickle format, and that it’s best to identify your best combination and stick with it, ignoring the pressure to chop and change based on success and failure over small sample sizes. Even in the pre-Impact-Player era, their line-ups usually had more depth and flexibility than those of most other teams, because of their heavy use of allrounders.And they’ve always valued six-hitters. They hit the most sixes in the competition when they won the 2018 and 2021 titles with their Dad’s Army team, and the second-most sixes (behind Mumbai Indians) when they won it again in 2023. Their first great team, which reached the final six times in the first eight seasons of the IPL, hit more sixes than any other team in that period.They’ve been old-school, and for much of their history they’ve been, well, old, but it would be inaccurate to brand CSK as a backward-looking team. You don’t become the IPL’s joint-most-successful franchise by playing a regressive brand of T20.If there was a mistrust of young, unproven Indian batters through all these years, it probably stemmed from a belief that had some basis in fact: that Indian cricket didn’t produce enough batters ready for the top level of T20 for CSK to take a chance on them. Through most of the IPL’s history, India has tended to produce batters who’ve played in an all-format way rather than power-hitters, with the likes of Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube only coming along sporadically.For years, CSK excelled in picking all-format-ish players in the second halves of their careers and maximising their six-hitting potential: Ambati Rayudu and Ajinkya Rahane, for example. When IPL 2025 began, they probably felt they could do something similar with Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar. This trick had worked for them before; why wouldn’t it work again?2:33

How Mhatre transformed CSK’s powerplay game

It’s possible that CSK could have put together a fairly successful season with their original squad if form, fitness and luck had been kinder to them. But the chances of their old squad-building methods bringing them success were lower this year than ever before, because while CSK hadn’t changed, the IPL had – unrecognisably.Look at this list. Four of the top ten strike rates in IPL 2025, with a cut-off of 100 runs, belong to Indian batters in their debut seasons – Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Mhatre, Priyansh Arya and Vipraj Nigam – and one to a batter in his second season – Naman Dhir.This explosion of Indian hitting talent was bound to happen sooner or later, all these years into the life cycles of T20 and the IPL. It was only natural that Mhatre, born just over two months before the T20 World Cup final of 2007, harnessed his gifts of hand and eye in a T20 direction. It’s astonishing that this 17-year-old can clear his front leg and flat-bat balls of good length or shorter over mid-on and mid-off, as he did so thrillingly against Mohammed Siraj and Arshad Khan on Sunday, but it shouldn’t be surprising.Ayush Mhatre played a belligerent little innings•BCCIUrvil is significantly older, at 26, but young enough to have spent a significant chunk of his formative years working on his six-hitting skills. He was the highest six-hitter in the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, hitting 29 in six games for Gujarat, and he’s now hit six in his first 32 balls at CSK, including an effortless flick off Siraj that may have been the shot of CSK’s innings on Sunday.Mhatre and Urvil are archetypes of the batting talent that’s now coming through the Indian cricket pipeline, blessed with a significantly higher ceiling for power and explosiveness than previous generations.While most teams in the IPL cottoned onto this well before IPL 2025, scouting players out of state-run leagues and putting them in their first XIs without a second thought, CSK continued to trust in the tried and tested. You could understand why, because it had worked so many times over so many seasons, but this season wouldn’t just be a new season but an entirely new tournament.

A contingent of around 200 Nepal fans made the largely empty stadium feel like a full house

S Sudarshanan05-Sep-2023Stand on the eastern grass banks of the Pallekele stadium and close your eyes, it feels like a full house. The decibel levels rise as the bowler runs in, with cheers accompanying each boundary or a dropped catch. India are quite used to this in a cricket match. Only, this time it was not for them.Pallekele is a quaint town about ten kilometres away from Kandy. The roads leading to the cricket stadium are two-way and winding, which restricts the speed you can drive at. Travel is not the easiest and as a result, the queues for security checks aren’t serpentine for the men’s Asia Cup.Add to that forecast for rain, the prospect of India playing in the vicinity, and Nepal squaring off against them for the first time in international cricket, was not enticing enough for the fans in Kandy on a Monday afternoon. But a contingent of around 200 fans clad in Nepal’s jersey had walked in and took their spots in different stands. And their presence was unmissable once the action began.Related

Nepal show they are worthy of more opportunities at this level

Rohit shows his enterprising, inventive side during ruthless knock

A group of about 75 Nepal fans square on the leg side from the broadcast end were creating the atmosphere and revelling in it. In the sixth over of the match, opener Kushal Bhurtel played a straight punch to split mid-off and mid-on. The fans ran to their right, in the direction the ball had been hit. The next ball was pulled way over long leg. The direction didn’t matter; the fans yet again had their running shoes on.A 45-year-old in the group matched an 11-year-old for energy. All of them in the contingent were from Kathmandu. The cricket match was a stop in the week-long educational tour of Sri Lanka organised by Rajarshi Gurukul.”We have a yearly trip and this time we are in Sri Lanka,” Rajeem Dhungel, an economics teacher who was managing the kids, said. “The most exciting thing for us is the historic match between Nepal and India.”The songs – by Nepal’s one of the greatest bands Nepathya – and – the fastest Nepali song to 20 million YouTube views – proved to be perfect for the group to groove to. The cherry on top was Nepal had raced away to a rollicking start: 53 for 0 in nine overs.Even the subsequent wickets, and rain, did not dampen the spirits of the fans. And they were given reason to cheer their throats out when Aasif Sheikh completed his half-century and then when Sompal Kami hit a 56-ball 48 to delay the end of the innings. It was as if the players gave every fan more reasons to cheer for them.The stands largely wore a deserted look. If not for the Nepal fans, an India game would have had an unusually quiet look to it. Not always are India fans outnumbered. And not always is an India win just a footnote.