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Aaron Judge is climbing up a special page of the Yankees' record books.

With a home run in the first inning of the Yankees' game against the Tigers on Tuesday, Judge has now compiled 359 home runs during his time in New York, surpassing legendary catcher Yogi Berra for fifth-most in franchise history.

Judge previously tied Berra with his 358th home run on Aug. 31, and now surpasses the Hall of Famer and three-time MVP with his first home run of the month. It's an incredible achievement, as Judge becomes the first player to crack the top-five of the Yankees' home run list since 1957.

Judge now trails only Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth for the most home runs in Yankees history.

Yankees' All-Time Home Run Leaders

Player	Total Home Runs With Yankees	Seasons Played With Yankees
Babe Ruth	659	1920 to ’34
Mickey Mantle	536	1951 to ’68
Lou Gehrig	493	1923 to ’39
Joe DiMaggio	361	1936 to’ 42, 1946 to ’51
Aaron Judge	359	2016 to present

Judge is a long ways away from Gehrig, Mantle and Ruth on the Yankees' all-time home run list, but he should pass DiMaggio for fourth all-time in franchise history before the end of the season. Judge needs only three more home runs to do so, and there are 18 games remaining in the regular season following Tuesday's matchup.

At 33, Judge has time to potentially reach the top-three Yankees' home run leaders, but he will need to continue playing at a high level for several more seasons to approach Gehrig, Mantle and/or Ruth.

Judge has averaged 48 home runs per year over the last five seasons, meaning it would take a little less than three seasons at that pace to pass Gehrig, over three and a half to pass Mantle, and over six seasons to pass Ruth at his current pace.

Manchester United have now submitted a £24m opening bid for a “powerful” midfielder, who has been compared to Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.

Man Utd stepping up new midfielder pursuit

Man United could smash their transfer record to get a new midfielder through the door, having set out to bolster their options in the engine room in 2026, and Wharton has been identified as one of their top targets, even though the Eagles are set to hold out for over £100m.

The Red Devils are confident they’ll be able to sign the Englishman, and it is little wonder they are so keen, given the level of some of his performances so far this season.

However, given that the move would be on the expensive side, it remains to be seen whether a deal will be possible, and some cheaper alternative targets have now been identified.

According to a report from Sport Time (via Sport Witness), Man United have now submitted an opening offer of €28m (£24m) for Olympiacos’ Christos Mouzakitis, who has started to attract interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Real Madrid have also made a slightly higher bid, but the Greek club aren’t in a rush to sanction a departure, and they are hoping to receive €40m (£35m) for the midfielder’s services in the January transfer window.

Olympiacos aren’t even willing to listen to proposals of less than €30m (£26m), so if a January deal is going to transpire, Ruben Amorim’s side will have to increase their offer.

"Powerful" Mouzakitis could be low-cost Wharton alternative

The advantage of signing Wharton is that he is already proven in the Premier League, but over £100m is a huge amount to pay for any player, and the Olympiacos star could be an interesting alternative option.

In fact, the 18-year-old has been directly compared to the Crystal Palace star by scout Ben Mattinson, who said: “Mouzakitis is a highly technical #8. As a profile if I was to compare him to someone, I’d say Adam Wharton and Granit Xhaka.”

“He’s that type of left footed #8 who’s tenacious off the ball, incredibly crisp passing through the lines, powerful ball striker, good weight of pass…”

Man Utd submit £26m offer for former Premier League striker

United have tabled a bid for a new centre-forward, who has been in impressive form this season.

By
Dominic Lund

Dec 3, 2025

The starlet, who has made five Champions League appearances this season, also has a keen eye for creating chances, averaging 0.47 assists per 90 over the past year, which places him in the 99th percentile compared to other midfielders.

As such, the seven-time Greek international could be an exciting long-term addition to Amorim’s squad, but Man United should also bring in a midfielder who has more experience at the top level, with Mouzakitis yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s major leagues.

Since the start of last season, Tottenham Hotspur have only won six home games in the Premier League.

A big response was needed ahead of Saturday’s clash against Fulham, but the relegation-threatened Cottagers swept into a two-goal advantage after six minutes, and the damage was done.

(1) Man City

2nd

24.2

(2) Chelsea

3rd

22.9

(3) Crystal Palace

9th

21.1

(4) Arsenal

1st

21.8

(5) Brentford

10th

21.1

(17) Tottenham

12th

11.9

This, sadly, is no uncharted territory, with Ange Postecoglou’s incredible Europa League triumph unable to save him from the axe as the Lilywhites limped to a 17th-place finish in the Premier League.

Thomas Frank was snapped up, the former Brentford boss having done so well in west London.

But things have hardly gone swimmingly several months into the Danish tactician’s stewardship.

Spurs could consider summer target

Frank still believes he can turn things around at Tottenham, but he’s running out of time. The fans are fed up, and there is a widening chasm in regard to the connection between manager and supporter.

To dare is to do, but Spurs daren’t spread their wings and showcase their attacking quality, it seems. Frank might employ a grittier, more pragmatic defensive and build-up structure than his predecessor, but he will fall by the wayside without taking off the fetters.

And with Oliver Glasner likely still on ENIC Group’s radar after summer interest, a solution may be right there for the taking.

In June, Tottenham chiefs held talks with the trophy-winning Crystal Palace manager before opting instead to push ahead with Frank, though the Austrian said he was committed to the Eagles cause after his stunning FA Cup win.

However, rumours of Glasner’s departure from Selhurst Park have since persisted, and the fan view from south London is that the 51-year-old will leave the club by the end of the season.

Why Spurs should appoint Glasner

Glasner has worked wonders since replacing Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace, claiming the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2025, but also fashioning this side into a genuine contender at the front end of the Premier League. They are currently competing in the Conference League.

Described as a “top-five manager in the world” by one Premier League content creator, Bayern Munich wanted Glasner’s signature before pushing ahead with Vincent Kompany, and competition is sure to be thick if he remains the Eagles boss next summer.

Typically employing a three-man backline, Glasner would find players in north London who have already established a measure of understanding in a similar system.

His aggressive duelling style and fluidity in set-up could actually play into Xavi Simons’ hands, the Netherlands midfielder having struggled since signing from RB Leipzig this summer.

Simons, 22, has lacked sharpness and physicality in the final third for the Lilywhites, but there’s no question that he is a top talent and that his numbers in the Bundesliga, both in regard to output and athleticism, suggest he has what it takes to cut the mustard.

And if you hark back to that xG-related table, you will observe that Palace sit third in the standings there. Frank will feel hard done by, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski still recovering from injuries picked up last season, but there can be no excuse for the manner of Spurs’ performances. More should be given from the players on the pitch.

You need only look at Simons’ prolific campaigns in Germany to understand that this is a special player, varied in his attacking approach, creative, combative, crafty when on the ball.

Matches (starts)

32 (32)

25 (25)

Goals

8

10

Assists

11

7

Shots (on target)*

2.5 (1.0)

2.0 (0.9)

Touches*

62.6

68.0

Pass completion

82%

83%

Big chances created

14

12

Key passes*

2.5

2.0

Dribbles*

2.6

1.3

Ball recoveries*

5.2

5.1

Tackles + interceptions*

1.4

1.6

Duels won*

6.3

5.4

The young Dutchman is a “game-changer”, as said by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and he has the capacity to become a superstar in the Premier League.

Tottenham haven’t exactly provided him with arable land to root in his skills and grow into a leading man down N17. Frank proved at Brentford that he is a good manager, but maybe he just isn’t right for this Spurs project.

Glasner, however, would be a jackpot appointment, and his previous success in shaping Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise into elite creators on the biggest stage suggests that he would be the manager to revive Simons’ potential.

Under Glasner’s wing, Olise posted seven goal involvements from the eight games he was involved, injured for much of his early time at the helm. Eze scored 20 goals and assisted 14 more across 56 outings before completing a big-money move to Arsenal.

The security and balance of Glasner’s tactical set-up would free Simons’ playmaking quality up, and if Frank is dismissed, this would be the coach to go for.

Spurs flop has become their biggest "embarrassment" since Aurier

It’s gone from bad to worse for Spurs, and this Conte signing’s time at the club could be coming to an end.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 1, 2025

Celtic are currently ranked 27th out of 36 teams in the league phase of the Europa League after they lost 3-1 to Danish side FC Midtjylland on Thursday night.

The Hoops endured a dismal opening 45 minutes of football, in which they gave up 15 shots against their goal, and went into the break 3-0 down to their hosts.

It was the first loss suffered by Martin O’Neill during his time as the interim head coach of the Scottish giants, after he won his first two games against Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership and Rangers in the League Cup semi-finals.

On top of it being a disappointing performance and result, Celtic will also be frustrated to have lost Callum Osmand to a hamstring injury late on in the second half.

The teenage centre-forward, who won the penalty that Reo Hatate scored from, pulled up when chasing a ball over the top and is now facing a spell on the sidelines.

As well as being frustrated by Osmand’s injury, O’Neill will surely be frustrated by several of the performances that were on display from some of his players on Thursday night.

Celtic's worst performers against Midtjylland

Of the players who started the Europa League clash in Denmark, it is hard to argue against Anthony Ralston being the pick of the bunch when looking at the biggest underperformers.

The Scotland international was caught out for the first two goals as he was given the run-around by 19-year-old winger Mikel Gogorza, who beat him easily to cross for the opener and to score the second goal.

Ralston, as shown in the clip above, allowed the teenage forward to cut inside in the box to get his shot away with ease, as he was barely able to put any pressure on the shot.

The Scottish full-back was not the only player who struggled, though, as Football FanCast published an article explaining why Callum McGregor, who failed to win a single duel or tackle in midfield, was also among the worst performers.

Vs Midtjylland	Johnny Kenny	Benjamin Nygren
Minutes	45	69
Shots	0	1
Shots on target	0	0
Key passes	0	0
Dribbles completed	0	0
Pass accuracy	73%	83%
Duels won	1/5	2/7
Stats via Sofascore

Johnny Kenny and Benjamin Nygren, as shown in the statistics above, also produced underwhelming performances as the starting centre-forward and attacking midfielder on Thursday night.

They were tasked with providing a threat at the top end of the pitch from the start of the match, but neither of them were able to register a single shot on target or key pass.

However, Nygren produced one goal and one assist and Kenny scored three goals in O’Neill’s first two matches in the dugout at Parkhead, which shows that they can offer far more than they did against the Danish side earlier this week.

Meanwhile, a player who came off the bench in the 3-1 loss in the Europa League may be on borrowed time in Glasgow, as he was even worse than both Nygren and Kenny.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Paulo Bernardo was brought onto the pitch for Arne Engels with 16 minutes left to play and his cameo against Midtjylland did little to suggest that he deserves more minutes on the pitch moving forward.

Why Paulo Bernardo may be on borrowed time at Celtic

The Portugal U21 international only played 74 minutes out of a possible 810 in the nine Scottish Premiership matches that Brendan Rodgers was in charge of at the start of the season, per Sofascore.

This shows that the former Benfica central midfielder did not get too many opportunities to shine under the Northern Irish head coach, which is why his resignation from the club appeared to be a fresh start for Bernardo.

Unfortunately, though, he was an unused substitute in the 4-0 win against Falkirk and was not selected to be part of the matchday squad for the clash with Rangers in the League Cup, before playing 16 minutes off the bench on Thursday night.

Paulo Bernardo’s last 10 matchday squad appearances
Opposition	Minutes
Midtjylland	16
Falkirk	0
Hearts	0
Sturm Graz	0
Motherwell	0
Braga	67
Hibernian	16
Red Star Belgrade	0
Partick Thistle	59
Kilmarnock	0
Stats via Sofascore

Bernardo has been a bit-part player for the Scottish giants this season, as shown by the statistics above, and has played fewer minutes in all competitions than McGregor, Engels, Hatate, Nygren, and Luke McCowan, who have all been preferred ahead of him in the middle of the park, per Transfermarkt.

The Portuguese whiz needed to make the most of his 16 minutes of action to impress on Thursday night, to prove that he deserves more game time, but his performance was even worse than Kenny and Nygren’s.

Vs Midtjylland	Paulo Bernardo
Minutes	16
Key passes	0
Passes completed	2/6 (33%)
Touches	7
Possession lost	5x
Ground duels won	0/2
Aerial duels won	0/3
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Bernardo lost the ball five times from seven touches of the ball in his time on the pitch, which is a dismal ratio that will not have pleased O’Neill watching on.

The ex-Benfica man also lost 100% of his five duels for the Hoops, whilst Nygren and Kenny at least won a duel each, as he failed to provide any physicality in midfield.

Bernardo, who was awarded a 4/10 player rating by 67HailHail, struggled in and out of possession in his 16 minutes off the bench, which could leave O’Neill wondering whether to reward him with any minutes against Kilmarnock at Parkhead on Sunday.

The 23-year-old flop, who played 28 matches in the Premiership in the 2024/25 campaign, may be on borrowed time in Glasgow unless he can turn things around and earn himself a regular place in the XI before January.

0 tackles, 0 duels won: Celtic man was just as bad as Ralston v Midtjylland

Celtic’s season reached a new nadir with defeat in Denmark on Thursday night.

By
Robbie Walls

Nov 7, 2025

If it gets to the January transfer window and the midfielder is still a bit-part player who is rarely getting minutes on the pitch, a decision may have to be made on his future at the club.

Manchester United’s impressive start to the 2025/26 campaign has no doubt been aided by their hierarchy’s £200m backing in the market during the summer transfer window.

Bryan Mbeumo has certainly made the biggest impact of the new arrivals, with the Cameroonian international already scoring four times in his ten Premier League outings.

The 26-year-old’s best display came against Brighton and Hove Albion, as the forward netted a double in the 4-2 triumph, helping Ruben Amorim’s side to rise up the league table.

Matheus Cunha has also partnered Mbeumo within the final third over recent months, also catching the eye with his first goal in the same victory over the Seagulls.

The Brazilian’s £62.5m transfer is now looking like an excellent piece of business, with the aforementioned duo both handing the fanbase the chance to get off their seats at Old Trafford.

However, despite the recent flurry of new additions at the Theatre of Dreams, the hierarchy could be set to make additional reinforcements in the upcoming January window.

United’s hunt for new additions in the January window

Over the last couple of weeks, United have been hugely touted with a winter transfer to land Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson after his recent rise in 2025/26.

The 23-year-old has been a regular starter this campaign, impressing at the City Ground, which has led to the youngster becoming an England international regular.

The Red Devils have since been touted with a potential £70m deal to land the youngster, but Sean Dyche’s side may be reluctant to offload their star man during the winter window.

However, he’s not the only player currently in their sights, with Palmeiras striker Vitor Roque another star they’re hunting, according to Spanish outlet SPORT.

They claim that Amorim’s side are currently in pole position for the 20-year-old’s signature, despite keen interest from fellow Premier League outfit Chelsea.

It also states that the Brazilian could be available for a fee in the region of £42m this winter, but it remains unclear if the United board would pay such a figure in the months ahead.

Why United’s £42m target would be an upgrade on Sesko

As part of the club’s summer spending spree, the United board forked out a deal in the region of £74m for the signature of striker Benjamin Sesko from German side RB Leipzig.

Such a fee generated huge excitement amongst the fanbase, with huge expectations on the 22-year-old to transform the club’s fortunes within the final third of the pitch.

However, it’s not all been plain sailing for the Slovenian international, with the centre-forward only scoring twice in his ten Premier League appearances to date.

After scoring two games in a row, Sesko is now three matches without a goal, even registering just 21 touches of the ball in the recent clash with Forest – the lowest of any player out of both sides.

There’s no denying that the fanbase have seen glimpses of his quality, but they would have certainly been expecting more given the nature of the transfer fee.

Any deal for Roque could see the supporters handed the number nine they’ve craved, especially if the youngster can replicate his goalscoring numbers from his homeland.

In his 28 league appearances this season, the 20-year-old has netted 13 goals, massively outscoring the Slovenian – with his underlying figures also highlighting why he’s better than the United talisman.

Games played

28

10

Goals scored

13

2

Shot on target accuracy

48%

38%

Pass accuracy

72%

63%

Key passes

1.6

1.1

Take-on success

40%

25%

Progressive carries

2.5

0.6

Carries into 18-yard box

1.2

0.4

Fouls drawn

3.5

0.3

Roque, who’s been dubbed a “future superstar” by analyst Ben Mattinson, has achieved a better shot on target accuracy rate – further showcasing his edge over Sesko in terms of his goalscoring ability.

Other figures, such as a higher pass completion rate and more key passes completed per 90 showcase the Brazilian’s creativity, which could hand the likes of Mbeumo and Cunha the chance to improve their own tallies.

Roque’s all-round dominance over the United talisman is further highlighted in his higher tally of take-ons completed and more carries into the final third per 90.

Such figures demonstrate the youngster’s ability to create his own chances and often being able to muster an opportunity out of nothing – something which Sesko has so far been unable to do.

£42m would be another huge statement of intent from the ownership group, reaffirming their backing in Amorim to transform the squad and take them to the next level.

Such a move may be harsh on Sesko, but such a transfer could provide the striker with the added competition he needs to match the expectations placed on him after his own mammoth transfer.

Amorim can end Dalot's Man Utd career by unleashing £48m "monster"

This Man Utd ace will be back from injury soon

ByJoe Nuttall Nov 5, 2025

India were originally supposed to travel to Bangladesh in August 2025

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2025India’s white-ball tour to Bangladesh, which was originally supposed to take place in August 2025, has now been moved to September 2026.”This decision has been reached following discussions between the two boards, taking into account the international cricketing commitments and scheduling convenience of both teams,” the BCCI said in a statement.”The BCB looks forward to welcoming India in September 2026 for this eagerly anticipated series. Revised dates and fixtures for the tour will be announced in due course.”Related

India to tour Bangladesh for three ODIs and three T20Is in August

The decision comes days after BCB president Aminul Islam had addressed the uncertainty around the tour.Earlier in April, the BCB had announced the schedule for India’s tour of Bangladesh: three ODIs on August 17, 20 and 23, followed by T20Is on August 26, 29 and 31. The matches were to be held in Mirpur and Chattogram.With the Bangladesh tour being deferred, India’s top players might be in action in the Duleep Trophy, which will kickstart the Indian domestic season in August.

Glasgow Rangers’ move to appoint Kevin Muscat as the new man in charge at Ibrox has taken a twist which could see a former Scotland winger take charge on an interim basis.

Following surprise rejection from Steven Gerrard, it was back to square one for the 49ers. It looked almost certain that the former Rangers manager would be making his return to Ibrox for the first time since leaving in 2021, only for their offer to simply come at the wrong stage of their current project.

Now, Kevin Thelwell and others have been left with no choice but to turn towards other candidates – sparking several rumours. Now that it’s not Gerrard, reports have mentioned Danny Rohl, former West Ham United boss Graham Potter and several other names, but the “favourite” for the job is now Shanghai Port manager Kevin Muscat.

The 52-year-old was previously in contention to take the job before the Gers ultimately turned towards Philippe Clement in 2023. Now, two years on, he could finally get the chance to take charge of the side that he played for between 2002 and 2003.

His appointment would certainly make sense. Muscat is someone that knows the club well from his playing days and someone who has since won everywhere he’s been as a manager.

Related Rangers now targeting history-making Championship manager in fresh Ibrox move

The Gers are still on the hunt for a new manager.

Posts ByTom Cunningham Oct 14, 2025

Those at Ibrox should also know their candidate pretty well, given how close he’s been to the job in the past. The only obstacle will be getting Muscat out of his position in Shanghai, with the Chinese Super League season not coming to an end until mid-Novemeber.

That said, reports that he’s already got a secret agreement in place about one Ibrox change suggests that he’s been preparing for the job for some time.

Secret Rangers agreement could see interim appointment

As reported by The Daily Record, Muscat already has a secret agreement in place with Neil McCann to join his backroom staff at Rangers and, if he gets the job, the former Scotland winger will reportedly make himself available to take charge until the manager completes his business in Shanghai.

This could see McCann take charge as soon as this weekend against Dundee United and return for the first time since being part of Barry Ferguson’s staff in an interim spell last season.

The delay in Muscat’s arrival would be far from ideal, but handing one of his potential staff members the role on a temporary basis looks like an ideal solution. McCann knows the club well, knows the potential next manager well and could steady the ship before mid-November.

In an ideal world, however, Muscat will call time on his tenure in China and instantly take the vacant Ibrox position. He has been a man in waiting for some time and should take hold of the opportunity whilst he still has the chance.

Daniel Vettori, the Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach, has clarified that the team’s batting style wasn’t aggressive by default, after their washout against Delhi Capitals knocked them out of contention to make the IPL 2025 playoffs. But he did note that the conditions in Hyderabad didn’t match their expectations, and that they were tricky for batters.”I definitely didn’t say after every match I was backing an aggressive approach,” Vettori said. “I said we’re about assessing conditions and this year, the conditions weren’t as we expected. If you look at last year, there were a lot of high-scoring games here.”These surfaces in particular have been a little bit different. It has been tricky, it hasn’t been easy for the batters. All we’ve talked about is assessing conditions, trying to read the game and understand what to do in certain situations. I think the guys are innately aggressive, but certainly, this season has been about trying to establish what’s been required on the day.”Related

• Martin: Took SRH too long to realise their batting approach might not work

• Rain knocks SRH out and hands DC a reprieve

Hyderabad has hosted six games so far and teams have crossed 200 in four of the 11 innings in total. However, teams crossed 200 seven times in 12 innings last year. The reason for the reduced high-scoring pitches, according to Vettori, was the conditions being more bowler-friendly.”There have been two surfaces that have been 250-plus, and there have been four here that have been probably more conducive for the fast bowlers. Not so much the spinners but new ball has been a little bit sticky, hard to hit, not coming onto the bat. The IPL has some of the best new-ball bowlers in the world and they were able to exploit those conditions.”With three wins in ten games, SRH came into the game needing a win to stay alive in the tournament. They were in a good position to do that after reducing DC to 133 for 7. But rain arrived after the end of the first innings, much to Vettori’s frustration.”Obviously, it’s disappointing. We came in with high hopes, but we haven’t been consistent enough with our performances. I’ve spoken to you guys a number of times around just not being able to put complete performances together. Today was the start of a complete performance, so it’s frustrating that we couldn’t finish it but that’s cricket.”Pat Cummins struck twice in his first two overs•Getty Images

Pat Cummins’ new-ball spell had set up SRH’s strong start. He sliced through DC’s top order in the powerplay and finished with figures of 3 for 19. He bowled the first over as Mohammed Shami, who has had a poor season with SRH so far, was left out.Shami has taken six wickets in nine games at an average and strike rate of 56.16 and 11.23 respectively. Vettori said the call to leave out Shami was based on conditions, and praised Cummins for his ability to take on different roles.”It’s obviously been a tough season so far for Shami,” Vettori said. “But he’s been working exceptionally hard in the background. We just saw, particularly on this Hyderabad wicket that’s the best make up of the team for us.”If you look at his overall performance, he’s been able to be a wicket-taker. He’s bowled [in] a number of different roles for us. He’s been able to mix and match depending on who’s selected in the team.”Today, I think was the first [second*] time he took the first over and you can see why he’s such a dominant Test-match bowler when he gets the opportunity. Pleasing for him to be able to turn up today and bowl so well and lead the team exceptionally well. Hopefully, that carries onto the last three games of the season.”

CSK got off to a good start before swirling into a procession on two-paced black-soil pitch

Karthik Krishnaswamy30-Apr-20251:47

Finch: CSK needed a player like Brevis in middle order

A 47-ball 88 from Sam Curran put Chennai Super Kings on course to breach 200 for only the second time in IPL 2025 and the first time at home, only for Yuzvendra Chahal to send their innings spiralling to an early close with four wickets in the 19th over including a hat-trick.It left the match curiously poised: this black-soil pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium seemed two-paced through most of CSK’s innings, so 191 may well be a testing target for Punjab Kings. CSK could have ended up with a significantly bigger total, though, and PBKS have a line-up of serious depth.The finish of CSK’s innings was an extraordinary one. Chahal had only been used for two overs up to the start of the 19th, with PBKS reluctant to use him or the left-arm orthodox spinner Harpreet Brar against CSK’s left-hand batters. But with the famously spin-shy MS Dhoni new to the crease, Shreyas Iyer threw his legspinner the ball.Dhoni hit a six off his first legal ball, only to hole out next ball. A procession followed, with Chahal dismissing Deepak Hooda, Anshul Kamboj and Noor Ahmad off the last three balls of the over.Through all this, Shivam Dube, CSK’s best spin-hitter, was stuck at the non-striker’s end. He may even have wondered if he should have refused a second run off the first ball Hooda faced, and kept the strike against Chahal. Dube picked up an inside-edged four off the first ball of the final over but holed out next ball, which meant CSK had lost their last five wickets for six runs, in the space of seven balls.Until that harebrained passage of play, CSK might have been the happier side by far. They had lost both openers early, but Curran had defied the two-paced pitch and sapping humidity to play an innings of some substance. His 47-ball innings included nine fours, four sixes and just ten dot balls.The defining passage of his innings came in the 16th over, when Iyer chose to give the military-medium Suryansh Shedge a third over rather than risk bowling Chahal or Brar against the two left-handers at the crease. Shedge had conceded just 14 off his first two overs, but Curran kept pouncing on his errors now, hitting him for two sixes and two fours in a 26-run over.That Shedge had to bowl that over was also an effect of PBKS losing Glenn Maxwell – possibly for the rest of the season – to a broken finger. Maxwell has had a difficult IPL with the bat, but has contributed significantly with his offspin, which PBKS would have welcomed against CSK’s left-handers.