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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has personally gone to great lengths to tempt West Ham star Declan Rice with a move, according to Jacob Steinberg.

Will Arsenal sign Declan Rice?

After nearly a week of further talks, following the agreement of a total £105 million fee (£100m + £5m in add-ons), both the Gunners and West Ham have finally reached a compromise on payment structure for the transfer of Rice.

Over what has felt like a very drawn-out transfer saga, Arsenal are at long last set to seal their top transfer target, with both transfer chief Edu and Arteta playing a big role. Fabrizio Romano, a world renowned transfer journalist, has even given his famous "here we go" to the signing on Twitter.

Rice will become the most expensive British transfer of all time, usurping the likes of Jack Grealish (Man City) and Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), in what is a big boost for Arsenal as they look to mount another title challenge.

The 24-year-old has previously spoken of his desire to win silverware, a goal which will have undoubtedly been a factor in him choosing Arsenal.

Speaking back in 2022, Rice revealed he is ready for a big move, claiming he can play at any level required.

"I feel like I am one of the established top players around the world," said Rice (via 90min).

"I am still young, but in terms of my playing ability and the way I’ve performed consistently, I see myself as an established player now who’s got good experience and can play at any level if required.

"All I can do is go out there and perform, regardless of the price tag. I just need to focus on playing well and performing at the best level I can.”

The Guardian's Steinberg, sharing further background on Arsenal's move for the England international, has dropped an interesting claim involving Arteta.

The journalist says Arsenal's manager has personally "gone to great lengths" in a bid to tempt Rice with a move to north London, with the Spaniard believing his physicality and leadership can gift his side a better chance of winning the league.

What's been said about Declan Rice?

The former Chelsea academy star stood out as West Ham's best-performer by average match rating, all while making more interceptions per 90 than any player in their squad (WhoScored).

Called "world class" by members of the media, former Hammers defender Matthew Upson also recently professed his great admiration for Rice.

"I really enjoyed working with him," Upson told BBC Sport.

"He was so receptive. He had the ability to take criticism or feedback. It didn't deter him. He took it all in such a positive way and had the intelligence to absorb the information and add it to his game, which is a real skill.

That is him. Nobody has added that or given it to him. That is just Declan. That is his star quality."

Aston Villa are plotting a swoop to bring Sevilla star Yassine Bounou to the Premier League, according to reports.

Who is Yassine Bounou?

Bounou or 'Bono' is a goalkeeper who currently plays his football at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, having permanently moved there back in 2020 following a successful loan spell from Girona, as per Transfermarkt, and despite not being Jose Luis Mendilibar’s official number one, he’s a regular feature of his first-team.

In La Liga last season, the 32-year-old started 26 out of the 38 games so was his largely manager’s first-choice between the sticks, but it’s not just his consistent and impressive performances for his club that have attracted interest, more so on the international stage.

Back at the 2022 World Cup, the Morrocan was one of the standout stars for his nation and he helped to guide them all the way to the semi-finals of the major tournament, most notably with his heroics in the decisive penalty shootout against Spain, where he saved two spot-kicks, and this form has grabbed the attention of Unai Emery in the Midlands.

Are Aston Villa signing Bounou?

According to Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb (via Sport Witness), Bounou “could end up” at Aston Villa this summer. Sevilla’s shot-stopper “has said no” to a “rich offer” from Saudi Arabia as there could be a “crossover” with his side’s former boss.

Emery himself would personally “like to sign” the goalkeeper as a potential successor for Emiliano Martinez, who won't be short of suitors should he leave, but how much it would cost to prise him away from his club or if he would be open to the switch yet remains to be seen.

Where would Bounou fit in under Emery?

Ever since Argentina were crowned World Cup winners last year, Martinez has been heavily linked with a departure to more high-profile clubs in the Premier League – including Manchester United and Chelsea – so Emery will need a replacement should he depart, and Bono could be the perfect successor.

Sevilla’s 6 foot 4 colossus, who pockets £49k-per-week, kept five clean sheets from 25 La Liga outings last season and made a total of 66 saves from 106 shots on target against, so he isn’t afraid to come out on the net and put his body on the line to clear the danger for his side.

He's also shone on the European stage, making “monster” saves, as dubbed by CBS reporter Ives Galarcep, on route to a Europa League winners medal, and that experience could be vital for Villa this season.

The Montreal native has an extremely strong range of passing having successfully completed 100% of his short-length dispatches and 97.7% of his medium-length attempts last season, so he clearly has an eye for picking out balls to his outfield players and attempting to start off moves from the back in the hope of creating chances.

Finally, Bono has not only previously been named the Goalkeeper of the Season but he will know exactly what it takes to compete and be successful at the required level having twice won the Europa League, so he could help to create the mentality needed to come out on top against more difficult opponents overseas.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، عن موقف نادي برشلونة الإسباني بشأن مستقبل الدولي البرتغالي جواو كانسيلو، المعار من مانشستر سيتي حتى نهاية الموسم.

من المقرر أن ينتهي عقد إعارة كانسيلو مع برشلونة في الصيف المقبل، وحتى الآن لم يحسم النادي الكتالوني مستقبله قبل نهاية الموسم.

صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، أكدت أن مانشستر سيتي لن يترك كانسيلو بأقل من 30 مليون يورو، وهو المبلغ الذي لا يمكن لـ برشلونة انفاقه في الصيف المقبل بسبب مشاكل اللعب المالي النظيف.

طالع أيضًا.. كانسيلو لـ جوارديولا: لقد قيلت الأكاذيب في حقي ومانشستر سيتي “ناكر للجميل”

كانسيلو كان قد أكد منذ وقت قريب، أنه يريد الاستمرار في صفوف برشلونة، ويرغب في تمديد إقامته بملعب لويس كومبانيس بمقاطعة كتالونيا.

وأوضحت الصحيفة الإسبانية، أن برشلونة يفكر في استعارة اللاعب لمدة موسم آخر، دون أي خيار للشراء، وهو العرض الذي سيقدمه النادي الكتالوني لـ مانشستر سيتي.

كانسيلو لديه عقد مع مانشستر سيتي حتى عام 2027، ولكنه يعتقد أن وكيله قادر على إقناع مانشستر سيتي بالتساهل، ومحاولة الموافقة على إعارة اللاعب لمدة موسم آخر لـ برشلونة.

Backing Kusal Mendis was an easy decision for Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford and the batsman repaid the faith hitting 194 in Galle

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle09-Mar-2017

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford produced a ringing endorsement of Kusal Mendis after the 22-year old hit 194 in Galle and said the team management “never thought of dropping him” despite a spell of poor form.Mendis averaged 21.70 across 10 Test innings with only one half-century on the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa. However, it took him only one innings, back in home conditions, to shrug off those returns and the Sri Lankan staff was certainly expecting the turnaround.”It’s not hard to back him at all,” Ford said. “He’s such a wonderful talent, and he’s going to win a lot of games for Sri Lanka along the way. The worst thing we could do is to put too much expectation on his shoulders. We don’t want to put him under any pressure. He is learning and no doubt with his talent he will pay us back down the line. We never thought of dropping him – he’s just got too much talent. I am sure down the line, he is going to show everybody just how great he is.”Ford said better shot selection – particularly early in the innings – marked Mendis’ path to improvement. His technique and attitude, Ford said, did not need much tinkering. “He is one player always supporting the guys that are doing well – he’s very happy for the other guys. He had a smile on his face the whole time when he didn’t quite fire as we know he can.”He kept working as hard as ever. He loves his cricket he loves his practices. We have seen with a guy like that – with the amount of talent he’s got – it’s not hugely about technique. It’s just about making sure his decision-making and his shot selection is good. He probably is the first to admit that he was a bit extravagant early on in South Africa and got himself out. He’s come home and done a lot of work on his own. Hats off to the fella he deserves the big score.”Although Mendis fell six short of his maiden double-century, he did become the youngest Sri Lankan to 1000 Test runs. But things could have been so different. Subashis Roy had Mendis caught behind for a golden duck, until the umpire signaled no-ball, and Ford felt being recalled to the crease after initially believing himself out may have spurred Mendis to greater focus.”Getting out first ball may have shook him up because he really applied himself after that – he really worked hard in those first two sessions. It all started to get easier as he went along. It was brilliant to see when he went to his hundred, that he raised his bat and went back to re-mark his guard. It was pretty clear that he was starting all over again. We sort of chatted at team meetings that it’s just not about making hundreds, but making very big hundreds – those are the things that change matches. For a young guy, he has taken that on pretty well.”Sri Lanka ended the first innings 182 runs ahead, after bowling Bangladesh out for 312. However, the rain that washed out all but two balls of the third session has dented Ford’s hopes of pushing for victory.”We should make up eight overs each day – in total we may lose about 20 overs out of the match, which is quite a lot when you are pressing for a result on what seems to be a pretty good batting wicket. It’s going to make it harder for us, and we haven’t really done our math yet as far as where we need to be, and how much time we’ll need to bowl them out. When we do go out to bat, we need a partnership early on so that we can dictate, and then declare when we feel it’s the right time.”

قرر الألماني يورجن كلوب، المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، استبدال لاعبه المصري محمد صلاح خلال المباراة أمام شيفيلد يونايتد.

ويلتقي ليفربول وشيفيلد على ملعب “آنفيلد” ضمن مباريات الجولة الحادية والثلاثين للدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتقدم ليفربول بهدف عن طريق داروين نونيز في الدقيقة 17، بعد خطأ من حارس المرمى إيفو جريبتش.

وتعادل شيفيلد يونايتد بهدف عكسي بعدما اصطدمت الكرة بكونور برادلي، في الدقيقة 58 من اللقاء.

وعقب الهدف أجرى كلوب تبديلين بخروج محمد صلاح وجرافنبرخ وشارك هارفي إليوت وأندي روبرتسون بالدقيقة 60.

وبدا الاستياء على وجه محمد صلاح لحظة استبداله، وصافح زميله إليوت سريعًا ثم مدربه كلوب.

وتوجه صلاح لمقاعد البدلاء وهو غير راضٍ عن استبداله وبدا ذلك واضحًا على وجهه لحظة توجهه لمقاعد البدلاء.

يذكر أنه تم إيقاف المباراة بالدقيقة 25 حتى يقوم اللاعبون المسلمون بكسر صيامهم، وهم ثنائي ليفربول محمد صلاح وكوناتي، وأحمدودزيتش لاعب شيفليد. لحظة استبدال محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وشيفيلد ورد فعله

Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move for Romeo Lavia this summer and now a new update has emerged on the club's pursuit of the midfielder ahead of next season.

How much will Romeo Lavia cost?

According to Sky Sports Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool are in "concrete" talks to sign the Southampton midfielder.

Plettenberg took to Twitter to reveal: "Talks between Liverpool & Lavia are concrete and ongoing. Understand there is no agreement in terms of salary conditions yet.

"As reported: His price tag is around £50m Klopp wants him! Very press-resistant player – even in high-pressure situations, he loses the ball only once out of 10 times."

It was reported earlier this week that Liverpool were prepared to wait to sign Lavia in a bid to convince Southampton to lower their expensive £50m asking price for their player, however, it is looking like the recently relegated club are not willing to budge on their valuation.

As a result, FSG must sanction the move and put their trust in Jurgen Klopp to develop Lavia into another superstar that can bring more success to the Merseyside giants in the future, just like the German coach has done many times before.

How good is Romeo Lavia?

The Reds have already secured deals for two explosive attacking midfielders, with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai both joining the squad at Anfield, however, bolstering the deeper roles in the midfield set-up would be advantageous.

There has been mounting speculation that Thiago Alcantara could be making an exit this summer; the Liverpool star is now in the last year of his contract and interest could present an opportunity to cash in, paving the way for Lavia to replace him.

When comparing the positional peers' outputs over last season, the Saints talent came close to Thiago in several key attributes including pass completion rate (86.2% v 86.2%), progressive passes (102 v 120), blocked passes (22 v 22), shot-creating actions (41 v 41) and aerial duels won (41.2% v 36.8%), as per FBref.

The Manchester City academy graduate has already started to earn high praise for his influence at St Mary's, with former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes lavishing Lavia with compliments on his deep-lying playmaking skills:

"He has got a pass in his locker and he is big and strong and likes to defend. He does not want to get forward too much and sits in front of the back four and sets the play in motion from there."

Whilst Rio Ferdinand also had a positive opinion on the player:

"He is a young player who can do both sides of the game, equally good defensively but also once he is one the ball he has tremendous feet and can pass it."

Fabinho and Stefan Bajcetic have returned to pre-season training and are expected to stay at the club for next season, so should Thiago depart in the coming weeks it would make more sense for the Belgian midfielder to replace him whilst Bajcetic continues to compete to be the successor to his Brazilian teammate.

With that being said, the signing of Lavia would be a big addition for Liverpool in their pursuit build a midfield for the future and if Lavia can continue his development he could be an incredibly valuable Thiago replacement.

After scoring his maiden T20 century to help Delhi Daredevils record their biggest win in the IPL, Sanju Samson was very pleased he was able to do “something special”

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2017Sanju Samson came into Indian cricket with the reputation that he could become the next big thing. He was 16 when he made his T20 debut for Kerala, and in little over a year, was part of an IPL franchise. The teenager’s temperament stood out, to the point that he made a half-century batting at No. 3 in only his second game for Rajasthan Royals. Eventually though, the surprise factor faded, and the pressure got to him. Two middling IPL seasons followed in 2015 and 2016 but, on Tuesday, he took a step towards putting those memories behind him with a maiden T20 hundred that set up Delhi Daredevils’ biggest ever win.”I am very happy about this day. It’s one of the special days of my life,” Samson said at the post-match press conference. “Every cricketer here in India, his dream is to play for Indian team, which is the world’s best cricket team. So if you want to get into it, you have to be something special, you have to do something special. So I’m happy that I played one innings but there’s a long way to go.”He was bought by the Daredevils in 2016, and despite playing all 14 matches that year, he was dismissed for less than 20 seven times and finished with an unimpressive strike-rate of 112. Now, after his team had begun the new season by losing a game they should have won, Samson walked out to bat in the second over and was 35 off 19 balls with six fours by the end of the Powerplay. Then after seeing off the Rising Pune Supergiant spinners, Imran Tahir, the No. 1-ranked bowler in limited-overs cricket, among them, he made 41 off 16 balls to help push the total to 205. There were times in the past when quality bowling would force Samson into choosing the wrong shot, but he was able to keep that weakness in check and later praised the Daredevils support staff for backing him.”I think Rahul Dravid, Zubin Bharucha, Paddy Upton and each member of the team who has supported me throughout,” Samson told . “Last IPL season was not a great season for me, but they supported me throughout and I dedicate this knock to them.”I was 17 when I was with the Rajasthan Royals and since then I have been working with Dravid and feel very blessed to be learning under his guidance. Not too many people get this chance and I feel I am extremely lucky to have him around and guide me.”This success came on the back of a disappointing first-class season for Samson. Besides the lack of runs – he averaged 30.36 from 11 innings for Kerala – he was pulled up for disciplinary issues by the state association. It was alleged that he had left the team in the middle of a match, after being dismissed for a duck, and did not return until 8 or 9 pm. This led to an in-house inquiry and a KCA panel let Samson off with a warning. On Tuesday night, he said lows like that helped shape the person he was.”You need to have bad times to learn what life is about, I think. If you keep on achieving success, I think, you do not learn. If you do mistakes in cricket, or if you do mistakes in life, you learn from it and you become a better person. I think my past has helped me become a better cricketer and a better human being.”

تحدث أنطونيو روديجر مدافع ريال مدريد، قبل مواجهة مانشستر سيتي، في ربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويلتقي ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي يوم الثلاثاء المقبل، في ذهاب ربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وجاءت تصريحات روديجر خلال تصريحات لموقع الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم” يويفا”، وسُئل عن صراعه المحتمل مع إيرلينج هالاند، مهاجم مانشستر سيتي.

وأجاب روديجر: “أنا أتطلع حقًا إلى المواجهة معه، أنت تحلم بهذه المباريات، إنه لأمر مدهش أن تكون جزءًا من هذا”.

وأضاف: “ضد إيرلينج هالاند أو أي شخص آخر… لديهم الكثير من اللاعبين الرائعين، وليس هالاند فقط”.

وأكمل: “من الواضح أنه مهاجم رائع، أنا أتطلع حقًا إلى هذه المباراة، لكنني أتطلع إلى كل مباراة بنفس القدر”.

اقرأ أيضًا | أنشيلوتي ينتظر رقمًا تاريخيًا في مباراة ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي

وأشار روديجر: “مع كل الاحترام الواجب لجميع الأندية الأخرى التي لعبت لها، وكانوا أيضًا أندية كبيرة، لا أعتقد أنه يمكنك مقارنتهم بريال مدريد”.

وأردف: “لقد فاز ريال مدريد بـ 14 كأسًا أوروبيًا، الأمر يتعلق دائمًا بالفوز بدوري أبطال أوروبا هنا وليس عليك أن تقول ذلك، تشعر بالضغط بالطبع، لقد عايشت ذلك للمرة الأولى العام الماضي”.

وعن مفاتيح النجاح في ريال مدريد، أوضح: “عليك أن تكون مستعداً للمضي قدماً حتى النهاية، الأمر كله يتعلق بالفوز هنا، التعادلات أو الهزائم ببساطة ليست خياراً”.

وفيما يتعلق بوصوله إلى إسبانيا، استطرد: “كان كل شيء جديدًا في الأشهر القليلة الأولى، تغيير كبير، جئت إلى نادٍ فاز للتو بدوري أبطال أوروبا والليجا، لكن كل شيء سار بشكل جيد”.

وعن دور المدافع مع ريال مدريد، أتم: “الثقة بالنفس مهمة، بما تشعر به في أي لحظة، عليك أن تمنح الفريق الثقة كقائد دفاعي، بالنسبة لي، هذه هي الأشياء الأكثر أهمية: إحداث الضجيج وطمأنة الفريق”.

Rangers and Nottingham Forest are still working on a deal for Jonathan Panzo, but the proposed switch has not advanced much further in the past week, according to a recent report from Football Scotland.

What's the latest Rangers transfer news?

Transfer insider Dean Jones suspects that Rangers may still have some work to do in the transfer market, despite already bringing in a number of players, recently telling GiveMeSport:

"I think it's seven they've got through the door already, at least a couple more to follow. The Cifuentes one is being held up a bit, but even with that, I don't think Rangers are finished yet. I'm expecting another forward player and another defender as well to be signed."

One defender the Gers are still considering a move for is Auston Trusty, who could be leaving Arsenal this summer, however, they now face a transfer battle, with English Championship side Ipswich Town also joining the race for his signature.

Panzo has been a target for the Light Blues for quite some time, with talks being held over a deal for the Nottingham Forest defender well over a month ago, and there has now been an update on their pursuit.

According to a report from Football Scotland, the deal is still being worked on by both clubs, but there has been very little progress in the past week, with Rangers aware it is likely they will need to pay £2.5m to secure his signature. Michael Beale is keen to add the 22-year-old to his squad, despite the recent arrival of Leon Balogun on a free transfer.

The player's salary has been put to the Light Blues, but there has been no recent movement while they are out in Germany for their pre-season training camp, and the deal does not appear to be edging any closer to completion.

Who is Jonathan Panzo?

Hailed as an "exciting young player" by Forest boss Steve Cooper, the centre-back started his career at Chelsea, making a handful of appearances at youth level, before going on to test himself in Ligue 1 with AS Monaco and Dijon, and in the Jupiler Pro League with Cercle Brugge.

Despite his age, the Englishman already has a considerable amount of first-team experience, emerging as an important player for Coventry during their push for the Premier League last season, making a total of 32 appearances in all competitions.

Forest U21s coach Dave Rogers has also praised the 6 foot 1 defender, who is represented by the same agent as Ben Davies, saying:

"He is a great professional. He's enthusiastic and has got good experience and energy too. He brings a great vibe to the dressing room too."

Over the past year, the former Monaco man ranks highly across a number of key metrics for defenders, when compared to players at a similar level, ranking in the 95th percentile for interceptions per 90, and in the 85th percentile for tackles. Therefore, Panzo could be a fantastic addition for Rangers, and Beale may well be hoping that more progress can be made in the coming days and weeks.

Mumbai Indians have won both their matches against Kolkata Knight Riders this season, but their bowling, which has let them down lately, is in need of a lift if they are to qualify for the final

The Preview by Shashank Kishore18-May-2017Match factsQualifier 2, Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders
Bengaluru, May 19, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)4:24

Agarkar: Want Harbhajan back for his experience

Form guide

Mumbai Indians: lost to Rising Pune by 20 runs, beat KKR by 9 runs, lost to Kings XI by 7 runs

Kolkata Knight Riders: beat Sunrisers by seven wickets (DLS method), lost to Mumbai by 9 runs, lost to Kings XI by 14 runs

Head-to-headOverall: Mumbai have won 15 of the 20 matches between the sides.This season: KKR have lost on both occasions from a position of strength. On a greasy Wankhede outfield, they failed to defend 59 off the last 23 balls after removing the cream of Mumbai’s batting line-up. In their last league game at Eden Gardens, they failed to chase down 25 off the last three overs. The loss cost them a finish in the top two.Big pictureMumbai Indians shed their tag of slow starts to rack up nine wins in their first eleven matches. They’ve slowed down since, losing three of their last four games. The last two overs, off which they conceded 41, proved costly in the first Qualifer against Rising Pune Supergiant. If there’s one surface where their bowlers can rediscover their mojo, it’s the one at Chinnaswamy.The pitch is unlikely to be too different from the one that hosted the Eliminator. On Wednesday, spinners were tough to get away, and the pacers largely stuck to cutters and cross-seam deliveries to apply the brakes in the first innings before the rain came down. That could force Mumbai go back to Harbhajan Singh, who has picked up seven wickets in the middle overs, the most among Mumbai bowlers. That could mean leaving out one of Karn Sharma or Krunal Pandya, both of whom take the ball away from the right-handers. If the tackiness of the surface warrants an extra batsman, Krunal is likely to get the nod.Knight Riders have a problem or two in the middle order. A six-over shootout against Sunrisers Hyderabad didn’t quite expose it despite their losing three wickets inside the first two overs. Manish Pandey suffered a side strain and has been ruled out. With the surface on the slower side, Knight Riders could bring back Kuldeep Yadav, their most successful spinner this season, and leave out either Ishank Jaggi or Suryakumar Yadav.Bengaluru has witnessed plenty of rain over the past week. The forecast for Friday is no different, although the state-of-the art sub-air system is capable of sucking out nearly 10,000 litres of water per minute. With both sides sure to keep an eye on the weather, the toss could become vital.Will Mumbai Indians bring back Harbhajan Singh for the knockout clash?•BCCI

The likely XIsMumbai Indians: 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Rohit Sharma (capt), 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Jasprit Bumrah Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Chris Lynn, 3 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 4 Robin Uthappa, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Ishank Jaggi, 7 Suryakumar Yadav/Kuldeep Yadav, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Trent BoultStrategy puntKnight Riders could consider opening the bowling with Sunil Narine. Lendl Simmons, his Trinidad and Tobago team-mate, has fallen to him once previously and has scored just five off the nine balls he has faced. Parthiv Patel has also been unable to break free against the offspinner, scoring 17 off 19. In comparison, Simmons and Parthiv have struck at 143.59 and 146.20 respectively against pace this season.Rohit Sharma has been dismissed by legspinners five times this season. KKR have two wristspinners in their squad: Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav, who can exploit this weakness.Stats that matter This has been Rohit’s poorest IPL season by a distance: he has scored 283 runs at a strike rate of 124.66, while being dismissed for 10 or less nine times – the most times in any of his IPL seasons. His lowest aggregate prior to this was 362, in South Africa in 2009, much before he became an India regular. Knight Riders’ batsmen have scored the most runs in the Powerplay among all the teams, partly because of the belligerence of Chris Lynn (187.74) and Sunil Narine (178.33). They possess the best strike rates among all batsmen who have faced 100 or more deliveries this season. Knight Riders, however, have scored the fewest runs of all the teams in the end overs. Considering Knight Riders have two left-handers in their top six, Mumbai could ponder bringing in Harbhajan Singh for Karn Sharma or Krunal Pandya. Even though he had an ordinary outing in his previous game – conceding 45 off three overs against Kings XI Punjab – it was the only time in 11 games this season that he had conceded more than 6.75 an over. His economy of 5.30 in the Powerplay, meanwhile, is the best among all bowlers who have bowled five or more overs. Harbhajan, who has been part of two IPL title-winning squads, has 14 wickets in knockout matches, the most by any spinner and second only to Dwayne Bravo among all bowlers. Gautam Gambhir, who steered Knight Riders into the second Qualifer with an unbeaten 32 on Wednesday night, is the second-highest run-getter in the tournament with 486 runs in 15 innings. Three hundred and eighty one of his runs have come in 10 run chases. Mumbai lost their only previous knockout match at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, an Eliminator against Chennai Super Kings in 2012. Mumbai won their only previous knockout fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders, in 2011, before losing to Royal Challengers Bangalore in the second Qualifier.