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There is certainly still a long way to go, but this season really is shaping up to be something quite special for Arsenal.

Thanks to their wins over Aston Villa and Bournemouth and Manchester City’s draws against Sunderland and Chelsea, Mikel Arteta’s side are now six points clear atop the Premier League table.

However, there is always room for improvement, and one area in which the North Londoners are still lacking when compared to Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut is in attack.

Fortunately, if reports are to be believed, Arsenal are keen to bolster their attacking options and have been linked with someone who could be their new Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Arsenal target their new Aubameyang

Now, it should be said that Arsenal do have one of the best attacks in the Premier League; they wouldn’t be sitting atop of it if they didn’t.

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However, even after scoring seven goals in their last two games, the Gunners have scored four fewer than City overall.

While this isn’t proving to be too much of an issue at the moment, it’s easy to understand why the club might want to add more firepower to Arteta’s side in 2026, which is what they appear to be intent on doing in the guise of someone who could be seen as another Auba.

At least that is according to a recent report from Caught Offside, which claims Arsenal are very interested in Karim Adeyemi.

In fact, the report claims that the Gunners have already made inquiries over the player and spoken to the German international’s camp to outline a clear role for him in the side and that, as things stand, they are ahead of Manchester United in the race for his signature.

However, the potentially significant hurdle the North Londoners will have to contend with to make this deal happen is that Borussia Dortmund want up to €70m for the attacker, which is about £61m.

It could therefore be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Adeyemi’s ability and potential, it’s one Arsenal should pursue, especially as he could be another Aubameyang.

Why Adeyemi would be another Aubameyang

The first and most apparent comparison between Adeyemi and Aubameyang is that, should this deal go through, it would be another example of Arsenal signing someone from Dortmund.

More than that, though, it would be an example of the Gunners signing a highly rated and dynamic attacker who knows where the goal is.

Sure, the German might not be quite as prolific as the Gabonese international was, or is, but he remains a serious attacking threat.

For example, in just 41 appearances last season, totalling 2434 minutes, the 23-year-old scored 12 goals and provided 11 assists.

That comes out to a sensational average of a goal involvement every 1.78 games, or every 105.82 minutes.

Adeyemi’s 24/25

Appearances

41

Starts

31

Minutes

2434′

Goals

12

Assists

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.56

Minutes per Goal Involvement

105.82′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

On top of being a serious source of goal involvements, the former RB Salzburg gem would also be a problem solver for Arteta, thanks to his positional versatility.

Subscribe to our newsletter for Arsenal transfer insight Want more context on Arsenal’s reported pursuit of Karim Adeyemi? Subscribe to our newsletter for in-depth transfer analysis, player-fit evaluations, fee breakdowns and how targets could shape the Gunners’ attack — essential reading for transfer-minded fans.

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Like the Gunners’ former captain, the Munich-born star can play up front or out wide, but unlike Auba, he can play off the left or right.

Finally, another trait the 11-capped international shares with the FA Cup winner is his rapid pace.

In the words of football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the goalscoring dynamo is blessed with “electric pace”, which he often uses to devastating effect on counterattacks.

Ultimately, while it won’t be a cheap transfer to get over the line, Arsenal should do what they can to sign Adeyemi, as he could be the missing piece to their attack and their new Aubameyang.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes

Celtic are still waiting for Jota to return from his ACL injury that was initially predicted to keep him out for up to nine months, which would have him on course to return in February.

The Portuguese forward’s absence has been felt at Parkhead because the other wingers at the club have failed to deliver the kind of consistency or quality that he can produce.

He has racked up 33 goals and 28 assists in 99 appearances for Celtic in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, which includes four goals and two assists in seven starts in the Scottish Premiership last season.

Amazingly, Hyun-jun Yang, James Forrest, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, and Sebastian Tounekti have all failed to provide at least one goal and one assist, with either one or two goals or one or two assists each.

Celtic in talks to sign new wingers

It is not a surprise, therefore, to learn that the Scottish Premiership champions are looking to add to their options in the wide areas ahead of the second half of the season.

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According to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph, Celtic have made an offer of £2m to sign Maccabi Netanya winger Jocelin Ta Bi in the January transfer window.

The Hoops are in talks with the Israeli side to strike a deal for the 20-year-old talent, and have now made their move for his services with an official offer, despite the fact that they have parted ways with manager Wilfried Nancy this week.

Joseph adds that the Ivorian forward is currently on loan at Hapoel Petah Tikva, a fellow Israeli side, and that they expect to lose the player this month, with his loan deal expected to be cut short so that he can seal a permanent transfer elsewhere.

However, the Sky Sports journalist does not reveal whether or not the £2m bid made by Wilfried Nancy’s team will be enough to convince Maccabi Netanya to part ways with him.

Why Ta Bi could be Celtic's new Jota

After six losses in eight games under Nancy prior to his departure, including a League Cup final defeat and a 3-1 loss to Rangers, supporters may not be overly excited about the signing of a 20-year-old prospect, particularly one who is currently out injured for another two weeks.

However, Celtic have to focus on the mid to long-term, as well as the short-term, and Ta Bi is a potential signing that could see the Hoops have their next Jota in the building.

As aforementioned, none of Celtic’s other wing options this season have shown that they have the quality to both score and assist goals in equal measure, as Jota has done throughout his two spells at Parkhead.

Ta Bi, who was described as an “interesting” player by Turkish analyst Harun Gunduz, has shown some promise in his performances in the Israeli Premier League on loan at Hapoel Petah Tikva.

He also scored five goals and provided three assists in 27 appearances in the second tier for Hapoel Petah Tikva, per Transfermarkt, in the 2024/25 campaign.

25/26 Israeli PL

Ta Bi

Apperances

12

Goals

2

Big chances created

5

Key passes per game

1.3

Assists

2

Successful dribbles per game

3.2

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Ta Bi has adjusted well to the step up to the top-flight this season, with four goal contributions in 12 appearances to date.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Celtic transfer insight Want deeper transfer analysis? Subscribe to the newsletter for focused Celtic coverage — tactical breakdowns, scouting insights and player-fit evaluations around moves like Ta Bi, so you can follow the story beyond headlines.

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These statistics show that he can score and create goals in equal measure, even if not at an incredible rate yet, whilst he can also consistently get past his marker with successful dribbles, much like Jota.

Ta Bi has more combined goals and assists than Balikwisha, Tounekti, Yang, and Forest at league level, per WhoScored, and this suggests that he could have an immediate impact on the team if he can translate his performances over to Scottish football.

Whilst his numbers do not suggest that he will be an instant superstar in Glasgow, the return of Jota later this season means that he will be able to learn from the Portuguese winger and be his understudy until he is ready to be the main man at Parkhead.

Related Forget O'Neill: Celtic can save season by hiring "box office" Nancy upgrade

Celtic can still save their season by parting ways with Wilfried Nancy to hire this manager.

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Therefore, Celtic could hit the jackpot by signing this impressive young talent for the mid to long-term as their next Jota, even if he may not be the most exciting addition with the current campaign in mind, due to his injury, age, and inexperience.

Celtic head coach Wilfried Nancy backed himself to turn things around at Parkhead after he oversaw a 3-1 defeat to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.

The French boss claimed in his post-match interview that he believes that the Hoops are “close” to achieving success on the pitch, but that the results are not matching the performances.

Ultimately, though, he has lost six of his eight matches in charge of the Scottish giants and that will bring his future into doubt because of the high standards that are expected of the club.

Why Celtic should sack Wilfried Nancy

The Athletic’s Chris Hamill claims that Celtic and Nancy are not right for each other and that it is a “disconnect for the ages”, placing the blame on those who appointed him in the first place.

Chris Sutton, meanwhile, says that it is “time to move fast and be decisive” after describing the decision to appoint a “stubborn” manager as a bad one, suggesting that he thinks the club should act now.

It is hard to disagree with that assessment and BBC broadcaster Tom English backs it up in the clip below, going as far as to say that the Frenchman’s position at Parkhead should be untenable after six losses out of eight.

Celtic are now six points adrift of Hearts and have already lost the League Cup final on Nancy’s watch, but there is still time to salvage the season to win the league and compete for the SFA Cup.

The manager Celtic should hire to replace Wilfried Nancy

Some supporters may still wonder why Martin O’Neill was not given the interim role until the end of the campaign after he won seven of his eight games in charge after Brendan Rodgers resigned.

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However, it was right of Celtic to think of the mid to long-term, as O’Neill was only a short-term fix. The issue, on current evidence, is that they appear to have got the short-term all wrong with the appointment of Nancy.

The Hoops board can save the club’s season, whilst still focusing on the mid to long-term, though, by sacking the former Columbus Crew manager to bring Ange Postecoglou back to Parkhead.

Back in October, it was reported that Celtic were considering an approach for the Australian head coach as a replacement for Rodgers, but they ultimately decided to go with Nancy.

The 60-year-old boss, who favours a 4-3-3 formation, would still be an appointment with the mid to long-term as a permanent hire, but his experience and record at Celtic show that he would also immediately improve results in the short-term.

Postecoglou, whose press conferences were described as “box office” by reporter George Sessions, won five out of six domestic trophies in his two seasons with the Scottish giants, including the Premiership title in both campaigns.

The former Nottingham Forest boss only lost six out of 76 Premiership games in charge, per Transfermarkt. Nancy, meanwhile, has lost four of his six league games at Celtic, which means that he would have to lose just two of his next 70 games in charge to equal Postecoglou’s loss record.

Celtic stats

Postecoglou

Nancy

Matches

113

8

Losses

18

6

Points per game

2.31

0.75

Goals scored

284

11

Goals scored per game

2.5

1.4

Goals conceded

108

18

Goals conceded per game

0.95

2.25

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, the former Hoops manager could get the team scoring more goals and conceding far fewer goals, which is why he was so successful in his two years at Parkhead.

Subscribe for in-depth coverage of Celtic’s managerial crisis Explore the Nancy vs Postecoglou debate — subscribe to the newsletter for detailed analysis, Transfermarkt-backed stats and tactical breakdowns that clarify what managerial choices mean for Celtic’s season and prospects.

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Some may say that you should never go back to what has worked before, in danger of souring things or lightning not striking twice, but Celtic did it with Brendan Rodgers, and he won the title in both of his full seasons in the dugout.

Therefore, the board must consider acting fast, as Sutton suggested, and sacking Nancy to bring in another manager to save the 2025/26 campaign.

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It was a day to forget for the Hoops.

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Postecoglou could save their season by turning the team’s form around, with his proven track record at this level, to attempt to win the two domestic trophies still on offer.

The inaugural tournament of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) – the ICL 20 20 Indian Championship – will be held between November 30 and December 16 at the Tau Devi Lal Cricket Stadium in Panchkula, Chandigarh.The announcement was made at the ICL’s executive board meeting in Chennai. The tournament will consist of 20 Twenty20 matches, and will culminate with the final on December 16, preceded by the playoff matches for 3rd/4th and 5th/6th place.”The ICL 20 20 Indian Championship will be held as promised, later next month at Chandigarh. We are working hard to deliver a very exciting tournament for the Indian viewers,” Kapil Dev, the chairman of the ICL’s executive board, said. “I am confident that the public in this country will witness for the first time a fully professionally run and organised extravaganza of cricket.”The ICL, launched by the Essel Group, has signed players such as Brian Lara, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Lance Klusener, Nicky Boje, Damien Martyn, Deep Dasgupta and Dinesh Mongia. Mohammad Yousuf had joined as well, but opted out ahead of Pakistan’s home series against South Africa.The dates for the tournament clash with India’s home Test series against Pakistan.

Michael Vaughan spent a full day in the field but no one was able to ask him how it went © Getty Images

What on earth is Michael Vaughan doing in this England team? That was the question that everyone was asking at the end of an inconclusive day at the WACA, but it was one that Vaughan himself was not permitted to answer. England’s injured captain emerged unscathed (we believe) from his first day in the team since the tour of India in February, and even took charge for a two-over spell when Andrew Strauss had to leave the field. But to what end, no-one was quite able to fathom.Instead, after requests for a post-match interview were turned down by the ECB, it was left to Sajid Mahmood to speak on Vaughan’s behalf. “He’s still vocal, still his usual self. It’s good to have him back,” said Mahmood, who produced a decent but inconclusive spell of 2 for 61 and spent most of his time fielding various enquiries about the form and fitness of a man he has never played under in Test cricket.It’s becoming a recurring theme on this trip, because Vaughan’s presence in Australia is veering towards the supernatural. He’s the captain without a voice, the minister without portfolio, the familiar face among the anonymous rookies of the ECB Academy. And the harder the ECB attempt to play down his presence, the more they stir their own pot of innuendo.And so, we ask again, what on earth is Vaughan doing in this match? It’s a reasonable question and it deserved a reasonable answer, especially given Duncan Fletcher’s suggestion to the BBC yesterday. “There’s not enough cricket between now and the third, fourth and fifth Tests,” said Fletcher, “especially cricket where he has to stay in the field for a long time, probably two days standing on that leg, and for a long innings. So until he can do that and he’s confident in his knee we won’t consider Michael Vaughan.”So here instead, courtesy of the ECB, is Mahmood’s take on the situation: “He was a huge success in the Ashes last year, and to have him back in the field was great for the lads.” So, given that all we are can to do is speculate, Vaughan must be out there geeing up a dispirited side and getting them back on track for the last three Tests. I bet that’ll do wonders for Andrew Flintoff’s sapping morale. After all, leading by inspiration is meant to be his one true talent as a captain.Make no mistake, Vaughan deserves sympathy for his plight and admiration for his refusal to bow to what has long seemed the inevitable. Like Jonny Wilkinson, his rise and fall is a tale lifted straight from a Greek tragedy – the glory of his finest hour giving way instantly to pain, suffering and recriminations. But there is a time and a place for such a public show of single-mindedness, and right here, right now – on the eve of England’s make-or-break moment in an Ashes series – is emphatically neither.Before the tour began, those in the know – most of whom are in and around the press box and the England camp – were scoffing at the prospect of Vaughan making an Ashes comeback. Many in fact questioned whether he would ever be seen on a cricket field again. Now, however, who knows what we are to believe. England have already shown themselves to be obsessively fixated with the team of 2005. Is it really so improbable that Vaughan is about to be parachuted into the fray?

Sajid Mahmood on Vaughan: ‘To have him back in the field was great for the lads’ © Getty Images

After all, the damage has already been done on this trip. Mahmood, Chris Read and Monty Panesar were whipped out of a winning side and left to simmer on the sidelines, smarting at such a public show of no-confidence from an administration that remains perversely loyal to its non-playing captain. “It’s been frustrating,” admitted Mahmood today, just as Panesar admitted to Cricinfo on Thursday and Read to anyone within earshot. Panesar’s display today was remarkable – it was skill blended with relief blended with fury when he snatched his jumper back after an appeal was turned down. His desperation to impress seemed to dent some of his unbridled love for the game. And that is as sad as it is wrong.Vaughan is not a quitter. That much is abundantly clear, and so there is a perverse logic in having him hanging around so close to this Ashes squad, so close to their final, final, chance. But that’s all it is. Perverse. In days gone by, before he lost faith in the men at his disposal, Fletcher would have backed his captain to the hilt – publicly, privately, and everywhere in between. And by captain, I mean Flintoff, who had to reiterate last week that he had been put in charge for all five Tests, and not Vaughan. Just in case Fletcher has forgotten.Instead, Fletcher has thrown a hospital pass to his active captain by blaming him, through a mysterious source at The Daily Mail, for the selection disasters at Brisbane and Adelaide. Rumours, rumours. But now, what’s this we read today? ” It was the right choice to make [Freddie] captain and I’m not sure if he’s getting the side he wants,” said a certain Shane Warne in his Times column today.Shane Who? Amid all the bickering, the struggle for the Ashes seems to have been forgotten. But at least we now know that Mahmood “put the ball in good areas” and “felt in good rhythm in the nets”. All hope is not yet lost.

Bennett King: Not backward in coming forward to defend his players © Getty Images

Bennett King, the West Indies coach, defended his cricketers against claims by Michael Holding, former fast bowling great, of an attitude problem, just days before the opening Test against Australia.Holding has criticised the current touring party, accusing the squad of not focusing on cricket and on representing the West Indies. He said the attitude problem would lead to the Caribbean tourists being demolished in all three Tests against Australia. The West Indies have not won a Test in Australia since February 1997.Holding said, “I’m concerned about their general focus. They aren’t focused on their game enough, they aren’t focused on representing the Windies enough.”Holding, in Australia as a television commentator on the series, pointed to the disciplining of fast bowler Tino Best last week over a training incident as an example of the lax attitude within the squad.But King stood up for his players and questioned Holding’s knowledge of the contemporary Windies squad.”He’s not privy to the group now I don’t think,” King told a lunch. “The group actually works really hard and I think publicly they’re getting more acceptance.”The more things they do right publicly, I think the better they’ll be accepted as well.”King, who came to the West Indies job last year after coaching stints with Queensland and the Australian Cricket Academy, said his squad was happy, competitive and dedicated.”I think you’ll see a change in their fortunes sometime, but certainly it’s quite young in their development.”The West Indies had the better of Queensland in their four-day warm-up match ahead of Thursday’s Test with the Queenslanders having to scramble to get a draw after the tourists amassed 612 in their only innings.King said Marlon Samuels had improved his Test selection chances by scoring a first-innings double century and taking five wickets with his off-spinners. Wavell Hinds will definitely miss the Brisbane Test with a broken finger, opening up the opportunity for Samuels.King said he expected key batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan to overcome a knee injury while Daren Powell and batting superstar Brian Lara, both suffering various niggles, would also be fit to play.

David Leatherdale is in excellent one-day form for Worcestershire© Getty Images

David Leatherdale, Worcestershire’s veteran allrounder, has extended his one-day contract for another year. Leatherdale, 36, made his debut for Worcestershire in 1988, and after ending his first-class career in 2003, his benefit year, continued to play one-day cricket.Leatherdale has chipped in with some valuable innings in the National League and C & G Trophy this season, where he is averaging 41, but his main contribution has been with the ball. He has taken 11 wickets in the National League, at an average just under 30, and is averaging just 9.80, with five wickets, from four C & G Trophy games.”It can’t be easy coming into the side after maybe a week or more away from the team but David has done a superb job for us and still leads by example," said Ben Smith, Worcestershire’s captain. "I am glad he is going to be around again next season. He is also still a key part of our bowling unit, and his fielding still sets the standard for the rest of us.”

Wasim bowls to Jonty Rhodes

Centuries from Gloucestershire opener Phil Weston and South African batsman Jonty Rhodes ensured that this Frizzell County Championship Division Two clash went into the fourth day as Hampshire toiled in the hot Sunday sunshine.The visitors still required 95 to make Hampshire bat again overnight and had already lost Craig Spearman and nightwatchman Mike Smith in the process so many thought that the game – and a win for Hampshire – would be wrapped up with a day to spare.However, the West Countrymen knew that they had a good two days to bat out and negotiated the first to close with a lead of 237 and the forecast very possibly on their side for Monday.Weston, carrying on from his steady 39 in the first innings, played patiently alongside Chris Taylor as the pair added 62 for the third wicket which edged them close to lunch. Taylor was snapped up by the persevering Udal, caught Robin Smith at short leg for 31.But this only brought in Rhodes to record his highest score for his adopted county and his highest since his unbeaten 57 against Hampshire at Bristol some six weeks ago. He had not been in the best of forms of late – but made serious amends against a Hampshire attack which was to lose Alan Mullally to a hamstring strain.The injury will see him miss the four-day trip to spinner-friendly Northampton starting on Wednesday.Weston went to his first century for Gloucestershire – he moved from Worcestershire in the closed season – but perished just two balls later when he nibbled an edge to Pothas off Ed Giddins.Gloucestershire were working in good partnerships throughout as Hampshire tried to eke out every wicket on a pitch which seems to have improved in its trustworthiness as the game has progressed.Weston and Rhodes added 96, Rhodes and Windows 75, Rhodes’ stand with Gidman and Harvey both realised 31 while his partnership with Ball posted 27. It was hard work for Hampshire’s bowlers in dislodging the resistance.But it was Rhodes with a delightful innings of 134 not out, coming from 251 balls and including 12 fours and three sixes – one of which, off Giddins, took some seven minutes for the ball to be found!The needless run out of wicket-keeper Stephen Pope helped Hampshire finish off the day on a high, but chasing down approximately 250 will be a challenge on a wicket which could be freshened up a bit by some forecast heavy overnight rain and thunder.

Queensland dished out another Brisbane hiding to New South Wales today but the Blues still left the Gabba believing they were sneaking up on Australian cricket’s best domestic team.The eight-wicket win in less than three days flipped Queensland back to the top of the Pura Cup points table and left the Blues with another Gabba disaster to paste into their scrapbooks.The Blues haven’t taken a point from Brisbane in eight seasons and they were always in trouble today when their second innings total of 222 left the Bulls with just 133 runs for their second outright win of the season.Jimmy Maher (61) and Martin Love (65no) made short work of the run chase on a drying wicket, steering the defending champions to 2-133 and leaving no doubtthey were the favourites for a third successive title.The Bulls were simply smarter on a greentop, with Michael Kasprowicz taking nine wickets, Ashley Noffke claiming four and Andrew Symonds scooping six withhis dangerous medium pace.But NSW captain Shane Lee wasn’t wincing at the scorecard as he contemplated three days of dropped catches and near misses for the Blues.”New South Wales have been up here plenty of times and been absolutely thumped on a wicket like that,” Lee said.”If we had managed to get 200 or 250 ahead, it would have been a totally different game with Queensland chasing on a wicket still doing a bit.”But losing wickets in clumps really cost us in the end and the catches that went down made the difference.”Lee was the main catching culprit, spilling Wade Seccombe yesterday just 14 runs into a 109-run partnership with captain Stuart Law which gave Queensland amatch-winning plank.Even Law wasn’t glowing about Queensland’s performance, admitting NSW quick Stuart Clark (4-61 and 2-34) was the pick of the bowlers from both teams.Law said the Blues “outbowled” his team and declared some of his batsmen were lucky to get away with shots that would normally cause their downfalls.But the Blues failed to take their chances, especially late yeasterday when they reached a healthy 2-142 before the wheels fell off.Brisbane is becoming a barren battleground for the Blues, who are joining Victoria as non-winners at the ground, and Law said the conditions might worry the visitors.”They don’t like to walk out there and see grass on that wicket,” Law said.”That’s the way it used to be and you see the other guys walking up and looking at it and they just don’t want to get out there and play on it.”(The wicket) does a bit more than anywhere else in the country and it’s an advantage we’ve got but we’re going to have to play better cricket if we want to beat teams.”New South Wales had their opportunities here but we probably outbatted them in the end.”The teams return to the Gabba on Friday afternoon for an ING Cup one-day match.

Where they finished last seasonSixth in Group B with two wins and three losses out of eight matchesBig PictureTraditionally one of the stronger units in domestic cricket, Punjab were the semi-finalists in 2013-14 but slumped to the bottom half of Group B last year, winning two of their first three matches and then proceeding to lose their last two. Punjab are known to bank on their batting but that turned out to be one of their major worries last season. They crossed 400 only once in 12 completed innings, were made to follow-on in consecutive matches by Rajasthan and Gujarat, and ended the tournament by being bundled out for 88 while chasing 179.This time too they will pin their hopes on a batting line-up boasting names such as Yuvraj Singh, Gurkeerat Singh, Jiwanjot Singh, Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra. Yuvraj had a prolific Ranji campaign last time, averaging 56 with three consecutive hundreds and two fifties, and finshed just behind Gurkeerat’s tally of 677. Opener Jiwanjot would have to look further back, to the 2013-14 season when he amassed 802 runs, to bring back some confidence at the top of the order.The pace attack, which gets assistance from the pitches in the winter, is even more feeble this time. Sandeep Sharma, their highest wicket-taker last season, is injured, leaving much of the responsibility on Siddarth Kaul’s shoulders, who was second behind Sandeep with 26 wickets last season. A cause of concern would be that no other Punjab bowler took more than 11 wickets. Their spin cupboard looks rather bare and they will be without Harbhajan Singh for the first two matches.Players to watchSiddarth Kaul has less than 30 first-class matches to his name and the task of leading the pace attack will be handed to him. His 26 wickets last season came at an average of 23.61 and he was the only Punjab player to take two five-fors. Coach Arun Sharma says Siddarth won’t be hunting for wickets all on his own, with the squad containing good bench strength in terms of pace bowlers.Punjab’s spin attack will be in focus since Harbhajan is not the force he was in his prime, particularly in the longer format. Once he is back after the T20Is against South Africa, he will have for support legspinner Sarabjit Ladda and left-arm spinner Varun Khanna, who have 64 and nine first-class wickets respectively.Coaching staffArun Sharma is back as the coach after two years to replace Bhupinder Singh, who is now a selector. The remaining support staff includes fielding coach Harminder Pannu, physio Ravi Raghuvanshi and trainer Sandeep Kharwar.PreparationPunjab held a 15-day off-season camp before holding the inter-district tournaments at Under-16, Under-19 and Under-23 levels that featured four-day matches. The coach and selectors relied on these tournaments to pick the younger members of the squad.Team newsPunjab are among the few teams to have not been involved in pre-season transfers. But they will miss out on captain Harbhajan’s services for the first two matches since he is in India’s T20 squad to face South Africa, and Yuvraj will lead in his absence. An in-form Gurkeerat will play the first match but will miss the next three since he will be with the India ODI team. Pacer Sandeep’s back pain has ruled him out of the first two matches and VRV Singh is still struggling with a back injury. Varun Khanna has made a comeback after last playing a first-class match in 2009 and the only uncapped player in the squad is opening batsman Pargat Singh, who was picked after scoring heavily in the inter-district tournament.SquadJiwanjot Singh, Manan Vohra, Uday Kaul (wk), Mandeep Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Gurkeerat Singh, Gitansh Khera (wk), Himanshu Chawla, Sidharth Kaul, Brainder Sran, Sarabjit Ladda, Varun Khanna, Maninder Singh, Pargat Singh, Deepak Bansal, Mayank Sidhana. Stand-bys: Karan Goel, Ravinder Singh, Rajwinder Golu, Gaurav Puri, Taruwar Kohli, Aarush Sabbarwal.In their own wordsWe have a good mixture in the squad, there is experience and the youngsters have also played a couple of seasons. Overall it’s a balanced side. There are four senior players, three spinners and a strong batting line-up.

Assam

Amit Verma’s experience and all-round ability will be key to Assam’s fortunes•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Where they finished last seasonAfter topping Group C, they bowed out in the quarter-finals against eventual champions Karnataka, on the basis of a first-innings deficit.Big PictureAfter finishing second-last in Group C in the 2013-14 season, Assam staged a remarkable resurgence in the 2014-15 season, topping the group with five wins out of eight games, a win tally that only Delhi matched in the league stages.Last year’s results ended a five-year struggle in the Plate league and the goals for this season are clear – the same positive mindset, and a clear focus on victories and an eventual place in the knock-outs. Coach Sanath Kumar stressed that he wants the team to steer clear of the survival mindset that can often hinder teams that find themselves promoted from the lower league into the top two groups. “Normally what happens with most of the teams when they get promoted to the upper league, their only thinking is how to survive. That’s a normal mindset. That’s one thing I made clear to them: don’t get into the survival mode. We have to be very aggressive – how we played cricket last season, we will play the same way this season. Our aim is to win and to qualify for knock-outs,” Kumar told ESPNcricinfo.To that extent, there aren’t too many changes from the side that played last season, with the notable exception of batsman Dheeraj Jadhav, who moved to Goa as a professional, after Assam declined to renew his contract. With Jadhav’s departure, Assam have picked Gokul Sharma as captain, and have roped in Amit Verma as one of their professional players. Kumar says that the problem of a lack of consistent competitive cricket before the season has also been addressed with a number of pre-season practice games.Players to watchAmit Verma played as a professional for Kerala last season, and finished as the second-highest run-getter and leading wicket-taker. He will be expected to take on a similar role in Assam and Kumar said Verma’s legspin would add much in value to the main spin attack comprising offspinner Swarupam Purkayastha and left-arm spinner J Syed Mohammad. “One more spinner coming into the side makes a huge difference for us. He’s an allrounder and that’s a huge advantage for us now,” Kumar said.Where Verma can expect to play a supplementary role in the bowling attack, Swarupam Purkayastha will once again be required to take the lead. Making a comeback in 2014-15, the offspinner had a breakthrough season, topping the wicket charts among spinners with 36 wickets, which included five-fors in five successive innings. This season could also see him take more responsibility with the bat as Assam might try him out at a slot higher than the No. 7 position he usually bats at.Coaching staffSanath Kumar (head coach), Subhadeep Ghosh (assistant coach), Binod Jain (physiotherapist, who has had previous experience with Karnataka) and Nishant Thakur (trainer, previous experience with Punjab).Team newsApart from Verma’s selection, the other major inclusion in the squad is that of uncapped allrounder Bikash Chetri, who bowls left-arm spin. The run-scoring responsibilities will once again rest on their top-scorer from last season Tarjinder Singh, while Gokul, who scored a fifty and a century in the quarter-final against Karnataka to cap off a middling season, will also look to lead by example with the bat.PreparationsApart from the Buchi Babu tournament, Assam’s cricketers have played a few practice games against Karnataka in Bangalore, a match between sides formed from within the squad, and a practice game against Tripura.SquadGokul Sharma (capt), Arun Karthik, Abu Nechim, Amit Verma, Bikash Chetri, Arup Das, Krishna Das, Pritam Das, Pallavkumar Das, Rishav Das, Swarupam Purkayastha, Sibsankar Roy, Kunal Saikia (wk), Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad, Tarjinder Singh.In their own words“I told them not to worry about winning and losing, as long as you were giving your 100% and you were backing yourself, I will back you. I made it clear to them that anything outside the field is my problem. And after that they really started performing.”