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Eight matches into his Rangers tenure, is Danny Röhl any closer to figuring out which players he can trust and who he cannot?

On Thursday night, the Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by ten-man Braga at Ibrox, despite taking the lead through James Tavernier’s spot-kick in first half stoppage time; the fact that only 38,014 spectators were in attendance encapsulates the mood.

So, with just one point on the board after five games, a frankly pitiful effort, unless they somehow manage to beat Ferencváros, Ludogorets Razgrad and then Porto, which seems unlikely if we’re being honest, the Gers’ Europa League adventure will be coming to a premature end in January, having got all the way to last season’s quarter-finals.

This will allow them to concentrate on domestic matters, which may be a good thing, given that they’ve slipped down to fifth in the Premiership table, despite having won all four league matches since Röhl’s arrival in Glasgow.

So, ahead of a visit from Falkirk, who would actually leapfrog their hosts with a shock victory at Ibrox on Sunday, what changes should the German head coach make?

Youssef Chermiti's uninspiring form

Back on Monday, it was announced that both chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell had been sacked, after overseeing a chaotic summer of recruitment, with the £8m, potentially rising to £10m, paid to sign Youssef Chermiti among the more egregious and baffling of their decisions.

So far, he has scored just one goal for the club, on target against Kilmarnock last month, already surpassing his tally of zero goals during two seasons at Everton, also brought to Merseyside by Thelwell for £14m when he was working at Goodison.

Aside from his lack of goals, the striker simply isn’t offering enough, often allowing matches to pass him by and putting in anonymous performances.

Following this week’s draw with Braga, Mark Atkinson of the Scotsman asserted that he is driving supporters ‘demented’, adding that he ‘spurned a couple of presentable’ opportunities and is so far proving to be a mere baffling expensive purchase.

So, ahead of a sequence of three Premiership matches in seven days, facing Falkirk, Dundee United and then Kilmarnock, Chermiti should be stood down and Röhl must instead deploy the “best player in the league” up front.

Rangers' superior Chermiti alternative

Of the 13 players Rangers signed in the summer, many are young and inexperienced, hoping to grow and improve in the coming years, but Bojan Miovski was supposed to be a ready-made starter, brought in to produce right away.

The 26-year-old, returning to Scottish football after a season at Girona, is a proven goalscorer at both club and international level, bagging his ninth goal for North Macedonia against Wales at the Cardiff City Stadium earlier this month.

Meantime, at club level, prior to his season in Catalonia, he had been outstanding during two years at Aberdeen, as the table below documents.

Appearances

98

Goals

44

European goals

4

Goals vs Rangers

4

Goals vs Celtic

3

Shots on target per 90

1.1

Big chances missed

31

Average rating

6.9

As the table makes clear, Miovski was an elite-level finisher during his time at Pittodrie, scoring 32 Premiership goals, while his strike rate in Europe as well as against the two Glasgow giants underlines his quality.

Then-teammate Nicky Devlin asserted that Miovski was “the best player in the league in his position”, firing the Dons to a third place finish in 2022/23, before being sold for £6.8m, the Dons’ record outgoing transfer.

However, we are yet to see very much of that from Miovski in a Rangers jersey, scoring his first goal for the club against Hibs in the League Cup, while his only Premiership goal came at Falkirk Stadium in October, the day Russell Martin was sacked.

Since the appointment of Röhl, the North Macedonian has featured in all eight matches but has started just once, this coming at Dens Park before the international break, substituted at half time with the Light Blues leading Dundee 2-0.

So, for whatever reason, the German head coach appears to favour Chermiti and Danilo, despite the fact that Miovski is a proven goalscorer at both Premiership and European level, something this team desperately needs given that, 26 matches into this campaign, Tavernier and Djeidi Gassama are the only squad members who have four or more goals to their name.

Thus, when Falkirk visit Ibrox this weekend, surely Röhl has to bring Miovski back into his XI, ditching the ineffective Chermiti, with the former looking to net as he did against the Bairns once again, just as he did in Stirlingshire just last month.

Not just Djiga: Thelwell flop who lost ball 17x looks finished at Rangers

Rangers’ wait for a first Europa League victory goes on, held to a 1-1 draw by Braga at Ibrox, and a summer signing was just as bad as Nasser Djiga.

ByBen Gray Nov 28, 2025

Former India offspinner signs for the upcoming season, but will only play the last three games plus finals of the upcoming season due to the ILT20

Alex Malcolm25-Sep-2025

R Ashwin has signed with Sydney Thunder for the upcoming BBL season in a landmark move that will make him the first capped India player to play in the competition.The WBBL has had a raft of India women take part, but BCCI rules have precluded India men from participating in global leagues. Former India Under-19 captain Unmukt Chand and former India domestic player Nikhil Chaudhary have both played in the BBL in recent years, but Chand is a USA national, while Chaudhary now qualifies as a local in Australia and made his List A debut for Tasmania this month.Ashwin’s retirement from the IPL earlier this year has made it possible for him to play in overseas leagues. He has already signed up for next week’s ILT20 auction as the player with the highest base price. His commitment to the ILT20, which will be played between December 2 and January 4, means he will be unavailable for the first three weeks of the BBL given the tournament starts on December 14. The home-and-away part of the season runs until January 18. The finals will be held between January 20 and 25.Related

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But that did not deter the BBL and four of its clubs from talking to Ashwin about coming to Australia. He initially held talks with Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg and then had discussions with League executives before Thunder, Hobart Hurricanes, Sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers all made pitches for him to join them.Ashwin eventually landed with Thunder, with former Australia Test bowler Trent Copeland overseeing the deal as the franchise’s general manager. Thunder are coached by former England World Cup-winning coach Trevor Bayliss and are captained by David Warner. The pair led them to the final last year where they lost to Hurricanes.”Thunder were crystal clear about how they’d use me and brave enough to back it,” Ashwin said. “My conversations with the leadership were excellent, and we’re fully aligned on my role. I love how Dave Warner plays the game, and it’s always better when your leader shares your mindset.”Australia Test opener Sam Konstas is also a Thunder player, while Australia Test captain Pat Cummins is affiliated with Thunder despite not being on contract with them. Cummins hasn’t played for Thunder since 2019 because of his Test commitments but has been a Thunder ambassador in recent years, having grown up in western Sydney.Thunder’s last four matches of the season are on January 6, 10, 12, and 16. Ashwin will likely only be available for three of them although that could change if the team that selects him in the UAE exits early from the ILT20.It sets up a mouth-watering Sydney derby with Sydney Sixers with Ashwin and Warner possibly set to face off against Steven Smith and Babar Azam who will both be playing for Sixers.R Ashwin and David Warner will be on the same BBL team•Getty Images

Ashwin’s signing at Thunder is intriguing from a list management perspective. BBL clubs can only play three overseas players in their XIs. Each of the clubs had already locked in three players via the pre-signing rules and the June overseas draft. Clubs can sign an additional four overseas replacement players, meaning they can have up to seven on their list, but only three can play at any one time. Thunder already have Sam Billings, Lockie Ferguson and Shadab Khan on their list. On top of that, they have three local spinners in Chris Green, Tanveer Sangha and Tom Andrews. Thunder’s home ground, Engie Stadium, is the most spin-friendly venue in the BBL.”From the first time we spoke, Ashwin impressed everyone at the Thunder with his passion, desire to win and understanding of what makes our club special,” Copeland said. “He will bring an injection of fresh energy and world-class bowling mid-tournament, while his presence as a leader and mentor will be invaluable for our young players.”The league rules state that replacement overseas players have to nominate themselves for the draft, which Ashwin did not as he had not retired from IPL cricket at the time. But there is an exemption for overseas players to be allowed to play in the BBL if their circumstances have changed. Former New Zealand batter Martin Guptill was previously signed by Melbourne Renegades in 2022-23 after retiring from international cricket despite missing the inaugural BBL overseas draft. England star Nat Sciver-Brunt was allowed to play for Perth Scorchers in the WBBL after being cleared by the ECB, having initially been ruled out of nominating for the draft due to injury.Ashwin is the 17th player signed by Thunder with league rules limiting clubs to 18 players per squad. The top overseas salary band in the BBL is AUD$420,000 and Thunder have signed Ferguson on that salary band. Ashwin is likely to receive a high per-game salary that will still fit inside Thunder’s salary cap. Thunder are able to go over the cap by AUD$150,000 this year if they offset that over the next two. Ashwin has also signed an additional marketing agreement with Cricket Australia that will not count towards the salary cap.

A motorcycle accident prevented his IPL dream from taking flight, but he is working harder than ever to make it happen now

Rajan Raj12-Nov-2024The first Adivasi [tribal] player to play in the IPL – you must have read the headlines just under a year ago.It was all about to happen for Robin Minz after Gujarat Titans (GT) shelled out INR 3.6 crore for the wicketkeeper-batter till a motorcycle accident just before the start of the IPL 2024 season took him away from cricket. He is back now, putting the pieces back together, 22 years old but already having to make up for lost time.”When I had the accident, the first thing that came to my mind was… how will I play cricket now, what will happen to the IPL,” Minz told ESPNcricinfo on the sidelines of Jharkhand’s Ranji Trophy game against Chandigarh in Jamshedpur a few days ago, his comeback game.Related

• Meet Robin Minz, the quiet boy who lets his bat do the talking

“IPL was the first step, through which I had to move forward. But everything seemed to end. But after the accident, my family and coaches [Asif Haque and SP Gautam], my friends, and [GT coach Ashish] Nehra sir helped me a lot. Nehra sir called me several times and kept assuring me that I would be back.”During the IPL, I got a call from Titans that I have to stay with the team and do rehab with their physio [Rohit Salavkar]. I went there. Whenever there was a home match, I used to go. Rohit sir and the entire team helped me a lot. Even though I was not playing IPL, I enjoyed being with the team.”GT did what they could, but the opportunity of IPL was gone, and it wasn’t easy to deal with. It wasn’t easy for his family either. Once upon a time, they had to think many times, count their savings, before buying Minz a new cricket bat. That was about to change, but it didn’t.

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Sometime between the accident and Minz travelling to Ahmedabad to be with his GT team-mates, he turned up at Ranchi’s Sonnet Club, where he trained under Haque and Gautam.”One day I was in my academy, I saw that Robin had come. I was shocked – he was supposed to rest,” Haque said. “I asked him what he was doing. His reply was, ‘I know that I will not be able to play right now but let me sit here, I want to spend some time here’.”Perhaps the first steps towards the inevitable comeback.

“What will I do thinking about what has happened and what will happen; whatever has to happen will happen. But I will play good cricket. I have to score more runs, and I have to hit more sixes and fours”Robin Minz

“It is normal to be scared and nervous about an incident like this, but we knew that his condition was not very serious,” Minz’s father, Francis Xavier, said. “I knew this was a big shock for Robin. You may call it a lesson or something else. We do not think so much about money, but the bigger concern was that the cricket ground had been taken away from him. Playing the game was more important than the money.”Ever since he started playing, I have never seen him step away from cricket. We thought we would see him playing in the IPL, but that didn’t happen.”Minz is back playing cricket, but has been released by GT, and while he is in the IPL 2025 mega auction longlist – with a base price of INR 30 lakh – franchises are likely to be cautious even if he had come with a big reputation before the last auction.”Cricket is his life, but it is not as if his life will end if he doesn’t get a chance in the IPL,” Xavier said. “Our entire family has taught him to fight difficult situations. He will work hard again, play well again, and try again next time. Whatever happens after that will happen.”

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Minz’s cricketing journey started at Sonnet Club. It was there that he got the nickname ‘Chris Gayle of Jharkhand’. Minz spent a lot of time at the club while recovering from his injuries – the big ones were to his shoulders and legs. As he got better, his work on the field doubled, and then tripled.”Robin was very disappointed with himself, he blamed himself for what had happened,” Haque said. “But we spoke to him, and he channeled his disappointment into the desire to make a comeback, be even better.”Anyone who saw him training, he was at a new level. I have worked with him for the last eight-nine years, but I had not seen this. He was adamant that he had to make a strong comeback on the cricket field.”Robin Minz has lost a year of his career, and now has to find a way to make up for lost time•Francis Xavier MinzThen came the Col. CK Nayudu trophy, and Minz was in the Jharkhand XI for their first game, the only one he played. He scored 77 runs in 80 balls against Haryana from No. 4, his innings included ten fours and three sixes. And then, with Ishan Kishan away in Australia with the India A side, Minz’s first-class debut happened. That hasn’t been too dramatic. So far, he has scores of 12 and 16 against Chandigarh and 8 and 39 against Saurashtra. That 39, though, came in a match-saving 84-run stand with Anukul Roy for the sixth wicket.”A lot has changed in the last one year,” he said. “I never thought that so many people would know me and worry about me. After the accident, I don’t know how many messages came, everyone was trying to console me. I was a little sad, but now I know that I will come back.”Questions about the IPL auction were to be expected – even fans who stopped him to take selfies during the Chandigarh game asked him about it.”I am not thinking anything,” he said. “I just want to play cricket – this is my life. What will I do thinking about what has happened and what will happen; whatever has to happen will happen. But I will play good cricket. I have to score more runs, and I have to hit more sixes and fours.”I am back… Minz is back.”

Navi Mumbai showcased not just Radha’s precision and control, but also her ever-expanding mindset and skillset

Sruthi Ravindranath27-Oct-2025

Harmanpreet Kaur is delighted by fan favourite, and captain favourite, Radha Yadav•AFP/Getty Images

Radha Yadav has long been considered one of India’s best fielders, so much so that whenever a player in the XI steps off the field, she’s almost always the first one to be substituted in. At the 2025 ODI World Cup, she didn’t feature in India’s first six matches, yet appeared in nearly all of them as a substitute.When her opportunity finally arrived in India’s last league game against Bangladesh, she reminded everyone not just of her fielding prowess, but also of her craft as a left-arm spinner. Radha showcased the precision and control that have long defined her T20 reputation, the result of hard work and technical refinement during her time away from the side.Radha’s T20 credentials have never been in question. After being dropped in 2023, she forced her way back last year and has collected 35 wickets in 22 T20Is since her return. In ODIs, however, her journey has been far less straightforward.Related

• Pratika Rawal injures ankle in rain-hit game against Bangladesh

• Radha shines in washout between India and Bangladesh

Radha played just one game in 2021, and it wasn’t until 2024 that she earned another run, featuring in home series against South Africa and New Zealand, taking seven wickets against the latter. Yet, she was overlooked again for the tri-series earlier this year in Sri Lanka and South Africa, as India handed a debut to young left-arm spinner Shuchi Upadhyay.Offspinner Sneh Rana’s strong WPL showing and her comeback to the ODI squad in the tri-series meant competition for spin places intensified. On that tour, left-arm spinner N Shree Charani emerged as one of the standouts and complemented Rana with six wickets at an economy of 5.39.But when Upadhyay was injured, Radha found herself recalled for the England ODIs ahead of the World Cup. Her three games yielded just one wicket, and with India leaning towards a combination of two frontline spinners alongside Deepti Sharma, the team balance once again worked against Radha.During her time away from the international circuit in 2023, Radha worked extensively on her lines and release points. She moved away from bowling just stump-to-stump to operating a touch wider of off-stump. As a bowler capable of getting the ball to drift both ways, she uses her pace range – in the mid-70s kph – to vary flight, forcing indecision and mis-hits.Radha Yadav has worked extensively on her lines and release points•ICC/Getty ImagesOn the eve of the Bangladesh game, India bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi was asked about the conversations he’d had with Radha and other fringe bowlers.”The conversation between the coaching group and the players is generally the kind of mindset what they are having, the kind of areas they need to work upon, the kind of strengths that we want them to operate onto the games,” he said. “Everybody is inspiring and everybody is motivated for the World Cup.”So that doesn’t rule out that even if they are not getting a chance, they still turn up for the practice sessions and they are very keen on working on their different aspects. So, the quality of their bowling they try to work upon. So, during the practice sessions they come with a mindset that we will work, we will iron out our skills and, and probably use it into the game whenever we get an opportunity.”When India decided to experiment in the dead rubber against Bangladesh, Radha replaced Rana, joining Charani as the second left-arm spinner in the XI. It turned out to be a showcase of the progress Radha had made, this time in ODIs.Brought on after a rain break following left-hander Rubya Haider’s dismissal, Radha immediately found rhythm. Her loop and control denied Bangladesh any scoring momentum. In the 22nd over, she dismissed Sobhana Mostary – who looked the most assured of Bangladesh’s batters – with a 76 kph delivery that dipped late and invited the drive, only for Mostary to spoon it to mid-off.Radha Yadav’s direct hit removed Nigar Sultana•ICC/Getty ImagesHer next two wickets came in classic fashion: a fuller ball that went straight through Nahida Akter, followed by one that drifted in from around the wicket, drawing Rabeya Khan down the track and through the gate. She nearly had a fourth when Nishita Akter Nishi survived a close DRS call the very next ball.In between, Radha produced another of her signature moments in the field – a sharp direct hit from point that caught Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana short at the non-striker’s end.”The way Radha played today gives us another option for the next game,” Harmanpreet Kaur said at the post-match presentation.Radha’s spell reaffirmed India’s depth in spin, even if she’s unlikely to feature in the semi-final, with Rana expected to return, but her performance underscored India’s bench strength.India also rested young seamer Kranti Gaud for the Bangladesh game, bringing Amanjot Kaur back into the XI. With Radha impressing in Navi Mumbai – the venue of the semi-final – and Charani continuing to build her credentials, India have a healthy mix of combinations to consider. Whether the team management opts to field both left-arm spinners against Australia – who have just two left-handers in the top four – remains to be seen.

Ruturaj Gaikwad will continue to be Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) captain for IPL 2026. In a social-media post, the franchise wrote, “Lead the way, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad,” ending the speculations that Sanju Samson could be the captain.CSK had traded in Samson from Rajasthan Royals in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. He comes with plenty of captaincy experience in the IPL but will not lead the franchise. It is understood, though, that he will open the innings.