Who's hot, who's not? GOAL ranks all 30 teams across Major League Soccer

That was an MLS Rivalry Week for the books.

El Trafico lived up to the hype as Marco Reus scored two brilliant strikes to earn the LA Galaxy a thrilling 2-2 draw against LAFC, while Hell is Real – featuring Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati – played out to a 1-1 stalemate as well. Then, in the , Toronto FC put six goals past CF Montreal in an absolute blowout.

There were two Matchdays (13 and 14) of the season played out over five days, testing squad depth and ultimately forcing a lot of rotation from a handful of managers around the league.

Top performers from both Matchdays include Orlando City and Philadelphia Union, with both of the Eastern Conference sides taking an emphatic six points during the stretch, while a few impressive one-off performances stood out, too. Minnesota United climbed up to second in the West after battering St. Louis CITY SC 3-0, while LAFC put four goals past the Seattle Sounders.

Some worrying results occurred, too, with both Charlotte FC and Atlanta United hitting season lows. Then, there's Inter Miami. Lionel Messi and Co. conceded six goals in two games, earning a point against San Jose before being blown out by Orlando City – is it time for the to start worrying?

With the halfway point of the season just a few weeks out, it's becoming increasingly clear where each team sits.

Who's leading the pack, and who's falling short of expectations? GOAL presents the latest 2025 MLS Power Rankings.

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Imagn30Los Angeles Galaxy

Prior Ranking: 30

Results: Lost 3-2 to Philadelphia Union, drew LAFC 2-2

Ramifications: The Galaxy are still winless through 14 matches played. LA's struggles are truly perplexing. They were up 2-0 against Philadelphia, and then allowed three unanswered. They went up 1-0 against LAFC, conceded twice, and earned a draw due to a brilliant free kick from Reus – but that's two games where they squandered a lead.

Advertisement29CF Montreal

Prior Ranking: 29

Results: Crew Columbus 1-1, lost to Toronto 6-1

Ramifications: A great point at home against a relatively full-strength Columbus side. Then, an early Joel Waterman red in the was the start of the end in their derby against rivals TFC. Honestly, just an embarrassing performance at the weekend – but not a surprising one. Still without a permanent head coach, MTL will be riding a wave of misery throughout 2025 unless monumental changes arrive.

28Atlanta United

Prior Ranking: 28

Result: Drew Austin FC 1-1, lost to Philadelphia 1-0

Ramifications: There’s plenty to say about Atlanta right now — and most of it isn’t flattering. Winless in eight and with just three goals in their last seven matches, it’s hard to call this anything but a free fall.

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27St. Louis CITY SC

Prior Ranking: 27

Result: Drew Sporting Kansas City 2-2, lost to MNUFC 3-0

Ramifications: Winless in 10 with 19 goals conceded, CITY are at the lowest of lows right now. Head coach Olof Mellberg is reportedly on the hot seat, but still with a job – for now.

Sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel told Tom Ackerman on KMOX Sports over the weekend that he was "embarrassed" by recent performances and said the club is "at the lowest point we can be."

Decision follows the independent review, conducted after West Indies’ early exit from the T20 World Cup last year

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2023

Following the independent review after West Indies’ first-round exit from the men’s T20 World Cup last year, CWI has decided to go the England route and appoint separate red- and white-ball coaches for the senior men’s team. The review, CWI director of cricket Jimmy Adams said, “included a closer look at the roles of the current head coach position”.”We believe it is now necessary to split the role and engage separate coaches for red and white ball formats,” Adams said in a statement. “The increased frequency of back-to-back multi-format tours combined with the specific demands of the respective formats no longer provides enough time for one individual to adequately plan, prepare and review across bilateral series and franchise itineraries that are so condensed.”The recruitment process for both head coaches is expected to commence shortly, CWI said, adding that the red-ball coach would also be in charge of the West Indies ‘A’ team.Related

SA, WI switch to white-ball mode seeking fresh starts

Badree named assistant coach for white-ball leg of SA tour

Review panel urges CWI and players to find 'middle ground'

Adams explained that the decision to have two separate head coaches was made based on the recommendation by the review group – comprising Patrick Thompson Jr (chair), Brian Lara and Mickey Arthur – that it would help improve preparation for all the teams.”Separating the roles will also provide the head coaches with more time to oversee players’ ongoing development away from tours directly, and through increased engagement and planning with suitable high-performance programmes and coaches,” Adams said.No full-time coach since Phil Simmons leftPhil Simmons was the last full-time head coach of the West Indies men’s team, and he announced his decision to resign after what he called was the team’s “unfathomable” performance at the World Cup, though he stayed on to oversee West Indies’ Test tour of Australia soon after.In their opening match of the World Cup, West Indies were bowled out for just 118 chasing 161 against Scotland before managing to defend 153 for 7 against Zimbabwe, but Ireland easily overhauled their 146 for 5 to move into the next round.Then in Australia, they lost both Test matches, and after beating Zimbabwe away 1-0 in a two-Test series, they have gone down 2-0 in South Africa. They haven’t played white-ball internationals since the World Cup. Nicholas Pooran, their white-ball captain at the World Cup, has also since stepped down. Shai Hope and Rovman Powell have been named captains for ODIs and T20Is respectively, while Andre Coley has served as the interim head coach.

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma is proud of his team for having fought through “obstacles” and “hurdles” after finishing last in IPL 2022 to make it through to the second Qualifier of IPL 2023 with a thumping of Lucknow Super Giants in Chennai on Wednesday.Mumbai have been plagued by injuries this season, even before the tournament started. Their lead bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been out for months, Jofra Archer returned home after playing five games with his recurring elbow injury, and they were also without Jhye Richardson for the entire tournament and Tilak Varma for a few league games.When asked at the presentation if he thought two weeks ago that Mumbai would make it to Qualifier 2, Rohit said: “I definitely thought about it. That’s what we’ve done over the years. People don’t expect us to do certain things but we come out of all obstacles and manage our way through to get what we want. Honestly, at the start of the season, of course we knew that we had a lot of work to do compared to what happened in the last season. But we managed our work through it, we scrambled through it. Yes, it was a scrappy one but I would take that any day.”Rohit credited Mumbai’s scouting team for providing them with largely unknown players who have turned to be match-winners, including Nehal Wadhera and Akash Madhwal, who finished with stunning figures of 5 for 5 against Super Giants. Rohit said his role as captain was to make such players feel comfortable in the team environment and tell them clearly what their role is.”First and foremost, it’s important to make them feel special, make them feel part of the team,” Rohit said. “They play a lot of domestic cricket but this is a different ballgame with so many people here, a lot of pressure as well. My job as a skipper is to make sure that they feel comfortable on the ground. When they are about to execute with the bat or ball, our job – myself and the coaching staff – is to make sure that they’re comfortable and very clear in their roles about what they have to do for their team. As long as you make it very clear for them, that’s all [they] want.Mumbai had made it to the playoffs largely by winning high-scoring games at Wankhede Stadium, where they won five out of seven, but the conditions in Chennai for the Eliminator were quite different with the boundaries being bigger and the pitch offering more turn and not being as batting friendly. Rohit was pleased that his team came together to script a massive win in spite of the different conditions.”We knew coming to Chennai it’s not going to be one man who will take us trough; it’s going to be the whole unit who needs to come to the party and deliver at different points of time,” he said. “At Wankhede, you know you need one or two individuals to step up and take the game through, but when you play on a pitch like this, conditions like these, you need everyone to come together and that’s what we spoke about before coming to this game.”

Akash Madhwal a ‘gamechanger’

Rohit also heaped praise on Madhwal, who took the first wicket in the chase, and then dismissed Ayush Basoni and the hard-hitting Nicholas Pooran off consecutive balls in his second spell to reduce LSG to 74 for 5 before fittingly taking the final wicket.”He was part of the season last year as a support bowler, but he didn’t get to play. We knew what he had,” Rohit said. “Once Jofra was gone, we needed someone to bowl at the back-end. Having seen him enough I was confident that he can get the job done for us. [He has a] lot of skills, good attitude, a lot of character as well. So that was very pleasing to see about him.”Allrounder Cameron Green, Mumbai’s most expensive player in the previous auction and the top-scorer in the Eliminator with 41 off 23, also showered Madhwal, calling him a “gamechanger”.”He’s been awesome,” Green said of Madhwal. “Ever since he came into our team, we kind of realised we’ve got someone special here. The way he carries himself out there – in his first IPL season he doesn’t seem like he’s overawed at all. He bowled beautifully.”

Visitors miss chance to solidify top-four spot in rain-shortened game at Bristol

ECB Reporters Network20-Jun-2023

Young guns Ben Wells and Ben Charlesworth staged a blistering unbroken third-wicket stand of 55 as Gloucestershire beat Hampshire by eight wickets on the Duckworth/Lewis Method at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium to keep alive their slender hopes of reaching the knockout stages in the Vitality Blast.Ross Whiteley smashed an unbeaten 41 off 25 balls as Hampshire recovered from 114 for 6 in 16.2 overs to post a respectable 158 for 7 after being put in, Gloucestershire’s experienced slow left armer Tom Smith returning impressive figures of 3 for 26 in four overs.Gloucestershire’s reply was then interrupted by rain, which caused 11 overs to be lost, and when the players returned at 9.15pm, the home side were chasing a revised target of 84 from nine overs. Wells led the charge, scoring a superb 43 from 22 balls with 3 sixes and 3 fours, while Charlesworth helped himself to three fours and a brace of sixes, smashing 29 off 15 deliveries to guide the home side to victory with five balls to spare.Hampshire remain fourth in the South Group, but missed an opportunity to extend their lead to four points over nearest pursuers Glamorgan, while a fourth win in 10 games keeps alive Gloucestershire’s slender hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals.Gloucestershire have yet to nail down their performances in the powerplay this season and they against lost an early wicket, Grant Roelofsen driving uppishly against John Turner and offering a straightforward catch to mid-on. The home side had reached 15 for 1 in the third over when the onset of heavy rain forced the players off. When the elements finally relented and play resumed just over an hour later, Gloucestershire were required to score a further 69 runs in 40 balls at 10.35 an over.Their hopes were initially dented when Miles Hammond hit Liam Dawson to mid-off and departed for 4 in the fourth over with the score on 30-2. Undeterred by the loss of his captain, Wells carried the fight to Hampshire, plundering a brace of fours off one Dawson over and then greeting Australian Nathan Ellis with a straight-driven four. Charlesworth proved a willing accomplice, smashing two fours and a six off three successive deliveries in the sixth over, at which point the home side needed a further 29 runs off 18 balls.Rising to the occasion in magnificent fashion, Charlesworth hit Turner for a straight six and ramped the next ball for four in an over that yielded 11 runs, further reducing the target to 18 off the last two overs. Wells then reverse-swept Howell for another six as the hosts brought the rate down to a run a ball in the penultimate over, rendering the remainder of their chase a formality.Hammond earlier won his first toss as captain, inserted Hampshire and saw Zafar Gohar clean bowl Ben McDermott in the second over, the Australian playing down the wrong line and losing middle stump without scoring.James Vince and Toby Albert eventually afforded the innings impetus in a boundary-studded stand of 41 in 4.3 overs as the visitors seized the initiative. Just when Gloucestershire needed to pull something out of the hat, Wells obliged, running in from wide mid-off and scoring a direct hit to brilliantly run out Vince for 15 as he attempted to pinch a quick single off David Payne in the sixth over.Thereafter, the home side deployed spin at both ends in a quest for containment, a policy that elicited some success as Albert and Joe Weatherley worked hard to advance the score to 71 for 2. Although Weatherley deployed the reverse sweep to score boundaries at the expense of Zafar and slow left armer Smith, the thidr-wicket pair were largely restricted to scampering quick singles in a bid to keep the scoreboard moving.His patience at breaking point, Albert eventually pulled the trigger and hoisted Graeme van Buuren straight to Tom Price at long-on with the score on 84, departing for a 33-ball 36 in the twelfth over having added 43 in partnership with Weatherley.Ollie Price became the fourth spinner to be deployed as Gloucestershire opted to take the pace off, Weatherley pulling him for six over midwicket in an attempt to improve the rate as Hampshire raised three figures in the fifteenth. But the wily Smith struck a double blow in the next over, having Weatherley stumped for 37 and then, three balls later, bowling James Fuller for one to reduce the visitors to 102 for 5 and put wind back into Gloucestershire sails.Smith then snared former team-mate Howell before he could inflict any damage, Tom Price racing in from deep midwicket to take a startling one-handed catch low to the ground and bring the crowd the life.In danger of falling short on 114 for 6 in the seventeenth, Hampshire were indebted to the hard-hitting Whitely, who tucked into the seamers in muscular fashion to harvest 3 fours and 2 sixes in a frenetic knock of 41 not out off 25 balls. Payne bowled Dawson in the final over, but not before the former England man had played his part in a restorative stand of 36 in 20 deliveries for the seventh wicket, an alliance the propelled the south coast side to a competitive total.

The visitors produced a late-innings surge in the final five overs as New Zealand lost their captain to injury

Andrew McGlashan27-Mar-2024Maia Bouchier hit an outstanding 91 to supercharge England towards a series-clinching 47-run victory against New Zealand in the fourth T20I, in Wellington.Bouchier, who had been promoted to open as England reshuffled their side with WPL players now available, followed her maiden half-century from the third game with a destructive display which powered the visitors to 177 for 3.New Zealand had suffered a major blow when captain Sophie Devine picked up a quad strain while bowling. She sent down only one over and did not appear with the bat as the home side were overwhelmed.Bouchier notches up her career bestEngland did not race away in the powerplay and sat on 35 for 1 after six overs. However, Bouchier had already been given a reprieve when she was missed on 5 in the opening over as keeper Izzy Gaze and Devine at slip left an outside edge to each other.Bouchier was 20 off 18 balls after the powerplay – which included a magnificent straight six off Hannah Rowe – then started to move through the gears to reach fifty from 33 balls. By then, she had been given another life on 44 when Jess Kerr missed a return catch.Back-to-back boundaries off Amelia Kerr took her into the 90s in 18th over but she fell the next delivery. Her 91 was the seventh-highest score for England in T20Is.England’s strong finishThere was a series of strong partnerships for England. Bouchier and Alice Capsey, one of the four players who had been at the WPL back in the side, added 75 in 61 balls although Capsey couldn’t quite hit her stride with 25 off 32 balls.The tempo was lifted as Bouchier and Nat Sciver-Brunt put on 38 off 20 deliveries before the innings was given a powerpacked finish by Sciver-Brunt and captain Heather Knight as they added 34 off just 14 balls. In total, England amassed 65 off the last five overs which all went for double figures.Other than the 14th over delivered by Suzie Bates, England found at least one boundary in every over after the powerplay.New Zealand don’t challenge record chaseIt was always going to be a tall order for the home side to chase down 178, doubly so with Devine having picked up an injury. Their hopes took another major blow when Bates fell to Lauren Bell in the opening over.Bernadine Bezuidenhout and Amelia built a promising second-wicket stand as New Zealand kept up with England’s initial scoring rate. But Charlie Dean had Amelia taken at square leg in her opening over then added Maddy Green when she got a glove on a reverse sweep.Sophie Ecclestone was typically miserly on her return to international duty although blotted her copybook when she shelled a regulation catch at long off. Dean picked up two further wickets in her last over to finish with four.The potential seriousness of Devine’s injury was clear when she did not appear in the middle order.

Liverpool have agreed a transfer package with Eintracht Frankfurt for Hugo Ekitike that could be worth as much as £79 million ($106m).

• Reds in the market for more firepower
• French frontman lured away from Germany
• Summer of big spending at Anfield

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The reigning Premier League champions have been eager to bolster their attacking ranks during a summer of big spending at Anfield. It has been decided that French frontman Ekitike is the man to provide further firepower for Arne Slot.

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  According to , Liverpool have reached a compromise with Eintracht when it comes to Ekitike’s valuation. The deal in question will include an initial £69m ($93m) fee, with the potential for £10m to be paid at a later date in add-ons. The German club had been holding out for a total fee of £82m ($110m).

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Ekitike is now set to thrash out personal terms, with no issues expected there, before undergoing a medical and flying out to link up with his new team-mates on their pre-season tour of Asia.

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  A six-year contract has been lined up for the 23-year-old forward, who was linked with Newcastle when Liverpool were said to be exploring the possibility of prising Alexander Isak away from St James’ Park.

Leeds are weighing up a move for Feyenoord striker Igor Paixao as they look to boost their Premier League survival hopes this season.

Leeds looking to build survival squadPaixao of interest to Yorkshire clubMarseille also keen on forwardFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Leeds are looking to follow in the footsteps of promotion rivals Sunderland and splash the cash on a few important signings this summer, with Paixao near the top of the list for attacking reinforcements.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Marseille are also said to be interested in the Brazilian, but Feyenoord have set an asking price of at least £24million, a fee Roberto De Zerbi's side are not willing to pay. As a result, Leeds could be in the driving seat to land the 25-year-old as Daniel Farke looks to build a squad capable of surviving in the Premier League this season.

DID YOU KNOW?

Last term, Paixao bagged 18 goals and notched 19 assists across all competitions, ramping up his value in the process. He played mostly as a left winger, but can feature across any position in the frontline.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Paixao had already given his approval to sign for Marseille, but with talks stalling, he could head to England instead. However, Leeds are said to have other attacking targets on their list, and will pursue the best deal for them.

Rishabh Pant feels like he is making his debut all over again as he gears up for a comeback to competitive cricket after 14 months. On Tuesday, he was declared fit by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after undergoing an extensive rehabilitation process following a serious car crash in December 2022.”I’m excited and nervous at the same time. It feels like I’m going to make my debut again,” Pant was quoted as saying in a media release issued by the IPL team that he captains, the Delhi Capitals. The India wicketkeeper is currently part of their pre-season training camp in Visakhapatnam, where they will also play two home games during the first two weeks of the tournament.”To be able to play cricket again after everything I’ve been through is nothing short of a miracle,” Pant said. “I’m grateful to all my well-wishers and fans, and most importantly, the BCCI and staff at NCA. All their love and support continue to give me immense strength.”Related

• Rishabh Pant leads star-studded list of IPL returnees

• IPL 2024: BCCI clears Rishabh Pant to play as wicketkeeper-batter

• Pant can play T20 World Cup if he can keep wicket – BCCI secretary Shah

• Pant to lead Capitals, play first half as batter in IPL 2024: Capitals co-owner

Over the past two months, Pant has built up his workload and has played a series of practice games organised by the NCA in Bengaluru to get into the rigours of competitive cricket. While there were question marks over his involvement as both a wicketkeeper and batter until late last month, the NCA has given him a full fitness clearance.The option of using Pant as an Impact Player this season made Capitals pick two other wicketkeepers in their squad. Abishek Porel, who was signed as Pant’s replacement last year was retained, while they splurged INR 7.2 crore to acquire Jharkhand gloveman Kumar Kushagra.”I’m excited to return to Delhi Capitals & the IPL – a tournament I enjoy so much,” Pant said. “Our team owners and support staff have been by my side throughout with their full support, guidance and co-operation at every step, for which I am deeply grateful. I can’t wait to reunite with my DC family and play in front of the fans again.”On Monday evening, BCCI secretary Jay Shah revealed Pant had been “batting and keeping well” and could be in contention to return to the India squad for the T20 World Cup in June. “If he can play the T20 World Cup for us, that will be a big thing for us. He is a big asset for us,” Shah said. “If he can keep, he can play the World Cup. Let’s see how he does in the IPL.”With BCCI’s clearance, Pant might return to action as early as March 23, when Capitals open their season with an away fixture against Punjab Kings.”We’re delighted to welcome Rishabh back to the Delhi Capitals family,” co-owner Parth Jindal said. “The kind of grit and resilience he has displayed in overcoming challenges is inspirational, to say the least. We’re humbled to have been a part of his journey to recovery, which has been exceptional. Rishabh’s return is one of the most highly anticipated ones in recent times, and I can’t wait to see him compete again.”

Rahul didn’t keep wicket for much of training on the eve of the game, and stand-in captain Pooran only said “we’ll see how he goes”

Shashank Kishore01-Apr-2024

Lucknow Super Giants will take a late call on KL Rahul’s participation – whether in part or more – in Tuesday’s away fixture against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Rahul played as an impact substitute in Saturday’s home game against Punjab Kings, with the LSG management keen on “easing him back” from injury.IPL 2024 is Rahul’s comeback tournament after a quadricep injury ruled him out of the last four Tests of the five-match series at home against England earlier this year. Rahul had pulled up with the same injury – against RCB, incidentally – during IPL 2023, and had to undergo surgery followed by lengthy rehabilitation.”We’ll see how he goes at training,” stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran said when asked about Rahul’s availability on Tuesday.Related

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Ferociously fast and thrillingly direct – Mayank Yadav

Rahul hands over captaincy to Pooran for game vs Kings

LSG sign Henry as Willey withdraws from IPL 2024

At training, Rahul did not keep wicket for most of the session. He first underwent a series of timed sprint and mobility drills that were monitored by head coach Justin Langer. Rahul then practiced the full range of his body movements while playing the sweep in particular and felt his left hamstring repeatedly. He then occupied a quiet corner of the field and kept a close eye on the session for more than an hour. Later, he examined at length the slightly unusual M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch that had more than a smattering of grass right through the 22 yards.Rahul also padded up and went out for a hit against the team’s net bowlers and throwdown specialists. After a 15-minute session, he got back to finishing a few more rounds of mobility drills before walking off to have another long chat with Langer. Only towards the very end of the day did he have a short go with the gloves.”It’s always tough when you have to change combinations,” Pooran said when asked how Rahul’s absence on the field had impacted the team so far. “Obviously, it’s different with KL on the field. But our senior players came together and assisted me in making decisions as well. It’s something that happens. Sometimes when your captain isn’t available, all the senior players stand up, and try and make up for his absence.”KL Rahul scored 58 in 44 balls in LSG’s season-opener against Rajasthan Royals•BCCI

LSG have one win and one loss in two games so far, with Rahul returning scores of 58 (in 44 balls, vs Rajasthan Royals) and 15 (in nine balls, vs Punjab Kings). He kept wicket only in the first game, before handing over the responsibility to Quinton de Kock for the second.Rahul is among the contenders for the wicketkeeper-batter’s slot in India’s T20 World Cup squad.Leading into the IPL 2024 season, there had been debate among observers whether he would bat in the middle order to play a similar role he plays for with the national team. So far, Rahul has opened in both matches.”I am not going lose one second’s sleep over KL Rahul,” Langer had said on his regular captain last week. “He is a beautiful player, he’s an outstanding player. There’s a reason he’s had so much success for India and I’m blessed to have him in our team, not only as an opening batsman or a batsman and wicketkeeper, but also as the captain. He is so calm. He’s a wonderful person.”

Both made fifties as India chased down 173 in just 15.4 overs after Axar throttled Afghanistan

Hemant Brar14-Jan-20243:09

Can Dube be India’s World Cup spin-hitter?

Scintillating half-centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube helped India beat Afghanistan by six wickets in the second T20I in Indore and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. This win also extended India’s unbeaten streak in bilateral T20I series at home to 15. The last time they lost a home T20I series was in 2019, when Australia beat them 2-0.After being sent in, Afghanistan rode on Gulbadin Naib’s 57 off 35 balls before India applied the brakes. But a late assault from Karim Janat and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who scored a combined 41 off 19, lifted the visitors to 172.During the chase, Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled Rohit Sharma for a first-ball duck. Rohit was out without scoring in the first T20I as well, where he was run out off his second ball. Virat Kohli, playing his first T20I since the 2022 T20 World Cup, also looked to attack right away. He was a lot more successful than his captain, scoring 29 off 16.The stars of the match, though, were Jaiswal and Dube. The two seemed to be competing against each other with the Afghanistan bowlers looking incidental. Jaiswal reached his fifty off 27 balls and Dube off just 22 as both tried to send every possible ball to the boundary. As a result, India chased down their target in just 15.4 overs.Axar Patel took 2 for 17 in his four overs•BCCI

Naib leads Afghanistan’s charge

Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave Afghanistan a quick start, hitting the first legal delivery of the first over for a four and the first one of the second for a six. But his stay was short-lived as he fell to Ravi Bishnoi for 14 off nine.No. 3 Naib ensured Afghanistan did not lose their momentum. He hit back-to-back fours off Mukesh Kumar before topping it with 6, 4, 4 off Bishnoi in the next over. He ended the powerplay with yet another boundary, taking Afghanistan to 58 for 2 after six.At the other end, Shivam Dube castled Azmatullah Omarzai with a back-of-the-hand slower ball. But Naib took a liking to him, hitting the medium-pacer for two sixes in his next over, the ninth. Between those two hits, he had a slice of luck as well, when Kohli, charging in from long-on, shelled a difficult low chance. Naib was on 41 then. He brought up his fifty shortly afterwards, off just 28 balls.

Axar applies the brakes

Axar Patel has looked a far more complete bowler since his return from the quadriceps strain that had ruled him out of the 2023 ODI World Cup. During the forced break, he worked on slowing down his pace and is now reaping the rewards.Introduced in the sixth over, he turned one past Ibrahim Zadran’s outside edge to hit the off stump. Then, in the 12th, he bowled one from well behind the popping crease, thus changing the length without a change in action, to have Naib caught at short midwicket. Bowling his four overs in a single spell, Axar finished with 2 for 17. Naib’s wicket put the brakes on the scoring rate – Afghanistan managed just 27 in five overs, from 12 to 16.

Afghanistan finish strongly

Najibullah Zadran was on 6 off 15 before he got stuck into Bishnoi. In the 17th over, he hit the legspinner for two sixes and a four. When he departed, Janat and Mujeeb took over and smashed Dube for 20 in the penultimate over of the innings. Despite Arshdeep Singh giving away only eight in the final over, which included four wickets (including two via run-outs), Afghanistan scored 55 in the last four.Virat Kohli marked his T20I comeback with an attractive cameo•BCCI

Rohit-Kohli watch

Rohit was run out in the first T20I when Shubman Gill did not respond to his call for a quick single. Tonight, in his 150th T20I, his early dismissal owed less to misfortune. Facing his first ball, he moved towards the leg side in an attempt to pull Farooqi. He missed and Farooqi hit the top of off stump.Kohli, who had missed the first game for personal reasons, opened his account by smashing Mujeeb over extra cover. In the same over, he swept a similar delivery to the deep midwicket fence. In all, he hit five fours in 16 balls. When he was caught at mid-off off Naveen-ul-Haq, the crowd was disappointed, but this might have been exactly the approach the team management wanted him to adopt.

The Jaiswal-Dube show

Jaiswal had kicked off India’s chase by cutting Farooqi to the point boundary. In the seamer’s next over, he hit a straight six before offering a return chance. Farooqi failed to hold onto it and then watched the next ball sailing over deep square leg for six more. Jaiswal was equally severe on Mujeeb, hitting him for a hat-trick of fours in the fifth over. At the end of the powerplay, India had raced to 69 for 2.Dube took some time to get going. He was on a run-a-ball 7 but soon he was outpacing Jaiswal. It started with him launching Noor Ahmad over long-off before he clobbered Mohammad Nabi for three successive sixes. After ten overs, India’s required rate had come down to 5.70.Jaiswal and Dube added 92 in just seven overs. By the time Jaiswal was out for 68 off 34, India needed only 19 off 45 balls. Jitesh Sharma fell for a second-ball duck before Dube, 63 not out off 32, and Rinku Singh took India over the line.