Lucknow Super Giants were practically obliterated as Sunrisers Hyderabad produced a show of pure explosive batting to march to a 10-wicket victory in their IPL 2024 match.
Lucknow Super Giants were practically obliterated as Sunrisers Hyderabad produced a show of pure explosive batting to march to a 10-wicket victory in their IPL 2024 match on Wednesday. Chasing a target of 166, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma produced stunning performances to end the match in just 9.4 overs – the fastest ever in an 100+ run chase. After the end of the match, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka was caught on camera having an animated conversation with Rahul – something that has left the internet fuming. Experts also weighed in on the topic on Jio Cinema with the opinion that such conversations should happen behind closed doors and these images are never helpful for any team.
“You always feel these conversations should be happening behind closed doors. There are so many cameras around the stadium and they miss nothing. You know KL Rahul is now gonna go to press conferences and other things and potentially explain what’s been discussed here,” an expert said on Jio Cinema.
“He has done well to keep his cool here. I think you are bang on,” Styris added.
Sanjiv Goenka wasn’t too pleased with KL Rahul and didn’t shy from expressing his emotions publicly following LSG’s loss to SRH on Wednesday.
Sanjiv Goenka (L) in an animated chat with KL Rahul(X)
Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma orchestrated a spectacular batting masterclass as they propelled Sunrisers Hyderabad to a resounding 10-wicket victory over Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2024 on Wednesday. The duo’s remorseless onslaught saw them chase down a target of 166 with remarkable ease, mounting the fastest chase of a 160-plus target in IPL history.
Head’s blistering unbeaten 89 off just 30 balls, accompanied by Sharma’s explosive 75 not out from 28 deliveries, left the LSG bowlers reeling as boundaries and sixes flowed freely.
This emphatic win catapulted Sunrisers Hyderabad to the third position in the IPL standings, firmly establishing their credentials as playoff contenders with 14 points from 12 games. Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants find themselves languishing at the sixth spot with the same number of points from an equal number of matches.
The visuals following the match showed a sorry state for LSG captain KL Rahul, who was at a “loss for words” after the incredible onslaught from the SRH opening duo. However, a post-match visual that went viral on social media platforms was that of Rahul conversing with LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka following the loss.
Goenka was visibly displeased and had an animated chat with Rahul with rather exaggerated hand movements, signifying his anger at the disappointing defeat against the Sunrisers.
The fans, however, were not too pleased with Goenka choosing to lash out at Rahul publicly. Many fans believed the LSG owner could have waited for the players to return to the dressing room or a more private place to converse. They also urged Rahul to leave LSG, claiming disrespect from the franchise’s owner.
Since the start of IPL 2024, Chennai Super Kings fans have been going gung-ho over watching ‘Thala’ MS Dhoni. The former Indian cricket team captain has long retired from international cricket and the only time fans get to see him in action is during the IPL. This IPL too, Dhoni has been dealing in boundaries in the cameos that he has been delivering. However, his batting order has left a lot to be desired among the fans.
In CSK’s last match, he came to bat No. 9. In earlier matches, Dhoni came to bat in the second last or last overs. It made everyone wonder why Dhoni was coming so low in the order despite being such a good hitter.
A report, in the Times of India, has revealed that Dhoni is carrying a muscle tear in his leg which prevents him from running too long on the field. Hence, the veteran cricketer isn’t keen in coming out to bat too early for CSK, as running between the wickets is an issue for him.
After the report came to light, former Kolkata Knight Riders Team Director presented a grim ‘theory’ which predicts that Dhoni is playing this season to prepare the side for life after him. In other words, he might be retiring at the end of this season.
“Here’s my Dhoni theory. He’s playing on with his muscle tear for his two most important constituencies, his fans and his team. The part about saying goodbye to his fans around the country is obvious. What we might be missing is why he chooses to play on for the team,” Joy Bhattacharjya wrote in a long post on X.
IPL 2024, MI vs SRH: Suryakumar Yadav hit peak form when he smashed 102 not out in just 51 balls on a not-so-easy pitch for batters at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. The World No. 1 T20I batter steered MI out of trouble against high-quality pace before making light work of a 174-run chase.
Suryakumar Yadav hit a match-winning 102 not out vs SRH (PTI Photo)
Suryakumar Yadav came up with a statement of sorts on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium. His IPL 2024 form before MI’s home game against SRH was likened to the keys on a piano — up and down, as his scores read 0, 52, 0, 78, 10, 26, 10, 56. However, the World No. 1 T20I batter showed why he is rated the best in the world with a 51-ball 102 not out that helped MI comfortably outclass the in-form SunRisers.
Suryakumar, who returned to the IPL 2024 season after a long injury layoff, battled tiredness during his whirlwind knock, not throwing in the towel even though he found it hard to run between wickets comfortably. “I felt it was the need of the hour for me,” Suryakumar Yadav said after winning the Player of the Match award. The Mumbai star acknowledged the value and the timing of his second IPL hundred. He proved his naysayers and detractors wrong. He never had to justify his spot in the T20 World Cup squad, but he needed self-assurance that everything was going right.
It’s not easy returning from a long injury layoff, which involved surgery in treating sports hernia, and straightaway finding peak form in a tournament like the IPL. And Suryakumar was under pressure straight away as MI’s campaign, under their new captain Hardik Pandya, was floundering. Their captain was booed and the atmosphere in the dug-out looked tense. It was not as if Suryakumar was struggling to put bat to ball, but the seasoned campaigner was not able to live up to his own high standards.
However, on Monday, Suryakumar was a different beast. Building on a fifty he scored against KKR earlier in the month, Suryakumar showcased his ability to soak in pressure and play the situation in his imitable style. Suryakumar and Tilak Varma joined hands when Mumbai were reeling at 31 for 3 while chasing 174. SRH captain Pat Cummins greeted Suryakumar in the middle with a wicket maiden over. Suryakumar was beaten 4 times on the trot by Cummins, who bowled a Test match line on the Wankhede Stadium pitch that was assisting swing and seam bowling under the night sky.
“Initially it was really tough. We were struggling and decided to play with the straight bat. Play it like Tests or ODI knowing we have a 360-degree batter,” Tilak Varma said after their unbeaten 143-run partnership — the highest for Mumbai for the 4th wicket of below in the history of IPL.
Kolkata Knight Riders grabbed the top spot in the IPL 2024 points table with a huge 98-run win over Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday. The victory took the Shreyas Iyer-led side to 16 points and they are one win away from booking their playoff berth. Lucknow Super Giants went down to the fifth spot with 12 points – the same as Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad – but an inferior Net Run Rate (NRR). In the other match of the day, Chennai Super Kings remained third with a win over Punjab Kings that took them to 12 points. PBKS are eighth with 8 points from 11 matches.
IPL 2024 Points Table: Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings Take Massive Steps Towards Playoffs
Kolkata Knight Riders grabbed the top spot in the IPL 2024 points table with a huge 98-run win over Lucknow Super Giants.
Proving his worth with the willow once again, Narine (81 off 38 balls) went on a six-hitting spree, blasting seven maximums and six fours to take the visitors to 235/6.
Chasing an imposing total, LSG batters had to go from the word go but the hosts found it hard to get the big shots and were eventually bundled out for 137 in 16.1 overs.
Within the first 10 overs, LSG had lost half the side including skipper KL Rahul (25), Arshin Kulkarni (9), Deepak Hooda (5) and big hitters Marcus Stoinis (36) and Nicholas Pooran (10).
Ashton Turner hit some lusty blows and looked in mood to showcase his batting prowess but the Australian was supremely unlucky as an inside edge deflected off his boot with Varun Chakravarthy completing a caught and bowled.
With the win KKR moved to the top of the table. They have 16 points, the same as Rajasthan Royals but have played one game more.
LSG, on the other hand, dropped out of the top four to the fifth spot with 12 points from 11 games. Their Net Run Rate also took a massive hit going down from 0.094 to -0.371.
Ravindra Jadeja produced an all-round effort to help Chennai Super Kings beat Punjab Kings by 28 runs. Sent into bat, Jadeja made 43 runs off 26 balls and then picked up 3 for 20 to ensure a win for CSK.
Chasing a modest 168, PBKS faltered from the word go with only Prabhsimran Singh (30) and Shashank Singh (27) making significant contributions with the bat before being restricted to 139 for 9 in 20 overs.
Besides Jadeja, Simarjeet Singh (2/16) and Tushar Deshpande (2/35) picked up two wickets each for CSK.
Earlier, leg-spinner Rahul Chahar and pacer Harshal Patel picked up three wickets apiece as PBKS dished out a disciplined bowling effort to restrict CSK to 167 for nine.
Jadeja, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (32) and Daryl Mitchell (30) got starts for CSK but failed to transform their knocks into big scores.
Sunil Narine was the star of the show as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) thrashed the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Narine is the third-highest run-getter and sixth-highest wicket-taker in the 2024 IPL, with a stunning tally of 451 runs and 14 wickets in the season so far.
Sunil Narine created history in the KKR-LSG clash |Courtesy-BCCI/IPL
Sunil Narine continued his red-hot form in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) as he and Phil Salt gave the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) another quick start on Sunday (May 5) in a clash against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.
Narine and Salt put up a partnership of 61 runs in 26 balls; the latter departed for a knock of 32 in 14 balls. However, Narine continued his onslaught and took the game away from the hands of the home team with an incredible knock of 81 runs in 39 balls with six boundaries and seven sixes.
The KKR star has been in incredible form this season with an incredible tally of 452 runs and 14 wickets, which sees him occupy the third spot on the orange cap list and sixth on the purple cap tally. Narine is only the fourth cricketer in history to score more than 450 runs and take 10+ wickets in the same season after Jacques Kallis, Shane Watson, and Andre Russell.
Sunil Narine Creates History
Through his brilliant knock of 81, Narine crossed the 1500-run mark as far as his IPL career is concerned. The West Indies legend has 1507 runs in 173 matches (107 innings) at an average of 17.32 and a strike rate of 166.33. Meanwhile, he is the fifth-highest wicket-taker in history with 176 wickets.
Through his incredible feat, Narine has become only the third player in history after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legends Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja. However, , having been associated with the Knight Riders since his IPL debut in 2012 and not playing for any other team.
Sunil Gavaskar has responded to Virat Kohli taking a dig at commentators for being critical of his strike-rate in the ongoing IPL 2024, asking the Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener if the players don’t listen to ‘outside noise’ then why are they replying to it?
Last week, following RCB’s 9-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, Kohli had launched a verbal attack on his critics for questioning his strike-rate compared to other openers in IPL.
Gavaskar has justified the criticism and wondered if a batter wants to be applauded for scoring at a strike-rate of 118.
“Commentators questioned only when his strike-rate was 118,” Gavaskar said ahead of RCB’s second match against GT in IPL 2024 on Saturday evening. “I’m not too sure. I don’t watch too many matches, so I don’t know what the other commentators have said otherwise. But if you come and open and then have a strike of 118 when you get out in the 14th or the 15th over, I mean, if you want applause for that, that’s a little bit different. That’s different.”
“All these guys talk about, ‘oh we don’t care about outside noise’. Accha? Then why are you replying to any outside noise or whatever it is. We all played a bit of cricket, not a lot of cricket. We don’t have agendas. We speak about what we see. We don’t necessarily have any likes and dislikes. Even if we have likes and dislikes, we actually speak on what is happening,” he added.
The batting legend also took an aim at the broadcaster for repeatedly airing the clip of Kohli criticising their ‘own commentators’ and added it will be a disappointing if they continue to do so.
The spinner, a former England under-19 international, was described as “the life and soul of the dressing room” and was playing for the county’s second team the day before his death was announced.
Worcestershire’s Josh Baker. File pic: PA
Worcestershire County Cricket Club have announced that one of their players, 20-year-old Josh Baker, has died.
The spin bowler made 47 appearances across all formats for his county club, taking 70 wickets and was playing for the second team on Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the news was announced.
No details about the circumstances of his death have been published and Worcestershire, who said they were “heartbroken” at the loss, have asked for his family to be shown “privacy and respect”.
Baker, a former England under-19 international, took three wickets against Somerset at Bromsgrove on Wednesday, with the game abandoned as a draw on Thursday, and also played in two Vitality County Championship games last month.
Worcestershire said in a statement they were “heartbroken to announce the untimely passing of Josh Baker, who was aged only 20 years old.
“During this profoundly difficult time, the club is dedicated to supporting Josh’s family, friends, and colleagues. We are united in our grief and committed to honouring his memory in a manner befitting the remarkable person he was.
“It was his vibrant spirit and infectious enthusiasm that endeared him to everyone he met. His warmth, kindness, and professionalism were remarkable, making him a true credit to his family and a loved member of our team.
“Plans to pay tribute to Josh will be made in consultation with his family and will remain private at this time. The club, along with Josh’s family, requests the respect of privacy as we mourn this immense loss. Further comments will not be provided during this sensitive period.”
Worcestershire chief executive, the former England spinner Ashley Giles, offered a personal message.
“The news of Josh’s passing has left us all devastated. Josh was much more than a team-mate; he was an integral part of our cricket family. We will all miss him terribly. All our love and prayers go out to Josh’s family and friends,” Giles said.
Baker turned professional in 2021, taking 43 wickets in 22 first-class appearances, the last of which came against Durham less than a fortnight ago.
Shafali got out after a 38-ball 51, hitting eight fours, while Mandhana found form as she struck 47 off 42 balls.
After their skipper Harmanpreet Kaur opted to field first looking at the cloud cover and a mild breeze, India’s bowlers dished out another disciplined performance to restrict Bangladesh to 117/8, which the visitors overhauled with nine balls to spare. Photo: X/BCCIWomen
A dominant India grabbed an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match women’s T20I series as they pummelled Bangladesh by seven wickets in the third match in Sylhet on May 02.
After their skipper Harmanpreet Kaur opted to field first looking at the cloud cover and a mild breeze, India’s bowlers dished out another disciplined performance to restrict Bangladesh to 117/8, which the visitors overhauled with nine balls to spare.
When they came to bat, openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma put on 91 runs in just 12.1 overs to take India closer to a series win.
Shafali got out after a 38-ball 51, hitting eight fours, while Mandhana found form as she struck 47 off 42 balls with the help of five boundaries and a six.
Ritu Moni took a blinder off her bowling to dismiss Shafali while Nahida Akter accounted for Mandhana. But the damage was done.
Earlier, the decision to bowl first did not yield the desired result immediately, as Bangladesh raced to 44 for no loss in the six powerplay overs. However, the Indian bowlers tightened the screws on the home team batters after the dismissal of Dilara Akter, who blazed away to 39 off 25 balls.
The hosts’ brisk start was largely due to the batting of Dilara Akter who struck a few boundaries and negotiated the Indian bowlers without much difficulty early on at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
Trailing 0-2 in the five-match series, Bangladesh looked determined to give a better account of themselves and keep the rubber alive, two days after being shot out for 119 at the same venue.
With the T20 World Cup around the corner, the objective is to finalise their middle-order, which has been having some difficulty.
Even as Dilara kept the scoreboard moving at a fair clip, Bangladesh lost their first wicket when Murshida Khatun (9) was run out by the Deepti Sharma-Richa Ghosh combo.
The star performer of the series opener, medium pacer Renuka Singh dealt a big blow on Bangladesh when her slower delivery on the leg side made contact with Dilara’s gloves on its way to Ghosh, even as the batter looked to hit it hard over the square leg region. The soft dismissal hurt the home team as the India bowlers looked to settle into a nice rhythm.
At the end of the 10th over, Bangladesh were 66 for two, with their captain Nigar Sultana and Sobhana Mostary in the middle.
Nitish Reddy is an all-rounder from Andra Pradesh playing for SRH in IPL 2024.
Nitish Reddy starred with the bat for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the two teams’ Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match on Thursday, May 2.
The right-handed batter smashed an unbeaten 76 runs off 42 balls at a strike rate of 180.95, including three boundaries and eight maximums. During his knock, he smashed 20 runs off leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in one over.
Reddy also added 96 runs with Travis Head and shared an unbeaten 70-run stand with Heinrich Klaasen for the third and fourth wickets, to help the host post 201 runs on the board.
The 20-year-old Andhra batter has been exceptional with the bat in IPL 2024. He has amassed 219 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 154.22, comprising two half-centuries.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) lauded Nitish Reddy for his exploits against table toppers RR. One user wrote.
“We have a star in Nitish Kumar Reddy. The future is here.”
Another user shared similar sentiments, writing.
“Nitish Kumar Reddy should be groomed well. A potential seam bowling all rounder.”
One user pointed out Reddy’s carnage against Chahal and wrote.
Rohit Sharma reflected on a whirlwind last few months during which he lost his IPL captaincy to Hardik Pandya before finding him as his deputy for next month’s T20 World Cup.
“Not everything goes your way,” acknowledged Rohit Sharma on Thursday as he reflected on a whirlwind last few months during which he lost his IPL captaincy to Hardik Pandya before finding him as his deputy for next month’s T20 World Cup. One of India’s most admired cricketers, Rohit’s removal as captain of Mumbai Indians surprised many in the fraternity and was a bitter pill to swallow for his legion of fans, many of whom also booed Hardik while he led the team out in the first few matches this IPL season.
“See, it is part of life. Not everything will go your way. It has been a great experience,” the Indian skipper said during a media interaction where he was asked about his experience of playing under Pandya in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
There has been a lot of conjecture about Rohit’s relationship with Pandya and how Mumbai Indians as a franchise handled the leadership issue, which many believe wasn’t done in the best way, especially when it involved someone who has led the franchise to five IPL title triumphs.
Rohit is a tough cookie and the genial exterior concealed his real feelings as he said that playing under Pandya is no different from playing under any other captain.
“Before (also), I have not been captain and I have played under a lot of captains. It is no different or new to me,” said Rohit, who has played under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Virat Kohli for India apart from being led by Adam Gilchrist, Harbhajan Singh and Ricky Ponting in franchise cricket.
The 37-year-old received his share of flak for not scoring enough runs with the willow during the previous three seasons but he looked a different deal altogether in the 17th edition of the tournament.
“Whatever is there and you go by it and then try and do what is required from you as a player. I have only tried to do that in the last one month or so,” Rohit doused any fire that the question would have ignited.
Punjab Kings mounted a pragmatic chase to consign Chennai Super Kings to a demoralising seven-wicket defeat at their own den in their IPL match at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday. Punjab rode on quick 40s by Jonny Bairstow (46, 30b, 7×4, 1×6) and Rilee Rossouw (43, 23b, 5×4, 2×6) to move past Chennai’s modest 162 for seven, which was built around skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s solid 62 (48b, 5×4, 2×6). The win took PBKS to seventh place on the points table with eight points, while CSK stayed on fourth with 10 points.
The Super Kings’ defence of 163 faced multiple barricades as their spinners – Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja – were rendered ineffective because of dew and pacer Deepak Chahar walked off the field with a niggle after bowling just two balls.
But that should not take the sheen out of PBKS’ effort with the bat on the night.
After the early departure of opener Prabhsimran Singh, who played two convincing strokes, Bairstow and Rossouw kept the visitors in the hunt with a handy 64-run alliance as they also went past 50 in the Power Play segment.
Bairstow treated spinners Jadeja and Moeen with disdain taking three boundaries and a six off them. In stark contrast to their Punjab counterparts, the CSK spinners gave away 44 runs in five overs without any return.
But Bairstow’s attempt to be too cheeky ended his stay. The England batter went for a cute ramp shot off Shivam Dube, but could only manage to feather it to MS Dhoni behind the stumps.
However, Rossouw and Shashank Singh (25 not out, 26b) made 44 runs in quick time as PBKS remained ahead in the game.
Rossouw, who pummelled Dube and Thakur for a six each, had a brilliant chance to make a fifty. But his attempt to smash Thakur’s low full-toss out of ground resulted in his stumps getting rearranged.
But those were minor irritants in an otherwise polished effort as Shashank and skipper Sam Curran (26 not out, 20b) knocked off the remaining runs without much fuss during their unbroken 50-run alliance.
Earlier, Gaikwad braved a sluggish Chepauk pitch to make a solid fifty, but CSK struggled massively against Punjab spinners – Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar.
Gaikwad and Ajinkya Rahane (29, 24b) added 61 runs for the opening wicket but they consumed 49 balls.
There were flashes of intent too. Gaikwad played a fine upper cut off pacer Arshdeep Singh for a boundary and Rahane creamed three fours in a row off Curran, including a lovely cover drive.
The slide of CSK began once PBKS brought their spinners on immediately after the Power Play that yielded a satisfactory 55 runs.
Rahane tried to slog sweep Brar but his skier ended in the hands of Rossouw in the deep.
CSK vs PBKS, IPL 2024: Gritty Punjab Kings Floor Chennai Super Kings By Seven WicketsPunjab Kings mounted a pragmatic chase to consign Chennai Super Kings to a demoralising seven-wicket defeat at their own den.Press Trust of IndiaUpdated: May 01, 2024 11:50 PM ISTRead Time:3 min
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The Super Kings’ defence of 163 faced multiple barricades as their spinners – Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja – were rendered ineffective because of dew and pacer Deepak Chahar walked off the field with a niggle after bowling just two balls.
But that should not take the sheen out of PBKS’ effort with the bat on the night.
After the early departure of opener Prabhsimran Singh, who played two convincing strokes, Bairstow and Rossouw kept the visitors in the hunt with a handy 64-run alliance as they also went past 50 in the Power Play segment.
Bairstow treated spinners Jadeja and Moeen with disdain taking three boundaries and a six off them. In stark contrast to their Punjab counterparts, the CSK spinners gave away 44 runs in five overs without any return.
But Bairstow’s attempt to be too cheeky ended his stay. The England batter went for a cute ramp shot off Shivam Dube, but could only manage to feather it to MS Dhoni behind the stumps.
However, Rossouw and Shashank Singh (25 not out, 26b) made 44 runs in quick time as PBKS remained ahead in the game.
Rossouw, who pummelled Dube and Thakur for a six each, had a brilliant chance to make a fifty. But his attempt to smash Thakur’s low full-toss out of ground resulted in his stumps getting rearranged.
But those were minor irritants in an otherwise polished effort as Shashank and skipper Sam Curran (26 not out, 20b) knocked off the remaining runs without much fuss during their unbroken 50-run alliance.
Earlier, Gaikwad braved a sluggish Chepauk pitch to make a solid fifty, but CSK struggled massively against Punjab spinners – Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar.
Gaikwad and Ajinkya Rahane (29, 24b) added 61 runs for the opening wicket but they consumed 49 balls.
There were flashes of intent too. Gaikwad played a fine upper cut off pacer Arshdeep Singh for a boundary and Rahane creamed three fours in a row off Curran, including a lovely cover drive.
The slide of CSK began once PBKS brought their spinners on immediately after the Power Play that yielded a satisfactory 55 runs.
Rahane tried to slog sweep Brar but his skier ended in the hands of Rossouw in the deep.
But the left-arm spinner inflicted a bigger blow in the next delivery, trapping Dube, who was named in India’s T20 World Cup squad, leg before for a first-ball duck.
Dube, promoted to No. 3 to counter spin, failed to connect an almighty heave off a fuller ball on the middle-stump by Brar, and he had to walk back despite seeking help from DRS.
In the next over, leg-spinner Chahar got rid of Ravindra Jadeja, who was deceived by a delivery that turned into him a whisker to beat his prod.
It was a total shutdown for CSK between sixth and 10th over, losing three wickets for just 16 runs.
For a team that generally bosses the middle passage between the seventh and 15th over making runs at a rate of 10.6, the CSK was a shadow of their marauding self, managing just 47 runs against PBKS.
Mumbai Indians’ playoff hopes were dealt a massive blow following their four-wicket loss against Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2024 on Tuesday. Marcus Stoinis slammed a gritty half-century after a solid bowling performance from the LSG bowlers to guide his team to victory. As a result, LSG moved up to the third position in the IPL 2024 Points Table with six wins and a Net Run Rate (NRR) of +0.094. However, MI’s situation got worse as they remained ninth in the table with just 6 points from 10 matches. This means that MI will have to win all of their remaining four matches and they will have to depend of other results to go their way as wins in every match will only take them to 14 points.
Rajasthan Royals (Played 9, Won 8, Lost 1, Total Points 16, NRR +0.694)
Inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) have been the most dominant team in IPL 2024. The Royals have won eight of their nine matches this season and are currently placed at the top of the IPL 2024 standings with 16 points. With five games in hand, the Royals should qualify for IPL 2024 playoffs with games to spare. Led by Sanju Samson, they are one of the favourites to clinch the coveted title this season.
Kolkata Knight Riders (Played 9, Won 6, Lost 3, Total Points 12, NRR +1.096)
Two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been one of the most impressive sides this season. Under mentor and former captain Gautam Gambhir, the Knight Riders have registered six wins and suffered three losses so far. The Shreyas Iyer-led side has been one of the standout teams with the bat and have the best net run-rate of +1.096 in the ongoing tournament. KKR need to win at least two of their remaining five games to book their spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs. Going by recent form, KKR will be overwhelming favourites to qualify for the playoffs and finish in the top two.
Lucknow Super Giants (Played 10, Won 6, Lost 4, Total Points 12, NRR +0.094)
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will be one of the strong contenders to pip either CSK or SRH to finish in the top four this season. Led by star wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, the Super Giants have already secured two playoff qualifications in as many seasons. Having already accumulated 12 points from 10 matches, LSG will need two more wins as they aim to make it three out of three in the IPL playoffs. Their next match against Kolkata Knight Riders will be extremely crucial for their IPL 2024 playoffs qualification.
Chennai Super Kings (Played 9, Won 5, Lost 4, Total Points 10, NRR +0.810)
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have struggled away from home in IPL 2024. The five-time IPL winners, CSK, have registered just a solitary away victory over MI at the Wankhede Stadium, while winning four of their five games at Chepauk this season. Led by new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, CSK have 10 points from nine matches and need to win three of their remaining five games to seal an IPL 2024 playoff berth. With two more matches still to be played at home, CSK will be one of the favourites to qualify for IPL 2024 playoffs.
SunRisers Hyderabad (Played 9, Won 5, Lost 4, Total Points 10, NRR +0.075)
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) started their IPL 2024 campaign in an emphatic fashion as they won five of their first seven matches. The SunRisers later lost their winning momentum as they suffered defeats in their previous two fixtures. The Pat Cummins-led outfit has been overly reliant on their opening batters – Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma – who have produced blitzkrieg starts in most matches. Just like CSK, SRH have 10 points from nine matches and need to win three of their remaining five games to finish in the top four. With four home games still to go, the SunRisers should qualify for IPL 2024 playoffs.
Delhi Capitals (Played 11, Won 5, Lost 6, Total Points 10, NRR -0.442)
Delhi Capitals (DC) have won five of their 11 matches this season so far. While the Rishabh Pant-led Capitals are currently placed sixth in the IPL 2024 standings with 10 points, they have played the most number of matches at this juncture of the league. Having won three of their last five matches, the Capitals have still kept themselves in the hunt for a playoffs spot. With a net run-rate of -0.442, DC will need to win all their remaining three games with a good margin, if they are to have any hopes for IPL 2024 playoffs qualification.
Gujarat Titans (Played 10, Won 4, Lost 6, Total Points 8, NRR -1.113)
Last season’s finalist Gujarat Titans (GT) have had a disappointing IPL 2024 campaign so far. Under new captain Shubman Gill, the Titans have registered four victories and suffered six defeats this season. With eight points from 10 matches, GT’s IPL 2024 playoffs qualification chances looks bleak. With a net run-rate of -1.113, the Titans not only need to win their remaining four matches with a huge margin, but they will also need favours from other teams to have any chance of securing qualification in the IPL 2024 playoffs.
Punjab Kings (Played 9, Won 3, Lost 6, Total Points 6, NRR -0.187)
Punjab Kings’ record-breaking eight-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders have kept them alive in IPL 2024. Having registered three wins and suffered six losses, the Kings are languishing eighth in the IPL 2024 standings with six points from nine games. Interestingly, the Kings have not qualified for IPL playoffs since reaching the finals in 2014. Considering their negative NRR, PBKS need to win all their remaining five games with a good margin and also hope other results go their way if they are to make the IPL 2024 playoffs.
Mumbai Indians (Played 10, Won 3, Lost 7, Total Points 6, NRR -0.272)
Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) have had a dismal campaign this season. Under newly-appointed captain Hardik Pandya, MI have secured just three wins in 10 matches in IPL 2024. With just six points on the board, MI are languishing ninth in the IPL 2024 standings and almost need another miracle to finish in the top four. As a result, Hardik Pandya’s men need to win all their remaining four games to finish with 14 points and hope other results go their way to squeeze into the IPL 2024 playoffs.
Kolkata Knight Riders maintained their good show in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 by beating Delhi Capitals to consolidate the second spot in the IPL points table. Spinner Varun Chakravarthy worked his magic to claim three important wickets before Phil Salt’s scintillating half-century as Kolkata Knight Riders secured a convincing seven-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in the IPL on Monday. Chakravarthy (3/16) shone in the middle overs following Vaibhav Arora’s fine start (2/29) that limited Delhi to a modest 153/9 after Rishabh Pant opted to bat.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy worked his magic to claim three important wickets before Phil Salt’s scintillating half-century as Kolkata Knight Riders secured a convincing seven-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in the IPL here on Monday.
There was a point in the match, when Sunil Gavaskar was fuming over a decision by KKR player Vaibhav Arora. It happened on the final delivery of the 18th over. he was convinced that Kuldeep Yadav was LBW, though by the looks of it, the ball was seemingly going down leg. He forced KKR captain Shreyas Iyer to go for the review. The DRS clearly showed that the ball was missing the stumps.
It left Gavaskar an angry man. “Shocking review. Absolute shocker. What a waste of a review. Should have thought about this team. Look that there are 11 balls left. Kuldeep Yadav is playing well. It’s a 29-run partnership,” Sunil Gavaskar said on air during the match.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine eclipsed Lasith Malinga’s record for most wickets at a particular venue in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Monday.
Narine impressed with the ball during KKR’s win over Delhi Capitals with figures of 1/24 in his four-over spell.
He claimed Axar Patel’s wicket in the first innings which marked his 69th wicket at the iconic Eden Gardens in the IPL which is most by a bowler at a particular venue in the cash-rich league.
Before him Malinga held the record with a whopping 68 scalps at Wankhede which he took during his prolific career.
Tom Moody was not impressed by Ravindra Jadeja’s batting for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL 2024 and he said that although the all-rounder is a top spin option, he is not ‘good enough’ to bat at No. 7 for India in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Former Australian cricket team star Tom Moody was not impressed by Ravindra Jadeja’s batting for Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL 2024 and he said that although the all-rounder is a top spin option, he is not ‘good enough’ to bat at No. 7 for India in the T20 World Cup 2024. Jadeja is being considered as one of the sure-shot picks for the World Cup squad but the decision taken by CSK to promote him up the order has not worked out for them till now. He has scored 157 runs in 9 matches till now and his strike rate of 131.93 has not helped his case.
“I’d be taking Jadeja purely because I’m looking for the best left-arm spinning option. He’s the best left-arm spinner in the country. In my eleven, he’s not batting at No.7. I don’t think he’s good enough to bat seven in a World Cup side. He’s proven that with his strike rate. You need an impact-type player batting at seven,” he told Star Sports.
Former India star Irfan Pathan, who was a part of the discussion panel, also echoed similar sentiments and said that playing Jadeja at No. 7 means that the Rohit Sharma-led side will have to play a proper finisher in their ranks.
“This is what I’m really scared about when it comes to World Cup. Look, my worry is with T20 World Cup, we pretty much sorted as far as the top-order batting is concerned. We pretty much sorted in the middle overs as well. If we’re thinking Ravindra Jadeja is a number seven batter, you need a good finisher. His numbers are not that great as far as the strike rate is concerned at the international level,” he explained.
IPL 2024, CSK vs SRH: MS Dhoni became the first player to be part of 150 victories in the IPL. The Super Kings hammered SunRisers by 78 runs to return to the top 4 in the points table.
MS Dhoni became the first player in IPL to be part of 150 wins (PTI Photo)
MS Dhoni scripted a new IPL record on Sunday, April 28 as he became the first player in the history of the T20 tournament to be part of 150 victories. Dhoni achieved the feat after the Super Kings hammered SunRisers by 78 runs, bowling out the batting powerhouses for just 134 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
MS Dhoni has played 259 matches in the IPL, having been a part of the T20 league since the inaugural edition in 2008. The 42-year-old is the joint-most successful captain in the IPL with 5 titles. Dhoni handed over the reins of the Super Kings to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the ongoing season.
1. MS Dhoni – 150
2. Ravindra Jadeja – 133
3. Rohit Sharma – 133
4. Dinesh Karthik – 125
5. Suresh Raina – 122
MS Dhoni already holds the record of the most successful captain in the IPL with 133 wins. Rohit Sharma is in second spot with 87 victories.
On Sunday, MS Dhoni reserved another cameo appearance for the Chepauk crowd as he walked into bat in the final over of the CSK innings after Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed for 98. Dhoni hit a boundary on the first delivery he faced and took a single off the next to remain unbeaten on 5 off 2 as CSK posted a mammoth total of 212.
Dhoni also took a catch with the gloves on a day when the Super Kings dominated SunRisers in all three departments. Daryl Mitchell returned to form with a quickfire fifty and also took 5 outfield catches to equal an IPL record.
Dhoni has been sensational with the bat in his cameo appearances. The wicketkeeper-batter has hit 96 runs in just 37 balls at a strike rate of 257. Dhoni’s late-overs specials have proved to be defining knocks on more than one occasion. His onslaught against Hardik Pandya at the Wankhede Stadium was special as the former captain hammered 3 sixes in a row and finished with 4-ball 20, which proved to be the difference between CSK and MI in the El Clasico.
Will Jacks’ sensational hundred made a mockery of the 201-run target set by Gujarat Titans as Royal Challengers Bengaluru registered a comfortable 9-wicket win in Ahmedabad in the 45th match of IPL 2024 game on Sunday. Chasing the target, RCB reached home with as many as four overs to spare. Jacks scored his half-century in 31 balls and took only 10 balls from there to smash his maiden IPL century in only his fifth match. With RCB needing one run to win, Jacks hit a six to reach the three-figure mark and remained unbeaten on 100 off 41 balls.
Jacks stitched 166 runs with Virat Kohli, who scored 70 not out off 44, for the second wicket to help RCB win the game easily.
A conversation between the RCB batters after the side’s thrilling win over Gujarat Titans has gone viral on social media. In the clip shared by RCB through their official social media handle, Kohli could be heard saying to Jacks, “I was pissed off, I didn’t smash the first ball for six but when I saw you at 94 with one to get, I was like ‘Thank god! I didn’t smash it’.”
The Virat and Jacks Show (off the field)
Dressing Room hasn’t been happier this season and this is exactly the content our 12th Man Army would love to see. ❤️🥹
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) April 28, 2024
After his match-winning fifty, Kohli hit back at his critics. It is worth noting that Kohli’s strike rate in the shortest format has been the talk of the town. His batting against spin has been just another talking point.
“Not really, all the people who talk about strike-rates and me not playing spin well are the ones talking about this stuff. For me, it’s about winning the games for the team and there’s a reason why you’ve done it for 15 years, you’ve done this day in and day out, you’ve won games for your teams, I’m not quite sure that if you haven’t been in that situation yourself, to sit and talk about the game in the box,” said Kohli.
Two days before the deadline set by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the New Zealand Cricket Board (NZC) announced the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. With Kane Williamson leading the side, the Kiwis picked a star-studded team, consisting of the likes of Fin Allen, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, etc. While the squad was highly anticipated by the cricketing fraternity, it was the manner of the announcement that left the cricket and social media world astonished.
In a video shared on social media, the New Zealand Cricket Board shared that they sent two children for the press conference to announce the squad. A boy, by the name of Angus, and a girl, by the name of Matilda named all the players that have been picked for the T20 World Cup.
Here’s the video of New Zealand’s viral squad announcement:
“I’d like to congratulate everyone named today. It’s a special time representing your country at a world tournament,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said on the occasion.
“We expect the venues in the West Indies to offer quite varied conditions and feel we’ve selected a squad with the scope to adapt to those conditions.”
“Matt has worked exceptionally hard on his skills across the phases of a T20 game to come back into selection consideration,” Stead added.
Rachin Ravindra, who has impressed everyone with his performances quite early into his international career, will feature for the Kiwis in a T20 World Cup for the first time ever.
“Rachin has made every post a winner in the past 12 months and it was exciting to see him continue that trajectory over the summer in the T20 format against Australia.”
New Zealand Squad:Kane Williamson (C), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee. Travelling Reserve: Ben Sears
Chennai Super Kings bounced back in the IPL 2024 playoffs race by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 78 runs in their IPL 2024 match on Sunday. It was their first win after two consecutive losses in the competition and it took them to the third spot from sixth in the IPL 2024 points table. Veteran wicket-keeper batter MS Dhoni’s wife Sakshi Dhoni was in attendance at the M Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and her Instagram story during the game has gone viral. “Please finish the game fast today @chennaiipl baby is on the way…contractions have begun Request from – to be Bua,” she wrote.
Coming to the match, Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a brilliant 98 and fast bowler Tushar Deshpande took a four-wicket haul to guide CSK to a comprehensive victory. With the win, CSK put themselves back in the top 4, boosting their playoffs chances while SRH suffered their second successive defeat of the campaign.
“Feeling pretty good. Tough to play in such wet conditions, and to be able to win by 70-odd runs is a clinical performance. Was a blessing in disguise at the toss. Everything is good (injury concern?). Too hot and humid conditions. Even the last game, was there batting for 20 overs and fielding for 20 overs,” CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad said after the match.
“Some loose balls here and there. Today we were outstanding in the field. Stuck to the plans and knew what the conditions were. With impact player rule, you always want the extra 20 runs. Never know what par score is. That was one area – not getting wickets in powerplay. That’s the only way it can put opposition in back foot. He’s bowling really well (Deshpande). His hard work is paying off.”
Hardik Pandya was unimpressed and was spotted yelling at a the umpire amid IPL 2024 game vs DC
Hardik Pandya. | (Credits: Screengrab)
Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya was spotted getting furious amid the ongoing IPL 2024 clash against the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday. In a video emerged on social media, the 30-year-old could not keep his cool due to the threat of slow over-rate as Rishabh Pant supposedly took excessive time to mark his guard.
Hardik Pandya has been under immense pressure since taking over as the captain of the Mumbai Indians, largely due to the lack of fans’ support as they have been agitated by the decision to oust Rohit Sharma from the role. The seam-bowling all-rounder’s form has also taken a hit, managing only 151 runs in 8 matches at 21.57 alongside 4 wickets, averaging over 40.
Not a fan of Hardik but he was right to yell at Umpires, Pant was taking too much of time to mark his guards
— Mr Ranaswi (Modi ka Parivar) (@rudresh_ranaswi) April 27, 2024
The former Indian cricket team star had an interesting suggestion regarding Virat Kohli’s batting order, depending on situation
Virat Kohli with other Indian cricket team members.
In less than one week’s time, India’s T20 World Cup squad will be out. For a team, that last won an ICC trophy back in 2013, the 2024 T20 World Cup is a great opportunity for Rohit Sharma and Co. to end a long drought. Several experts have been giving their opinion on what the ideal 15-member India squad should look like. There is also 100 per cent consensus about two players who should be in the playing XI – Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah.
Former Indian cricket team star spinner Harbhajan Singh had an interesting suggestion regarding Virat Kohli’s batting order, depending on situation.
“I believe Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma should open for India, and Virat Kohli should come at no.3,” Harbhajan Singh told Star Sports.
“I would like to see a left-right combination at the top. If 6-7 overs are played, and if we have a player like Shivam Dube, he can walk in at no.3. Kohli can then walk in at 4. We have to take the horses-for-courses approach here, and there’s no disrespect in that. Kohli is a great player, whether he plays at no.3 or 4, the team comes first. Even if you ask him this question, he will say the team comes first.”
Another former India star Navjot Singh Sidhu advised Indian cricket team coach Rahul Dravid and the BCCI selectors to pick three spinners and as many quality fast bowlers.
For GT, Gill has already scored over 300 runs and is among the top 10 highest run-scorers in IPL 2024 (X)
The last six months have been a roller-coaster ride for Shubman Gill across formats. From the bout with dengue during the 2023 ODI World Cup to cement his place as India’s new No.3 in Tests to now taking charge as Gujarat Titans captain in the IPL, the 24-year-old has experienced a lot of highs and lows in a short time span but it has only helped shape his character and personality as a player.
With India’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup set to be picked in a few days, Gill has presented a strong case for himself with 304 runs in nine innings, including two half-centuries, at the top of the order for GT. It’s natural for a player to think in that direction and complicate matters but for Gill, it hasn’t been that “difficult” as he continues to focus on scoring runs and winning.
In an exclusive conversation with the Network18 Group, the elegant right-hander opens up on his captaincy stint, the challenging last six-eight months, T20 World Cup selection and more.
It has been a mixed season for you as Gujarat Titans captain. So how do you reflect on the season gone by and what do you look forward to as captain and as a player?
As a captain, and as a player, I think now we are approaching the business end of the tournament and I think as a team we are in a very balanced shape. We are much more composed in comparison to what we were in the beginning of the IPL and I think the way that we’ve been playing cricket in the past couple of matches has been very pleasing to see and I’m very happy with that.
Just looking back at the last 6-8 months, you had a bout with dengue during the World Cup, had to make a name for yourself at the No.3 position in Tests and now, ahead of the T20 World Cup, you were given the charge of GT. When you look back, how has the ride been across formats?
Yeah, definitely. It’s been very interesting these past 6 to 8 months. But I think it’s definitely helped me shape my personality and my character as a player. Because you know it requires a certain will and character to be able to, you know, overcome those and keep doing and keep enjoying the things that you want to do.
I’ve seen a lot of your net sessions and they are clearly not short. You love to bat for hours in the nets, even on the eve of the match. How easy or difficult has been to juggle batting and captaincy?
I honestly only think about my batting when I’m batting. And when I’m not batting, I don’t really think about my batting. As far as captaincy is concerned, I think captaincy happens on the ground most of the time and as a captain, my job before the match or on non-match days is to be able to make my players feel as secure as possible, make them feel secure in their plans, give them the confidence that they would be able to execute those plans when the pressure is on them. That is what my job is as the captain.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis admitted that his team’s batting unit hasn’t fired much with the bat in IPL 2024 but is glad to see them clicking as a unit against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Faf du Plessis was a relieved man after his team snapped a six-game losing streak with a 35-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL here on Thursday. “Last two games, we’ve shown great signs of fight. SRH game was 270 plus, we got 260. KKR game as well – 1 run. We’ve been close for a while, but you need to win matches to get confidence as a group. Will sleep easier tonight. You can’t speak confidence into the group, can’t fake confidence into the group. Only thing that gives confidence is performances,” he said at the post match presentation ceremony.
While Virat Kohli has been the top-scorer for them, Du Plessis is happy that other batters are too getting back amongst runs.
“The competition is so strong, the teams are so strong that you’ll get hurt if you’re not at 100 percent. More guys are scoring runs now. First half of the tournament only Virat was scoring runs. Greeny scoring runs now will be massive for him.”
Chasing 207, SRH’s ultra aggressive approach with the bat backfired as they were 69-5 in 8th over and couldn’t recover thereafter.
“Not an ideal night. Few over par with the ball and unfortunately lost a few wickets throughout our innings. We were gonna bat first, it seems to be working for us. Before the last few wins, we were thinking that we were a bowl-first team,” Pat Cummins, SRH captain, said.
The Impact Player has a bit of role to play in making the matches high scoring as he provides the extra cushion for batters to keep going hard at the bowlers, feels Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill. The ongoing IPL season saw its 12th 200 plus score as Delhi Capitals piled on 224 for 4 against Gujarat Titans on Wednesday. “I think impact player has a bit of a role (in making the matches high scoring), even if you lose extra wickets, extra cushion is there for the batters to keep going and it gives the license for the batters to keep going till the end,” Gill said after GT’s four-run loss.
“I think we played some really good cricket, disappointing to lose in the end, but great character shown by everyone. Great fight till the end and we never thought we were out of the game at any point. When you’re chasing 224, there’s no point in talking about plans, just go out and score runs.”
Despite starting strong, GT bowlers allowed DC to make a comeback as Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel stitched a 113 run-stand and Gill felt his side was guilty of giving away a few extra runs.
“At one stage we thought we will be able to restrict them around 200-210. We gave away a few extra runs in the last couple of overs,” Gill said.
“But the good thing about chasing is that you know what you are chasing. It’s a small ground, and it’s chaseable. Execution becomes very important [for bowlers]. If there’s nothing in the wicket for the bowlers, then you have to execute your plans – or your yorkers.”
Winning skipper Pant was back to his destructive best as he smashed 88 not out of 43 balls. He was adjudged the player of the match for his scintillating knock.
D Gukesh is the first Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to win the Candidates Tournament.
Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh became the youngest challenger to the world title following his triumph at the prestigious Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto earlier this week. The 17-year-old is the first Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to win the Candidates Tournament. Speaking to NDTV, Gukesh’s father, Dr Rajinikanth said his decision to quit medicine practice has finally paid off. Rajnikanth, who is a surgeon, had quit his practice to help his son achieve his dreams.
“Initially it was a risky decision and the move was opposed by my family. But, in order to achieve something, we have to make such decisions. Looking back, i think it was the right decision. It could’ve been seen as a double-edged decision but luckily it helped us,” Rajnikanth told NDTV at Chennai airport on Wednesday night.
Recalling the moment of the decisive tie, Rajnikanth revealed that Gukesh had shifted his focus towards the tiebreaks as nobody was sure about the result due to the delay in broadcast.
“It was a tense moment as the game was fluctuating. We were not sure about the result and felt that he should better prepare for the tiebreaks next day. They wanted to have a walk and suddenly the organiser told me that the match was over. There was 15-min delay in broadcast so we weren’t aware of the situation,” he added.
Lastly, Rajnikanth credited the legendary Viswanathan Anand for inspiring young chess players in Tamil Nadu.
On Wednesday night, Gukesh received a rousing reception from fans at the Chennai airport upon his return from Toronto.
Hundreds of students from the Velammal Vidyalaya, the school where Gukesh studies, lined up at the airport at least one hour before his flight landed to greet the Candidates Chess Tournament winner.
The duo, Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhanashree Verma [X.com]Rajasthan Royals (RR) star spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal has etched his name in history by becoming the first bowler to claim a remarkable 200 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The 38th match of IPL 2024 witnessed this monumental achievement as Chahal snared Mohammad Nabi of Mumbai Indians as his 200th T20 scalp, showcasing his brilliance with a catch and bowled manoeuver.
As the cricketing world erupted in applause, the celebrations weren’t confined to the field alone. Dhanashree Verma, Chahal’s wife and a prominent figure in her own right as a choreographer and actress, took to Instagram to express her pride and admiration.
Her Instagram story resonated with affection and respect as she hailed her husband’s accomplishment, affirming, “Well deserved @yuzi_Chahal21 Many more to come. Legend h ye m toh pehle se bol rahi hu” (He is a legend, I have been saying this from the beginning).
Dhanashree’s Instagram story for Chahal’s 200 IPL wickets
The duo, Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhanashree Verma, stands as a testament to love and support in the world of cricket. Their journey from courtship to marriage in 2020 has been followed by fans with fervor and adoration.
Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul was all praise for Marcus Stoinis’ match-winning 63-ball-124 not out against Chennai Super Kings as he felt that the home team’s score of 210 for 4 was at least 30 runs above-par on that particular Chepauk track. Stoinis’ special effort overshadowed a classy century by CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad in their IPL match on Tuesday as LSG won by six wickets. Meanwhile, CSK skipper Gaikwad, whose century went in vain felt that dew played a big role towards the latter half of the match. “Tough pill to swallow but LSG played a good game at the end. We had the game in hand around the 13th over, but hats off to Stoinis.
“There was a huge part that the dew played. It took the spinners away from the game. We could have taken the game deeper. But it is a part of the game, you can’t control the uncontrollable.”
Player of the match Stoinis said: “It is not just a go go. It was ebb and flow. There were some bowlers we targeted, some against whom we were cautious. Nicky Pooran played a good innings, Hooda also.
“It ebbed and flowed. From the inside, you are always structuring. You are liking some bowlers, not liking others much.”
Rahul, who once said strike-rates are over-rated in T20s, admitted that a total like 180 which was considered challenging might not be enough in the day and age of ‘Impact Player’.
“Very special (win), especially when it is a game like that. It felt like we were way behind the game in the chase. Just to pull off a victory feels special,” Rahul said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Rahul said their win against CSK in Lucknow had little context on a very different Chennai deck.
“These were different conditions. They got off to a good start and put pressure on the bowlers. I didn’t think it was a 210 wicket.
“They batted really well. All credits to Stoinis. He was phenomenal to watch. It was not just power hitting, but was smart batting.”
Sending Stoinis at No. 3 was a smart move by LSG management and Rahul feels they had to take a “brave” call.
“We wanted to be a lot braver as a team. We had three games, a couple at home, and some away where we couldn’t go past 170. We needed one power hitter in the top three. That was the thought process.
The Saudi Pro League’s attendances have hit a new low – as just 560 fans watched Al-Okhdood and Damac FC battle it out at the bottom of the top flight in the gulf state
Low attendances continue to plague the Saudi Pro League (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The Saudi Pro League has suffered its latest embarrassment with another low attendances for a top tier match.
Footballers flocked to the Middle Eastern riches over the summer as they followed in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo – who made the switch last winter. However, the influx of talent hasn’t quite produced the ticket sales many expected it would.
There was only 560 fans at the Prince Hathloul Sports City to see Al-Okhdood sink to a 2-1 loss to Damac FC. Romanian international Nicolae Stanciu was the pick of the performers, and he netted Damac’s opener on Saturday afternoon.
Domagoj Antolic doubled their lead before Saeed Al-Rabiei pulled one back for the home side, in front of the tiny attendance.
Al Okhdood are relative new boys to the Saudi top flight and they don’t boast many foreign superstars after only being promoted to the Pro League in 2021. Last month, just 294 rocked up to the King Salman Sport City Stadium to see them lose to Al-Fayha.
After suffering a 9-wicket defeat at the hand of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya admitted that there remain flaws in the team.
Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya was once again at the losing end as Rajasthan Royals all but secured their progression into the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 playoffs with a thumping 9-wicket win. Hardik, who has been in the spotlight ever since he took over the franchise’s reins from Rohit Sharma, admitted that the team hasn’t been good enough in any of the three departments of the game. As mistakes as a batting unit, bowling unit, and in the field continue to cost Mumbai Indians important games, Hardik admitted it’s time to accept flaws and work on them. (IPL 2024 Points Table)
“We put ourselves in trouble early on. The way Tilak and Nehal batted – that was fantastic. I don’t think that when we lost a couple of wickets early we thought we would even reach 180. We didn’t finish well and that’s why we were 10-15 runs short. We had to keep it within the stumps (while bowling). Early on in the powerplay, we gave a lot of width and I don’t think it was our best day in the field as well. Overall, we did not put the right foot in the park and eventually, they outplayed us,” Hardik said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
There remain certain individuals in the game who are yet to fire this season. But, Hardik doesn’t believe in singling out players and talking to them individually. The MI skipper continues to believe in the professionalism that the players have and is hoping to see them rectify their mistakes themselves.
“After the game, it’s not the right time to go to the players, everyone is professional, they know their roles. What we can do is learn from this game and the mistakes which we have made, rectify it and make sure that we don’t make it. Progression is very important. Within the team, individually, we will have to accept our flaws and maybe work on those,” he explained.
Grandmaster D Gukesh scripted history for India as he became the youngest man in the world to win the Candidates tournament. The 17-year-old will challenge Ding Liren for the World Championship crown later in 2024.
17-year-old D Gukesh won the Candidates tournament in Toronto (PTI Photo0
17-year-old Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju scripted history by becoming the youngest man to win the prestigious Candidates tournament and earn the right to challenge for the World Championships crown later this year. The teenager from India finished as the sole leader at the end of a gripping 14-round Candidates tournament in Toronto, Canada. Gukesh will face Ding Liren, the reigning world champion, for the world title later in the year.
D Gukesh drew his final-round match in black pieces against Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura of the USA on Sunday. Gukesh needed just that on the final day to secure the Candidates title as the game between Grandmasters Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi ended in a thrilling draw. Soon after the final match of the Candidates ended, loud cheers were heard at the Great Hall in Toronto as the crowd was up on its feet, lauding the extraordinary feat of the newest world title challenger. .
Gukesh will have the opportunity to become the youngest world champion when he challenges Ding Liren later this year. Magnus Carlsen and Garry Kasparov were 22 when they became the world champions.
Gukesh also became the 2nd Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win Candidates Chess and the first since his mentor to emerge victorious after a decade.
17-year-old Indian prodigy 🇮🇳 Gukesh D makes history as the youngest-ever player to win the #FIDECandidates! 🔥
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) April 22, 2024
As expected, legendary Viswanathan Anand, Gukesh’s mentor, took to social media to congratulate the teenager for winning the Candidates. Anand noted how Gukesh was able to handle tough situations throughout the tournament – a trait that was evident in his final-round draw against the seasoned Nakamura.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru superstar Virat Kohli found himself being dismissed in a manner that triggered a huge debate on social media as well as the cricketing fraternity. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Harshit Rana bowled a full-toss that Kohli connected a little above his waist height and ended up giving a catch into the hands of the bowler. Yet, the umpires deemed Kohli out. The RCB star decided to review the matter but even that went in the favour of the bowling team. Though all the decisions went against RCB in that instance, not everyone is convinced that Virat deserved to be dismissed.
While many have blamed the umpires over Kohli’s dismissal, first that has to be understood that the decision was purely from the technological standpoint as the RCB batter had decided to review the dismissal.
Why was Virat Kohli given out?
First of all, it has to be understood that an above waist height no-ball is only given when the ball reaches the batter, at the popping crease, above the height of the waist. In Virat’s case, however, this wasn’t the case.
Upon assessment, the third umpire deemed the delivery from Harshit Rana a fair delivery as Kohli was standing outside his crease. Even the impact between the ball and the bat was quite ahead of the body.
Virat Kohli’s waist was measured at 1.04 meters by the technology in upright position. But, technological assessment showed that had Kohli stayed inside the crease, the ball would’ve reached him at a height of 0.92 meters. Hence, the delivery cannot be called a no-ball.
According to the 3rd umpire, Virat Kohli was outside his crease.
What does the Rule Book say?
According to rule 41.7 of ICC regulations ‘Bowling of dangerous and unfair non-pitching deliveries’: Any delivery, which passes or would have passed, without pitching, above waist height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease, is to be deemed to be unfair, whether or not it is likely to inflict physical injury on the striker. If the bowler bowls such a delivery the umpire shall immediately call and signal No ball.
Hence, the rule couldn’t come to Kohli’s rescue in this specific case.
IPL 2024, T20 World Cup 2024, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, India’s T20 World Cup Squad Update, India’s T20 World Cup Squad selection, India’s T20 World Cup Full Squad, India’s T20 World Cup Squad announcement date
The deadline for announcing the provisional squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA is fast approaching and the Indian think tank has some tough decisions to make before finalising India’s 15-member squad. While few media reports have claimed that India will go ahead with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli as the openers for the T20 World Cup 2024, we are still not certain whether that will be the case. But will that be the best-case scenario for India going into the World Cup?
Based on current form you would argue in favour of India’s two best white-ball players combining up top could be the way forward. That essentially opens up the middle order and India can have the luxury of Suryakumar Yadav batting at No.3, Rishabh Pant at No.4, Hardik Pandya at No.5, and two finishers in No.s 6 and 7 before the tail starts.
However, if that is the case, young players – who have regularly featured in India’s T20I scheme of things – will feel hard done by, namely: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and more importantly Ishan Kishan. In the list of openers missing out, you could also add the name of KL Rahul.
Stay updated with the latest from IPL 2024, including top contenders for the IPL 2024 Orange Cap and IPL 2024 Purple Cap. Explore the complete IPL 2024 Schedule, IPL 2024 Points Table and players with the Most Sixes, Most Fours and Most Fifties in IPL 2024
But such is the fickle nature of batting forms and the complexities of selecting one of the most competitive cricket teams in the world that there are bound to be some heartbreaks. However, the question to ask is, does the Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli combo up top make sense?
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma are in good form as openers in IPL 2024
First and foremost, the recent form of both batters is better than the other contenders we listed earlier. Kohli is opening the innings for his franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru this season, similar to what he did the previous year as well, and currently leads the Orange Cap list for most runs in IPL 2024 with 361 runs striking at 147.34. How can you not play him as an opener if he is picked in India’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup?
Over to Rohit Sharma now and he is currently sitting at the 3rd spot with 297 runs in 7 matches striking at 164.08, including a hundred to his name. By the way, Kohli too has registered a hundred this season. Going by these individual numbers there is hardly any argument you can make against the Kohli-Sharma duo opening for India at the T20 World Cup 2024.
Giving chances to youngsters could be one of those arguments, You can take that ahead and say, ‘Well it is time youngsters are given the opportunity on the big stage. They are primed to be in their spotlight now.’ But, then again how have their forms been recently? Let’s take a look.
Sunil Gavaskar’s motivational words to Rishabh Pant was absolute gold after Sunrisers Hyderabad decimated Delhi Capitals in Saturday’s IPL match.
Rishabh Pant scored 44 but it came off 35 balls. (AFP)
Delhi Capitals were in for a rough evening as Sunrisers Hyderabad feasted on their bowling attack en route to scoring 266/7 – their third 250-plus total of the season – and setting the stage for a handsome 67 run win. Once again, the dynamic duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma smashed all sorts of records, including the highest Powerplay score in the history of IPL – 125/0 – and many more, leaving a distraught DC captain Rishabh Pant short of answers. The Capitals tried, but how often do you see a total as humongous as 267 chased down? Despite their efforts, DC were all out for 199, with Jake Fraser-McGurk’s 65 off 18 and a couple of 40s from captain Pant himself and Abhishek Porel not enough to save them the blushes.
After the match, as Pant cut a disappointed figure during the post-match interview explaining what went wrong, Sunil Gavaskar asked the India youngster to keep his chin up in a brilliant show of motivation. Pant was replying to Ian Bishop with the nuances of the game, talking about how he expected dew to play a part, only to be proven wrong when the legendary Gavaskar chipped in the following.
“Rishabh, Sunil here. I have never seen you down, I don’t ever want to see you down. I want to just see a smile on your face. Never mind the result. Go ahead, because there are plenty of matches to come.”
As intended, Gavaskar’s words brought a smile on Pant’s face as he promised to roar back: “Definitely sir, I will try my level best. Hopefully we will come up with more thought-process and a clear mindset,” said the India wicketkeeper.
The defeat was Delhi’s fifth of the season, which places them 7th on the points-table, while SRH surged to second with 10 points. Coming back to the decision to bowl first after winning the toss, Pant admitted it was an error on his part as he failing to read the conditions properly.
“The only thought process behind that was we thought there would be some dew but it didn’t come. I thought if we could restrict them to 220-230 we would be in with a chance. I think powerplay was the difference. We were just catching up throughout the match. That was the massive difference,” he said.
Vinesh Phogat defeated Kazakhstan’s Laura Ganikyzy 10-0 in the women’s 50kg semifinals at the Asian Olympic qualification on Saturday, clinching the Paris 2024 quota.
Vinesh Phogat secures Paris 2024 quota in women’s 50kg event (AP/PTI)
Commonwealth and Asian Games champion Vinesh Phogat earned an Olympic quota in the women’s 50kg category by defeating Kazakhstan’s Laura Ganikyzy 10-0 in the women’s 50kg semifinal at the Asian Olympic qualifiers. Phogat, a Commonwealth and Asian Games champion, won the battle in 4:18 minutes thanks to technical superiority over the Kazakh wrestler. She will now face Aktenge Keunimjaeva of Uzbekistan, who defeated Chinese Taipei’s Meng Hsuan Hsieh 4-2. Vinesh was out of action and was protesting against former WFI president Brij Bhushan Saran Singh for almost two years. She participated in the trials in two weight categories and won a 50 kg trial to participate in the Asian Olympics qualifications.
Vinesh showcased her prowess in the wrestling arena with a flawless performance in her first match, overwhelming South Korea’s Cheon Miran with a commanding 10-0 victory in the round of 16. Her quarter-final match against Cambodia’s Dit Samnang saw her clinch another swift win, securing victory by fall (VFA) in under a minute. It’s worth noting that Vinesh competed in the 50kg category, which differs from her usual preference of 53kg. Despite this, her exceptional skill shone through.
News Flash: Vinesh Phogat gets Quota 😍
Vinesh beats Kazakh grappler 10-0 in Semis of Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers at Bishkek to secure Quota place for India in 50kg category #WrestleBishkekpic.twitter.com/dSmV4VR85U
Although she had previously claimed two bronze medals at the World Championships in the 53kg category, Antim Panghal’s prior qualification in the 50kg division, from her bronze triumph in the 2023 World Championships, led Vinesh to participate in both categories during the National trials on March 11. While she faced defeat in the 53kg category against Railways’ Anju, Vinesh emerged victorious in the 50kg category, defeating Shivani with a score of 11-6.
He Jie won the Beijing half marathon held last Sunday in a time of 1:03:44, a second ahead of Ethiopian Dejene Hailu Bikila, and Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat, who tied for second place.
He Jie edges in front in the final straight to finish first. Pic: Reuters
China’s top long-distance runner has been stripped of his first-place finish in the Beijing half marathon.
An investigation has confirmed that three African runners slowed down to let Hi Jie win the race that took place last weekend.
Questions were raised when footage of the end of the race emerged on social media, showing three of the runners reducing their speed to allow China’s top long-distance runner to move ahead of them.
Mr Jie finished first in a time of 1:03:44, a second ahead of Ethiopian Dejene Hailu Bikila, and Kenyans Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat, who tied for second place.
Now all four runners have been disqualified and made to return their medals and prize money.
According to a statement from a committee set up to investigate the race, the three African runners “actively slowed down in the last 2 kilometres and as a result He Jie won the men’s championship”.
The special committee added that four runners had been originally hired as pacemakers by a sponsor, Xiamen Xtep Investment, but the main organisers of the race had not been told this.
MS Dhoni fans on Friday got treated with a vintage innings from the Chennai Super Kings former captain. Facing Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow and with his team down by six wickets, MS Dhoni came at the crease late and made an instant impact. The World Cup-winning captain hit two sixes and three fours to score a nine-ball 28*. The late cameo was crucial in CSK scoring 176/6 in 20 overs. The short but entertaining knock had the Lucknow crowd on its feet.
Though the match was played in Lucknow, the support was immense for CSK and especially Dhoni. LSG star opener Quinton de Kock’s wife Sasha was at the stands where the crowd at the Ekana Stadium burst into a loud cheer for MS Dhoni as decibel levels rose.
Sasha posted an image on Instagram stories with the captain, “When MS Dhoni comes out to bat.” Along with the caption she posted an image of a notification on her smartwatch saying, “Loud environment – Sound level hits 95 decibels. Just 10 minutes at this level can cause temporary hearing loss.”
LSG had checked CSK’s run flow until Moeen Ali (30 off 20 balls) and MS Dhoni (28 off 9) went berserk to take CSK to a fighting 176 for six.
“Halfway stage, I would have been happy with 160. Felt the wicket was slow, a bit of grip but not too much. 160-165 would have been ideal,” LSG captain KL Rahul said.
“But MSD walks in and the bowlers feel intimidated. He walks in and bowlers were under pressure, the crowd was really loud, he has done it in the past.”
Chasing 177, Rahul (82) and De Kock (54) batted with authority during their match-winning alliance of 134, the highest partnership for any wicket at the Ekana Stadium, as LSG scored 180 for 2 in 19 overs.
Raducanu was making her first WTA quarter-final appearance in 19 months
Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of the Stuttgart Open despite a spirited quarter-final display against world number one Iga Swiatek.
Britain’s Raducanu, who is continuing her comeback from an injury-hit 2023 season, lost 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 against the clay-court specialist from Poland.
Swiatek is on a 10-match winning run in Stuttgart, having won the last two editions of the WTA 500 tournament.
She will face Kazakhstan’s fourth seed Elena Rybakina next.
Raducanu, 21, has enjoyed a return to form over the past week, helping Britain beat France in the Billie Jean King Cup at the weekend before wins against three-time major winner Angelique Kerber and Linda Noskova.
Her run to the quarter-finals in Stuttgart will see her rise up the world rankings after dropping to 303rd following wrist and ankle operations in 2023.
Asked if she thought Raducanu can return to the top level of the sport, Swiatek said: “I hope she will be able to do it because for sure she has the game for it.”
Swiatek is bidding to become the first player to win three straight Stuttgart Open titles since Maria Sharapova between 2012 and 2014
Raducanu enjoyed a dream start against Swiatek, 22, fighting back from 40-0 down to break the defending champion’s opening service game.
The four-time major winner broke back immediately and continued to threaten Raducanu’s serve throughout the first set, but the Briton held firm to force a tie-break.
Swiatek raced through the tie-break before striking the first blow in the second set on her way to a 3-1 lead as a tumble onto the clay floor seemed to momentarily dent Raducanu’s confidence.
The 2021 US Open champion regained her composure to divert three break points in the fifth game, but the single break of serve in the second set proved enough for Swiatek to wrap up the win after a gruelling two hours and four minutes on court.
“It was a pretty intense match so I am happy I was able to keep the intensity even though we played tough games for over two hours,” Swiatek said.
“It wasn’t easy, I had a lot of break points that I couldn’t convert.”
Hardik Pandya was fined by the BCCI for Code of Conduct breach after Mumbai Indians failed to finish their quota of 12 overs in the stipulated time against Punjab Kings.
Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has been handed a fine for Code of Conduct breach in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Punjab Kings on Thursday. Hardik, captaining the Mumbai franchise, failed to complete the 20 overs of bowling in the stipulated time, and hence, has been handed a fine of INR 12 lakh. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in a statement, confirmed the same. With this being only the first instance where Hardik failed to match the over-rate criteria, only Rs. 12 lakh fine was imposed.
“Hardik Pandya, the Mumbai Indians captain, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over rate during their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Punjab Kings at the PCA New International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur on April 18,” BCCI statement said after the match.
A repeat of the offence could find Hardik and other Mumbai Indians players in a bigger trouble.
As for the match, MI held onto their nerves to secure their third win of the IPL 2024 campaign.
Chasing a mammoth total of 193 runs, PBKS didn’t have the start they wanted as they lost the wicket of opener Prabhsimran Singh, who was sent back to the dressing room without opening his account in the first over of the second innings when the team score was 10.
The Kings lost their second wicket at the score of 13 when Rossouw was dismissed after scoring just 1 run, and the third wicket fell at 14 when Curran was sent back to the pavilion after scoring six runs.
At the score of 14, the Punjab side lost the fourth wicket as Liam Livingstone was dismissed after scoring just 1 run, courtesy of Gerald Coetzee’s bowling.
After the fall of four wickets, the impact player Harpreet Singh Bhatia came out to the crease. Bhatia, along with Shashank Singh, built a small partnership of 35 runs as the hosts lost half of their side at the score of 49, with Bhatia being dismissed after scoring 13 runs.
After the fall of the fifth wicket, PBKS wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma came out to bat along with Shashank. Both batters were able to put on 28 runs before Jitesh was dismissed after scoring just nine runs.
(From left) Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya. (Agencies)
When Indian selectors meet later in April to pick a 15-man squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, they will reportedly be debating over five spots as 10 players are all but confirmed to make the cut.
Performances in the ongoing IPL 2024 will play a vital role in finalising who fills the vacant five slots but it’s not going to be an easy task for the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar. The reason being there are too many claimants for the limited vacancies with as many as four claimants for the spot of second wicketkeeper alone.
According to a report by news agency PTI, besides captain Rohit Sharma, the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav have a confirmed berth.
However, there’s a battle brewing between several top IPL performers for the remaining positions especially for the second wicketkeeper. Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Jitesh Sharma and Dhruv Jurel are among the contenders to be Pant’s backup.
Delhi Capitals were the outright dominant side as they eased past Gujarat Titans. (Image: Sportzpics)
It was not too long ago that Rishabh Pant’s Delhi Capitals were struggling to get the bowling unit to click. But in a sudden change of fortunes, they have put up an all-round performance as they came together to run riot at Ahmedabad and dismiss Gujarat Titans for a mere 89 runs in the first innings.
Pant was not too far away from the action. He was active behind the stumps, taking some fine catches and showing off his quick glovework as well. The DC skipper had the toss on his side as he chose to bowl first at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Many might have thought that they might be missing out big time with the loss of David Warner. GT also had the added boost of both Wriddhiman Saha and David Miller returning to the side to bolster the batting order.
But in an unexpected turn of events, it was a dominant bowling performance by DC. It started with Ishant Sharma taking the wicket of Gill in the second over of the powerplay. This was followed by that of Saha where Mukesh Kunar had rattled the middle stump in a show of dominance.
Abhradeep Saha, also known as Angry Rantman, was born on February 19, 1996, in Kolkata. (Photo: Social media)
Sports YouTuber Abhradeep Saha, popularly known as Angry Rantman passed away at the age of 27 after a multi-organ failure in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
Known for his unique commentary style on football, cricket, and other sports, Saha was undergoing treatment at Narayana Cardiac Hospital in Bengaluru for serious health complications. The social media influencer was inactive on social media for over a month after he underwent heart surgery.
Over a week ago Saha’s father took to social media to share that he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and was recovering. According to reports, Saha’s health deteriorated a few days ago and he was put on ventilation. He had allegedly stopped responding to treatment two days ago.
Though his family has not commented on the cause of his death, media reports said he passed away due to multi-organ failure.
Saha was born on February 19, 1996, in Kolkata. He had a huge fan base on social media. On YouTube, his channel ‘Angry Rantman’ has 481k subscribers and 119k followers on Instagram.
The news of Angry Rantman’s untimely demise came as a big shocker for his fans.
“With profound grief and sorrow, we hereby declare the sad and untimely demise of Abhradeep Saha AKA #AngryRantman today at 10:18 hrs IST,” a post on Saha’s social media handles read.
“He touched the lives of millions with his Honesty, humour and unwavering spirit. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. As we mourn his loss, let us remember the joy he brought to our lives and hold on to the cherished memories we share together. Inspiring change one rant at a time. 17.04.2024 Saha Family”
The BFC family is saddened to learn about the passing of #IndianFootball faithful Abhradeep Saha.
A West Block Blue through and through, Abhradeep’s love for the game knew no bounds and the passion in his rants will be missed.
Saha’s death was condoled by several sports and fan clubs on social media. “The BFC family is saddened to learn about the passing of #IndianFootball faithful Abhradeep Saha. A West Block Blue through and through, Abhradeep’s love for the game knew no bounds and the passion in his rants will be missed. Rest in peace. #WeAreBFC #ForeverBlue,” Bengaluru FC posted on X.
An already-troubled Hardik Pandya could be in for a big setback if things don’t go his way in the ongoing Indian Premier League (PL) 2024. While the batter Hardik is yet to fire, having only scored 131 runs in 6 matches at an average of 26.20 this season. With the ball, Hardik has been fairly inconsistent to even take up the responsibility. He has barely bowled in the last 4 matches, and when he has, the opponent team’s batters have ripped him apart. With a place in India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad, Pandya has reportedly been sent a clear message from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee.
As per a report in the Indian Express, a meeting was held between India head coach Rahul Dravid, chairman of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai last week. In the meeting, the topic of Hardik’s selection came up, with the management asserting the need for him to bowl regularly in order to be selected.
Hardik has bowled in different phases this season but is yet to leave a positive mark. As a powerplay bowler, he has conceded 44 runs in 4 overs, while in the middle-overs, he has gone for 62 runs in 6 overs. As a death bowler, he has given away 26 runs in just 1 over.
Rafael Nadal said he had limited expectations at the Barcelona Open as he made a triumphant return from injury on Tuesday, beating Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-2, 6-3. The 22-time Grand Slam champion had not played a competitive match since January but eased past the 62nd-ranked Cobolli in 85 minutes to reach the second round. The former world number one has seen his ranking slip to 644 after missing all of the 2023 season following the Australian Open. His comeback at the start of this year hit a stumbling block when he felt a hip injury flare up in Brisbane.
For Nadal, a 12-time winner in Barcelona, it was his first appearance on clay since he won the French Open almost two years ago, but the Spaniard was keen not to get ahead of himself.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, last week’s Monte Carlo Masters champion, said earlier this week he wouldn’t be surprised to see Nadal to reach the final on a court named after him.
“Today to say that I am favourite I think is stupidity, Tsitsipas knows that it’s not the case,” said Nadal, who turns 38 in June.
“I understand what he says as respect for what I have done in this tournament. Everybody knows I am not favourite to win a tournament.”
“I didn’t have the slightest idea if I was favourite today, I know tomorrow I will not be,” added Nadal, who plays fourth seed Alex de Minaur on Wednesday for a place in the last 16.
“But it doesn’t matter, I will go out and play and it will be an experience against a top level player.”
After a double fault to fall 30-0 behind Nadal found his rhythm, with Cobolli intimidated by the fervent support for the Spaniard on the court named after him.
Nadal converted his third break point in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead, with Cobolli surviving four more to hold at 4-2 down.
The Spaniard broke again to claim the set in 43 minutes, clenching his fist in celebration.
Cobolli handed Nadal a break for 2-0 in the second set with two more unforced errors but finally put some pressure on Nadal’s serve in the third game to break back.
However Nadal broke again for 3-1 after Cobolli’s third double fault and served it out to triumph.
“It was a good start — when you return you can’t get rid of the doubts in one day, above all, on a physical level,” Nadal told TVE.
“Within what it could be, it was a good first round. He made mistakes and I think I played the game that I had to play.”
Brandon Nakashima dumped a raging Andrey Rublev out in the first round with a 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) victory.
The American, ranked 87th, ousted the world number eight, who made five double faults and only forced one break point in the match.
Nakashima edged the first set by breaking the Russian in the ninth game for 5-4 and then surviving a break point before serving out.
Rublev, second seed at the tournament, saved four second-set break points but tumbled to defeat in the tie-break after sending a backhand long.
Ricky Ponting admitted that while India spolit for choices when it comes to picking the wicketkeeper-batter for the T20 World Cup, he threw his weight behind…
Who will BCCI pick as India’s wicketkeeper-batter for the T20 World Cup?
BCCI can pick one or at the most two wicketkeeper-batters in the T20 World Cup squad, and it has increasingly become the most hotly-contested spot in the Indian team. When IPL 2024 kicked off, as many as six players – Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Jitesh Sharma and Dhruv Jurel – were in the fray for the positions. Midway through the opening half of the league, three players – Pant, Samson and Ishan – emerged as frontrunners. As the season nears the halfway mark, Dinesh Karthik seems to have thrown his name into the discussion, adding a fresh dimension to the battle. Amid a host of options, former Australia cricketer Rick Ponting gave a blunt verdict on the race.
Speaking to PTI head of Delhi Capitals’ match against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Ponting admitted that while India spoilt for choices when it comes to picking the wicketkeeper-batter for the T20 World Cup, he threw his weight behind Pant.
The DC head coach insisted that with Pant returning to his best in IPL 2024, where he smashed two fifties, he would pick him ahead of any other in-form batters.
“Do I believe whether Rishabh should be there in the World Cup squad? Absolutely I do. He deserves to be in that WT20 squad by the end of the IPL, I think we have seen Rishabh play the way we have seen him play in the last six seasons of IPL and now back playing for India.
“One thing we certainly know is that there is a lot of depth around Indian cricket, with keeper batters and I feel some guys are in really good form at the moment. Kishan is playing well, Samson is playing well and KL Rahul is playing well, there’s a lot of options there but if I was picking a team, I would have Rishabh Pant in it every day of the week,” Ponting said.
When it comes to run-scoring, Samson leads the chart with 276 runs in seven matches in IPL 2024, laced with three fifties, followed by Karthik, who clobbered 83 runs from just 37 balls for RCB in the match against SRH. The veteran India star amassed 226 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 205.45 with two fifties. Pant stands third in the race with his tally of 194 runs in six matches, followed by Ishan, who scored 184 runs in as many games for Mumbai Indians.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has decided to take an indefinite break from the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign. Maxwell revealed the news as he spoke to media during the press conference after RCB’s bitter defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday night. Maxwell, who has courted plenty of criticism owing to his poor form with the bat, wasn’t part of the XI against SRH, with Will Jacks taking his place. After the game, Maxwell explained that he asked skipper Faf du Plessis to try someone else himself.
In the press conference, Maxwell said that he isn’t in a good ‘mental and physical space’ at the moment. Hence, decided to take a break. The Australian all-rounder didn’t specify the length for which he decides to sit out.
“For me, personally, it was a pretty easy decision,” Maxwell said after RCB’s sixth defeat in seven matches. “I went to Faf [du Plessis] and the coaches after the last game and said I felt it was probably time we tried someone else. I have been in this situation in the past where you can keep playing and get yourself deeper into a hole. I think now is actually a good time for me to give myself a bit of a mental and physical break, get my body right. If I’m required to get in during the tournament, I can hopefully get back into a really solid mental and physical space where I can still have an impact.
“We have had a pretty big deficiency straight after the powerplay, which has been my area of strength over the last couple of seasons. I felt like I wasn’t contributing in a positive way with the bat, and with the results and the position we find ourselves on the table, I think it’s a good time to give someone else an opportunity to show their wares, and hopefully, someone can make that spot their own.”
It isn’t the first time Maxwell has taken a break from the game over mental fatigue. With things not going right for the veteran cricketer, he decided it’s best for the franchise to use other options while he rejuvinates and looks to bounce back with strength.
“T20 cricket can be like that sometimes – it’s a pretty fickle game,” he said. “Even if you look at the first game, I ran one off the middle of the bat to the keeper. I picked up the length really well, saw a scoring opportunity, but opened the face a little bit too much. When you are going well, that goes wide of the gloves, you get a boundary, you are 4 off 1, and you are away for the tournament.
Mar 28, 2024; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) hits a backhand against Grigor Dmitrov (BUL) (not pictured) on day eleven of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
World number three Carlos Alcaraz has cast doubt on his Madrid Open title defence later this month as the Spaniard nurses a right arm injury that has forced him to miss key tune-up events for the French Open.
The 20-year-old successfully defended his Indian Wells title last month and then reached the Miami Open quarter-finals before sustaining the injury in his first practise session for the Monte Carlo Masters.
The two-times Grand Slam champion was unable to play in Monaco and then had to pull out of the Barcelona Open.
“My feeling isn’t right, but it is what it is. Now I’m fully focused on recovery and I have a little more time,” Alcaraz told reporters in Barcelona on Monday, a day after he decided not to defend his title.
“My goal is to try and go to the Madrid Open, but at the moment nothing is certain. I was given specific recovery times and I’ve respected them, but I haven’t felt good. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
After Dhoni hammered three consecutive sixes in the final over bowled by Hardik Pandya to race to 20 not out off just four balls to propel CSK to a huge 206 for four, Pathirana grabbed 4 for 28 to halt the chase of MI at 186 for six.
Chennai Super Kings batter Matheesha Pathirana celebrates the wicket of Mumbai Indians batter Suryakumar Yadav during the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Sunday, April 14, 2024. Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: Matheesha Pathirana and an ageless MS Dhoni delivered decisive blows as Chennai Super Kings outgunned Mumbai Indians by 20 runs despite Rohit Sharma making a resolute unbeaten 105 in their Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.
After Dhoni hammered three consecutive sixes in the final over bowled by Hardik Pandya to race to 20 not out off just four balls to propel CSK to a huge 206 for four, Pathirana grabbed 4 for 28 to halt the chase of MI at 186 for six.
Rohit produced his only second IPL century and first since 2012, hitting 11 fours and five sixes during his 63-ball knock.
But his magnificent effort did not get adequate support from the rest despite the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium remaining conducive for batting.
Defending champion CSK’s first away win this season also marked a fourth defeat for Mumbai Indians in six matches, keeping them at the eighth spot.
CSK, on the other hand, rose to the third with eight points in their kitty.
In a game wherein the loudest cheers were reserved for Dhoni, Mumbai skipper Pandya continued to get booed intermittently.
There were, though, a section of fans cheering him on at least once, like they did in the last game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Unlike CSK, who got their majority of runs in the last 10 overs (136), Mumbai Indians remained in the hunt of in the initial part through Rohit’s sustained acceleration and some handy contributions from others.
Once again, Rohit set the platform for Mumbai with a sturdy 70-run stand in seven overs with Ishan Kishan, who raced to 23 off 15 balls (3x4s, 1x6s).
With MI on charge, pacer Pathirana produced a two-wicket over after the powerplay accounting for Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav (0), getting him caught at third man with Mustafizur Rahman producing a juggling act at the ropes to complete the catch.
Tilak Varma aided Rohit with a 20-ball 31 laced with five fours, adding 60 off 38 balls for the third wicket, but Pathirana’s return broke their stand.
However, it was the Mumbai duo of Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande tilted the game in favour of CSK, producing two tight overs which broke the back of MI’s chase.
Pandya fell for just two but consumed six balls and Tim David hammered a couple of sixes but failed to capitalise. Amid all this, Rohit remained stuck at the other end watching the game slip away despite his best effort.
Earlier. Dhoni’s ballistic 20 garnished forceful fifties by Shivam Dube and Ruturaj Gaikwad as Chennai Super Kings powered to a strong 206 for four.
Dube (66 not out, 10×4, 2×6) and Gaikwad (69), who milked 90 runs off a mere 45 balls for the third wicket, gave Chennai innings steam in the initial and middle passages of the play before Dhoni mesmerized a packed Wankhede with vintage shot-making.
The former CSK skipper hammered three consecutive sixes off MI skipper Pandya (2/43) to help his side collect 26 runs off the final over.
Chennai Super Kings put up a total of 206 for the loss of 4 wickets in their 20 overs against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday in the 2024 edition of the IPL.
Fifties from Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube solidified CSK’s innings after a rather slow start, but the side from Tamil Nadu were carried over the 200-run mark thanks to MS Dhoni’s three sixers on the trot off the last four deliveries in the innings.
Dhoni walked in to bat with Chennai at 186/4 in 19.2 overs after Daryl Mitchell fell prey to Hardik Pandya and went on to smash three sixers off the first three deliveries he faced. The World Cup winner picked up a double off the last ball to finish unbeaten at 20 off just 4 deliveries.
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MI skipper Pandya won the toss and opted to put Chennai to bat first as the visitors opened with Ajinkya Rahane and Rachin Ravindra. Rahane fell cheaply for just 5 off 8 deliveries to Gerald Coetzee. Ravindra and Gaikwad put up a 52-run stand to steady the innings before the Kiwi departed for 21 off 16.
Mitchell Starc’s poor returns with the ball this IPL “does not make him a bad bowler”, Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Gautam Gambhir said on Saturday while laying emphasis on the team’s success over individual brilliance. The Australian left-arm quick, who was bought by the franchise for a whopping sum of Rs 24.75 crore, has so far taken just two wickets at an average of 77 and has leaked 11 runs per over across four matches.
But Starc found support from KKR mentor Gambhir, who said: “It (his poor stats) doesn’t matter, T20 cricket is all about bowlers getting smashed. We’ve got three wins out of four.” Ahead of their match against Lucknow Super Giants here, Gambhir added, “In a team sport, it’s the wins that matter. We have got three wins out of four. Why should I not be happy with anyone’s performance? See, people have bad and good days, ultimately, it’s the team that needs to win.
“And we’ve got decent results in the first four games of the competition. And we all know that how big a threat Mitchell Starc is. Four games don’t make him a bad bowler.
“And four good games don’t make him a brilliant bowler either. So I know that what impact he can create and what impact he will create in the competition.” Gambhir further said the Aussie will create an “impact” going forward.
“Tomorrow it might be a completely different day. Or probably going forward, it could be a completely different day. An individual can have a brilliant performance and the team doesn’t end up winning.
“There’s no reason why you should talk about individual performance. I feel that Mitchell Starc has done reasonably okay. I think he’s bowled some tough overs. And he will create an impact, what he’s been picked for,” he said.
A new start
Gambhir, who was Lucknow Super Giants’ mentor in last two seasons, has returned to his former team that won two titles (2012 and 2014) during his previous stint at KKR from 2011-17.
KKR could never win against LSG in three attempts while Gambhir was at the opposition dugout.
Gambhir said it’s a new day and they would start from scratch.
“It’s a new day, new start. What difference does it make that what has happened in the last two years? It really makes no difference. We start from scratch.
“All of us are really looking forward to the game tomorrow. You know, it’s a quality side. But we are a quality side as well,” he said.
Gambhir further reacted to criticism about their head coach Chandrakant Pandit’s “militant style” of functioning.
“I don’t read a lot about what has been said and stuff, but it’s been early days. My working relationship with him has been really, really good and hopefully it continues that way.
Hardik Pandya, known for his explosive batting, lodged a complaint against his stepbrother, accusing him of fraud and deceitful practices.
Vaibhav Pandya, the stepbrother of Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya, has been sent to the custody of the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on charges of fraud amounting to ₹ 4.3 crore. The case was filed against him by his brothers Hardik and Krunal Pandya.
Hardik Pandya, known for his explosive batting and all-round abilities, lodged a complaint against his stepbrother, accusing him of fraud and deceitful practices. The allegations revolve around financial discrepancies within a partnership firm established by the trio in 2021.
According to the complaint, the Pandya brothers, along with Vaibhav, ventured into the polymer business, with each sibling having a defined stake in the enterprise. Hardik and Krunal were to contribute 40 per cent each to the capital, while Vaibhav’s share stood at 20 per cent. The arrangement stipulated that profits would be distributed among the partners in proportion to their investments.
However, it has come to light that Vaibhav allegedly diverted profits from the partnership firm into his personal accounts, thereby diminishing the returns due to Hardik and Krunal. He also increased his profit share to 33.3 per cent secretly, resulting in substantial losses for the other Pandya brothers.
The situation escalated when Vaibhav allegedly transferred funds from the partnership account to another company without the knowledge or consent of his brothers, exacerbating the financial strain on Hardik and Krunal’s business interests. They suffered a loss of nearly ₹ 4.3 crore.
Upon discovering these discrepancies, Hardik and Krunal confronted Vaibhav, only to be met with threats of defamation should they pursue legal action against him.
In response, the Pandya brothers’ accountant lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at Khar police station, prompting an investigation by the authorities. Subsequently, the case was transferred to the Economic Offences Wing for further scrutiny.
Lucknow Super Giants fast bowler Mayank Yadav had a brilliant start to his IPL career with back-to-back three-wicket hauls. Mayank’s rapid pace and impeccable control made him a huge favourite among both fans as well as experts with many calling for Indian cricket team selectors to consider him for a spot in the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024. However, his impressive run in the competition was abruptly cut short after he picked up an injury during the match against Gujarat Titans. Mayank went on to miss the match against Delhi Capitals with a small swelling at the top of his hip.
Following Lucknow Super Giants’ loss against Delhi Capitals on Friday, skipper KL Rahul was asked about Mayank’s fitness and he had a major update regarding the youngster.
“Mayank is not too bad, he looks good, feeling good but we also want to make sure we don’t rush him back in too early. He’s young, we need to protect his body. He’s itching to go, we just have to pull him back a little, maybe a couple of more games, before he comes back,” Rahul said after the match.
Earlier, LSG head coach Justin Langer revealed the complete extent of Mayank’s injury.
The contest, which saw partisan crowds cheering loudly for both India stars Rohit and Virat Kohli, also witnessed booing of MI skipper Pandya intermittently.
Mumbai Indians player Suryakumar Yadav plays a shot during the IPL 2024 cricket match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai, on Thursday. Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan provided the fireworks with the bat after Jasprit Bumrah’s magical five-wicket haul as Mumbai Indians pummelled Royal Challengers Bengaluru by seven wickets for their second win in the IPL here on Thursday.
Kishan went ballistic to make 69 off just 34 balls (7x4s, 5x6s) and Suryakumar dazzled with a 19-ball 52 with four sixes and five fours, as Mumbai Indians overhauled RCB’s 197-run target in just 15.3 overs.
RCB huffed and puffed but put up a challenging 196/8 courtesy skipper Faf du Plessis (61), Rajat Patidar (50) and Dinesh Karthik’s 23-ball 53 not out but the total proved to be far from enough.
The tone for an aggressive reply on a placid deck was set by Kishan, who tore into Mohammed Siraj to collect 23 runs off the India pacer’s second over, hammering him for three sixes and a four.
The onslaught continued when RCB introduced Glenn Maxwell in the sixth over, with the MI opener swatting two fours and a six to race to his first fifty of the season off only 23 balls.
Kishan once again forged a vital stand for Mumbai in company of Rohit Sharma, with the pair putting on 101 runs off 53 balls for the first wicket.
IPL 2024, MI vs RCB: Dinesh Karthik left quite a few, including Rohit Sharma, impressed with his 23-ball 53 against MI on Thursday. Rohit’s stump mic banter with Karthik went viral in the big-ticket match at the Wankhede Stadium.
Rohit Sharma’s stump mic banter with Dinesh Karthik went viral on Thursday (PTI/AP Photo)
Rohit Sharma was at his inimitable best as the India captain was engaged in on-field banter with his good friend Dinesh Karthik after the RCB star tore into the MI bowling attack in their IPL 2024 match at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Rohit was heard teasing Karthik with a comment on T20 World Cup selection after the veteran wicketkeeper hit 53 of just 23 balls, helping the visiting side post 196 on the board in 20 overs even after Jasprit Bumrah picked up a 5-wicket haul.
During the change of overs in the first innings, Rohit Sharma was seen going toward Dinesh Karthik, who was batting in the middle, and engaging in banter with him. Rohit was impressed by the RCB star’s big-hitting show. Karthik, has been juggling commentary duties and professional cricket, smashed his first fifty of the IPL 2024 season, hitting 4 sixes and 5 boundaries. Karthik was the only RCB batter to hit a six against Jasprit Bumrah, who was nearly unplayable on Thursday night at the iconic venue.
“World Cup Khelna Hai, World Cup (He is looking to push for the World Cup selection. He has to play the World Cup),” Rohit was heard saying as it was caught on the stump mic. The clip of the banter between Rohit and Karthik went viral on social media.
Coming out in support of Hardik Pandya, RCB icon Virat Kohli urged MI fans to applaud the underfire Mumbai skipper at the Wankhede.
When a section of fans targeted Hardik, superstar Kohli reminded the MI faithful that the Mumbai skipper represents Team India(PTI)
Reinvoking the Spirit of Cricket in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League, Virat Kohli rallied behind Hardik Pandya as the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper urged the Mumbai Indians fans to stop chanting against their franchise skipper on Thursday. Kohli gestured from the middle to make sure Pandya didn’t go through a hostile round of booing in match No.25 of the IPL 2024 between RCB and MI at the famous Wankhde Stadium.
Pandya has been facing the wrath of MI fans ever since the all-rounder replaced Rohit Sharma as the leader of the Mumbai Indians. Hardik completed his sensational switch to Mumbai from Gujarat Titans in an all-cash deal before the new season. Pandya was subjected to venomous reception by fans in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. When a section of fans targeted Hardik at Wankhede, superstar Kohli reminded the MI faithful that the Mumbai skipper represents Team India in the international arena.
Virat Kohli reminds MI fans Hardik Pandya plays for India
When Hardik walked out to finish the run chase for the Mumbai Paltan, the MI skipper was not at the receiving end of the hostile reception as Kohli told the Wankhede crowd to applaud their captain. Kohli’s incredible gesture to quieten the crowd became an instant hit among the fans. Fans and followers of the game also marvelled at Kohli’s sportsmanship on social media. Finishing things in style at a packed Wankhede, Pandya smoked a six to end the IPL encounter in Mumbai’s favour.
How Hardik performed against RCB?
Batting at a strike rate of 350.00, Hardik remained unbeaten on 21 off just 6 balls to make sure Mumbai finished ahead of Bengaluru. Quick-fire knocks from Ishan Kishan (69) and Suryakumar Yadav (52) put MI on the verge of a comfortable win over RCB. Hardik and Co. completed the 197-run chase in 15.3 overs to record their second win of the IPL 2024. Skipper Pandya bowled a single over and leaked 13 runs in the RCB innings.Rohit Sharma lifts Jasprit Bumrah as MI pacer steals Purple Cap from Chahal with 5-wicket demolition act vs RCB
Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter was charged with bank fraud on Thursday in federal court and accused of stealing $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers power-hitting pitcher to cover gambling debts.
According to a 36-page criminal complaint and affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Ippei Mizuhara embezzled the money from an account of Ohtani’s that Mizuhara had helped set up and sent the funds without Ohtani’s knowledge to an illegal sports gambling operation.
U.S. Attorney E. Martin Estrada, announcing the results of his investigation at a news conference, stressed that there was nothing to suggest wrongdoing by Ohtani, who signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract to join the Dodgers this season as the league’s highest-paid player.
“I want to emphasize this point. Mr. Ohtani was a victim in this case. There’s no evidence to indicate that Mr. Ohtani authorized the over $16 million in transfers from his account to the bookmakers,” Estrada said.
The outcome spared the Dodgers and Major League Baseball a potential scandal of epic proportions, recalling the controversy stirred 35 years ago when Pete Rose was accused of gambling on baseball games, including those of his own team, while he played for and managed the Cincinnati Reds.
Those allegations led MLB to permanently ban Rose from baseball in 1989. Rose later admitted to wagering on MLB games, including those played by the Reds but said he never bet against his own team.
Ohtani, 29, whose talents as a slugger and a pitcher have earned him comparisons to Babe Ruth, told reporters at a March 25 press conference that he was a victim of theft by Mizuhara and that he never bet on baseball or knowingly paid a bookmaker.
Mizuhara, 39, has agreed to turn himself over to federal authorities on Friday and was expected to make his initial court appearance that afternoon, according to Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The defendant will not be asked to enter a plea and is expected to be released on bond, Mrozek added.
Gujarat Titans bounced back from two defeats on the trot with a three-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals.
Shubman Gill | Credits: Twitter
Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill gave a straightforward answer to Harsha Bhogle’s remark about his team leaving the match too late to win against Rajasthan Royals at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday, April 10.
Gujarat Titans bounced back from two defeats on the trot with a three-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals. With a target of 196, the visitors pulled of the chase on the final ball of the match. Gill played a match-winning knock of 72 off 44 balls while Sai Sudharsan scored 39 off 35 balls.
However, Rashid Khan (24*) and Rahul Tewatia (22) also played a crucial role as their 28-run stand for the seventh wicket helped Gujarat Titans achieve the target. With 15 runs off 6 balls required to win, Rashid took the responsibility in his hands after Tewatia’s wicket to take the team past the finishing line.
At the post-match presentation, well-known cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle remarked to Shubman Gill that many thought Gujarat Titans left to late to win the match.
“Well done, you got 2 points tonight. I must admit some of us thought you left it too late, but well done today.” Bhogle said.
In response, Shubman Gill said, “Thank you. When GT is playing, don’t think like that.”
The video of interaction between Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill and cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle at the post-match presentation went viral on social media.
Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson has been fined Rs 12 lakh after his team maintained a slow over rate during the Indian Premier League match against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur
Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson has been fined Rs 12 lakh after his team maintained a slow over rate during the Indian Premier League match against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur. The Royals’ four-match winning streak was broken by the Shubman Gill-led Titans, who won the match by three wickets in a last-ball thriller on Wednesday. “Sanju Samson, the Rajasthan Royals captain, has been fined after his team maintained a slow over rate during their TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium, Jaipur on April 10,” said an IPL statement.
“As it was his team’s first offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over rate offences, Samson was fined Rs 12 lakhs,” the statement added.
Oldest World No. 1 Novak Djokovic welcomed Rohan Bopanna to an elite club, acknowledging the enormity of Rohan Bopanna’s achievement. The 44-year-old Indian became the oldest man to reach the top spot in ATP men’s doubles charts.
Novak Djokovic and Rohan Bopanna at the Monte Carlo Masters (PTI Photo)
“We are old but gold,” Novak Djokovic said with his good friend, Rohan Bopanna alongside him in Monte Carlo as the duo relished being the oldest No. 1s in their respective categories. Djokovic seems to be thrilled that a 44-year-old is able to dominate doubles tennis at such a stage of his career. The Serb took to social media to welcome the Indian veteran to the No. 1 club with a post in his inimitable style.
“Age is just a number. For us, that number is 1,” Djokovic wrote in a post on his social media, sharing a photo of him playing a forehand and Bopanna acing one backhand return. The Serb seems to have been inspired by Bopanna’s feat of becoming the oldest numero uno in men’s doubles tennis in the twilight of his career.
Djokovic’s words are a tribute to the hard work that the 44-year-old Indian player has put in over the years. Earlier in 2024, Bopanna ended his long wait for a men’s doubles Grand Slam title when he and his Australian partner, Matthew Ebden, won the Australian Open crown. Bopanna has not slowed down since, as he went on to become the oldest man to win a Masters 1000 title, breaking his own record from last year, after he and Ebden lifted the Miami Open doubles crown.
During a chat with the ATP in the lead-up to the ongoing Monte Carlo Masters tournament, Djokovic and Bopanna heaped praise on each other with the Serb lauding the Indian star’s improved work ethic and the belief to be the best in the world.
“I see him in the gym for countless hours and also more hours with the physio, a bit more than before but it is amazing to share the tour with you for so many years,” Djokovic had said.
“What an incredible moment to be the oldest number in singles and doubles. It is great for Serbian and Indian tennis,” he added.
Winners in the 48 track and field events at the Paris Games will take home around £39,000 – but relay teams will split the prize between them. Payments for silver and bronze medallists are planned to start at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
A Paris 2024 Olympic Games gold medal. Pic: Reuters
Athletics will become the first sport to introduce prize money at the Olympics this summer.
World Athletics, the international athletics federation, says it will pay Olympic gold medal winners $50,000 (around £39,400) at the Paris games.
The athletics governing body said it is setting aside $2.4m (£1.89m) to pay the gold medallists across 48 events at Paris’ track and field programme.
Team GB’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson, the world heptathlon champion, could be in line for the payment if she wins gold in Paris. Pic: Reuters
Relay teams will split the $50,000 between their members.
Payments for silver and bronze medallists are planned to begin at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “The introduction of prize money for Olympic gold medallists is a pivotal moment for World Athletics and the sport of athletics as a whole, underscoring our commitment to empowering the athletes and recognising the critical role they play in the success of any Olympic Games.
“This is the continuation of a journey we started back in 2015, which sees all the money World Athletics receives from the International Olympic Committee for the Olympic Games go directly back into our sport.”
He added: “While it is impossible to put a marketable value on winning an Olympic medal, or on the commitment and focus it takes to even represent your country at an Olympic Games, I think it is important we start somewhere and make sure some of the revenues generated by our athletes at the Olympic Games are directly returned to those who make the Games the global spectacle that it is.”
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Coe added that he wanted athletes “to recognise that I see a very clear correlation between me announcing the new partners, the Sony’s, the Deloitte’s, the Morinaga’s that come to the table and the fact that they are able to benefit from the proceeds of the growth of the sport”.
He also said he does not think prize money “remotely” ruins the ethos of the Olympics, saying “rather than have the athletes as the first thought and the last consideration, and singing a good song about how important they are, that needs to be reflected”.
“This prize money I see as a raft of funds that we are making available within the sport that may actually allow those athletes to remain in the sport for another four years,” he added.
“And look, not everybody is going to win an Olympic title at 100 metres or 1,500 metres, but we’ve got 48 disciplines, and this will help the athletes.”
Nitish Reddy showed tremendous character during a vital 37-ball 64 as Sunrisers Hyderabad eked out a two-run win over Punjab Kings, surviving a daring attack by Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma.
Young Nitish Reddy showed tremendous character during a vital 37-ball 64 as Sunrisers Hyderabad eked out a two-run win over Punjab Kings, surviving a daring attack by Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma in a see-sawing IPL match on Tuesday. Sent in to bat, the 20-year-old Reddy lifted SRH to 182/9 after PBKS had the visitors reeling at 66 for four in the 10th over. PBKS were stopped at 180/6, but they wouldn’t have gone that far had it not been for a whirlwind 66-run partnership between the heroes of their last match, Shashank (46 not out off 25 balls) and Ashutosh (33 not out off 15 balls). Needing 29 runs in the last over bowled by Jaydev Unadkat, SRH dropped three catches as Shashank and Ashutosh came within touching distance of pulling off another stunning win.
The Visakhapatnam-born Reddy, who started out as a batter at age group level before blossoming into a pace-bowling all-rounder, struck five sixes and fours fours during his unbeaten knock.
Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh (4/29) was the standout bowler for PBKS, but SRH still eventually finished with a total that looked improbable at one stage.
Abdul Samad chipped in with a 12-ball 25 before Jaydev Unadkat ended the SRH innings with a last ball six.
In reply, the hosts were off to a disastrous start as they lost three wickets with only 20 runs on the board, one of them being captain Shikhar Dhawan (14 off 16 balls) who was stumped brilliantly by Heinrich Klaasen despite standing up to seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/32).
The run rate pressure got to Dhawan after the early dismissals of his opening partner Jonny Bairstow and Prabhsimran Singh.
Bairstow was bowled by SRH skipper Pat Cummins (1/22) for a three-ball duck after he looked to play across the line, while Prabhsimran (4) was sent back by Bhuvneshwar after the batter got a leading edge while trying to work the ball on the leg side.
Sam Curran was dismissed for a 22-ball 29 by T Natarajan (1/33) thanks to a stunning catch by Cummins at mid-off.
Earlier, the match got underway on an eventful note as Travis Head (21 off 15 balls) would have been out first ball after a clear edge. But the opener must thank Kagiso Rabada for prolonging his stay in the middle as the South African lead pacer, having opened up Head completely, was not sure if he had indeed induced an edge.
Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma went up straightaway but Rabada didn’t join his colleague loudly enough, as the batter got a reprieve with PBKS refusing to take a review.
Replays showed a clear edge, and it was strange on Rabada’s part who was smashed for three successive boundaries by Head for a 16-run third over.
Head got a thick edge for a four, got the second boundary through the off-side, and then played one on the rise through mid-on for his third straight four off Rabada.
Despite living a charmed life, Head failed to capitalise, thanks to PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who ran back and kept his eyes on the ball to complete an excellent catch, which was followed by his trademark thigh-slap celebration.
It was a big breakthrough for PBKS and their captain was delighted, and so was bowler Arshdeep Singh, who was the beneficiary of Dhawan’s judgement and athleticism.
Two balls later, Aiden Markram was walking back to the dugout for a duck after edging an away going Arshdeep delivery to Jitesh.
Ravindra Jadeja made optimum use of a tacky Chepauk surface as Chennai Super Kings were back to winning ways after they comfortably outclassed Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets.
CSK beat KKR by seven wickets in IPL 2024
Ravindra Jadeja made optimum use of a tacky Chepauk surface as Chennai Super Kings were back to winning ways after they comfortably outclassed Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets in an IPL match on Monday. It was CSK’s third win in five games, all of which have come at Chepauk, having lost the last two matches away from home. Jadeja, whose spin bowling has often taken a back-seat in past few seasons, took three wickets in a space of eight deliveries to clinically dismantle KKR, who could only manage 137 for 9 on a track where stroke-making became difficult. The chase wasn’t the problem as skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 58-ball-67 and was duly supported by Daryl Mitchell (25 off 19 balls) and in-form Shivam Dube (28 off 18 balls). The chase was completed in 17.4 overs.
Fittingly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was present in the middle when they finally got the winning runs.
The match was a typical one from the KKR playbook, where they always apply the choke with their spinners on a surface where the ball grips and then their top-order controls the chase which is within manageable limits like it was on Monday.
Earlier, Jadeja worked his magic, ripping the heart out of KKR’s batting.
Having lost back to back games on the road, CSK were back in their element on a familiar Chepauk turf where the ball gripped and allowed Jadeja (3/18 in 4 overs) and Maheesh Theekshana (1/28 in 4 overs) were absolutely brilliant with both their line and length.
While KKR lost Phil Salt (0) cheaply off the very first delivery, Sunil Narine (27 off 20 balls) and young Angkrish Raghuvanshi (24 of 18 balls) continued from where they had left against DC, chancing their arms and adding 56 in Powerplay but once spinners came into operation it all fell apart.
Young pace sensation Mayank Yadav in all likelihood will miss Lucknow Super Giants next IPL match against Delhi Capitals at home on April 12 because of an abdominal niggle which will require monitoring over the week, the franchise’s CEO stated on Monday. Mayank suffered the niggle during LSG’s 33-run win over Gujarat Titans at Lucknow on Sunday night.
“Mayank felt soreness in lower abdominal area and as a precaution we are managing his workload over the next week. We hope to see him soon on the field,” said Vinod Bisht, the CEO of the Super Giants in a statement.
However, the statement meant that Mayank might be a non-starter even in LSG’s weekend game (April 14) against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens.
With Bisht being non-committal about his possible return to action, things aren’t exactly looking great for the injury prone speedster. While one match absence is safely on cards, lower abdominal injuries for fast bowlers does take more time to heal.
On Sunday night, Mayank walked off the field with LSG physio after bowling just one over against the Titans.
The ultra-quick pacer, who generally crosses the 150 kmph mark effortlessly, could barely go past 140 kmph in his lone over, fourth of the GT innings, in which he conceded 13 runs.
He did not return to the field for the rest of the night. At that time, his absence was attributed to a side strain.
After the match, LSG all-rounder Krunal Pandya had said that Mayank looked alright.
“I don’t know what is happening. I had a brief chat and he seemed okay, which is a positive. Whatever conversation I have had, whatever we see, he has a good head on his shoulder. Really excited to see how his carer pans out,” Krunal said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Mayank, who made his IPL debut against Punjab Kings in this IPL, had taken six wickets from two matches before limping out in the third game.
Portugal’s record scorer was shown a straight red card four minutes from time for elbowing an opponent.
Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo clashes with Al Hilal’s Ali Al Bulayhi before being shown a red card by referee Mohammed Al Hoaish Credit: Reuters Photo
Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off late on as his side lost 2-1 to city rivals Al-Hilal in their Saudi Super Cup semi-final after a heated clash in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Portugal’s record scorer was shown a straight red card four minutes from time for elbowing an opponent when his side were 2-0 down before they scored a late consolation.
Jorge Jesus’ Al-Hilal opened the scoring in the 62nd minute when Salem Al-Dawsari slotted the ball into the bottom right corner from a Sergej Milinkovic-Savic flick after a quick break.
IPL 2024, LSG vs GT: Lucknow Super Giants defeated Gujarat Titans (BCCI)
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by 33 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday.
Yash Thakur picked up five wickets as Krunal Pandya took three wickets each to help LSG beat GT for the first time in the IPL.
Chasing 164 to win, Lucknow had a steady start with Sai Sudarshan picking up a brace of boundaries in the second over off Naveen-ul-Haq. Mayank Yadav came to bowl the third over and left the field straightaway after completing his first over as he suffered a side strain.
Things aren’t going smoothly for LSG on Sunday night and Sudarshan helps himself to two more fours – driven down the ground and whipped through midwicket – before Shubman Gill gets going with a ramp wide of deep third. Mayank’s pace barely got above 140kph in the first over as he left the field straight after completing his first over.
When it seemed like this chase would be simple, Yash Thakur fires one through Gill and into the timber. Full, straight, and cross-seam, it continued to skid as the captain of the Titans tried to flick across the line and got out at 19. Gill’s team was in a good position at 54 for 1 at the conclusion of the powerplay.
M Siddharth struggled to bowl as he crossed the bowling line three times in his second and fifth over of the inning, but managed to give only 12 runs. Sudarshan appeared to be in excellent form as he scored 29 from 18 after the end of the seventh over.
LSG was still in the match, but Ravi Bishnoi had a great return catch to dismiss Titans’ impact sub Kane Williamson, who chipped one back to the bowler and was out for one from four deliveries. Bishnoi leaped to his right and held out one arm, just hanging on as he banged into the turf. Williamson was undoubtedly the one targeted to lead a modest pursuit on a sticky surface, but he left on a cheap note.
This game took a radical turn as Sai Sudarshan and BS Sharath both holed out in Krunal Pandya’s opening over. Wicketkeeper Sharath, who came in place of Wriddhiman Saha top-edged a sweep to a deep backward square, Bishnoi took another catch, a much simpler catch was on the deep square boundary to remove Sudarshan. Sudarshan departed after scoring 31 off 23 deliveries and was the highest scorer of his side.
Darshan Nalkande hoicked the ball around the corner directly to short fine leg, Krunal took his third wicket in the last over of the spell. The asking rate for Titans increased to about 12 runs per over as Krunal ended with three for eleven.
With 72 needed in 36 balls, and with Yash Thakur’s golden arm, LSG were inching to close the match very quickly. After dismissing Gill early in the innings, he returned for his second over and had Rashid Khan (0) chip to cover a slower ball, and Vijay Shankar (17) was caught behind swiping at a short ball. Rahul Tewatia and Spencer Johnson added 24 runs in 17 deliveries for the ninth wicket but Thakur bowling his last over of the spell claimed a five-for giving away 30 runs in 3.5 overs dismissing Tewatia (30) and Noor Ahmad (0).
This was his best IPL figure and also he became the first Indian to take five-for for LSG and overall second to Mark Wood.
Thakur’s five-for and Pandya’s three-for closed the games early as Lucknow defeated Gujarat by 33 runs. It was the first win for Lucknow in five outings.
Earlier, Marcus Stoinis 58 off 43 deliveries and late fire by Nicholas Pooran lifted LSG to 163/5 from their 20 overs. Batting first on their home ground, Lucknow suffered an early setback as opener Quinton de Kock got out after opening his account with a six to Umesh Yadav. In an attempt for another six to a short of a length delivery, de Kock skewed it to the third man’s hand and walked back to the pavilion. Not a start that Lucknow would have thought of as Umesh was all over the Lucknow batters in the powerplay.
Devdutt Padikkal, who came to bat at number three, was the second wicket of Yadav. Umesh bowled a back of a length delivery in the channel nipping away with the angle and Padikkal was enticed into wafting at it. Padikkal got a thick outside edge and Shankar snaffled it up at wide slip, low to his left. Padikkal got out after scoring 7 runs in 7 deliveries.
Lucknow after the end of two overs were reeling on 18 for two as all-rounder Marcus Stoinis joined skipper KL Rahul who was toiling hard on the other end. Rahul struck back-to-back boundaries to Spencer Johnson in his second over and got the pressure relieved from LSG. LSG batters collected thirteen runs in Johnson’s second over and it was the most expensive over in the powerplay. LSG ended on 47 for 2 after the end of the powerplay as Stoinis and Rahul started building the inning.
Titans came with an attacking bowling plan on a damp pitch which saw an uneven bounce right from the start of the match. They bowled on the hard length and kept the ball away from both batters. Rahul, who loves to play cut and drive shots suffered difficulties in scoring against Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad. Mohit Sharma on the other hand mixed his pace well without giving much room to score. It was a good display of bowling from the Titans’ bowlers as LSG after the end of ten overs scored 74 for two with Rahul and Stoinis found difficulties in scoring boundaries.
From 18 for 2 in the third over, the third-wicket pairing of Rahul and Stoinis had bolted together a stocky partnership worth 73 from 62 balls – but LSG’s skipper departed trying to take on Darshan Nalkande, brought on at fourth change by Titans. Rahul was looking to hit down the ground but it didn’t come on to the bat and he was well held by Rahul Tewatia several yards in from the rope at long-on. A score of 33 off 31, with only three boundaries with a strike rate of 106.45.
Jos Buttler roared back to form with a masterful century that overshadowed Virat Kohli’s record-extending 113 as Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets for a fourth win in as many matches in the IPL on Saturday. Royals now have four wins out of four and sit on top of 10 team table while RCB slipped to eighth spot with fourth defeat and three on trot. While Kohli enhanced his status as RCB’s lone ranger by notching up his eighth IPL century but RCB could only manage a below-par 183/3 after the home side opted to bowl.
Then, the England white-ball skipper in his 100th IPL appearance chose to ruin Kohli’s evening by playing a knock that was way better compared to former India skipper’s effort both in intent and quality.
Buttler, who ended IPL 2023 with three successive ducks and scored a highest of 13 in his last three innings, anchored the chase with five balls to spare.
Buttler finished the chase with a six off Cameron Green over deep square leg in the last over that also notched up his sixth IPL century.
His effort came off just 58 balls, laced with nine fours and four sixes.
Skipper Sanju Samson gave a fine support to Buttler in a record 148-run partnership — the highest of the season — that virtually killed the contest.
Samson ended up with 69 runs from 42 balls with eight fours and two sixes. Rajasthan Royals now are on the top of the table with eight points, ahead of Kolkata Knight Riders on net run-rate.
On a day, Rajasthan Royals spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal (2/34) and Ravichandran Ashwin (0/28) turned it around for the home side, by choking RCB in the middle overs, RCB bowling looked woefully short.
The likes of Mayank Dagar and Himanshu Sharma failed to make any dent to the Royals’ chase.
As it turned out, Chahal, who was released by RCB before the IPL 2022 auction, came to prove the difference against his former side.
Following a watchful start, Buttler made his intention clear in the last over of the power play when he picked rookie left-arm spinner Dagar to unleash his fury.
He punched him firmly for a boundary with his silken timing, and then smashed him for four, six and another four in a 20-run over.
From being 10 from 10 balls at the start, Buttler raced to his fifty from just 30 balls — which was nine balls lesser than what Kohli took for his milestone.
For Buttler the 20th IPL fifty came after a long wait of eight innings.
The Englishman read the length well, dished out his silken cover drives, and lofted over the bowlers’ head by playing late to boss the RCB bowling that looked ordinary.
Samson also stepped it up in Dagar’s second over, the 11th of the innings, spanking him for two fours and one six with an inside out loft shot to notch his second fifty this season.
The fifty came in just 33 balls for the Royals skipper as the duo bossed the chase in their century-plus partnership.
Farid Khan, a sports journalist from Pakistan, has been on the receiving end of some fierce criticism from fans for his prediction on Indian tearaway pacer Mayank Yadav. In a viral video, Farid claimed that Mayank will play for India in the T20 World Cup and the team management is showing him videos of Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf in order to get him prepped for the game against Pakistan in New York on June 9. For the unversed, Mayank has been making waves since making his IPL debut for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) last month.
Despite playing just two games so far, Mayank has managed to win over former cricketers and experts with his searing pace. He bowled the fastest delivery of IPL 2024, clocked at 156.7, during the game against RCB on Tuesday.
In two matches, Mayank has picked up six wickets, conceding just 41 runs. The 21-year-old has been touted by many to play for India in the coming months.
Speaking on Mayank, Farid claimed that former Pakistan bowling coach Morne Morkel, who is part of LSG’s support staff, is working on Mayank to get him ready for the T20 World Cup, especially for the game against India.
“Mayank Yadav will be part of India’s T20 World Cup squad. I assure you. You can take a screenshot of my post. India are getting him ready and he will play against Pakistan. BCCI is already showing him videos of Haris Rauf’s spell against India in the last T20 World Cup. Former Pakistan bowling coach Morne Morkel is at LSG, he is getting Mayank ready,” Farid said in a video posted by him on X (formerly Twitter).
Mayank Yadav will play against Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2024. BCCI is already showing him videos of Haris Rauf 🇮🇳🇵🇰🔥
Shashank Singh – this is one name which will b spoken about a lot in the coming days in the IPL 2024. On Thursday, when all hope was lost for Punjab Kings while chasing a 200-run total against Gujarat Titans, Shashank Singh emerged as the Shikhar Dhawan-led team’s hero. The batting allrounder scored 61* off just 29 balls to take his team to a win in 19.5 overs. He hit four sixes and six fours as PBKS registered their second win in four matches in the IPL 2024.
However, Shashank Singh’s induction into the PBKS ranks had a hint of controversy last year. Towards the end of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction, Shashank Singh was roped in for Rs 20 lakh by Punjab Kings. But soon after he was picked in the accelerated auction, there seemed to be some confusion going by the gestures of Punjab Kings co-owners Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta. When Shashank’s name was brought up, Preity Zinta raised the paddle after discussing the player with her team. The player was quickly sold as no other franchise bid for him, and the hammer went down.
As there seemed to be some confusion, auctioneer Mallik Sagar said: “It was a wrong name? You don’t want the player?” asked Mallika. “We are talking about Shashank Singh. But the hammer has come down. Player No. 236 and 237 both went to you. I think the hammer has come down for 237 (Shashank) as well,” she said.
Than incident led to social media storm on how Punjab Kings did not want a player which it had just bought. However, Punjab Kings on Wednesday issued a clarification: “Punjab Kings would like to clarify that Shashank Singh was always on our target list. The confusion was due to 2 players of the same name being on the list. We are delighted to have him onboard and see him contribute to our success.
After Shashank’s latest heroics, the auction confusion memes flooded the internet.
When you accidentally buy Shashank Singh in auction and he turns out to be a match winner pic.twitter.com/VfJeheyD5f
Jandard took the fall gracefully and posted a “debrief” on Instagram where he jokingly said: “I fell in front of the president. I fell in front of the whole of France.”
A French diver took a tumble during an Olympic inauguration ceremony performed in front of distinguished guests – including Emmanuel Macron.
Alexis Jandard lost his footing at the vital moment on the 3m springboard, bouncing once then slamming his back onto the board before falling headfirst into the pool, causing an unwanted splash.
His fellow divers kept their composure and executed the synchronised performance barely rippling the water in contrast.
As well as leaving him red-faced, the accident left the Olympian athlete with a red back which he proudly showcased on social media with the caption “j’ai glissé chef” – “I slipped chief”.
The caption also doubles as a quote from an old French film series, La Septième Compagnie, where a soldier during the Second World War constantly slips putting his squadron in jeopardy.
Jandard took the fall gracefully and posted a “debrief” on Instagram where he jokingly said: “I fell in front of the president. I fell in front of the whole of France.”
He even invited his followers to tease him for the mishap. “Honestly, I really deserve it,” he said.
The smiling 26-year-old reassured everyone that “everything is fine” adding: “I didn’t hurt myself. There was a little bit of blood but that is okay.”
France’s Alexis Jandard in action in 2022. Pic: Reuters
Jandard, who has twice represented France at the World Aquatics Championships, defiantly said: “That won’t stop me from going to practice this afternoon.”
Speaking to French publication RMC Sport, Jandard said: “These are things that happen but don’t usually happen to me. I’ve broken boards before but the board has never broken me before. Now it’s done.”
The incident happened as French President Emmanuel Macron officially inaugurated the Olympic Aquatic Centre (OAC) ahead of the games to be held in Paris this summer.
Mr Macron pressed the button which unfurled the French tricolour from the highest platform, as other divers leapt in unison into the pool.
Adam Gilchrist believes that the reaction of the crowd towards Hardik Pandya during IPL 2024 shows the popularity and support that Rohit Sharma commands among the supporters.
Former Australian cricket team wicket-keeper batter Adam Gilchrist believes that the reaction of the crowd towards Hardik Pandya during IPL 2024 shows the popularity and support that Rohit Sharma commands among the supporters. Hardik ended Rohit’s ten-year tenure as Mumbai Indians skipper after completing a sensational trade from Gujarat Titans. However, under his leadership, MI have lost all three of their games in IPL 2024 and Hardik was even booed by the crowd during the matches. Gilchrist pointed out that Hardik’s move to MI took place in a ‘mysterious manner’ and the reaction of the fans towards the MI skipper actually shows their ‘tribalism and intensity’.
“It shows you the status that Rohit Sharma has in the game there. The mysterious manner with which it all played out initially, the pace with which it happened, everyone was stunned with Mumbai getting Hardik Pandya away from Gujarat and then Rohit relinquishing captaincy. It’s an odd one. But this is the nature of the beast in the IPL. The tribalism and intensity within fan bases. It’s hard to replicate anywhere else with that level of intensity,” Gilchrist said on Club Prairie Fire podcast.
Gilchrist also recalled an instance where he was booed by Australian fans at home. He succeeded the renowned wicket-keeper Ian Healy in the Australia Test squad back in 1999 and the reaction from the fans was not great when he made his ODI debut.
Sunil Narine smashed 85 to lead Kolkata Knight Riders to the second-best ever IPL total of 272-7 in a crushing 106-run victory over Delhi Capitals on Wednesday.
Sunil Narine smashed 85 to lead Kolkata Knight Riders to the second-best ever IPL total of 272-7 in a crushing 106-run victory over Delhi Capitals on Wednesday. The mammoth score came just a week after Sunrisers Hyderabad posted the highest ever innings total of 277-3. Kolkata, IPL champions in 2012 and 2014, remain unbeaten from three matches this season after they bowled out Delhi for 166 in 17.2 overs to top the 10-team table. Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant made 55 off 25 balls, his second successive fifty, and Tristan Stubbs hit 54 but the rest of the batting flopped.
The venue was Delhi’s adopted home ground due to the upcoming general elections in India but Narine and Kolkata made it their own.
Narine tore into the Delhi attack as he hit seven fours and seven sixes in his 39-ball blitz for his highest T20 score in his 501st match.
Narine, 35, smashed Delhi seamer Ishant Sharma for 26 runs in an over as he raised his fifty in 21 balls and put on 104 runs with teenage debutant Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who hit 54.
There was no respite for the bowlers as Narine’s departure off Mitchell Marsh in the 13th over brought in Andre Russell for another punishing knock.
Russell smashed 41 off 19 balls and then Rinku Singh threatened to help KKR surpass Hyderabad’s record total with his eight-ball 26.
South African quick Anrich Nortje sent back Rinku at the end of the 19th over and Ishant bowled Russell with a toe-crushing yorker at the start of the 20th as Kolkata fell just short of the record.
The innings featured 18 sixes and 22 fours.
Delhi were never in the chase after they lost four wickets, including Marsh out for a duck off fellow Australian Mitchell Starc, inside five overs.
It was the first wicket of the season for left-arm quick Starc, who became the most expensive buy in IPL history after Kolkata shelled out $2.98 million for him in the auction.
Two footballers of Himachal Pradesh-based Khad FC, taking part in the Indian Women’s Football (IWL) League second division, had alleged that Sharma, the owner of the club, had barged into their room and physically assaulted them on the night of March 28.
Deepak Sharma has been suspended by the AIFF.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Tuesday has suspended Deepak Sharma, who is an executive committee member of the federation, for allegedly assaulting and misbehaving with two women footballers of a club during their stay in Goa for the ongoing Indian Women’s League 2.
Two footballers of Himachal Pradesh-based Khad FC, taking part in the Indian Women’s Football (IWL) League second division, had alleged that Sharma, the owner of the club, had barged into their room and physically assaulted them on the night of March 28.
“The AIFF Executive Committee has decided to suspend Mr. Deepak Sharma from participating in any football-related activities until further notice,” AIFF said in a statement.
The Goa police on Saturday has arrested Deepak Sharma and an FIR has been registered under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 354A (sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code.
In the complaint letter to the AIFF accessed by The Indian Express, the two women alleged that after a match in the Indian Women’s League second division, they returned to their accommodation and were boiling eggs as dinner was over. Sharma, who the girls alleged was in an inebriated state, barged into their rooms and assaulted them. The letter stated that Sharma was drinking alcohol in front of the girls during their journey from Himachal to Delhi, and continued to do so in Goa as well.
On Tuesday, the AIFF also dissolved the three-member committee formed on March 30 to probe the incident, and instead referred the matter to its Disciplinary Committee.
“The AIFF is determined to promote women’s football in a safe and enabling environment and will take all necessary steps to ensure this. The case has now been referred to the Disciplinary Committee and will be taken up emergently,” AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said.
“The AIFF has taken all steps necessary to ensure the safe passage of the complainants to their hometowns and will continue to provide any support that might be necessary.” He said the AIFF has been at the forefront of development of women’s football since he took charge as its president.
“There are currently 27,030 registered women players in the country with 15,293 registered between September 2022 and March 2024. The increase in number of women footballers in various age groups is one of the most encouraging trends,” Chaubey said.
“This season, we started the IWL 2 for the first time, and there is a definite plan to introduce promotion and relegation in the IWL from the next season. India made their best-ever finish (runners-up) in Turkish Women’s Cup recently and defeated European opponents.”
LSG pacer Mayank Yadav rattled the RCB batting line-up with his searing pace in the IPL 2024 clash at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Tuesday. Mayank bowled the fastest bowl of the ongoing season.
Mayank Yadav rattles RCB with sheer pace (AP Photo)
LSG pacer Mayank Yadav rattled the RCB batters and silenced the roaring crowd at the Chinnaswamy Stadium with a delivery that clocked an astonishing 156.7kph. This was the fastest ball of IPL 2024 as Mayank rewrote the record books with his blistering pace. The young LSG pacer unleashed a ferocious delivery that zipped through the air, leaving the batsman, and indeed everyone watching, in awe. Earlier in the tournament, he had already made headlines by firing nine deliveries over 150 kmph in a single match, picking up three crucial wickets and conceding only 27 runs, leading LSG to their first win of the season against Punjab Kings. His performance was so impressive that it caught the attention of cricket legends like Brett Lee and Dale Steyn, who praised the young Indian pacer for his raw pace and potential.
𝙎𝙃𝙀𝙀𝙍 𝙋𝘼𝘾𝙀! 🔥🔥
Mayank Yadav with an absolute ripper to dismiss Cameron Green 👏
Mayank dismissed Glenn Maxwell for a duck with a thunderous delivery clocked at 151kph to send shockwaves through the stadium. Maxwell, one of the world’s finest batters, could only manage a feeble attempt, flapping the ball to mid-on. As Mayank Yadav continued his onslaught, he swiftly removed Cameron Green, further denting RCB’s batting lineup. The Chinnaswamy Stadium fell into a deathly silence, with spectators and players alike awestruck by Mayank Yadav’s sheer pace and control.
Mayank Yadav’s ability to consistently hit such high speeds forced batsmen to rethink their strategies on the fly, highlighting the immense pressure he exerted on the opposition.
With every delivery, spectators found themselves glancing up at the screens in anticipation of the next blistering pace Yadav would unleash. In a game where anticipation often precedes action, Yadav’s performance was a stark reminder of the immense impact sheer pace can have on the outcome of a match.
A clinical Rajasthan Royals romped home for a third win on the trot in the Indian Premier League with a six-wicket hammering of Mumbai Indians, whose skipper Hardik Pandya continued to be on the receiving end of fans’ anger, on Monday. After Yuzvendra Chahal (3/11) and Trent Boult (3/22) combined to suffocate Mumbai Indians with the bat, restricting them to 125/9, Riyan Parag (54 not out) churned out yet another top-drawer knock to take Rajasthan Royals to the first spot in the IPL points table. The 22-year-old Parag continued to make giant strides this season with a knock that reflected his maturity and aggression, dishing out some spectacular hits while being single-minded to not relent until his side was over the line. Parag’s knock was studded with five fours and three sixes as Royals reached 127/4 from 15.3 overs, winning with 27 balls to spare.
Meanwhile, there was no letup for Pandya who was booed on several occasions in Mumbai Indians’ first home game. It started with Pandya being booed when he took field for warm-up drills and the fans hit the player hard again when he came out for the toss.
Even though commentator and former India and Mumbai player Sanjay Manjrekar appealed to the crowd to “behave”, the boos continued until Pandya hit a few fours to bring smile back on Mumbai fans after their side was left reeling at 20/4 inside the powerplay.
Pandya top-scored with 34 for Mumbai in his bid to turn the brickbats into cheers but Rajasthan came out on top on every moment in the game, which was underlined by special bowling efforts from Chahal, Boult as well as Nandre Burger (2/32), who were all backed by excellent fielding.
Boult struck early with a three-wicket burst inside the powerplay and Chahal made life miserable for rest of the batters in the following overs to return brilliant figures 3/11 in four overs, accounting for Pandya, Tilak Varma (32) and Gerald Coetzee (4).
If Chahal suffocated the MI batters in the middle overs while stopping both Pandya and Varma in their tracks, it was Boult who ran riot in the home side’s top order, dismissing Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir and Dewald Brevis for first-ball ducks.
The tone was set in the first over itself by Boult who rocked the Mumbai Indians twice, including the priced scalp of Rohit who was out for a golden duck.
Looking to get the feel of the ball on his bat perhaps prompted Rohit to go for one which was angled away by Boult, and an outside edge was snaffled splendidly by Rajasthan ‘keeper-skipper Sanju Samson.
Dhir (0) was guilty of walking across the wickets and failing to cover Boult’s in-swing, with the ball crashing into his pads. A DRS appeal was eventually burned since the ball tracking showed it would have clipped the leg stump.
Mumbai’s situation worsened when impact player Brevis (0) played one meekly to short third on another delivery angling away from the right-hander off Boult in the third over, with Nandre Burger (2/32) taking a sharp reverse cupped catch.
Pant, who came into the tournament after recovering from a life-threatening road mishap in December 2022, belted four boundaries and three maximums for his first fifty in 15 months.
Chennai Super Kings’ Ajinkya Rahane reaches the crease as Delhi Capitals’ Rishabh Pant attempts to run him out during the IPL 2024 cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals. Credit: PTI Photo
Visakhapatnam: Comeback man Rishabh Pant hit a much-awaited fifty after David Warner’s well-constructed 52 to set up Delhi Capitals’ convincing 20-run win over Chennai Super Kings for whom veteran MS Dhoni’s vintage knock was not enough to cross the line in their IPL match here on Sunday.
Faced with a tough 192-run target, the Super Kings tried to scale it down through Ajinkya Rahane (45), Dhoni (37 not out) and Daryl Mitchell (34) but the Capitals carried far too many guns for them on the night. CSK ended up at 171 for six.
In the first session, Warner and Prithvi Shaw (43) overcame a slow start to share a 93-run opening stand before Pant’s 32-ball 51 powered DC to a competitive 191 for 5.
Pant, who came into the tournament after recovering from a life-threatening road mishap in December 2022, belted four boundaries and three maximums for his first fifty in 15 months.
Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed (2/21) set the tone for DC’s defence with his twin strikes in the Power Play which led to its fruition by pacer Mukesh Kumar (3/21).
While Ruturaj Gaikwad’s (1) trouble against left-arm seamers continued as he was done in by a superb inswinger, a frustrated Rachin Ravindra (2) holed out to Tristan Stubbs after a 12-ball stay as CSK slumped to 32 for 2 in six overs.
Rahane and Mitchell provided some stability with a 68-run stand, which included a 17-run over off DC’s impact sub Rasikh Salam’s second over but left-arm spinner Axar Patel ousted the New Zealander to break the alliance.
It was a Mukesh show thereafter as coming on to bowl after the 13th over, he struck twice in two balls to remove Rahane and Sameer Rizvi (0), leaving CSK at 102 for 5 in the 14th over.
Shivam Dube (18) was next to go as Mukesh kept bowling wide outside off and varied the pace as the batter eventually sent one straight to long-off.
With CSK needing 58 off 18 balls, Dhoni walked out to bat for the first time this season amid chants of “Dhoni Dhoni” and treated his fans to some delightful shots.
Sachin Tendulkar has posted the video of a young girl playing cricket in Sopore, Kashmir. “Always good to see young girls playing cricket. Watching videos like these brings a smile to my face,” he wrote along with the post.
Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricket team legend, recently visited Kashmir and was enamoured by the beauty of the place. The beauty and people’s exceptional hospitality in the place left the Master Blaster in awe. The great Indian player, popularly known as the ‘God of Cricket’ treated his fans with a stunning video from his trip to Kashmir. In the video he posted on social media X (formerly Twitter), he was seen enjoying the snowfall in Gulmarg with his wife Anjali Tendulkar and daughter Sara Tendulkar.
Tendulkar reminisced about the beauty of the snow-covered nation in a post that featured a video and praised the locals for their warm welcome. “Jammu and Kashmir will remain a beautiful experience etched in my memory. There was snow all around but we felt warm because of people’s exceptional hospitality,” Tendulkar posted on X.
Now, Tendulkar has posted the video of a young girl playing cricket in Sopore, Kashmir. “Always good to see young girls playing cricket. Watching videos like these brings a smile to my face,” he wrote along with the post.
Always good to see young girls playing cricket. Watching videos like these brings a smile to my face. https://t.co/LaQv9ymWRx
Recently, Tendulkar had highlighted the talent and passion of differently abled cricket from Kashmir Amir Hussain Lone.
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The cricket icon also visited a cricket bat manufacturing plant. For those who don’t know, Kashmiri willow bats have a global reputation for excellence. Tendulkar also lauded the craftsmanship of the Kashmir Willow bats, describing them as great examples of ‘Made in India’ products. The legendary cricketer also encouraged people to visit Jammu and Kashmir, which he referred to as “a precious jewel of Incredible India,” as well as other places in India.
Cambridge won the men’s Boat Race to complete the double over university rivals Oxford following victory in the women’s race.
It was Cambridge’s fifth win from the past six in the men’s race and seventh successive win in the women’s.
Earlier in the week, crews had been warned to not enter the Thames after high levels of E. coli were found.
After the race, Oxford rower Leonard Jenkins said some of the crew had been struggling with illness.
“This is not to take anything away from Cambridge at all but I do also want to say that we’ve had a few guys go down pretty badly ill with the E. coli,” the Oxford number seven said.
“This morning I was throwing up and I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to race. I kept that quiet and ultimately that’s on my shoulders, it may not have been the right choice because I didn’t have my all to give in that race.
“It would be a lot nicer if there wasn’t as much poo in the water. It’s not to take away from Cambridge, as we may not have beaten them even if we were all on top form.”
Neither of the winning teams entered the water after their victories and crews were also told to take additional precautions including covering any blisters and wearing footwear when getting in and out of the boats.
Men’s victory an ‘unbelievable feeling’
Cambridge dominated the men’s race and were more than 10 seconds ahead, but slowed towards the conclusion with stroke Matt Edge on the verge of collapse.
But Edge and his team held on for a comfortable victory by three and a half lengths.
There were some early warnings for oar clashes, but after about five minutes Cambridge had pulled more than a length ahead.
Oxford slipped further behind but had a glimmer of hope on the final straight when Edge started to struggle, his oar barely scraping the water.
But their slower start cost them as Cambridge had opened up enough of a distance to hang on.
“That was my last race with this club and I knew it was going to be a challenging one,” said Cambridge president Sebastian Benzecry.
“We put a lot into it, pushed ourselves into a place that we rarely go, but it is an unbelievable feeling. They never gave up and I am so proud of all the guys.”
Edge had to be carried from the boat at the conclusion.
The men’s head-to-head stands at 87-81 in Cambridge’s favour and they also lead 48-30 in the women’s race.
Young Pace bowler Mayank Yadav grabbed three wickets while Mohsin Khan took two as Lucknow Super Giants defeated Punjab Kings by 21 runs despite openers Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow’s century partnership at Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday. Chasing a tough 200-run target for victory after LSG had made 199 for 8, Shikhar smashed a 50-ball 70, while Bairstow was equally belligerent in his 29-ball 42 as the duo amassed 102 runs for the opening wicket.
But Mayank struck when things were starting to look bleak for LSG, getting rid of Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Jitesh Sharma to return figures of 3/27. Mohsin chipped in with 2/34 as PBKS could only manage 178/5 in their 20 overs. Earlier, wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock (54), stand-in skipper Nicholas Pooran (42) and Krunal Pandya (43) played some big shots as the hosts made a strong bid to win at home. Sam Curran emerged the most successful PBKS bowler grabbing three wickets for 28 runs.
R Ashwin reckons the IPL has grown so “huge” that at times cricket itself takes a backseat with players finding it hard to juggle between training and advertisement shoots.
Premier India spinner R Ashwin reckons the IPL has grown so “huge” that at times cricket itself takes a backseat with players finding it hard to juggle between training and advertisement shoots. Ashwin spoke about the meteoric rise of the IPL since its inception in 2008 and how tough life on the road for a player can be over the course of the two-month long competition. “As a youngster coming into the IPL, I was only looking to learn from the big stars, I did not think about how the IPL would look 10 years down the line. I can say that, having been in the IPL for so many seasons, the IPL is huge,” he said on Club Prairie Fire podcast. “Sometimes I wonder if IPL is even cricket, because sport takes a backstage (during IPL). It’s so huge. We do end up practising in advertisement shoots and sets! That’s where the IPL has gotten to,” said Ashwin, who is an important member of the Rajasthan Royals squad.
The 37-year-old, who recently completed 500 Test wickets, started his IPL career with Chennai Super Kings and that led to him wearing the coveted India cap across formats.
Back in 2022, the IPL media rights were sold for a whopping Rs 48,390 crore for a five-year cycle, making it the second biggest league in the sporting world in terms of per match value after NFL, leaving behind the likes of English Premier League, NBA and Major League Baseball.
Ashwin spoke about his early days in the IPL and how the event exceeded all expectations.
“No one envisaged the kind of growth that the IPL has had. I still remember a conversation I had with Scott Styris when we were both at CSK. He told me that when he was playing for the Deccan Chargers in the initial seasons of IPL, he did not think the IPL would last for more than two-three years.
“Initially, there was a big influx of money,” Ashwin said on the podcast hosted by former England captain Michael Vaughan and Australian great Adam Gilchrist.
Players bagging astronomical deals at the auction has also added significantly to the profile of the IPL. At the latest auction, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc fetched a record Rs 24.74 crore deal from Kolkata Knight Riders.
“Look, over the years you’d think that the IPL is one tournament that is largely won at the auctions. I believe the auctions are a very important facet of this league, but the beauty of the IPL is that franchises have evolved into getting their teams right.
SRH vs MI Highlights, IPL 2024: Asked to bat first, SRH posted a mammoth 277 for three, the highest total in IPL history, and then stopped MI at 246/5.
SRH vs MI Highlights, IPL 2024: Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Mumbai Indians in a run-fest at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Asked to bat first, SRH posted a mammoth 277 for three, the highest total in IPL history. Travis Head, playing his first IPL game this season, blasted a 24-ball 62, while Abhishek Sharma slammed 63 off 23 to lay the foundation. Heinrich Klassen (80) and Aiden Markram (42) provided the late charge to take the hosts past the 250-mark. In reply, MI were two wicket down at the score of 66 before Tilak Varma (64 off 34) and Naman Dhir (30 off 14) stitched a solid 84-run partnership to give the side a solid hope. However, SRH dictated terms post that and MI were eventually restricted to 246/5. (Scorecard)
Highlights of IPL 2024 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians:
IPL 2024 Live Score: SRH win by 31 runs!!!
Sunrisers Hyderabad have won the game by 31 runs. Mumbai Indians did threaten them at one point to chase this mammoth total down but SRH pacers made a brilliant comeback by bowling slower balls perfectly in the slog overs.
A woman employee at the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) headquarters here has lodged a “verbal” complaint of “harassment” against a male colleague, according to a source in the national body.
A woman employee at the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) headquarters here has lodged a “verbal” complaint of “harassment” against a male colleague, according to a source in the national body. The woman is, however, yet to press a formal charge. Nonetheless, the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the AIFF met on Tuesday to discuss the matter where she sought time before proceeding any further with her complaint. “She made a verbal complaint and despite she not doing it in writing and not pressing for charges, the ICC escalated the matter and the committee met to discuss the issue. She has sought time to decide on whether to press charges or not,” an AIFF source told PTI.
“At this point in time, we don’t even know what is the nature of charges or harassment. The ICC will submit a report in a few days,” said he added.
In January, the AIFF constituted the Internal Complaints Committee under the provision of Chapter II (4.1) of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013.
Former president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales is pictured after leaving the high court in Madrid, Spain – September 15, 2023 REUTERS/Isabel Infantes/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A prosecutor at Spain’s High Court is seeking a prison sentence of 2-1/2 years for former soccer federation chief Luis Rubiales over his unsolicited kiss on player Jenni Hermoso, a court document seen by Reuters on Wednesday showed.
Prosecutor Marta Durantez charged Rubiales with one count of sexual assault and one of coercion for his alleged actions in the aftermath of the kiss, offences carrying jail terms of one year and 18 months, respectively.
Rubiales, 46, grabbed Hermoso and kissed her on the lips on Aug. 20 of last year during the awards ceremony after Spain’s victory in the women’s World Cup in Sydney, making global headlines and causing a national debate in Spain about sexism.
Hermoso and her teammates said the kiss was unwanted and demeaning, but Rubiales argued it was consensual and denied any wrongdoing.
The prosecutor also accused the former coach of the women’s national team, Jorge Vilda, the current sporting director of the Spanish federation (RFEF), Albert Luque, and the RFEF’s marketing chief, Ruben Rivera, of coercing Hermoso into saying the kiss was consensual.The indictment said the three officials harassed Hermoso by exerting “constant and repeated acts of pressure” directly on the player and through her friends and family. They each face 18 months behind bars as well.
All three denied wrongdoing when they appeared before the court.
Durantez also said Rubiales should pay 50,000 euros ($54,080) in damages to Hermoso, with another 50,000 euros to be jointly paid by Rubiales, Vilda, Luque and Rivera.
In addition, she requested a restraining order barring Rubiales from coming within 200 metres of Hermoso and from communicating with her for the next seven-and-a-half years.
If convicted and sentenced as requested by the prosecutor, Rubiales would not necessarily have to go to prison. Spain’s criminal code allows judges to “exceptionally” suspend jail terms if – as in this case – none of the sentences imposed individually exceeds two years.
Kwena Maphaka rose to fame during the ICC U19 World Cup in South Africa last month where he was the most successful bowler with 21 wickets from 6 ODIs.
Kwena Maphaka, the young fast bowling sensation from South Africa, became the third youngest overseas cricketer to play in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.
The 17-year-old Mumbai Indians star was handed his debut cap before the toss and even bowled the first over for the team in Match 8 of IPL 2024 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Maphaka, who replaced the injured England pacer Luke Wood in MI’s playing XI, rose to fame during the ICC U19 World Cup in South Africa last month where he was the most successful bowler with 21 wickets from 6 ODIs.
He was brought on board the MI franchise as a late replacement for injured Sri Lankan cricketer Dilshan Madhushanka ahead of IPL 2024.
At 17 years and 354 days, he is the second youngest player after Rasikh Salam to play for MI in the IPL.
Youngest players for MI in IPL:
17y, 353d – Rasikh Salam vs DC, Mumbai WS, 2019
17y, 354d – Kwena Maphaka vs SRH, Hyderabad, 2024
18y, 117d – Saurabh Tiwary vs PBKS, Mohali, 2008
18y, 232d – Manish Pandey vs KKR, Kolkata, 2008
18y, 342d – Dewald Brevis vs KKR, Pune, 2022
He is also the third youngest to feature in the cash-rich league after Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman and former Nepal captain Sandeep Lamichhane.
Youngest IPL players:
17y, 11d – Mujeeb Ur Rahman (PBKS vs DC, 2018)
17y, 283d – Sandeep Lamichhane (DC vs RCB, 2018)
17y, 354d – Kwena Maphaka (MI vs SRH, 2024)
18y, 103d – Noor Ahmad (GT vs RR, 2023)
18y, 170d – Mitchell Marsh (Deccan Chargers vs RCB, 2010)
Hyderabad witnessed a historic day as Sunrisers Hyderabad clinched a thrilling victory over Mumbai Indians by 31 runs in a high-scoring encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Wednesday.
Batting first, Sunrisers embarked on a record-breaking spree, posting an astounding 277/3 in their allotted 20 overs. This remarkable total shattered the IPL record for the highest-ever team total, previously held by Royal Challengers Bangalore (263/5 vs Pune Warriors India) in 2013.In reply, Mumbai Indians launched a valiant pursuit but fell short, accumulating 246/5 in their 20 overs. Nonetheless, their total became the highest second-innings score in IPL history.
The combined total of 523 runs marked a new milestone in T20 cricket, becoming the highest match aggregate ever recorded, surpassing the previous record set in a T20I between South Africa and West Indies.
It was the first time the match aggregate crossed the 500-run mark in IPL history.
Sunrisers’ formidable batting lineup, led by Heinrich Klaasen (80* off 34), Abhishek Sharma (63 off 23), and Travis Head (62 off 24), propelled them to their historic total. Aiden Markram’s contribution of 42 off 28 balls added to Mumbai Indians’ woes.
Despite a spirited effort from Mumbai’s Tilak Varma (64 off 34) and Tim David (42* off 22), Sunrisers’ monumental total proved insurmountable. While Mumbai’s batters showed resilience, the task ultimately proved too formidable as Sunrisers emerged victorious in a match that will be remembered for its record-breaking feats.
MS Dhoni turned back the clock to take a brilliant catch behind the stumps to leave both fans and experts stunned during the IPL 2024 match between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans.
MS Dhoni turned back the clock to take a brilliant catch behind the stumps to leave both fans and experts stunned during the IPL 2024 match between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans on Tuesday. The fans have not seen Dhoni bat in this year’s IPL till now but the fielding effort was enough to send the social media into a frenzy. Vijay Shankar edged a delivery from Daryl Mitchell and Dhoni did not hesitate one bit before pulling off a full-stretch dive to complete the catch. Replays showed that the ball travelled at quite a rapid pace after connecting with the bat and Dhoni had just 0.6 seconds to complete the effort.
𝗩𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗠𝗦𝗗 😎
An excellent diving grab behind the stumps and the home crowd erupts in joy💛
Chennai Super Kings produced a clinical display to outwit Gujarat Titans by 63 runs.
Asked to take first strike, CSK dished out a solid batting display to post a challenging 206 for six.
In response, GT could manage just 143 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs.
Earlier, Shivam Dube (51 off 23 balls), Ruturaj Gaikwad (46 off 36 balls) and Rachin Ravindra (46 off 20 balls) all slammed quickfire scores. Sameer Rizvi (14) also came up with a surprise cameo, while Daryl Mitchell (24) too contributed.
For GT, Rashid Khan (2/49) took two wickets, while Sai Kishore (1/28), Spencer Johnson (1/35) and Mohit Sharma (1/36) snapped one each.
Wales have failed to qualify for Euro 2024 after losing to Poland in a penalty-shootout in Cardiff.
The game went to penalties after it remained 0-0 after 90 minutes and extra-time at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Poland won the penalty shoot-out 5-4, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny – a former Arsenal player – saving the crucial spot-kick from Leeds winger Daniel James.
Poland converted five perfect penalties with Robert Lewandowski, Sebastian Szymanski, Przemyslaw Frankowski, Nicola Zalewski and Krzysztof Piatek all successful against Danny Ward.
It means Poland are through to their fifth successive European tournament.
They will be in Group D with France, the Netherlands and Austria at the tournament in Germany, which begins in June.
Wales have qualified for the last two UEFA European Football Championships, reaching the semi-finals in 2016 and the round of 16 in the delayed 2021 tournament.
Defeat to Poland “hurts”, manager Rob Page told S4C.
“It’s a cruel game, that’s what I’ve said to the players – one kick away from qualifying,” he added.
“I thought we were the better team – my message to the players at half-time was we are the better team, we will win this game.
“It’s so disappointing but look how far we’ve come – there’s something good happening with this group.
“We rallied around Daniel James – he had the bravery to take that penalty. I am so proud of that group.”
If CSK batting coach Mike Hussey is to be believed then the chances of MS Dhoni getting promoted up the order in IPL 2024 are slim.
Stephen Fleming (R) with MS Dhoni(PTI)
When Shivam Dube was going all guns blazing and Daryl Mitchell was doing his best to keep the scoreboard ticking in an IPL 2024 match against the Gujarat Titans, the cameras turned towards the Chennai Super Kings dugout. Behind the glass doors, MS Dhoni was seen shadow-practising his big hits. Five overs were left in the innings and CSK had as many as seven wickets in the bank including an extra batter. It was an ideal time for a Dhoni show.
The knowledgeable Chepauk crowd sensed that and so did the hero cam of the broadcasters. It was fixed on Dhoni. In between deliveries, the broadcast would switch to that camera where Dhoni was the focus. A big crowd would erupt in anticipation. It’s been almost a year that the world hasn’t seen Dhoni bat in a competitive cricket match. The wait was prolonged when Dhoni didn’t get a chance to come out in the middle to wield his willow in the IPL 2024 opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
On Monday, the anticipation kept rising. When Dube, after playing a superb knock of 51 off 23 balls, got out while attempting to deposit Rashid Khan into the stands in the second ball of the 19th over, the Chepauk crowd waited with bated breath for Dhoni to emerge from the dugout. The familiar confident stroll, the authoritative glance and the swag-filled approach to the crease – what a sight it is. Only if the CSK management thought from the heart.
In walked young Sameer Rizvi. There was a collective gasp in Chepauk but the young right-hander made an immediate impression by hitting his first ball in IPL for a six. He smashed another six in the last ball of that over.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team has covered all its bases and it was evident as Rachin Ravindra prepared a platform with a 20-ball 46-run innings to allow Shivam Dube to unlock his beast mode with a 23-ball 51.
Chennai Super Kings’ Daryl Mitchell with teammates celebrates after taking the wicket of Gujarat Titans’ Vijay Shankar during the IPL match in Chennai. Credit: PTI Photo
Chennai: Chennai Super Kings batters dazzled before the bowlers ran riot to choke Gujarat Titans in a comprehensive 53-run victory in their second IPL match here on Tuesday.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team has covered all its bases and it was evident as Rachin Ravindra prepared a platform with a 20-ball 46-run innings to allow Shivam Dube to unlock his beast mode with a 23-ball 51.
In between, Gaikwad maintained the balance with a 36-ball 46 as Chennai posted a Herculean 206 for 6.
Titans, in reply, could manage only 143 for 8 as Deepak Chahar (2/28 in 4 overs), Mustafizur Rahman (2/30 in 4 overs), Tushar Deshpande (2/21) and Matheesha Pathirana (1/29 in 4 overs) one by one tightened the noose on Titans batting unit.
Skipper Shubman Gill needed to fire but his poor shot selection of a Deepak Chahar delivery, which wasn’t as short as expected for a pull-shot, brought his downfall.
Once Shubman was gone, Gujarat didn’t even have a chance in hell with players like Wriddhiman Saha (21 off 17 balls) and B Sai Sudharsan (37, 31 balls), who on most days play second fiddle to perfection.
Finishers like David Miller (21) and Rahul Tewatia (1) too couldn’t produce enough on the board to go for the improbable chase and the inevitable happened.
Put into bat, Rachin’s slam-bang approach and Dube’s final flourish got CSK past the 200-run mark.
Rachin made full use of Powerplay, racing to 46 off 20 balls while Dube, a nightmare for spinners, then used his long levers to whack 51 in only 23 deliveries to increase the challenge of GT batters by manifold.
Dube’s innings had as many as five sixes.
In between, skipper Gaikwad’s chiselled 46 off 36 balls also was a significant contribution in another impactful batting performance by the team on a hard bouncy track that was on offer.
Not to forget CSK’s Rs 7.60 crore recruit Sameer Rizvi (14 off 6 balls), who pummelled Rashid Khan (2/49 in 4 overs) for two sixes to mark a memorable IPL debut.
Rachin, who has already become a darling of the CSK fans, enthralled all and sundry with his audacious stroke-play. While he missed out again on a half-century but team’s ‘spiritual skipper’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni would be all smiles knowing that his choice was perfect to the ‘T’.
The three sixes — a flick behind the square and one over long-on off the normally profligate Umesh Yadav and one off Azmatullah Omarzai were hit with so much disdain that it did put Gujarat Titans in a spot.
There were some crunchy cover drives as well as Ravindra let his skipper Gaikwad breathe a little easy at the other end.
Finally, it was GT’s ‘Go-To’ bowler Rashid, who drew the first blood but more because of smart work from Saha, who removed the bails in a flash after the Black Caps opener lost his balance and moved out of his crease trying to whip the delivery.
India is drawn in Group A, with Kuwait, Afghanistan and Qatar. Following are the standings of AFC countries as the fourth round of matches happen.
Indian players dejected after the team’s defeat. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
India suffered a 1-2 loss to Afghanistan in the second round encounter of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, Assam on Tuesday.
The loss to a second-string Afghanistan had a significant affect on the table and India’s chances to progress to the third round of the Asian qualification process for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Kohli, who is back after a two-month paternity break, scored a match-winning 77 off 49 balls for Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Monday night against Punjab Kings and deservedly walked away with the player of the match honours.
Credit: PTI Photo
Bengaluru: “I’ve still got it, I guess,” Virat Kohli said asserting his T20 credentials, unwilling to be just the megastar whose name is being ‘attached to promoting the game’ two months before cricket enters unchartered territory with the T20 World Cup in the USA.
Kohli, who is back after a two-month paternity break, scored a match-winning 77 off 49 balls for Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Monday night against Punjab Kings and deservedly walked away with the player of the match honours.
“I know my name is nowadays quite attached to just promoting the game in many parts of the world when it comes to T20 cricket. But, I’ve still got it, I guess,” said the 35-year-old father of two in the post-match presentation.
The hallmark of Kohli’s classy knock was the way he stepped out to dispatch the fast bowlers over the extra cover boundary.
The former India captain has nothing left to prove but he realises the need for constant evolution in T20 format.
An inexplicable batting strategy by Mumbai Indians at the death saw Shubman Gill make an auspicious debut as Gujarat Titans captain with a thrilling six-run victory in their opening IPL game in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Jasprit Bumrah (3/14) was at his absolute best in his first IPL game in two years, firing in his express yorkers at will to help Mumbai Indians restrict Gujarat Titans to 168/6. But Bumrah’s effort was not enough as batters like Tilak Varma and skipper Hardik Pandya failed to complement his brilliance. MI ended at 162/9 as things went downhill when all they needed was 43 runs off last five overs with seven wickets in hand.
MI thus failed to break their opening game jinx. The last time they won their IPL opener was against Chennai Super Kings way back in 2012.
After the game GT held the fourth spot in the IPL 2024 table with two points and an NRR of +0.300 while MI were at the 7th spot.
Rajasthan Royals, who won their campaign opener against Lucknow Super Giants in the day game on Sunday, held the top spot with two points and an NRR of +1.000. Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings held the second and third positions, respectively.
See the updated IPL 2024 points table here –
While spinners Rashid Khan (0/23 in 4 overs) and R Sai Kishore (1/24) gave very little with the ball despite the dew setting in, veteran Mohit Sharma (2/32) used his variations with different types of slower deliveries to turn the course of the match.
Spencer Joshnson (2/25) and Umesh Yadav (2/32) were brilliant bowling the 19th and 20th over as Hardik Pandya relegating himself to No. 7 in batting order is something that would need explanation. He did hit a six and four in the last over but Umesh had the last laugh.
Even Tilak Varma refusing a single to Tim David also beggars belief.
MI lost their first wicket without a run on the board after Ishan Kishan failed to open his account, nicking an Azmatullah Omarzai (2/27) delivery to Wriddhiman Saha as the pacer set him up with some excellent swing bowling. After testing Kishan with inswingers, Omarzai got one to move away and the batter could only edge it to the keeper.
New face Naman Dhir began with a flurry of boundaries, leaving the likes of Ravi Shastri excited in the commentary box as the experts discussed the best possible combination for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Having being hit for three fours and a six by Dhir, Omarzai had the last laugh as the batter was adjudged lbw after the Afghan had opted for a review after the on-field umpire thought otherwise.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma (43 off 29 balls) found one on the slot and flicked Umesh Yadav over mid-wicket for a maximum as MI reached 52/2 at the end of powerplay.
Dewald Brevis (46 off 38 balls) also was in fettle as the South African struck sixes off Rashid Khan, Spencer Johnson and Sai Kishore as MI inched closer to the target of 169.
However, Sai Kishore trapped Rohit and Impact Sub Mohit had Brevis caught and bowled to bring GT back into the contest.
Tilak Varma (25 off 19) perished while truing to force the pace, and MI skipper Hardik Pandya too failed to complete the chase after coming close.
Earlier, young left-hander B Sai Sudharsan top-scored with a 45 off 39 balls for GT, while Rahul Tewatia made 22 off 15 balls down the order.
But the evening, without an iota of doubt, belonged to Bumrah, who missed the whole of last edition due to a lower back stress fracture.
He dismissed David Miller and Sudharsan in the 17th over in a space of three deliveries but it didn’t help in final outcome.
Assuming that there could be dew later in the evening, MI’s new skipper Hardik Pandya invited GT to bat first, and Shubman Gill in his first game as captain was up to the task.
Looking to make an impact against his former team, Pandya opened the bowling and Wriddhiman Saha (19) slapped a wide ball through the off-side to begin GT’s campaign with a boundary.
Up against Gill, Pandya erred in line and the stylish batter used his wrists to whip him off his pads for a four, as the MI captain conceded 11 runs after his surprise move to start the proceedings at the expense of one of the world’s best bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah.
As Saha got a few useful boundaries, Gill found the fence with consummate ease as GT were off to a flyer.
Jasprit Bumrah’s masterclass spell and Gerald Coetzee’s two-wicket haul helped Mumbai Indians (MI) restrict Gujarat Titans (GT) to 168/6 in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. Bumrah conceded just 7 runs in his final over and ended his quota of four overs with figures of 3 for 14 while Coetzee bagged two wickets. For GT, Sai Sudharsan scored the highest 45 off 39 and Shubman Gill scored 31. Opting to field first, skipper Hardik Pandya opened MI’s bowling, conceding 20 runs in his first two overs. In the fourth over of the game, Jasprit Bumrah drew first blood as he provided his team with a big breakthrough. MI started to feel a bit of pressure after GT got off to a flying start, however, Bumrah came to the rescue of the five-time champions with a toe-crushing yorker as Wriddhiman Saha (19 off 15) missed the ball that rattled his stumps.
Piyush Chawla then produced a fine delivery to remove GT sipper Shubman Gill for 31. Sai Sudharsan then handled the charge as he hammered Naman Dhir courtesy of two boundaries, gathering 13 runs off the over.
Azmatullah Omarzai smoked Chawla for two sixes taking 17 runs in the 11th over of the game.
Gerald Coetzee then joined the wicket-taking party as he bagged his maiden IPL wicket, removing Azmatullah Omarzai for 17. Omarzai was beaten by pace as he hit the ball high in the air before Tilak Varma took the catch at backward square leg.
Sai Sudharsan and David Miller then rebuild GT’s innings. In the 17th over of the game, Bumrah gave GT back-to-back blows as he outfoxed Miller for 12 and well-set batter Sudharsan for 45.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) prepares his bat in the dugout during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Los Angeles, Sunday, March 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Shohei Ohtani plans to speak to the media Monday for the first time since the illegal gambling and theft allegations involving the Los Angeles Dodgers star and his interpreter emerged during the team’s trip to South Korea.
The interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Dodgers last week when the team opened the season with two games against the San Diego Padres in Seoul.
Manager Dave Roberts endorsed Ohtani addressing the matter publicly. He said it was the two-way superstar’s decision to do so.
“It’s the right thing to do,” Roberts said. “I’m happy he’s going to speak and speak to what he knows and give his thoughts on the whole situation. I think it will give us all a little bit more clarity.”
Mizuhara was let go from the team following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and claims from Ohtani’s attorneys that the Japanese star had been the victim of a “massive theft.”
Major League Baseball has opened an investigation of the matter. The Internal Revenue Service has confirmed that Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker in Orange County, California, are under criminal investigation.
Will Ireton, the team’s performance operations manager, has taken over translation duties for Ohtani. He previously did the same for then-Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda, who is Japanese.
Ohtani made only a brief appearance in the Dodgers clubhouse before Sunday’s Freeway Series opener against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels. The teams are playing three exhibition games before the Dodgers host St. Louis in their home opener on Thursday.
Ohtani was cheered loudly by the crowd of 42,607 each time he came to the plate for his first game as a Dodger in his home stadium. As the designated hitter, he went 0 for 2 with a walk and a strikeout before leaving.
He’s also expected to play Monday in Los Angeles and Tuesday in Anaheim, where he was a two-time AL MVP before leaving the Angels as a free agent to sign a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers in December.
Roberts said Ohtani has not addressed his teammates as a group.
“I think that he’s had one-off conversations with players,” Roberts said.
The manager said he checked in with Ohtani to see how he’s doing.
Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Madison Chock and Evan Bates (USA) perform in the ice dance rhythm dance during the World Figure Skating Championships at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports Purchase Licensing Rights
Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto retained the figure skating world title with a stellar performance in Montreal on Friday and became the first woman to win three straight crowns since American Peggy Fleming in 1968.
Sakamoto was in fourth place after the short program, but the 23-year-old’s dazzling free skate to “Wild Is The Wind/Feeling Good” by Lauryn Hill helped her match 1968 Olympic champion Fleming, who won three world titles between 1966-68.
Beijing Olympics bronze medallist Sakamoto’s run began with a double axel and a triple Lutz, before a series of intricate combination jumps brought thunderous applause from the crowd at the Bell Centre.
“I was fourth in the short program, so I was a little anxious about that, but today I was in a really good place emotionally,” said Sakamoto, who finished with 222.96 points. “I was able to calm down today. I was able to keep focused and do my elements one after the other and I am happy with this result.”
American Isabeau Levito, a world junior champion in 2022, won silver with a score of 212.16 while Chaeyeon Kim of South Korea took bronze with 203.59.
Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx, who led after the short program, finished fourth after falling while attempting a triple flip.
Earlier on Friday, veteran ice dance duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates scored a 90.08 for their rhythm dance routine at the world championships, putting the Americans on the cusp of a second consecutive world title.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ final over hero Harshit Rana was fined 60 percent of his match fees following his angry send-offs for Mayank Agarwal and Heinrich Klaasen during the thriller against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Harshit Rana gave an aggressive send-off to Mayank Agarwal in Kolkata (AP Photo)
Kolkata Knight Riders’ final over hero in the thriller against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Harshit Rana, has been fined 60 percent of his match fee for the angry send-offs he gave to both Mayank Agarwal and Heinrich Klaasen during the match in Kolkata on March 23. The young Indian pacer was the star for the Kolkata-based franchise as he delivered a fine final over to ensure his team won the match and kept the SRH side at bay.
Harshit, who ensured KKR got over the line with a fantastic 20th over, did have a couple of run-ins during the match with SRH batters. Notably, he gave Mayank Agarwal an angry send-off early in the second innings before doing the same for Heinrich Klaasen in the final over. His dismissal of Mayank and the celebration was criticised by Sunil Gavaskar on commentary.
The IPL released a statement saying that Harshit had committed two Level 1 offences under Article 2.5 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct and was fined 10 and 50 percent of his match fees respectively. The statement also said that the pacer accepted the Match referee’s sanctions.
“Kolkata Knight Riders bowler Harshit Rana has been fined a total of 60 percent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team’s Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on March 23.”
Mustafizur Rahman set it up before Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube got the job done to script a comfortable six-wicket win for Chennai Super Kings.
Mustafizur Rahman registered his best ever IPL figures of 4/29 in four overs.
Mustafizur Rahman set it up with his bagful of cerebral variations before Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube got the job done with their superlative finishing skills to script a comfortable six-wicket win for Chennai Super Kings over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL opener on Friday. CSK, who have not lost to RCB at home since 2008, thus kept their enviable record intact. Mustafizur, with his best ever IPL figures of 4/29 in four overs, was largely responsible for restricting RCB to 173 for six on a good batting track, where a 95-run sixth wicket stand off 50 balls between Anuj Rawat (48 off 25 balls) and Dinesh Karthik (38 not out off 26 balls) was the visitors’ only saving grace.
Jadeja (25 not out off 17 balls) brought his oodles of experience just when things could have got tricky in the run chase, hurrying a rusty Dube (34 off 28 balls) into completing some quick doubles to complete the chase in 18.4 overs. Dube also grew in confidence in Jadeja’s company towards the end as he finished the chase in a jiffy.
Credit should also be given to Rachin Ravindra (37 off 15 balls), who teed off in brilliant fashion with three sixes and as many boundaries to set the tone.
Ajinkya Rahane (27 off 19 balls), who had a forgettable Ranji season with the bat, also hit a couple of sixes before a great piece of outfielding by Glenn Maxwell saw his back.
Dube and Daryl Mitchell (22 off 18 balls) were peppered with short balls from Alzarri Joseph and Cameron Green with the latter falling prey to one such delivery.
When RCB batted, Mustafizur brought back memories of his rookie days but an impressive rear-guard action from Rawat took RCB to a fighting total.
Rawat, who initially was cautious, launched into Tushar Deshpande, whose natural length is on the shorter side. Three sixes and a four in the 18th over turned the course as RCB knocked 83 runs in their last six overs. Rawat hit four fours and three sixes in his innings.
This was after Mustafizur took four wickets in his first two overs to reduce RCB to 78 for five.
‘Fizz’ as he is known in the cricketing fraternity wouldn’t have got a first eleven nod had Matheesha Pathirana been fit to represent the ‘Yellow Brigade’.
Brought in the Powerplay to stop a rampaging Faf du Plessis (35 off 23), Mustafizur, gauging the pace of the track, didn’t keep it too full and bowled between the 7-8 metre length to extract enough bounce to get a couple of dismissals.
Kohli made a painstaking 21 off 20 balls in his first competitive game in more than two months.
Having got to face only six deliveries in the Powerplay, Kohli’s first attacking stroke was a pull six off Maheesh Theekshana (0/36 in 4 overs) but he never looked in rhythm after a two-month paternity break as a mistimed pull led to his dismissal. Rahane had caught it at deep mid-wicket but as he was about slide out, he flicked it inside for Rachin to complete the relay catch.
Mustafizur’s best delivery however was one that cleaned up Green when he rolled his wrists to bowl a cutter with a wobbly seam.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru star Virat Kohli has become the 1st Indian batter to cross 12000 T20 runs.
Virat Kohli. | Image Credits: Twitter
Royal Challengers Bengaluru star Virat Kohli became the first Indian batter and 6th overall to cross 12000 runs in T20 cricket. The right-handed batter got to the mark in the opening match of IPL 2024 against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium with a boundary.
By completing 12000 T20 runs, the right-handed batter has joined the likes of Chris Gayle, Shoaib Malik, Kieron Pollard, David Warner, and Alex Hales. Gayle, who had two prolific seasons with the Royal Challengers, heads the list with 14562 runs, having made his debut in the shortest format in 2005. Kohli also took only 360 innings to reach the milestone, with Gayle accomplishing it in 345.
Milestone unlocked 🔓
Virat Kohli has now completed 1000 IPL runs against the formidable #CSK 👍 👍
Kohli, meanwhile, is coming from a two-month break, saw the wickets of Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar, and Glenn Maxwell fall in quick succession. The former RCB skipper watched from the other end as Du Plessis smashed multiple boundaries off an over of Deepak Chahar.
“I am pretty happy and excited to be back” – Virat Kohli
Speaking to RCB.tv in an earlier interview, Kohli stated that he is raring to go after a two-month break as the new IPL season begins. The 35-year-old stated:
“It’s really good to be back, firstly playing cricket and just starting off the IPL. It’s always exciting to come back to Bangalore for the start of the IPL season. So, similar emotions, similar feelings and I haven’t been off the media radar. I have been into the normalcy, you can say, for two months. So, yeah, I am pretty happy and excited to be back and I hope all the fans are excited and happy as well.”
Former Indian cricket Mohammad Kaif called MS Dhoni “the Grandmaster of T20 cricket” after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) named Ruturaj Gaikwad as the new captain for the Indian Premier League season 2024 as Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan wrote on X about the impact Dhoni relinquishing captaincy will have on the CSK fortunes.
CSK on Thursday named opener-batter Gaikwad as Dhoni’s successor, leaving the 27-year-old from Pune in Maharashtra big shoes to fill as he takes over from a legend. CSK secured the services of Gaikwad at the IPL 2019 player auction and since then he hasn’t disappointed with the bat and will now lead the squad.
Kaif called Dhoni “the Grandmaster of T20 cricket” in a post on X (formerly Twitter) and said Gaikwad was lucky to do his captaincy internship under a great leader.
“M.S. Dhoni knows when to step up and when to step down. Ruturaj Gaikwad is lucky to do his captaincy internship under a great leader. Thala, the Grandmaster of T20 cricket,” Kaif wrote on X.
“No MS Dhoni as captain for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK)!!!! Makes them around 20% worse off,” wrote Vaughan.
Follow all the action from IPL 2024, including the IPL 2024 Schedule and IPL 2024 Points Table. Also, check Players vying for IPL 2024 Orange Cap and IPL 2024 Purple Cap
Gaikwad has played 52 matches in his IPL career so far and scored 1797 runs, with an average of 39.07, with his highest IPL score being 101 not out. In the IPL Auction 2024, Chennai acquired him for Rs 6.00 crore.
Stephen Fleming, head coach of CSK in a pre-match press conference on Thursday, said, “It was MS Dhoni’s call with a lot of consideration looking at the future. The timing was good. It’ll be a grooming process for Ruturaj.”
“I am expecting MS to play and play well. His body is a lot better than last year as is his knee. The desire to play and do well is like always. When you see a young player come through and lead, it’s always a good feeling,” said Fleming, who became New Zealand’s youngest captain at 23 years and 321 days in the third Test against England in the 1996-97 series.
Virat Kohli gets a stylish new haircut ahead of the new season of the Indian Premier League 2024 and fans are loving it!
After a stint in London, Virat Kohli rejoined the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) training session on Monday ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. Fans eagerly awaited Kohli’s return to the cricket field, and the Indian cricketer surprised them with a fresh haircut. Earlier this year, he welcomed his son Akaay in London and shared the news on Instagram with his wife Anushka Sharma.
Renowned celebrity hairstylist Aalim Hakim took to Instagram the next day to reveal (put his age here) new look. Sharing a series of photos, Hakim dubbed him as “The One & Only King Kohli.” Sporting eyebrow cuts, piercings, and a neatly trimmed beard, Kohli’s revamped appearance garnered praise on social media.
Following the viral photos, fans flooded social media with reactions. One fan remarked, “This guy can outshine all Bollywood actors.” Another fan expressed, “King Kohli is the epitome of style.” A third fan humorously commented, “He can outclass 100 Tom Cruise and 200 SRK with this look.”
CSK on Thursday revealed that they replaced five-time title winner MS Dhoni with Ruturaj Gaikwad in the role of their captain.
File photo of MS Dhoni (left) and Rohit Sharma.
Indian Premier League team Mumbai Indians put out a heartfelt post on social media after Chennai Super Kings announced the change in their captaincy. CSK on Thursday revealed that they replaced five-time title winner Dhoni with Ruturaj Gaikwad in the role of their captain. After the announcement, MI posted the image of Rohit and Dhoni together in their respective IPL team jerseys. The franchise put a yellow and blue heart emoji in the caption with a sign of infinity being between them.
It is worth noting that Rohit Sharma, who also won five titles for Mumbai Indians, was replaced by Hardik Pandya in the role of captain ahead of IPL 2024.
Talking about Dhoni, the stunning decision of captaincy change by CSK is bound to send speculation swirling on his playing future with the franchise.
In a post on X, the Indian Premier League made the announcement a day before CSK take on Royal Challengers Bangaluru in Chennai. The five-time champions issued a brief statement soon after.
Lawyers for the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani have accused his interpreter of perpetrating a “massive theft” of the superstar’s money to place bets with an illegal bookmaker.
The alleged theft by interpreter Ippei Mizuhara totaled “in the millions of dollars,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
Ohtani’s lawyers made these claims to the outlet after it had been discovered that the star’s name had come up amid an investigation into alleged illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, who lives in Orange County, California.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, right, talks to his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara during the fifth inning of the Dodgers’ Opening Day game against the Padres in Seoul, South Korea on March 20, 2024. 5 Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, right, talks to his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara during the fifth inning of the Dodgers’ Opening Day game against the Padres in Seoul, South Korea on March 20, 2024. AP
After the outlet reached out to Ohtani, who is in Seoul, Korea for a season-opening series against the Padres, his representatives looked into the actions of Mizuhara.
“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” the West Hollywood law firm Berk Brettler told The Post in a statement.
Mizuhara, who allegedly placed bets with an associate of Bowyer, was fired by the Dodgers, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.
After the Times published its story, things got a little murkier with a report from ESPN.
A spokesman for Ohtani told the outlet that the superstar had transferred $4.5 million to Bowyer to cover Mizuhara’s debt and made Mizuhara available to detail what had happened.
The story took a turn, however, when Ohtani’s spokesperson then “disavowed” what Mizuhara had said, and Ohtani’s lawyers sent the same statement to ESPN that had been sent to the Times.
The ESPN report emphasized that Ohtani does not gamble, and that Mizuhara’s wagers were placed on sports like international soccer and not on baseball.
“Mr. Bowyer never met or spoke with Shohei Ohtani,” Bowyer’s attorney, Diane Bass, said to ESPN, and declined to field further questions.
“Obviously, he [Ohtani] wasn’t happy about it and said he would help me out to make sure I never do this again,” Mizuhara said in a statement to ESPN. “He decided to pay it off for me.”
“I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting. I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again.”
Mizuhara later changed his story, saying that Ohtani had no knowledge of his bets and that he did not initiate the transfer.
