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Warner powers Delhi to their 1st win

After a strong start, DC suffered a slump in run-rate as they scored 43 runs for the loss of three wickets in the middle overs…reports Asian Lite News

New Delhi, April 21 (IANS) An impressive show by bowlers followed by skipper David Warner’s vital fifty (57 off 41) guided Delhi Capitals their first win of the season, beating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by four wickets in a rain delayed IPL 2023 match at Arun Jaitley Stadium, here on Thursday.

On the back of Axar Patel (2/13), Kuldeep Yadav (2/15) Ishant Sharma (2/19) and Anrich Nortje’ (2/20) superb show, DC bowled out KKR for paltry 127 in 20 overs. Jason Roy’s gritty innings of 43 off 39 and Andre Russell’s 38 not out off 31 were the saving grace for KKR, who lost wickets at regular intervals.

In reply, Warner gave DC a brilliant start, then KKR spinners turned the tables in the middle overs but eventually the hosts sealed the win with three balls to spare to open their account.

Chasing 128, Delhi were off to a strong start with skipper David Warner hitting 10 boundaries out of 12 in the powerplay. Varun Chakravarthy drew the first blood for KKR in the fifth over, trapping Prithvi Shaw for 13. Thanks to Warner’s hits, DC posted 61/1 in the powerplay.

After a strong start, DC suffered a slump in run-rate as they scored 43 runs for the loss of three wickets in the middle overs. After Anukul Roy’s economical over with just one run coming off the seventh over, KKR captain Nitish Rana removed Mitchell Marsh cheaply for 2 in the next over. Roy then joined the party as he dismissed Philip Salt for 5 in the ninth over.

Meanwhile, Warner brought up his fourth fifty of the season with a boundary off the bowling of Roy in the 11th over. A couple of overs later, Chakaravarthy bowled a maiden 14th over with a big wicket of set batter Warner, bringing an end to his 57-run innings.

Axar Patel and Manish Pandey smashed two boundaries, taking 11 runs off the 15th over and brought the equation to 30 off the last four overs.Then, DC lost two wickets in quick succession and the momentum shifted a little bit towards KKR.

Roy came into the attack in the 16th over, after a couple of wides, and a single, he claimed his second as he sent Pandey back to the hut for 21. Then, Rana cleaned up Aman Hakim Khan for a duck.

When 15 needed off 18, Axar survived an lbw twice against Chakravarthy, who gave away just three runs in the 18 over and the equation reached 12 off 12. Axar got lucky for the third time as survived a stumping from Liton Das in the penultimate over as he danced down and missed the line. The keeper whipped the bails off but he was back.

With 7 needed to win, Axar started the final over with a double. On the next ball he got two more on a no-ball. Axar then lofted between long-on and deep midwicket and collected two runs to seal the win for Delhi with three balls to spare.

Earlier, put into bat first, KKR lost three wickets within the powerplay. Ishant Sharma began the attack well, giving away just five runs off the opening over.

After conceding two boundaries to Jason Roy in the second over, Mukesh Kumar ended the over with a wicket of Liton Das, who went for a hook but got top edge towards the square leg and the fielder pouched it with ease.

An over later, Anrich Nortje sent last-match centurion Venkatesh Iyer back to the pavilion early for a duck. Then, Ishant dismissed skipper Nitish Rana cheaply for four and KKR ended the powerplay at 33/3, the lowest score in the first six overs this season.

After Marsh missed a caught bold opportunity in the eight over to dismiss Jason Roy, Axar Patel got Mandeep Singh in the next over. Halfway through the innings, KKR was 64/4.

Axar struck again In the 11 over as he claimed the big wicket of in-form batter Rinku Singh, who swept towards the deep square leg where Lalit Yadav did the rest. Ishant continued to pile the miseries as he dismissed Sunil Narine for 4, leaving KKR to 70-6 in 12 overs.

The wickets fell at regular intervals and pressure kept building on KKR with dot bowls, but Jason Roy stood firm to provide some pace to the innings before he fell to Kuldeep Yadav in the 15th over for 43. Kuldeep picked up his second on the very next ball, trapping impact player Anukul Roy in his googly. Then, Nortje got Umesh Yadav in the 16th over, reducing KKR to 96-9.

Meanwhile, Russell smashed straight onto Nortje’s ankle in the 18th over and the pacer seemed in pain. He was attended by the physios on the ground and completed his over.

Andre Russell hit back-to-back sixes in the last over bowled by Mukesh and got a few extra for KKR to fight. Russell went for a double in the last ball of the innings but Varun Chakravarthy got run out as KKR were bowled out for 127/10.

Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 127/10 in 20 over (Jason Roy 43 off 39, Andre Russell 38 not out off 31; Axar Patel (2/13), Kuldeep Yadav (2/15) Ishant Sharma (2/19) against Delhi Capitals

Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 128-6 in 19.3 overs (David Warner 57, Manish Pandey 21; Varun Chakravarthy 2/16, Anukul Roy 2/19, Nitish Rana 2/17) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 127/10 in 20 overs (Jason Roy 43 off 39, Andre Russell 38 not out off 31; Axar Patel 2/13, Kuldeep Yadav 2/15, Ishant Sharma (2/19) by 4 wickets.

ALSO READ: Lucknow break Rajasthan’s winning streak

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Lucknow break Rajasthan’s winning streak

IPL 2023: Avesh, Stoinis star with ball as Lucknow edge Rajasthan by ten runs (ld)

Lucknow Super Giants’ win also helps them level with Rajasthan on points and retain their second place in the points table…reports Asian Lite News

Rajasthan Royals had an 87-run opening partnership between Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler but impressive performances by Lucknow Super Giants bowlers, led by Avesh Khan’s 3/25 and Marcus Stoinis’ 2/28 helped their team win by ten runs in an IPL 2023 match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, here on Wednesday.

At the mid-stage of the game, Rajasthan kept Lucknow to 154/7 despite Kyle Mayers making 51 and it looked like a below-par total on a two-paced pitch.

Till the 11th over, Rajasthan didn’t lose any wicket and seemed to be cruising towards the target. But Stoinis taking out both openers got the match in Lucknow’s favour as Rajasthan lost four wickets for 32 runs from overs 12-17. Lucknow bowlers used conditions and big leg-side boundary to dry up runs as required run-rate climbed up, resulting in Rajasthan eventually ending at 144/6 in 20 overs.

Lucknow Super Giants’ win also helps them level with Rajasthan on points and retain their second place in the points table. It also makes 154/7, the lowest defended total of the season so far.

Chasing 155, Jaiswal looked good by driving Yudhvir Singh through cover for four and then quickly picked the short ball for a pulled six. Buttler, after his initial struggles, found his range by swatting Yudhvir for a 112-m massive six.

Jaiswal slashed hard at a length ball from Avesh in the final over of power-play, and the edge flew towards ul-Haq at short third man, who dropped the catch and conceded a four. He also hammered a drive for four, followed by Buttler pulling in the gap through the leg-side to hit the third boundary of the over.

Post power-play, Buttler punched Ravi Bishnoi through the off-side on a no-ball for four, while reverse-sweeping off impact player Amit Mishra for two boundaries. Jaiswal easily dispatched Stoinis for a six, but two balls later, the bowler had the last laugh as he hit straight to short third man for a low catch.

Jaipur, Apr 19 (ANI): Lucknow Super Giants’ Marcus Stoinis celebrates a wicket with teammates during a match against Rajasthan Royals of Indian Premier League 2023, at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, in Jaipur on Wednesday. (ANI Photo/Digital Restriction)

From there, the collapse began as captain Sanju Samson made a desperate late dive post a mix-up, but fell a yard short of reaching the striker’s end. In the 14th over, Buttler, while trying to pull off Stoinis, holed out to deep mid-wicket.

Two overs later, Lucknow struck again when Shimron Hetmyer toe-ended a big heave to long-on. Devdutt Padikkal broke a spell of 31 balls without boundaries with a punch past Bishnoi for four in an over yielding only six runs.

He then took three boundaries off Stoinis in the 18th over, with the pull being the standout. With 29 needed off the last two balls, Riyan Parag heaved high for six, but ul-Haq gave away only ten runs in the penultimate over.

Because of slow-over rate, Lucknow could keep only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the final over. Though Parag hit the first ball for four, Avesh bounced back by having Padikkal nick behind to keeper and Dhruv Jurel holing out to long-on, thereby sealing the game in Lucknow’s favour.

Earlier, pushed into batting first, Lucknow had a sedate powerplay, making only 37 runs. As Trent Boult bowled a maiden opening over, KL Rahul and Mayers remained cautious though they took a boundary each off Sandeep Sharma in the second over.

Rahul was given a life on six when Jaiswal put down a straightforward catch at extra cover in the fourth over. In the same over, Rahul could have been run-out by a yard if Jaiswal had fired in a direct hit.

Rahul had another life at 12 when his mistimed loft was dropped by Jason Holder running back from mid-off in the fifth over. In the next over, Mayers survived a close run-out at the non-striker’s end as replays showed Ashwin had hit the stumps with his arm.

Lucknow finally began to show signs of intent from the eighth over as Mayers launched a six off Holder over long-off while Rahul pulled him for four. In the next over, Mayers hit Yuzvendra Chahal for a lofted six over long-off and a four swept past the keeper on successive balls, before Rahul slog-swept the leg-spinner for a massive 103-metre six.

Rahul’s lucky knock ended in the 11th over when he holed out to long-on off Holder, while Ayush Badoni’s promotion to number three ended in the next over when his attempted scoop resulted in uprooting his leg-stump off Boult.

Mayers drove and pulled Chahal for back-to-back fours before reaching his fifty in 40 balls. But Deepak Hooda, playing his 100th IPL game on his 28th birthday, holed out to deep square leg off Ashwin. Two balls later, the off-spinner struck again by castling Mayers.

At 129/4 in 18 overs, with the last four overs yielding only 25 runs, Nicholas Pooran attacked Holder by dispatching him for six, followed by flicking and slicing for a brace of fours as 17 runs came off the 19th over.

In the final over, Sandeep surprised Stoinis with a short ball, resulting in a feather edge being caught by Samson. A brilliant direct hit from Samson resulted in the run-out of Pooran, with him also affecting the run-out of Yudhvir on the final ball.

Brief Scores: Lucknow Super Giants 154/7 in 20 overs (Kyle Mayers 51, KL Rahul 39; Ravichandran Ashwin 2/23, Trent Boult 1/16) beat Rajasthan Royals 144/6 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 44, Jos Buttler 40; Avesh Khan 3/25, Marcus Stoinis 2/28) by 10 runs.

ALSO READ: Green, Varma ensure third win for Mumbai

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Green, Varma ensure third win for Mumbai

Hyderabad, Apr 18 (ANI): Mumbai Indians' Jason Behrendorff celebrates a wicket with teammates in a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad during Indian Premier League 2023, at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, in Hyderabad on Tuesday. (ANI Photo/ Digital Restriction)

With a third successive win, Mumbai Indians jumped two spots to sixth in the table…reports Asian Lite News

Cameron Green struck an unbeaten 64 and Tilak Verma a fine cameo while Arjun Tendulkar held his nerve in the final over for his maiden wicket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 14 runs at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Tuesday.

Cameron Green’s unbeaten 64 off 40 along with Tilak Verma’s 37-run cameo off 17 balls guided Mumbai Indians to 192/5. In reply, Sunrisers fell 14 runs short in the chase against MI’s impressive bowling display. With a third successive win, MI jumped two spots to sixth in the table.

Chasing 193, SRH got off to a slow start as they were reduced to 25/2 within four overs. Sunrisers suffered an early blow as Jason Behrendorff got the big fish Harry Brook, the centurion from the last game, in the second over.

Behrendorff claimed his second in the fourth over, dismissing Rahul Tripathi cheaply for 7. With 16 runs off the next two overs, SRH took the Power-play score to 42/2.

Afterwards, Mayank Agarwal and Aiden Markram steadied the ship with their calculated batting.

After his heroics with the bat, Cameron Green made a positive impact with the ball. After Markram hit him for a boundary off the first ball in the 9th over, Green returned the favour by dismissing the SRH captain for 22 runs, ending a 46-run stand for the third wicket.

The next over, Piyush Chawla sent Abhishek Sharma packing for 1. Halfway through the chase, SRH were reeling at 76/4.

After conceding three boundaries and a maximum in the 14th over Chawla was quick to bounce back as he sent Klassen back to the hut on the last delivery of the over, reducing SRH to 127/5.

Riley Meredith got the big breakthrough in the next over as he denied Agarwal’s half-century after dismissing the set batter for 48 in the 15th over and made the task tougher for the hosts as half of the side went back to the pavilion.

With 24 needed off 12, Green bowled a superb penultimate over, conceding just four runs to bring the equation down to 20 needed off the last over.

Rohit Sharma handed the ball to Arjun Tendulkar to bowl the last over. And the youngster held his nerve, picked up his maiden IPL wicket and conceded just five runs in a superb last over as SRH were bowled out for 178.

Earlier, Mumbai Indians had a modest start as they lost the captain early and scored 53/1 in the Power-play.

The SRH bowlers were keeping a tight leash on run rate MI went without a boundary for 18 balls.

Then, Kishan hit the paddle on the next and went for back-to-back boundaries against Mayank Markande to release the pressure. Halfway through MI were 80/1.

Ishan Kishan and Cameron Green steadied things in the middle before Marco Jansen struck twice in one over to dismiss Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav and turned the momentum.

Then, local boy Tilak Varma brought the much-needed impetus to the innings. He along with Green counter-attacked and added a 50+ stand for the fourth wicket.

Varma hammered two fours and back-to-back sixes on the last two balls of the 15th over to Jansen and collected 21 runs off the over. There was no stopping Varma as he hit a boundary and a six off the next over, giving some pace to MI’s innings. However, his crucial innings of 37 off 17 came to an end in the next over.

The next over Cameron Green, who was promoted up the order in tough conditions, brought up his maiden IPL fifty off just 33 balls with a hat-trick of boundaries.

Green and Tim David together collected 14 runs off the final over with the latter getting run out on the last delivery of the innings. With 62 runs coming off the last five overs, MI posted a competitive total of 192 for the loss of five wickets.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 192/5 in 20 overs (Cameron Green 64 not out, Tilak Verma 37; Marco Jansen 2-43) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 178 all out in 19.5 overs (Mayank Agarwal 48, Heinrich Klaasen 36; Riley Meredith 2-33, Jason Behrendorff 2-37, Piyush Chawla 2-43) by 14 runs.

ALSO READ: Chennai survive Bangalore storm

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Chennai survive Bangalore storm

With this win, CSK moved into the third spot with six points from five matches, tied with Lucknow Super Giants, Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings with the same number of points…reports Asian Lite News

Breezy half-centuries by Devon Conway and Shivam Dube and a fine 3-45 by pacer Tushar Deshpande in a high-scoring match helped Chennai Super Kings prevail over Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight runs in a run-feast at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Monday.

After CSK had lost the prolific Ruturaj Gaikwad early, Conway and Ajinkya Rahane (37 off 20) repaired the innings and then Dube joined the fun as Chennai sent the RCB bowlers on a leather hunt after being asked to bat first on a good pitch that was expected to ease further with the dew set in.

Conway blasted a 43-ball 83, hitting six boundaries and six maximums as he and Dube, who smacked 52 off 27, smashed two fours and six maximums as CSK set up a big score of 226/6 in 20 overs. Conway first put on 74 runs for the second wicket with Rahane then shared an 80-run partnership with Dube.

Deshpande then got into the act after Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis had struck brilliant half-centuries as RCB raced to 140/3 in 12 overs. He claimed two wickets in that crucial period sending back the dangerous Dinesh Karthik (28 off 14) and Wayne Parnell (2).

Glenn Maxwell and Faf du Plessis’ efforts went in vain as RCB were restricted to 218/8 in 20 overs, falling short by eight runs.

With this win, CSK moved into the third spot with six points from five matches, tied with Lucknow Super Giants, Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings with the same number of points. Rajasthan Royals lead the table with eight points from five matches.

But in the end, their efforts went in vain as Chennai Super Kings chipped in with timely wickets thanks to Deshpande and Matheesha Pathirana (2-42) and went on to win the match despite mixed efforts in the field as they dropped five catches, Theekshana putting down two, and Rahane pulling off a couple of good saves at the boundary and saving eight runs.

In all 444 runs were scored in the two innings with the batters smacking 33 sixes in all as the batters ruled over the bowlers.

Earlier, Conway started slowly but struck some brilliant shots in a superb display of power-hitting, blasting 83 off 45 deliveries while Dube smashed 52 off 27 balls, hammering five towering sixes, as CSK made superb use of a good pitch and feasted on the RCB bowling.

Despite losing the prolific Ruturaj Gaikwad (3 off 6) with only 16 runs on the board, Chennai Super Kings reached 53/1 in the Power-play, with the left-right combination of Conway and Ajinkya Rahane taking control. They went on to raise 74 runs for the second wicket partnership.

After his first few shots landed in no man’s land but failed to reach the boundary, Rahane hooked Vijaykumar Vyshak onto the roof of the Chinnaswamy Stadium and then lashed Wayne Parnell to extra-cover fence in the 6th over before ending the Power-play by pulling Parnell over short fine-leg for maximum followed by flicking the South African bowler to the midwicket boundary.

Just when it looked like Rahane will race to his second half-century of IPL 2023, he fell to a Hasaranga wrong’un, swinging in vain as the ball crashed into the off-stump. Rahane made 37 off 20 balls, hitting three fours and two sixes.

Conway, on the other hand, whipped Parnell to the midwicket fence and then scooped him over the fine-leg boundary for a six. The Black Caps opener rolled out the scoop for a boundary off Vyshak before launching Glenn Maxwell straight of wide long-on for a maximum. Harshal Patel was swatted away for six over the midwicket fence while Wanindu Hasaranga got the same treatment when he dropped one short outside off-stump as he completed back-to-back half-centuries.

Shivam Dube smacked Siraj for a four and a six in the 14th over and blasted Vyshak for two sixes in the next over and followed it up with a boundary off a wide yorker to claim 18 runs as CSK were cruising with 165/2 at the end of the 15th over. He ramped a short one from Harshal Patel to the third-man boundary.

However, Harshal Patel made the breakthrough for RCB when he castled Conway with a brilliant slow-dipping yorker, ending the Black Caps opener’s superb innings for 83 (off 45 balls, 6×4, 6×6). Dube completed his fifty off 25 balls with a couple of big hits against Parnell. The South African pacer had the last laugh as he cut on the pace again and had Dube (52 off 27 balls, 2×4, 5×6) caught inches away from the boundary rope at deep midwicket as Mohammed Siraj pouched a superb catch.

Moeen Ali remained not out on 19 from nine deliveries as Ambati Rayudu (14 off 6) and Ravindra Jadeja (10 off 8) helped CSK make good use of the opportunity and set RCB the biggest chase of IPL 2023, which in the end proved enough for an exciting win.

Brief scores:

Chennai Super Kings 226/6 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 83, Shivam Dube 52, Ajinkya Rahane 37; Wanindu Hasaranga 1-21) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 218/8 in 20 overs (Glenn Maxwell 76, Faf du Plessis 62, Dinesh Karthik 28; Tushar Deshpande 3-35, Matheesha Pathirana 2-42) by 8 runs.

ALSO READ: Samson blitz rescues Rajasthan Royals

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Must-visit locales for IPL screening in Mumbai

Must visit place for IPL screening in Mumbai.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Sports bars are relatively foreign to India, but Bar Stock Exchange gets close and has the sports-crazy atmosphere you’re searching for…reports Asian Lite News

Mumbai is the city of passionate people or passionate for the shows they watch, for the food they eat, for the places they visit, for the festivals they celebrate, for songs, for Bollywood etc. But these passionate people become extra passionate in a field which separates love and passion from the rest of the things, it is cricket. IPL Screening At Mumbai Restaurants:

Hitchki

The start of the cricket season is quickly approaching, and if you want to watch matches live while eating your favourite dish for a reasonable price, Hitchki is the place to go. Get bowled over by Hitchki this cricket season as they serve you the ideal Indian flavours. Enjoy a “stadium-like experience” at Hitchki while watching every game and eating your favourite platters.

Someplace Else, BKC

This year, Someplace Else is the ideal place to watch the IPL live broadcast because it feels like a home away from home. It’s a lively location with uplifting appeal and a haven for some alone time or your pals. Additionally, this location is unlike any other and will completely blow you away with its exclusive deals for the Indian Premier League.

Must visit place for IPL screening in Mumbai.(photo:IANSLIFE)

145 Cafe And Bar

The actual atmosphere during sports screenings is at 145. With flavours like magic masala potato skins, Kejirwal toasts, and flavoured popcorn, they have some of the best bar snacks and entrees to get the game going. Make the most of the season’s final game by making your booking, inviting your friends to play, and doing so.

Bar Stock Exchange

Sports bars are relatively foreign to India, but Bar Stock Exchange gets close and has the sports-crazy atmosphere you’re searching for. Block your seats and enter with your family to take advantage of a Sunday full of excitement and boisterous cheers from cricket fans.

Must visit place for IPL screening in Mumbai.(photo:IANSLIFE)

Lord Of The Drinks

An enjoyable dungeon is Lord of the Drinks! They have a reputation for throwing the wildest parties, but this time it’s a matching gig and match days are characterised by grit, tenacity, and a great deal of enthusiasm. And Lord of the Drinks will deliver the wild night you were hoping for!

ALSO READ-Samson blitz rescues Rajasthan Royals

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Samson blitz rescues Rajasthan Royals

With Rajasthan at 66/4 in 12 overs, Samson breathed life back in the waning chase by hitting Rashid for a hat-trick of sixes…reports Asian Lite News

Rajasthan Royals were literally in a no man’s land at 66/4 in 12 overs in pursuit of chasing down 178 against a Gujarat Titans bowling attack, who bowled 26 dot balls in the first six overs.

With 112 more runs off 48 balls, not many would have given them a chance for a victory. But captain Sanju Samson unleashed by taking 20 runs off Rashid Khan in the 13th over to eventually make 60 while Shimron Hetmyer smashed a whirlwind unbeaten 56 off just 26 balls to give Rajasthan an improbable three-wicket victory.

The stunning last-over heist also means Rajasthan retain their top spot on the points table with eight points. Samson and Hetmyer added a crucial stand of 59 runs off 27 balls, followed by the latter adding 47 runs off 20 deliveries with Dhruv Jurel to complete the chase with four balls to spare.

Mohammed Shami built pressure from the word go while troubling Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler. Gujarat were rewarded when Hardik Pandya had Jaiswal nicking to slip while Buttler’s attempt to scoop backfired as Shami sent the off-stump on a cartwheel ride.

Gujarat could have got their third wicket had Shubman Gill held on to a tough chance at slip to dismiss Devdutt Padikkal. After the powerplay ended at 26/2, Rashid had Padikkal caught by short third man while Riyan Parag holed out to a forward diving long-off.

With Rajasthan at 66/4 in 12 overs, Samson breathed life back in the waning chase by hitting Rashid for a hat-trick of sixes — once over long-off while pulling twice over deep mid-wicket. Hetmyer took on Joseph by heaving past leaping deep square leg for six and slogging through the same region for four more.

After getting his fifty in 29 balls, Samson took on debutant spinner Noor Ahmad, lofting a drive over long-off for six and pulling past short fine leg for four. But the teenager, coming in as an impact player for Gill, had the last laugh as Samson skied to long-off to get his first IPL wicket.

Hetmyer stood tall by smacking two gigantic sixes off Joseph in the 16th over, with Jurel dabbing for a four. He then pulled Rashid for four, before slamming a six over long-on to take 13 runs off the 18th over. Jurel smacked Shami over long-on for six, but the pacer bounced back by having him top-edge a hook to fine leg.

Ravichandran Ashwin slapped his first ball over point for four, and followed it up with a pulled six over deep mid-wicket. Though Ashwin fell after slicing to short third man, Hetmyer finished off the chase by pulling Ahmad over deep mid-wicket for six to complete a sensational chase for Rajasthan.

Earlier, David Miller was dropped on six on his seventh ball as Adam Zampa made a mess of a regulation caught and bowled chance. He went on to top-score with 46 off 30 balls and powered Gujarat to a competitive 177/7.

Apart from Miller, Gujarat were also aided by 45 from Gill, 28 from Hardik and 27 from Abhinav Manohar at the back end. For Rajasthan, pacer Sandeep Sharma was pick of bowlers with 2/25, while Zampa, Yuzvendra Chahal and Trent Boult took a wicket each.

Pushed into batting first, Wriddhiman Saha gave a fat top-edge on a hoick and with wicketkeeper as well as two fielders converging, Boult took a catch on rebound off keeper’s gloves. Sai Sudharsan struck two fours, before being run out for 20.

Gill used his feet well in getting close to the pitch of the ball for sweeping and lofting off Ashwin for back-to-back fours. Hardik, promoting himself to number four, immediately attacked Zampa by swinging down the ground for a four and six respectively.

Ashwin came under further attack as Gill continued to use his feet to loft over extra cover for four and over long-on for six, while Hardik got an outside edge running past short third man for four as 17 runs came off the over.

But Chahal broke the 59-run partnership by having Hardik go for a cross-bat heave, but the ball spun away to take a top-edge to extra cover. Five overs later, Gill holed out to long-on off Sandeep. After being put down on six, Miller smacked Chahal for a brace of sixes in the leg-side.

Manohar hit Boult for back-to-back sixes in the 18th over a pull over long-on was followed by pummeling over long-off. In the next over, Miller pulled Zampa for four, before Manohar launched the leg-spinner high over long-on for six.

But Zampa had the last laugh by having Manohar slicing to point. Miller cracked consecutive fours on wide yorkers from Sandeep through the off-side, before slicing a high full toss to deep cover, as 11 runs came off the final over.

Brief Scores: Gujarat Titans 177/7 in 20 overs (David Miller 46, Shubman Gill 45; Sandeep Sharma 2/25, Adam Zampa 1/32) lost to Rajasthan Royals 179/7 in 19.2 overs (Sanju Samson 60, Shimron Hetmyer 56 not out; Mohammed Shami 3/25, Rashid Khan 2/46) by three wickets.

ALSO READ: Punjab gets back to winning ways, beat Lucknow by two wickets

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Punjab gets back to winning ways, beat Lucknow by two wickets


Lucknow had a fiery start to their defence of 159 as debutant pacer Yudhvir Singh Charak. had Atharva Taide top-edging a pull to third man. On the second ball of his next over, he sent Prabhsimran Singh’s off-stump on a cartwheel ride with a superb nip-backer…reports Asian Lite News

Though Punjab Kings missed the services of regular skipper and opener Shikhar Dhawan due to a niggle, Sikandar Raza stood up to hit his first IPL fifty while Shahrukh Khan applied finishing touches with a late cameo to take the side to a two-wicket triumph over Lucknow Super Giants at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

After stand-in captain Sam Curran picked 3-31, the best figures by a bowler on IPL captaincy debut while Kagiso Rabada to 2-34 to keep Lucknow to 159/8, Raza hit 57 off 41 balls to bring Punjab’s chase on track on a tricky pitch. Shahrukh then slammed 23 not out off just 10 balls to ensure the side’s third victory in the competition.

For Lucknow, who have faced their first loss at home in the ongoing season, questions will be raised over introducing leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi late in the attack, from the 15th over, as well as of captain K.L. Rahul making 74, but taking the anchor role for long in the middle overs.

Lucknow had a fiery start to their defence of 159 as debutant pacer Yudhvir Singh Charak. had Atharva Taide top-edging a pull to third man. On the second ball of his next over, he sent Prabhsimran Singh’s off-stump on a cartwheel ride with a superb nip-backer.

Matthew Short was impressive in his 22-ball 34 — pulling, driving, and flicking with ease against Avesh Khan while taking back-to-back fours on short balls from Yudhvir. He then dispatched an overpitched ball from K Gowtham with a lofted drive over long-on for six.

But the off-spinner had the last laugh as on the last ball of Power-play, Short punched straight to a reverse-cupping mid-off. From ther’, Lucknow’s bowlers kept things under control, as Harpreet Bhatia heaved straight to deep backward square leg off Krunal Pandya in the 11th over, despite surviving a direct-hit chance previously.

Raza injected momentum in the chase by lofting Gowtham down the ground for six, followed by hoicking two sixes and a four off short balls from Krunal through the mid-wicket region in the 13th over.

Though Curran and Jitesh Sharma fell cheaply, Raza marched forward to pull Mark Wood through the gap between deep square leg and fine leg to perfection for four and took a single through deep backward square leg to get his fifty in 34 balls.

With Shahrukh teeing off from the word go by smacking Wood over long-on for six, Raza crunched a drive off Avesh for four to bring the equation to 23 runs needed off 18 balls. But Bishnoi dismissed Raza for 57 after the right-handed batter swept straight to deep backward square leg.

Shahrukh got a top edge on six off Wood while Harpreet Brar drove him through extra cover for four. But the pacer bounced back by getting Brar to edge behind in the penultimate over. After taking two runs each on the first two balls, Shahrukh finished off the chase by hammering Bishnoi through long-off for four to seal the win.

Earlier, captain K.L. Rahul top-scored with 74 off 56 balls in Lucknow’s strange innings. The hosts were at 49/0 in Power-play but made only 62/4 in the middle overs and faltered in the end as Punjab picked four wickets while conceding only 48 runs in the last five overs.

Kyle Mayers began by sweeping Short for a six over deep backward square leg, while Raul hit a stunning lofted inside-out drive over extra cover for four off Rabada. Mayers hit sixes off Curran and Rabada over deep mid-wicket but holed out to deep backward square leg off Brar post-Power-play. Deepak Hooda was then trapped lbw by a skiddy delivery from Raza.

Rahul went for strike-rotation alongside Krunal while cutting off Curran past short third and slapping Arshdeep over mid-on to collect a brace of boundaries. He got his fifty in 40 balls with a lofted drive over Rahul Chahar’s head for four.

But Krunal fell in the 15th over to Rabada, miscuing a pull and Shahrukh at deep mid-wicket flicked the ball in the air, went outside and took the catch on the rebound. The fast bowler then had Nicholas Pooran holing out to deep mid-wicket, falling for a golden duck.

Marcus Stoinis teed off by smacking Chahar for consecutive sixes, but Curran took him out in the 18th over by taking a review on the batter trying to glance through fine leg, and replays showed the ball taking a glove edge behind to the keeper.

Rahul then holed out to long-on off Arshdeep in the 19th over, before Curran had Impact Player Gowtham and Yudhvir holing out to fielders in the deep on consecutive deliveries in the final over to keep Lucknow to one short of 160.

Brief scores:

Lucknow Super Giants 159/8 in 20 overs (K.L. Rahul 74, Kyle Mayers 29; Sam Curran 3-31, Kagiso Rabada 2-34) lost to Punjab Kings 161/8 in 19.3 overs (Sikandar Raza 57, Matthew Short 34; Ravi Bishnoi 2-18, Yudhvir Singh Charak 2-19) by two wickets

ALSO READ: Mohit, Gill guide Gujarat to a six-wicket victory

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Mohit, Gill guide Gujarat to a six-wicket victory

Thursday’s victory is Gujarat’s third win of the ongoing season and takes them to third place on the points table, while Punjab were handed their second loss of the tournament….reports Asian Lite News

Opener Shubman Gill notched up his second half-century of IPL 2023 while fast bowler Mohit Sharma marked his comeback in the tournament with a stellar spell to lead the way for Gujarat Titans to beat Punjab Kings by six wickets at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium on Thursday.

Thursday’s victory is Gujarat’s third win of the ongoing season and takes them to third place on the points table, while Punjab were handed their second loss of the tournament. Mohit, a previous Purple Cap winner in the IPL, was a net bowler for Gujarat in clinching their maiden title last year.

On Thursday, he shone through with his 2-18 in four overs, bowling slower balls and maintaining tight lines. Mohit also bowled 12 dot balls, as he led a clinical bowling performance from Gujarat to restrict Punjab to 153/8.

The defending champions were on course for a comfortable chase, thanks to Gill’s serene 67 off 49 balls, laced with seven fours and a six. With seven runs needed off the final over, after Arshdeep Singh conceded only six runs in the 19th, Gill survived a run-out chance, before Sam Curran uprooted his off-stump on the very next ball, bringing sudden tension into the match.

After Curran nailed two back-to-back yorkers, David Miller completed the second run with a desperate dive. With four runs needed off the last two balls, Rahul Tewatia calmly finished off the chase by moving across and scooping a full ball from Curran over short fine leg for four to seal the deal for Gujarat with a ball to spare.

Gujarat were off to a flier as Gill eased into a cover drive off Arshdeep for four. Wriddhiman Saha launched into Arshdeep by driving, whipping, pulling and slicing with disdain to take four boundaries in the third over.

But a bouncer from Rabada in the fifth over saw Saha pulling straight to deep square leg, giving the fast bowler his 100th IPL wicket. Sai Sudharsan immediately got going with a delightful punch through point for four.

Sudharsan and Gill kept the scoreboard ticking through strike rotation, with the latter taking two boundaries off Rahul Chahar through a cut and lofting inside-out over extra cover. But Sudharsan fell in the 12th over, pulling straight to deep fine leg. Three overs later, Hardik Pandya holed out to long-on off Harpreet Brar.

Gill brought up his fifty in the 16th over with a nonchalant lofted cover drive off Chahar. He left fans astonished by playing a tennis-like forehand that flew past the non-striker off Curran for four and stood tall to pull Rabada nonchalantly over a deep square leg for six. Though he fell in the final over, Tewatia ensured Gujarat got over the line.

Earlier, at the end of the powerplay, Punjab were cruising at 52/2. But Gujarat’s bowlers, led by Mohit, gave away only 42 runs in the middle overs and picked four wickets in the last five overs to keep Punjab to a below-par total. 50% of the deliveries bowled by Gujarat’s fast bowlers were on short/back-of-length regions, thus limiting Punjab’s run flow as they played 56 dot balls in their innings.

Prabhsimran Singh fell for his second consecutive duck, flicking to mid-wicket off Mohammed Shami. Matthew Short got going by striking Shami for back-to-back fours through punch and pull shots.

Shikhar Dhawan looked majestic in slicing and driving Joshua Little through the off-side. But the left-arm pacer had the last laugh, as Dhawan danced down the pitch for a flick, but ended up skying to a backtracking mid-on.

Short looked glorious in driving Shami twice through cover, while glancing and pulling off Alzarri Joseph for four and six. He ended the power-play with a straight drive down the ground off Little. His knock came to an end when he missed a googly from Rashid Khan and saw the ball crashing into stumps.

With Gujarat tightening the run-flow through consistent hitting of length balls, Jitesh Sharma used Rashid’s pace to pull twice and paddle sweep once to get three boundaries. He welcomed Shami with a straight drive down the ground and survived an inside edge to get a brace of fours in the 12th over.

Jitesh fell in the 13th over off Mohit, missing a punch against a back of the length ball which just moved away a little. Saha, who caught the ball and was the only one appealing, managed to convince Hardik to take a review, which showed a thin outside edge.

Four overs later, Rajapaksa’s painful stay at the crease ended when he chipped a full toss from Joseph straight to deep mid-wicket. Curran went for a pull off an off-cutter from Mohit, but found deep mid-wicket.

Shahrukh Khan got some cheer from the Mohali crowd by pulling Joseph over deep midwicket for six, before lofting a low full toss from Shami over long-on for same result. He ramped a slower ball from Mohit over short third, before Harpreet’s straight six down the ground took Punjab above 150.

Brief scores:

Punjab Kings 153/8 in 20 overs (Matthew Short 36, Jitesh Sharma 25; Mohit Sharma 2-18, Rashid Khan 1-26) lost to Gujarat Titans 154/4 in 19.5 overs (Shubman Gill 67, Wriddhiman Saha 30; Harpreet Brar 1-20, Sam Curran 1-25) by six wickets

ALSO READ: Real Madrid defeat Chelsea in Champions League

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Real Madrid defeat Chelsea in Champions League

The game started with both sides looking to attack, and Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana and Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga were both shown slightly harsh yellow cards before Real Madrid gained control….reports Asian Lite News

Goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio gave Real Madrid a 2-0 first-leg lead in their Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea on Wednesday night.

Real Madrid dominated nearly the entire match against a rival that appeared worryingly disorganised at times, but they could be slightly disappointed not to have put the tie out of reach given their dominance.

While Real Madrid coach, Carlo Ancelotti, repeated the side that won 4-0 away to FC Barcelona in the Copa del Rey a week ago, Frank Lampard opted to play with three central defenders, wingbacks, and a midfield trio of N’Golo Kante, Enzo Fernandez, and former Madrid player, Mateo Kovacic, a Xinhua report said.

The game started with both sides looking to attack, and Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana and Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga were both shown slightly harsh yellow cards before Real Madrid gained control. Vinicius Jr forced a save from Kepa in the 12th minute, and the Chelsea keeper would be in for a busy 45 minutes.

Kepa did well to deny Vinicius in the 21st minute after the striker latched onto a pass from Dani Carvajal, but he could do nothing to stop Benzema tapping home from close range. At the other end, Thibaut Courtois produced a great save to deny Raheem Sterling in Chelsea’s best chance all night, before Madrid took control of the half: Thiago Silva cleared Vinicius’ chip, and Kepa twice denied Rodrygo and also reacted well to deny Benzema on a couple of occasions.

The halftime whistle would have been welcome for Chelsea boss, Frank Lampard, but the second half saw little change in the script as Madrid continued to dominate. Luka Modric curled just wide, and Koulibaly did magnificently to impose himself on Rodrygo but then had to leave the pitch with an apparent hamstring problem.

Chelsea were down to 10 men with half an hour still to play after Ben Chilwell was sent off for hauling down Rodrygo when the striker was through on goal. The left back walked off without complaints. Substitute Marco Asensio made it 2-0 with a left-foot shot after a corner, as Chelsea failed to close down, first Kroos and then Vinicius.

It looked as if Madrid would go on to add a third, but they seemed to relax in the closing minutes, with the only clear chance coming from a Benzema header over the bar when most would have expected him to score.

ALSO READ: UK, Ireland submit their final bid to host Euro 2028

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Rajasthan Royals beat Chennai Super Kings in a last-ball thriller

Chasing a target of 176 on a slow turner and with dew coming down in copious amounts was expected to be easy for Chennai Super Kings in what was the 200th match for Dhoni as captain….reports Asian Lite News

A valiant blazing 32 not out off 17 balls by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni went in vain as Chennai Super Kings lost to Rajasthan Royals by three runs in a last-ball edge-of-the-seat thriller in the India Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Wednesday.

Chasing a target of 176 on a slow turner and with dew coming down in copious amounts was expected to be easy for Chennai Super Kings in what was the 200th match for Dhoni as captain. The CSK skipper made a brave effort by hitting two sixes in the final over but in the end, fell short narrowly.

But after recovering from the setback of losing Rituraj Gaikwad, their top scorer so far, for eight runs, but recovering to 78/1 thanks to Devon Conway and Ajinkya Rahane, CSK reached a stage with 40 needed off the last 12 deliveries, Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja pulled them to 21 off six and then seven off three deliveries. It boiled down to five runs off the final delivery faced by Dhoni when Sandeep Sharma, who had started the final over with two wides, bowled a good yorker to deny Dhoni the glory on his milestone day.

After deciding to bowl first and restricting Rajasthan Royals to what initially looked like a below-par 175/8 in 20 overs, Chennai could manage 172/6 in 20 overs and lost by a narrow margin.

Earlier, brilliant bowling by Rajasthan Royals spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (2-25) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2-27) off their respective four overs had hampered Chennai Super Kings’ chase as they had recovered from losing an early wicket to reach 78/1 in the 10th over.

Opener Devon Conway, who had struck Adam Zampa to two boundaries in the fifth over, and seasoned Ajinkya Rahane (31) had repaired the innings but things went downhill for CSK on their home ground after Ashwin had trapped Rahane in front to give Rajasthan Royals the much-needed breakthrough.

Ashwin also got Shivam Dube (8 off 9) while Adam Zampa accounted for the dangerous Moeen Ali (7 off 10) and Chahal sent back Ambati Rayudu (1) as Chennai Super Kings slumped to 103/5. Chahal then claimed the prized wicket of Devon Conway (50), and Chennai Super Kings looked down and out.

However, skipper MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja struck some big blows as they pulled CSK to 40 runs needed off the last two overs. Dhoni and Jadeja hammered Jason Holder for two sixes and a four as they raised 19 runs from the 19th over.

With CSK needing 21 runs off the last over, Sandeep Sharma started with a couple of wides and then Dhoni smacked sixes off the next two deliveries off two low full-tosses and Chennai needed seven from three deliveries.

He managed one run off the fourth delivery of the over and Jadeja could take a single off the fifth delivery, leaving it for Dhoni to get five runs off the last delivery to seal the victory. Sandeep Sharma bowled a superb yorker and Dhoni could manage only one run as Rajasthan Royals claimed a thrilling win.

Brief scores:

Rajasthan Royals 175/8 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 52, Devdutt Padikkal 38, R Ashwin 30, Shimron Hetmyer 30 not out; Ravindra Jadeja 2-21, Tushar Deshpande 2-37, Akash Singh 2-40) beat Chennai Super Kings 172/6 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 50, Ajinkya Rahane 31, M.S Dhoni 32 not out, Ravindra Jadeja 25 not out; r Ashwin 2-25, Yuzvendra Chahal 2-27) by 3 runs.

ALSO READ: Mumbai thrash Capitals in last-ball thriller