It wasn’t the high-scoring spectacle that people might have expected, especially with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the house, but that didn’t make the contest any less compelling. Rajasthan Royals defended 159 to consign Lucknow Super Giants to their fourth straight loss of IPL 2026,  and their third in a row at home.

RR owed their batting lift to Ravindra Jadeja, who top scored with 43 not out off 29. His unbeaten 49-run stand with Impact Player Shubham Dubey, whose entry in the 16th over left RR without an extra bowler, pushed their total up to 159 – 40 too many for LSG.

The win meant RR snapped their two-match losing streak to jump to No. 2 on the points table. LSG, meanwhile, were ninth, having the same number of points as Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, both whom have a game in hand.

For the first time in his young IPL career, Sooryavanshi was searching for answers. He began with two fours off his first two deliveries, but didn’t score another run in his next eight. This included a sequence of five dots from left-arm seamer Mohsin Khan.

Hard lengths pinned Sooryavanshi back. Then Mohsin bowled deliveries that kissed the surface and darted away late, with some lift. Off the sixth ball, the pressure got to Sooryavanshi and a hoick across the line ended with Digvesh Rathi running back from extra cover to take a well-judged catch. RR had gone from 32 for 0 to 32 for 3 after four overs.

The first two blows were struck by Mohammed Shami, who overturned a sequence of three consecutive boundaries from Yashasvi Jaiswal by having him glove a sharp bumper to a leaping Rishabh Pant. Then he had Dhruv Jurel nicking a perfect outswinger for a golden duck.

Brought on in the seventh over for his first game after nearly a year on the sidelines due to a stress fracture, Mayank Yadav bowled at speeds in excess of 140kph four times in his opening over. His speeds didn’t translate into effectiveness though, with Shimron Hetmyer flicking a 150kph delivery in his second over for six over deep square. Both Hetmyer and Riyan Parag looked in decent nick until they fell in quick succession, leaving RR 77 for 5 in the 11th.

Parag picked out the long pocket as an attempt to play the helicopter landed in long-on’s hands, while Hetmyer was dismissed by the canny Prince Yadav, whose slower ball had him mis-time one to mid-off.

It wasn’t the most fluent innings. Nor was it a huge struggle. This was Jadeja batting with a revised total in mind and he didn’t take a risk until the last two overs. Between overs 12 and 18, RR hit just three boundaries, but Jadeja found his range at the end, ransacking 20 off Mayank’s final over to take the score to 159. He was helped by a cameo from Dubey, who was brought in for his first game this season. The last two overs produced 32.

Jofra Archer didn’t take a first-ball wicket for a fourth consecutive game but he didn’t have to wait too long. In his second over, he delivered a vicious bumper that hurried Aiden Markram into a mistimed pull and a top edge to the wicketkeeper Jurel.

Between Archer’s first two overs, Nandre Burger also had Rishabh Pant caught behind off a bottom edge. LSG were sinking at 11 for 3, with Ayush Badoni the first wicket via a run out. Pooran survived a probing short-ball examination from Archer and showed signs of kicking-on after enduring a horror start to the season. There was a sumptuous flick, two back-to-back fours off Brijesh Sharma, but Jadeja defied the match-up odds and had him caught at long-on for a 25-ball 22.

Amid the chaos, Mitchell Marsh played himself in. Every time he looked to accelerate, wickets kept falling. Yet, he was quick to pounce on anything short from Ravi Bishnoi and Jadeja, bringing up a measured half-century even as the asking rate rose past 10. His dismissal to Burger in the 16th over with LSG needing 55 off 27 was the end of the contest, with Brijesh and Archer sealing victory in 18 overs. Brijesh finished with 2 for 18, while Archer took 3 for 20.

Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 159 for 6 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 22, Riyan Parag 20, Shimron Hetmyer 22, Ravindra Jadeja 43*, Donovan Fereirra 20, Shubham Dubey 19*; Mohammed Shami 2-30, Prince  Yadav 2-29,  Mohsin Khan 2-17) beat Lucknow Super Giants 119 in 18 overs (Mitchell Marsh 55, Nicholas Pooran 22,  Himmat Singh 15; Jofra  Archer 3-20, Nandre Burger 2-27, Brijesh Sharma  2-18, Ravindra Jadeja 1-29, Ravi Bishnoi 1-23)  by 40 runs

[Cricinfo]

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 22 April 2026, valid for 23 April 2026.

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern
and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district during the day time.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.

Iran’s IRGC says it has seized two vessels for “disrupting order and safety in the Strait of Hormuz”,

The IRGC later released an official statement saying two ships were linked to what it called “the enemies”. According to the statement, the vessels were the MSC Francesca and Epaminondas, which it accused of endangering maritime safety by operating without the necessary permits and tampering with its navigation system.

There are two clear messages the IRGC naval forces are trying to send out. First, they are trying to demonstrate that the Strait of Hormuz is under their control and authority. They have previously stated that transits through this vital chokepoint must be approved by them, and they have announced a new pathway for vessels close to the Iranian coastline.

The second message is related to the broader context. The Americans are imposing a blockade on Iranian ships, and this is a retaliatory strategy. Iran is saying the strait will remain closed for as long as the blockade continues to impact Iranian vessels. A number of Iranian-affiliated ships have already been attacked or approached by the US military.

(Aljazeera)