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IPL 2025: Kishan, Sunrisers Hyderabad quicks dent Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s chances of a top-two finish

Published

10 months ago

2025/05/24

Priyan

Ishan Kishan kept Sunrisers Hyderabad racing away after the openers fell [Cricinfo]

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) proved to be the banana peel they were feared to be for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), who still remained one point behind the table leaders Gujarat Titans with Punjab Kings (PBKS) now breathing down their necks with one game in hand.

Ishan Kishan, who had fizzled out after his century in the first match with just 125 runs off 117 in ten innings since then, anchored a hyper-aggressive SRH to 231. He was as efficient an anchor could be: scoring an unbeaten 94 off 48, including 54 out of the last 86 runs SRH made as he ran out of hitting partners.

Led by Phil Salt, RCB stayed abreast with the asking rate for 14 overs, but then endured a collapse of 7 for 16 to lose by 42 runs, a net-run-rate blow that could dent their chances of ending in the top two. They have fallen below PBKS’ net run rate, who are level with them on points.

The pitch looked tricky to everyone, but within one over of batting there, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma decided this was perhaps the best pitch they had batted on all year. They decided they needed 230-240 and went looking accordingly. Abhishek started the charge with 34 off 17, hitting three sixes and perishing trying to hit a fourth. Head was slightly slower in his 17 off ten, and was outdone by a Bhuvneshwar Kumar knuckle ball.

Two wickets down in the powerplay, SRH saw no reason to slow down. Heinrich Klassen got a couple of gifts from Suyash Sharma and smacked 24 off 13 before mis-hitting a third gift. Aniket Verma made all this look pedestrian as he hit sixes off even good balls in his nine-ball 26.

The only problem was, none of them could carry on, leaving SRH at 145 for 4 in the 12th over.

He looked sedentary in comparison but Kishan was 40 off 22 when Aniket got out. Especially with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Abhinav Manohar falling in quick succession to Romario Shepherd, it was on Kishan to make sure SRH had a finishing kick.

Kishan took charge, faced 12 balls out of 18 in his seventh-wicket stand of 43 with Pat Cummins, and ended up one hit short of another century. The hitting was clean but he had to dial down the risk a little. He did play a ramp in between.

Aware of the behaviour of the pitch, SRH looked to go into the pitch and run their fingers on the ball often. RCB, though, showed why they were so close to the top of the table. Each of the first 14 overs featured at least one boundary. Virat Kohli started the charge with 43 off 25, Salt took over spectacularly with 62 off 32, and SRH were just hanging in.

Reddy hasn’t had the best season with the bat, was untidy in the field, but then started the turnaround with the wicket of Mayank Agarwal in the 11th over. Cummins came back with the wicket of Salt, but RCB stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma hit a six first ball, and Rajat Patidar looked in decent touch. Even with those two wickets falling, RCB kept the asking rate under two runs a ball.

Reddy came back to bowl the first over without a boundary in the 15th, and then Eshan Malinga delivered the big blows. Banging the ball in in the first half had probably aided a bit of reverse. He kept nailing the yorkers, changing up with the odd slower ball. He ran out Patidar, drew a return catch from Shepherd, and handcuffed the injured Tim David, who seemed to have done his hamstring when fielding.

The dramatic slide continued to the end of the innings.

Brief scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad 231 for 6 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 94*, Abhishek Sharma 34, Travis Head 17, Heinrich Klassen 24, Aniket Verma 26, Abhinav Manohar 12, Pat Cummins 13*; Bhuvenshwar Kumar 1-43, Lungi Ngidi 1-51, Suyash Sharma 1-45, Krunal Pandya 1-38, Romairo Shepherd 2-14, Krunal 1-38) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 189 in 19.5 overs (Phil Salt 62, Virat Kohli 43, Mayank Agrawal 11, Rajat Patidar 18, Jitesh Sharma 24; Pat Cummins 3-28, Jaydev Unadkat 1-41, Eshan Malinga 2-37, Harsh Dubev 1-20, Nitish Kumar Reddy 1-13) by 42 runs

[Cricinfo]

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Referendum defeat leaves Italy’s Meloni looking more vulnerable

Published

1 hour ago

2026/03/24

Priyan

Giorgia Meloni said the vote was a missed chance to modernise Italy [BBC]

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has lost a key referendum on a constitutional reform which had turned into a vote on her government.

The result gives around 54% to the “No” campaign and 46% to the “Yes” vote which Meloni had backed.

In a video posted on social media even before all the ballots were counted, Meloni said Italians had voted “with clarity” and she would respect their decision, but she regretted a “lost chance to modernise” the country.

It is the first significant defeat for Meloni and her right-wing coalition, which has overseen a rare period of political stability for Italy. Opposition parties are hailing the result as a sign that voters are looking for change, with a general election due next year.

When the two-day referendum ended on Monday afternoon, exit polls initially showed the “No” vote leading by a small margin, but that grew to a substantial lead as the count progressed.

Despite the complex question on the ballot paper, turnout was almost 60%. A high figure had been expected to favour the government, but it was not enough to swing the vote.

The reform voters rejected would have inscribed a firm separation between judges and prosecutors into the constitution. It also proposed distinct bodies to govern them and a new disciplinary court.

The government argued the change was critical to improving judicial independence.

The opposition countered that it would shatter a careful balance of powers established following the defeat of fascism, and increase political influence over the courts.

Many Italians struggled to understand the technical details – perhaps a communication failure by Team Meloni – and the vote quickly morphed into a plebiscite on her near-record three and half years in office.

EPA A group of men, one holding a white banner which says Vote No, in a dquare surrounded by buildings — *The ‘No’ supporters turned out to celebrate their victory [BBC]*

[BBC]

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Tehran says Trump’s peace talk claims are ‘fake news’

Published

2 hours ago

2026/03/24

Priyan

Rocket trails are seen in the sky amid a new barrage of Iranian missile attacks above the Israeli coastal city of Netanya on Monday [Aljazeera]

US President Donald Trump announced that discussions are ongoing with Iran to “determine whether a broader agreement can be reached”, saying that “this time, Iran means business; they want to settle. They want peace”.

But Teheran denied that talks with the US are taking place, with Iran’s parliamentary speaker saying such claims are “fake news” and being “used to manipulate financial and oil markets”.

Oil prices dropped by about 11 percent after Trump announced a delay to attacks on Iran’s power plants for five days amid his claims of talks.

Despite Trump’s comments, US Central Command says US forces “continue to aggressively strike” targets in Iran, as Iranian missiles and drones continued to target Gulf countries – including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait – overnight.

Israeli warplanes bombed Beirut’s southern neighborhood as the Lebanese Health Ministry said the death toll from Israel’s attacks on the country had reached 1,039 people, with 2,786 people injured, since March 23.

[Aljazeera]

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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western, North-central provinces and in Mannar and Vavuniya districts

Published

3 hours ago

2026/03/24

Priyan

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
at 3.30 p.m. on 23 March 2026, valid for 24 March 2026.

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western, North-central
provinces and in Mannar and Vavuniya districts.

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.