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Abhishek, Markram lead Sunrisers Hyderabad to their second win of the season

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Abhishek Sharma smashed 37 off 12 (IPL)

A fine bowling performance in the death overs followed by Abhishek Sharma’s early blitz and Aiden Markram’s half-century helped Sunrisers Hyderaba  (SRH) to a six-wicket win. They chased down the 166-run target against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with 11 balls to spare at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal. With this win they have moved to the fifth spot on the points table.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra made a steady start to CSK innings, managing 25 runs off the first three overs without taking many risks. There was a possibility of running Ravindra out on 11 when he attempted a quick single, but Aiden Markram missed the stumps with his direct attempt. However, that didn’t prove too costly as the southpaw was eventually dismissed in the next over, top-edging a length delivery angling away to Markram at mid on. A couple of balls later, Bhuvneshwar could have even accounted for Rahane’s dismissal when the batter got a leading edge that nearly carried back to the bowler. Nonetheless, Gaikwad went on the offensive against Bhuvneshwar and Pat Cummins later in the powerplay to help the side to 48 for 1.

In possibly what was the brightest period of play for CSK on the day, Shivam Dube and Ajinkya Rahane put on a 65-run stand in only 39 balls. Gaikwad, after getting a good start, holed out to the long fielder in the eight over, leaving the Mumbai duo to do the work through the middle overs. Dube took the mantle of the aggressor and got going by taking Mayank Markande down in a 15-run ninth over. And then three overs later, he smashed back-to-back deliveries off T Natarajan for sixes over the deep mid wicket region. He eventually fell mistiming a pull off a slower delivery from Cummins to backward point. Nonetheless, his 24-ball 45 gave the pace CSK needed to their innings going into the death overs.

Rahane, who played a fine second fiddle in the partners, also departed in the next over, undone by Jaydev Unadkat’s slower delivery.

Taking advantage of the track that was holding up a bit, SRH pacers employed the length-delivery tactic. Following the dismissal of the set pair of Dube and Rahane in quick succession, the incoming batters struggled to come to terms with the pace of the pitch while they attempted to accelerate, especially Ravindra Jadeja who clawed his way to an unbeaten 23-ball 31. There wasn’t much support from Daryl Mitchell (11-ball 13) and MS Dhoni (2-ball 1*) either as CSK managed to add only 51 runs in the last seven overs and were restricted to 165 for 5.

Even before CSK could possibly make the chase trickier, SRH blunted the challenge with Abhishek Sharma taking down the CSK pacers in the powerplay. It was the second over when the southpaw turned the contest one-way, smashing three sixes and two boundaries off Mukesh Choudhary. He then went after Chahar and smashed him for a boundary and a six. Even though the pacer eventually had him dismissed, the 12-ball 37 by Abhishek had set the chase rolling.

Before that, the assault was started by Travis Head though, who uppercut Deepak Chahar for a six in the first over. The pacer could have had the opener dismissed off the second ball of the innings but Moeen Ali put down a catch at first slip. He slowed down briefly after Abhishek’s dismissal, but in the last over of the powerplay, along with Aiden Markram, cracked 12 runs to help SRH to 78 for 1 even before the field restrictions could be lifted.

With nearly half the target chased down by the end of the powerplay, SRH didn’t need to resort to riskier methods. On the contrary, CSK kept changing their options, utilising as many as seven options in order to find some success. While the spinners managed to slow the scoring rate, they couldn’t pull the game back in the visitors’ favour. Maheesh Theekshana struck in the 10th over when Head swept a ball straight to the backward square leg fielder, but Markram ensured there wasn’t any panic. He worked the ball around gaps, was active to pick the twos and even went down the ground against Jadeja once and stroked him for a six. He brought up his half century off 35 balls by bunting a Moeen Ali delivery down to long on for a single and soon after fell while attempting to reverse sweep the office and getting struck on the pads.

For a brief period though after Markram’s dismissal, SRH batters did come under a bit of pressure, especially Shahbaz Ahmed, who was promoted to number 4. A string of dot deliveries forced him to go for the big shots. He did hit a six but much like Markram, was trapped legebfeore by Moeen while attempting to reverse sweep.

Nonetheless, Heinrich Klaasen ensured there was no panic and guided SRH to their second win of the season

Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings
165/5 in 20 overs (Rutraj Gaikwad 26, Shivam Dube 45, Ajinkya Rahane 35, Ravindra Jadeja 31*; Shahbaz Ahmed 1-11, Bhuveneshwar Kumar 1-28, T Natarajan 1-39, Pat Cummins 1-29, Jaydev Unadkat 1-29) lost to  Sunrisers Hyderabad 166/4 in 18.1 overs (Travis Head 31, Aiden Markram 50, Abhishek Sharma 37; Deepak Chahar 1-32, Maheesh Theekshana 1-27,  Moeen Ali 2-23) by 6 wickets



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Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district.

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Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
at 3.30 p.m. on 20 April 2026, valid for 21 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.

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.

 

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Dasun Shanaka handed one-year PSL ban

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Shanaka withdrew from PSL on March 21 this year and was signed a day later by the Rajasthan Royals [Cricbuzz]
Dasun Shanaka has received a one-year ban from participating in the Pakistan Super League [PSL] following a review of his contract breach with the league and the Lahore Qalandars franchise, which had signed the Sri Lanka all-rounder for PKR 75 lakh to feature in the ongoing PSL 2026 season.

Shanaka, 34, withdrew from the tournament on March 21 this year and was signed a day later by the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League as a replacement player for Sam Curran.

“The review concluded that the player’s unilateral withdrawal from the tournament constituted a clear breach of both the Player Registration terms and the Tripartite Agreement. The findings indicated that the withdrawal was made on grounds not recognized within the existing contractual framework,” a PCB review stated. “While the Board has taken note of the player’s expressions of regret and his stated passion for playing in Pakistan during the formal hearing, the severity of the contractual violations necessitates regulatory action to maintain the integrity and exclusivity of the League.”

Shanaka, who captained Sri Lanka in the recent T20 World Cup, expressed regret for his actions in the same media release. “I deeply regret my decision to withdraw from the HBL PSL and offer my sincere apologies to the people of Pakistan, the fans of HBL PSL, and the wider cricket community,” the release quoted him as saying.

“The HBL PSL is a prestigious tournament, and I fully understand the disappointment caused by my actions. To the loyal fans of Lahore Qalandars, I am truly sorry for letting you down. I must clarify that at the time I withdrew from the HBL PSL I had no intention of joining any other tournament. I have the greatest respect for Pakistani Fans and have always enjoyed my time in Pakistan. I hope to return to the HBL PSL in the future with renewed dedication and the trust of the fans.”

With the PSL operating in the same window as the IPL over the last couple of seasons, there has been a spike in the number of players defecting to the cash-rich Indian league when an opportunity has presented itself. Last year, Corbin Bosch spurned a Peshawar Zalmi gig to join the Mumbai Indians. This year, Blessing Muzarabani and Spencer Johnson also jumped ship from the PSL to the IPL, with the former receiving a two year ban from featuring in the PSL.

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Nahid, Tanzid help Bangladesh level New Zealand series

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Nahid Rana ran through the New Zealand top order [BCB]

Nahid Rana’s five-wicket haul followed by Tanzid Hasan’s  fiery half-century got Bangladesh a six-wicket win against New Zealand. The home side leveled the ODI series, setting up the decider in Chattogram on Thursday.

It was a much-needed contribution from the Bangladesh batters, who were criticised for losing the first game by 26 runs. This time, the bowlers blew a hole through New Zealand’s top and middle orders, with Rana taking 5 for 32, his second five-for in ODIs, before the batters got them home in 35.3 overs.

Bangladesh’s chase, however, began with uncertainty once again. Nathan Smith burst through Saif Hassan with an excellent inswinger in the first over. Soumya Sarkar, drafted into the playing XI to replace Afif Hossain, fell after making eight runs. He struck Will O’Rourke for a six but New Zealand captain Tom Latham kept the three slips as he urged O’Rourke to keep bowling bouncers.

Soumya fell into the trap, when his attempted glide with a vertical bat, only reached Dean Foxcroft at third slip. Tanzid retaliated almost immediately, hitting Smith for two sixes in the fifth over. The first was over long-on, the next over midwicket with a lovely flick.

Tanzid reached his fifty with his third six, slog sweeping Foxcroft over midwicket in the 15th over. He took just 33 balls to reach his sixth half-century in ODIs.

Najimul Hossain Shanto,  who made a golden duck in the first game, was more of his dominant self, complementing Tanzid’s efforts in their third-wicket partnership. Shanto struck Foxcroft’s half-tracker for six in the 17th over, before launching Jayden Lennox over long-off for a similar result.

Tanzid was racing towards a big score, hammering Lennox for his fourth six in the 23rd over. But the left-arm spinner had the last laugh the very next ball as Tanzid top-edged a hoick across the line for Henry Nicholls to take a steepling catch tracking back at cover. It ended a 120-run third wicket stand.

Litton Das, playing his 100th ODI, couldn’t add much to the total, when Lennox had him caught off a slog in his next over. Shanto hobbled off the field after completing his fifty due to cramps.

Towhid Hridoy and Mehidy Hasan Miraz added 32 to complete the chase. Hridoy made an unbeaten 30 off 31 balls with five fours, while Mehidy struck the winning run in the 36th over.

Rana had earlier dominated the New Zealand batting line-up whenever captain Mehidy handed him the ball. He took the first two wickets: Henry Nicholls, New Zealand’s top scorer from the first game, trapped lbw, before a 146kph bouncer got Will Young. Rana got the ball to rear into the No 3 batter, who could only guide it to gully where Soumya took an easy catch.

Nick Kelly found Muhammad Abbas as a willing ally, as the pair rebuild the New Zealand innings in the middle overs. Abbas broke the boundary drought of 33 balls, when he edged Soumya to deep third in the 20th over. Kelly struck another bookended the over with another four before driving Mehidy Hasan Miraz through cover in the following over.

Kelly then laid into Taskin Ahmed, driving him down the ground and clipping him over midwicket among his three fours in the 25th over. Kelly soon reached his fifty in the 27th over, before Rana, brought back into the attack, removed Abbas. Wicketkeeper Litton ran quite a distance towards fine-leg, where he dived to complete a brilliant catch. Litton had earlier taken a fine tumbling catch to remove Tom Latham, the New Zealand captain, off Soumya’s bowling

Kelly started to apply himself as a more aggressive batter. He moved a lot around the crease, even getting hit on his visor when he tried to hook Shoriful Islam’s length ball in the 35th over. He fell to the same bowler in his next over, caught at midwicket for 83.

Bangladesh’s fielders contributed to their good showing. Towhid Hridoy took three catches including a superb effort at long-on to end the New Zealand innings.

Rana added two more to his kitty in the death overs, removing Dean Foxcroft for 15, before yorking Jayden Lennox for a duck. Rana’s five wickets apart, Shoriful Islam took two wickets while Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and Soumya took a wicket each.

Brief scores:
Bangladesh 199 for 4 in 35.3 overs (Tanzid Hasan 76, Najmul Hossain Shanto 50 retd, Towhid Hridoy 30*; Jayden Lennox 2-36) beat New Zealand 198 in 48.4 overs (Nick Kelly 83;  Nahid Rana 5-32,  Shoriful Islam 2-32) by six wickets

[Cricinfo]

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