Latest News
Chinese ship, Xiang Yang Hong 3’s port call flares India tension
The expected arrival of a Chinese research ship in the Maldives this week has escalated tensions between Beijing, Delhi and Male.
Officially, the vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 is there to “make a port call, for rotation of personnel and replenishment”. In short, an entirely innocuous stop.
But that is not how it is being seen in Delhi. Instead, the ship’s presence is at the very least a diplomatic snub. At worst, some fear, it could be a mission to collect data which could – at a later date – be used by the Chinese military in submarine operations.
China experts, however, have shrugged off their concerns. “The Chinese ships carry out scientific research work in the Indian ocean. Its activities on the high sea are entirely legitimate,” Zhou Bo, a former People’s Liberation Army Senior Colonel, told the BBC. “Sometimes the ships need replenishment – like fuel, food and water. So, they berth in a third country port, which is normal. So, the Indian government shouldn’t make any fuss about it. Indian Ocean is not India’s Ocean,” asserted Mr Zhou, who is now with the Tsinghua university in Beijing.
But this is not the first time that China – which competes for for influence with Delhi in the Indian Ocean amid a long-standing dispute over their Himalayan border – has sent one of its ships sailing close to Indian waters.
Two Chinese naval submarines made a port call to Colombo in 2014 and two Chinese research vessels visited Sri Lanka, close to the tip of southern India, in the past two years, much to the displeasure of India. The arrivals came as China, which has loaned billions of dollars to Colombo, made significant inroads into Sri Lanka.
The research ship, Xiang Yang Hong 3, had in fact originally planned to visit Colombo for replenishment before proceeding to the Maldives. But that has been shelved for now, according to Tharaka Balasuriya, the junior foreign minister of Sri Lanka.
“During this one year we want to develop our technology and expertise so that we can join in these research activities on an equal basis,” he told the BBC.
However, Colombo’s decision to stop the research vessels is being seen as a response to India’s strong objections to such visits by Chinese vessels.
India’s objections however, have made little difference in the Maldives.
The Maldives, which consists of about 1,200 coral islands and atolls in the middle of the Indian Ocean, has long been under India’s sphere of influence. But Mohamed Muizzu, who took over as president in November and is regarded as pro-China, wants to change that.
He campaigned on an ‘India Out’ platform, asking Delhi to withdraw about 80 Indian military personnel based on the island. India says the troops are in the island nation to maintain and operate three reconnaissance and rescue aircraft, donated by Delhi years ago.
The Maldivian government has set an ultimatum to Delhi to withdraw its troops by 15 March, two days before the country’s parliamentary polls. Following talks in Delhi last week, the Maldivian foreign ministry said India had agreed “to replace the military personnel” and that the first batch will leave by 10 March and the rest by the second week of May.
Following talks in Delhi last week, the Maldivian foreign ministry said India had agreed “to replace the military personnel” and that the first batch will leave by 10 March and the rest by the second week of May.
In December, Mr Muizzu’s administration also announced that it would not renew a hydrographic survey agreement with India that was signed by the previous government to map the seabed in the Maldivian territorial waters.
Relations have in fact deteriorated so much that none of the senior leaders of the Maldivian government attended a recent event organised by the Indian High Commission in Male to mark India’s 75th Republic Day.
China, meanwhile, rolled out the red carpet to Mr Muizzu when he went on a five-day state visit to Beijing last month. Since that trip, high-level Chinese officials have visited the Maldives. Mr Muizzu has also announced several Chinese-funded infrastructure projects.
The sudden shift in Male’s position towards China has raised concerns in Delhi, which attaches strategic significance to the island nation.
China, with its rapidly expanding naval forces, would likely also want access to such a strategically important location – something India wants to prevent.
“Of course, the Maldives is very important; it is the southern Oceanic flank of India,” Shyam Saran, a former Indian foreign secretary, told the BBC. “Just like we had serious reservations about what was happening in Sri Lanka, we will have serious reservations about that may happen in the Maldives,” Mr Saran said.
But it is not just Delhi worried about the relationship with Male.
The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and others have been urging Mr Muizzu’s government for a course correction, saying it’s not in the country’s interests to antagonise a giant neighbour like India. Last week the MDP said it was even contemplating moving impeachment proceedings against Mr Muizzu.
As a small island nation, the Maldives depends on India for most of its food, infrastructure building, and technological advancement. Many Maldivians go to India for medical treatment.
“Most people here think that government has taken the hostility against India a bit too far and that it is totally unnecessary,” Aik Ahmed Easa, a lawyer in Male affiliated with the opposition MDP, told the BBC. “The Maldives is a small country. But this is going into a dangerous phase where we are getting into the middle of the Asian superpower rivalry,” he said.
The Maldivian President’s office and the foreign minister did not respond to requests for comment.
China has greater strategic ambitions and it’s likely to send more ships to the Indian Ocean region for oceanographic research or to protect its commercial interests, experts say. For India, the challenge will be how to counter Beijing’s growing assertive influence in an area that Delhi perceives as its backyard.
Mr Zhou says Chinese aircraft carriers and their support vessels will eventually reach the Indian Ocean. If India disrupts restocking supplies for these ships in a third country – like Sri Lanka – then Beijing will be “furious”, he says.
(BBC)
Latest News
IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians survive Nair storm, snap Delhi Capital’s winning run in a thriller
Mumbai Indians snapped back to form with a thrilling 12-run win defending 205 against Delhi Capitals. Karun Nair’s 40-ball 89 had threatened to take the game away from MI after Tilak Varma’s 59 had headlined their innings. But the bowlers pulled things back dramatically in the second half of the defence to pocket a memorable win and clip the Capitals’ four-game winning start to IPL 2025
Where was the game won?
MI managed to keep their nerve even after the blistering assault upfront from Karun Nair. Through the second half of the innings, they kept striking in every over bar two to drag the game back in their favour. MI got the ball changed after the 13th over and it helped their two key architects of the win – Karn Sharma and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner, who picked four of the five wickets when Delhi collapsed from 119/1 to 160/6. They capped off that good work by three run outs in the penultimate over.
MUMBAI INDIANS
Powerplay – MI show intent but DC keep them in check
Phase Score – 59/1 (RR: 9.83; 4s/6s: 7/3)
A score of 59 was the result of a couple of big overs inside the PowerPlay for Mumbai Indians. Mitchell Starc, searching for swing, erred on the fuller lengths and was hit away for 30 runs in his first couple of overs by Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma. The former was adept at covering for the swing and launched a couple of eye-catching shots – a flick and a cover drive – to get going. Sharma, meanwhile, hit Starc through the offside and even attempted a lap which was a top-edge that went for a six. Mukesh Kumar, in comparison, was more difficult to put away from the hard lengths for MI and conceded 27 in his three overs in the PowerPlay. Additionally, legspinner Vipraj Nigam struck gold, getting Rohit Sharma LBW in his first over which went for just two. But Suryakumar Yadav, coming in at No 3 for this game, announced his intentions with a six off the first ball he faced complementing the aggressive Rickelton.
Middle overs – Tilak, Suryakumar keep MI going
Phase Score – 87/3 (RR:9.66; 4s/6s: 8/5)
Delhi threatened to come back into the game with the spinners coming into play. Kuldeep Yadav got the better of Rickelton with a googly, dismissing him for a 21-ball 45 soon after the PowerPlay was done. With the turn on offer, Delhi had a chance to squeeze MI more. But Tilak, like Suryakumar, got going with a boundary off his first ball. The duo managed to get at least one boundary in every over of their partnership – 60 off 33 balls. While Suryakumar struggled with the momentum initially, getting to 29 off 24 at one stage, he managed to up his strike-rate with a six and four off Nigam to get into the forties. But just as he was getting into the groove, Kuldeep Yadav hit back for Delhi getting Suryakumar caught at long off. Delhi had it even better when Nigam got Hardik Pandya similarly in the following over even as Tilak kept going strong at one end.
Death overs – Naman Dhir provides the finishing touches
Phase Score – 59/1 (RR: 11.8; 4s/6s: 6/2)
Kuldeep finished with exceptional figures of 4-0-23-2 and started the last five overs with a tight one giving away only eight. But Tilak got to his fifty – his eighth in the IPL – off just 26 balls and looked set to shift gears. However, it was his partner Naman Dhir that proved to be the biggest thorn in Delhi’s flesh. In a 62-run stand with Tilak, Naman Dhir was the aggressor hitting a 17-ball 38 that took MI past the 200-run mark. The young batter used the angles well, picking up useful boundaries with the lap shot as well to provide MI a good finish.
DELHI CAPITALS
Powerplay – Karun Nair makes a stunning appearance
Phase Score – 72/1 (RR: 12; 4s/6s: 10/2)
Playing the match as an Impact Sub after Faf du Plessis’ injury, Karun Nair, who had not played an IPL game since 2022, was required to come in just after the first ball of the innings. Jake Fraser-McGurk had chipped the first ball from Deepak Chahar straight to cover and Nair had to dig out a big inswinging yorker from Chahar first-up. He dealt with that and then proceeded to unleash a stunning attack on Mumbai’s No. 1 bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Nair got to a 22-ball fifty hitting eight fours and two sixes. 26 off his first 50 runs had come off just Bumrah whom he toyed with on both sides of the pitch. He started off getting three fours off Trent Boult, but the assault on Bumrah turned the PowerPlay on its head and left MI scampering.
Middle Overs – Nair explodes but MI’s spinners hit back
Phase Score: 86/4 (RR: 9.55; 4s/6s: 8/4)
Abhishek Porel provided an ideal foil, but he was only second-fiddle to Nair who found answers in boundaries to every question posed by Mumbai Indians. Against the spinners who came into play in the middle overs, Nair brought out a variety of sweeps to keep the momentum going in the chase. The 119-run stand for the second wicket appeared to have turned the game decisively in DC’s favour. They had notched up half of the target in half the overs with plenty of wickets in hand still. But Karn Sharma, MI’s Impact Sub, brought an end to it when he had Porel caught in the deep going for a second consecutive six. Inbetween, Nair continued to keep the heat on, hitting Karn for back-to-back boundaries and picking one of Mitchell Santner in the following over. However, against the run of play, Santner got one to turn big and past Nair’s bat ending a sensational 40-ball 89. Axar Patel got going with a couple of boundaries but he got a leading edge off Bumrah to give MI their third wicket in as many overs. It turned out to be four in four as Sharma got Stubbs to get a top-edge in the following over. Despite the clump of wickets, DC were still in the chase needing 47 from the last five overs with the in-form KL Rahul still in the middle.
Death Overs – Hat-trick of run-outs seal thriller
Phase Score: 35/5 (RR 8.75, 4s/6s: 3/1)
Karn Sharma had an outing to remember finishing with 4-0-36-3 with the last of those wickets being the big one of Rahul in the 16th over. Rahul top-edged a slog-sweep offering a simple return catch to Karn, who had now turned the game back on its head, leaving a tight chase for DC’s finishers against MI’s experienced attack. Trent Boult backed this up with six yorkers in the 17th over giving away only three runs leaving DC needing 39 off 18. DC managed 16 off the next over with Vipraj Nigam striking Santner for a six first ball. But the spinner hit back, getting the batter stumped to keep DC in check. The penultimate over bowled by Bumrah started off on a good note with Ashutosh Sharma squeezing two boundaries off Bumrah. But in a desperate attempt to keep strike, Ashutosh was run out going for the second run. Similar desperation for a second saw Kuldeep Yadav too run out off the next ball. MI capped this off with Santner’s glorious pick-up and throw from mid wicket off the final ball to have three run outs in as many balls and clinch MI a come-from-behind win.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indians 205/5 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 59, Ryan Rickelton 41, Rohit Sharma 18, Suryakumar Yadav 40, Naman Dhir 38*; Mukesh Kumar 1-38, Vipraj Nigam 2-41, Kuldeep Yadav 2-23) beat Delhi Capitals 193 in 19 overs (Abhishek Porel 33, Karun Nair 89, KL Rahul 15, Ashutosh Sharma 17, Vipraj Nigam 14; Deepak Chahar 1-24, Jasprit Bumrah 1-44, Mitchell Santner 2-43, Karn Sharma 3-36) by 12 runs
What next?
Mumbai Indians have a three-day gap after this game before they host the imperious Sunrisers Hyderabad while Delhi Capitals host Rajasthan Royals a day earlier on April 16.
Phil Salt led the way with a blistering 65 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru chased down Rajasthan Royals’ 173 with nine wickets and 15 balls to spare in the season’s first game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. The win, RCB’s fourth on the bounce away from home, pushed them back up into the playoffs positions.
Where was the game won?
In the two PowerPlays. The pitch appeared to play a touch slower in the first innings, as toss-winning captain Rajat Patidar might have hoped for, but the Royals opening pair of Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal were not allowed to get going. In contrast, Salt effectively sealed the game with his onslaught in the first six overs, after which the chase was but a procession.
| Parameter | RR | RCB |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 45/0 | 65/0 |
| Run Rate | 7.5 | 10.83 |
| 4s/6s | 6/1 | 6/4 |
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
PowerPlay: An arm-wrestle of a start
Phase Score: 45/0 (RR: 7.5; 4s/6s: 6/1)
RCB did well to keep one of this season’s fastest-scoring PowerPlay sides to just 45 runs, even though they couldn’t break through with a wicket. The pitch played slow and wasn’t easy to hit through the line early on, and RCB’s seamers hit good lengths consistently to make strokeplay difficult. They also showed tactical flexibility-using a short third man as a fly slip and a short extra cover for Sanju Samson. Yashasvi Jaiswal was the more fluent of the two openers, using his feet well and struck six of the seven boundaries RR managed in the phase. Samson, in contrast, found it harder to get going, managing just 13 off 16 balls.
Middle Overs: Jaiswal holds firm at one end
Phase Score: 69/2 (RR: 7.67; 4s/6s: 7/1)
Krunal Pandya was brought on right after the PowerPlay and immediately struck, stumping the struggling Sanju Samson. RCB leaned on their spinners in the early part of this phase, and Suyash Sharma should’ve had a wicket too-but Yash Dayal shelled a regulation chance at backward point off Riyan Parag, in an over that leaked 12. It summed up a forgettable fielding display from RCB, marked by seven misfields and two dropped catches.
Jaiswal and Parag steadied the innings with a 56-run stand, but just as the pair looked set to accelerate, Dayal returned and broke through-deceiving Parag with a slower ball that he chipped straight to extra cover. By then, Jaiswal had moved to his third half-century at this venue, off 35 balls. Krunal, meanwhile, quietly delivered a crucial spell, finishing with 4-0-29-1.
Death Overs: Late flourish takes RR to a competitive score
Phase Score: 59/2 (RR: 11.80; 4s/6s: 5/3)
Jaiswal looked set for a blazing finish when he took on Hazlewood in the 16th over, striking a six and a four. But the Australian hit back, trapping him LBW for a well-made 75 off 48. RCB then missed another opportunity in Suyash Sharma’s final over-this time Virat Kohli spilling a sitter at long-off to reprieve Dhruv Jurel. That drop proved costly. Jurel capitalised, hitting a pair of fours and sixes in an unbeaten 23-ball 35 that helped RR push past the 170 mark. It was still the second-lowest total for a team losing just four wickets since the inception of the Impact Player rule.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU
PowerPlay: Salt into RR’s wounds
Phase Score: 65/0 (RR: 10.83; 4s/6s: 6/4)
The drop-catching bug carried into the second innings, and Phil Salt made the Royals pay, blasting 46 of the 65 PowerPlay runs with four sixes and as many fours. He was let off on 40 by Yashasvi Jaiswal, shortly after Riyan Parag put down a high catch that denied Sandeep Sharma a record-equalling eighth dismissal of Virat Kohli in the IPL.
The Royals’ bowlers, especially Jofra Archer, found appreciable swing early on, but by the end of the phase, they were at the mercy of Salt’s clean hitting and bat swing.
Middle Overs: Kohli scores 100th T20 50
Phase Score: 81/1 (RR: 9.00; 4s/6s: 5/4)
Salt showed no signs of slowing down against spin, even with the field spread. He made room and drilled Wanindu Hasaranga through extra cover to bring up a 28-ball half-century, then followed it up with a six each off Hasaranga and Kumar Kartikeya. His blistering 33-ball 65, featuring six sixes, ended when he holed out to Kartikeya, but not before a 92-run opening stand had all but sealed the game.
Kohli, who had played second fiddle during the assault, shifted gears seamlessly. From 30 off 28, he scored 20 off his next 11 balls, including a pristine straight six stepping down to his former teammate Hasaranga. His third half-century of the season also marked his 100th 50 in T20s, a milestone only David Warner has reached before.
Death Overs: Padikkal helps seal dominant win
Phase Score: 29/0 (RR: 12.61; 4s/6s: 3/1)
Devdutt Padikkal carried on his strong start to the tournament, finishing unbeaten on a brisk 40 off 28 balls as RCB chased down the target with 15 balls to spare.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 173/5 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 75, Dhruv Jurel 35*, Sanju Samson 15, Riyan Parag 30; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1-32, Yash Dayal 1-36, Josh Hazelwood 1-26, Krunal Pandya 1-29) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 175/1 in 17.3 overs (Phil Salt 65, Virat Kohli 62*, Devdutt Padikkal 40*; Kumar Kartikeya 1-25) by 9 wickets.
What’s next for the teams?
Rajasthan Royals are on the road again and will face LSG at the Ekana Stadium on April 16. RCB have a slightly longer break in the middle of their hectic schedule. They will face the big-hitting PBKS hoping to register their first home win on April 18.
Latest News
Sun directly overhead Delft, Pooneryn, Elephant pass and Chundikulam at about 12:10 noon today (14th)
On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka during 05th to 14th of April in this year.
The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (14th) are Delft, Pooneryn, Elephant pass and Chundikulam at about 12:10 noon.
IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians survive Nair storm, snap Delhi Capital’s winning run in a thriller
IPL 2025: Salt, Kohli power Royal Challengers Bengaluru to fourth straight away win
Sun directly overhead Delft, Pooneryn, Elephant pass and Chundikulam at about 12:10 noon today (14th)
-
News2 days agoSuspect injured in police shooting hospitalised
-
Features3 days agoRobbers and Wreckers
-
Features5 days agoSri Lanka’s Foreign Policy amid Geopolitical Transformations: 1990-2024 – Part III
-
Midweek Review5 days agoInequality is killing the Middle Class
-
Features7 days agoSri Lanka’s Foreign Policy amid Geopolitical Transformations: 1990-2024 – Part I
-
Business2 days agoSanjiv Hulugalle appointed CEO and General Manager of Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams Sri Lanka
-
Features6 days agoA brighter future …
-
Business4 days agoNational Anti-Corruption Action Plan launched with focus on economic recovery