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IPL 2025: Brevis, Mhatre, Urvil help Chennai Super Kings sign off gloomy season on bright note

Published

12 months ago

2025/05/26

Priyan

Ayush Mhatre played a belligerent little innings [BCCI]

Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre and Urvil Patel were not even part of Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) squad at the start of IPL 2025. Picked as mid-season replacements, the trio played bright knocks in CSK’s final game of the season, offering hope that the future could be just as bright.

After the 17-year-old Mhatre and local boy Urvil set the platform with blazing 30s, Brevis cracked a 19-ball half-century on a hot afternoon in Ahmedabad. The upshot was CSK finishing with 230 for 5, their highest total in IPL 2025, and signing off with a win.

Chasing a steep target, Gujarat Titans lost three wickets in the powerplay for the first time this season, which exposed their soft underbelly. CSK cut through it to hand them an 83-run drubbing. Sunday’s defeat now leaves GT vulnerable to being overtaken by two of the other three teams in the playoffs.

Mhatre, CSK’s youngest player ever, is an intent machine. When Mohammed Siraj bowled a blameless back-of-a-length delivery on top of the stumps in the first over, he pumped him straight of mid-on for four.

In the next over, he clattered left-arm seamer Arshad Khan for a sequence of 6, 6, 4, 4, 6. By the end of that over, Mhatre had charged to 33 off 12 balls. Prasidh Krishna, however, cut Mhatre’s innings short on 34 off 17 balls in the fourth over with a slower variation.

CSK were not short of attacking enterprise, though. Urvil got cracking with an M Vijay-esque six off Siraj and, along with Devon Conway, took CSK to 68 for 1, their joint-highest powerplay score this season.

Having come into the IPL with the reputation of being a pace-hitter in domestic cricket, Urvil took on the spin of R Sai Kishore and Rashid Khan as well. He moved to 37 off 19 balls before Sai Kishore changed his angle to over the wicket and drew a mis-hit.

Conway, becalmed in the early exchanges, exploded when he carted Rashid for two sixes before the wristspinner had him bowled for 52 off 35 balls in the 14th over. By then, Shivam Dube had already been dismissed by the part-time offspin of M Shahrukh Khan.

Brevis started in fifth gear when he drilled Shahrukh down the ground for four and stayed in that top gear. In all, he faced 23 balls and sent nine of those to or over the boundary with a rare mix of explosive power and T20 invention, which CSK were lacking earlier in the season.

When Rashid tossed one up wide of off, Brevis used his reach and tonked the ball over his head for six. He then left jaws on the floor when he reverse-lapped Arshad for four, damaging his figures even further. In the penultimate over of the innings, he crashed Siraj for two sixes and a four on his way to a 19-ball fifty. By the time he was dismissed off the last ball of the innings, CSK had touched 230.

Brevis finished the season with 225 runs in six innings at an average of 37.50 and a strike rate of 180.00.

In 12 of 13 matches before Sunday, GT had lost either one or no wicket in the powerplay. Against CSK in Ahmedabad, they lost all of Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler and Sherfane Rutherford in the first five overs. GT’s middle order then crumbled under scoreboard pressure. When Shahrukh and B Sai Sudharsan fell in the 11th over, GT were 86 for 5.

Gill had thrown the first punch at Anshul Kamboj when he charged at the bowler and crunched him over his head for six. Kamboj, though, hit back the next ball when he dragged his length back and had an advancing Gill nicking off to slip for 13 off nine balls. In the next over, Buttler charged at Khaleel Ahmed only to be caught in the deep by Kamboj. When Kamboj hit a hard length and had Rutherford flapping a catch to mid-on, GT were 30 for 3.

Shahrukh and Sai Sudharsan flickered briefly in a 55-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but the powerplay damage was irreparable.

Had CSK limited GT to 121 or fewer, they could have avoided the wooden spoon. But it was not to be. A difficult season, however, ended on a happy note for CSK, with MS Dhoni taking the winning catch and celebrating with his team-mates.

Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 230 for 5 in 20 overs (Ayush Mhatre 34, Dewald Brevis 57, Devon Conway 52, Urvil Patel 37, Shivam Dube 17, Ravindra Jadeja 21*; Prasidh Krishna 2-22, Sai Kishore 1-23, Rashid Khan 1-42, M Shahrukh Khan 1-13) beat Gujarat Titans 147 in 18.3 overs (Sai Sudharsan 41, Shubman Gill 13, M Shahrukh Khan 19, Rahul Tewatia 14, Rashid Khan 12, Arshad Khan 20; Ravindra Jadeja 2-17, Khaleel Ahmed 1-17, Anshul Kamboj 3-13, Noor Ahmad 3-21, Matheesha Pathirana 1-29) by 83 runs

[Cricinfo]

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Flood warning issued to the Aththanagalu Oya basin extended until 0600AM on Monday [25]

Published

6 mins ago

2026/05/23

Priyan

The warning mentioned in the flood warning message No. 01 issued for the Aththanagalu Oya basin on 22.05.2026 at about 5.30 am will be extended for the next 48 hours.

It is requested that residents in the area and vehicle drivers running through those areas pay high attention in this regard by the . Disaster Management Authorities are requested to take adequate precautions in this regard

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About 100 mm rainfall likely at some places in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts

Published

16 mins ago

2026/05/23

Priyan

WEATHER FORECAST FOR 23 MAY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 23 May 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

The South-West monsoon is gradually getting established over the island.

Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and inAnuradhapura, Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts. Heavy showers about 100 mm are likely at some places in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts. Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts after 1.00 pm.

Fairly strong winds about (30-40) kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the central hills, the Northern, North-central, North-western and Southern provinces and in Trincomalee district.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers

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Catholic Council reconvenes after nine years

Published

13 hours ago

2026/05/22

Priyan

A discussion with the Catholic Council was held on Thursday (21) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat under the co-chairmanship of Minister of Science and Technology, Chrishantha Abeysena and Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

Discussions focused on administrative issues relating to Catholic schools taken over by the Government, the formulation of a structured teacher cadre system for Catholic religious education, the need to recruit Catholic nuns and priests into the teaching profession and the establishment of a mechanism to obtain the support of the Ministry of Education for the administration of Government-acquired Catholic schools.

It was also decided that discussions with the Catholic Council would be held three times annually, while Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage would serve as Secretary to the forum.

Expressing appreciation on behalf of the Catholic Council, His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith thanked President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Government for facilitating the discussion.

His Eminence further stated that the expectation was to ensure every student, without discrimination, is given the opportunity to learn his or her own religion and stressed the importance of resolving the prevailing issues within the education sector.

Also present at the occasion were Most Rev. Bishop Harold Anthony Perera, Most Rev. Bishop Christy Noel Emmanuel, Most Rev. Bishop Anton Ranjith, Most Rev. Bishop Wimal Siri Jayasuriya, other clergy representing the Catholic Council, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Nalaka Kaluwewa and senior officials of the Ministry of Education.

(PMD)