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IPL 2025: Madhwal leads bowlers’ show as Rajasthan Royals end the season by beating Chennai Super Kings
Despite losing eight matches chasing out of nine, Rajasthan Royals (RR) decided to chase one last time and came out victors with 17 balls to spare. Unlike earlier games, though, their bowlers did well against fellow laggards Chennai Super Kings (CSK), leaving them just 188 to chase on a good batting pitch.Akash Madhwal reversed the ball to restrict CSK in the end to just 17 runs off the last three overs, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi then aced the chase with a measured 57 off 33 deliveries.
Ravichandran Ashwin took two wickets in the 14th over to remind observers of RR’s poor chasing record, but it proved to be nothing more than a stutter. Dhruv Jurel made sure it never got close with a sparkling 31 from 12 balls. The unbeaten batters at the wicket were Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer who have been in the middle in some of the past fluffed chases.
As a result of the win, RR were momentarily off the bottom of the table, but their season was done. CSK were left needing a big win in their last match to avoid finishing at the bottom for the first time in their history.
The start of the game was action-packed, but not easily explained. CSK lost five wickets in 7.4 overs to length balls that didn’t swing or seam. They were not off-pace deliveries either. Of these, one was not even an attacking shot. It was just one of those days when the risks were not coming off, and Yudhvir Singh ended with a haul of three wickets.
For a while in between, the risks did come off for a 56-run stand between Ayush Mhatre and the new No. 4 Ravichandran Ashwin. Mhatre scored 43 off 20 balls, mostly just clearing the infield for eight fours and one six. This meant CSK were going at over 10 runs an over even though they lost five early wickets.
The second half of CSK’s season has been all about identifying a core for the next IPL. Two triumphs in that regard have been their replacement batters, Mhatre and Dewald Brevis. Both shone in Delhi. Brevis scored 42 off 25 deliveries as he and Shivam Dube added 59 runs for the sixth wicket.
In three of their five tight losses, RR have had to contend with the reversing ball. This time, though, they got the ball reversing themselves. Madhwal, who started bowling as late as the 12th over and went for ten runs in his first two balls, quickly realised that the ball was ready for reverse swing, and started going for the yorker.
In his four overs, Madhwal nailed at least eight of them to go with plenty of low full tosses that were difficult to get away. The one that got Brevis off the inside edge was a half volley, but it did tail away, thus causing the mis-hit.
Dube, meanwhile, took care of the spin threat that was reserved for MS Dhoni, thus maintaining the run rate of 10 till the 17th over. But Madhwal and Tushar Deshpande were excellent in the last three overs. For once the RR batters were not going to have to chase an above-par total.
The target this time was exactly what RR scored to tie the game against Delhi Capitals at the same venue, but this was a better batting pitch. For the 13th time in the IPL, Yashasvi Jaiswal hit the first legal delivery of the innings for a boundary – a record. This one, though, came off the glove in an over that he hardly middled the ball. By the time he started his second over, though, Khaleel Ahmed had lost the movement, and Jaiswal raced away to 36 off 19 balls.
This time, Suryavanshi and Sanju Samson had the opportunity too get a sighter or two thanks to their bowlers and the quick start provided by Jaiswal. It didn’t take Suryavanshi long, though. He hit six, four and four in Noor Ahmad’s first over, and took sixes in Ravindra Jadeja’s first.
The one spinner that Suryavanshi couldn’t hit was negotiated by Samson. He hit a six in each of former team-mate Ashwin’s overs to make sure RR stayed ahead of the asking rate.
By the time Ashwin gave CSK a glimmer of hope, getting the better of former captain Samson and Suryavanshi in the 14th over, the ask had already come down to 50 runs. Suryavanshi had again dazzled the observers, this time with his measured approach to go with his hitting prowess.
Jurel, though, didn’t let CSK consolidate their gains. He hit Jadeja for a six and a four, Noor for a four, and then Ashwin for a six. In perfect symmetry, it was an 18-run Ashwin over that ended CSK’s brief comeback.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 188 for 4 in 17.1 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 57, Sanju Samson 41, Yashasvi Jaiswal 36, Dhruv Jurel 31*, Shimron Hetmyer 12*; Anshul Kamboj 1-21, Raviichandran Ashwin 2-41, Noor Ahmad 1-42) beat Chennai Super Kings 187 for 8 in 20 overs (Ayush Mhatre 43, Devon Conway 10, Ravichandran Ashwin 13, Dewald Brevis 42, Shivam Dube 39, MS Dhoni 16; Tushar Dushpande 1-33, Akash Madhwal 3-29, Yudhvir Singh 3-47, Wanidu Hasaranga 1-37) by six wickets
[Cricinfo]
The leaders of Israel and Lebanon have agreed a 10-day ceasefire, US President Donald Trump has said, starting from 17:00 EST (21:00 GMT; midnight local time) on Thursday.
For the past six weeks, Israel and Hezbollah – an Iran-backed armed group – have been fighting in southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Israel’s participation in the truce, but said troops would maintain a 10km-deep (6.2 mile) “security zone” in the country’s south, adding: “We are there, and we are not leaving.”
Hezbollah appeared willing to participate in the ceasefire, but said it must include “a comprehensive halt to attacks” across Lebanon and “no freedom of movement for Israeli forces”.
Iran’s foreign ministry also welcomed the ceasefire. Tehran had insisted that its own two-week ceasefire with the US should include Lebanon while the US and Israel said it did not.
The US and Iran have been discussing a second round of peace talks in Pakistan and, speaking to reporters in Washington, Trump said the US and Iran had already agreed on a lot, including that Tehran would not have nuclear weapons “beyond 20 years” – but warned that “if there is no deal, fighting resumes”.
The latest war between Israel and Hezbollah began on 2 March, two days after the US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, with Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel.
The armed group – which is also a political movement in Lebanon – said it was retaliating for the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
More than 2,000 people in Lebanon have since been killed, with more than a million – or roughly a fifth of the population – displaced. An estimated 37,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged. Israel says Hezbollah attacks have killed two civilians in Israel, and that 13 Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in Lebanon.
Israel and Lebanon held rare direct talks in Washington this week aimed at easing the war, which has seen deadly air strikes on parts of the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Israel is not in conflict with Lebanon’s armed forces.
Trump told reporters on Thursday that he thought Lebanon would “take care” of Hezbollah (BBC)Latest News
Heat Index at Caution Level in the Northern, North-central, North-western, Western, Sabaragamuwa, Eastern and Southern provinces and in Monaragala district
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 3.30 p.m. on 16 April 2026, valid for 17 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.
Three Sri Lankan leopard cubs that were born at the Singapore Zoo on Jan 1 have now made their public debut at the facility.
The two males and one female, born to mother Yala and father Asanka, are the first of their species yo be born at the Singapore Zoo. The last successful birth in Singapore was recorded at the Night Safari three decades ago.
The triplets, which are the pair’s first litter, are among around 80 Sri Lankan leopards in zoos worldwide.
The species is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with fewer than 800 individuals estimated to remain in the wild.
Visitors can now see the triplets at the Wild Africa exhibit, said the Mandai Wildlife Group in a statement on April 16.
The cubs can be found in the exhibit with their mother daily until mid-May and, subsequently, every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Yala with her cubs in their nest box, a month after their birth on Jan 1. (Straits Times)
A leopard cub investigating a piece of meat suspended from a tree – one of the several enrichment items in the Wild Africa exhibit designed to keep the cats mentally and physically stimulated. (Straits Times)
Mandai Wildlife Group curator Anand Kumar said it took nearly three years and close collaboration across continents to bring together a compatible pair of Sri Lankan leopards.
(Straits Times)
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/singapore-zoos-first-sri-lankan-leopard-cubs-make-their-public-debut?ref=top-stories
Showers expected in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and Uva provinces and in Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya districts after 1.00 pm
Israel and Lebanon agree 10-day ceasefire, Trump says
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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