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Royals survive vintage Dhoni to go top of the table
The Rajasthan Royals edged home by three runs against the Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday, April 12, thanks to Sandeep Sharma holding his nerve against a rampaging MS Dhoni. This win put the Royals at the top of the points table, due to a higher net run-rate than the Lucknow Super Giants, who are now second.
After the early wicket of Jaiswal, Padikkal, returning to the XI, played some fluent strokes to give the Royals some momentum, before Jos Buttler joined in to take on the spinners, targeting Theekshana in particular, hammering him for 27 in two powerplay overs. After the powerplay, Buttler absolutely decimated his England teammate Moeen Ali, hitting him for three sixes in an over, and the Royals were well and truly on their way to a sizeable total. Moeen Ali wasn’t having the best day, going on to drop a catch, and missing a run-out too.
The inevitable spin strangle had to happen. If not Moeen, it was Jadeja who brought it all to a screeching halt. The experienced spinner picked up Devdutt Padikkal and Sanju Samson in the same over, bringing in his India spin-twin, Ravichandran Ashwin, who was later dropped by Moeen Ali. The spin strangle was certainly working against Ashwin, who struggled to get going, even though he compensated for it by smashing Akash Singh for two sixes, and then holed out to mid-off later in the same over. However, Buttler had survived all of this, and the threat of him going bonkers at the death loomed.
Moeen Ali, smashed into oblivion by Buttler earlier in the day, cut short Buttler’s innings, knocking him over before he could cut loose at the death, and redeeming himself to some extent. Wickets kept falling at the other end, decelerating the scoring rate, but Shimron Hetmyer dealt a few lusty blows to lift the Royals to 175-8.
The early wicket of the in-form Gaikwad had to be a reason to panic, but that’s simply not how CSK does things. Rahane and Conway laid the platform, albeit falling behind on the required rate, motoring along at 7.5 rpo in the powerplay. The pair found it difficult to pile on the pressure, struggling to regularly find the boundary, the required rate eclipsing the current rate at every stage.
It was always going to be CSK’s spinners vs. RR’s spinners. And the trigger was the dismissal of Ajinkya Rahane, who was trapped in front by Ashwin, trying to sweep. Conway was joined by Dube at the crease, and they both looked less than fluent at the crease, as the required rate touched the 10rpo mark in the 12th over. The next three overs, however, saw a dramatic middle-order collapse, thanks to some skilful spin bowling by the Royals, getting rid of Rahane, Dube, Moeen, Rayudu, and Conway, in a collapse that read 5-35. This brought MS Dhoni to the crease, joining Ravindra Jadeja.
CSK needed 63 off 30. The spinners were all over them. CSK’s number 8 had come in to bat in his 200th game as the franchise’s skipper. The experienced duo played out the spinners and got it down to 40 off the final 2 overs.
Jadeja targeted Jason Holder and hammered him for two sixes and a four in a 19-run over, setting it up for a classic MS Dhoni finish in the final over. Sandeep Sharma was pushed into the cage with Dhoni in the final over, with 21 to win, and the pressure certainly got to the seamer, as he dished out two wides. After nailing a yorker, with 19 required off 5, MS Dhoni picked two low full-tosses (attempted yorkers) and despatched them for sixes to bring it down to 7 off 3. It was then that Sharma gathered himself and bowled three inch-perfect yorkers while also changing around his angle and closed out the game, surviving a last-over Dhoni scare. In the process, he got his side to the top of the table, but denied the home crowd a fairy-tale finish on the occasion of MS Dhoni’s 200th game as CSK captain.
The Chennai Super Kings have a 4-day break, as they head to Bangalore to face the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday (April 17), hoping to get into the top four with another W in their account. The Rajasthan Royals will travel to Ahmedabad to face the defending Champions Gujarat Titans on Sunday (April 16), in a bid to continue their winning streak.
Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 175-8 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 52, Devdutt Padikkal 38, Ravindra Jadeja 2-21) beat Chennai Super Kings 172-6 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 50, MS Dhoni 32*, Ravichandran Ashwin 2-25, Yuzvendra Chahal 2-27) by 3 runs
Clashes between football fans and police across France have led to more than 400 arrests following the victory of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League final against Arsenal.
Thousands of officers were deployed to curb unrest that disrupted bus, train and rail services in the capital Paris.
Fireworks and flares were set off, while several police officers were injured in the fray. Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds in the city centre.
There was similar violence when PSG won the same trophy last year, with celebrations turning deadly. This time, the authorities were better prepared with a “very robust, very solid system in place”, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez.
Paris’s iconic Champs-Élysées was swarmed by fans shortly after the French team won in a penalty shootout.
Footage from the city shows flares being set off, electric bikes burning on roads and revellers smashing the glass of at least one shopfront.
Earlier in the day there were clashes between police and supporters who showed up to watch the final on giant screens at PSG’s Parc des Princes.
Police said six vehicles, two businesses and a bus shelter were damaged during the unrest.
According to the authorities. 416 had been arrested in the early hours of Sunday, including 280 people in Paris.
Nuñez said seven officers had been injured and called the unrest “absolutely unacceptable”.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen wrote on X: “Only in France does a football club’s victory spark riots.”
“Only in France does everyone feel compelled to lock themselves in their homes on the evening of a victory to avoid being confronted with violence,” she said.
Players are due to take part in a victory parade on Sunday afternoon, which includes touring the Champ-de-Mars next to the Eiffel Tower and a reception held by French President Emmanuel Macron.
[BBC]
Paris Saint-Germain held their nerve in a cagey Champions League final to retain the title by beating Arsenal 4-3 on penalties as Saturday’s nail-biting showdown ended 1-1 after extra time, cementing the French side’s status among Europe’s modern greats.
Arsenal defender Gabriel blasted his spot kick over Matvey Safonov’s crossbar at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, his miss confirming PSG as the first club to retain the trophy since Real Madrid completed their three-year reign from 2016 to 2018.
Long dismissed as glamorous underachievers despite vast resources, the Ligue 1 champions have now forged a dynasty under Luis Enrique, marrying attacking brilliance with resilience to establish themselves as the dominant force in European football.
“It’s stronger than last year because we knew before the match just how difficult it would be to play against Arsenal,” said Enrique, whose side had thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 a year ago to claim Europe’s elite trophy for the first time.
“As a club and a city, it’s incredible to win, and I think we deserved it over the course of the season. The final was a real battle,” added the Spanish coach.
The outcome left Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice devastated but proud as his side finished their European campaign without losing a match, aside from the shootout defeat in the final.
“It’s gutting. It’s devastating to lose a Champions League final on penalties,” he said. “But we try to take a lot of perspective from how far we’ve come as a group.
“An incredible season. Given it absolutely everything up until this point. We took the game to penalties. It’s a lottery.”
Eleven days after celebrating their first Premier League title in 22 years, Arsenal looked set for a maiden triumph on Europe’s biggest stage after Kai Havertz’s sixth-minute opener and a first hour spent smothering PSG’s vaunted attack.
However, the final in the Hungarian capital became chaotic, once PSG’s Ousmane Dembele equalised with a penalty in the 65th minute, the pace turning frantic before exhaustion took the match to a shootout.
Under Enrique, PSG have won the six shootouts they have contested, with the 56-year-old winning 12 of the 13 one-off club finals as coach.
After brushing aside Premier League opposition on their way to the final by eliminating Chelsea and Liverpool, PSG were facing a much sterner test against an Arsenal team playing their second Champions League final after losing to Barcelona in 2006.
Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead when Marquinhos’ clearance bounced off Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard into the path of Havertz, who raced into the box and fired into the roof of the net.
He is the fourth player to score in two different European Cup or Champions League finals with two different clubs.
It was the nightmare scenario for PSG – trailing so early against the best defence in the competition.
Arsenal lived up to their reputation as the best team without the ball and looked perfectly content with the script, doubling up on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and suffocating the usual danger posed by the Georgian magician on the left flank.
PSG’s Fabian Ruiz was unable to impose his usual rhythm in midfield and, despite monopolising possession for long spells, the French side struggled to carve out clear-cut chances.
By half-time, PSG had attacked 32 times, Arsenal three.
Arsenal, however, were flirting with the boundaries with their challenges and Cristhian Mosquera brought down Kvaratskhelia in the area, with Dembele converting the penalty to equalise with his eighth goal in the competition.
The momentum had shifted.
Jurrien Timber and Viktor Gyokeres replaced Mosquera and Martin Odegaard. Arsenal had a more attacking mindset but were exposed to PSG’s counter attacks and at the end of one of them, Kvaratskhelia sped into the box, only for his left-footed effort to crash onto the outside of David Raya’s post.
After controlling the tempo in the first half, Arsenal played into PSG’s hands as the pace increased significantly, giving too much space to Kvaratskhelia or Bradley Barcola, who replaced the Georgian winger with seven minutes remaining.
In the 89th minute, PSG came close to giving the final an abrupt end as Vitinha’s shot grazed the top of the net. Barcola also shot over the bar after a counter attack, with what would have been the last kick of the game.
With both teams having run out of steam, extra time was a cautious affair and when referee Daniel Siebert blew his whistle, Arsenal had only managed one shot on target.
Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze missed his penalty before Raya saved Nuno Mendes’ attempt. Gabriel had to score to keep the Gunners’ hopes alive but, facing PSG’s end, he fired over.
The French side were left to celebrate being European champions once again, with extra-time substitute Lucas Beraldo’s goal in the shootout proving to be the winner.
[Aljazeera]
United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been discussing key foreign policy issues for Washington at a defence summit in Singapore.
On Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Hegseth commented on America’s main rival, China, as well as Iran, NATO and Taiwan — a major point of contention between Washington and Beijing.
The US and Israel launched their war on Iran in late February, rattling global markets, triggering an energy crisis and causing shortages of critical US munitions, including Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, which cost about $12m each.
In a report published on Wednesday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said it would take two years — and in some cases more than three — to replenish four critical munitions used heavily during the war.
Here are Hegseth’s most important comments.
Beijing is widely seen as Washington’s greatest geopolitical challenge, and Hegseth expressed alarm about China’s growing military presence in the Asia Pacific.
“There is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” Hegseth said.
Washington’s latest National Defense Strategy describes China as the world’s second-most powerful country after the US.
Hegseth used his speech to call on US allies in the region to increase defence spending in an attempt to offset China’s growing power.
The defence secretary, who said relations with Beijing were “better” than they had been in many years, warned that unless action was taken, China would become the regional hegemon.
“A Pacific dominated by any hegemon would unravel the regional balance of power,” Hegseth said.
“No state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question.”
Taiwan has been improving its defence capabilities in response to concerns about a potential Chinese invasion. Taiwan, which has never officially declared independence from China, has de facto functioned as a separate country since 1949, despite Beijing viewing the island as its territory.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump travelled to China to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, who sees Taiwan as the most important issue in China–US relations. Xi told Trump that “clashes and even conflicts” between the two countries could occur if the Taiwan situation is mishandled.
Since then, Trump has cautioned Taipei against formally declaring independence from China, prompting the island to issue a statement saying it was “sovereign and independent” but planned to maintain the status quo.
Following the meeting, Trump said he was not sure whether he would approve an arms sale to Taiwan worth up to $14bn. On Saturday, Hegseth suggested Washington’s commitment to Taiwan remained, but that Trump would ultimately decide whether the weapons deal is finalised.
“Those decisions will depend on the president and the nature of that relationship. There’s been no change in our status,” Hegseth said.
Trump has long pressured allies to increase their military budgets and become less dependent on US firepower under his America First doctrine.
Trump has recently confused European allies after announcing he would deploy a further 5,000 troops to Poland, despite having recently pledged to reduce the number of American soldiers on the continent.
It remains unclear whether the deployment to Poland includes the same troops the Pentagon said would no longer be stationed in Germany.
“The era of the United States subsidising the defence of wealthy nations is over,” Hegseth said.
“We need partners, not protectorates. We don’t have a strong alliance unless everyone has skin in the game. No freeloading.”
Hegseth also discussed Iran — a key issue for much of the world as well as the US. Tehran and Washington are believed to be close to signing a memorandum of understanding to bring the war to a permanent end.
Hegseth, who has played a key role in the US-Israeli war on Iran as defence secretary, warned that the US would resume attacks on Iran if a satisfactory deal isn’t reached.
His comments come as Washington seeks to reassure allies that the Strait of Hormuz — which Iran closed at the start of the war in a bid to deter US and Israeli attacks — will soon be reopened, helping to bring down energy prices. About 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flowed through the crucial waterway prior to the conflict.
[Aljazeera]
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