Virat Kohli’s breakneck 92 off 47, plus his spectacular direct hit to run Shabank Singh out, were the basis of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB’s) fourth consecutive win, this time against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamsala. The result kept RCB’s hopes of making the IPL 2024 playoffs alive  if only just, but knocked PBKS out of contention.

RCB batted first and blasted their way to 241 for 7, with Rajat Patidar smashing 55 off 23, and Cameron Green hitting 46 off 27. Both had productive partnerships with Kohli, worth 76 off 32 and 92 off 46 respectively.

In response, PBKS started strong, but RCB’s spinners – Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh – were effective through the early middle overs, dismissing Rilee Rossouw in the ninth, Jitesh Sharma in the 11th, and Liam Livingstone in the 12th.

With the required rate now high above the run rate, it was curtains for PBKS. They ended 181 all out after 17 overs.

Kohli anyway started the match as the IPL’s highest run-scorer. But having been reprieved on zero, he went on to play one of his best innings of a stellar season, finding boundaries through the covers, through midwicket, and down the ground – his footwork often immaculate.

Though he opened the batting, he didn’t have a lot of the strike, facing only 14 balls in the powerplay. But before long he was striking at well over 150, as he found capable partners in Patidar (who was the more aggressive partner in their stand), and then Green.

It was a vintage Kohli innings, full of powerful wristy flicks and hard running, though towards the end he also got his six-hitting game going, finishing with six maximums overall.

He seemed poised to make his second triple-figure score of the season, but sliced a wide Arshdeep Singh delivery and was caught at deep cover in the 18th over.

Kohli’s wild gesticulations, it turns out, are not the only expenditure of his energy on the field.

Fourth ball of the 14th over into the PBKS innings, they needed 92 runs off 39 balls, and as long as Shashank was at the crease, they had an outside chance. But that’s when Sam Curran dropped one towards midwicket and called for two, and that was when Kohli took off from deep midwicket, speeding towards the ball, swooping on it, and skidding it mid-dive towards the one wicket he had to aim at, and found his target.

Shashank was not as committed to the run as Kohli was to this piece of fielding, and Shashank was centimetres short of his ground, not having put in a dive. He was out for 39 off 19 balls, leaving PBKS 151 for 6. They would end up losing their last five wickets for 30 runs.

Before that Kohli run out, however, legspinner Karn and left-arm spinner Swapnil had made vital strikes as well. Swapnil removed Prabhsimran Singh in the first over of the innings, before coming back in the middle overs to get Liam Livingstone tamely offer a leading edge into the covers.

Karn took two big wickets too. He first had the opposition’s best batter Rossouw caught at long-on in the ninth over, and then bowled a big, juicy legbreak that clattered into Jitesh’s stumps in the 11th over.

Although they would fall well short, PBKS did look capable of chasing down 242 at the start. They made 75 in the powerplay, thanks largely to Rossouw, who had clobbered seven fours and a six while the fielding restrictions were in place.

Rossouw continued to blast RCB’s seam bowlers in particular, motoring his way to a 21-ball half-century, before Karn eventually got him. Jonny Bairstow’s 27 off 16, and Shashank’s knock were the other serious contributors.

Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 241/7 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 92, Rajat Patidar 55, Cameron Green 46; Harshal Patel 3-38, Vidwath Kaverappa 2-36, Arshdeep Singh 1-41, Sam Curran 1-50, ) beat  Punjab Kings 181 in 17 overs (Rilee Rossouw 61, Shashank Singh 37, Jonny Bairstow 27, Sam Curran 22; Mohammed Siraj 3-37, Swapnil Singh 2-28, Lockie Ferguson 2-29, Karn Sharma 2-36) by 60 runs

Pakistan legend Sana Mir predicts the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2024 finalists, Sri Lanka and Scotland, to cause major upsets in the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in October.

Sri Lanka defeated Scotland by 68 runs in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2024 final on 7 May. However, by virtue of being the successful semi-finalists in the competition, both Sri Lanka and Scotland have qualified for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Bangladesh

Sana, the brand ambassador of the tournament, praised both sides and predicted big things for them in the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year.

Sana was impressed with Sri Lanka’s unbeaten run during the tournament, which saw them win all their encounters on the way to the title. Seeing this as a continuation of their recent good run against top-ranked international sides, Sana opined that Chamari Athapaththu’s women could carry this run into the T20 World Cup and even reach the semi-finals.

“Sri Lanka’s dominant performance was a continuation of their exceptional recent run, led by Athapaththu’s heroics,” Sana said. “The series wins against South Africa and New Zealand and a comfortable run in the Qualifier barring the UAE semi-final puts them in great shape ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.”

Sana believed that skipper Athapaththu formed the backbone of the side, and a good run from her can lift the island nation’s fortunes in the event. Athapaththu, the leading run scorer for Sri Lanka in the ODI and T20I formats, also starred in the Qualifier final with a match-winning century.

“Despite a tough group comprising Australia, India, Pakistan, and New Zealand, Sri Lanka have the potential to cause upsets and if Athapaththu can deliver in Bangladesh they may surprise a lot of followers of the game and maybe even make it to the semis there.”

Equally impressive was Scotland’s run, who barring their two losses to Sri Lanka, had an inspirational run in the Qualifier. Their high point came in the win over Ireland in the semi-finals, which sealed their spot in the T20 World Cup.

Sana credited Scotland skipper Kathryn Bryce for their performance, and believed that given the right kind of preparation, they could pull off a similar result in Bangladesh. Before missing out the final due to a strain, Kathryn gave a prolific performance for her side, scoring 177 runs at an average of 88.5, while also picking nine wickets at 6.88.

“They were not considered amongst the favourites coming into the tournament, but credit to Kathryn Bryce, her charges, and their support staff for stepping up when it mattered the most.

“Scotland have Bangladesh, England, South Africa and the West Indies in their Women’s T20 World Cup group. I feel that they can certainly cause an upset or two, they have about four months to the event, and it all depends on how they use the time to prepare, the work has just begun for them, and I wish them the very best in this exciting journey.”

(ICC)

As a brand committed to nourishing the future generations of Sri Lanka, Nestle Milo provides a platform for kids around the country to showcase their talent and skills, learning the values of life through sport.

The latest endeavour of the brand is to empower the future football stars of Sri Lanka through the Sri Lanka Interschool Under 12 Football Tournament, organized by the Sri Lanka Schools Football Association. Set to take place on May 11 at the Racecourse, Colombo.

Nestle Milo sponsors this tournament with the vision of championing gender diversity and inclusivity in sports by giving every child an equal opportunity to participate and excel in sports. The finals of the Sri Lanka Interschool Football Tournament will round up the participation of 800 boys and 600 girls, providing kids of all abilities access to sports.

In a statement issued, Nestle Milo said that it remained steadfast in its aim to forge partnerships that create a meaningful platform, inspiring parents across Sri Lanka to nurture their kids’ growth with the values instilled through sports.