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IPL 2022: Axar, Lalit, Kuldeep shine as Delhi Capitals beat Mumbai Indians by 4 wickets

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Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav’s fine knocks helped Delhi Capitals beat Mumbai Indians by 4 wickets in their opening game in the IPL 2022 at the Brabourne stadium, here on Sunday.

A 70-run partnership in just 30 balls between Patel and Lalit Yadav enabled Delhi to chase down a competitive total of 177 runs in 18.2 overs.

However, Delhi started their innings in a hurry, losing wickets at regular intervals. Within the power-play Delhi lost three wickets in quick succession including their captain Rishabh Pant. Delhi were tottering at 32 for 3 in 4.2 overs.

But at the other end, Prithvi Shaw took sole charge to score runs. He smashed two consecutive fours off Daniel Sams and in the next overs of Jaspreet Bumrah, the right hand batter took 10 runs with the help of two fours.

After taking two quick wickets of Prithvi Shaw and Rovman Powell, it looked like Mumbai Indians have seized the initiative from Delhi. But Axar Patel who was not so impressive in his bowling, rescued the team. First he made a 32-run satnd with Shardul thakur for the sixth wicket and then made a 75-run 7th wicket partnership in just 30 balls with Lalit Yadav to guide Delhi home.

Axar made 38 runs in just 17 balls with the help of two fours and three towering sixes while Lalit Yadav made 48 runs in 38 balls.

Earlier, fine bowling performances by left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav and pacer Khaleel Ahmad helped Delhi Capitals restrict Mumbai Indians to a par score of 177/5 in 20 overs.

Put into bat, Mumbai Indians’ openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan started the proceedings with ease as the duo smashed 10 runs in the very first over of Shardul Thakur.

The Mumbai Indian skipper Sharma was more aggressive in his approach than Kishan, trying to send out everything over the fence. Both batters were scoring runs freely as none of the Delhi Capitals’ bowlers including star spinner Axar Patel were effective enough to curtail the racing run rate. Patel was most expensive as he gave away 26 runs in just three overs.

After seeing their main bowlers’ ineffectiveness, Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant brought Kuldeep Yadav into the attack in the 8th over. The 27-year-old left-arm spin bowler immediately gave a respite to the team when he scalped the dangerous Sharma.

Sharma made 41 off 32 with the help of two sixes and four fours. Sharma and Kishan made a 67 runs partnership in only 8.2 overs.

In his next over, Yadav who was part of the Indian team in the Sri Lanka series, gave another jolt to Mumbai Indian, taking Anmolpreet Singh’s wicket.

A right-handed batsman Anmolpreet, who made his IPL debut on September 19, 2021 against Chennai Super Kings in the last season, did not read Kuldeep well. He tried to slice it over the covers but miscued it towards long-off, where Lalit Yadav ran in from the deep to take a simple catch.

The departure of Anmolpreet brought the debutant 19-year-old, Tilak Verma. However, The Hyderabad Ranji player too did not stay long before getting out to Khaleel Ahmad. Though he made only 22 runs in 15 balls, he holds a lot of promise to be a good batter for MI.

After losing three wickets in quick succession, the scoring rate of Mumbai Indian slumped, but Kishan at the other end was making runs with odd boundaries.

When Mumbai were set to regain the momentum, Kuldeep once again provided a break, taking Kieron Pollard’s wicket.

A shorter one from Kuldeep caught Pollard off guard and the West Indies batter tried to pull it over the mid-wicket where Tim Seifert dived to his right to take a good overhead catch to end Pollard’s stay. It was Kuldeep Yadav’s third wicket in the match.

The fall of regular wickets did not deter Kishan at the other end as he continued to make runs, hitting the odd boundaries. He returned unbeaten 81 as Mumbai managed to post a competitive total of 177/5 in 20 overs.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 177/5 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 81 not out , Rohit Sharma 41, Tilak Varma 22; Kuldeep Yadav 3/18, Khaleel Ahmed 2/27) v Delhi Capitals 179/6 in 18.2 overs. Lalit Yadav 48 not out, Axar Patel 38 not out, Prithvi Shaw 38; Basil Thampi 3/35) lost by 4 wickets

International

Champions Trophy: Pakistan’s dismal show likely to be discussed in cabinet and parliament

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Islamabad, Feb 27: The Pakistan cricket team’s depressing, dismal, and cheerless performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, resulting in its early exit from the tournament, has not only broken the hearts of home fans but also knocked on the doors of the country’s Prime Minister.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has personally taken notice of the team’s early departure and the below-par performance and is likely to take up the issues related to the cricket team in the cabinet and the parliament. Pakistan’s final Group A fixture against Bangladesh was washed out in Rawalpindi due to rain on Thursday, which meant that they ended their campaign without a win. With only one point, thanks to a washout, Pakistan will finish at the bottom of the group.

Prime Minister’s aide on Political and Public Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, has said that PM Shehbaz will also take up the matter at the parliament. “The Prime Minister will personally take notice, and we will also ask him to raise these cricket-related issues in the cabinet as well as in the parliament,” said Rana Sanaullah.

It is pertinent to note that Pakistan is hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Special arrangements have been made to glorify the event, with Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi cricket stadiums renovated to increase audience capacity and further enhance the facilities. However, the team’s fans were left dejected after Pakistan lost both its matches and was knocked out of the tournament when their final league match with Bangladesh was rained off.

While anger persists among cricket fans, questions are being raised over the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), its chief Mohsin Naqvi, and the selection committee, which selected the squad. Aqib Javed, head coach of Pakistan, has tried to justify the team selection, stating that all players were selected on the basis of their recent performances.

On the other hand, internal issues within the PCB are also being linked with the team’s bad performance as many believe that the cricket board’s decision-making regarding playing eleven, the team, and the players has prompted foreign coaches like Jason Gillespie to part ways.

Rana Sanaullah said that he will also call on PM Sharif to address the ongoing issues within the PCB, emphasising that the cricket sport as a whole is in bad shape. “The sport at college and district levels is in a bad position, and the amount that has been spent on a professional level should be revealed before the public”, said Rana Sanaullah.

Rana Sanaullah also raised concerns over amounts being paid to mentors, who he highlighted admitted that they were unaware of their responsibilities and were being remunerated for doing nothing. “You will be surprised after hearing about the perks and privileges of other officer-bearers. You will be confused whether they are officials of a Pakistani institution or those belonging to a developed nation”, he said.

It would not be wrong to say that Pakistan’s performance on home grounds has certainly left fans heartbroken. In major ICC events, Pakistan’s performance in the past years has also not been mentionable.

In 2023, Pakistan only won four out of nine matches during the ODI World Cup in India and ended in fifth position on the points table. Pakistan also made an early exit from last year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA after losing to India and the USA in the preliminary stage.

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Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan’s Cricket Stadiums Far From Ready, Tournament Could Be Moved To Dubai, Claims Report

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Problems seem to be mounting for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as they face a race against time to handover a proper stadium to the International Cricket Council (ICC) before the Champions Trophy gets underway. According to The Times Of India report, the construction and upgradation work is still underway at the National Stadium in Karachi, Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

A source following the developments said,”It is a very disappointing picture. All three stadiums are far from ready and it’s not renovation or refurbishment, but proper construction which is underway. There is so much work left with seats, floodlights, facilities and even the outfield and playing surfaces,”

The report further states there is not much time left for the venues to be handed over and it’s not a surprise that there are discussions about moving the entire tournament to the UAE. 

The PCB has to hand over the tournament venues to ICC by February 12, however, the stadium work which was scheduled to be finished by December 31, is yet to be completed.

A team of from the ICC will leave for Pakistan towards the end of the week to do a status check and informal contingency discussions are underway in Dubai corridors.

What is the Current stadium of Champions Trophy venues?

Lahore and Karachi are the two centres where heavy construction work is underway and their multi-storied enclosures, which will have dressing rooms and hospitality boxes, are yet to enter the finishing stages. In addition to the new enclosures, there is fencing work, placement of floodlights and seats which is far from the finish line.

The source added, “The weather is not ideal for construction and finishing work to happen at a rapid pace. At Gadaffi, even the plaster work isn’t completed yet. And most of the time is taken by finishing work because we are talking about dressing rooms etc. They just can’t be random rooms/enclosures for an ICC event. ICC has a checklist which needs to be met. National Stadium has decided to not completely finish the new enclosure because there is no time,”

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AFC Asian Cup 2027 to take place in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar from Jan 7 to Feb 5

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Kuala Lumpur, Jan 7: The AFC Asian Cup 2027 will take place from January 7 to February 5 across three cities – Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar – in Saudi Arabia, the AFC announced on Tuesday.

A total of five stadiums in Riyadh will host the tournament’s matches; the King Fahd Sports City Stadium, the King Saud University Stadium, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud University Stadium, Kingdom Arena and the Al Shabab Stadium.

Two stadiums have been confirmed for Jeddah – King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium – with a new state-of-the-art venue to be built in Al Khobar, completing the world-class infrastructure set to provide the backdrop for Asia’s top 24 national teams.

Saudi Arabia was announced as the host nation for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in 2023. This will be the first time Suadi Arabia will host the tournament.

“Confirming the dates and selecting the stadiums for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ is a strategic milestone in our journey to host the tournament. This announcement goes beyond simply identifying locations and schedules; it reflects the ongoing high-level collaboration between us and the AFC as we work towards delivering an exceptional tournament that fulfills the aspirations of the entire Asian continent,” Saudi Arabian Football Federation chief Yasser Al Misehal.

Eighteen teams have already sealed their places at the AFC Asian Cup 2027. The remaining berths will be decided via the Qualifiers Final Round, which is scheduled to commence from March 2025 and features six groups of four teams – confirmed at last month’s draw – with the winners of each group making up the final cast.

India, aiming for its fifth appearance at the AFC Asian Cup, has been placed in Group C alongside Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh. The team will look to replicate or surpass its 2019 performance, where it showcased significant progress on the continental stage.

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