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IPL 2022: Dhoni steers CSK to thrilling 3-wicket win, keeps Mumbai winless

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Former captain M.S. Dhoni turned back the clock and held his nerves to give a finishing touch to Chennai Super Kings’ memorable three-win over Mumbai Indians in a thrilling IPL 2022 match at the D.Y. Patil Stadium, here on Thursday.

It was Chennai’s second win of the IPL 2022 season and they are at the ninth spot in the table with four points while Mumbai suffered their seven consecutive loss in the tournament and are yet to win a game.

Pacer Mukesh Choudhary’s sensational bowling performance (3/19) helped Chennai Super Kings restrict Mumbai Indians to 155/7 in 20 overs despite a fighting half-century by Tilak Varma (51 not out off 43 balls). Varma top-scored for Mumbai while Suryakumar Yadav (32), Hrithik Shokeen (25), and Kieron Pollard (14) were the other contributors with the bat for them.

Chasing a modest target, CSK were also off to a poor start as Daniel Sams removed Ruturaj Gaikwad in the very first ball of the innings. Mitchell Santner, who had replaced Moeen Ali and came to bat at No. 3 looked in control and hit two fours. But, the left-hander mistimed a bouncer from Sams and got out for 11 runs, leaving CSK at 16-2 after 2.3 overs.

From there on, two veteran batters — Robin Uthappa (30) and Ambati Rayudu (40) settled CSK down with a couple of fours too as they reached 38 for 2 in the PowerPlay. Uthappa tried to get a move-on, post the powerplay, by hitting debutant Hrithik Shokeen for a six, but Unadkat returned in the ninth over to dismiss the opener with a well-disguised off-cutter. Uthappa and Rayudu stitched a partnership of 50 runs for the third wicket.

Shivam Dube (13), who came to bat at No 3, showed his clean-hitting prowess by blasting a superb offside six off Riley Meredith. Just when it looked like they will steer the chase, an Ishan Kishan stunner behind the stumps ended Dube’s stay at the crease.

Thereafter, a sharp catch from Pollard made Rayudu Sams’s fourth wicket of the night, which left the door slightly open for MI to push their way back into the contest. Meredith then dismissed Ravindra Jadeja (3) in the 16th over and conceded just five runs as the equation for CSK went to 48 off 24. But, it was Dwaine Pretorius (22 off 14) and Dhoni (28 not out off 13) who hit important runs and kept CSK in the chase till the last over.

CSK needed 17 runs in the last over and Pretorius was trapped leg-before off the first ball. D.J. Bravo came to bat next and took a single on the second ball of the over and Dhoni hit Unadkat for 6, 4, 2, 4 in the next four deliveries to pull off a vintage finish and seal victory for CSK.

Daniel Sams (4/30) was the most successful bowler for Mumbai while Jaydev Unadkat (2/48) and Riley Meredith (1/25) also chipped in with wickets.

Earlier, invited to bat first, Mumbai were off to a horrible start as pacer Choudhary dismissed both openers — Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan for ducks in the very first over of the innings.

Chennai could’ve picked a couple of more wickets in the second over but M.S Dhoni missed the stumping of Suryakumar Yadav and skipper Ravindra Jadeja dropped the catch of Dewald Brevis. However, CSK didn’t have to wait much for the next wicket as Choudhary got rid of Brevis (4) in his second over.

Tilak Varma then joined Yadav in the middle and the left-hander was dropped by D.J Bravo at slip. Despite all the action around him, Yadav looked comfortable in the middle and took Mumbai to 42/3 after 6 overs along with Tilak Varma, who went into the defensive mode after getting a reprieve.

Just when it looked like Yadav would continue his fightback, Mitchell Santner was back into the attack and struck to get rid of the batter for 32 as MI were reduced to 47-4.

After losing wickets at regular intervals, Mumbai were in desperate need of a partnership and two young batters — debutant Hrithik Shokeen and Verma showed courage under tremendous pressure. The duo picked a few timely boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking for Mumbai.

They were also helped by Chennai’s sloppy fielding as Jadeja dropped his second catch and gave a reprieve to Hrithik. But the debutant couldn’t take advantage of that as Dwayne Bravo came into the attack and struck straight away to remove Hrithik (25). Kieron Pollard (13), who came to bat next, hit one six and one boundary but he couldn’t last long and got out to spinner Theekshana. Daniel Sams also couldn’t do much and perished cheaply (5).

Wickets were falling at the other end, but Verma continued his fight and hit crucial boundaries in the slog overs to bail Mumbai out of a precarious position. He got support from Jaydev Unadkat (19 off 9) as the duo remained not out and took Mumbai to 155/7 in 20 overs.

Apart from Choudhary, Dwayne Bravo (2/36), Mitchell Santner (1/16) and Maheesh Theekshana (1/35) were the wicket-takers for CSK.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 155/7 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 51 not out, Suryakumar Yadav 32; Mukesh Choudhary 3/19) lost to Chennai Super Kings 156/7 in 20 Overs (Ambati Rayudu 40, M.S. Dhoni 28 not out; Daniel Sams 4/30) by 3 wickets.

International

Murder of Hindu leader: India slams Bangladesh, says killing follows pattern of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities

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New Delhi, April 19: India on Saturday issued a sharp condemnation of the abduction and brutal killing of Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a prominent Hindu community leader in northern Bangladesh, calling it part of a “pattern of systematic persecution” of minorities under the country’s interim government.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal voiced India’s grave concern, stating that the incident reflects an alarming trend of targetted violence against Hindus and other minority groups in Bangladesh.

“We have noted with distress the abduction and brutal killing of Shri Bhabesh Chandra Roy, a Hindu minority leader in Bangladesh. This killing follows a pattern of systematic persecution of Hindu minorities under the interim government, even as the perpetrators of previous such events roam with impunity,” Jaiswal said in a post on social media platform X.

He added, “We condemn this incident and once again remind the interim government to live up to its responsibility of protecting all minorities, including Hindus, without inventing excuses or making distinctions.”

India has previously expressed similar concerns over rising attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, but this latest incident has drawn particular attention due to Roy’s prominence in the Hindu community.

Roy, who served as the Vice-President of the Biral unit of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad, was abducted from his residence in Dinajpur district on Thursday evening. According to police and family accounts, he received a phone call around 4:30 p.m., after which four unidentified men arrived on motorcycles and forcibly took him to Narabari village. He was reportedly assaulted and later found unconscious. He was rushed to a hospital in Dinajpur, where he was declared dead on arrival. His wife, Shantana Roy believes the attackers used the call to confirm his location before carrying out the abduction.

Opposition leaders in India also slammed the shocking incident in the neighbouring country.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge highlighted that religious minorities, especially Hindus, are being persecuted in Bangladesh.

“Attacks on other religious minorities are also continuing. Recently, the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh made a very condemnable and disappointing comment about the northeastern states of India. The persecution of religious minorities in Bangladesh, human rights violations, and the attempt to erase the memories of the 1971 Liberation War are efforts to weaken the relationship between India and Bangladesh. From 1971 till today, India has always wished for peace and prosperity for all the people of Bangladesh. This is in the best interest of the subcontinent,” he said.

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Death toll from US airstrikes on Yemeni fuel port rises to 38: Houthis

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Sanaa, April 18: The death toll from US overnight airstrikes on the Yemeni fuel port of Ras Isa has increased to 38, with 102 others wounded, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported on Friday, citing Houthi-controlled local health authorities.

According to al-Masirah, the casualties include five paramedics who were killed upon arriving at the scene, when the US military launched another wave of airstrikes on the port just minutes after the first on Thursday night.

More than 14 airstrikes on the fuel port were reported during the two waves, igniting massive fires in tanks storing imported fuel. The fires were extinguished within hours, said the report.

The US Central Command said earlier in a statement that it struck and destroyed the Ras Isa port on Thursday to “eliminate this source of fuel for” and “degrade the economic source of power of” the Houthis, Xinhua news agency reported.

In mid-March, US President Donald Trump ordered “decisive and powerful military action” against the Houthis after the group announced plans to resume attacks on Israeli vessels in the Red Sea, citing Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza as the reason.

Earlier on April 17, Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi had said his group had launched 26 attacks against Israel and 33 strikes on the US aircraft carrier and warships in the Red Sea since March 15.

In a televised speech aired by the group’s al-Masirah TV on Thursday, the Houthi leader said the attacks on Israel were carried out using “30 ballistic missiles and drones,” while those targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and its escorts involved “122 ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones”.

However, the Israeli military has reportedly intercepted many of the Houthi projectiles before they reached targets, Xinhua news agency reported.

The US Central Command dismissed the Houthi claims of daily attacks on the US aircraft carrier as “outlandish” in a post on the social media platform X.

Meanwhile, the Houthi leader noted that the US military had conducted more than 900 airstrikes against his group’s positions across northern Yemen during the past 30 days.

Tensions between the Houthi group and the US military have escalated since Washington resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15 to deter the group from attacking Israel and US warships in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, which control much of northern Yemen, said their attacks aim to press US-backed Israel to stop the offensive against the Gaza Strip and allow humanitarian aid into the Palestinian enclave.

Israel’s Channel 12 News reported last Saturday that a Yemeni drone was intercepted near the Dead Sea within the Jordanian airspace before it could reach Israel.

The Jordanian army confirmed later last week that an unidentified drone entered Jordanian airspace and crashed in the Ma’in area of Madaba governorate, near the Dead Sea, and no casualties were reported.

Even since Israel renewed its intensive strikes in March across the Gaza Strip, the Houthis have been launching frequent attacks against Israeli and US targets.

Earlier last week, the Houthi military spokesperson claimed fresh attacks against the US aircraft carrier, USS Harry S Truman, and other US warships in the northern Red Sea.

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Houthis say 123 civilians in Yemen killed in one month of US airstrikes

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Sanaa, April 15: A total of 123 civilians have been killed and 247 others injured, mostly women and children, since the US military resumed airstrikes across Yemen in mid-March, Houthi-run health authorities said in an statement.

The statement was issued following US airstrikes against a ceramic factory on the western outskirts of Yemen’s capital Sanaa late on Sunday night, which killed seven people and injured 29 others.

The health authorities’ previous statement on April 9 put the death toll from the renewed US air raids at 107 and the number of injuries at 223.

The Houthi group rarely discloses casualties among its fighters. However, the US military has repeatedly said the strikes have killed dozens of Houthi leaders, which the group has denied, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on Sunday, Yemen’s Houthi group announced that it had shot down another US MQ-9 drone, the 19th it has downed since November 2023.

“A US MQ-9 drone was shot down while carrying out hostile missions in the airspace of Hajjah province” in northwestern Yemen, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

Sarea added that the drone was downed by a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile, stressing “the ongoing US aggression” has not crippled the group’s military capabilities.

The statement affirmed the group’s support for the Palestinian people, saying its operations will continue “until the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and the siege on it is lifted.”

The US resumed its air campaign against Houthi forces on March 15, stating that its strikes were aimed at deterring the group from launching attacks against Israeli and US naval assets in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, who control vast areas of northern Yemen, have been attacking Israeli targets since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip.

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