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IPL 2022: Gujarat Titans lose nerve as Mumbai Indians win by 5 runs in close finish

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Openers Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha had laid a solid foundation with a century partnership for the opening wicket but clinical bowling and good work in the field helped Mumbai Indians pull off a five-run win in Match 51 of IPL 2022 at the Brabourne Stadium here on Friday.

Saha struck a superb 40-ball 55, hitting six boundaries and two sixes while Gill blasted 52 off 36 deliveries, hitting six fours and two sixes as they went neck-and-neck in scoring runs to give their team a brilliant start as they chased Mumbai Indians’ 177/6 in 20 overs build largely on vital innings by skipper Rohit Sharma (43), Ishan Kishan (45) and Tim David (44 not out).

But a hit-wicket and two run-outs changed the course of the game as Mumbai Indians dragged the match to 9 needed off the final over and Daniel Sams denied David Miller many opportunities as Gujarat Titans were restricted to 172/5 in 20 overs.

Sai Sudarshan was out hit-wicket as he lost his balance and fell on his wickets while trying to pull a short one by Kieron Pollard. And an over later, Gujarat skipper Hardik Pandya was run out caught agonizingly short by a smart bit of work by keeper Ishan Kishan, going for a quick single. From 111/2 in the 13th over, Gujarat Titans slumped to 156/4 and their batters succumbed to the pressure.

This was Mumbai Indians’ second win in 10 matches as they moved up four points. Gujarat Titans slumped to their third defeat in 11 matches but remained at the top of the table with 16 points. This was their second successive defeat.

However, at one stage Gujarat Titans were cruising towards the target with Saha and Gill going great guns. However, the never-say-die attitude of the Mumbai Indians helped them snatch victory in a close finish.

Saha started on a more aggressive note, hitting Jasprit Bumrah for two fours and a six in his first over — picking his India teammate off his pads for a superb wristy six over midwicket.

He struck Riley Meredith for two fours in an over and then blasted Bumrah for a six and a four in the fifth over as Gujarat ended the powerplay with 54 runs.

Gill struck his first big shot, a six off Murugan Ashwin in the sixth over and then struck the bowler for a four in the same over. He despatched Daniel Sams to successive boundaries in the eighth over and hammered left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya a six and a four in the ninth over as Gujarat reached 100 runs in the 11th over.

However, both of them fell in quick succession, falling to spinner Murugan Ashwin. Gill was out to a skier, failing to reach to the pitch of a leg break full on the off-stump, Kieron Pollard grabbing an easy catch. Saha too departed soon, sweeping Murugan Ashwin to Sams at deep square leg — from 106 for no loss, Gujarat Titans fell to 111/2 which soon became 156/4 as they made a hash of the chase.

Earlier, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan gave Mumbai Indians a superb start but the five-time champions lost their way a bit before recovering thanks to a brilliant cameo by Tim David to post 177/6 in 20 overs.

Sharma struck 43 off 28 deliveries and Kishan 45 off 29 as both of them failed to complete their half-centuries and got out to soft dismissals after raising 74 runs for the opening wicket in quick time after table-toppers Gujarat Titans won the toss and asked them to bat first.

With skipper Sharma getting off to a brisk start Mumbai Indians raced to 63 for no loss in the power-play, one of their best starts in the tournament coming when they are already out of contention. While Rohit was all aggressive and superb timing, his partner Ishan Kishan started cautiously and unleashed some fine shots after settling in.

Sharma started with a superb boundary, lofting a length delivery by Alzarri Joseph that goes one-bounce into the advertisement boards. The Mumbai Indians and India captain edged the next delivery past the slip for another four and followed that up with the first six of the match on the last ball of the over, launching the English pacer over the mid-wicket boundary.

He struck Joseph for fours off successive deliveries in the fourth over again — the second one a superb punch through point for a cracking four

But from 74 for no loss, they soon slumped to 119/4 and looked like they may not cross 150 before Tilak Varma and Tim David came together for a 37-run partnership that helped them recover to position from which Tim David could land a few lusty blows in the last three overs to take them to a total they could fancy defending.

David remained unbeaten on 44 off 21 deliveries, hitting four superb sixes — one off a free-hit following an above-the-waist delivery by Lockie Ferguson that unfortunately resulted in the run out of Tilak Varma, Gujarat skipper Hardik Pandya getting him with a superb direct hit. David ended the innings by smacking two sixes off the 20th over bowled by Mohammed Shami.

In the final analysis, it was Gujarat Titans’ match to lose and that’s what they did, falling narrowly short to slump to another defeat.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians (Ishan Kishan 45, Rohit Sharma 43, Tim David 44 not out, Tilak Varma 21; Rashid Khan 2/24) beat Gujarat Titans (Wriddhiman Saha 55, Shubman Gill 52, Hardik Pandya 24, David Miller 19 not out; Murugan Ashwin 2/29) by 5 runs.

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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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