International
IPL 2022: Rahul, Hooda and Mohsin lead Lucknow to 6-run win over Delhi

Brilliant half-centuries by K.L Rahul, Deepak Hooda and a sensational bowling effort by left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan (4/16) led Lucknow Super Giants to a six-run win over Delhi Capitals in the thrilling 45th match of the IPL 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium, here on Sunday.
With this win, LSG jumped to second place on the points table with 14 points while DC are slotted in at the sixth spot with 8 points.
Fine fifties by Rahul (77 off 51) and Hooda (52 off 34) powered Lucknow to 195/3 in 20 overs after winning the toss and opting to bat first. Both Rahul and Hooda stitched a superb partnership of 95 runs for the second wicket in just 61 balls.
Chasing a big total, Delhi were off to a poor start as LSG pacers Dushmantha Chameera and Mohsin got the crucial scalps of Prithvi Shaw (5) and David Warner (3) respectively inside the first three overs. After losing two wickets in quick succession, the pressure was on Delhi but Rishabh Pant and Mitchell Marsh decided to counter-attack.
Pant took a heavy toll on Krunal Pandya by hitting three boundaries and a six to lift his side. Marsh joined in the act by tonking a couple of deliveries from Holder into the stands, before picking a six and four off Chameera in the 6th to help Delhi finish powerplay with 66/2. Just when it seemed like DC had wrested back the advantage, Marsh (37 off 20) edged one behind off K. Gowtham. To make matters worse for Delhi, Ravi Bishnoi rattled Lalit Yadav’s (3) stumps with the googly.
With just under 80 required for victory, Mohsin delivered another crucial blow by castling Pant (44 off 30), who didn’t help his cause by not moving his feet. A couple of overs before Pant’s dismissal, Rahul had given DC skipper a reprieve but luckily for LSG, it didn’t prove to be costly.
Rovman Powell (35 off 21) raised the hopes of Delhi with his blistering hitting. In the 12th over, he drilled Gowtham a couple of times over deep midwicket before hitting down the ground for a boundary. But, just in the nick of time, Moshin gave DC another blow when he extracted some bounce by pounding it on a short of a length to dislodge Powell.
With wickets falling at regular intervals, it was left to the spin pair of Axar Patel (42 not out off 24) and Kuldeep Yadav (16 not out off 8) to push the side closer to the target and they did a commendable job.
In the 19th over, Kuldeep and Axar combined to collect a boundary and a six off Chameera to bring the equation down to 21 off 6. In the first delivery of the final over, Kuldeep pulled a slower short ball from Marcus Stoinis for a six. However, despite a harsh call (wide), Stoinis was able to nail a few yorkers and gave only two runs in the next four balls to ensure LSG would come out victorious. Axar hit a six off the final ball but by then it was more or less over for DC as they were restricted to 189-7 in 20 overs, losing by 6 runs.
Earlier, opener Quinton de Kock gave Lucknow a flying start. Showing his aggressive intent, de Kock smashed both Delhi left-arm pacers — Mustafizur Rahman — for boundaries and sixes and took LSG to 41/0 at the end of 4 overs.
During the process, the South African batter was also dropped by Lalit Yadav. However, it didn’t prove too costly for Delhi as Shardul Thakur got rid of de Kock (23 off 13) in the 5th over of the innings with his off-cutter delivery. Deepak Hooda then joined skipper K.L Rahul, who was taking his time to settle down in the middle before taking his chances.
Both batters rotated strikes quite brilliantly and also hit timely boundaries to maintain the healthy run rate of Lucknow. Kuldeep Yadav has bowled beautifully and been Delhi’s biggest match-winner this season but both Hooda and Rahul played confidently against the left-arm spinner and took 26 off his first two overs.
Runs were flowing from both the ends as Hooda and Rahul continued to smash Delhi batters all around the park and reached to their respective fifties in the 13th and 14th over of the innings.
With Rahul and Hooda going great, LSG were cruising towards a big total but it was again Shardul who came to Delhi’s rescue. The right-hand pacer broke the threatening partnership for the second time in the day as LSG lost Hooda against the run of play.
Marcus Stoinis, who came to bat next, got off the mark with a four off the very first ball that he faced but he failed to accelerate for the most part of the innings during his stay at the crease.
With Stoinis struggling to find boundaries, Rahul decided to shift gears and played a few adventurous shots to take LSG further. The Lucknow skipper was hitting the ball well and looked set for another century of the season but a brilliant catch by Lalit Yadav at the boundary line ended his fine knock.
The wicket proved decisive as Stoinis (17 not out off 16) and Krunal Pandya (9 not out off 6) failed to clear the ropes in the last two overs as Lucknow finished with 195/3 in 20 overs. Shardul Thakur (3/40) was the only wicket-taker for Delhi in this game.
Brief scores: Lucknow Super Giants 195/3 in 20 overs (K.L Rahul 77, Deepak Hooda 52; Shardul Thakur 3/40) beat Delhi Capitals 189/7 in 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 44, Axar Patel 42; Mohsin Khan 4/16) by 6 runs.
International
Champions Trophy: Pakistan’s dismal show likely to be discussed in cabinet and parliament

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

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

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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