Sports
Ranji Trophy: When Virat Kohli’s aura brought a party-like atmosphere at Arun Jaitley Stadium

New Delhi, Jan 30: The word ‘Aura’, with its Latin and Ancient Greek origins saying it as another word for wins, is described in the Oxford English Dictionary as a distinctive ambience or quality generated by a person or thing.
If one were to describe what aura meant to cricket fans in New Delhi on January 30, 2025, look no further than them thronging the Arun Jaitley Stadium in heaps to see the talismanic Virat Kohli in action on day one of the Ranji Trophy Group D game between Delhi and Railways.
Since the time Kohli’s confirmation for playing the match arrived, the atmosphere became an electric one, with narrow roads in and around the stadium buzzing with enthusiasm. It slowly brought in the realisation that the Delhi-Railways game was not just going to be another Ranji Trophy game, where empty stands have been permanent features.
Fans were to get free entry, and had to show Aadhaar card to get into the stadium. By Wednesday evening, the broadcast crew had fixed the cameras in stadium’s periphery, after the rights holders raced quickly to get the game on roster.
For two days of the practice sessions, every move of Kohli was captured and talked with awe by media, fans, age-group cricketers and DDCA officials. The anticipation was for 10,000 fans to arrive for day one’s play, but Thursday morning threw a completely different curveball.
From as early as 3am, fans – irrespective of age, gender, height and layers of winter clothing – lined up outside the stadium to get an entry into the venue. By 8am, it snowballed into a packed crowd outside gates 16 and 17, with chants of Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru ruling the roost in their quest to catch a live glimpse of their hero playing in Ranji Trophy after more than 12 years.
Some fans were also young women who had come all alone to catch Kohli’s glimpse and were overwhelmed by men jumping over barriers to join the long crowd outside the two gates, fearing a stampede could happen. There were more fans waiting to come in, but were away from entering the stadium due to the nearby road being closed due to VIP movement (as PM Narendra Modi went to Rajghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi).
By 9:20am, the Gautam Gambhir Stand was fully packed and gate 18 was thrown open for fans to fill the lower tier of the Bishan Singh Bedi Stand, with the crowd numbers at upwards of 15,000. More security was called in to manage the crowd, and in a jiffy, 100 personnel had reached the venue, even as #ViratKohli dominated the trending charts on social media platforms.
With the anticipation of seeing Kohli’s batting, excited fans in store were in for an anti-climax move, as Delhi captain Ayush Badoni won the toss and elected to bowl first on a green pitch. With Kohli stationed at his usual second slip, before moving on to field at cover, short mid-wicket and mid-on, the chants of ‘Kohli, Kohli’ dominated the stadium’s mood in the batting stalwart’s homecoming.
When Navdeep Saini and Siddhant Sharma scythed through the Railways top order, the countdown was on over fans’ tongues over the wickets Delhi needed more to start their batting innings and see Kohli in action with his usual MRF willow.
Around the 12th over, a fan couldn’t control his excitement and jumped out of the Gautam Gambhir stand to touch Kohli’s feet. When he succeeded in briefly doing that, the crowd was in absolute raptures, even when he was taken away by the security people.
Kohli, standing at the second slip, gestured to the security people to not hit the fan and stretched out his right hand. After that, posters began to surface from the crowds, ranging from fans asking Kohli to not go after deliveries going in fifth and sixth stump lines to asking if he ate his favourite chole bhature at his go-to outlet in younger days.
In the Old Clubhouse stand, the talk amongst DDCA officials, and employee at various departments was about how they had never seen a huge crowd before for a Ranji Trophy game in their time of working at the stadium, with work swiftly going on arranging food for fans for all for days of the game.
Expressions of awe on the fans’ craze for Kohli were also visible on faces of national selector Ajay Ratra and Raj Kumar Sharma, Kohli’s childhood coach. The DDCA people also had some kind words on how Kohli was the humble stalwart, who showed no airs and carried his kit bag all the time, while adding the positivity and much-needed intensity into Delhi’s practice sessions.
The chants of ‘Kohli, Kohli’ grew louder and mobile cameras came out from a section of fans near the fence of the Bishan Singh Bedi Stand whenever he went in and came out of the dressing room housed at Virat Kohli Pavilion.
An old timer at the venue recalled the craze of fans for seeing Kohli live reminded him of the time spectators came in large numbers at the stadium for the Duleep Trophy final clash in March 1979, where Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar were in action for North and West Zones, respectively.
In that game, as the old timer said, Dev moved the ball both ways to pick 7-65 while Gavaskar batted like a champion to be 130 not out, as North Zone eventually prevailed over West Zone to win the competition. Now, 46 years later, Delhi was witness to fans thronging the stadium in large numbers, highlighting the pull Kohli has in Indian cricket.
By 2 pm, as Upendra Yadav led Railways fightback with a superb 95 and Karn Sharma aiding him with a gritty fifty, the enthusiasm in stand dipped a bit, as chances of seeing Kohli bat were rapidly diminishing.
When Delhi’s bouncer ploy got them a breakthrough in the form of Karn’s wicket, Kohli was the first person to appreciate young Yash Dhull for completing a superb relay catch, after previously egging on the crowd to cheer for the home team, who in turn shouted his name loudly.
As the day ended, the fans didn’t get to see Kohli bat but will be back in large numbers on day two to see him weave some magic with his willow. For now, they will be talking about how they were pulled into seeing a Ranji Trophy game, all thanks to the aura Kohli carries and brought a party-like atmosphere to the Arun Jaitley Stadium on a not-so-usual weekday.
Sports
IPL 2025: Suryakumar set for big celebration after bagging first POTM award in 13 games

Mumbai, May 22: In a brilliant Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season in which he has emerged as the top scorer for Mumbai Indians and produced 25-plus scores in 12 matches in a row, Suryakumar Yadav’s wife Devisha spotted a big anomaly—the batter known for his 360-degree batting has not won a single Player of the Match award.
Suryakumar Yadav rectified that abnormality on Wednesday as he hammered a 43-ball 73 on a slightly sluggish wicket that was offering a turn to the spinners and helped Mumbai Indians reach 180/5, laying the foundation for a 59-run victory against Delhi Capitals in Match 63 of IPL 2025 at the Wankhede Stadium. He equalled the record for the most successive 25-plus scores in T20 cricket, joining Temba Bavuma at 13.
SKY and Naman Dhir hammered 48 runs in the last two overs, which lifted Mumbai Indians from 132/5 to 180 and gave the bowlers a good target to defend.
Mitchell Santner (3-11) and Jasprit Bumrah (3-12) then helped the five-time winners bundle out Delhi Capitals for 121, secure a 59-run win, and seal the fourth and final spot in the playoffs. Suryakumar Yadav was adjudged the Player of the Match (POTM) for his brilliant knock.
“It has been thirteen games now, my wife told me a sweet story. She said I have gotten all the awards, but not the POTM award. This award is really special today. From the team’s point of view, the knock was important today. And this trophy is for her (my wife), and it was important (for me) to play till the end,” said Suryakumar Yadav after accepting the award.
The 34-year-old batter, who is now third in the Orange Cap race with 583 runs, behind Gujarat Titans duo Sai Sudharsan (617) and Shubman Gill (601), said they will have their usual celebration with a big cake for this innings.
“She waits for such moments, and we celebrate them when we go back, so really looking forward to it. It was really important for a single batter to bat till the end – we knew there was a 15-20 run over somewhere. The way Naman came in and shared that energy with me (was great),” said Suryakumar Yadav.
Delhi Capitals’ stand-in captain Faf du Plessis felt that they were excelled in the field on Wednesday but were disappointed with the bat to lose the match.
He said his bowlers did well for most of the match but were undone by the way Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir snatched it by hammering 48 runs in the last two overs.
“Momentum is a real thing in cricket. The way they counter-punched to get almost 50 in the last two overs…undoing the work of the first 17-18 overs, we lost that momentum. If you look at the two teams, it was a case of David and Goliath. I enjoy that because it gives you the opportunity to play as a team,” said the South African.
“Sums up our season – we have been cold either in the batting or the bowling in the last seven or eight games. Perhaps a fair reflection (that we did not qualify),” said Faf.
He admitted that Delhi Capitals missed their regular captain and top spinner Axar Patel on this wicket.
“Axar on a wicket like that, the way Mitchell Santner bowled…Axar is that kind of class, proven international bowler who, on a wicket like that, would have loved to bowl. But he was very sick. Starcy (Mitchell Starc) is a fantastic bowler, but a spinner on a wicket like this is worth gold. I am a big believer that you never take it (momentum) for granted,” said Faf du Plessis.
Sports
LSG’s Digvesh gets one game suspension, SRH batter Abhishek fined 25 pc of match fees for on-field altercation

Lucknow, May 20: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spinner Digvesh Rathi and Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Abhishek Sharma are penalised for their ugly verbal spat during their IPL 2025 match on Monday.
Digvesh has been fined 50 per cent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct. This was the LSG spinner’s third Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 this season and hence he accumulated two demit point for a total of five, which result in a one-game suspension.
“Digvesh Singh, Bowler, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) has been fined 50 per cent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team’s match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Monday.
“This was his third Level 1 offence under Article 2.5 this season and hence, he has accumulated Two Demerit Points, in addition to Three Demerit Points he had accumulated earlier – One Demerit Point against Punjab Kings on April 01, 2025 and Two Demerit Points against Mumbai Indians on April 04, 2025.
“As he now has Five Demerit Points this season – which result in a one-game suspension – Digvesh will now be suspended for LSG’s next game – against Gujarat Titans on May 22, 2025 in Ahmedabad,” the statement from IPL read.
Meanwhile, SRH batter has been fined 25 per cent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during the match and accumulated one demerit point as this was his first offences under IPL code og conduct.
“Abhishek Sharma, All-rounder, Sunrisers Hyderabad has been fined 25 per cent of his match fees for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct during his team’s match against Lucknow Super Giants,” the statement further read.
“This was his first Level 1 offence under Article 2.6 this season and hence, he has accumulated One Demerit Point,” it added.
The incident happened during the 8th over of SRH’s chase when Digvesh got Abhishek out with a catch in the deep and celebrated with his usual notebook gesture. But soon after, the two got into a heated argument, and the umpires along with LSG captain Rishabh Pant had to step in quickly.
Replays showed Digvesh making a gesture to Abhishek after the dismissal, which may have led to the argument.
Crime
Chadian national held at Mumbai airport with gold worth Rs 3.86 cr hidden in slippers

Mumbai, May 17: In a major crackdown on gold smuggling, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Mumbai, arrested a Chadian national who arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) from Addis Ababa, after seizing 4,015 grams of gold worth Rs 3.86 crore ingeniously concealed in the heels of his slippers.
Acting on specific Intelligence, DRI officers intercepted the male passenger shortly after his arrival in Mumbai. Upon conducting a personal search, the officers discovered multiple foreign-origin gold bars cleverly hidden inside the modified heels of the man’s slippers.
In his voluntary statement recorded by officials, the Chadian national admitted to concealing the gold in this unusual manner to bypass customs checks and evade legal detection. The gold was seized under the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and the passenger was placed under arrest.
Officials stated that further investigations are underway to trace the origin and intended recipients of the smuggled consignment and to determine if the incident is linked to a broader smuggling network.
This seizure adds to a growing list of recent smuggling attempts intercepted by vigilant DRI officials.
In an earlier case from April 2025, DRI Mumbai had seized foreign-origin gold worth Rs 6.30 crore from a passenger who had arrived at CSMIA from Bangkok. The gold, hidden in specially designed compartments of the passenger’s luggage, was also seized under the Customs Act, with the individual arrested immediately.
The DRI continues to maintain a strict vigil at international entry points, using a combination of Intelligence gathering and surveillance to thwart attempts at smuggling precious metals and other contraband. The agency reiterated its commitment to cracking down on such offenses, which pose a serious threat to economic stability and border security.
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