SPORTS

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer led by example but his herculean effort was not enough for his side to get over the line against Rajasthan Royals at the Brabourne Stadium.

Riding on Jos Buttler’s second century of IPL 2022, Sanju Samson’s side posted the biggest total of the season but thanks to Iyer’s magnificent 51-ball 85, the two-time champions came within a touching distance of overhauling their total.

There were plenty of ups and downs throughout the match and tempers flared high as the high-scoring encounter went down to the wire. Unhappy with Venkatesh Iyer denying his call for two runs, the KKR captain lost his cool and shouted at him in the middle of the ground.

Umran Malik may only be three first-class matches and one List A game old but that hasn’t hindered the Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer from leaving cricket lovers, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, impressed with his raw pace. Malik who frequently flirts in the 90mphs region, earned the Player of the Match award against Punjab Kings on Sunday when he bowled the perfect final over, a rare maiden that also yielded four wickets. PBKS went from 151/6 to 151/10 in a matter of minutes. Malik’s over ensured Punjab did not take away the match and in reply, Sunrisers Hyderabad successfully chased down the modest target of 152 with 7 wickets and as many deliveries to spare. This was also Hyderabad’s fourth win on the trot in the ongoing edition of IPL 2022.

Skipper KL Rahul led from the front as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) registered a 18-run victory over Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians at the Brabourne Stadium.

The LSG skipper, who enjoys a great record against MI, proved to be their nemesis once again, blasting an unbeaten 103 off just 60 balls. What made this hundred even more special was that it came in his KL Rahul’s 100th IPL appearance.

It was a special knock that deserved a special celebration and as soon as the LSG skipper breached the three-figure mark in the final over of the innings, he carried out his trademark celebration, closing his eyes and shutting down his ear canals with two fingers.

Rahul Tripathi and Aiden Markram's effortless batting display along with the pacers magnificent show formed the cornerstone of Sunrisers Hyderbad's comfortable seven-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPL match here on Friday. The SRH pace unit comprising the likes of T Natarajan (3/37), Umran Malik (2/27), Marco Jansen (1/26) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/37) restricted KKR for 175 for 8.

Tripathi, who smashed 71 off 37, and Aiden Markram (68 not out of 36) then produced hostile knocks to take SRH to their third successive win with 13 balls to spare For KKR, Nitish Rana scored 54 while Andre Russell was unbeaten on 49.

Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf has disclosed that during Pakistan's last bilateral cricket trip to India in 2012, the PCB brought the players and their wives to the nation for a cricket series in December and January.

Ashraf has revealed that the PCB sent the cricketers and their families to India for a cricket series in December and January during Pakistan's last bilateral cricket tour to India in 2012. The Ex-Boss of the organisation said that the decision was taken to keep a watch on the players.

When their team embarked on a visit to India during his tenure, he urged that all of the players' spouses accompany them. This decision was made to avoid causing a stir in the Indian media, which is usually on the watch for such things. Ashraf informed Cricket Pakistan that the spouses were supposed to keep an eye on the players as well.