Author: Prakhar Sachdeo

DC vs GT: Mohit Sharma bowls the worst spell in IPL history

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Gujarat Titans fast bowler Mohit Sharma on Wednesday bowled the most expensive over of the IPL. Sharma became part of the dubious record after he conceded 77 runs from his 4 overs during his team’s match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley stadium.

Off the 77 runs, 31 runs came the final over of his spell as Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant hit the medium pacer for four sixes and a four.  Mohit failed to pick even one wicket in his spell.

The previous record for the most expensive bowling returns in IPL history was against Basil Thampi. Thampi, during IPL 2018,  while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in a match against Royal Challengers Benglauru conceded 70 runs without picking up a wicket.

The two other spells, which are part of the top-5 most expensive spells in IPL history are Yash Dayal’s 0/69 for Gujarat Titans vs Kolkata Knight Riders and Reece Topley’s 0/68 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Mohit was the second-highest wicket taker in IPL 2023 as he claimed 27 scalps in 14 matches.

Thanks to the fifties from Pant and Axar Patel Delhi Capitals posted a total of 224/4 after 20 overs.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Rishabh Pant thunderous 88 takes Delhi Capitals to 224/4 vs Gujarat Titans

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant played the best knock since his comeback as he blasted 88 against Gujarat Titans at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Wednesday.

Pant, who is on his comeback trail after a fatal car accident in December 2022, showed no mercy on Gujarat Titans bowlers as he hammered 5 fours and 8 sixes during his unbeaten knock.

The wicket-keeper batter got good support from Axar Patel who hit 66 in 43 balls.

The two half-centuries helped Delhi Capitals to a massive total of 224/4 in 20 overs.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Usain Bolt is the ambassador of the T20 World Cup

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday named sprint legend Usain Bolt as the ambassador of the upcoming T20 World Cup to be played in the West Indies and USA from June 1 to 29.

Jamaica-born Bolt had created history at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing where he won the 100m, 200m and 4x100m races in world record times.

Bolt currently holds world records in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m with times of 9.58 secs, 19.19 secs and 36.84 secs.

Bolt was delighted about his new role as the World Cup comes to his home.

“I am thrilled to be an ambassador for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Coming from the Caribbean where cricket is a part of life, the sport has always held a special place in my heart,” Bolt said in an ICC media release.

Bolt said it will be massive for cricket to find a market in the USA.

“While I will be supporting West Indies at the WC, getting the sport into the US is big for cricket. It’s the biggest sports market in the world.

“The energy that we will bring for the T20 World Cup is a huge opportunity leading towards cricket’s inclusion in the LA Olympics in 2028,” he said.

As an ambassador, Bolt will play a key role in promoting the event, starting with a cameo appearance in next week’s release of the event’s official anthem alongside iconic artists Sean Paul and Kes.

ICC Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Allardice said: “Usain Bolt is a global icon, we are thrilled to have him on board as an Ambassador for the T20 World Cup. His passion for cricket is well known, making him the perfect fit for this role.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Paris will become a no-fly zone during its wildly ambitious Olympic opening ceremony

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Skies over the Paris region will be closed for six hours as part of the massive security operation for the July 26 opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the Paris airports operator said Wednesday.

Augustin de Romanet, chairman of Aéroports de Paris, said airlines are being warned in advance about the closure and told they will have to fly around the restricted airspace.

“For six hours, there won’t be any aircraft over the Paris region,” he said on France Info radio.

The no-fly zone will extend for a radius of 150 kilometers (93 miles) around Paris, the civil aviation authority and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin have said.

The unprecedented waterborne ceremony on the River Seine running through the French capital is the stiffest single security challenge for Paris Games organizers, with crowds of more than 320,000 people expected to line the waterway.

At least one French military AWACS surveillance aircraft will police the skies during the Olympics, using its powerful radar to watch for any potential airborne threats, the French AWACS squadron’s commander previously told The Associated Press. Other military aircraft can be scrambled to intercept any non-authorized flights that enter restricted Olympic airspace.

Separately, de Romanet said there’s still a “very, very high” probability that small electric-powered airborne taxis will be trialled with passengers over Paris during the July 26-Aug. 11 Games, which he said would be a world first.

But European air-certification authorities might initially only allow the taxis to fly passengers on an experimental basis, not commercially, he added.

“We have high hopes that we will be able to carry passengers experimentally which will pave the way, over Paris, for the first flight in the world of an electrical vertical take-off aircraft,” he said.

Multiple companies are developing electrically powered aircraft that take off and land vertically. Some have already flown demonstration flights, in a race to turn their promises of environmentally friendly air transport into a commercially viable reality.

De Romanet insisted that the aircraft are safe, saying: “I am ready to climb aboard.”

Critics worry that taxis zipping through the airs of Paris will be a noisy and potentially dangerous nuisance and affordable only by the wealthy. The Socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, is among opponents of proposals to trial them on a few Paris-region routes during the Games.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Rafael Nadal uncertain over French Open participation

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Spain’s Rafael Nadal said on Wednesday that he is not sure if he will be able to play at next month’s French Open after pushing through the pain barrier in his comeback from injury.

The 37-year-old, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, said that he is far from being in top form and that he is only playing against American Darwin Blanch in the first round of the Madrid Open on Thursday as a personal sacrifice.

“If I was in Paris today, I wouldn’t go out to play,” Nadal told a press conference, in reference to Roland Garros.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to play at 100% but it’s important to be able to play for the last time in Madrid, it means a lot to me to play on this court where I’ve had some great moments.

“This doesn’t mean I’m giving up on anything in the next few weeks, I don’t know what might happen. Without trying to confuse anyone, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next three weeks.

“I’m going to do the things I have to do to be able to play in Paris. And if I can, I can and if I can’t, I can’t. I’m going to Paris if I feel like I’m good enough… I’m going to Paris if I feel capable enough to compete.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

What are top-5 highest individual scores in IPL in run-chases?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Marcus Stoinis’ century canceled out Ruturaj Gaikwad’s hundred as Lucknow Super Giants beat Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.

Stoinis scored 124 not out off 63 balls, including 13 fours and six sixes, as Lucknow put dewy conditions to good use to successfully chase down the highest IPL total at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

Stoinis’s unbeaten 124 is now the highest individual score in the IPL in a run chase. Here are the top-5 scores individual scores in the IPL in run chases. 

124* – Marcus Stoinis (LSG) vs CSK, Chennai, 2024
120* – Paul Valthaty (PBKS) vs CSK, Mohali, 2011
119 – Virender Sehwag (DC) vs Deccan Chargers, Hyderabad, 2011
119 – Sanju Samson (RR) vs PBKS, Mumbai WS, 2021
117* – Shane Watson (CSK) vs SRH, Mumbai WS, 2018 final

Rituraj Gaikwad was 108 not out as the hosts finished with 210-4 in 20 overs. Lucknow finished with 213-4 with three balls to spare.

Stoinis’ maiden hundred spearheaded the chase for the Super Giants after their openers fell cheaply — Quinton de Kock was out bowled for a three-ball duck, while Lokesh Rahul scored 16 runs.

Stoinis then countered with 50 off 26 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes. Impact player Devdutt Padikkal was a spectator at the other end, contributing only 13 runs in a 55-run partnership for the third wicket.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Where does Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 108 vs LSG stands among the highest individual scores for CSK?

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad blasted an unbeaten 108 against Lucknow Super Giants at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.

Gaikwad hit 12 fours and three sixes as he completed his second IPL hundred. The century made Gaikwad the first CSK captain to notch a century in the T20 league.

Gaikwad’s unbeaten century and Dube’s thrilling cameo of 66 in 27 balls propelled the five-time champions to the score of 210/4 after 20 overs.

Dube’s 108 is now the fifth highest individual score by a CSK batter in the IPL.

Here are the top-5 highest individual scores for CSK (IPL)

127 – Murali Vijay vs RR, Chennai, 2010
117* – Shane Watson vs SRH, Mumbai WS, 2018 final
116* – Michael Hussey vs PBKS, Mohali, 2008
113 – Murali Vijay vs DC, Chennai, 2012 Q2
108* – Ruturaj Gaikwad vs LSG, Chennai, 2024

Gaikwad scored his first IPL century in 2021 against Rajasthan Royals.  Ahead of the start of this season he was elevated as the team’s captain after long-term captain stepped down from the role.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad punishes LSG bowlers en route his second IPL hundred

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad showed no mercy to Lucknow Super Giants bowlers as he hit his second IPL hundred. Gaikwad completed the century during the two team’s encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

This is 27-year-old’s second century in the IPL. Gaikwad’s first hundred was against Rajasthan Royals during the 2021 season of the IPL.

Gaikwad reached three-figure mark in deliveries and hit 11 fours and 3 sixes along the way. The right-handed batter remained unbeaten and finished on 108 in 60 balls.

The Pune based batter made his IPL debut in 2020 when he was selected to for CSK for a match against Rajasthan Royals.

Ahead of the start of the 2024 season of the IPL, Gaikwad was elevated as CSK captain after MS Dhoni stepped down from the role.

Gaikwad built a 104-run partnership with Shivam Dube. Dube played an entertaining cameo of 66 which he scored in only 27 balls.

Thanks to Gaikwad’s hundred and Dube’s fifty CSK finished on 210/4 after 20 overs.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Ahead of Olympics, Police clear out a migrant camp in central Paris

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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French police evicted migrants from a makeshift camp in Paris a few steps away from the River Seine on Tuesday, the latest operation in what aid groups call a campaign of ‘’social cleansing” ahead of the Summer Olympics.

Before dawn on an unusually cold April morning, around 30 teenage boys and young men from West Africa were awakened by police and urged to pack their tents and belongings. Most of them were underage and in the process of seeking residency papers.

“I was already scared but I am even more scared because I don’t know where to go,” said Boubacar Traoré, 16, who said he fled conflict in Burkina Faso, arriving in France two months ago.

The operation came days after police carried out a large-scale eviction at France’s biggest squatter camp in a suburb south of Paris.

Such evictions and evacuations of migrant tent camps happen every spring after the end of a winter ‘’truce” during which authorities put such actions on hold.

But aid groups working with migrants and other vulnerable people in the Paris region say these efforts are intensifying ahead of the Olympics. They note that people are being sent far away from the capital instead of being offered shelter in the Paris region, where many asylum-seekers have upcoming court dates.

“The authorities want to have a clean place for the Olympics Games. They don’t want the tourists to see Paris as a city full of migrants and asylum seekers,” Elias Hufnagel, a volunteer with a group serving refugees and immigrants, said at the Paris tent camp Tuesday.

Paris police said the operation was carried out for security reasons, notably because the tent camp was near schools.

In a nearby street stood two large buses heading to Besançon, 400 kilometers (240 miles) southeast of Paris. Authorities proposed to relocate the young men there and offered them housing for three weeks. But most didn’t want to take up that offer, fearing being even more isolated and with no plan after the three weeks run out.

Traoré was among those who refused to travel because he is awaiting a court date in Paris in two days. It was unclear where he would sleep Tuesday night.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow