Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns to enter IPL final

Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders would be eager to avenge their twin defeats in the league stage when they face old foes Mumbai Indians in the IPL Qualifer 2 in Bengaluru on Friday (19).

KKR have an abysmal 5-15 head-to-head record against Mumbai Indians, who notched up twin victories over their rivals in the league stage of the tournament this year.


In fact, Mumbai Indians had pulled off their first win of the season against KKR at the Wankhede stadium last month when they beat them by four wickets with just one ball to spare.

Needing 60 runs off last 24 balls, Hardik Pandya had finished the job in dramatic fashion, smashing 29 off 11 balls.

Mumbai once again got the better of KKR when they handed them a nine-run defeat in their last league match at Edens Gardens.

Come Friday, MI and KKR will face each other once again with the IPL final spot at stake after suffering contrasting fates in qualifier 1 and eliminator respectively.

Mumbai are coming into the match after a 20-run defeat against Rising Pune Supergiant, while KKR defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets via Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-truncated eliminator last night.

Both Mumbai and KKR have won the IPL trophy twice in the last nine editions and a win will take them to the final against Rising Pune Supergiant to be played in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Mumbai's batting has been remarkable this season with openers Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel giving them good starts and skipper Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayadu and Kieron Pollard firing in unison.

Adding to this, the Pandya brothers -- Hardik and Krunal -- have been exceptionally good whenever the team has needed them.

With 10 victories in the league stage, table-toppers MI have been in rampaging form and they would like to forget their defeat against Pune and rise to the big occasion.

In bowling, Mumbai may continue to open their attack with Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga and Kiwi Mitchell McClenaghan.

Jasprit Bumrah has been their best death overs specialist and along with Hardik, he will have to play a key role to restrict KKR, which boasts of some big names like Chris Lynn, Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa, among others.

After clinching a win against Hyderabad last night, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side would like to continue its winning momentum.

KKR would hope Lynn, who just scored six in the last match, comes to the party. Lynn had scored a quick-fire fifty off just 21 balls against Gujarat Lions on his return at Chinnaswamy stadium after recovering from an injury.

Lynn had an excellent start to the season when he stitched a record opening partnership of 184 with skipper Gambhir against Gujarat and went on to score an unbeaten 93.

Sunil Narine's pyrotechnics as a pinch-hitter have helped KKR's cause. He had blasted 50 off just 15 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore to equal the record for the fastest fifty in the IPL and Gambhir would hope the West Indian to come up with another whirlwind innings.

Among others, KKR also boasts of Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa, who have scored 396 and 387 runs respectively.

Uthappa, though would like to forget the previous match after he scored just one when he was asked to open the innings with Lynn.

Gambhir, who is placed in the second spot in the most runs list with 486 runs, will hope to lead from the front. He was in red-hot form early in the season but seemed a tad off-colour in the business end.

As far as their bowling is concerned, Chris Woakes (17 wickets) and Umesh Yadav (16 wickets) have been on song, and they have their task cut out to stop Simmons and Rohit at the top of the order, and Rayadu and Pollard in the middle.

Teams (From):

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (C), Lendl Simmons, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nitish Rana, Parthiv Patel, Saurabh Tiwary, Shreyas Gopal, Tim Southee, Lasith Malinga, Krunal Pandya, Keiron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Asela Gunaratne, Harbhajan Singh, Hardik Pandya, Jagdish Suchith, Jaspreet Bumrah, Jos Buttler, Karn Sharma and Vinay Kumar.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (C), Darren Bravo, Trent Boult, Piyush Chawla, Nathan Coulter Nile, Colin De Grandhomme, Rishi Dhawan, Sayan Ghosh, Shakib-Al-Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Ishank Jaggi, Kuldeep Yadav, Chris Woakes, Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Ankit Rajpoot, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Uthappa and Umesh Yadav.

More For You

raj kundra

Raj Kundra names Bipasha Basu and Neha Dhupia in £5.6m Bollywood fraud probe

Getty Images

Raj Kundra tells Mumbai police £5.6m fraud funds went to Bipasha Basu and Neha Dhupia

Highlights:

  • Raj Kundra questioned in India for five hours over alleged £5.6m (₹60 crore) fraud
  • He claimed money was paid as fees to Bollywood stars Bipasha Basu and Neha Dhupia
  • Investigators traced nearly £2.3m (₹25 crore) in direct transfers to actresses and Balaji Entertainment
  • Shilpa Shetty also under scrutiny as financial probe widens

Businessman Raj Kundra, husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, has been questioned for nearly five hours by financial crime investigators in India in connection with an alleged £5.6 million (₹60 crore) fraud. During interrogation, Kundra reportedly said part of the disputed money was paid as professional fees to Bollywood actresses Bipasha Basu and Neha Dhupia. Authorities are now examining whether these transactions were legitimate or part of a larger scheme.

raj kundra Raj Kundra names Bipasha Basu and Neha Dhupia in £5.6m Bollywood fraud probe Getty Images

Keep ReadingShow less
India vs Pakistan

The PCB had complained to the ICC, alleging that Pycroft instructed Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav at the toss in Sunday’s Asia Cup match.

Getty Images

ICC rejects PCB request to drop Pycroft from Asia Cup panel

THE International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected Pakistan’s request to remove match referee Andy Pycroft from the Asia Cup. The decision came after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) blamed the Zimbabwean official for the “no handshake” incident during their game against India and reportedly threatened to pull out of the tournament.

The PCB had complained to the ICC, alleging that Pycroft instructed Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands with Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav at the toss in Sunday’s Asia Cup match.

Keep ReadingShow less
World Curry Festival 2025

The discovery coincides with Bradford’s City of Culture celebrations

World Curry Festival

Bradford’s first curry house traced back to 1942 ahead of World Curry Festival

Highlights:

  • Research for the World Curry Festival uncovered evidence of a curry house in Bradford in 1942.
  • Cafe Nasim, later called The Bengal Restaurant, is thought to be the city’s first.
  • The discovery coincides with Bradford’s City of Culture celebrations.
  • Festival events will include theatre, lectures, and a street food market.

Historic discovery in Bradford’s food heritage

Bradford’s claim as the curry capital of Britain has gained new historical depth. Organisers of the World Curry Festival have uncovered evidence that the city’s first curry house opened in 1942.

Documents revealed that Cafe Nasim, later renamed The Bengal Restaurant, once stood on the site of the current Kashmir Restaurant on Morley Street. Researcher David Pendleton identified an advert for the cafe in the Yorkshire Observer dated December 1942, describing it as “Bradford’s First Indian Restaurant”.

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Redford death

Robert Redford dies at 89 leaving behind a Hollywood and Sundance legacy

Getty Images

Robert Redford dies at 89 as tributes hail his fight for cinema freedom and environmental justice

Highlights

  • Robert Redford, Oscar-winning actor and director, dies at age 89 in Utah
  • Starred in classics including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men
  • Founded the Sundance Institute, transforming the landscape of independent cinema
  • Advocated for environmental causes and used his fame to highlight pressing global issues

Robert Redford dies at 89, leaving behind a legacy that bridged blockbuster Hollywood hits and groundbreaking independent cinema. Best known for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and All the President’s Men, Redford was not only a matinée idol but also an Academy Award-winning director and the driving force behind the Sundance Film Festival, which changed the trajectory of global filmmaking.

Robert Redford death Robert Redford dies at 89 leaving behind a Hollywood and Sundance legacy Getty Images

Keep ReadingShow less
UK–Africa business summit 2025

UK–Africa business summit 2025

UK–Africa business summit 2025 highlights trade, technology and resilient partnerships

Highlights:

  • Dr Sudhir Ruparelia emphasised Uganda’s growing real estate, agriculture and tourism sectors.
  • Lord Dolar Popat called for closer Commonwealth ties between Africa, the UK and India.
  • Uganda’s ministers outlined regional integration, investment climate and agricultural transformation.
  • Spiritual leader Sant Trilochan Darshan Das Ji urged ethical entrepreneurship rooted in integrity.

The 15th edition of the UK–Africa Business Summit took place on Friday, 12 September at The Royal Horseguards Hotel & One Whitehall Place, bringing together senior government leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and diaspora stakeholders to strengthen trade and investment ties between the UK and African nations.

Keep ReadingShow less