Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Williamson fifty helps Sunrisers beat KKR by 5 wkts

Captain Kane Williamson led from the front with a solid fifty as Sunrisers Hyderabad shrugged off initial wobble to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets in their IPL match.

Williamson struck exactly fifty off 44 deliveries, hitting four boundaries and a six to help Sunrisers chase down the small target of 139 after the visiting side were reduced to 55 for 3 in the ninth over at the Eden Gardens.


Opener Wriddhiman Saha and Shakib Al Hasan made useful contributions of 24 and 27 respectively. Williamson's 59-run stand with Shakib -- who also took two wickets in KKR innings -- for the fourth wicket eased the pressure on the Sunrisers as they reached 139 for 5 in 19 overs to notch up their third win on the trot.

The match briefly threatened to take a twist when Williamson was out in the 18th over and Sunrisers needing 20 from 2.4 overs but Yusuf Pathan (17 not out off 7 balls) had other ideas as he hit a four and a six in the 19th over bowled by Andre Russell to finish off the match with one over to spare.

The Sunrisers made a bright start to their chase with openers Shikahr Dhawan and Saha scoring 32 in three overs before both departed in quick succession.

Saha hit three fours in third over bowled by Mitchell Johnson to get 16 runs from that over. With Dhawan also, getting the boundaries with ease, it looked like for a while that the Sunrisers would chase down the target in quick time.

But the match turned on its head after the first wicket fell in the form of Saha in the fourth over. Sunil Narine delivered as soon as he was introduced in the fourth over as he induced Saha to poke at an away going delivery into the hands of Shubman Gill at point.

Dhawan, who was in fine touch in the last two matches, was out cheaply this time for seven as he became Narine's second victim in the sixth over, clean-bowled by the West Indian off-spinner and suddenly Sunrisers were in trouble at 46 for 2.

Manish Pandey did not last long as he was trapped LBW by Yuzvendra Chahal for four in the ninth over. Run rate drastically dropped as the Sunrisers reached to 62 for 3 at halfway mark, needing 77 from the remaining 10 overs.

But the visiting side had their men in captain Willaimson and Shakib to do the job in the middle and they steadied the innings with a 59-run association to set up the win for their side.

Earlier, a splendid bowling show spearheaded by pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, coupled with a brilliant fielding display, helped Sunrisers restrict KKR to a modest 138/8 in a rain-interrupted first innings.

Returning to action after a one-match injury lay-off, Bhuvneshwar once again shone at the death, claiming 3/26 as KKR's rejigged batting order looked in a complete disarray.

Opting to bowl after winning the toss, SRH's overseas duo of Billy Stanlake (2/21) and Shakib Al Hasan (2/22) put the brakes in the middle overs, triggering a collapse after a one-hour rain delay.

An integral part of KKR's twin-IPL winning campaigns, Shakib became the thorn against his former team and young Australian pacer Stanlake gave him a fine support.

The left-arm spinner from Bangladesh took the two key wickets of Chris Lynn (49 off 34 balls; 7x4, 1x6) and Sunil Narine (9) to play a big role in restricting KKR to a small total.

Lynn was the lone KKR crusader in the middle but a sensational diving catch by Shakib off his own bowling denied the Australian a half-century as the star Bangladeshi cricketer once again did his job in the middle overs.

Bhuvenshwar gave the first breakthrough by dismissing Robin Uthappa (3) in the third over after a successful use of DRS.

KKR showed defensive strategy early on to hold back their in-form opener Narine, a move that did not help much as their batting order did not seem convincing with U-19 World Cup winner Shivam Mavi coming in at No. 7.

Bhuvneshwar's breakthrough and a tidy two-run over by Stanlake had KKR struggling for 23/1 in four overs before Lynn and Rana seized the momentum in two overs off Siddharth Kaul and Rashid Khan who leaked 14 and 12 overs respectively in their first overs.

KKR were looking good with Lynn and Rana in the middle before rain stopped the play at the score of 52/1 in seven overs.

But SRH did well to bounce back, riding on a splendid catch by Manish Pandey.

Rana hit Stanlake firmly just wide of Pandey, who showed amazing reaction to grab it on the second attempt and give SRH the breakthrough in four balls after play resumed.

The wicket straight after the rain break was a bonus and SRH did not look back after that.

More For You

Certain Blacks festival

Ensemble Festival 2025 returns to Royal Docks with bold new outdoor shows

Roswitha Chesher

Certain Blacks marks 10 years with free outdoor festival at Royal Docks

Quick highlights:

  • Ensemble Festival 2025 to be held on 26–27 July at Royal Victoria Docks, London.
  • Free outdoor event featuring circus, dance, street art and physical theatre.
  • Highlights include new works by Sadiq Ali, Vidya Thirunarayan and Miss High Leg Kick.
  • This year marks the 10th anniversary of organisers Certain Blacks.

This summer, London’s historic Royal Victoria Docks will transform into a hub of vibrant outdoor performance as Ensemble Festival 2025 returns on 26 and 27 July. Presented by arts organisation Certain Blacks, the free weekend event features an interesting line-up of new circus, dance and street theatre works, while also celebrating a decade of championing diverse and underrepresented artists.

Keep ReadingShow less
food-delivery-getty

Uber Eats and Deliveroo will tighten ID checks, including facial verification, to curb illegal migrant work after UK government pressure. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Food delivery platforms to step up ID checks after migrant work abuse reports

FOOD delivery companies Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat have agreed to strengthen security measures, including facial verification checks, to prevent irregular migrants from working through their platforms, following criticism from the UK government.

The announcement came after the Labour government summoned the three firms for a meeting in response to a report by The Sun which exposed how some migrants were bypassing rules and working illegally in the gig economy sector.

Keep ReadingShow less
heatwave

The Met Office and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have issued amber heat-health alerts

Getty Images

Doctors warn of hidden signs of heat stroke as UK issues amber alerts

Key points

  • Amber heat-health alerts issued as temperatures approach 35°C in parts of the UK.
  • Early signs of heat stroke include confusion, slurred speech, and dizziness.
  • Heat exhaustion can develop into heat stroke if not treated within 30 minutes.
  • At-risk groups include the elderly, young children, and those with health conditions.
  • NHS and health experts urge people to stay hydrated, cool, and avoid midday sun.

Medical experts are urging the public to remain alert for the early signs of heat stroke, as temperatures across parts of England are expected to reach up to 35°C. The Met Office and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have issued amber heat-health alerts, warning that extreme heat can have serious health impacts. Doctors stress that symptoms can begin subtly, making early intervention crucial.

Heat alerts across multiple regions

Amber-level warnings are in effect for the West Midlands, East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, South East, South West, London, and the East of England.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jeremy Clarkson pub

The controversy surrounding the ketchup ban caught the attention of British condiment company Condimaniac

Getty Images

Clarkson’s Farmer’s Dog pub ends ketchup ban with British-made alternative

Key points

  • Jeremy Clarkson’s Farmer’s Dog pub banned non-British products, including ketchup and Coca-Cola.
  • The rule sparked months of backlash from customers who called it “weird”.
  • British condiment company Condimaniac developed a 100% British-sourced ketchup in response.
  • The new ketchup will be stocked at the pub, but only in full bottles for purchase.
  • Some visitors remain critical as the condiment isn’t yet available for table use.

Jeremy Clarkson’s strict British-only policy at his Farmer’s Dog pub has caused considerable controversy since its launch, particularly due to the absence of staple condiments like ketchup. However, a recent development by a British condiment company could finally offer a compromise. The pub will now stock a fully British-sourced ketchup developed in response to the ban, although it will only be available to buy in bottles rather than offered with meals.

Clarkson's British-only policy sparked backlash

When Jeremy Clarkson opened the Farmer’s Dog pub in the Cotswolds, featured on the Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm, he introduced a strict rule: the pub would serve only 100% British food and drink. This ethos was designed to promote local sourcing and support British farming and production.

Keep ReadingShow less
One year on, Starmer still has no story — but plenty of regrets

Sir Keir Starmer

Getty Images

One year on, Starmer still has no story — but plenty of regrets

Do not expect any parties in Downing Street to celebrate the government’s first birthday on Friday (4). After a rocky year, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer had more than a few regrets when giving interviews about his first year in office.

He explained that he chose the wrong chief of staff. That his opening economic narrative was too gloomy. That choosing the winter fuel allowance as a symbol of fiscal responsibility backfired. Starmer ‘deeply regretted’ the speech he gave to launch his immigration white paper, from which only the phrase ‘island of strangers’ cut through. Can any previous political leader have been quite so self-critical of their own record in real time?

Keep ReadingShow less