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Aiden Markram struck a brisk half-century as Sunrisers Hyderabad overcame some late jitters to beat Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in the Indian Premier League on Friday. The South African batsman hit four fours and a six in his 50-run knock to help Hyderabad overhaul Chennai's below-par total of 165-5 with 11 balls to spare at the packed Rajiv Gandhi International stadium. The victory lifted Hyderabad to fifth place in the 10-team competition with two wins from four games.

IPL 2024 Points Table | IPL 2024 Schedule

Chennai suffered their second defeat in the tournament but stayed at the third position.

Kolkata Knight Riders continue to hold the top spot while Rajasthan Royals remain at the second position. Lucknow Super Giants are fourth in the list.

Hyderabad made a flying start with opener Abhishek Sharma hammering 27 runs including three sixes and two fours in the second over by Mukesh Choudhary.

But his heroics were cut short by Deepak Chahar who had Sharma caught by Ravindra Jadeja for 37.

Markram then steadied the innings with his well-composed knock off 36 balls before being trapped leg before by England's Moeen Ali.

Ali then struck again in his next over to remove Shahbaz Ahmed (18), stunning the home crowd into silence.

Heinrich Klassen and Nitish Kumar Reddy however ensured there were no further setbacks and carried the team past the target.

Chennai started slowly after being put in to bat, with openers Rachin Ravindra (12) and Gaikwad (26) cautious in their approach.

Shivam Dube provided a fillip to the innings with a quickfire 45 off 24 balls studded with four sixes and two fours.

He appeared set for a bigger knock but was caught at backward point off Australian fast bowling star Pat Cummins.

Ajinkya Rahane (35) and Ravindra Jadeja (31 not out) also made useful contributions but Hyderabad bowlers did well to keep the batsmen in check.

A disciplined bowling performance meant CSK could only add 37 runs in the last five overs.

(With AFP Inputs)

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NDTV Sports-Cricket

Sunrisers Hyderabad were back on track with a comfortable six-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings in an IPL match at at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday. This was CSK's second defeat in as many games. Sunrisers Hyderabad bowlers restricted CSK to a manageable 165 for 5 and the chased down the target in 18.1 overs. Abhishek Sharma teed off with 37 off just 12 balls to set the ball rolling while Aiden Markram's 50 off 36 balls and Travis Head's 31 off 24 balls also proved to be useful in the final context of the game. Most of the CSK batters got starts but didn't go on to play a big knock with Shivam Dube smashing 45 off 24 balls with four sixes apart from two fours.

Ravindra Jadeja's 31 not out off 23 balls gave the team some muscle towards the end of the innings.

Jaydev Unadkat (1/29) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/28) were key bowling performers for SRH.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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The Gujarat Titans vs Punjab Kings IPL 2024 match was a thriller to the core. After Shubman Gill's 89* took Gujarat Titans to 199/4 in 20 overs, most the Punjab Kings top batters fell on low scores. But one man had some other idea - Shashank Singh. The domestic cricket star slammed 61* in 29 balls (4x6s, 6x4s) to take his team to a memorable win in the last over vs GT. In a team filled with stars like Shikhar Dhawan and Sam Curran, it was Shashank Singh who did the job for PBKS. 

However, Shashank Singh' auction selection lead to a lot of controversy. At the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction, Punjab Kings co-owners Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia looked confused after they won the bid for uncapped Indian Shashank Singh. It appeared that the IPL franchise did not intend to buy the player, but then the gavel had already fallen. IPL 2024 auctioneer Mallika Sagar also looked a little surprised as the PBKS management was seen going through the players auction list. However, PBKS decided to go ahead with the buy and even welcomed Shashank Singh to their team through a post on X.

Punjab Kings clarified that buying Shashank Singh was always in  their plans.

"Punjab Kings would like to clarify that Shashank Singh was always on our target list. The confusion was due to 2 players of the same name being on the list. We are delighted to have him onboard and see him contribute to our success," Punjab Kings wrote in a post on X. 

Two players of similar names on the IPL list created confusion. I am delighted to share that the right Shashank Singh has been onboarded. He has put out some noteworthy performances, and we're ready to unleash his talent.

- Satish Menon
CEO, Punjab Kings.

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) December 20, 2023

Shashank Singh was brought up in the accelerated phase of the auction, with PBKS and other franchises looking to buy some uncapped Indian players in the category of INR 20 lakh base price.

When Shashank's name was brought up, Preity Zinta raised the paddle after discussing the player with her team. The player was quickly sold as no other franchise bid for him, and the hammer went down.

Shashank Singh has played 58 domestic T20, scoring 754 at a strike-rate of 137.34. The 32-year-old batting all-rounder plays for Chhattisgarh at the national level. He is journeyman of sorts in IPL. Earlier, he has been associated with three other IPL franchises - SunRisers Hyderabad, Delhi Daredevils (erstwhile) and Rajasthan Royals. 
 

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What Pak PM Said On "Suspicious Powder" Laced Threat Letters To Judges

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the government will launch a probe into threat letters laced with a "suspicious powder" received by the judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts in Islamabad and Lahore.

Eight judges of Islamabad High Court (IHC) and three judges of Lahore High Court received threatening letters with white powder suspected to be anthrax.

"The letters that were sent to various judges yesterday, and the reports that have emerged about a suspicious powder in them [...] So I think that we should show full responsibility on this and not let any kind of politics near this [matter]," Dawn News quoted the prime minister as saying during a cabinet meeting here.

"The government of Pakistan, with a sense of responsibility, will investigate this," Sharif said.

The letters, delivered to all the judges in white envelopes sealed with cello tape, had their names and the court's address written over them.

The letters carried a threatening sign and accused the judges of being responsible for problems faced by the people of Pakistan, the report said.

The staff of two judges, who had opened the envelopes and found a suspicious powder inside, reported the matter to the IHC registrar who summoned the police officials deputed for security of the court.

A case has been registered and according to the FIR, the letters were issued with an incomplete address of the sender.

The letters while giving reference to Tehreek-i-Namoos Pakistan criticised the justice system, with a particular photo and English word "Bacillus Anthracis" included for the threat, the FIR said.

Similar letters arrived in the Supreme Court and the Lahore High Court (LHC) the next day, prompting the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) to register two cases in Islamabad and Lahore.

The letters in the top court were sent to Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and Justice Aminuddin.

The letters sent by an unknown group threatened the judges of the Supreme Court for "rescuing evil". Suspicious powder was found inside the envelopes and sent to the forensic lab.

The personal staff of the judges who received the threat found the letters in the daily mail received at the high court, said an official.

The official said the staff of all judges at the LHC was already alert in the wake of letters sent to the IHC judges.

Earlier on Thursday, the Islamabad Police said it was "conducting checks at the entry routes of the higher courts and the high-security zone".

In a post on X, the police urged citizens to carry their identification documents.

The development comes more than a week after six IHC judges in a startling letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) members, complained regarding alleged interference by the country's security apparatus in judicial matters.

Prime Minister Sharif recalled the developments in the matter and noted the Supreme Court's suo motu proceedings about the allegations levelled by the IHC judges about interference in judicial affairs.

"We had fulfilled our responsibility and after that, these changes came," he said.

Last week, Shehbaz met Chief Justice Isa and the two decided to form an inquiry commission, which was later approved by the federal cabinet.

However, ex-CJP Tassaduq Hussain Jillani - tasked to head the one-man inquiry commission - recused himself.

At the same time, the top court took suo motu notice of the matter. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Hamas Chief Accuses Israel Of Procrastination In Truce Talks

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh accused Israel on Wednesday of procrastinating in stalled talks to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza war and a hostage release deal.

Recent negotiations have made little progress and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the Palestinian Hamas group has hardened its position.

"The Zionist occupation continues to procrastinate stubbornly, and does not respond to our fair demands for an end to the war and aggression," Haniyeh said in a recorded speech shown at a Hezbollah meeting.

Netanyahu's office said on Tuesday that Israel's negotiating team had returned from another round of discussions in Cairo.

"In the framework of the talks, under useful Egyptian mediation, the mediators formulated an updated proposal for Hamas," the premier's office said.

However, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said on Tuesday that the group had not been sent any new proposals.

"The movement has not received any proposals from the mediators or the occupation (Israel) regarding a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal", he said.

In his speech shown on Wednesday ahead of comments from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the Qatar-based Haniyeh reiterated Hamas's conditions for peace.

These include a permanent ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the return of displaced Gazans, unhindered entry of aid, full reconstruction of the war-ravaged territory, and "a respectable prisoner exchange deal."

Haniyeh also denounced what he said was "direct American participation" in the war in Gaza by supplying weapons and ammunition to the Israeli military.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Mumbai Indians fast bowler Gerald Coetzee shattered youngster Mayank Yadav's record by delivering the fastest ball of IPL 2024 during the match against Rajasthan Royals on Monday. Mayank clinched the record just two days ago when he delivered a 155.8 kmph ball for Lucknow Super Giants but Coetzee surpassed his mark by quite some margin. The 157.4 kmph scorcher from the South Africa international came in the final ball of RR's chase and Riyan Parag was able to guide it towards the third-man boundary for a four. Overall, Coetzee is second behind former Australia fast bowler Shaun Tait who delivered a 157.71 kmph ripper while playing for Rajasthan Royals back in 2011.

Fastest deliveries in IPL history:

Shaun Tait 157.71 kmph - 2011

Gerald Coetzee 157.4 kmph - 2024

Lockie Ferguson 157.3 kmph - 2022

Umran Malik 157 kmph - 2022

Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya on Tuesday asserted that the former champions will not give up and will continue to fight in the ongoing IPL despite slumping to a hat-trick of defeats.

"If there's one thing you should know about this team, we never give up. We'll keep fighting, we'll keep going," Hardik posted on X.

Hardik has been facing the ire of fans since replacing Rohit Sharma as MI captain. The all-rounder was booed in the team's opening two matches and the crowd hostility was at its peak in MI's first home game of the season on Monday.

To add to the woes, under his captaincy MI's campaign at the 2024 IPL got off to a disastrous start as they sit at the bottom of the table following three losses on the trot.

However, MI are known to be perennial slow starters. In 2015, they lost the first four games before going on to win the title.

Hardik's poor captaincy calls have also been questioned -- whether it was not giving Bumrah the new ball or sending Tim David ahead of himself against Gujarat Titans.

The change in captaincy has not sat well with the legions of MI supporters. On Monday, chants of 'Rohit Rohit' filled the Wankhede with the Indian captain himself asking the crowd not to jeer Hardik.

Mumbai Indians will next face Delhi Capitals at home on Sunday.

(With PTI inputs)

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5 Killed In Strikes By Israel's F-35 Jets On Iran Consulate In Syria

Israeli strikes on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital on Monday killed at least five people including a senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian state media reported.

"At least five people were killed in the attack which was carried out by F-35 fighter jets," Hossein Akbari, Iran's ambassador to Damascus, said in front of the levelled building in an interview broadcast on state TV. He did not give the source of his information about the aircraft.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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