WPL: Ellyse Perry, Richa Ghosh lift RCB to 150/4 against Delhi Capitals
Navi Mumbai, Mar 13: Ellyse Perry (67 not out) and Richa Ghosh (37) lifted Royal Challengers Bangalore to a competitive 150/4 against Delhi Capitals in the Women's Premier League here on Monday.
While Perry held the RCB together with a resolute knock in an innings wherein runs did not come easy, Ghosh provided late fireworks to help her side set a target that might prove tricky to chase.
Perry, who was given a lifeline by Shikha Pandey in the 15th over when she was on 29, finished at 67 not out from 52 balls with four fours and five sixes, recording her second fifty on the trot.
Ghosh struck a valuable 37 from 16 balls with three fours and as many sixes to register her highest score in the competition.
The two right-handed batters Perry and Ghosh added crucial punch with a 74-run stand for the fourth wicket from just 34 balls, after Delhi Capitals bowlers had kept a tight leash for most of the first half.
The RCB batters found it tough to get runs for the majority of their innings, with plenty of their strokes finding fielders and Delhi Capitals bowlers also maintaining probing line and lengths.
By the end of the 14th over, RCB had managed a mere 68 for three. However, in the last six overs, they added 82 runs to finish on a high, raising hopes of their maiden win in WPL.
The change of venue RCB had played and lost all four matches so far at the Brabourne Stadium did not seem to have worked well for the Smriti Mandhana-led side for the majority of the first half.
Marizanne Kapp got the new ball to nip around a bit like she had done against Gujarat Giants. The right-arm South African bowler began with a maiden over against the struggling RCB captain Smriti Mandhana, whose poor run with the bat continued for the fifth game in a row.
In a must-win contest for her side, Mandhana (eight off 15 balls) began slowly but fell on her first attempt to attack, finding Jemimah Rodrigues at deep square leg off Shikha Pandey.
Sophie Devine and Ellyse Perry failed to find momentum, adding a mere 17 runs from about five overs during their association which was ended by Pandey.
The India bowler struck again in the ninth over, cleaning up Devine (21) and also broke the fourth-wicket stand between Perry and Ghosh to return with an impressive 4-0-23-3. Pandey also took a sharp catch to dismiss Heather Knight (11).
Even though she failed to pick up a wicket, Kapp was once again magnificent with her line and lengths, allowing just 18 runs from her four overs.
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Stalin takes veiled dig at Palaniswami for doing ''politics'' by donning a farmer''s garb
Tiruvannamalai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday took a veiled dig at AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami saying some do politics by donning the garb of a farmer and yet support laws that are detrimental to ryots.
In his address after inaugurating an agriculture expo and seminar here, the chief minister said that in giving priority to agriculture and farmers, "our Dravidian model government is a pioneer."
As soon as the DMK assumed office in 2021, the Department of Agriculture was renamed as "Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department."
Taking a veiled dig at the BJP, and DMK President said "some will change names according to their whims and fancies, but they will make farmers helpless and prompt them to hit the streets to stage protest."
The reference is perceived to be aimed at the BJP and the three controversial farm laws that were repealed later by the Centre following protests by farmers.
Furthermore, apparently targeting AIADMK chief Palaniswami, Stalin said, "some others engage in politics by donning the garb of a farmer."
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"However, they support laws that affect farmers; they will trivialise the struggles of farmers."
Stalin said that unlike others, for the Dravidian model government, the welfare and growth of farmers alone is important.
"That was why we thought of raising the income of farmers by increasing production and productivity," the CM noted.
As part of steps to achieve that goal, a separate budget --encompassing a slew of welfare measures-- for agriculture was introduced.
So far, 5 agri-budgets have been presented in the Assembly and in total, Rs 1.94 lakh crore was the allocation. The last agri-budget alone had an allocation of Rs 45,661 crore and when compared to allocation made in 2021-22, it was a 33 per cent increase.
The chief minister said: "Today, technology has advanced so much. Science and technology have progressed to the extent that tasks which used to take many hours can now be completed in a few minutes, and work done by hundreds of people can now be accomplished by a few machines."
Only when such advancement reaches the hands of farmers, it would transform into true development.
"We are organising these agricultural exhibitions so that you do not have to wander in search of these technologies," the CM said told the farmers.
Wondering if it was enough to hold only an exhibition, Stalin said, in order to make farmers understand concepts and use advancements, discussions with agricultural scientists in as many as 13 topics have been arranged to benefit them.
Through such seminars, farmers could learn new cultivation methods and agricultural business opportunities, he added.
On the occasion, the CM distributed welfare assistance to farmers, marking distribution to as many as 518 farmers, worth about Rs 9.43 crore.
The 2-day exhibition (on Dec 27 and 28, 2025 at Tirukovilur Road) that was inaugurated by the chief minister here was the third such event held by the state government this year. The first expo was held in June at Perunthurai in Erode district and the second was held at Chennai Trade Centre in the month of September.
In a separate government function held at Malappambadi in the district, the chief minister inaugurated as many 314 projects which includes new buildings for state-run healthcare facilities, government offices and a new police station in Tiruvannamalai (New Temple PS) town.
He laid foundation stone for 46 initiatives including a new paddy godown to be set up at Vembakkam. Also, he distributed welfare assistance --which includes housing pattas, houses under Kalaignar Kanavu Illam Thittam and crop loans-- to beneficiaries marking commencement of distribution to as many as 2,66,194 beneficiaries.
All such initiatives (including projects inaugurated by the CM) are cumulatively worth about Rs 2095.07 crore, the government said.
