Gayle's fifty hands Kings XI Punjab 14-run win over Rajasthan as Ashwin sparks controversy in IPL
Jaipur, Mar 25: Chris Gayle hit a belligerent half-century as Kings XI Punjab registered a convincing 14-run win over Rajasthan Royals in a controversial Indian Premier League match here Monday.
Opening the innings, Gayle started in an uncharacteristic fashion but grew in confidence as the innings progressed and helped Kings XI post a challenging 184 for four after being sent into bat.
Gayle scored 79 off 47 balls and hit eight boundaries and four sixes in the process. Besides Gayle, young Sarfaraz Khan (46 not out off 29 balls) also played a good hand.
Chasing the stiff target, Jos Buttler (69) and skipper Ajinkya Rahane (27) got Rajasthan off to a brisk start, dealing in boundaries and sixes to pile up 64 runs in the first six overs of powerplay.
Buttler, in particular, looked in a destructive mood as he didn't spare a single Kings XI bowler and struck eight boundaries and two hits over the fence to notch up his fifty in just 29 balls.
Buttler and Rahane shared 78 runs in eight overs for the opening stand before the Rajasthan skipper was cleaned up by his Kings XI counterpart Ravichandran Ashwin.
Buttler was going strong in the company of Sanju Samson (30) as they duo batted sensibly to keep Rajasthan in the hunt.
But just when it seemed Kings XI were running out of ideas, skipper Ashwin did the unthinkable as Buttler became the first victim of 'Mankading' in the history of IPL.
A desperate Ashwin mankaded Buttler in controversial circumstances in the 13th over with Rajasthan scoreboard reading 108 for two.
At that stage Buttler was going strong at 69 off 43 balls. The dismissal is sure to raise fresh debate over the spirit of the game as Ashwin didn't give the Englishman a prior warning.
As expected Buttler seemed furious and had a heated exchange with Ashwin before leaving the field after the third umpire ruled him out.
That dismissal completely changed the complexion of the match in favour of Kings XI as Steve Smith (20), Samson, Ben Stokes and Rahul Tripathy departed in quick succession in search of quick runs.
From there on, it proved to be an uphill task for Rajasthan as they needed 27 off the last two overs with six wickets down.
Earlier, Rajasthan's decision to bowl first on a two-paced wicket was bang on target as K L Rahul lasted just four balls before edging an outgoing Dhawal Kulkarni delivery to wicketkeeper Buttler, who took a brilliant one-handed catch.
Gayle and Mayank Agarwal (22) then struggled to hit big shots against Kings XI's disciplined bowling as they garnered just 32 runs in the powerplay overs.
The dou finally broke their shackles, hitting Jaydev Unadkat for a four and six to yield 13 runs of the bowler's opening over.
Gayle then opened up his arms again and hit Krishnappa Gowtham for a maximum in the first ball of the ninth over.
But Gowtham broke the 54-run stand between Gayle and Agarwal after the latter was holed out a long-off by Kulkarni.
Brought back into the attack in the 12th over, Unadkat was taken to the cleaners by Gayle as he hit the left-arm pacer for three consecutive fours and then a straight six over the bowler's head to bring up his fifty in 33 balls.
Unadkat's second over, that produced 17 runs, opened the floodgates for Kings XI as Sarfaraz too joined the party and together with Gayle punished the bad deliveries.
After playing cautiously initially, Gayle went on a rampage, stood on his crease and clobbered Stokes (2/48) for two boundaries and a six before being holed out at midwicket fence by Tripathi in the fifth ball of the same over.
Gayle and Sarfaraz added 84 runs for the third wicket and in the process gave Kings XI the much-needed momentum.
After Gayle's dismissal, Sarfaraz took the onus on himself and took Kings XI past the 180-run mark.
He’s still in his crease when Ashwin’s bowling foot lands. Absolutely disgraceful to be actively looking for it like that. pic.twitter.com/tM7xa3BWzV
— Tom Hearn (@hearn161) March 25, 2019
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Pak cancels over 500 flights in last three days due to raging conflict in West Asia
Islamabad (PTI): Pakistan has cancelled more than 500 domestic and international flights over the past three days due to raging conflict in West Asia, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, according to a media report on Monday.
Along with passengers, air cargo services have also been suspended, halting the transport of various goods, including food items and other supplies. It is still unclear when flights will resume, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
According to data from the Pakistan Airport Authority, more than 500 flights departing from and arriving at various airports across Pakistan have been cancelled, the paper said.
It added that the suspension of air cargo services has also disrupted the delivery of food and other goods, causing difficulties not only for passengers but also for industrialists.
Flights from Pakistani airports, including Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, and Multan, operated by PIA, private airlines, and foreign carriers to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Sharjah, Dubai, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and other countries have been cancelled.
Airport sources stated that some airspaces are closed, leading to the suspension of operations. Currently, there is no information on when flights will resume. Only flights to and from Saudi Arabia are continuing.
If the situation persists or worsens, air operations may face further disruptions.
According to Khawaja Ayub Naseem, a senior leader of the Travel Agents Association, fear and uncertainty are also causing many Umrah pilgrims to hesitate to travel.
Hundreds of pilgrims had booked tickets via Dubai. While ticket refunds are possible, hotel bookings are non-refundable. If the situation continues, travel agents could face losses amounting to millions of rupees.
While Pakistan's airspace remains fully available and secure, airlines have adjusted operations in response to the evolving security situation and restrictions in neighbouring airspace.
Karachi's Jinnah International Airport witnessed extraordinary activity over the weekend, with dozens of flights of foreign airlines diverted to Karachi, creating scenes reminiscent of the 1990 Gulf crisis.
According to aviation sources, a large number of foreign airlines were rerouted to Karachi as regional airspace restrictions and security concerns forced precautionary diversions. Several aircraft were temporarily parked during the day, while many others landed for refuelling.
In view of the extraordinary influx, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Saturday issued a formal NOTAM highlighting limited aircraft parking space at the airport and directing airlines and cockpit crew to ensure prior coordination before operating into Karachi.
A PAA spokesperson said overall, 27 flights were handled, including diversions, return flights, technical landings and rerouted operations.
Karachi airport alone managed 13 diversions, including technical refuelling stops. In addition, four diversions were recorded in the Lahore Flight Information Region, while two return diversions were handled at Islamabad Airport.
Three flights returned to their original or alternate destinations, while five rerouted flights transited through Karachi's airspace without landing and were provided alternate routes.
The sudden increase in traffic created operational challenges due to limited parking space, prompting airport authorities to caution airlines about possible delays.
The US and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran on Saturday, assassinating 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, alongside family members, including his daughter and grandchildren.
Since then, Iran has targeted multiple US bases in surrounding Gulf States.
