KKR post imposing 272/7 against Delhi Capitals
Visakhapatnam, Apr 3: Sunil Narine produced a six-hitting exhibition en route to a blistering 85 while young Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored a fifty on his IPL batting debut as Kolkata Knight Riders posted an imposing 272 for seven against Delhi Capitals here on Wednesday.
Continuing his explosive run, Narine punished all Delhi bowlers alike, sending the ball over the boundary rope seven times. He also hit seven fours in his 39-ball stay.
The Capitals were guilty of dropping him on 53 and Narine made his opponents suffer as he notched his highest-ever score in T20 cricket.
Raghuvanshi (54 off 27 balls), who didn't get to bat in his first IPL match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, also fired on all cylinders, complementing Narine as the pair shared an explosive 104-run stand off 48 balls.
Andre Russell (41 off 19 balls) and Rinku Singh (26 off 8 balls) provided the final flourish to KKR.
It was a forgettable performance by the Delhi bowlers as they conceded the highest total in the team's history. KKR hit as many as 18 sixes and 28 fours.
Narine his his first of many boundaries when he creamed a short ball by Khaleel Ahmed to deep point.
The West Indian took a special liking for veteran pacer Ishant Sharma, collecting 26 runs from the fourth over that included three sixes and two fours, giving a glimpse of what was to come.
At the other end Phil Salt hit a few before he was dropped by David Warner, but the Englishman couldn't make use of the reprieve, getting out in the very next ball to bring Raghuvanshi to the middle.
The 18-year-old hit his very first ball of the IPL for a boundary and that was followed by another four.
KKR continued to hit boundaries aplenty, amassing 88 runs in the powerplay as DC bowlers struggled to find ways to stop them.
DC seemed to make inroads by dismissing Narine and Raghuvanshi in consecutive overs but Russell had other plans.
The DC bowlers were guilty of feeding the all-rounder with full tosses which he dispatched to the boundary with ease.
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BJP slams Karnataka govt over alleged U-Turn in eviction row
Bengaluru (PTI): BJP on Tuesday accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar of making a ‘U-Turn’ on the eviction of alleged illegal houses in Bengaluru’s Kogilu Layout and bowing to pressure from the party high command in Delhi.
Addressing a press conference in Belagavi, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said the chief minister and his deputy had reversed their stand on the demolition of illegal houses and alleged that the decisions were being dictated from outside the state.
"Should Karnataka’s policy decisions be taken by a Keralite K C Venugopal sitting in Delhi, or by the chief minister of this state?" he asked.
Vijayendra said the BJP would take the issue to the streets across Karnataka after deliberations at the party’s core committee meeting scheduled for January 5.
"(Issues like) drug mafia, insult to Kannadigas and irregularities in the Gruha Lakshmi scheme will be discussed, and a statewide agitation will be decided," he said.
"Announcing houses for illegal migrants by throwing rules to the wind is completely illegal. Do the chief minister and deputy chief minister even have the legal authority to take such a decision?" he questioned and said, that the houses were constructed for poor Kannadigas using taxpayers’ money.
Alleging discrimination against Karnataka’s poor, Vijayendra recalled Siddaramaiah’s earlier announcements related to Kerala.
"When Wayanad was hit by floods, the chief minister announced construction of 100 houses there and gave Rs 15 lakh compensation for elephant attack deaths. What injustice have Karnataka’s poor committed?" Vijayendra asked.
He also accused the government of failing to curb the drug menace.
"Police from Maharashtra are coming and raiding drug factories in the chief minister’s own district and in Bengaluru. What is the state government and home department doing?" he asked, alleging that Karnataka was being turned into a drug hub.
In Bengaluru, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje echoed similar allegations, questioning whether the “heat of Kerala elections” was influencing decisions in Karnataka. Speaking at the BJP state office, Jagannath Bhavan, she demanded a high-level probe into illegal migration and alleged links to drug networks.
"The state government must cooperate in identifying and deporting Rohingyas and other illegal migrants," she said.
Karandlaje criticised alleged interference by Congress leaders from outside the state. "K C Venugopal posts on ‘X’ and tells how the Karnataka government should function.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is also dictating what should or should not be done here," she alleged, questioning whether Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar had the constitutional authority to run the government independently.
She said the eviction of 167 houses at Kogilu after issuing notices was a good move, but alleged that it was later questioned under pressure.
"Who are these migrants? Most of them are from West Bengal, with no proper addresses even there," she said, adding that she had written to the Bengaluru police commissioner regarding illegal activities in other areas such as Aminkere.
Accusing the chief minister and deputy chief minister of succumbing to ‘Delhi pressure’, Karandlaje alleged that plans were being made to allot government houses to illegal migrants at Baiyappanahalli.
"Who are they? When did they apply? What about those who have applied for houses in Karnataka?" she asked. She demanded immediate seizure and verification of Aadhaar cards and voter IDs of suspected illegal migrants.
"If you give them houses and certificates, you are making them permanent. For the survival of Karnataka and the country, the police must act," she said.
