Dubai: Skipper KL Rahul smashed the first century of the 2020 Indian Premier League to propel Kings XI Punjab to a daunting 206 for 3 against Royal Challengers Bangalore here on Thursday.

Rahul, who was dropped in the 17th and then again in the 18th over by RCB skipper Virat Kohli, played the role of sheet anchor, scoring 132 off 69 balls that was laced with 14 boundaries and seven sixes.

With his spectacular knock, he surpassed Rishabh Pant to post the highest individual score by an Indian in IPL history.

Playing his 60th innings, Rahul also became the fastest Indian to reach the 2000 IPL runs.

The stylish batsman clipped away a full length delivery to fine leg for four to break Sachin Tendulkar's record, who reached the milestone in 63 matches.

Opening the batting with Rahul, Mayank Agarwal (26) looked dangerous and shared a 57-run stand with his captain. However, with the introduction of spin into the attack in the seventh over, Yuzvendra Chahal (1/25) struck with the last ball, cleaning up Agarwal (26) with a delightful googly.

Nicholas Pooran (17) and Glenn Maxwell (5) once again failed to make an impact as Shivam Dube (2/33) accounted for the duo. Karun Nair pitched in with an eight-ball 15.

The pace troika of Umesh Yadav (0/35), Dale Steyn (0/57) and Navdeep Saini (0/37) had a torrid time as the KXIP skipper was on fire in his second game as captain.

All players wore black armbands to honour Australian cricketer turned commentator Dean Jones, who died in Mumbai due to a cardiac arrest on Thursday.

 

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New Delhi: Just hours after agreeing to a full ceasefire, Pakistan has reportedly violated the peace deal with fresh shelling and air raids in several Indian border districts, including Barmer in Rajasthan and Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir, reported Hindustan Times.

The ceasefire had been announced on Saturday by U.S. President Donald Trump, who stated that the agreement between India and Pakistan was mediated by the United States.

The ceasefire were confirmed by Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Both countries had agreed to halt all military actions across land, air, and sea, on Saturday evening.

However, India clarified that the Indus Waters Treaty would remain suspended and that the existing visa ban on Pakistani nationals would continue.

In a joint press briefing held by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, Air Commodore Raghu Nair stated that despite the ceasefire agreement, India remained fully prepared to defend its sovereignty.

According to Hindustan Times, following Pakistan's renewed shelling, multiple explosions were reported across Srinagar and other border areas. Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, expressed shock at the violation, which came so soon after the peace accord.

Emergency blackouts will be reportedly enforced in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur and Ferozepur districts. The blackouts, which had earlier been cancelled following the peace announcement, were reinstated after Pakistan resumed attacks.