NZ beat Bangladesh by 5 wickets, qualify for CT semifinals from Group A along with India
Rawalpindi, Feb 24 (PTI): New Zealand beat Bangladesh by five wickets in a Champions Trophy Group A match here on Monday, a result which sent the Kiwis as well as India into the Champions Trophy semifinals.
New Zealand's win meant that Bangladesh and hosts Pakistan, who have lost both their two matches so far, were knocked out of the tournament.
India and New Zealand have four points each from two wins so far in Group A. Top two teams from each group qualify for the semifinals.
Rachin Ravindra (112) struck a magnificent century as New Zealand chased down the target of 237 with 23 balls to spare.
Tom Latham and Devon Conway chipped in with 55 and 30 respectively as New Zealand reached 240 for 5 in 46.1 overs.
Earlier, Michael Bracewell bagged four wickets as New Zealand restricted Bangladesh to a modest 236 for 9 despite skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto's 77.
Bracewell accounted for Tanzid Hasan (24), Mushfiqur Rahim (2), Mahmudullah (4) and Bangladesh's last match centurion Towhid Hridoy (7) to return with impactful figures of 10-0-26-4.
Brief Scores:
Bangladesh: 236/9 in 50 overs (Najmul Hossain Shanto 77, Jaker Ali 45; Michael Bracewell 4/26, William O'Rourke 2/48).
New Zealand: 240 for 5 in 46.1 overs (Rachin Ravindra 112, Tom Latham 55; Taskin Ahmed 1/28).
New Zealand make it two wins in two games, and are into the #ChampionsTrophy 2025 semi-finals 🤩 pic.twitter.com/UwPpYWPfp5
— ICC (@ICC) February 24, 2025
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Ikkis box office Day 1: Agastya Nanda’s war drama earns ₹7 crore, beats trade projections
Mumbai: Ikkis, the latest war drama directed by Sriram Raghavan, has delivered a stronger-than-expected opening at the box office, earning an estimated ₹7 crore net in India on its first day, Hindustan Times reported on Friday.
The film, starring Agastya Nanda, opened in theatres on January 1 across nearly 4,000 screens nationwide. Trade analysts had earlier projected a modest opening of ₹2–2.5 crore, especially given stiff competition from Dhurandhar, which continues to perform strongly at the box office.
Despite these expectations, Ikkis exceeded projections by nearly three times, helped largely by positive word of mouth. As per the report, the film had around 12% occupancy in the morning shows across the country, which jumped to 35% by afternoon, and 47% in the evening, indicating growing audience interest as the day progressed.
While Dhurandhar dominated the day with a reported ₹15 crore collection, trade observers note that Ikkis holding its ground amid such competition is a promising sign, particularly for its performance over the extended opening weekend.
Ikkis is based on the life of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of India’s highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra. The film chronicles Khetarpal’s exploits and bravery during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. Agastya plays Khetarpal in the film.
While screen legend Dharmendra appears as his father in his final performance, Dharmendra died a little over a month before the film’s release. Ikkis is also among the final films of the late Asrani, who also died late last year. The film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Deepak Dobriyal.
