Shivam double blow restricts Pakistan to 171 for 5
Dubai (PTI): Shivam Dube turned out to be an unlikely bowling hero as India bowlers were better at the back-10 after a listless front-10 even as Pakistan managed a competitive 171 for 5 in a Super 4s game of the Asia Cup here on Sunday. Stylish right-handed opener Sahibzada Farhan headlined the Pakistan innings with an attractive 58 off 45 balls as Kuldeep Yadav's dropped catch off Varun Chakravarthy's bowling turned out to be costly.
However, Pakistan after a brilliant front-10 in which they scored 91 for 1 riding on a 72-run stand between Sahibzada and Saim Ayub (21 off 17 balls), tapered off during back-10 managing 80 runs for the loss of four wickets.
Once the back-10 started after the drinks break, Indian bowlers had a better control rate as Dube (2/33 in 4 overs) struck a couple of crucial blows which could prove to be game changer in the final context of the match.
First was a heavy ball that forced Ayub to go for a 'Nataraja' (one-legged) pull-shot but was brilliantly snaffled by Abhishek Sharma, who sprinted from the deep and took a superb diving catch inches off the ground.
While Hussain Talat, the new entrant, failed to read Kuldeep and was out cheaply, Farhan, who after a 34-ball-50, couldn't get big shots going as Dube cleverly used the change of pace to deceive and the result was an easy skier for Chakravarthy.
Credit should also go to Chakravarthy (0/25 in 4 overs), who might have gone wicketless but his overs did put brakes on Pakistan and enabled Dube to buy wickets just when the opposition wanted to go on the offensive.
Towards the end, skipper Salman Ali Agha (17 not out off 13 balls) and Mohammed Nawaz (21 off 19 balls) got a few runs but couldn't consistently hit big shots save in the last over from Dube which cost him 17 runs.
However, what would worry India is Jasprit Bumrah (0/45 in 4 overs), who again bowled three of his four overs inside the Power Play and conceded six boundaries -- something Indian cricket followers mustn't have witnessed for ages.
In the penultimate over, Faheem Ashraf (20 not out off 8 balls), hit him for a monstrous six as the total crossed the 170-run mark.
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IPL 2026 to be held between March 26-May 31 window
Mumbai (PTI): The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League will be held between the March 26 to May 31 window but it remains to be seen if Bengaluru, the home of RCB, holds the opening match.
As per the norms, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium should host the tournament opener given the home side, Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the IPL 2025 title.
While the venue has received conditional clearance from the Karnataka state government, it also needs to meet the necessary safety and security standards following the death of 11 fans in a stampede during RCB's victory celebrations in June this year.
The mini-auction for IPL 2026 will be held in Abu Dhabi today with three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders coming in with the biggest purse.
