Varun, Moeen stop RR to 151/9 on sluggish track
Guwahati, Mar 26 (PTI): Kolkata Knight Riders' spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali worked in perfect tandem to weave their magic, as a disciplined bowling effort restricted Rajasthan Royals to a below-par 151/9 in their IPL clash here on Wednesday.
On a dry and sticky Barsapara pitch where the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat, KKR’s new spin combination -- brought together due to Sunil Narine's injury -- proved to be their game-changer.
Chakravarthy and Ali dismantled the Royals' middle order, picking up two wickets each in successive overs right after the powerplay, shifting the momentum in KKR’s favour.
Chakravarthy, varying his pace masterfully, bowled out his quota with exceptional figures of 2/17, while Moeen Ali finished with a tidy 2/23 from his four overs.
Seamer Vaibhav Arora (2/33) was expensive but chipped in with two crucial wickets -- regular Royals skipper Sanju Samson (13 off 11) with a yorker in the powerplay before dismissing impact substitute Shubham Dubey (9) cheaply.
Harshit Rana (2/36) was instrumental at the death, breaking Dhruv Jurel’s promising innings of 33 (28) and removing the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer for just 7, both in the crucial penultimate over.
A quickfire cameo 16 from 7 balls from Jofra Archer ensured that they reached 150-mark but he fell to Spencer Johnson () in the penultimate ball of their innings.
Put in, RR had looked set for a big total at 54 for 1, with a well-set Yashasvi Jaiswal (29 off 24) and local lad Riyan Parag (25 off 15) at the crease.
Riyan, leading the Royals for the first time at his home ground, began with intent, smashing Harshit Rana for a six over square leg off just the third ball he faced.
Riyan, who knows the Barsapara pitch like the back of his hand, played the shot of the innings in the next over -- a beautifully timed lofted drive off Vaibhav Arora, sending the ball soaring straight down the ground.
Jaiswal, dropped on 19, capped off the powerplay with a six as RR finished the first six overs strongly at 54/1.
However, KKR struck back immediately. Chakravarthy, their mystery spinner, triggered the collapse in the seventh over, dismissing the dangerous-looking Parag with a well-disguised 113kph delivery.
Riyan mistimed his lofted shot, and the ball soared high into the night sky before Quinton de Kock calmly took the catch after removing his helmet.
Ali compounded RR’s troubles in the very next over by dismissing Jaiswal, who had looked in fine touch with two sixes and as many boundaries.
The England all-rounder continued his impact, getting rid of Wanindu Hasaranga (4), who had been promoted to No 5 but failed to make an impact, spooning a skiddy delivery straight to mid-off.
With four wickets falling for just 15 runs, RR’s innings never had the required momentum as they were at least 25 short of par-score.
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‘Not water, poison was distributed’: Rahul Gandhi targets BJP govt over Indore deaths
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government over the contamination of drinking water in Indore, where at least ten people have died following a diarrhoea outbreak.
Rahul Gandhi said, "In Indore, there was no water, just poison being distributed, while the administration slumbered like Kumbhakarna." He alleged that the tragedy exposed administrative failure in a city that has repeatedly topped the Centre’s ‘cleanest city’ rankings.
"Mourning has spread from home to home, the poor are helpless, and to top it off, arrogant statements from BJP leaders. Those whose hearths have gone cold needed solace; the government served up hubris instead," he said in a post on X.
His remarks came amid controversy over comments made by Madhya Pradesh Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, who had snapped at journalists when questioned about the deaths caused by contaminated water.
According to officials, the deaths were linked to a diarrhoea outbreak triggered by toxic substances in the drinking water supply. Laboratory tests conducted by a city-based medical college confirmed that sewage had leaked into the water pipeline near a newly constructed public toilet in the Bhagirathpura area.
Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Dubey reportedly said, "We are closely examining the entire drinking water supply pipeline to find out if there is any leakage elsewhere." He said water supply had been restored but people had been urged to boil the water before drinking it.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav visited Indore, met patients, and chaired a review meeting, promising that such a tragedy would not be repeated and that action would follow the investigation report.
So far, two Public Health Engineering Department officials have been suspended and one has been dismissed. A three-member committee has been constituted to probe the incident. The state government has announced compensation of ₹2 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives.
इंदौर में पानी नहीं, ज़हर बंटा और प्रशासन कुंभकर्णी नींद में रहा।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 2, 2026
घर-घर मातम है, गरीब बेबस हैं - और ऊपर से BJP नेताओं के अहंकारी बयान। जिनके घरों में चूल्हा बुझा है, उन्हें सांत्वना चाहिए थी; सरकार ने घमंड परोस दिया।
लोगों ने बार-बार गंदे, बदबूदार पानी की शिकायत की - फिर भी…
