Defending champions Mumbai Indians lift their fifth IPL title
Dubai: A peerless Rohit Sharma led defending champions Mumbai Indians to their fifth IPL title with a one-sided demolition of Delhi Capitals here on Tuesday, closing an immensely successful tournament that had to be played in a controlled environment amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
If last year's one-run win over Chennai Super Kings was an absolute cliffhanger, Rohit's aristocratic 68 off 50 balls made it an anti-climax with Mumbai Indians chasing the target of 157 in 18.4 overs.
Five IPL titles are certain to make Rohit the undisputed 'Numero Uno' player-cum-leader in the IPL Universe.
He has played way better knocks than this in the past and will play a few more special ones in the future.
But he might never play a more significant one considering the little whirlpool of controversy that his "once damaged and now on the mend hamstring" created.
The 'Hit-Man' has given an altogether new meaning to what has one known till now about crushing pain barriers.
A hamstring injury can be very painful but the manner in which India's regular white-ball skipper exploded inside the 'Ring of Fire' at the Dubai International Stadium, he was fighting a battle of his own.
The cover drive was about his class, the whiplash behind square was his swagger and the so very familiar "Rohit Sharma pull shot" was an assurance to BCCI president Sourav Ganguly that "All Is Well".
And to prove a point, he fetched those doubles, tap and run singles including a misjudged one that saw Suryakumar Yadav (19) sacrificing his wicket for his skipper and rightly so.
The carrom ball bowled by Ashwin was deposited to point fence with a cracking square cut and the straight-six off leg spinner Praveen Dubey was "Boss Man" written all over it.
There has never been an edition where a team has looked in a different league compared to seven others.
As Rohit had said earlier, it's not rocket science but investing in pure match-winners that has given Mumbai Indians such a menacing look.
Rome wasn't built in a day and neither a champion outfit that has now won five titles out of the six finals it has played.
If Jasprit Bumrah wreaked havoc in the Qualifier one, Trent Boult (3/30) decided that final was his turn to inflict the damage and he did it with a first ball beauty that Marcus Stoinis will remember for years to come.
Nathan Coulter-Nile looked like a weak-link but got the dangerous Rishabh Pant (56 off 38 balls) at the nick of time to put the brakes.
Rohit's batting only finished what looked inevitable but it was his captaincy that set it up.
Only 45 runs conceded in the last five overs during the DC innings was a game-changer as Shreyas Iyer (65 no off 50 balls) literally struggled during the end overs.
That was the time when save for Bumrah (0/28 in 4 overs), Boult and Coulter-Nile took the pace off the deliveries with slow bouncers and cutters making it difficult to hit.
And the decision to have off-spinner Jayant Yadav replace leg-spinner Rahul Chahar also proved to be a success.
Jayant, a former India player, did what was required. Bowled an off-break inducing an in-form Shikhar Dhawan (15) to go for a hoick against the turn and get bowled.
At 22 for 3, Delhi were going for another capitulation before Iyer and Pant steadied the ship with a 96-run stand that had some great shots in it.
But in the end, it will be a mere footnote on a day that belonged to one and only 'Captain Marvel' Rohit Sharma.
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Bengaluru: Two arrested for duping man of Rs 48 lakh with fake ayurvedic cure
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men have been arrested for allegedly cheating a city resident of Rs 48 lakh on the pretext of providing high-quality ayurvedic medicines to cure his health issues, police said on Wednesday.
The accused were identified as Vijay Pradhan Chitodiya (42) and Manoj Singh Chitodiya (29), both natives of Miraj taluk in Sangli district, Maharashtra, police said.
With the arrests, police seized 17 types of ayurvedic medicines, a tempo traveller allegedly used in the offence, and Rs 19.50 lakh in cash. The total value of the seized drugs, cash and vehicle is estimated at Rs 23.50 lakh, they added.
The investigation revealed that the duo had been setting up roadside tents across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other parts of the country, cheating people by offering low-quality medicines for various health issues, a senior police officer said.
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The case came to light on November 22 after the victim, a resident of Whitefield, filed a complaint at the Jnanabharathi police station.
In his complaint, he said he had been suffering from sexual health issues since his marriage three years ago. Seeking treatment, he approached a roadside tent near KLE Law College, where medicines for urological ailments were being sold.
"One of the men at the tent told him that their ‘guruji’ provides high-quality ayurvedic medicines for such problems. ‘Guruji’ was called to the spot and introduced to him. He claimed he could supply premium medicine costing Rs 1 to Rs 2 lakh per gram, and collected Rs 48 lakh from him," the officer said.
However, the accused allegedly supplied poor-quality medicine, which caused adverse health effects, thereby cheating him, the officer added.
Based on the complaint, a case of cheating was registered at the Jnanabharathi police station.
During the investigation, Vijay, who posed as the ‘Guruji’, was traced to Mahabubnagar in Telangana and arrested on November 27, police said.
During questioning, he allegedly confessed to the crime and identified his accomplice. Manoj was subsequently arrested in Cyberabad, Telangana, on December 1, they added.
