Fifties by Kohli, Bethel, Shepherd power RCB to 213/5 against CSK
Bengaluru (PTI): Virat Kohli and Jacob Bethel did the early running with well-crafted fifties, while Romario Shepherd applied the finishing touches with a brutal 14-ball unbeaten half-century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru raced to a massive 213 for five against Chennai Super Kings in an IPL match here on Saturday.
The Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni decided to bowl first after winning the toss, but the decision played handsomely into RCB’s hands as Kohli and Bethel merrily chugged along to make 97 runs in just 9.5 overs for the opening wicket.
Kohli (62 off 33 balls) and Bethel (55 off 33) exploited a fuss-free pitch to telling effect, and their job was made much easier by the wrong lines of CSK bowlers, which was evidenced when Shepherd (53 not out off 14 balls; 4x4, 6X6) made the joint second fastest fifty in the IPL.
The fastest fifty of the IPL was struck off just 13 balls by Yashasvi Jaiswal in 2023, while both KL Rahul (in 2018) and Pat Cummins (2022) had also earlier made half centuries off 14 balls.
Khaleel Ahmed, who has the highest number of dot balls in this IPL at 110, tried to test Kohli with snorter but it was pulled thunderously over fine leg for a six.
In the very next ball, the left-arm pacer went for a fuller length delivery but it was on Kohli’s pads as the batter sent the ball soaring over square leg for a maximum, and all he needed was a simple unlocking of his wrist.
Bethel was more brutal. The England left-hander smashed Ahmed for three successive fours in the first over itself, all rasping cuts and forceful drives, as RCB raced out of the traps.
The 21-year-old had a slice of fortune too as Ravindra Jadeja and Matheesha Pathirana collided with each other to spill a catch off pacer Anshul Kamboj.
Bethel was on 27 then, and he soon brought up his maiden IPL fifty with a reverse scoop off Jadeja.
Kohli too reached his fifty soon after with a routine slap through the cover region for a four off Jadeja.
Just as the alliance was blossoming further, Bethel skied Pathirana for Dewald Brevis to complete a fine catch running in from the boundary line.
It gave some respite to the CSK bowlers, who found a way to stem the free flow of runs using cutters and into-the-deck deliveries, particularly Sam Curran (1/34) and Pathirana (3/36).
Curran consumed Kohli with a slow delivery which did not allow the batter to execute a ramp over Ahmed at gully.
But Kohli and Bethel had given RCB a superb platform as the home side were placed at 121 for 2 in the 12th over.
However, the improved lengths of CSK bowlers and a tinge of slowness in the track made RCB settle for 37 runs between overs 12 and 18 as batters like Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Rajat Patidar failed to force the pace.
But Shepherd waded into Ahmed (65 runs in 3 overs), slamming him for four sixes and two fours in the 19th over which yielded 33 runs.
Shepherd and Tim David raised their fifty stand for the sixth wicket in just 14 balls and the latter contributed a princely two runs in that alliance.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
