Hardik's responsible 50 not out takes Gujarat Titans to 162/7 against SRH
Navi Mumbai, Apr 11: Captain Hardik Pandya's responsible 50 not out off 42 balls helped Gujarat Titans post a competitive 162 for 7 after a top-order failure in their IPL game against Sunrisers Hyderabad here on Monday.
Invited to bat, Hardik first forged a 40-run stand for the fourth wicket with David Miller (12) to rally the innings after the top three batters failed to convert their starts as Gujarat were in a spot of bother at 64/3 after eight overs.
Hardik then added 50 runs with Abhinav Mahonar, who justified his Rs 2.60 crore price tag with his quick fire 35 off 21 balls, to ensure that the Titans crossed the 150-run mark.
Manohar, who got three lives, hit five boundaries and one six in his short stay and particularly launched into T Natarajan (2/34) in the 18th over, where Gujarat amassed 13 runs.
However, it was an unusual Hardik knock, as he mixed caution with aggression to anchor the innings.
The all-rounder' announced his arrival with a straight-drive off Natarajan to fetch his first boundary and then was brutal on Umran Malik (1/39), whom he hammered two successive boundaries in the eight over, which fetched nine runs.
In the next over, he clobbered Aiden Markaram for his only maximum over cow-corner but Hardik was devoid of partners, as SRH kept striking at regular intervals.
The SRH attack largely kept Hardik at bay, as they did not allow him to free his arms in the last five overs and as a result it was Hardik' slowest fifty in the IPL.
Earlier, opener Matthew Wade earned his first boundary, courtesy a thick outside edge in the first over, where Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/37) conceded 17 runs, 12 of them extras.
But Gujarat lost Wade (19), Shubman Gill (7) and one-down batter Sai Sudarshan (11) cheaply.
Gill was undone by a stunning one-handed diving catch by Rahul Tripathi at cover, off Bhuvneshwar, in the third over.
Sudarshan, who was looking rusty, became Natarajan's first victim, after ballooning to Kane Williamson at mid-off.
Wade, who hammered three boundaries, was trapped in front of the wicket, after he missed a flick, off a fuller delivery by Malik in the eight over.
Then it was Hardik and Manohar show as Gujarat added 82 runs in the final 10 overs.
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Israel officials, media reports claim Khamenei killed in airstrike
Tel Aviv/Tehran: Conflicting claims have emerged over the status of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following recent US-Israeli strikes.
The developments come after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of “growing signs” that Iran’s supreme leader may be “gone.” His remarks triggered a wave of unverified reports suggesting that Khamenei had been killed in the strikes.
Several Israeli media outlets, including News 12 and The Times of Israel, cited officials claiming that the Iranian leader had died.
Israeli media reports also quoted officials adding that the dead body of the Iran's Supreme Leader was found. It also stated that the photo of Khamenei's dead body was shown to US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
However, Iranian media and officials have rejected these claims. According to reports from Tehran, authorities said Khamenei is “safe and sound” and dismissed the reports as false.
There has been no independent confirmation of either claim so far.
