IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians beat KKR by 10 runs
Chennai, Apr 13: Kolkata Knight Riders managed to lose its bearings in an astonishing manner as Mumbai Indians spinners Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya fashioned an improbable 10-run victory in an IPL encounter here on Tuesday.
Chasing a target of 153, KKR were on course reaching 122 for 4 in the 15th over before the last five fetched only 20 runs as they stunningy fell short giving defending champions their first win.
Krunal (1/13 in 4 overs) and Chahar (4/27 in 4 overs) were brilliant in checking the run-flow after a 72 run opening stand between Nitish Rana (57 off 47 balls) and Shubman Gill (33 off 24 balls).
But it was Jasprit Bumrah (0/28) and Trent Boult (2/27), who were magnificent at the death keeping Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik under checks in a game that will be talked about for years to come. especially how KKR capitulated.
Required to show some sensible approach, it was harakiri of sorts by KKR batting unit as they were restricted to 142/7 to continue their miserable record with MI. They now have 22 losses against six wins over MI.
Just when KKR needed to play it sensibly with require run-rate under seven, they seemed to commit harakir and lost another in Shakib, this time Krunal Pandya joining in the party for MI.
Krunal bowled an exceptional 18th over giving away just three runs, as the duo of Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell struggled to get going before Bumrah applied more pressure in the penultimate over.
Needing 15 from the last over, it was a tough ask for KKR and Trent Boult dismissed Russell and Pat Cummins in successive balls to seal the issue.
Earlier, Andre Russell did a star turn coming to bowl in the 18th over as his career-best 5 for 15 helped Kolkata Knight Riders blow out Mumbai Indians for 152.
Opting to bowl, Eoin Morgan's astute captaincy was on full display as he used his resources to perfection to choke MI in the middle-overs after Suryakumar Yadav threatened to seize control with his 36-ball 56.
The World Cup-winning England skipper used Pat Cummins cleverly in the middle-overs as the Aussie returned with 2/24, but the masterstroke was certainly keeping Russell for the fag end as MI lost last seven wickets for 37 runs.
Russell was brought in only after Cummins finished his spell in the 16th over as the Jamaican used the platform to perfection by dismissing Krunal Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Rahul Chahar in the final four balls en route to his milestone.
But it was Shakib-Al-Hasan who deserves equal credit for stopping the run-flow as the Bangladesh left-arm spinner dismissed Suryakumar in the 11th over and changed the complexion of the innings.
Suryakumar was in the midst of a belter of an innings, smashing two sixes and seven fours to lift them from a sluggish start as MI looked in balance with 81/1 at midway stage.
He was on a roll against Prasidh Krishna, creaming the seamer for a six and followed it up for successive boundaries.
Suryakumar then launched into Pat Cummins for a 99-metre maximum that landed on the Chepauk roof to cruise to a 33-ball fifty, his 12th in IPL.
Before he could make it big, he holed out a skier to Shubman Gill at long-on.
And off the next ball, Cummins laid a perfect trap for Ishan Kishan with a bouncer which the diminutive left-hander pulled straight to square leg fielder.
As Prasidh leaked runs, the spin duo of Varun and Shakib managed to keep the duo of Rohit and Hardik quiet in the middle overs as they scored only 33 runs from 10-15 overs.
Looking for breakthrough, Morgan once again brought in his pace spearhead Cummins who lived up to his expectation cleaning up Rohit with an offcutter, and in the next over Prasidh dismissed Hardik to break MI's backbone.
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JioHotstar to invest Rs 4,000 crore for South Indian content push; unveils 25-title slate
Chennai (PTI): Streaming service JioHotstar on Tuesday announced that it will invest Rs 4,000 crore over the next five years to strengthen South India’s creative economy, unveiling a 25-title slate as part of a major push for regional content.
In one of the biggest announcements by an Indian streaming platform for the southern markets, the company showcased its “South Unbound” vision at a high-profile event here.
Sushant Sreeram, Head – SVOD Business & Chief Marketing Officer at JioStar, said the investment forms part of a broader collaboration with the Tamil Nadu government.
“Earlier today, JioHotstar formalised a Letter of Intent with the Government of Tamil Nadu in the presence of the Chief Minister M K Stalin. This outlines a shared commitment to invest in talent, expand infrastructure and build a future-ready creative economy from the South.
"As part of this vision, JioHotstar will invest Rs 4,000 crore to nurture creators, strengthen the production ecosystem and build a pipeline of stories that are ready for India and ready for the world,” he said.
Calling South India the “heartbeat of Indian storytelling”, Sreeram said the investment signalled the platform’s long-term commitment to local creators.
"JioHotstar started as a dream — to build entertainment rooted in India’s storytelling heritage and powered by cutting-edge technology. The resplendent storytelling traditions of the South motivate us to keep championing authentic, rooted narratives while offering greater accessibility and choices for every viewer," he said.
The event was attended by Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, veteran actor and MP Kamal Haasan, senior state officials, and leading stars and filmmakers from across the southern industries.
Deputy CM Stalin said the partnership will generate “1,000 direct jobs and 15,000 indirect jobs”.
“Cinema in Tamil Nadu has always been a force for social change. OTT is not replacing cinema; it is expanding it. Today, a filmmaker in Madurai or Salem can upload a story and reach audiences across the world. The cultural and economic impact of this partnership will be massive," he added.
aasan said Indian media and entertainment was undergoing a fundamental transformation driven not by technology alone, but by the audience itself.
“We gather at a moment when India’s media and entertainment is not merely growing, it is transforming. For the first time, this shift is not driven by device or format, but by the audience itself,” he said, adding that storytelling today is “screen agnostic”.
“Regional is becoming the new national, and ethnic the new international. Stories born in Madurai, Malappuram or Machilipatnam are no longer regional cinema; they are national cultural events,” Haasan said, giving the example of movies such as “Kantara”, “Drishyam”, “Baahubali”, “Pushpa” and Tamil hits like “Vikram”.
The event was also attended by Mohanlal, Nagarjuna, Vijay Sethupathi, Priyamani, Aishwarya Rajesh and others -- along with directors Jeethu Joseph and Ahammed Khabeer
The streamer's ambitious content slate, unveiled as part of its “South Unbound” initiative, includes sequels to blockbuster franchises, new long-format shows, films, adaptations, and high-engagement reality formats.
The Tamil slate features a mix of returning favourites and new originals, led by "Bigg Boss Tamil", now hosted by Vijay Sethupathi, and "Good Wife S2", the legal drama starring Priyamani.
The lineup also includes "LBW – Love Beyond Wicket", a relationship drama; the family comedy "Cousins and Kalyanams"; the psychological drama "Resort"; and "Heartbeat S3", which brings back Anumol, Karthik Kumar and Deepa Balu.
Other Tamil offerings include "Lingam", an action-drama; "Love Always", a multigenerational love story; the marquee title "Kaattaan" starring Vijay Sethupathi and Milind Soman; and "Second Love", a non-fiction relationship series.
In Telugu, the platform returns with "Bigg Boss Telugu" hosted by Nagarjuna, alongside new originals such as "Moodu Lantharlu" starring Aishwarya Rajesh; the police procedural "Vikram on Duty"; "Varam", a mystical relationship drama; and the hit comedy-drama "Save The Tigers S3" with Chaitanya Krishna.
The slate further includes "Vishakha", the Telugu adaptation of "Aarya" led by Kajal Aggarwal; the relationship-based non-fiction format "Mad for Each Other"; and the Telugu debut of the iconic adventure franchise "Roadies".
From Malayalam, the platform brings back "Bigg Boss Malayalam" hosted by Mohanlal; "Kerala Crime Files S3" featuring Aju Varghese; the mystery drama "Secret Stories: Roslin"; "Anali", "1000 Babies S2" with Neena Gupta and Rahman; and the hard-hitting drama "Pharma" starring Nivin Pauly.
The Kannada lineup includes "Bigg Boss Kannada" hosted by Kichcha Sudeepa; "Batchmates", a nostalgic friendship drama; and the food-and-humour-based non-fiction series "Comedy Cooks".
Across languages, the platform also announced new films such as "Lucky The Superstar", featuring GV Prakash, Anaswara Rajan and Meghna Sumesh, and "Kenatha Kaanom", positioned as broad-appeal mainstream entertainers.
