Ishan Kishan''s fifty powers SRH to 201/9 against RCB
Bengaluru (PTI): Stand-in-captain Ishan Kishan smashed a blazing fifty as Sunrisers Hyderabad resisted Jacob Duffy's excellent spell but only managed a slightly below-par 201 for nine against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 season-opener here on Saturday.
Kishan (80, 38b, 8x4, 5x6) and his 97-run stand with Heinrich Klaasen (31) for the fourth wicket was the core of SRH innings.
But the match had a rather different start once RCB skipper Rajat Patidar asked Hyderabad to bat first on a pitch that was deprived of top-flight cricket for nearly 10 months.
The pitch would have been a rather unknown commodity and chasing was a better option in that context.
Duffy’s spell (4-0-22-3) vindicated that thought too. The Kiwi pacer used his height well to generate considerable bounce off the track and Abhishek Sharma (7) looked frustrated not being able to free his arm despite carving Duffy for a six over backward point.
The left-hander, who has always been uncomfortable against short ball, soon fell to his frustrations as his awkward pull off Duffy ended in the big gloves of Jitesh Sharma.
Earlier, RCB had burned a DRS review for caught behind appeal against Abhishek off Duffy in the very first over.
Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy too failed to control their pull shots off Duffy as SRH slipped to 29 for three in 4.2 overs, and the visitors ended the Power Play at 49 for three.
But Kishan was never really bogged down by the situation or opposition, batting with oodles of bravado.
The left-hander brought up his fifty in 27 balls with a four off leg-spinner Suyash Sharma, and his blitz contained some sparkling hits.
Abhinandan Singh bore the brunt his wrath, as Kishan carted him for 6, 4, 6 and later spinner Krunal Pandya was hammered for two sixes in an over.
A mighty blow over third man off Abhinandan carried Kishan to 80, and century was there for his taking.
But the pacer had the last laugh as Kishan fell to a stunning one-handed, diving catch by Phil Salt near deep backward point.
This could definitely be high on the list of season’s best catches.
Kishan’s dismissal robbed SRH some steam in the death overs, despite Aniket Verma (43, 19 balls), who was dropped by Virat Kohli on 26 off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, striking a handy knock down the order. Still the Hyderabad outfit could only make 59 runs in the last five overs.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
