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.
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KSRTC MD Akram Pasha receives SKOCH National Award for transparent recruitment initiative
Bengaluru : The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has been conferred the prestigious SKOCH National Award 2025 for its initiative on “Transparent Recruitment and Training Programme.”
The award was presented at a ceremony held at Silver Oak Hall, India Habitat Centre, on March 28.
According to a release from the state-run corporation, the award recognises its efforts in ensuring transparency and uniformity across its recruitment process, from application submission to final selection and unit allocation, by minimising human intervention.
“The corporation has implemented a technology-driven recruitment system featuring automated driving tests, online examinations, digital document verification, webcasting, and auto-generated scorecards,” KSRTC added.
It also stated that KSRTC has successfully recruited 2,000 drivers and conductors, 300 technical staff, and 441 candidates under compassionate grounds.
In addition, over the past six months, more than 12,000 employees have undergone structured training programmes, contributing to improved organisational performance and capacity building.
The SKOCH Group, a Delhi-based independent think tank established in 1997, has been presenting the SKOCH Awards since 2003, recognising excellence in governance, finance, technology adoption, transparency, and institutional development based on measurable impact.
The award was received by Akram Pasha, Managing Director of KSRTC, from Sameer Kochhar, Chairman of SKOCH Group, and Gursharan Dhanjal, Vice Chairman, at the ceremony.
