K L Rahul's unbeaten 91 takes Punjab to 179/5 against RCB
Ahmedabad, Apr 30: Skipper KL Rahul scored a combative unbeaten 91 to lead Punjab Kings to a competitive 179 for five against Royal Challenger Bangalore in their IPL match here on Friday.
Rahul and Chris Gayle (46 off 24) shared 80 runs but Punjab's middle order collapsed as Harpreet Brar, batting at number seven, was the only other batsman to manage a double-digit score.
Rahul and Brar added 61 runs for the unbeaten eighth wicket to rescue the side after the RCB bowlers seized the initiative once Gayle was sent back in the 11th over.
Rahul hit seven fours and five sixes in his 57-ball knock, while Brar took 17 balls for his 25 that had two sixes and a four.
The pace duo of Daniel Sams and Mohammed Siraj bowled tight spells initially to keep the Punjab batsmen on a tight leash, not letting them open their arms.
Prabhsimran Singh, who played in place of injured Mayank Agarwal, could not contribute much, scoring a-run-a-ball 7.
Rahul looked in good touch, driving the ball elegantly but runs did not come at a good pace for the side until Gayle exploded.
The West Indian creamed five fours, including four in a row, in the last over of the Powerplay, bowled by Jamieson.
He followed that up with two sixes off Yuzvendra Chahal in the next over with the first one being a flat maximum.
Runs came thick and fast, boosting the run rate but Gayle could not convert that into a big knock.
Jamieson got rid of the Caribbean marauder, getting him caught behind. It was a soft dismissal as the sharp short ball touched Gayle's gloves and reached into the hands of AB de Villiers.
The tall Kiwi bowler also got rid of Nicholas Pooran (0) while Deepak Hooda (5) and Shahrukh Khan (0) also made their way back to pavilion in a jiffy.
Rahul, who was losing one partner after another, completed his half-century with a single as big shots dried up again.
The last over fetched Punjab 22 runs with Rahul hitting Harshal Patel for two fours and a six before Brar closed the innings with another six.
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Idukki: Congress leader quits in protest against party's stance on Waqf Bill
Idukki (Kerala), Apr 4 (PTI): A local Congress leader in this hill district on Friday resigned from the grand old party in protest against its stance on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
Benny Peruvanthanam, general secretary of the Idukki District Congress Committee (DCC), resigned from the party, accusing it of neglecting the Christian minority and taking a pro-Muslim stance on the Munambam issue.
"Congress has neglected the Christian minority community for years, while only appeasing Muslims. In protest of this approach, I am resigning from the Congress party," Benny told reporters.
He stated that he had raised the issue within party forums and urged for changes, but no action was taken.
"The situation has reached a point where it’s impossible to move forward, so I have resigned from the post of DCC secretary and from the party as well," he added.
Peruvanthanam also criticised the Congress leadership for its negative stance regarding the concerns raised by the KCBC and Catholic Church organisations. However, he stated that he has not aligned with any other political party now.
The Congress leadership has yet to comment on the matter.
The Munambam residents, strongly supported by the Catholic Church, have been protesting for the past 174 days for revenue rights over their properties, allegedly claimed by the Waqf Board.
The Christian community has significant influence in the Idukki district.
