Faf du Plessis fifty, DK flourish push RCB to 192/3
Mumbai, May 8: Skipper Faf du Plessis led from the front with an unbeaten half-century while Dinesh Karthik provided the late flourish as Royal Challengers Bangalore overcame a jittery start to post 192/3 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League here on Sunday.
Du Plessis slammed eight boundaries and two sixes en route to his 50-ball 73 not out, his third fifty this season and seized the initiative after he lost his opening partner Virat Kohli on the first ball of the match.
The South African veteran along with Rajat Patidar (48 in 38 balls; 4x4, 2x6) laid a solid foundation with a 105-run third wicket partnership off 73 balls.
But Hyderabad bowlers led by spinner Jagadeesha Suchith (2/30) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0/34) slowed things a bit in the middle overs before Dinesh Karthik gave a last-over flourish (25 runs) to prop up the total.
The Indian experienced wicketkeeper-batter smashed four sixes, three of them coming in succession followed by a boundary in the last over against Afghanistani debutant Fazalhaq Farooqi, en route to his entertaining cameo.
Hyderabad had their solitary moment of glory, the very first ball of the game when Kohli (0) got out for a third golden duck this season, sixth overall in IPL.
Enduring his worst-ever IPL -- 216 runs from 12 innings at 19.6 -- Kohli had one soft dismissal off a Suchith half volley drifting onto his pads, and the star batter managed to flick it straight to Williamson at short midwicket.
It was all about RCB thereafter as Du Plessis and the young Patidar seized the momentum with their counter-attacking approach.
Patidar looked at his fluent best, while the skipper was in total control in the afternoon heat of Wankhede as they took just 31 balls for their fifty-plus stand.
Hyderabad young speed merchant Umran Malik bowled back of the length on what was a slow pitch and the batting duo had all the time on offer to take him to cleaners in his first over that yielded 20 runs.
Well-settled Patidar however missed his fifty by two runs becoming Suchith's second victim, miscuing one in the 13th over.
Brief scores: RCB 192/3 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 73 not out, Rajat Patidar 48; Dinesh Karthik 30 not out; J Suchith 2/30) vs SRH.
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It's govt's responsibility to support youth who dare to dream: Omar Abdullah
Jammu (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the government may not be able to provide jobs to everyone, but it can create an ecosystem for youngsters to become entrepreneurs and innovators.
It is the responsibility of the government to support youth who dare to dream, he said.
After inaugurating the 11th National Conference and Exhibition on Emerging and Innovative Trends in Engineering Technology (NCEEITET) at the Government College of Engineering and Technology (GCET) in Jammu, Abdullah said, “We may not be able to provide jobs to everyone, but we can certainly create an environment where our youngsters become entrepreneurs and innovators.”
The two-day conference is being organised by the GCET in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur and the World University Consortium (WUC).
Addressing the gathering, Abdullah assured that all necessary steps would be taken to strengthen infrastructure and support systems at the GCET, ensuring that it continues to evolve as a premier institution.
The chief minister also inaugurated a new building for the School of Architecture in the college, built at Rs 19.71 crore.
Stressing the need to balance modernity with the region’s cultural and historical identity, Abdullah said, “Not every building needs to be made of glass and steel. Our structures must reflect our heritage and preserve our cultural ethos.”
Highlighting the role of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, Abdullah said they could significantly improve tourism management, visitor experience and service delivery in Jammu and Kashmir.
However, he cautioned that technological advancement should complement human effort rather than replace jobs, especially in a region where unemployment remains a concern.
The chief minister said that attracting tourists to Jammu and Kashmir was not difficult, but ensuring repeat visits required consistently enriching experiences and better infrastructure across tourism segments, including pilgrimage, border and leisure tourism.
To address the infrastructure gaps in the college, Abdullah announced that funds would be provided this year for the construction of an auditorium.
He also assured support for setting up an incubation centre in GCET.
During the event, Abdullah also released the e-proceedings of the conference, comprising 28 shortlisted research papers.
