RCB signs South African pacer Wayne Parnell as replacement for injured Topley in IPL 2023
Bengaluru: The Royal Challengers Bangalore have reportedly signed South African pacer Wayne Parnell to replace the injured Reece Topley for IPL 2023. Topley sustained a dislocated shoulder during the team's first home game against the Mumbai Indians and has been ruled out of the tournament. According to ClubCricketSA, Parnell is expected to join the team soon and will be eligible for selection.
In the meantime, on Thursday, the Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, losing by a margin of 81 runs. Despite being in trouble early on with a score of 89/5 in 11.3 overs, KKR managed to recover and secure victory in their first home game of IPL 2023. During the match, David Willey and Karn Sharma each took two wickets in two consecutive balls, causing concern for KKR's chances, but they were ultimately able to turn things around.
Shardul Thakur, who almost got out on his first ball, which was also the hat-trick ball, managed to score an impressive 68 runs off just 28 balls, hitting the joint-fastest fifty of the season in just 20 deliveries. Despite a close call on his first ball, where the inside edge narrowly missed the leg-stump, Thakur went on to deliver an outstanding performance.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a striking innings at the beginning of the match, scoring 57 runs filled with stylish and aggressive strokes. Rinku Singh also made a significant contribution with a crucial 46 runs, as he shared a partnership of 103 runs in just 47 balls with Thakur, which helped KKR achieve a massive total of 204/7.
During the Royal Challengers Bangalore's innings in reply to Kolkata's 204/7, the team faced difficulties against the three mystery spinners of KKR - Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, and debutant Suyash Sharma. Together, these spinners claimed nine wickets, with Chakaravarthy taking four wickets for 15 runs, Narine taking two wickets for 16 runs, and Sharma taking three wickets for 30 runs. Leaving the RCB batters confused and unable to score, ultimately resulting in their dismissal for a total of 123 runs in just 17.4 overs.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
