Shashank Singh guides PBKS to thrilling win against Gujarat Titans
Ahmedabad, Apr 4: A cracking unbeaten half-century by all-rounder Shashank Singh and his fruitful 43-run partnership with an equally aggressive Ashutosh Sharma helped Punjab Kings defeat Gujarat Titans by three wickets in an Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.
Shashank smashed an unbeaten 61 off 29 deliveries, while Ashutosh slammed a 17-ball 31 as PBKS chased down the 200-run target with one ball to spare after the team from Punjab had an inauspicious start, losing skipper Shikhar Dhawan for just one run.
GT skipper Shubman Gill's unbeaten 89 off just 48 deliveries in the team's total of 199 for 4 went in vain.
Gill was in sublime form as he took GT to an imposing total, hitting six boundaries and four maximums. He was assisted by Sai Sudarshan, who slammed a 19-ball 33 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Gill and Sudarshan also shared a 53-run stand for the third wicket.
Brief Scores:
Gujarat Titans: 199 for 4 in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 89, Kane Williamson 26, Sai Sudharsan 33; Kagiso Rabada 2/44).
Punjab Kings: 200 for 7 in 19.5 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 35, Shashank Singh 61 not out, Ashutosh Sharma 31; Noor Ahmad 2/32) by three wickets.
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Chhattisgarh: Three detained in connection with Bijapur journalist's murder
Bijapur (PTI): Three persons have been detained in connection with the murder of a 33-year-old journalist whose body was found in a septic tank on a local contractor's property in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, police said on Saturday.
Mukesh Chandrakar, a freelance journalist, went missing on January 1, and his body was found on Friday in the septic tank on a property owned by contractor Suresh Chandrakar at Chattanpara Basti in Bijapur town.
"Three persons have been detained in connection with the murder and are being interrogated," an official here said.
The police, however, did not disclose their names and said the details would be revealed later in the day.
Mukesh worked as a freelance journalist for news channels, including NDTV, and ran a YouTube channel, 'Bastar Junction', which has some 1.59 lakh subscribers. He had played a crucial role in the release of a CoBRA commando, Rakeshwar Singh Manhas, from Maoists' captivity in April 2021 following the Takalguda Naxal ambush in Bijapur, wherein 22 security personnel were martyred.
He went missing on Wednesday evening, and his elder brother Yukesh Chandrakar lodged a complaint with the police the next day, a senior police official said.
Tracking Mukesh's mobile number, police reached the property owned by Suresh Chandrakar and found the body in a septic tank, which was freshly cast with concrete slab, he said.
Police suspect the murder is linked to a recent report of irregularities in road construction work in the district the victim had covered. Suresh Chandrakar is said to be involved in the work.
Journalists held a symbolic road blockade at Hospital Chowk on National Highway 36 in the city in the morning, demanding that the contractor's properties in Bastar division, including Bijapur, be attached and a case be registered against him.
They also demanded a death sentence for the contractor and others involved in the murder, removal of security detail for him, and sealing of his bank accounts, among other demands.
The protesting journalists also sought the suspension or transfer of the Bijapur superintendent of police.
Protestors have warned of an indefinite road blockade from Sunday if their demands are not met.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Friday assured that the culprits would be arrested at the earliest.
Meanwhile, members of the Raipur Press Club on Friday gathered at Jai Stambh Chowk and demanded action against the killers and sought that the state government constitute a special investigation team to probe the murder.
