SRH qualifies for IPL playoff after rain washes out match against GT
Hyderabad, May 16: Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday qualified for the Indian Premier League play-offs after rain washed out their IPL match against Gujarat Titans here without a ball being bowled.
SRH thus became the third team to make the cut after following Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, who are currently occupying the top two places in the standings.
The Sunrisers received one point to take their tally to 15 points with one match to go. They will face Punjab Kings, who have already been eliminated, on May 19 in their last league assignment.
GT, the last year's runners-up and 2022 champions, were knocked out of the play-off race after their previous match was also abandoned due to rain. They thus end the season with 12 points from 14 matches.
The toss didn't happen at scheduled time of 7 pm due to rain and wet outfield. The rain intensified before settling into a steady shower as the covers and outfield stayed covered.
The cut-off time for a five-over game was 10:56 PM, which meant the drizzle needed to stop for mop-up to begin by around 10:15pm but with rain showing no signs of abating, the official decided to abandon the match.
It is the second game to be called off in this IPL, because of rain and wet outfield.
Four teams -- Chennai Super Kings (14), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (12), Delhi Capitals (14) and Lucknow Super Giants (12) -- are still in fray for the battle for the last spot.
If LSG win against Mumbai Indians on Friday, they will move to 14 points to stay mathematically alive but CSK will seal the spot if they beat RCB or the game is washed out on Saturday.
If RCB beat CSK by at least 18 runs or 11 balls to spare then they will grab the fourth available spot on the basis of net run-rate as they would be on 14 points, same as DC, CSK and LSG (if they win).
๐๐ช๐ฃ๐ง๐๐จ๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ are through to #TATAIPL 2024 Playoffs ๐งก
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 16, 2024
Which will be the final team to qualify ๐ค#TATAIPL | #SRHvGT | @SunRisers pic.twitter.com/6Z7h5kiI4o
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Twin infants, three kids among 6 killed in fire at Meerut cloth trader's house
Meerut (UP) (PTI): Tragedy struck a cloth trader's family here when six members, including four-month-old twin sisters and three other children, perished in a fire triggered by a suspected electrical malfunction at its three-storey house, officials said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred around 8 on Monday night at Kidwai Nagar in the Lisadi Gate area. Seven people were admitted to hospital with burn injuries, of whom six died, Meerut SSP Avinash Pandey told reporters.
Police confirmed the deaths after midnight.
The house belongs to Iqbal Ahmed, whose family is engaged in tailoring and an online garment business. A large quantity of clothing material was stored on the ground floor, which officials said could have aided the rapid spread of the fire.
The blaze is suspected to have been caused by an electrical fault in a machine or home appliance, they said.
The deceased have been identified as Rukhsar (25), Mahbish (12), Hammad (4), Akdas (4), Nabia and Inayat (4 months).
The twins and the other children were the offspring of Iqbal Ahmed's sons, Farooq and Aseem. Aseem's wife, Rukhsar, also died in the incident. One injured woman, Ameer Bano (55), is undergoing treatment, police said.
According to officials, some male members of the family had gone to offer Taraweeh namaz at the nearby Surahi Wali Masjid when the fire broke out, leaving others inside the house.
Mohammad Farooq said he was at the mosque when he received a call about the blaze.
"By the time I returned, a huge crowd had gathered. The blaze killed my daughter, my son, my younger brother's twin daughters and his son. My elderly mother survived, though her blood pressure shot up due to the shock," he said.
Eyewitness Raisuddin said residents rushed to the spot after hearing screams from inside the house and alerted the police and fire department.
He said fire tenders could not reach the exact location directly because of the narrow lanes in the locality.
Another eyewitness, Salman, said the fire allegedly broke out due to a short circuit and quickly assumed massive proportions.
Local resident Aamir said Aseem's elder daughter had gone to her maternal grandmother's house at the time of the incident, which saved her life. However, his wife and other children were present in the house and were caught in the blaze.
A Dial 112 response vehicle reached the spot within three minutes of receiving information, followed by four fire tenders, Pandey said.
The narrow lanes posed a major challenge for firefighters, who deployed motorcycles and accessed the house from adjoining rooftops. Fire personnel also broke a wall to gain entry into the building.
While five people were rescued from the first floor, those trapped on the second floor were engulfed by dense smoke and flames. The priority was to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to adjoining houses, the SSP said.
He also hailed the role of a good Samaritan in the rescue operations.
Chief Fire Officer Surendra Singh said seven people were pulled out and taken to a nearby private hospital before being referred to a medical college, where six succumbed.
District Magistrate V K Singh, who visited the spot, said a detailed inquiry has been ordered. Officials from the electricity department have been sent to the site, and their findings are awaited.
Officials said the family gave in writing that they did not want post-mortem examinations conducted and have not sought any government assistance so far.
The victims were laid to rest at the Bale Miyan cemetery in Nauchandi on Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, residents said no such incident had occurred in the locality earlier, and a pall of gloom has descended on the area following the tragedy.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed condolences to the bereaved family and had directed officials to expedite relief measures, an official statement said.
