Sport
Kolkata beat Bengaluru by one run in IPL as Kohli fumes at dismissal
Kolkata Knight Riders survived a late charge by Royal Challengers Bengaluru batsmen to win by one run in an IPL thriller after Virat Kohli’s angry outburst at his dismissal on Sunday.
Bengaluru conceded 222-6 after electing to field first at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens with Phil Salt smashing 48 off 14 balls and skipper Shreyas Iyer hitting 50.
Needing 21 to win in the final over bowled by Mitchell Starc, Bengaluru’s number 10 Karn Sharma hit the Australian left-arm quick for three sixes before being caught and bowled.
Wicketkeeper Salt then ran out Lockie Ferguson on the last ball despite a wide throw by the fielder as Bengaluru were bowled out for 221.
Bengaluru slipped early in their chase when Kohli, who made a seven-ball 18, fell caught and bowled off Harshit Rana.
But the former India captain looked confident the high full-toss was above his waist as the umpires checked for a no-ball.
TV umpire Michael Gough declared it out after technology suggested the trajectory of the ball dipped below the waist of the batsman, who returned furious after exchanging words with the on-field officials.
“It was crazy. Rules are rules, Virat and myself in that space thought the ball was higher than his waist,” skipper Faf du Plessis, who was with Kohli at the other end when the drama unfolded, said.
“You always find one team happy and the other not so with such decisions.”
The drama did not help Bengaluru in their chase as the bottom-placed side in the 10-team table slumped to their seventh loss in eight matches.
Earlier Kolkata, who jumped to second in the table with their fifth win in seven matches, started strongly with Salt’s explosive knock.
Fast bowlers Yash Dayal and Cameron Green took two wickets each to dent Kolkata’s top and middle-order but Iyer kept calm to raise his fifty in 35 balls. He fell after a 40-run stand with Rinku Singh, who hit 24.
Andre Russell, who made 27 off 10 balls, and Ramandeep Singh, who hit 24 off nine, finished with a flourish in an unbeaten stand of 43.
Russell, who was named man of the match, then turned up with his pace bowling as he took three wickets and fellow West Indian Sunil Narine took two to dent the chase.
England batsman Will Jacks, who made 55, and Rajat Patidar, who hit 52, attempted to set up the chase in a 102-run third-wicket stand, which was broken by Russell.
Russell took down both the batsmen in one over and mystery spinner Narine came up with another double blow in one over including Green and Mahipal Lomror.
Dinesh Karthik with his 18-ball 25 and Sharma with 20 off seven balls tried their best to chase down the target but Kolkata held their nerve.
“We go through so many emotions, tough to stay calm,” said Iyer. “Elated to get these two points. I feel that every individual should take responsibility to deliver. Russell came on and completely changed the momentum.”
In the second match of the day, Gujarat Titans defeated Punjab Kings by three wickets after they bowled out the opposition for 142 in a low-scoring game.
Indian Sai Kishore returned figures of 4-33 and ably supported by fellow spinners Noor Ahmad, who claimed 2-20, and Rashid Khan, who had 1-15.
Gujarat looked in trouble at 103-5, but Rahul Tewatia steered the team home with five balls to spare as the left-handed batsman hit an unbeaten 36 off 18 balls. – AFP
Aino Mina defeated Adalat Farah 2-1 in the 27th match of Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) in Kabul on Friday. In the other game of the day, Khorasan Faryab beat Jawanan Wahedi with the same result.
In the first game of the day, the first goal was scored by Abdul Ali Wahedi from Adalat Farah, before Ahmad Nabi Moqadas and Khalil Ahmad Badushah scored for Aino Mina.
In the 28th match of the tournament, Hayatullah Salimi netted twice for Khurasan. Farzad Barakzai scored Jawanan Wahedi’s only goal.
In Saturday’s matches, Sarsabz Yashlar will face Khadim at 1:00 p.m. and Sorkh Poshan Khafi will face Istiqlal Kabul at 3:30 p.m.
The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television.
In the continuation of the Afghanistan Champions League, Abu Muslim Farah FC won the 25th match of this league on Thursday with a result of 2-1 against Mawj Sahil.
Hashmat Amiri scored one goal and was declared man of the match for Abu Muslim Farah FC.
In today’s twenty-sixth match, Attack Energy FC players defeated Maiwand FC 3-0.
Friday’s matches will see Aino Mina FC take on Adalat Farah FC at 1pm, while Khurasan Faryab FC play Jawanan Wahedi FC at 3:30pm.
The matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television.
The International Olympic Committee on Thursday confirmed the list of athletes who will form the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for the Paris 2024 games – of which four are from Afghanistan.
The four athletes are Amir Ansari, who will participate in the road cycling event; Arab Sibghatullah, in judo; Farzad Mansouri, in taekwondo; and Nigara Shaheen, in judo.
A total of 36 athletes from 11 different countries of origin will form the team. They will compete in 12 different sports: aquatics (swimming), athletics, badminton, boxing, breaking, canoe (slalom and sprint), cycling (road), judo, shooting, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling (freestyle and Greco-Roman).
IOC President Thomas Bach made the announcement during a ceremony at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday (2 May). He said: “We welcome all of you with open arms. You are an enrichment to our Olympic Community, and to our societies.
“With your participation in the Olympic Games, you will demonstrate the human potential of resilience and excellence. This will send a message of hope to the more than 100 million displaced people around the world.”
The IOC Refugee Olympic Team is competing at the Olympic Games for the third time, after previous appearances at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
This year, its chef-de-mission will be Masomah Ali Zada, who competed as a member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020.
Afghanistan’s athlete profiles:
Amir Ansari
Cycling Road
Amir was born in Iran but grew up in Afghanistan, before he fled in 2015. Since then, Amir has sought refuge in Sweden and trains with the Stockholm Cycling Club. He has participated in national and international championships in time trial and road race competitions as part of the Stockholm CK team and UCI Refugee Team.
Arab Sibghatullah
Judo
Sibghatullah’s journey in Judo began when he was just eight years old in Kunduz province, Afghanistan. His talent earned him a spot on the Afghanistan National Youth Judo team at the age of nineteen. When he left the country, he traveled overland through several countries, including Iran, Türkiye, Greece, Bosnia, and Slovenia, before finally arriving in Germany in November 2022.
Today, as a Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holder, Sibghatullah trains with the 1. Judo-Club in Mönchengladbach, Germany, and dedicates two days per week to training at a training camp in Köln.
His hard work and dedication paid off when he secured 7th place at the European Open Madrid in the summer of 2023. He firmly believes in the importance of consistency and never misses a morning in the gym.
Farzad Mansouri
Taekwondo
Farzad was born in Parwan, Afghanistan. Representing Afghanistan, he won a silver medal at the 2019 Asian Junior Taekwondo Championships in Amman and was the flagbearer for Afghanistan at the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Soon after the Games, Farzad left Afghanistan and today he trains alongside Great Britain (GB) Taekwondo athletes and continues to improve his English. His focus is on performing his best at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Nigara Shaheen
Female judoka
Born in Afghanistan, Nigara is a judoka who competes in the -70kg category. She took up judo when she was 11, living as a refugee in Peshawar, Pakistan, as practicing martial arts was a family tradition.
She has a master’s degree in international trade from the Ural Federal University in Ekaterinburg. Since September 2022, she has been living in Canada, where she studies and trains.
As a member of the IJF Refugee Team, she participated in the Düsseldorf Grand Slam in 2020 and the Kazan Grand Slam in 2021. She was a member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Tokyo 2020 in the individual and mixed team events.
Broadcasting rights
Ariana Television Network (ATN) will officially broadcast this year’s Olympic Games exclusively on Ariana Television.
The games will start on Friday, July 26 and run through to Sunday August 11.
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