Australian left-arm quick Starc returned figures of 5-35 as Delhi bowled out Hyderabad for 163, a target they overhauled with four overs and seven wickets to spare for their second straight win in this edition of the T20 tournament.

In the second match of the day in Guwahati, Rana’s batting blitz helped Rajasthan to 182-9 and then kept down Chennai Super Kings to 176-6 for a six-run win – the team’s first after two losses.

“Feels good,” said stand-in Rajasthan skipper Riyan Parag.

“Took some time, it was two games but felt long. Felt we were 20 short but the bowlers stepped up and executed our collective plans.”

Sri Lankan leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga returned figures of 4-35, delivering key blows against the Chennai batting order.

The left-handed Rana put on 82 for the second wicket with Sanju Samson to lay the foundations of Rajasthan’s total.

Afghanistan left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad broke the stand with the wicket of Samson, who is Rajasthan’s regular captain but playing only as a batsman due to an injury.

Rana reached his fifty in 21 balls and bludgeoned the bowlers with 10 fours and five sixes in his stay at the crease. He was named player of the match.

Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin cut short Rana’s knock when he had the batsman stumped.

Parag hit 37 off 28 balls before being bowled by Sri Lankan pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana.

In Chennai’s reply, England pace bowler Jofra Archer struck in the first over to have Rachin Ravindra caught behind for a duck as he celebrated his first wicket this IPL season.
Hasaranga then took control and got a wicket in each of his four overs and his final strike of skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad for 63 derailed the Chennai chase.

Earlier in Delhi’s second home of Visakhapatnam, Starc struck early and twice in one over to send back Ishan Kishan and Nitish Reddy.

He then got fellow Australian Travis Head caught behind for 22 as Hyderabad slipped to 37-4 in 4.1 overs.

Indian batsman Aniket Verma, who top-scored with 74, and South African wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen then put on an attacking stand of 77 in an attempt to hit back.

Kuldeep Yadav, a left-arm wrist spinner, claimed figures of 3-22 before Starc completed his five to wrap up the Hyderabad innings.

“There’s no ego in bowlers these days,” said player of the match Starc.

“As a bowler you’ve got to think out of the box. You need to do things you wouldn’t normally do. It was nice to contribute in the win today, we move forward from here.”

In reply, South African veteran Faf Du Plessis came out firing in his 27-ball 50 as he smashed India fast bowler Mohammed Shami for a six and three fours in a 15-run third over to set up the chase.

Delhi, under new skipper Axar Patel, have rebuilt the team in their hunt for a first IPL title and brought in England great Kevin Pietersen as mentor.

Ariana Television will broadcast today’s match live and exclusively in Afghanistan. Fans can tune in from 6:15 pm to watch Match 12th, between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders.

(AFP)

Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), led Eid-ul-Fitr prayer in Kandahar province on Sunday, attended by thousands of people.

In his speech, Akhundzada emphasized on avoiding division and disunity, stating that the survival of the system lies in unity and solidarity.

He added that the Islamic Emirate is facing a wave of negative propaganda, and its enemies are using these tactics to incite war and conflict in the country once again.

He warned that division would lead to the failure of Muslims and the collapse of systems.

The leader of the Islamic Emirate further mentioned that they sacrificed their lives for 20 years to achieve victory in jihad, and protecting this system requires even more sacrifices.

He called on the people, the forces of the Islamic Emirate, and officials to obey the leadership’s orders, emphasizing that the absence of leadership in the past led to civil wars, which must not be repeated.

Officials in Pakistan have completed arrangements to detain and expel Afghan citizens following the March 31 deadline for their voluntary return to Afghanistan. This move is part of the country’s plan to address the growing concerns regarding the status of Afghan migrants in Pakistan.

A high-level meeting on Friday, chaired by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, reviewed the measures to repatriate Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders. This meeting focused on ensuring the effective execution of the government’s deadline and the logistics surrounding the return process.

Despite requests from the Afghan government and human rights organizations, Pakistani authorities have firmly rejected extending the deadline for the return of ACC holders. The Pakistani government had initially set the deadline for the end of March, and the expulsion process will move forward as planned.

Mohsin Naqvi also revealed that Talal Chaudhry, the State Minister for Interior, would travel to the provinces to assess and address any challenges and potential issues in the process of Afghan migrants’ return.

Meanwhile, Pakistani security forces have detained at least 932 Afghan migrants in Rawalpindi, as the deadline for the expulsion of Afghan migrants with ACC cards approaches.

​Human rights organizations have strongly condemned Pakistan’s recent decision to expel Afghan refugees, labeling it a violation of international law and a potential humanitarian crisis. They argue that many of these refugees, including human rights defenders, political activists, and victims of gender-based violence, fled Afghanistan to escape persecution and are now at risk of facing harm if deported. ​

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed deep concern over the government’s ultimatum for undocumented immigrants to leave by March 31, warning that this could lead to a humanitarian disaster. They highlight that such forced repatriation violates international customary law and could adversely affect vulnerable groups, including women, children, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities. ​

Amnesty International has called on Pakistan to halt the detentions, deportations, and harassment of Afghan refugees, emphasizing that these actions violate the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to places where they face risks of persecution. They stress that deporting Afghan refugees, especially women and girls, could deny them access to safety, education, and livelihoods.

Pakistan has granted Afghan migrants, both undocumented and those holding ACC cards, a deadline of March 31 to voluntarily leave the country.

However, Pakistani officials confirmed that Afghan migrants holding “PoR” cards are not at risk of being expelled until June 30.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported a sharp decline in Afghan returns and deportations during the first half of March. Between March 1 and 15, returns dropped by 67 per cent, while deportations fell by 50 per cent compared to the previous reporting period (February 16-28).