Sport
IPL: Kolkata Knight Riders grab 81-run win over RCB

All-rounder Shardul Thakur blitzed a half-century off 20 balls to rally the Kolkata Knight Riders in Thursday’s 81-run Indian Premier League win over Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Thakur hit nine fours and three sixes during his knock of 68, powering a recovery from a worrisome 89-5 in the 12th over.
Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz propped up the innings with 57 off 58 balls but the Afghan’s dismissal, along with Andre Russell for a duck the next ball, left Kolkata looking in trouble, AFP reported.
Thakur’s dominant show put the hosts back in control and a sixth wicket partnership with Rinku Singh notched 103 runs off only 47 balls.
“We spoke about taking the innings to the end and not giving away more wickets,” Singh said.
“My plan was to just stick around as he was striking the ball well. So I kept giving him the strike.”
Bangalore crashed to 123 all out in reply as the home team’s spinners ran amok, with Varun Chakaravarthy picking 4-15 in less than four overs.
Kolkata’s teenage leg spinner Suyash Sharma took 3-30 on his IPL debut and West Indies veteran Sunil Narine was 2-16.
Virat Kohli (21) and Faf du Plessis (23) gave Bangalore a quick start, adding 44 off 29 balls before the bowling attack found its groove when Narine bowled the former Indian captain.
Chakaravarthy dealt du Plessis the same fate three balls later and returned in the eighth over to skittle out Glenn Maxwell (5) and Harshal Patel (0).
Kolkata next take on defending champions Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Sunday and will have English opener Jason Roy available.
He was signed as replacement for Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who pulled out of the tournament earlier this week owing to his international commitments with Bangladesh.
Sport
Afghanistan win U-19 cricket series despite rain-impacted loss to Nepal

Nepal’s U-19 cricket team defeated Afghanistan by 85 runs via the DLS method in the rain-hit final match of their three-game series at Mulpani Cricket Stadium. However, Afghanistan won the series 2–1, having already secured victory in the first two match.
Batting first, Nepal posted 191 all out in 44.5 overs, with Sahil Patel scoring 46. Afghanistan struggled in response, collapsing to 46 for 6 in 20.1 overs before rain intervened. The match ended with Nepal’s 85-run victory under the DLS method.
Afghanistan had earlier dominated the series with a 130-run win in the first match and a dramatic one-run victory in the second. Despite the rain-affected loss, Afghanistan’s 2–1 series triumph highlighted their overall superiority, while Nepal showed potential in their final match.
Sport
Afghanistan’s national futsal team heads to Morocco

Afghanistan’s national futsal team has departed for Morocco to participate in a four-nation futsal tournament.
Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) has announced that Morocco will host the four-nation futsal competition.
In this tournament, the national futsal teams of Afghanistan, Portugal, Morocco, and China will compete against each other from April 9 to 13, 2025.
According to the football federation, all matches, except for the final, will be played without television broadcasts.
Afghanistan’s national futsal team will also play a friendly match against Morocco’s national futsal team on April 15.
Sport
Afghanistan Under-19s beat Nepal by 1 run in second ODI, win series

Afghanistan Under-19 cricket team defeated Nepal by 1 run on Sunday, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead against the hosts in the three-match Youth ODI series.
Batting first after winning the toss, Afghanistan Under-19 scored 168 runs before being bowled in the 50 overs.
Nepal were bowled out for 167 runs in 49.3 overs.
Afghan captain Mahboob Khan was declared Man of the Match as he scored 58 runs and took a wicket.
This was the second consecutive victory of the Afghanistan Under-19 cricket team against Nepal, with which they won the bilateral series.
The third and final game of the series will be played on Wednesday.
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