Sport
IPL: Salt powers Delhi Capitals to thumping 7 wicket win against RCB
England’s Phil Salt hit a blazing 87 (45) to power Delhi Capitals to a thumping seven-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League on Saturday and ruin superstar Virat Kohli’s return to his home city.
Salt struck his second half-century in his debut IPL season to steer Delhi’s chase of 182 as the home team won with 20 balls to spare at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground.
The wicketkeeper began with a 60-run opening stand alongside skipper David Warner, who hit 22 (14), and then put together 59 runs with Mitchell Marsh, who smashed 26 (17).
Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood claimed 1-29 from his three overs, including the dismissal of Warner in the Powerplay, AFP reported.
“It’s the first time a lot of people would have seen me bat. Lot of Indian fans probably watching me for the first time if they don’t watch other competitions,” Salt, who has represented England in 30 white-ball matches since 2021, told reporters after his player of the match performance.
“I feel like my goal ever since the auction was come here and win games, challenge myself among the best in the world, because realistically we know this is the best domestic league in the world.”
Salt and Warner got into a mid-pitch exchange with opposition pace bowler Mohammed Siraj, but the verbal duel only spurred Salt to finish with six sixes.
The batting effort trumped Virat Kohli’s 55 (46) and an unbeaten 54 (29) by Mahipal Lomror which helped Bangalore to 4-181 after electing to bat first.
“Satisfied with the knock. Obviously there was a little bit of needle,” Salt said on his exchange with Siraj.
“Their boys were up when we were in Bangalore for the last game, so a lot of the pre-match chat was getting our chests out and crossing the line and ready to take it to them.”
Leg-spinner Karn Sharma bowled Salt before Rilee Rossouw hit an unbeaten 35 (22) and sealed the match with a six.
Delhi, who started the season with five losses, moved up from the bottom to ninth in the IPL table with slim chances of making the top four for a place in the play-offs.
Delhi’s South African import Anrich Nortje missed the match after he flew back home late Friday due to a “personal emergency”.
The spotlight remained on the Delhi-born Kohli as the former captain set foot on the ground in front of a capacity crowd, mostly wearing the star’s Bangalore jersey.
His every run was cheered and the superstar, who was playing his first game after an ugly spat with Lucknow mentor Gautam Gambhir, obliged the fans with his fifth half-century of the season.
In-form skipper Faf du Plessis, who consolidated his top spot in the batting chart with 511 runs, put on an 82-run opening stand with Kohli.
But it was Lomror who set the Bangalore innings on fire with his blitz after Marsh sent back du Plessis, for 45, and Glenn Maxwell, for a first-ball duck.
International Sports
Ariana News to broadcast key AFC Champions League Two clash
The match will be played in Riyadh, where Al-Nassr will aim to make home advantage count following their strong performances earlier in the campaign.
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr will take on Iraq’s Al-Zawraa in a crucial AFC Champions League Two group-stage encounter tomorrow, Wednesday December 24, as both sides look to strengthen their positions in the competition.
The match will be played in Riyadh, where Al-Nassr will aim to make home advantage count following their strong performances earlier in the campaign.
With a squad packed with international stars and attacking depth, the Saudi club will be targeting another positive result to move closer to qualification for the knockout stages.
Al-Zawraa, one of Iraq’s most successful clubs, arrive determined to bounce back and keep their continental hopes alive.
Known for their discipline and resilience, the Baghdad-based side will be looking to frustrate the hosts and capitalize on any opportunities on the counterattack.
The encounter is expected to draw significant attention from football fans across the region, as the AFC Champions League Two continues to showcase competitive clashes between leading clubs.
The match will be broadcast across Afghanistan live and exclusively on Ariana News from 8:30pm.
Sport
Afghanistan participates in Global Handball Congress as Asia reaffirms support
At the conclusion of the voting process, Egypt’s Hassan Moustafa was re-elected as President of the International Handball Federation, securing another four-year term.
Afghanistan has participated in the Global Handball Congress held in Cairo, Egypt, with the head of the Afghanistan Handball Federation attending the international gathering alongside representatives from 107 member countries of the International Handball Federation (IHF).
The congress took place from December 19 to 22 and included elections for leadership positions within both the global and Asian handball governing bodies.
At the conclusion of the voting process, Egypt’s Hassan Moustafa was re-elected as President of the International Handball Federation, securing another four-year term.
At the continental level, Badr Mohammed Diyab Saleh Al-Diyab was elected President of the Asian Handball Federation.
Officials from the Afghanistan Handball Federation said that several meetings were held on the sidelines of the congress with senior international handball officials, including the newly elected Asian federation president.
According to the officials, the Asian handball chief reaffirmed continued support for the development and advancement of handball in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s participation in the global congress is being viewed as an important step toward strengthening international sports relations, attracting broader institutional support, and promoting the growth of handball in the country—a sport that has faced significant challenges and limitations in recent years.
Afghanistan’s national futsal team played a friendly match against Kuwait on Saturday, ending in a 4-4 draw with the hosts.
Afghanistan’s goals came from Sayed Murtaza Hossaini (1), Hamid Reza Hossaini (2), and Omid Qanbari (1). The two teams are set to face each other again on Monday for the second friendly match.
A five-day training camp for the Afghanistan futsal team began on Friday in Kuwait and will run until Tuesday. The camp is designed to prepare the players for a strong showing at the 2026 AFC Futsal Asian Cup.
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