Sport
Punjab, Lucknow boost IPL play-off hopes, Delhi out

Opener Prabhsimran Singh hit his maiden IPL century to set up a 31-run win for Punjab Kings and push Delhi Capitals out of the play-off race on Saturday, while Lucknow Super Giants beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets.
Sunrisers batsman Heinrich Klaasen was docked 10 percent of his match fee for showing dissent after a controversial no-ball call that sparked the home crowd to shout abuse at the Lucknow dug-out.
The match was briefly stopped as the umpires spoke to the Lucknow bench, including an animated coach Andy Flower, whose team moved back into the top four, AFP reported
In the second game of the day, Punjab kept their play-off hopes alive after Prabhsimran hit 103 off 65 balls and guided his team to 167-7.
Harpreet Brar then returned figures of 4-30 with his left-arm spin as Delhi suffered a collapse to end on 136-8 despite a strong start from skipper David Warner, who hit 54 off 27 balls.
“The way we brought the game back was amazing,” Punjab skipper Shikhar Dhawan said. “Credit goes to the spinners and then the fast bowlers for closing it out.”
Punjab moved to sixth in the 10-team table led by holders Gujarat Titans. Delhi remain bottom of the heap and are out of the running.
Warner seemed to have taken the game away with his power hitting but Brar led the spin charge, removing Phil Salt for 21 as Delhi slipped from 69-0 to 88-6.
Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar joined in to trap Mitchell Marsh lbw before Brar struck twice in an over to dismiss Rilee Rossouw and Warner, who registered his 60th IPL fifty.
Warner said his team had “found the right combination” during the tournament after a nightmare start.
In Hyderabad, Indian batsman Prerak Mankad’s 64 and a series of key partnerships including an unbeaten 58-run stand with Nicholas Pooran, who hit a 13-ball 44, steered the team’s successful chase of 183 with four balls to spare.
Mankad first set the pace with a 73-run partnership with Marcus Stoinis, who hit a 25-ball 40.
Mankad raced to his maiden IPL fifty before West Indies international Pooran smashed three consecutive sixes in a 31-run over to start his sparkling innings.
Earlier, Hyderabad’s Abdul Samad, who hit an unbeaten 37 in a 58-run stand with Klaasen, received a waist-high delivery that was called a no-ball by the on-field umpire but overturned on review.
The delivery appeared to be above the batsman’s waist but the review went in Lucknow’s favor, canceling out the run and the free hit, with the home crowd venting their anger.
“Disappointed by the crowd to be honest, that’s not what you want,” said Klaasen after his 29-ball knock.
“That also broke the momentum, not great umpiring either, but you can’t take matters in your own hands.”
Sport
Cricket Ireland cancels Afghanistan series for ‘financial reasons’
However, in the same statement Cricket Ireland confirmed a line up of action-packed cricket this summer.

Ireland’s cricket board announced this week they have cancelled a multi-format series against Afghanistan scheduled for later this year.
Cricket Ireland said in a statement issued on Tuesday that they were cancelling the series due to “financial reasons”.
“One planned series that won’t go ahead for financial reasons is against Afghanistan.
“This decision is part of our management of short-term budgetary constraints, as well as our requirement to comply with the Board’s mandate to deliver balanced investment across the organisation’s strategic objectives,” said Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland.
However, in the same statement Cricket Ireland confirmed a line up of action-packed cricket this summer.
West Indies will play six limited-overs matches in Ireland in May and June before England arrive in September for a three-match Twenty20 series.
In addition, Zimbabwe Women and Pakistan Women will tour Ireland in July and August respectively; and Ireland Women will compete in two ICC World Cup qualifier tournaments.
In addition to this, Ireland Wolves will head to the UAE to play Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A as part of a multi-format tour.
Cricket Ireland added that “further fixtures and tours in 2025 will be announced in due course”.
Deutrom meanwhile said Cricket Ireland will also invest to upgrade infrastructure and facilities across the country.
The Irish government announced last August it would build a stadium at the national sports campus in Blanchardstown, which will also stage matches of the T20 World Cup in 2030, which Ireland will co-host with England and Scotland.
“All in all, on and off the pitch, in time this will be recognised as one of the more consequential years in Irish cricket history,” Deutrom added.
In response to this news, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has clarified that the matches have not been canceled and that efforts are underway to reschedule them at a more suitable time.
Sport
Asian Cup: Afghanistan’s beach soccer team arrives in Thailand

Afghanistan’s national beach soccer team arrived in Thailand on Tuesday to participate in a training camp ahead of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025.
Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) said in a post on Facebook that a 10-day training camp has been organized for the national beach soccer team in order for the players to enhance their skills ahead of the tournament.
The Afghan national beach soccer team is placed in Group C of the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup 2025 alongside the beach soccer teams of Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia.
AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2025 will kick off on March 20 and run through to March 30. Thailand is the official host.
Sport
India upbeat over Champions Trophy win against New Zealand
The final on Sunday in Dubai will decide the winner of the eight-nation tournament played in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

India’s Shubman Gill on Saturday said the team will look to win the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand to get over their 2023 ODI World Cup title defeat.
The final on Sunday in Dubai will decide the winner of the eight-nation tournament played in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
“I am quite excited,” vice-captain Gill told reporters. “My second ICC event for team India and second final. The last time which we couldn’t do, we will try to do it this time.”
India went down to Australia in the 50-over World Cup final in November 2023 on home soil in Ahmedabad in a heartbreaking defeat for the team, which had come into the title clash unbeaten, AFP reported.
However, Rohit Sharma’s team eased the heartache of fans a few months later when they lifted the 2024 T20 World Cup title — India’s first victory in a major global event since the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Gill, who was not part of the T20 triumph, said the ICC title in Barbados allows the team to go into Sunday’s final without any baggage.
“It’s also about once you get one title that kind of breaks the jinx and then it gives you the momentum and also you are not desperate about getting the title,” said Gill.
“Winning the title in 2024 doesn’t mean that we are less hungry, but it kind of gives us more balance that we have won an ICC title and we will try to do our best to win this one.”
India come into the title clash unbeaten in four matches after they went past Australia in the semi-final to eye a third Champions Trophy crown, AFP reported.
India have played all their matches in Dubai after they refused to tour hosts Pakistan due to political tensions.
Gill said the importance of a final does come into the equation when they walk out but a champion team knows how to handle pressure.
“The big-match pressure is always there,” said Gill.
“This is the reason why we talk about big teams of previous years, including West Indies and Australia. Those teams played their best cricket in knock-outs. Easier said than done, but good teams play their best cricket under pressure.”
Virat Kohli has been in top form as he hit an unbeaten 100 against arch-rivals Pakistan in a group game and hit 84 in another successful chase in the semi-final.
Rohit has been slammed for not converting his starts into bigger scores, but his quick cameos have nonetheless allowed the team to build totals.
Gill, who opens with Rohit, said India’s batting depth has allowed the top-order to bat freely.
“I think this is the best batting line-up that I have been part of,” said Gill. “Rohit, Virat, I think all-time one-day greats. Rohit one of the best openers in white-ball and Virat one of the best ODI batsman ever,” he said.
Fans across Afghanistan can tune in to watch the final live and exclusively in the country on Ariana Television. The final gets underway at 1:30pm Kabul time.
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