Cricket fans were treated to two thrilling matches on Sunday, especially the early match where Sunrisers Hyderabad kicked off their campaign in emphatic fashion by delivering batting carnage in their match against Rajasthan Royals.

Sunrisers commanded a 44-run victory over Royals, in a high-octane run-fest at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

The win was powered by a breathtaking century from Ishan Kishan, whose unbeaten 106 was the cornerstone of Sunrisers’ batting onslaught.

Kishan’s terrific ton was complemented by an explosive top-order show, with Travis Head’s dynamic 67 off 37, Heinrich Klaasen’s fiery 32 off 14, Nitish Reddy’s impactful 30 off 15, and Abhishek Sharma’s rapid 24 off 11 ensuring relentless pressure on the Royals’ bowlers.

Their combined firepower propelled Sunrisers to a staggering 286/6 – the second-highest team total in IPL history.

Chasing a daunting 288, Rajasthan Royals found themselves in early trouble but fought back, to finish on a decent, but still disappointing, 242/6. This however showcased the Royals’ never-say-die spirit.

Chennai Super Kings take on Mumbai Indians in second match of the day

Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings kicked off their TATA IPL 2025 campaign in style in the second match Sunday, securing a commanding four-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

CSK’s foundation was laid by the brilliance of Player of the Match Noor Ahmad, whose sensational spell of 4/18 stifled MI to 155/9.

The chase was then anchored by skipper Gaikwad’s fluent 52 off 26 and Rachin Ravindra’s composed, unbeaten 65 off 45, ensuring a winning start for the five-time champions.

Chasing 156, CSK suffered an early jolt as Deepak Chahar struck in the very first over, dismissing IPL debutant Rahul Tripathi. However, Gaikwad and Ravindra took charge, capitalizing on the powerplay.

The CSK skipper played with elegance and authority, rotating the strike effectively while piercing the gaps with finesse.

By the end of the powerplay, Chennai had raced to 62/1.

A dramatic moment unfolded in the last over however and with four runs required, Jadeja was run out. But instead of disappointment, the Chepauk crowd erupted in sheer delight — MS Dhoni was walking out to bat.

Though the crowd longed for a signature Dhoni finish, it was Rachin who fittingly sealed the victory with a six, remaining unbeaten on 65, guiding CSK to triumph.

Monday’s Match

Match 4 will take place on Monday, March 24, at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam when Delhi Capitals meet Lucknow Super Giants.

Ariana Television will broadcast the match live across Afghanistan so fans can tune in to watch the match from 6:15 pm Kabul time.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) brought the fireworks on the opening night of TATA IPL 2025 to begin their campaign with a special performance and kickstart what promises to be another thrilling season. 

The Rajat Patidar-led side registered a commanding seven-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), chasing down 175 with 22 deliveries to spare to cap off a memorable curtain-raiser for Season 18.

Virat Kohli, the most prolific run-getter in TATA IPL history, picked up from where he left off in 2024, remaining unbeaten on 59 in the chase after a scintillating opening stand with Phil Salt (56 off 31). 

But the platform for the victory was set by player-of-the-match Krunal Pandya’s 3/29 in four overs, which was instrumental in RCB’s comeback after KKR were on song early on.

Earlier, RCB won the toss and put KKR in to bat and the tone for the season was set in the very first over. 

Lucknow signs Shardul Thakur

In other IPL news, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have named Shardul Thakur as a replacement for left-arm fast bowler Mohsin Khan, who has been ruled out of this year’s IPL due to injury.

Thakur, an experienced all-rounder, has been signed from the Registered Available Player Pool (RAPP) at his reserve price of INR 2 crore. A proven performer across all three formats for India, he brings valuable IPL experience, having played 95 matches for five franchises.

LSG will begin their TATA IPL 2025 campaign against the Delhi Capitals on Monday, March 24, in Visakhapatnam.

Sunday’s schedule

Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, March 23, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, in Hyderabad. The match will be screened live on Ariana Television in Afghanistan from 2pm. 

The second match of the day will see Chennai Super Kings play Mumbai Indians at MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai. The live broadcast of this match, on Ariana Television, will start at 6:15pm.

American George Foreman, one of the great second acts in sports, who reclaimed the heavyweight boxing title at age 45 and became a celebrated product pitchman, died on Friday at age 76.

“With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr. who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025 surrounded by loved ones,” his family said in an Instagram post.

An intimidating, thunderous puncher who lost his first title to Muhammad Ali in their famous “Rumble in the Jungle” in 1974, “Big George” was a more rotund, jovial figure when he knocked out Michael Moorer for his second crown two decades later.

Foreman’s comeback and the fortune he made selling fat-wicking electric cooking grills made him an icon of self-improvement and success for the Baby Boom generation.

Born in Marshall, Texas, on Jan. 10, 1949, Foreman’s family soon moved to Houston where he and his six siblings were raised by a single mother. Growing up poor in the segregated American South, Foreman dropped out of junior high school and used his size and fists in street robberies.

“George’s journey from the streets of Fifth Ward to boxing and business success was an inspiration,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said in a statement.

“He never forgot where he came from … Houston will forever be proud to call George Foreman one of our own.”

The Job Corps, part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” reforms, “rescued me from the gutter,” Foreman later wrote. Through the program, 16-year-old Foreman moved out of Texas and was encouraged to channel his rage and growing bulk into boxing.

At age 19 and in his 25th amateur fight, Foreman captured the heavyweight boxing gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Turning pro, he won 37 straight matches on his way to face reigning champion Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica, winning by technical knockout in round two.

Foreman defended the belt twice more before meeting Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in one of the most celebrated boxing matches in history.

Ali had been stripped of his crown seven years prior for refusing to be drafted into the Vietnam War and came into the match a heavy underdog against the bigger, younger champion. But for seven rounds, Ali laid against the ropes and fended off Foreman’s clubbing blows, tiring him before knocking him out in the eighth round.

“I was one strong heavyweight punching fighter,” Foreman told Reuters in 2007. “I was one punching machine and that was the first time I delivered everything I had and nothing worked.”

The loss devastated Foreman. He took a year off before returning to the ring and then, after a second professional loss, retired in 1977 to become an ordained minister in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A decade later and considerably heavier at 315 pounds (143 kg), Foreman staged an unlikely return to the ring to raise money for a youth center he founded in Texas.

He went on to win 24 straight matches, gradually slimming along the way, before losing to Evander Holyfield in a 12-round decision in 1991. Three years later, he knocked out undefeated southpaw Moorer to become the oldest ever heavyweight champion at age 45.

Foreman’s last match was in 1997, ending his career with a professional record of 76 wins and five losses.

Foreman was married four times in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1985, he married for the fifth time to Mary Joan Martelly, with whom he remained for the rest of his life. He had five sons – all called George – five biological daughters, and two adopted daughters.

Throughout the 1990s and after retirement, he was an enthusiastic pitchman for various products, most notably an electric grill from home appliance maker Salton Inc. In 1999, the company paid Foreman and his partners $137.5 million to put his name on the grill and other goods.

“What I do is fall in love with every product I sell,” Foreman wrote in his autobiography, “By George.”

“That’s what sells. Just like with preaching.”

(Reuters)