Author: News Desk

During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur, the bats used by Sunil Narine and Anrich Nortje failed the official size check.

The first incident happened before KKR started chasing PBKS’s target of 111 runs. Outside the playing area, reserve umpire Saiyed Khalid checked the bats of a few KKR players.

When he tested Narine’s bat, the thickest part of the blade was too wide and couldn’t pass through the measuring gauge. Narine, who was opening the batting for KKR, had a short chat with the umpire about it. On the other hand, the bat of Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who was standing next to him, passed the test.

Narine, who earlier bowled well and took two wickets for 14 runs in three overs, only scored five runs in the chase. Raghuvanshi ended up as KKR’s top scorer with 37 runs off 28 balls.

Later in the game, KKR’s fast bowler Anrich Nortje also faced a similar issue. When he came out to bat in the 16th over as the last man, on-field umpires Mohit Krishnadas and Saidharshan Kumar checked his bat and found it to be too thick.

The match had to be stopped briefly while substitute player Rahmanullah Gurbaz brought out other bats for Nortje. The new bat passed the test, but Nortje didn’t get a chance to use it, as Andre Russell was bowled immediately after.

This was Nortje’s first match of the season after returning from a back injury he suffered during SA20. He bowled well and picked up one wicket for 23 runs in his three overs.

In previous IPL seasons, such bat checks usually took place inside the dressing room. But recently, including in Sunday’s matches (RR vs RCB and DC vs MI), umpires have started checking bats on the field. According to IPL rules, a bat should not be more than 96.4 cm long, the blade should not be thicker than 6.7 cm, the edge must not be wider than 4 cm, and the face should not exceed 10.79 cm in width.

Both Narine’s and Nortje’s bats went beyond the allowed size limits, leading to these unusual stoppages in the game.

Barcelona have reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time in six years, winning 5-3 on aggregate against Borussia Dortmund after losing 3-1 in the second leg on Tuesday.

Dortmund’s striker Serhou Guirassy scored all three goals in the match, completing a hat-trick and handing Barcelona their first loss in any competition this year. However, the Spanish giants had already built a strong 4-0 lead from the first leg, which helped them progress to the next round.

Barcelona will now face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals, depending on the result of Wednesday’s match between the two.

After the game, Barça coach Hansi Flick said, “Dortmund did very well. It wasn’t our best performance. I had a feeling this would be a tough game because I know this stadium well. Still, we’re in the semi-finals, and that makes me very happy.”

Dortmund started strongly, needing a big win to overturn the first-leg result. Guirassy gave them the lead in the 11th minute with a clever chipped penalty. They continued to pressure Barcelona and dominated most of the first half, while the Spanish side struggled to finish their chances.

Just four minutes into the second half, Guirassy scored again with a header after a corner, raising hopes of a dramatic comeback. But that hope was quickly dampened when Dortmund’s Ramy Bensebaini accidentally scored an own goal under pressure from Robert Lewandowski, making it 2-1 on the night.

Barcelona nearly added another goal when Fermín López missed a chance in the 64th minute.

Guirassy completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute after a defensive mistake, becoming the first Dortmund player to score 13 goals in a single Champions League campaign. However, with Dortmund still needing two more goals to force extra time, their energy faded in the final minutes.

Dortmund midfielder Pascal Groß said, “We wanted to play with more courage and support each other more. We did that today, it was a completely different game compared to the first leg. It’s just a shame we didn’t play like this earlier.”

Despite the loss on the night, Barcelona celebrated a major step forward as they moved one step closer to Champions League glory.

National cricketer Umar Akmal has openly criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for excluding him from national team selection, accusing the board of age-based discrimination.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Umar claimed that players are being sidelined because of their age rather than their performance.

He said, “The PCB is biased in selection based on age,” he alleged, adding that players like him, Ahmed Shehzad, and Sohaib Maqsood are being ignored because they are around 34 years old.

“We’re told that we are too old to play or even become mentors, but then you see 43- and 45-year-old players still actively playing. What do you want us to do, shoot ourselves?” Umar said in frustration.

He also took a swipe at the fitness standards enforced by the PCB. “Some senior players and coaches have never even taken fitness tests, yet they talk about fitness all the time,” he said.

Umar didn’t hold back from criticising veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik either, stating, “Some senior players only prepare themselves to play in the PSL, leaving little room for emerging talent.”

He raised concerns about the lack of fan engagement in the stadiums, saying, “When popular players are not given a chance to play in the PSL, why would fans come to the stadium?”

Addressing Babar Azam directly, Umar advised him to bat at number 3. “Babar is a great cricketer, but if he doesn’t improve his performance, he could face challenges. PSL 10 is a crucial opportunity in his career,” he said.

Umar Akmal hasn’t played for the Pakistan national cricket team since 2019. He was suspended in February 2020 and later banned for three years by the PCB for violating the anti-corruption code. His ban was deemed to have come into effect on 20 February 2020.

Following Karachi Kings’ loss to Lahore Qalandars in their second PSL 10 match, vice-captain Hasan Ali addressed the media and apologised for his earlier “King kar lay ga” remark, saying, “If that was a big mistake, I apologise.”

Reflecting on the team’s inconsistent performance, he said, “We’ll review things. In one match, we dominated, and in the next, our batting flopped. We’ll learn from this.”

The fast bowler stressed that selection depends on performance. “If we perform, we will play. We’re still young, and I’ve been one of the best bowlers in T20 matches. I always train with the mindset of making a comeback. The rest depends on the national team selection committee and what they think,” he said.

Hasan also addressed the balance between local and foreign players in the squad, saying, “We’re not totally dependent on foreign players. Khushdil played well in the last match, but we lacked partnerships.”

Addressing public criticism, Hasan said he’s at a point where negativity doesn’t bother him. He stood by Babar Azam, calling him “the best.”

“I’m at an age and stage in my career where nothing really hurts me anymore. We’ve made Babar Azam our king, and we’re the ones standing behind him. If my ‘King kar lay ga’ statement was a big mistake, I sincerely apologise. But my stance remains the same: Babar was the best, is the best, and will come out of this tough phase,” he said.

Hasan added that the team is still testing combinations and may bring in spinner Mohammad Nabi in future matches.

“The tournament has just started. We’re analysing how we can build the best team. If we feel the need for a spinner in the middle order, we will definitely consider Mohammad Nabi,” he concluded.

In the match, Lahore Qalandars beat Karachi Kings by 65 runs, posting 201 for 6 and bowling out Karachi for 136 in 19.1 overs.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially announced the venue for cricket matches at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

According to media reports, the matches will be held at the Fairplex in Pomona, Southern California. Spread over approximately 500 acres, Fairplex is a multi-purpose venue that has served as a hub for concerts, shows, sporting events, and cultural activities in Los Angeles County since 1922.

CEO of the LA28 Olympic Games, Renaldo Hoover, stated: “We have promised the world an incredible Olympic Games, and we are working tirelessly to deliver just that.”

The announcement has been warmly welcomed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), with its chairman, Jay Shah, calling it a significant step in cricket’s return to the Olympics. He expressed hope that this inclusion will help the sport grow in popularity across the globe.

Just last week, the IOC confirmed that both men’s and women’s cricket competitions will be included in the LA 2028 Olympics. A total of six teams each will participate in both the men’s and women’s T20 events. Each team will consist of 15 players, making up a total quota of 90 players for each category.

This marks cricket’s return to the Olympics after an astonishing 128-year gap. The last time cricket was featured in the Olympics was in 1900, during the Paris Games.

Lahore Qalandars on Tuesday crushed Karachi Kings by 65 runs in the sixth match of Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium, securing their second consecutive win of the season.

As per the details, Lahore won the toss and elected to bat first. Fakhar Zaman led the charge with a brilliant 76 off 47 balls, smashing six fours and five sixes. He was well supported by Daryl Mitchell, who played a blazing knock of 75 off just 41 deliveries, including seven fours and three sixers. Sam Billings chipped in with a quick 19 off 10 balls while Sikandar Raza added 10 off 5 to help Lahore reach 201 for 6 in their 20 overs.

Karachi Kings’ bowlers struggled to contain the flow of runs. Hasan Ali was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets while Abbas Afridi took one wicket. 

Chasing 202, Karachi had a disastrous start, losing two batters in the very first over as Shaheen Afridi got David Warner and James Vince’s wickets to put Kings on the back foot right away.

They never recovered and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Khushdil Shah was the top scorer with 39 off 27 balls while Hasan Ali contributed 27 off 25. Tim Seifert and Shan Masood scored 18 each, and Adam Milne added a quick 16 off 7, but it wasn’t enough. Karachi Kings were bowled out for 136 in 19.1 overs.

Lahore’s bowlers delivered a clinical performance. Shaheen and Rishad Hossain took three wickets each, while Sikandar Raza grabbed 2. Asif Afridi and Haris Rauf chipped in with one wicket apiece to seal a convincing win.