Category: Sports

Former Indian batter Virender Sehwag has criticised Ishan Kishan for walking off the field despite not being given out during Sunrisers Hyderabad’s match against Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

Sehwag called Kishan’s decision a clear case of “brain fade” and questioned why he didn’t wait for the umpire’s call.

The incident occurred in the third over of SRH’s innings when Kishan attempted a shot on the leg side but failed to make proper contact. Ryan Rickelton collected the ball behind the stumps. Despite no appeal from the fielders and no visible edge, Kishan surprisingly walked off on his own. Replays later confirmed there was no contact with the bat.

Speaking to a cricket website, Sehwag said, “Many times, the mind stops working in such moments. It was a brain fade. He should have waited. The umpire is also being paid for his job, let him do it.”

He added, “If there had been a clear edge, it would have made sense in the spirit of the game. But here, even the umpire wasn’t sure, and Kishan walked off all of a sudden. I couldn’t understand this kind of honesty.”

Mumbai Indians made the most of the situation and went on to defeat Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets, handing them their sixth loss of the season. Chasing a target of 144, MI got off to a solid start, with Rohit Sharma scoring 70 off 46 balls. He was well supported by Suryakumar Yadav, who remained unbeaten on 40. The duo shared a 53-run stand as Mumbai finished the chase in just 15.4 overs.

Earlier, MI’s bowlers delivered a clinical performance. Deepak Chahar (2/12) and Trent Boult (4/26) tore through SRH’s top order, reducing them to a shocking 13 for 4 in the fifth over. Heinrich Klaasen’s fighting knock of 71 off 44 balls and his 99-run partnership with Abhinav Manohar (43 off 37) helped SRH recover to post 143 for 8.

With this win, Mumbai Indians registered their fourth consecutive victory, while Sunrisers Hyderabad continued to struggle for momentum in the tournament.

The Pakistan government has directed all Indian nationals working in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 broadcast team to leave the country within 48 hours.

This decision comes after a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on 22 April, which killed 26 tourists. The attack has increased tensions between India and Pakistan.

More than 24 Indian crew members are affected by this order. These include engineers, camera operators, production leaders, and specialists in player tracking. They played an important role in the live coverage of PSL 2025.

Now, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Trans-Asia, the broadcasting company, are in a rush to find replacement staff to keep the broadcasts running smoothly.

The PCB reportedly made efforts to convince the government, stating that the Indian crew had valid sports visas and should be allowed to stay. However, the government stood by its decision after a meeting of the National Security Council, citing security and diplomatic concerns.

On the other hand, India has responded by banning the live streaming of PSL 2025 across the country. So far, no new streaming partner has been announced, leaving Indian fans without an official way to watch the rest of the tournament.

Tensions are growing on both sides. India has also suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and closed the Attari border crossing. Meanwhile, Pakistan has cancelled all visas for Indian citizens.

Some of the Indian crew in Pakistan, including 12 people who are UAE residents, are now stuck. They’ve been told not to move around too much and to leave the country as soon as possible.

The ongoing PSL 2025 is being held in four cities, and this sudden exit of experienced Indian staff is causing major challenges for the PCB as they try to maintain the quality of the tournament’s broadcast.

In a thrilling boxing match, Pakistani professional boxer Usman Wazeer once again made the nation proud by knocking out Indian boxer Eswaran Sahita Dorothy in the very first round.

As per the details, the bout ended in just 1 minute and 41 seconds, showcasing Usman’s power and dominance in the ring.

The match was held at the World Siam Stadium in Bangkok and was preceded by the traditional weigh-in ceremony on Wednesday, where Usman was already considered the favourite to win.

As soon as the bell rang, Usman entered the ring with an aggressive strategy. Within moments, he landed two powerful punches that left the Indian boxer unable to continue. Sahita fell to the canvas, and the referee quickly declared Usman Wazeer the winner by knockout.

Usman, who holds multiple titles, including the WBO Youth World Champion, WBC Middle East Champion, and WBA Asian Champion, remains undefeated in all 16 of his professional fights. His consistency and knockout power continue to establish him as a rising star in the boxing world.

This isn’t the first time Usman has dominated an Indian opponent in Thailand. Back in September 2024, he knocked out Indian boxer Tehlak Selvam in just 65 seconds, further solidifying his reputation as a fierce competitor.

Following his latest victory, Usman dedicated the win to the people of Pakistan and the oppressed people of Palestine. In his post-fight statement, he said, “This victory is for the great people of Pakistan. I am determined to continue raising my country’s name with pride.”

Usman remains undefeated in his professional boxing career, having won all 16 of his fights so far. Out of these, 11 victories came through knockouts, highlighting his exceptional power and finishing ability in the ring.

Pakistan all-rounder and Karachi Kings’ PSL player Khushdil Shah has opened up about the altercation with fans during the national team’s recent tour of New Zealand, saying he could no longer stay silent after personal insults.

In an interview with a private TV channel, Khushdil responded to fans labelling him a “parchi” (a player selected through favouritism), saying, “I’m not the son of any cricketer or the nephew of a politician. No relative helped me get here; I’ve earned my place through hard work and performance.”

He added that he comes from a humble background and believes critics should look at his past performances before passing judgment.

Recalling the incident in New Zealand, Khushdil said, “I’ve tolerated abuse for years, but when it comes to my country or my parents, I can’t stay silent. If such behaviour happens again, I will respond the same way.”

On being questioned about losing his wicket early in T20s, he defended his contributions by saying, “Sometimes my quick 25 runs win the match for the team, while even a century might not matter in other situations. I always play for the team.”

During the third and final ODI of the New Zealand series, Khushdil Shah moved aggressively towards a group of fans but was stopped by security officials and fellow players before the situation escalated.

According to the PCB spokesperson, foreign fans had hurled offensive and anti-Pakistan remarks towards the players.

When Khushdil tried to intervene and stop them, the fans, reportedly Afghan nationals, responded with further abuse in Pashto and attempted to physically confront him. Following a complaint from the Pakistani team, two of the individuals were removed from the stadium.

Former Indian cricketer and current head coach Gautam Gambhir has reportedly received a death threat via email, just containing three chilling words, “I will kill you”.

According to reports, Gambhir has filed a complaint at the Rajinder Nagar Police Station in Delhi and authorities have since launched an investigation into the matter.

The Delhi Police has taken the threat seriously, and security agencies have been prompted to take swift action.

Reports say that while no formal FIR has been registered yet, the cyber cell is actively working to trace the origin of the email. Officials are determined to identify the sender as soon as possible.

The threat has raised concern among Gambhir’s fans and has alarmed security agencies. As a result, additional precautions are being taken to ensure his safety.

It may be noted that Gautam Gambhir took over as the head coach of the Indian national cricket team in July last year, replacing World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.

However, since his appointment, India’s performance under his leadership had been underwhelming at least until the Champions Trophy win earlier this year.

The email threat has added a new layer of pressure on the coach whose tenure has already been marked by scrutiny due to alleged dressing room chat leaks among other controversies.

Arda Guler struck the only goal as Real Madrid won 1-0 at Getafe on Wednesday to claw back to within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona.

The young Turkey international fired in from outside the area midway through the first half as Carlo Ancelotti’s side stayed in title contention after Barcelona won by the same scoreline at Mallorca on Tuesday.

Arch-rivals Madrid and Barcelona will meet in the Copa del Rey final in Seville on Saturday, with Kylian Mbappe poised to return from injury for the weekend Clasico — one of two remaining this season. The clubs are also due to meet in the league on May 11.

However, the win over Getafe may have come at a cost to Madrid with David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga both forced off.

“We’ll see what they have tomorrow, but I think they’re both suffering from muscle soreness. It will certainly be difficult for them to be available on Saturday (to play Barcelona),” said Ancelotti.

In Mbappe’s absence on the outskirts of Madrid, 18-year-old Brazilian striker Endrick made his first league start as England international Jude Bellingham dropped to the bench.

Left-back Fran Garcia twice went close for Madrid, his initial effort palmed away by David Soria before he blasted the rebound high and wide.

It wasn’t long before Guler broke the deadlock after Brahim Diaz looked to have wasted the chance.

Madrid worked the ball back out to Guler, whose powerful 20-yard drive flashed past Soria despite the Getafe goalkeeper getting a hand to it.

Endrick thought he had scored only his second La Liga goal after being put through by Vinicius Junior, but Soria took the sting out of his shot and Djene cleared off the line.

Courtois preserves win 

Getafe created opportunities of their own, the best of which fell in the second half to an unmarked Mauro Arambarri who dragged wide with only Thibaut Courtois to beat.

Courtois came to Madrid’s rescue in stoppage time as he smothered inside his six-yard box after Peter and Juanmi tried to force the ball home from close range.

Getafe substitute Alvaro Rodriguez, who is on loan from Madrid, nearly snatched an equaliser at the death but saw his low shot beaten away by Courtois.

Inaki Williams fired Athletic Bilbao to a 1-0 home win over Las Palmas earlier on Wednesday to strengthen their chances of direct qualification for next season’s Champions League.

The Basque side sit fourth with five games to go, eight points clear of fifth-placed Villarreal who suffered a 3-0 defeat at Celta Vigo.

Bilbao also have a Europa League semi-final against Manchester United to come, and should they win that they will play the final in their home stadium.

Five La Liga sides qualify for the Champions League this season. Sixth-placed Betis are a point behind Villarreal ahead of their encounter with rock-bottom Valladolid on Thursday.

A fifth-minute goal from the elder Williams brother after he turned a defender in the box and side-footed home with the outside of his boot was enough for all three points.

Bilbao needed two sharp saves from Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon before half-time as relegation-threatened Las Palmas went down fighting.

Alaves climbed out of the bottom three at the expense of Las Palmas with a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad.

Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan has made history in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) by becoming the first-ever spinner to take 100 wickets in the tournament.

Shadab reached this milestone during a match against Multan Sultans in PSL 10 when he dismissed their captain, Mohammad Rizwan, to complete his 100th wicket.

This achievement makes Shadab the fourth bowler overall and the first spinner to claim 100 wickets in PSL history. He now ranks fourth on the all-time leading wicket-takers list.

At the top are Karachi Kings’ vice-captain Hasan Ali with 118 wickets, followed by Wahab Riaz (113), Shaheen Shah Afridi (109), and Shadab Khan (100). Faheem Ashraf completes the top five with 79 wickets.

Meanwhile, Islamabad United continued their strong performance in PSL 10, defeating Multan Sultans by seven wickets on their home ground. With five wins from five matches, Islamabad United is currently at the top of the PSL 10 points table.

Politics is once again hindering cricket, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has refused to engage in any form of cricket with Pakistan following a terrorist attack in the Indian-occupied region of Pahalgam, Kashmir.

According to Indian media reports, the decision comes under pressure from the Indian government. The BCCI stated that, considering the Pahalgam incident and the current strained diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan, no bilateral cricket matches will be held with Pakistan at any level.

A spokesperson for the Indian board cited security concerns as the primary reason behind the decision and issued a veiled warning that even upcoming India-Pakistan matches in ICC tournaments could be reconsidered.

The terrorist attack took place on Tuesday, April 22, in Pahalgam, located in Indian-occupied Kashmir, claiming the lives of 26 tourists. Without waiting for a formal investigation, India immediately blamed Pakistan for the incident. The BCCI then announced a complete boycott of cricketing ties with Pakistan, reportedly acting on instructions from the government.

This decision has now cast a shadow over major international tournaments such as the Asia Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy, both of which could potentially host high-profile India-Pakistan clashes.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not issued any official response to the BCCI’s unilateral move.

The last bilateral ODI series between India and Pakistan was held in 2012. Since then, the two sides have only faced each other in multi-nation tournaments, such as those organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC).