Sport
Du Plessis, Siraj help Bangalore down Punjab in IPL
An attacking 84 by Faf du Plessis and four wickets by Mohammed Siraj led Royal Challengers Bangalore to a comfortable 24-run win over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.
Du Plessis and Virat Kohli, who made 59, put together an opening stand of 137 to lay the foundations of Bangalore’s 174-4 after being sent in to bat in the opening match of the day at Mohali, AFP reported.
Siraj then returned impressive figures of 4-21 and forced a run out to dismiss Punjab for 150 in 18.2 overs for Bangalore’s third victory in six matches.
Kohli stood in as captain for du Plessis, who made the team as a batsman due to a rib injury he picked in the previous match and was later substituted under the new impact player rule.
The South African had lived up to the designation with a 56-ball knock laced with five sixes. He tops the tournament’s batting chart with 343 runs, including four half-centuries.
Kohli has a total of 279 runs but Thursday’s knock lacked his usual aggression.
Harpreet Brar broke the marathon stand to have Kohli caught behind and then snared Glenn Maxwell, who attempted to hit out on his first ball but was caught for a duck.
Du Plessis departed in the next over and the Punjab bowlers came back well to keep down Bangalore’s score despite a solid foundation that had raised hopes of a 200-plus total.
Punjab lost wickets regularly in their reply and only Prabhsimran Singh, with a valiant 46 off 30 deliveries, and Jitesh Sharma’s late blitz of 41 represented any real fight.
Siraj got two breakthroughs at the start, including the dangerous England import Liam Livingstone for two, and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga bowled Australia’s Matthew Short for eight.
Sam Curran, leading the Kings for the second straight game in the absence of injured skipper Shikhar Dhawan, was run out for 10.
Siraj came back to rattle the stumps twice and became the leading bowler in the tournament with 12 wickets.
The groups and match-ups for the FIFA World Cup 2026, set to be the biggest sporting event in history, were unveiled on Friday during a high-profile Final Draw ceremony held in the United States capital, Washington DC.
In front of nearly 2,000 international guests and millions of viewers worldwide, FIFA revealed the 12 groups of four teams for the expanded 23rd edition of the tournament. The draw marks a major milestone as excitement continues to build across the three host nations — the United States, Canada, and Mexico — and the 16 host cities preparing for the event.
FIFA announced that the full schedule, including match venues and kick-off times for the tournament’s 104 games, will be released during a live global broadcast on Saturday, 6 December.
With nearly two million tickets already sold, FIFA says anticipation for the 2026 World Cup is rapidly rising.
There are 48 teams in next year’s World Cup — an expansion from the 32 teams of previous tournaments.
In the 25th match of the fifth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, Abu Muslim Farah secured a dominant 6-0 victory over Jawanan Perozi.
On Friday, in the 26th match, Istiqlal Kabul defeated Sarsabz Yashlar 3-1.
Tomorrow, in the 27th match, Arman FC will take on Sorkh Poshan Khafi at 10:00 AM, followed by the 28th match, where Sarafan Herat will face Ettifaq Khanzadah at 1:30 PM.
All matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television, giving football fans across the country the chance to experience the excitement and intensity of the Afghanistan Champions League throughout the season.
In the 23rd match of the fifth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, Arman FC put on a dominant and electrifying display, overpowering Aino Mina 6–0.
In Thursday’s 24th fixture, Khurasan Faryab took on Ettifaq Khanzadah and secured a solid 2–0 victory.
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s games, Jawanan Perozi will face Abu Muslim Farah at 10:00 a.m. in the 25th match, while Istiqlal Kabul meets Sarsabz Yashlar at 1:30 p.m. in the 26th encounter.
All matches are broadcast live on Ariana Television, giving fans across the country the opportunity to follow the excitement and energy of the Afghanistan Champions League throughout the season.
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