Sport
Livingstone belts 94 in vain as Punjab’s play-off hopes fade
Delhi Capitals survived a blazing 94 by Liam Livingstone for a consolation 15-run win to push Punjab Kings to the brink of IPL elimination on Wednesday.
Rilee Rossouw smashed an unbeaten 82 to guide Delhi to 213-2, a total that was threatened by Livingstone’s 48-ball blitz in the Himalayan hill town of Dharamsala.
Livingstone and Atharva Taide put on a 78-run stand. After Taide retired out on 55, the rest of the batting fell flat.
Delhi, who were already out of the play-off-race, kept the opposition to 198-8 despite Livingstone’s nine sixes and sloppy fielding, including two dropped catches.
“It was a bad performance in the field but we will take the win,” Delhi skipper David Warner said.
Punjab stay eighth in the 10-team table and need to win their final group match and depend on other results and net-rate to make the play-offs.
“It was frustrating,” Punjab captain Shikhar Dhawan said. “We didn’t bowl really well in the first six wickets, we should have taken some wickets the way it was swinging.”
IPL heavyweights Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are two of the seven teams in contention for three remaining play-off spots in the T20 tournament.
Defending champions Gujarat Titans became the first team to qualify for the play-offs early this week and assured themselves a top-two finish in the group stage.
Warner (46) and Prithvi Shaw (54) put on 94 runs for the opening wicket to lay the foundation for Delhi’s mammoth total.
The left-handed Warner set the pace with his attacking 31-ball knock as he hit former Delhi pace bowler Kagiso Rabada for two sixes.
Punjab left-arm quick and big buy Sam Curran denied Warner his fifty, but the left-handed Rossouw came in attacking with sixes and fours.
Shaw raised his fifty before falling to Curran. Rossouw finished off the innings with a destructive partnership with England’s Phil Salt.
Rossouw, who struck his first IPL half-century and was named man of the match, and Salt, who hit a 14-ball 26, took apart the opposition attack as they scored 41 runs in the final two overs.
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.
Pakistan says trade with Afghanistan will remain suspended until security assurances
Australia imposes sanctions, travel bans on four IEA officials
India and Russia stress counter-terrorism, humanitarian support for Afghanistan
FIFA confirms all 12 groups for 2026 World Cup
Five civilians killed in firing by Pakistani forces on Kandahar’s Spin Boldak
Islamic Development Bank to build standard cardiac hospital in Kabul
Pakistan will lose big market in both Afghanistan, Central Asia: Sarhadi
Afghanistan records $580m in fruit exports in six months
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Tashkent: Central Asian leaders say regional stability hinges on Afghanistan
Tawsia: Kabul’s conditions for trade with Pakistan discussed
Tahawol: Kabul’s terms for trade with Islamabad discussed
Saar: Strengthening Afghanistan-Iran economic ties discussed
Saar: US reviewing its withdrawal from Afghanistan discussed
Tahawol: Moves toward peace between Kabul-Islamabad discussed
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