Sport
Lucknow edge Kolkata to enter IPL play-offs, top-two finish for Chennai
Lucknow Super Kings survived an unbeaten blitz of 67 by Rinku Singh to edge Kolkata Knight Riders by one run and qualify for the Indian Premier League play-offs on Saturday.
Nicholas Pooran’s 58 guided Lucknow to 176-8, a total that was threatened by Rinku, a left-hand batsman, who smashed four sixes in his 33-ball knock but Kolkata ended on 175-7, AFP reported.
“First reaction is satisfaction,” Lucknow skipper Krunal Pandya said after the win.
“We never gave up, we were put under a lot of pressure but credit to the boys. At one stage, they were 61-1 but I’ve seen it before that at this level, two-three tight overs and we’re in the game.”
The result ensured a top-two finish for Chennai Super Kings, who hammered hosts Delhi Capitals by 77 runs in their march to the play-offs in the first match of the day.
Four-time champions Chennai, led by M.S. Dhoni, will take on holders Gujarat Titans, who top the 10-team table, in the first qualifier next week.
The winner will head straight to the final in Ahmedabad on May 28 and the loser playing the winner of the “eliminator” between teams three and four in the second qualifier.
“There is no recipe as such,” Dhoni said on his team’s success in the T20 tournament.
“You try to pick the best players and try to give them the best slot. You use them in the manner where they have most chances of succeeding and groom them in the areas where they are not as strong.”
Two-time champions Kolkata bowed out of the race for the top four, leaving five-time champions Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore — both the teams play their respective matches on Sunday — and Rajasthan Royals fighting for the remaining spot.
Abu Muslim Farah defeated Khurasan Faryab 2-0 in the 25th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan.
The match was played on Saturday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium in Kabul.
Both teams pushed for an opening goal in the first half, but neither side managed to find the net, and the teams went into the break goalless.
Just two minutes into the second half, Abu Muslim Farah broke the deadlock to take a 1-0 lead.
Alireza Panahi later doubled Abu Muslim Farah’s advantage, sealing a 2-0 victory for the Farah side.
Abu Muslim Farah committed 13 fouls and received two yellow cards, while Khorasan Faryab committed seven fouls and received one yellow card.
Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana Television.
Omar Zawak Herat secured a 1-0 victory over Toofan Herat in the 24th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan in Kabul.
The match was played on Saturday at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Both sides created scoring opportunities in the first half, but neither team managed to find the net before the break.
Omar Zawak Herat broke the deadlock in the 86th minute when Shadab Malikzadah scored with a fine strike to give his side the lead.
Toofan Herat committed eight fouls and received two yellow cards, while Omar Zawak Herat recorded six fouls and received one yellow card and one red card.
Toofan Herat will face Aino Mina Kandahar on September 29, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Abu Muslim Farah on September 30.
Matches from the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League are being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
Afghanistan are set to face India in the Asian Games cricket quarter-finals after Saturday’s rain-hit match between Nepal and Japan confirmed the Pool A standings.
The quarter-final between India and Afghanistan is scheduled to take place on September 28 in Nisshin, Japan.
Nepal secured first place in the group after Japan’s chase was washed out. Nepal had scored 149 runs for four wickets in 15 overs after being sent in to bat, but persistent rain prevented Japan from starting its innings.
The result saw Nepal advance as Pool A winners, with Afghanistan joining them in the quarter-finals as the other qualifying team. Nepal will face Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals.
Japan have been eliminated from the tournament.
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