IPL 2022: Would like to string a few wins at this stage, says Mayank after 8-wicket victory over Gujarat

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IPL 2022: Would like to string a few wins at this stage, says Mayank after 8-wicket victory over Gujarat

After a convincing eight-wicket win over Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper Mayank Agarwal said that his team would like to string a few wins at this stage of IPL 2022.

Kagiso Rabada’s excellent four-fer (4/33) and Shikhar Dhawan’s fine fifty (62 not out off 53) led Punjab Kings to a convincing eight-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in Match No. 48 of IPL 2022 at the Dr. D.Y Patil Stadium on Tuesday.

With this win, Punjab jumped to the fifth spot in the table with 10 points while it was only the second loss for table-toppers Gujarat in the ongoing IPL 2022 season.

“We would like to string a few (wins), no better time than getting a few wins back-to-back,” said Agarwal at the post-match presentation.

When asked about trying the new opening combination, the Punjab captain said, “We are trying to get the best out of Jonny. He’s done well opening. I said, ‘It’s okay, I’ll bat at four, I’ll anchor the innings at four’.”

The 31-year-old Agarwal also spoke about chasing the total quickly and boosting their run rate.

“With Livi it was clear, that Shikhar to bat through, and Livi could go out and play the way he wants to play. It was nice the way he played, got the score quickly. When we got to that position, two points are almost clear, if we can score it as quickly as possible, we could also improve the net run rate,” he said.

The stylish batter also praised his bowlers for their excellent bowling performance.

“I thought we bowled exceedingly well, we got early wickets and choked them in the middle. That really helped us to restrict them to a below-par score,” he concluded.

Punjab will now play against Rajasthan Royals on May 7 at the Wankhede Stadium.

IPL 2022: Gujarat Titans win toss, opt to bat against Punjab Kings

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IPL 2022: Gujarat Titans win toss, opt to bat against Punjab Kings

Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bat first against Punjab Kings in Match No 48 of IPL 2022 at the Dr. DY Patil Stadium, here on Tuesday.

Gujarat, who are at the top of the table with 16 points, didn’t make any change in their team for this game.

“Going to bat first, don’t think dew will play a big role. Have to always stay on top of our games, can’t be complacent. A lot of things have gone our way, but it could’ve gone the other way as well,” said Hardik at the toss.

When asked about his bowling, the GT skipper said, “I’m quite close to bowling now, but given our standing at the table, I don’t want to rush myself. Have the luxury of taking a couple of games off.”

On the other hand, Mayank Agarwal led Punjab and also didn’t make any change in their team for this match.

“Wanted to bowl first. Have lost 8 tosses out of 10. We are playing good, aggressive cricket. Just that we haven’t seized key moments. Pretty there’s enough talent to go a long way if we seize those key moments. Same team” said Agarwal.

Playing XIs:

Punjab Kings:

Mayank Agarwal(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma.

Gujarat Titans:

Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Pradeep Sangwan, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami.

IPL 2022: Wides, height no-balls should also come under DRS, feel Vettori and Tahir

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IPL 2022: Wides, height no-balls should also come under DRS, feel Vettori and Tahir

Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori and South African spinner Imran Tahir feel that wides and height no-balls should also come under the DR’s umbrella if they haven’t resulted in a dismissal after the on-field umpire’s decision led to fresh debate during Rajasthan Royals’ IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders here.

During the Match No 47 of IPL 2022 on Monday, the 19th over of KKR’s run chase left RR skipper Sanju Samson frustrated with umpire Nitin Pandit for calling three wides when he contended that the batters — Rinku Singh and Nitish Rana — had moved around in the crease even before the bowler Prasidh Krishna had released the ball.

At one point, Samson went ahead and reviewed a wide for a catch, possibly as a mark of a protest, which led to the debate for call of wides and waist height no-balls for review.

“I don’t think there was any thought of it actually being out Absolutely (players should be allowed to review wides). The players should be able to decide in such crucial matters,” Vettori, a former Royal Challengers Bangalore coach, told ESPNCricinfo.

“Today it is a little bit different where it always looked like KKR were going to win. But we have sat here so many times and seen decisions go against bowlers that are so close and the umpire has got it wrong. So therefore the players should have some avenues towards rectifying those mistakes. That’s why DRS was brought in: to rectify mistakes. I would like to see that happen. And players are very good judges of that. They get it right more often than not,” he added.

According to the ICC rule 22.4.1 on wides, “The umpire shall not adjudge a delivery as being a Wide, if the striker, by moving, either causes the ball to pass wide of him/her or brings the ball sufficiently within reach to be able to hit it by means of a normal cricket stroke.”

Former Chennai Super Kings player Tahir also agreed with Vettori sentiments.

“Yeah, why not (review) There is not much for bowlers in the game. When batters are hitting you all over, you don’t have much choice than bowling wide yorkers or bowling wide-leg breaks. If that becomes wide, you are in trouble,” the leg-spinner said.

“But look, it was a close call. Samson was a little bit frustrated. It was a 50-50 thing. I don’t think it should be a big issue. Kolkata played well, and they were going to win it. But yeah there should be a review that a player can go for,” he added.

KKR was back to winning ways in the IPL 2022 after registering a 7-wicket win against RR on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

TT World Rankings: Manika Batra achieves career-best position of 38

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TT World Rankings: Manika Batra achieves career-best position of 38

India paddler Manika Batra achieved a career-best ranking of 38 in women’s singles after she climbed 10 places in the latest ITTF Table Tennis World Rankings, released on Tuesday.

The Olympian was ranked 48th in women’s singles last week. Batra broke into the top 50 earlier this year and rose to 46th in March, her previous career-best standing, before dropping down to 48.

The 26-year-old Batra is India’s top-ranked women’s singles table tennis player on the list followed by Archana Kamath at 66th, who moved up 26 places this week. Sreeja Akula, 68th, and Reeth Tennison, 97th, are the other Indian table tennis players in the top 100.

However, Tokyo Olympian Sutirtha Mukherjee slipped 22 spots and dropped to 119th. Ayhika Mukherjee also moved down six spots and is 121st.

Batra also features in the top 10 of both the mixed and women’s doubles rankings. Manika and Archana Kamath, who won bronze at the WTT Star Contender Doha in March, retained their fourth spot in the women’s doubles rankings. Sutirtha and Ayhika are the next best-ranked Indian team at 29th.

In mixed doubles, Manika and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, silver medallists at the WTT Contender Doha 2022, moved up a spot to sixth. Archana Kamath and Harmeet Desai, finalists at the WTT Contender Muscat, remained stagnant in the 22nd spot in the mixed doubles standings, an olympics.com report said.

In the men’s singles, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran is now the top-ranked Indian at 34th after moving up five places. Sathiyan leapfrogged his senior colleague Sharath Kamal, who gained a solitary place and is 37th.

Manush Shah (109), Snehit Suravajjula (114), and Manav Thakkar (115) complete the top five Indians in the world singles rankings. G Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai are the best-placed Indian men’s doubles pair at 28th while Sathiyan and Sharath Kamal occupy the 35th spot.

Chiranjeevi takes a break before he resumes upcoming shooting schedules

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Chiranjeevi takes a break before he resumes upcoming shooting schedules

Following the ‘Acharya’ debacle, megastar Chiranjeevi, who had planned to fly to the United States for a vacation with his wife Surekha, had to postpone the trip for a few more days.

On May 1, Chiranjeevi was supposed to travel to the United States for a vacation with his family. The actor, on the other hand, was invited to the film industry’s May Day celebrations.

Chiru postponed his trip for two days in order to attend the event, believing it was critical for him to address the industry’s workers on such an important day.

On Tuesday, after wrapping up the program at Film Nagar, the ‘Annayya’ actor, boarded his flight to the US.

As he flies to the United States, he posted an onboard photo with his better half Surekha. Chiranjeevi will reportedly spend the next 25-30 days relaxing with his wife Surekha.

Chiranjeevi is working on a couple of interesting films, which he intends to resume after his vacation.

Chiranjeevi was recently seen in ‘Acharya,’ directed by Koratala Siva, which failed to impress.

Biden earmarks $3.16 bn for battery manufacturing to end China’s dominance

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Biden earmarks $3.16 bn for battery manufacturing to end China’s dominance

In a bid to strengthen US’s energy independence and reduce its reliance on nations like China, the Joe Biden government has announced $3.1 billion from the ‘Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’ to make more batteries and components in America, bolster domestic supply chains and create good-paying jobs.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) also announced a separate $60 million to support second-life applications for batteries once used to power EVs, as well as new processes for recycling materials back into the battery supply chain.

As of March, more than 2.5 million plug-in electric vehicles have been sold in America, with more than 800,000 of those having been sold since Biden took office.

“Positioning the US front and center in meeting the growing demand for advanced batteries is how we boost our competitiveness and electrify our transportation system,” US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said.

Battery costs have fallen more than 90 percent and since 2008, energy density and performance have increased rapidly, paving the way for an accelerated transition to zero-emission vehicles, the DoE said in a statement late on Monday.

Domestic sourcing of the critical materials used to make lithium-ion batteries – such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite – “will help avoid or mitigate supply chain disruptions and accelerate battery production in America to meet this demand and support the adoption of electric vehicles”, it added.

Biden’s goal is to have electric vehicles make up to half of all vehicle sales in the US by 2030.

“For too long, other countries have been outpacing the United States in funding new technologies. We are at a critical moment in our competition to build the next generation of electric vehicles and batteries here in America,” said Senator Debbie Stabenow (Michigan).

The ‘Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’ directs more than $7 billion to strengthen the US battery supply chain, which includes producing and recycling critical minerals without new extraction or mining and sourcing materials for domestic manufacturing.

Second single from ‘Ramarao On Duty’ out on May 7

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Second single from ‘Ramarao On Duty’ out on May 7

The second song from Ravi Teja-starrer ‘Ramarao On Duty’ is on the way after the first one was a hit.

Sid Sriram’s voice is the main attraction, and the Sam CS composition, which was shot by Ravi Teja and Rajisha Vijayan, was penned by Rakendu Mouli.

The film’s second song is on the way, according to the latest announcement by the makers, this one, titled ‘Sotta Buggallo,’ will be released on May 7. Billed as a foot-tapping number, the song is expected to be upbeat.

‘Ramarao On Duty’ also stars Nasser, senior Naresh, Pavitra Lokesh, ‘Sarpatta’ John Vijay, Chaitanya Krishna, Tanikella Bharani, and Rahul Ramakrishna, in addition to Divyansha Kaushik. Sathyan Sooryan has done the cinematography.

Directed by Sarath Mandava, ‘Ramarao On Duty’ will be released in theatres on June 17.

Regional languages will revolutionalise education: Amit Shah

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Regional languages will revolutionalise education: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that regional languages will play a crucial role in revolutionizing the education system guided by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

In his inaugural address at the Nrupatunga University on the auspicious day of Basava Jayanti, Akshaya Tritiya, and Eid, he said that the Narendra Modi-led government has vowed to realize the dream of making India a knowledge-based superpower.

The Centre, he said, aspires to inculcate the culture of patriotism among students during the celebration of 75 years of Independence (Azad ka Amrit Mahotsav). In the past eight years, a total of 410 higher education institutions, including six central universities, seven IIMs, and 15 AIIMS, have been established in the country, he added.

North East region which was earlier neglected has also been given prominence in all developmental works, including education and Sindhu Central University has been established in Ladakh, the minister mentioned.

Further, he said that the union government has been focusing on developing India as a global manufacturing hub. He also lauded that Karnataka has become an example for other states in the implementation of NEP-2020.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Basavarja Bommai, stated that the government is emphasising three Es- Education, Employment, and Empowerment. He also said a new employment policy has been framed with stress on promoting self-employment and entrepreneurship.

Stating that the union government has granted Rs 55 crore for Nrupatunga University, Chief Minister commended the efforts of the Higher Education Minister for the instrumental role he has been playing for two years to implement NEP-2020.

In his opening remarks, C.N. Ashwath Narayan, Minister for Higher Education, said that human resource is the greatest asset of the country and the bottom-to-top approach of NEP will pave the way to convert future citizens into productive.

Narendra Modi had mentioned about new educational policy even before he became the Prime Minister and introduced it after he took over the helm of affairs. This will make students industry-ready by enabling them to acquire relevant skills, he opined.

In the last two years, the state government has established six Universities and is in the process of establishing seven more. In the near future every district will have at least a university, Naryan added.

State Home Minister Araga Jnanenra said: “The Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL), Ballary, which has been newly set up would serve the people of neighboring districts to provide speedy justice.

He informed that 50 acres of land have been identified to facilitate the opening of a regional campus of the National Forensic Science University (Gujarat). He also appealed to the union home minister to facilitate setting up its campus in the state at the earliest.

On the occasion, the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, Ballary, and Smart e-Beat police system were virtually launched. Foundation stone was laid for the Academic Complex of the Nrupatunga University and the logo of the University was also launched.

Global Covid caseload tops 514 mn

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Global Covid caseload tops 514 mn

The global coronavirus caseload has topped 514 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 6.23 million and vaccinations to over 11.31 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Tuesday morning, the University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 514,090,956 and 6,237,775, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered increased to 11,318,641,528.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world’s highest number of cases and deaths at 81,444,332 and 993,999, respectively, according to the CSSE.

India accounts for the second-highest caseload at 43,082,345.

The other countries with over 10 million cases are Brazil (30,460,997), France (28,881,384), Germany (24,813,817), the UK (22,214,111), Russia (17,930,267), South Korea (17,346,753), Italy (16,523,859), Turkey (15,034,917), Spain (11,896,152) and Vietnam (10,656,649).

The nations with a death toll of over 100,000 are Brazil (663,838), India (523,869), Russia (368,595), Mexico (324,350), Peru (212,841), the UK (175,552), Italy (163,736), Indonesia (156,287), France (147,179), Iran (141,114), Colombia (139,797), Germany (135,461), Argentina (128,653), Poland (116,059), Spain (104,456) and South Africa (100,370).

IPL 2022: Rinku Singh’s remarkable journey to IPL success

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IPL 2022: Rinku Singh’s remarkable journey to IPL success

In its 15 years of existence, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has witnessed many a player coming from the wilderness to make a name for themselves.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rinku Singh became the latest entrant in this list after he scored a brilliant unbeaten 42 off 23 balls, hitting six fours and a six to help KKR win by seven wickets.

Rinku raised 66 runs for the unfinished fourth-wicket partnership with Nitish Rana (48 off 37, 4 x 3, 6 x 2) as Kolkata Knight Riders reached 158/3 in 19.1 overs to overhaul Rajasthan Royals’ score of 152/5 in 20 overs.

For his superb unbeaten 42 off 23 deliveries and two catches, Rinku has adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’, his first award in the IPL, bringing to life a remarkable journey for the 24-year-old from Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh that involved five years of wait in IPL wilderness hoping for an opportunity to show his worth after years of toil at the domestic level playing for Uttar Pradesh.

Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Brendon McCullum on Monday alluded to his remarkable journey from the town of Aligarh, known more for its locks than cricketers, to becoming an IPL player and winning his maiden ‘Player of the Match’ award.

“He’s an amazing story. He’s been around the franchise now for a long period of time. Before the first game that he played, I was lucky enough to spend a little bit of time with him. He knew for his own self-worth and his own career that he needed to make a statement in this competition. He was able to do it in the first game.

“He’s such a great team man, a wonderful human being, and the real vibe and culture of the group is set by Rinku. Some players just deserve to have things go their way and Rinku is one of them,” said McCullum after Rinku guided the team to victory against Rajasthan Royals.

Indeed, Rinku’s is a remarkable story that has a huge dose of hardships, rejection, dejection, heartbreak, and eventually success.

In between, his story also involves injury scares and a three-month suspension by the BCCI in 2019 for playing in a T20 tournament in Abu Dhabi.

Rinku survived all those setbacks, scored a pile of runs for Uttar Pradesh at the domestic level, and slowly and steadily achieved success.

In IPL 2022, Rinku has so far scores of 35 (28 balls) against Gujarat Titans, 23 (16) against Delhi Capitals, and 42 not out (23 balls) against Rajasthan Royals on Monday. With three good knocks, Rinku has at least cemented his place in the KKR Playing XI for the next few matches and if he continues to shine, he may even draw the attention of other franchises, which could result in more game time.

Born on October 12, 1997, in Aligarh, Rinku was picked by Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2017 but failed to get a chance. He was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2018 auction for Rs 80 lakh. He remained with KKR till 2021 when he was ruled out of IPL due to a knee injury and was later replaced by Gurkeerat Singh Mann.

Though he did not get a chance to play, his superb work ethic, friendly nature, and desire to contribute to the team in any manner endeared him to the franchise and KKR again bought him in February this year for IPL 2022.

And this season, he got a chance to play as KKR went about cutting and chopping the squad in search of the right combination as they slumped to five successive defeats.

The left-handed batter and right-arm off-break bowler, Rinku, who comes from a lower-middle-class family as his father works for a domestic gas agency delivering gas cylinders, has played age-group cricket for Uttar Pradesh and had to save money from his daily allowances to help his father pay off a loan of Rs five lakh.

It was such a tough period for Rinku that at one time he contemplated quitting cricket and taking up work as domestic help, sweeping and mopping floors, to contribute to his family’s income.

He eventually decided to persevere with his cricket and that eventually paid off, as he made it to the UP Ranji Trophy team, the higher match fee now helping him take better care of his family.

He was a big success for Uttar Pradesh in first-class cricket, amassing 953 runs in 10 matches in the 2018/19 season. So, far he has scored 2307 runs in 46 innings in first-class cricket, hitting five hundred and 16 fifties. In 41 List A matches, Rinku has compiled 1,414 runs (one century and 12 fifties) and in T20 cricket, he has scored 1,081 runs in 64 matches at a strike rate of 138.5 and an average of 24.56.

Though Rinku has finally achieved some success that he is getting recognized by people, he is quintessentially a small-town boy, taking pride in putting his hometown’s name on the IPL map.

“I am the first to play IPL from Aligarh, though many have played Ranji Trophy. There is pressure in the IPL that is not there in first-class cricket. It’s been five years, I haven’t been getting chances regularly. Feels good to contribute now,” he added on Monday.

Now that he has made the breakthrough, Rinku Singh will be hoping to get many more chances in IPL so that he can make the most of them to fulfill his childhood dream of one day representing the country.

IPL 2022: Rana, Iyer, Rinku knocks and clinical bowling help KKR subdue Royals for 7-wicket win

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IPL 2022: Rana, Iyer, Rinku knocks and clinical bowling help KKR subdue Royals for 7-wicket win

Skipper Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, and Rinku Singh figured in crucial partnerships after a clinical bowling performance as Kolkata Knight Riders beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in Match 47 of IPL 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Monday.

KKR thus bounced back from five successive losses to register a victory in IPL 2022.

After Kolkata Knight Riders bowlers made full use of the conditions, bowled good line and length, and restricted Rajasthan Royals to a modest 152/5 in 20 overs, skipper Iyer (34 off 32), Rana (48 not out off 37), and Rinku Singh (42 not out off 23) batted sensibly in the low-scoring match to seal a fine win.

Rajasthan Royals could manage a below-par 152/5 in 20 overs thanks mainly to a half-century by skipper Sanju Samson (54) and a breezy cameo by Shimron Hetmyer (27 off 13).

Iyer and Rana Shared a 60-run partnership for the third wicket and Rana then added 66 runs for the fourth wicket stand with Rinku Singh as Kolkata Knight Riders reached 158/3 in 19.1 overs to register a comfortable win.

The win took KKR to eight points from 10 matches as they occupy the seventh position, hanging on to slim hopes of making it to the play-offs. Rajasthan Royals remained in the third position with 12 points from 10 games, still in a good position to battle it out for a place in the next stage.

Chasing a target of 153, Kolkata never looked in trouble thanks to the well-controlled innings by skipper Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana, who shared a 60-run partnership for the second wicket off 43 deliveries that kept their hopes alive.

They had got together after KKR had stumbled to 32/2 in the power-play, losing Aaron Finch (4), playing on to get bowled once again, this time off young Kuldeep Sen, and his new partner Baba Indrajith (15 off 16) early.

Iyer and Rana took their time to build the innings, though they managed to keep the run rate in control. Anyway, they didn’t have a lot to chase and they managed that by hitting timely fours. Iyer blasted spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for a bit six in the 12th over to bring up fifty of the partnership.

He had started off by hitting Kuldeep Sen for a four off the first ball he faced but later played without any hurry to build a platform from which Rana and Rinku Singh could lead the team to victory.

Rana top-scored for Knight Riders with an unbeaten 48 off 37 deliveries and along with Rinku Singh figured in an unfinished 66-run partnership for the fourth wicket to help Knight Riders romp home to victory with five deliveries to spare.

Rana and Rinku Singh 17 runs off the 19th overs bowled by Prasidh Krishna to make things further easier for KKR.

Earlier, asked to bat first, the Royals struggled to maintain a good pace on a pitch that was hosting its second match after Sunday’s afternoon clash between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings.

Though the pitch looked dry and firm, it was slow and did help the spinners a bit, and Rajasthan Royals batters barring Samson and Hetmyer failed to get going. They struggled to stitch together partnerships, barring minor ones between Buttler and Samson and minor ones involving Samson -Karun Nair and Hetmyer and R Ashwin.

Rajasthan could manage only 38/1 in the powerplay, 67/2 in the middle, and just 47/2 in the death overs, thus ending up with a poor score.

Samson anchored the innings after Rajasthan lost Devdutt Padikkal in the third over and added 48 runs for the second wicket with Jos Buttler.

The England batter failed to get going on Monday and was out for 22 and though Samson went on to complete a well-deserved half-century off 38 balls, his rate of scoring dipped after that as Karun Nair and Riyan Parag did not stay long at the wicket.

Hetmyer struck some lusty blows, including back-to-back sixes off Tim Southee in the 19th over as he remained unbeaten on 27 of 13 deliveries as Rajasthan posted a total that they may find difficult to defend.

Brief scores:

Rajasthan Royals 152/5 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 22, Sanju Samson 54, Shimron Hetmyer 27 not out; Tim Southee 2/46) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 158/3 in 19.1 overs (Shreyas Iyer 34, Nitish Rana 48 not out, Rinku Singh 42 not out; Kuldeep Sen 1/28, Trent Boult 1/25) by seven wickets.

‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’ trailer hints at full-on entertainment

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‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’ trailer hints at full-on entertainment

The theatrical trailer for superstar Mahesh Babu’s highly anticipated film ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’, directed by Parasuram, is well worth the hype.

The makers, as promised, released the film’s theatrical trailer on Monday, as they also arranged for screenings of the same in multiple theaters in Hyderabad.

“It’s time to pull up the sleeves and ring the action”, director Parasuram Petla wrote, as he shared the theatrical trailer of the Mahesh Babu-starrer.

Going by trailer, the writing and scenes are promising and interesting.

The trailer begins with Mahesh Babu holding a bunch of keys and giving a lecture to a group of people about the value of money.

The story shifts to a foreign location after a series of action blocks, where he meets this beautiful girl, Keerthy Suresh. He begins flirting with her, which she seems to enjoy too.

The action sequence at a fish harbour, followed by the dialogue exchange between him and Samuthirakani, has some impressive action elements.

After some intense action, the trailer ends on a humorous note, with Mahesh Babu explaining why he has such strong feelings for Keerthy, saying, “It’s a boy thing.”

The visual from the mass song, in which Mahesh Babu appears in a vibrant outfit, has us anticipating it with bated breath.

With the release date approaching, the release of the theatrical trailer has only doubled the hype for ‘SVP’.

Odisha records 28% growth in gross GST collection in April

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Odisha records 28% growth in gross GST collection in April

Odisha has maintained the highest growth rate of gross GST amongst the major states with a collection of Rs 4,910.23 crore during April 2022 as against Rs 3,849.48 crore collected during the same month of 2021, registering a growth of 28 percent, officials said on Monday.

The gross GST collection during the last month is also the highest in a month since inception of GST, claimed the state GST officials.

Similarly, the state has also recorded the highest ever OGST (Odisha GST) collection of Rs 1,714.78 crore during April 2022 against Rs 1,126.67 crore collected during April 2021 with a growth of 52.20 percent. This growth rate has surpassed the previous highest record in the month of March 2022 by a big margin of Rs 363.53 crore.

There is a collection of Rs 1,381 crore in CGST with a growth of 45 percent and Rs 722.40 crore in cess with a growth of 18 percent during the last month. However, the IGST monthly settlement has shown a negative growth of 89 percent owing to a substantial increase in inter-state sales during the month, the officials said.

The total collection of VAT (petrol & liquor) is Rs 232.88 crore on April 22 as against Rs 224.25 crore collected on April ’21, thereby registering a marginal growth rate of 3.85 percent.

The state has also witnessed a growth of 19.43 percent in professional tax with a collection of Rs 27.17 crore in the last month against the collection of Rs 22.75 crore during April last year.

The high growth in gross GST has been led by the mining and manufacturing sectors. There is a growth of 179 percent in the mining sector, 270 percent in the manufacturing sector, and 105 percent in the trading sector during the last month.

In addition, regular surveillance and intelligence-based action against the tax evaders have contributed significantly to improving compliance by the taxpayers, they added.

4 J&K fencers to represent India in Fencing World Cup

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4 J&K fencers to represent India in Fencing World Cup

In yet another first, four fencers from Jammu and Kashmir have qualified for the Senior World Cup.

The fencers — Vishal Thapar, Javed Ahmed Choudhary, Mayank Sharma, and Shreya Gupta — shall represent the country in the upcoming Senior Fencing Sabre World Cup to be held later this week.

While the men’s World Cup will be held in Spain, the lone female qualifier Shreya shall be competing in Tunisia, North Africa.

All the fencers made the cut on the basis of some impressive performance in the 32nd Senior National Championships held at Amritsar in March this year.

Principal Secretary, Youth Services and Sports (YSS), Alok Kumar, applauded and congratulated the fencers on their selection for the presetigious event.

“We are duty-bound to provide best possible sports facilities to our youth who are second to none in skills and talent, and the day is not far when our athletes shall reach the podium of Olympics as well,” he said.

Secretary, J&K Sports Council, Nuzhat Gul, in her message to fencers appreciated the hard work they put in while making their way to the prestigious event.

“I am sure the day is not far when our fencers will be ranked and recognized internationally,” she said.

‘KGF: Chapter 2’ Hindi version crosses Rs 350 cr benchmark, will surpass ‘Dangal’

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‘KGF: Chapter 2’ Hindi version crosses Rs 350 cr benchmark, will surpass ‘Dangal’

Shattering all records, the Hindi version of Yash-starrer KGF: Chapter 2′ has surpassed the lifetime collection of Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’ by crossing the Rs 350 crore benchmark as it collected Rs 369.58 crore at the box office.

‘KGF: Chapter 2’ claimed the highest opening day, opening weekend, and opening week for any film in the Hindi belt and became the fastest film to reach the Rs 250 crore benchmark.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted: “#KGF2 remains the first choice of moviegoers, despite two new titles taking away a chunk of screens, shows, and footfalls… Should cross #Dangal during #Eid holidays… (Week 3) Fri 4.25 cr, Sat 7.25 cr, Sun 9.27 cr. Total:? 369.58 cr. #India biz. #Hindi.”

Talking to IANS about the money-minting action entertainer ‘KGF: Chapter 2’, trade analyst Karan Taurani of Elara Capital said: “I don’t see a collection of more than Rs 370-380 crores at a lifetime. Now, the film will definitely surpass ‘Dangal’. ‘Dangal’ was somewhere close to Rs 365-370 crores. So, it’s big positive news for the industry because ‘Baahubali 2’ was released somewhere around 4 years back in 2018.”

He added: “In a gap of four years you are seeing the record of ‘Dangal’ being broken once again. That too by a regional film is something which is showcasing the acceptance of regional content by the audience. The audience doesn’t want to shy away from the Hindi dubbed version kind of content.”

Taurani feels this is “good news for the industry”.

“It is good news for the cinema chains because they have more variety of content to showcase and the dependence of one particular genre or one particular type of content is not there.

“So, for them, the supply is more widespread. It will attract more audiences and expand our Indian film industry because the Indian film industry has not grown more than 7-8 percent in the last 10 years…. except for the GST impact where they grew by 15-20 percent because the ticket prices are getting revised and collection numbers are increasing because of that… This kind of surprise will definitely help the film industry grow much higher. That is one big point.”

According to boxofficecollection., ‘Baahubali 2’ starring Prabhas minted Rs 510.99 crore in Hindi while ‘Dangal’ collected Rs 387.38 crore in its lifetime at the box office.

According to Taurani, other Hindi films that touched the over Rs 300 crore benchmark include ‘Bajrangi Bahijaan’, ‘PK’, ‘Sultan’, ‘Sanju’, ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’, ‘War’ and then there is ‘Baahubali 2’ and ‘KGF’.

“I think ‘RRR’ has fallen slightly short.”

The lifetime earnings of ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ are Rs 339.16 crore, ‘PK’ has made Rs 340.80 crore and ‘Sanju’ raked in Rs

342.53 crore.

Taurani also feels that ‘KGF: Chapter 2″ earnings are going to have a “positive impact on the sentiments as well.”

He added: “A lot of producers shy away from making big films because they are unsure that they would do such box-office numbers but what this kind of film does is that producers will now have a clear mindset and there is a potential audience there to tap…”

IPL 2022: James Hopes rues Delhi’s inability to convert starts into a big score against Lucknow

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IPL 2022: James Hopes rues Delhi’s inability to convert starts into a big score against Lucknow

Delhi Capitals’ bowling coach James Hopes was left to rue the inability of his batters to convert starts into a big knock in a chase of 196 against Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

With the dynamic opening pair of Prithvi Shaw and David Warner falling in power-play, Mitchell Marsh (37 off 20) and captain Rishabh Pant (44 off 30 balls) forged a counter-attacking stand of 60 off just 25 balls to keep Delhi in the hunt.

After the duo and Lalit Yadav fell, Rovman Powell cracked 35 off 21 balls while Axar Patel produced a late burst of 42 not out off 24 balls but Delhi missed the win by six runs. Delhi’s batting efforts fell pale in front of Lucknow’s, who had skipper KL Rahul making 77 while Deepak Hooda played the perfect second fiddle with 52 apart from a 95-run stand-off 61 balls between the two.

“Our start with the ball was a little bit slow. We struggled to build pressure with the ball. Axar Patel really dragged it back, he bowled really nicely. We thought it was a chaseable score. In the end, we had too many starts with the bat, we just missed that one player to kick on and get that 70-plus score to get us over the line,” said Hopes in the post-match virtual press conference.

During the eighth over of Delhi’s innings, Marsh was dismissed in a strange way off Krishnappa Gowtham’s bowling as he nicked behind without footwork and was caught behind by Quinton de Kock. The umpire raised the finger but replays later showed that there was no bat involved despite the definite sound of the edge. Asked about the same, Hopes stated that Marsh was dead sure that he had nicked behind.

“Well, he was sure that he had hit it. We know there was a flat line but Mitch was pretty adamant that he thought he hit it, and so was Quinton speaking after the game. So it’s just one of those things that didn’t go our way, you speak to the guys on the field — some thought he hit it, some didn’t hear anything. But Mitch was adamant he got a feather on it.”

With the six-run defeat giving Delhi their fifth loss of the season, every match for them now is a do-or-die one to have a crack at making the playoffs. Hopes are optimistic about Delhi bringing their best game in the coming five games.

“To stay positive, we got five games left to make a push to get into the final four. It’s very easy to break down a T20 game and say well if this ball was different or if that ball was different, we’re working with really small margins. We need to keep the guys positive, keep the guys focused and keep understanding that we’re very close. But I don’t think we’re playing our best cricket yet. On the other hand, our best cricket has to come sometime in the next two-three weeks.”

IPL 2022: Washington Sundar was in a state where he couldn’t bowl, says Tom Moody

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IPL 2022: Washington Sundar was in a state where he couldn’t bowl, says Tom Moody

Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Tom Moody revealed that after taking a blow on the right hand, their lone specialist spinner Washington Sundar was in a situation where he couldn’t bowl against Chennai Super Kings at MCA Stadium in Pune on Sunday.

In the first innings, while trying to save a boundary at deep square leg, Sundar took a blow to his bowling hand, where a split webbing had caused him to miss three matches previously, and went off the field immediately.

Sundar hadn’t even bowled a ball till then and with him off the field, captain Kane Williamson had to turn to part-time off-spin of Aiden Markram, who leaked 36 runs in his three overs while Shashank Singh gave away 10 runs in his one over. Though Sundar came out to bat and made just two runs, his availability for Hyderabad’s next match against Delhi Capitals is under huge doubt now.

“Its very unfortunate for him that he got a knock on the same hand where he split his webbing and had stitches. He’s healed completely but he just re-injured the same area. It doesn’t need restitching, but unfortunately, he was in a state where he couldn’t bowl. Incredibly unlucky for him. It did really have an impact on us in the early phase of the bowling innings given how critical a role he plays for us in the first ten overs,” said Moody in the post-match virtual press conference.

Hyderabad also had to miss out on the services of left-arm pacer T Natarajan, who went off the field after bowling the fifth over to receive treatment for an injury before returning to bowl in the death overs, taking out Ruturaj Gaikwad and MS Dhoni. Moody felt that the absence of Sundar and Natarajan put Williamson under pressure.

“When you lose one of your important bowlers, whether its spinner or not, is a massive blow to the side. At the time, we also had Natarajan off with an injury which was taking some time before he could come back on (the field). Basically, we had seven overs that haven’t been bowled by frontline bowlers up to the 14-15th overs. It was very difficult for Kane to manage in the middle. We chased a score that was probably 20-30 runs more than it should have been.”

For tearaway pacer Umran Malik, it was a match to forget as Gaikwad (99 off 57 balls) used his pace well to time eye-catchy boundaries off him, scoring 33 runs off Malik’s 13 balls. Moody felt that the match against Chennai would serve as a good learning experience for Malik.

“It was a good inning by him (Gaikwad), no question about it. He is a high-quality player and we know that he wouldn’t be sitting on the sidelines for a long time. He obviously had a plan against Umran. It was a good lesson for Umran, he is still young and learning.”

IPL 2022: Ravindra Jadeja knew he would be the skipper this year, says MS Dhoni

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IPL 2022: Ravindra Jadeja knew he would be the skipper this year, says MS Dhoni

M.S Dhoni made a winning return to being the Chennai Super Kings skipper with a 13-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at MCA Stadium on Sunday. After being at the helm for Chennai’s third win of the current season, Dhoni revealed that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was aware that he would be captaining the defending champions in IPL 2022.

On the eve of the match against Hyderabad, Jadeja, who was announced as Chennai’s skipper ahead of the tournament’s commencement, had given back the captaincy mantle to Dhoni.

“I think Jadeja knew last season he’d be captaining this year. He knew and got enough time to prepare, what is important is you want him to lead the side and I wanted that transition to happen. In the first two games, there was information going to Jaddu and after that, I left it to him to decide which angle to bowl and all that,” said Dhoni after the match.

Dhoni went on to explain the processes behind why Jadeja was given the leadership role and how it went back to him. “At the end of the season, you don’t want him to feel as the captaincy was done by someone else and I’m just going for the toss. So it was a gradual transition. Spoon-feeding doesn’t really help captain, on the field you have to take those crucial decisions and you have to take responsibility for those decisions.”

“Once you become captain, it means a lot of demands come in. But what I felt is it affected his mind as the tasks grew. I think captaincy burdened his prep and performances; it meant he could not go with the bat and ball with the same intensity. Even if you relieve captainship and if you are at your best ‘nd that’s what we want.”‘

Chennai’s 13-run win was set up by a mammoth 182-run opening partnership between Ruturaj Gaikwad (99 off 57 balls) and Devon Conway (85 not out off 55 balls), propelling the total to a massive 202/2. In response, Hyderabad could put up 189/6 in their 20 overs. Dhoni credited the bowlers for keeping Hyderabad in check during the middle overs phase of defending 202.

“It was a good score to defend. I did nothing different, it’s not like much changes with the change of captain. It’s one of those coincidences where we got off to a good start and forced the bowlers to bowl the areas where we wanted to hit. The kind of target we got was a very good one. Dew comes in so the bowling needed to be good. The spinners did well in the 7-14 over the period, that was key to the win and gave a surplus of runs which we could fall back on.”

Asked about his chat with the bowlers, Dhoni revealed, “We have had quite a few good performances with the bat, but we give 25-26 runs off a couple of overs, and they’re like, the bowlers have to try something different. I always told my bowlers, you may get hit for 4 sixes in an over, but the 2 balls that you save – ultimately in a high-scoring game – those are the 2 deliveries that will help you win the game.”

“Because a lot of bowlers, after getting 3-4 sixes, they will be like let’s get done with it but that one boundary or even instead of sixes if you get hit for 2 fours that will help you in a game. I don’t know if they believe in that theory, but it really works.”

Dhoni signed off by saying that Chennai need to put in lots of hard work in improving their fielding performance. “We also lost a great fielder, we are struggling for a deep-midwicket fielder. We have had a lot of drops which we need to improve on.”

“We do not want bowlers to be lost, with the younger bowlers, you need to be with them and tell them about the fields. It’s good to see Mukesh come up, you can’t get away with things at this level. You need to accept shortcomings too which is key.”

Sardar Patel statue will become symbol of relationship between India, Canada: Modi

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Sardar Patel statue will become symbol of relationship between India, Canada: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the statue of Sardar Patel will become a symbol of the relationship between the two countries — India and Canada.

Addressing the Sanatan Mandir Cultural Centre (SMCC) at Markham in Ontario in Canada on the occasion of the inauguration of Sardar Patel’s Statue there through a video message, he said: “This statue of Sardar Patel in Sanatan Mandir will not only strengthen our cultural values but also become a symbol of the relationship between the two countries.”

Conveying his greetings on Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and Gujarat Day, he said Indians might live anywhere in the world for any number of generations but their Indianness and loyalty towards India never diminishes.

Indians, the Prime Minister said, work with full dedication and integrity for the country, and carry their democratic values and sense of duty with them.

“India has that higher-level thought – which talks of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. India does not dream of its own upliftment at the cost of the detriment of others,” he said.

Calling the location and statue of Sardar Patel there a broad picture of New India, the Prime Minister said that the freedom fighters dreamt of an India that would be modern and progressive and, also, deeply connected with its thinking, philosophy, and its roots.

He also said that in newly Independent India, Sardar Patel restored the Somnath Temple to commemorate the legacy of thousands of years.

“Today, during the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, we are re-dedicating ourselves to the pledge of creating a New India of Sardar Patel’s dream and ‘Statue of Unity is a major inspiration in that,” the Prime Minister said.

The replica of the ‘Statue of Unity’ in Sanatan Mandir Cultural Centre means that India’s Amrit pledges are not confined to the boundaries of India. This pledge is spreading globally connecting the world, he further said.

The Prime Minister reiterated the global dimension of the Amrit pledges and said when we talk of Aatmnirbhar Bharat, we talk of opening new possibilities of progress in the world.

Similarly, in Yoga’s propagation, a feeling of everyone being disease-free is inherent. On issues like sustainable development and climate change, India is representing the entire humanity, PM Modi, said adding: “Our hard work is not just for us. The welfare of the entire humanity is linked with India’s progress.”

Mahesh Babu gives it all once he has firm grasp on script, says ‘SVP’ director Parasuram Petla

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Mahesh Babu gives it all once he has firm grasp on script, says ‘SVP’ director Parasuram Petla

Parasuram Petla’s directorial ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata,’ starring Mahesh Babu and Keerthy Suresh, is set to hit theatres on May 12.

With only a few days until the release, the creators have started the promotion with back-to-back media interactions with their technical team.

In an interview with the scribes, director Parasuram Petla revealed that he had written the ‘SVP’ story earlier during his ‘Geetha Govindam’ days, but was hesitant to approach the superstar.

“Mahesh Babu made it simple for me by giving me the opportunity to tell the story. He connected with the characters and thus chose this film,” explained Parasuram, adding: “Once Mahesh has a firm grasp on the script, he gives it his all. In his approach, there are no half-measures.”

“If you look at my career graph, you’ll notice that I did start off well, but after ‘Sarocharu’ failed, I took a couple of years off, reflected, and then restarted. It worked wonders for me,” Parasuram said.

Despite the fact that it is one of the most anticipated films, director Parasuram remains confident that ‘Sarkaru Vaari Paata’ will live up to expectations.

Prasuram teased the plot of the Mahesh Babu film, saying, “SVP has a bank backdrop, but the story doesn’t talk about the scandals or anything like that, but has multiple layers of emotions imbibed in the narrative.”

The director spills beans on Mahesh Babu’s role in the movie, as he stated: “Mahesh’s character in ‘SVP’ has a big emotional arc. It is enterprising.”

Parasuram revealed Mahesh’s makeover for ‘SVP,’ saying: “It was my idea because I wanted Mahesh’s appearance to have a ‘wow’ factor. He agreed immediately and became excited about making minor changes to his appearance, such as growing his hair and beginning to work on other minor changes.”

“Mahesh Babu’s attention to detail is superb. This trip with him taught me why people become superstars,” the director explained.

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