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  Mohun Bagan has secured the ISL finals clearance after defeating Odisha FC.  Antonio Habas' men beat Lobera's Odisha FC 2-0 at Yuva Bharati Stadium on Sunday.  The green-maroon brigade went to the finals as a result of winning 3-2 in two rounds.  Mumbai City beat FC Goa 2-0 in the second leg of another semi-final on Monday.  Winning the match on Monday saw Mumbai City reach the final with a 5-2 aggregate win.  Jorge Perera Diaz and Changte scored for Mumbai.  In the first meeting, Mumbai City won the match 3-2. In a match dominated by Mumbai City , FC Goa fought hard as the 2nd leg match was 0-0 deep into the 2nd half till off a goalmouth skirmish Diaz put the ball into the net for Mumbai's 1st goal. Later Chhangte's solo effort & dribbling skills produced the 2nd goal to seal the final spot for Mumbai . Apart from a couple of chances Goa didnt threaten Mumbai in the 2nd leg .  Even on this day, Mumbai's dominance was maintained.  Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt

   KKR  gets back to winning ways after being brutally beaten by Punjab in their previous home game . On this day Delhi Capitals fresh from a winning streak just could not get going against a more determined KKR and thus lost by 7 wickets after a timid performance all around Batting first Delhi Capitals kept losing wickets at regular intervals and that has been their story right through the innings. Both Shaw (13)and McGurk (12)  could not get their innings going longer after a promising start . Shaw getting a snick down leg and McGurk flicking Starc straight to deep square leg . Abhishek Porel (18) showed promise but was bowled by Rana trying an ugly paddle sweep .Then  Vaibhav Arora produced an unlayable delivery to dismiss Hope (6) . Rishabh Pant (27) hit few bold shots till he was dismissed of a skier off Varun Chakravarty who then prodeeded to get Stubbs & Kushagra.  Later Kuldeep Yadav hit out for 35 runs to get Delhi to 153/9 .  Varun Chakravarty (3/16) was a star performer

 The super Sunday of 28 April 2024 saw two one sided contests in IPL24 ganes . While RCB put on another stellar display to beat Gujarat Titans onesided , CSK proved too strong for SRH at Chennai to notch up a big win . Lets us have a glance at both the games RCB v Gujarat Titans  RCB crushed Gujarat Titans at Ahmedabad by 9 wickets with 24 balls to spare to win two back to back away games in style after losing 7 of their 1st 8 games .  This big loss has jeopardized last two years finalists Gujarat Titan's playoffs hopes for 2024 . Losing the toss and batting first  Gujarat Titans lost both their openers Saha (5) and Gill (16) early but a great stand between Sai Sudharsan and Shahrukh Khan turned the tables in the hosts favour . Shahrukh played a blistering knock of 58 in just 30 balls and smashed 5 sixes . Sudharsan played another stellar knock of 84 off 48 balls with some glorious shots but David Miller (26*) could not force the pace except for hitting a 6 on the final ball for Gu

  "No extra time or penalty shootout.  Must win in 90 minutes."  Coach Antonio López Habas told the boys. The players  obeyed the Guru's words .  The green and maroon brigade reached the ISL final with Sahal Abdul Samad's goal in  injury time.  Mohun Bagan had their wirk cut out at Yuva Bharati on Sunday.  Habas boys had  lost 1-2 at Odisha's home ground.  As a result, Mohun Bagan had to withdraw from ISL like this time if they did not win this match by at least 2 goals.  But the league shield winners are made of a different breed . Forgetting the disappointment of losing the first leg of the semi-final, Manbir Singh & Co went for an all-out attack today.  And that brought the success in 22 minutes of the match.  Cummins' goal put the home favorites ahead. Pretratos' scorching shot was half saved by Amrinder and off the rebound  Cummins slotted home in style . (1-0 (2-2))  Lobera's team tried to turn around in the second half.  But Vishal stopped t

  Dominating batting by Sanju Samson & Dhruv Jurel helped Rajasthan Royals to outplay Lucknow Super Giants by 7 wickets with one over to spare chasing a big target of 197 Rajasthan Royals are virtually guaranteed to play in the playoffs.  Sanju again performed as captain on Saturday evening.  He played a skilful  unbeaten innings of 71 runs .  The accomplices are Dhruv Jurel (52), Yashasvi Jaiswal (24) and Jos Buttler (34).  The team reached the target of 197 runs after losing only three wickets in 19 overs after a 60 run opening stand during powerplay . Dhruv Jurel had limited opportunities in this IPL but on this day he came out at 5 after Parag (14) was out cheaply . Jurel played sparkling shots and looked in control during his unbeaten half century and took the team over the line with Samson .  As the number of matches is increasing in the current IPL, the status of the bowlers is going down.  They are throwing the ball twenty-two yards to beat the batters and face off  boundar

  Exactly how many runs are safe in IPL?  Every team is looking for an answer to this question this season.  KKR lost even after posting 261 runs.  Delhi's think tank could not smile with relief despite scoring 257 runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday.  In the end, however, Rishabh Pant & Co got relief.  They beat Mumbai by 10 runs and won the match after a tight chase by MI.   The Mumbai captain won the toss and decided to bowl first.  Delhi opener Fraser McGurk was on fire with the bat in the hot afternoon of Delhi.  Aussie batter scored 19 runs off Luke Wood in the first over of the match and then slammed 6,4,4 off Bumrah .  He took 20 off Hardik's over.  At one time it seemed that Fraser will score the fastest century in IPL.  He scored 50 runs in 15 balls. The strokes with brute power from his bat was flying to different parts of the ground as he plundered runs at will with his scorching shots over mid wicket & down the ground including off side with very g

  The current IPL has just passed the mid-season.  In that already 22 times more than 200 runs were scored in one innings.  Now Friday's Kolkata and Punjab match also entered that list.  Till now this match was known as 'Veer-Zara' fight for Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta.  This time the Calcutta-Punjab war went down in history for another reason.  Punjab set the record for highest run chase in IPL as well as T20 history .  Sam Curran led team won by 8 wickets at Eden in breathtaking style .  Curran won the toss and decided to field.  Usually in Eden it is normal to win by chasing runs.  But even the biggest Punjab fans could not have thought that such a big target could be chased down with few balls still left .  Rajasthan Royals won the highest run chase in the IPL so far.  They won by 226 runs against this Punjab in 2020.  The Knights scored more runs than that on the day.  However, Bairstow led chase topped that target.  The target of 262 runs did not seem like an obst

  A Vietnamese sandwich, Banh Mi, typically features a crusty baguette filled with pickled vegetables, protein like pork or tofu, and fresh herbs, offering a delicious blend of flavors and textures. Here's a recipe for a classic Vietnamese sandwich, also known as Banh Mi: Ingredients: For the pickled vegetables: - 1 large carrot, julienned - 1 daikon radish, julienned - 1/2 cup rice vinegar - 1/2 cup water - 2 tablespoons sugar - 1 teaspoon salt For the sandwich: - Baguette or French bread rolls - Mayonnaise - Maggi sauce or soy sauce - Sriracha or chili sauce (optional) - Fresh cilantro leaves - Thinly sliced cucumber - Thinly sliced jalapeños (optional) - Cooked protein of your choice (traditionally pork, but can also use chicken, beef, tofu, or cold cuts) Instructions: 1. Prepare the pickled vegetables: In a small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Heat over medium heat until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. 2. Place t

  Vietnamese noodle soup, also known as pho, is a delicious and aromatic dish made with broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat, usually beef or chicken. It's a popular and comforting dish enjoyed worldwide. Here's a basic recipe for Vietnamese noodle soup (pho): Ingredients : - 2 pounds beef bones (such as oxtail, knuckle, or marrow bones) - 1 large onion, halved and charred - 4-inch piece of ginger, sliced and charred - 4-6 star anise pods - 4-6 cloves - 2 cinnamon sticks - 1 tablespoon coriander seeds - 1 cardamom pod - 1 teaspoon fennel seeds - 1 tablespoon salt - 2 tablespoons fish sauce - 1 tablespoon sugar - 1 package (16 ounces) dried rice noodles (banh pho) - Thinly sliced beef (such as sirloin or brisket), cooked or raw - Fresh herbs (cilantro, Thai basil, mint) - Bean sprouts - Thinly sliced onion - Lime wedges - Sriracha or chili sauce (optional) - Hoisin sauce (optional) Instructions : 1. Char the onion and ginger over an open flame or under a broiler until slightly b

  Vietnam, located in Southeast Asia, is known for its rich history, diverse culture, and stunning landscapes. From bustling cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to serene rice paddies and majestic limestone karsts in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam offers a blend of old-world charm and modern vibrancy. Its cuisine, highlighted by dishes like pho and banh mi, is celebrated worldwide. Vietnam has overcome significant challenges, including war and economic upheaval, to emerge as a dynamic and resilient nation, attracting visitors from around the globe. Vietnam offers a plethora of breathtaking destinations. Here are some of the best places to visit: 1. **Ha Long Bay**: A UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its emerald waters and towering limestone islands. Visitors can cruise through the bay, explore caves, and kayak amidst stunning natural scenery. 2. **Hanoi**: The capital city is a blend of ancient traditions and modern influences. Highlights include the Old Quarter with its narrow streets,

  After losing their last 6 games back to back and 7 of their last 8 games , finally Royal Challengers Bangaluru gets a win and probably a help from the law of averages to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in an away game  by 35  runs  Winning the toss and batting , RCB's first intention was not to allow SRH to bat first & put on a high score . Thus  Faf Duplessis and Virat Kohli again started in whirlwind fashion striking dazzling boundaries & sixes in the powerplay with even the SRH skipper Cummins going for 19 runs in an over . Faf got dismissed after an explosive 25 in 12 balls while Kohli hit some dazzling strokes to get to 32 in 18 balls in the powerplay. After a 48 run opening stand RCB lost Jacks (6) cheaply but in stepped Rajat Patidar and played a whirlwind innings of 50 in a mere 20 balls , smashing 5 sixes that included some great hits specially against spin . Kohli however slowed down too much post powerplay getting only 19 runs in 25 balls and finally was dismissed by

  We had two rivetting 1st leg semi finals of ISL season 10.  While Odisha FC pipped  league-shield holders Mohunbagan 2-1 at Kalinga , FC Goa after leading 2-0 till almost the 90th minute , sensationally lost to Mumbai FC 3-2 at tge end at home . Now Goa will have to beat Mumbai in Mumbai in the 2nd leg to get into the final .  Mohunbagan will neet Odisha at Salt Lake stadium for the 2nd leg  Goa v Mumbai  Only 6 minutes gap.  That's three goals.  Mumbai City FC showed magic in the injury time at the opponent's home ground.  Changte & Co took another step towards reaching the ISL finals.  FC Goa had to lose the match even after leading by 2 goals at home.  Mumbai had the last laugh by winning 3-2  FC Goa has not had a good start to the current ISL.  In the beginning, the orange jersey holders had to lose three out of five matches.  After that, FC Goa won four of their last five matches and qualified for the playoffs.  After that, Chennaiyin was knocked out in a knock out m

  Shubman Gill's 100th match of IPL was not a happy one.  The Gujarat Titans skipper did not get many runs and  his team can't win either.  Gujarat lost by 4 runs to Rishabh Pant's Delhi Capitals.  In fact, the Titans  lost to Pant's aggressive & explosive  batting.  Shubman won the toss and decided to field first.  No runs were scored by Delhi's early recognized batters.  However, Delhi picked up 224 runs for 4 wickets against Gujarat Titans.  Pant exploded with the bat under pressure.  He was accompanied by Akshar Patel.   Delhi set a target of 225 to win against Shubman's side thanks to their fightback.  Gujarat's innings ended at 220 for 8.  Delhi's two openers Prithvi Shaw and Jake Fraser McGruk exploded briefly .  Both were dismissed by Sandeep Warrier.  Fraser made 23 off 14 balls. He looked  dangerous and smashed 2 fours and a six.  11 off 7 balls from Prithvi's bat.  His out decision is somewhat controversial.  Whether Noor Ahmed caught

  The record-breaking rains and floods in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week caused massive desruption. Due to this rain, many places in Dubai city were flooded. Now NASA has released satellite images after the flood and before the flood. In these pictures, the effect of rain in Dubai can be seen. Left image before floods , right image after floods - with more specs of blue in the image  Reason for floods in Dubai Some experts had attributed the cause of this flood to cloud seeding i.e. artificial rain. The Associated Press claimed in its report that the Dubai administration had flown a plane to make it rain through cloud seeding. Shortly after this, the Gulf countries had to face heavy rains and floods. When there is a lot of rain at a certain place in a certain time, it is called cloud burst. Cloud burst depends on how much clouds have accumulated due to cloud seeding. If clouds filled with too much steam are identified and cloud seeding is done in them, then the clouds can bur

  Sachin Tendulkar, often regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time, was born on April 24, 1973. In Test cricket, he scored a total of 15,921 runs with an average of 53.78. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he amassed 18,426 runs with an average of 44.83. In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Tendulkar represented the Mumbai Indians. While he didn't bowl much in international cricket, he took 46 wickets in Tests and 154 wickets in ODIs. However, in IPL, he mainly contributed as a batsman, scoring 2,334 runs in 78 matches at an average of 34.83. Sachin Tendulkar was a right-handed batsman. He was known for his impeccable technique, precise footwork, and a wide range of shots across all formats of the game. His batting style was characterized by exquisite timing, exceptional hand-eye coordination, and the ability to play both aggressively and defensively according to the demands of the situation. Sachin Tendulkar's career achievements are extensive and include numerous

  Century after century.  Another tight fight.  After a thrilling fightback  Lucknow Super Giants defeated Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets in another classic match of IPL (IPL 2024).  LSG reached the target of 211 runs set by Chennai with 3 balls to spare.  Courtesy, Stoinis' breathtaking century.  LSG moved up to number 4 in the points table as a result of the thrilling win in the last over.  Lucknow won the toss and decided to bowl first.  But the decision of captain Rahul (KL Rahul) backfired somewhat .  Batting first, Chennai scored 210 runs in the allotted 20 overs due Ruturaj's dazzling century ans Shivam Dube's explosive contribution .  CSK did not start well on this day.  Rahane (1) returned to the pavilion after only 4 runs caught behind brilliantly by Rahul off Henry . A struggling   Darryl Mitchell (13)  also got out before the team crossed 50 runs. Jadeja too batting for 16 off 19 didnt help CSK But at the other end, Ruturaj played a brilliant innings with full

  **** Courtesy India Today Tennis great Novak Djokovic won the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year honour for a record-extending 5th time after 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2019, while Spain's World Cup-winning football star Aitana Bonmati won the World Sportswoman of the Year award at a star-studded ceremony in Madrid on April 22. Spain's FIFA World Cup-winning team were voted as the Laureus Team of the Year on a night when the biggest sports stars took centre stage in the prestigious awards ceremony. England's star footballer Jude Bellingham won the Laureus Breakthrough of the Year award for his early impact at Real Madrid. Meanwhile, legendary gymnast Simone Biles was recognised for her sensational comeback to the sport last year. With his 5th time win Djokovic equalled the record of his contemporary & arch rival Roger Federer.  Tom Brady, a 7-time Super Bowl champion, presented Djokovic with his Sportsman of the Year Award; Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter of all time, pr

  Hardik Pandya's 100th IPL match for Mumbai Indians was not a happy one.  His team lost to Rajasthan Royals by 9 wickets in a rain interrupted match.  To everyone's surprise, Hardik won the toss and  batted first.  Mumbai scored 179 runs for 9 wickets.  In reply, Rajasthan scored 183 runs for 1 wicket in 18.4 overs.  Yashaswi Jaiswal and Sandeep Sharma were the two heroes of Sanju Samson's team's victory.  The first-time champions of the competition took another step towards the IPL playoffs after winning the match by 9 wickets in a ruthlessly onesided contest.  Yashaswi and Jos Buttler started batting with a target of 180 runs.  However, as the innings progressed, the Rajasthan batsmen increased their pace of scoring runs.  Rain came after 6 overs of RR innings.  The game was stopped for 40 minutes.  Even so, there was no disruption in Rajasthan's innings.  Buttler scored a sparkling 35 runs off 25 balls when Piyush Chawla bowled him. However Yashaswi was steadfas

   Punjab Kings stumble to another defeat after yet another timid batting performance .  They  struggled to score 142 runs.  But Punjab eventually lost against Gujarat Titans at home.  However the fight continued till the last over courtesy the fight put on by the Punjab bowlers .  Gujarat won by 3 wickets.  Batting first, Punjab scored 142 runs.  They could not score big runs under the influence of Gujarat's spinners.  Shikhar Dhawan's injury is still not healed.  Sam Curran is leading in his place.  He is opening with the bat.  But playing as an opener in T20 cricket and scoring 20 runs off 19 balls makes it difficult to score impact runs.  Same is the case with Punjab.  However, Punjab scored 50 runs in the first 5 overs as Prabhasimran Singh scored a breezy 35 runs off 21 balls with some impressive strokes .  The team collapsed as soon as he was out.  Gujarat's spin attack began to control the game  Sai Kishore took the most wickets for Gujarat.  He took 4 wickets for 3

   KKR  survived several anxious moments before  edging past a fighting RCB by the barest of margin of 1 run in a ripping thriller in the 40 degrees Celsius heat in the afternoon IPL game at Eden Gardens . After piling on an impressive 222/6 , KKR survived several roller coaster moments in the chase by RCB before registering a hard earned 5th win of the season to reach the number 2 spot in the points table .  In the space of five days, the sequence of defeats was created by scoring more than 200 runs twice in a row.  The match was almost taken away by Will Jacks and Rajat Patidar.  Russell returned with  two wickets in his first over.  Dinesh Karthik, one of the best finishers in the IPL, also was dismissed  at the end.  However, Mitchell Starc took the 'responsibility' of winning the game in the last over but was spanked for 3 sixes by Karn Sharma .  However Starc managed to hold a return catch on the 5th ball , and Kolkata had the last laugh by winning the match by 1 run.  Af

  If a team scores 125 runs without a wicket in the first six overs, then what remains of that match?  This is how Hyderabad was on the rampage at Feroz Shah Kotla against Delhi on Saturday.  Delhi was playing at home for the first time.  In between, two 'home matches' had to be played in Visakhapatnam.  However, Rishabh Panth's team did not have a good experience of returning to their original  home.  Batting first, Hyderabad made a mammoth 266/7.  In reply, Delhi was stopped at 199 runs.  Loss by 67 runs for the hosts.  Hyderabad's Travis Head narrowly missed out on his second century.  But he made an explosive 89 off 32 balls which did the damage.  Abhishek Sharma (46 from 12 balls) and Shahbaz Ahmed (59 not out from 29 balls) as partners should not be forgotten.  In reply, none could fight except Jake Fraser-McGurk of Delhi.  Delhi had to get off to a good start chasing huge runs.  It is really difficult to score around 13 runs per over.  The start was not bad thoug

  Lucknow Super Giants scripted an easy win against Chennai Super Kings at home .  Ruturaj Gaikwad's team batted first and scored 176 runs for 6 wickets.  In reply, Lokesh Rahul's team scored 180 runs for 2 wickets in 19 overs.  After losing two matches in a row, Lucknow won at home.  Lucknow captain Rahul won the toss and decided to field.  Chennai's innings did not start well at 22 yards at Green Park.  However, they reached a fighting position thanks to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 9-ball 28-run innings.  Chasing 177 runs for victory, Lucknow scored 134 runs in 15 overs with their opening pair.  Quinton de Cock scored a steady 54 runs off 43 balls.  He hit 5 fours and 1 six.  His partnership with Rahul is the highest opening partnership in the IPL so far.  Lucknow's victory was assured by their pair.  Nicholas Pooran joined Rahul after DeCock's dismissal.  Both of them brought the team almost to victory.  Rahul led the team from the front in an important victory by