Since leaving Kolkata Knight Riders after the title-winning season of 2024, Shreyas Iyer has been in great form in the Indian Premier League. With 604 runs in IPL 2025 with Punjab Kings and a stellar start to IPL 2026 (203 runs at 188 SRs), Iyer has constantly reminded KKR what a terrible mistake they made at the end of 2024.

It was not just the unceremonious dismissal that hurt Shreyas. To add insult to injury, the credit for KKR’s title win went entirely to Gautam Gambhir, who moved to the Indian team after that season.

Iyer went back in IPL Auction pool after many, many years. Ricky Ponting’s Punjab Kings bought him for Rs 26.75 crore, and the rest, they say, is history. Under a more loving ecosystem, Shreyas Iyer carried himself forward in IPL 2025 and scored 604 runs at a ridiculous strike rate of 175. He was the chief architect of Punjab reaching their first IPL final in over a decade, but unfortunately, the mission remained incomplete.

IPL 2025 shock

A poor day on the field meant Punjab failed to chase 191 in the summit clash of the IPL 2025 season. They not only failed but also collapsed badly, at one point their score was staggering at 94/8 and their hopes of winning the title were gone.

Now keep that figure, 191, in your mind. This is important, but we’ll come back to it a little later.

| MI vs PBKS: Live Updates | Achievement: |

But that incredible 2025 run was not enough to include him in the Indian T20I squad, which was preparing for the T20 World Cup 2026. Shreyas made a comeback into the team in January this year following a nervous call from the selectors, who wanted to have a replacement ready for India’s struggling middle order.

But that was about it.

However, this did not affect Iyer and his team, Punjab Kings. After losing the 2025 final, Punjab returned to the current edition of the IPL with a goal to win the competition. And they showed it by winning four of their first five matches. They could have also won the fifth match, but the game against Kolkata Knight Riders was abandoned due to rain, when Punjab dominated the hosts in the powerplay.

Players like Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen have held on in individual games, giving Punjab an unbeaten start to the tournament. But amidst the raging adrenaline, it is the ice-cold nerves of Shreyas Iyer who has continued to maintain order in the Punjab team this season.

Now, remember the ‘191’ we talked about? Lakshya, Punjab bottled up in IPL final?

Perhaps this wound has hit Punjab so deep that they are not ready to give up the chase of even a single target this season.

Punjab Kings: New chasing specialist

Punjab Kings are chasing three targets in IPL 2026. They made a strong start against Gujarat Titans away from home, which they almost thrashed. Young Cooper Connolly pulled the team out of trouble, helping Punjab score 163 runs in 19.1 overs.

If the chase against GT was long, Punjab rectified its mistakes in the next match. Against Chennai Super Kings, they batted with authority and chased down the target of 210 in just 18.4 overs.

Their next target against Sunrisers Hyderabad was even better, as Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya reached the target of 220 runs in 18.5 overs.

And on Thursday, Punjab did the same thing again and while chasing 196 runs, achieved the target in just 16.3 overs.

There are two common themes: one, that he is getting steadily better in the run chase, and two, that after almost giving up the first game, Shreyas Iyer has taken the responsibility of scoring runs on himself in IPL 2026.

Against CSK: 50 runs in 29 balls (SR 172)
Against SRH: 69* off 33 balls (SR 209)
Against MI: 66 runs in 35 balls (SR 189)

Shreyas Iyer brought tears to MI’s eyes

Shreyas’s batting this season has inspired Virat Kohli, perhaps the greatest chase-master in white-ball history. But in Shreyas’ case, it is not the calm, collected and calculated approach that comes across.

But it’s the arrogance in his shot-making, the arrogance in his stance aimed at the opposition, that constantly throws a unique message at them: I’m going to knock you out of the park, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

in his Latest chase against Mumbai IndiansIyer began his innings with a cover drive off Allah Ghazanfar, who had just taken two wickets. But the wickets column did not bother Iyer at all. Early on, he gave a lot of strike to Prabhsimran Singh, who did not face many balls in the powerplay, and then took matters into his own hands later on.

Once set, Iyer really leaned towards Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur, making the pair look ordinary on their home ground. It is not every day that Bumrah comes up with figures of 4-0-41-0, which are as expensive as Shardul’s 3-0-42-1.

Iyer’s innings ended with a sensational catch by Naman Dheer in the 16th over, but by then Punjab had scored 184 runs, which was less than 10 runs away from its target.

At the post-match presentation ceremony, the Punjab captain’s confidence was at its peak as he had gained a lot of confidence from the win.

Shreyas Iyer said, “Definitely confident and optimistic going forward. I think the way we have been playing so far has been phenomenal. And at the same time, we have got our head on our shoulders. We know that each game that we are going to come on the field will be important for us as a team and as a unit. So it is overall a collective effort and I am happy that we came today and got that comprehensive win.” Post-match presentation.

His swag was also at its peak. When asked about the game-changing moment, Iyer did not talk about his batting but pointed to the incredible gravity-defying effort he made to dismiss Quinton de Kock.

A relay catch, Iyer threw himself backwards over the boundary ropes, saved a six and threw the ball back into play for Xavier Bartlett to complete a safe catch. The scorecard will never remember this effort, but whoever witnessed it will never forget it.

“We have a tendency to take the game back, even against SRH the way we bowled after the powerplay, people came together and said, OK, we will make sure to deny the boundaries as much as possible and stay in the present and enjoy the moment rather than thinking about the game beyond,” Iyer said.

Iyer concluded, “I have seen the huge crowd coming in the last few matches and the way they are cheering. I think the fan base is definitely increasing and it is great to see people coming in large numbers to cheer for us, support and shower their love.”

He may be out of the Indian T20I team, he may be out of captaincy consideration, but Shreyas Iyer proves time and again that he is one of the best players in the world when it comes to cricket across all formats.

His logic-defying catches, his attack on Bumrah are proof that this is his time, and it would be a serious mistake for India if they missed it, as KKR did when they let him go after the IPL 2024 season.

ipl 2026 | ipl schedule | ipl points table | ipl player stats | purple cap | orange cap | ipl video | cricket news | live score

– ends

गौरतलब है कि प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने 14 अप्रैल को दून-दिल्ली एक्सप्रेसवे का उद्घाटन किया था। जिसके बाद इसे सार्वजनिक वाहनों के लिए खोल दिया गया है। अब दिल्ली का सफर पांच घंटे की जगह करीब तीन घंटे में पूरा हो रहा है. उत्तराखंड परिवहन निगम ने एक्सप्रेस-वे के जरिए करीब 16 बसों का संचालन शुरू कर दिया है।

देहरादून-दिल्ली एक्सप्रेस-वे: अब 12 किलोमीटर लंबे अंडरपास की एक साल की स्टडी शुरू, 245 कैमरा ट्रैप लगाए गए

पिछले दिनों निगम ने ट्रायल के लिए कुछ बसें इसी रूट से दिल्ली भेजी थीं। इन बसों ने तीन घंटे में अपना सफर पूरा किया. इसके अलावा प्रति यात्रा खर्च में भी कमी आई है. ऐसे में निगम ने यात्रियों को तोहफा देते हुए किराया कम कर दिया है.

ग्रामीण डिपो के सहायक महाप्रबंधक प्रतीक जैन ने बताया कि एक्सप्रेस-वे से बसों में सफर करने वाले यात्रियों की संख्या बढ़ रही है। किराया कम होने के बाद अधिक यात्री आ रहे हैं। जरूरत पड़ने पर बसों की संख्या और बढ़ाई जाएगी।

Mennu Batra’s daughter appeals for her mother’s release from illegal ICE detention in the US. (Photo: CBS)

Amrita Singh, daughter of Texas-based Indian-origin legal interpreter Meenu Batra, who was detained by ICE since March 17, has broken her silence on the inhumane treatment of people in America’s ‘broken’ immigration system. “Who is benefiting from breaking up families? This country was built by immigrants and I am proud to be their daughter. Please help us bring my mother home,” Singh wrote in a social media post. “She immigrated to this country from India in the early 90s after my grandparents tragically passed away. Despite experiencing unimaginable grief and trauma, she came to the United States to be reunited with the rest of her family. He applied for asylum upon arrival (after a 9-year wait), and was granted a stay of removal by an immigration judge in Newark, New Jersey in 2000. With that security, Amrita wrote, she has been working and living in the United States for 35 years now. Four siblings, Amrita, Lucas, Aryan, Jasper sat down for an interview with CBS News and spoke to their mother over video call. Batra said in the CBS interview, “I have lived an honest life, worked hard, raised four children by myself. My work speaks for itself.” When Batra was asked what her ‘stay on removal’ status meant, she said, “I’m here, I’m legal, and I won’t be removed, so I have nothing to worry about. I can live and work. And that’s all I wanted to do.” Batra’s lawyers fear that DHS may send him to a third country because they cannot send him back to India.

Did Meenu Batra come to America legally?

After the incident became widely known, a major controversy arose over whether Batra had come to the US legally. Based on what we know so far, Batra fled to the US when her parents were murdered. He applied for asylum which was not granted; But he was given a status that cannot be removed. This status allowed Batra to live and work in the US legally, but she could never apply for citizenship. DHS said Batra’s legal work authorization in the US does not make him a legal resident.

The ruins of the Honiak Music Academy after the strike.

New Delhi: In the shattered remains of his 15-year-old music school, Iranian musician Hamidreza Afrideh sat on the debris-strewn floor, took out his bow and played with a kamancheh, what he called “the final sound” of a life’s work turning to dust.A few weeks after an attack destroyed the Honiak Academy of Music, Afrideh went back to the dangerous ruins on April 7, 2026, and recorded a harrowing video that traveled far beyond Tehran, capturing his moments of deep grief after the academy was destroyed and severely damaged by an airstrike on March 23.

The Honiak Music Academy, once a classroom, is now a field of debris.

“Today was the last day to say goodbye to my school. I wanted the last sound left in this place to be the sound of music…not explosions and missiles,” Afrideh wrote the same day in a now-viral post. Within days, their images and clips were viewed millions of times on Instagram,“

Honiak Music Academy before the strike.

talking to times of India Afrideh recalled the day of the attack from Tehran. “I felt that a very important part of our memories, and the sounds that could have continued in that place – sounds that many artists could hear, see and live with for years – were suddenly destroyed by a missile and a drone.” The academy, built over a decade and a half by Afarideh and his wife Shida Ibadatdoust, is what they call “their shared life project.”“We worked with very limited resources, relying only on our dreams and dedication to build this academy. It is extremely hard to lose it suddenly. All our hard work, efforts, continuous action to bring people closer to music and instruments was lost in a single night. It is very difficult to accept this. Whatever we have built over the years…it will take many years to recover from this loss.”

The Honiak Music Academy, once a classroom, is now a field of debris.

Despite the risk of collapse, he returned to the damaged building. “I knew it was very dangerous… but I felt that if I didn’t record this sound, it would be in my heart forever. I probably wouldn’t be able to (survive) after this… I felt I had to go out there and make it the last image and the last sound left from this safe space we created.”For years, the academy echoed with children’s laughter, parents’ warm conversations and the sound of Persian classical music. The teacher says that voice disappeared after the attack. For Afarideh, the viral moment has drawn global attention — but it also underlined, he says, “the reality of war and destruction” faced by his 250 students — ranging from children to the elderly — and 22 teachers. His video has become a global plea for recognition of the cost of war, not only in bodies and infrastructure, but in the fragile ecosystem of art, memory and creativity that takes decades to create and minutes to erase.Taking shape over more than a decade, he calls the place a “second home,” where students come not only to learn music, but also to feel seen and felt – for him, too, this loss has been personal. “Students, who were supposed to return someday, are now scattered, stunned, and struggling to deal with what happened. One child crossed the building with his mother and did not speak for hours afterward. All students are going through the same emotions.“Yet even in destruction, Afarideh insists on the universal power of art. He said, “Music…is a symbol of freedom.” “In times of war, it can heal – even if just a little – the pain of those who have lost everything.”

यूपी के कौशांबी जिले में आम जनता की समस्याओं के त्वरित समाधान के लिए पुलिस अधीक्षक सत्यनारायण प्रजापत ने पुलिस कार्यालय में जनसुनवाई का आयोजन किया. इस दौरान जिले के विभिन्न क्षेत्रों से बड़ी संख्या में लोग अपनी शिकायतें लेकर पहुंचे. एसपी ने सभी फरियादियों की समस्याओं को गंभीरता से सुना और संबंधित अधिकारियों को त्वरित कार्रवाई करने का निर्देश दिया. उन्होंने साफ कहा कि पुलिस का मुख्य उद्देश्य जनता को न्याय दिलाना है, इसलिए किसी भी शिकायत को हल्के में नहीं लिया जाएगा। इस पहल से लोगों में यह विश्वास बढ़ा है कि उनकी समस्याओं का समाधान जल्द होगा.

जनसुनवाई में सुनी समस्याएं
जनसुनवाई के दौरान जिले के विभिन्न क्षेत्रों से आये लोगों ने पुलिस अधीक्षक के समक्ष अपनी समस्याएं रखीं. इनमें भूमि विवाद, घरेलू मामले, मारपीट, धोखाधड़ी समेत अन्य शिकायतें शामिल थीं। एसपी ने एक-एक शिकायत को ध्यान से सुना और मौके पर ही संबंधित थाना प्रभारी को आवश्यक दिशा-निर्देश दिये. उन्होंने कहा कि हर व्यक्ति को अपनी समस्या बताने का पूरा अधिकार है और पुलिस को उसकी मदद के लिए तैयार रहना चाहिए.

निष्पक्ष जांच और गुणवत्ता पर जोर
मामले की गंभीरता को देखते हुए पुलिस अधीक्षक ने स्पष्ट निर्देश दिये कि सभी शिकायतों की निष्पक्षता से जांच की जाये. उन्होंने कहा कि सिर्फ औपचारिकताएं पूरी करना ही काफी नहीं है, बल्कि शिकायत का उचित और ठोस समाधान भी होना चाहिए. उन्होंने थाना प्रभारी को मौके पर जाकर जांच कर सत्यता के आधार पर कार्रवाई करने का निर्देश दिया, ताकि पीड़ित को वास्तविक न्याय मिल सके.

समयबद्ध निस्तारण के निर्देश
एसपी सत्यनारायण प्रजापत ने भी सभी अधिकारियों को शिकायतों का निस्तारण तय समय सीमा में करने के निर्देश दिए। उन्होंने कहा कि मामलों को लंबित रखना उचित नहीं है और इससे जनता का विश्वास कमजोर होता है. इसलिए प्रत्येक मामले को प्राथमिकता के आधार पर यथाशीघ्र निस्तारित किया जाए।

जनता का विश्वास बढ़ाने की पहल
इस जनसुनवाई कार्यक्रम का मुख्य उद्देश्य पुलिस और जनता के बीच विश्वास को मजबूत करना है. एसपी ने कहा कि पुलिस हमेशा जनता के साथ खड़ी है और उनकी समस्याओं का समाधान करना उसकी जिम्मेदारी है. ऐसे आयोजनों से लोगों को सीधे अपनी बात कहने का मौका मिलता है और न्याय मिलने की उम्मीद भी बढ़ती है।

(रिपोर्ट: राम किशन, कौशांबी)

FC Goa Development Team has made it to the finals of RFDL for the first time

Panaji: If he had enough options, FC Goa Coach Manolo Marquez said he will field 11 Goa players for the senior team Indian Super League (ISL).He doesn’t have enough right now. For the last fixture against Odisha FC, Manolo chose goalkeeper Bob Jackson Raj and midfielder Harsh Patre for rare starting roles, while Bryson Fernandes was a second-half substitute.“We have to continue to work at the grassroots level in the academy to ensure that development team players progress to the senior team,” Manolo told reporters during his pre-match media interaction last week. “Some players have already trained with us, played some games. It is not just about including Goan players (in the senior team). They should be ready.”This season, Citroy Carvalho, Malsavamtlunga, Wellington Fernandes, Jovial Dias and Lionel Rimmei were given the opportunity to train with the senior team. Centre-back Citroë, one of the development team’s most promising players, also featured in the AFC Champions League Two and the Super Cup.Prachit Gaonkar was another player who graduated from the junior to the senior team last season and subsequently featured in the ISL, a long tradition that has seen a stable lineup of players progress since 2018.Manolo said, “The young players are doing well with the development team. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the team for making the semi-finals for the second consecutive time. Goa is the only team to do this (for two consecutive years) and that tells you the quality. It is not easy, and there are a lot of Goan players in the team.”Manolo was congratulating the team for making it to the knockout stage of the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL), an under-21 tournament for the country’s best teams. Last season, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Classic FA, Jamshedpur and FC Goa made it to the last four. This time, Goa remains the only team from last season’s quartet to enter the knockout stage and has in fact done better by qualifying for the final where they will face bengaluru fc On Saturday.It will not be an easy contest for Goa against an impeccable Bengaluru side, whose team is loaded with some of the best young footballers in the country, most of whom hail from Manipur. Their 10–0 aggregate win against Kerala Blasters in the semi-finals came as no surprise to those who followed the competition.It is commendable for Goa to reach the final for the first time.“It’s not easy with so many top teams and elite young players,” Manolo said.The experienced former coach of India has a point. Recently, sixteen players of India Under-20 SAFF Championship team participated in the semi-finals of four teams. Of the 64 players in the field, Goa and Kerala had 11 players each from the state, which is the second best after Manipur (25).“I think technically, the Goans are very good players, but in modern football it is not enough. Maybe in the past, this quality (alone) would have been good, but now you need to think quick. It is not about being strong, but about being smart. When you receive the ball, you know the opponent will press, so you have to be able to improvise and adapt.Manolo said, “If you look at the Goa Professional League, all the teams play from the back. Technically, the Goan players are fine, but we need something more in terms of physicality and everything else. If Goa continues to work at the grassroots level, in the academy, you will soon see a lot of Goan players in the senior team.”This will be music to the youth of FC Goa.Manolo was in the stands for the semi-final against Punjab FC and went to the team after sealing their place in the final. Next season, he will definitely welcome some of them to the senior team.