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Every year is a new challenge: Dhoni ahead of last IPL 2025 game for CSK
As Gujarat Titans host 5-time champions champions Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, it was possibly the last time the fans saw MS Dhoni wear that CSK shirt in the IPL as he won the toss and chose to bat first on the day.
Former Indian cricket Ravi Shastri did try to ask the 'Captain Cool' about how his body has been taking the intensity this season and hinted towards probably an answer for will this be farewell or is there another season on the cards for the 43-year-old. However, Dhoni deflected the question to his best and just commented on the experience he had this year.
MS Dhoni after the toss vs GT: We will bat first. It (pitch) looks nice and hard, think it will remain the same throughout the 40 overs. It's quite hot, looks like a good track. It's (his body) surviving. Every year is a new challenge. It needs a lot of maintainance. Didn't trouble me enough when I was playing international cricket. Chennai is very nice after 3.30-4pm, this is different heat, on the drier side. We are last in the table, we will still remain last, if win or lose. Need to enjoy our cricket. We have one change. Hooda is back for Ashwin. They are a good side, they play authentic cricket. Need to bowl tight lines, otherwise the batters will punish you.
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The Print
28 minutes ago
- The Print
Bengaluru stampede: 4 held after suo motu FIR, senior police officers suspended as blame game continues
On Thursday, the police had filed a suo motu FIR accusing the RCB franchise, DNA Entertainment and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) administrative committee for going ahead with the celebrations, despite not being given the requisite permissions. Among the four held is Royal Challengers Bengaluru marketing head Nikhil Sosale. The others arrested are Kiran Kumar, Senior Event Manager at DNA Entertainment Networks; Sunil Mathew, Vice-President of business affairs; and another employee, Sumanth. Bengaluru: Two days after 11 people were killed and several injured in a stampede outside Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru Police have arrested four persons, including a top RCB official and three from the event management firm that organised the team's IPL victory celebrations. Hours later, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the suspension of Bengaluru city police chief B. Dayananda and at least four other senior officers, holding them responsible for the tragedy. The officers were suspended for facilitating a situation that 'went out of control and brought a lot of misery, loss of precious life and embarrassment to the government', among other reasons. The victims of Wednesday's stampede were all aged under 33, with the youngest being 13 years old. 'The CEO of RCB had intimated Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City on 03/06/2025 about holding the victory parade and celebrations on 4th of June 2025. However, the office of Police Commissioner failed to give written reply to the organisers, rejecting the permission on the grounds of lack of time to prepare for such a huge event,' read the suspension order released to media persons late Thursday evening. The suspended officers include commissioner Dayananda, Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Vikash Kumar Vikash, Shekar H. Tekkannavar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central), and Additional Commissioner (Cubbon Park) Cubbon Park inspector A.K. Girish, who had filed the suo motu FIR, was also suspended by the chief minister. Seemanth Kumar Singh was named the new city police commissioner soon after, as decided in a cabinet meeting. Siddaramaiah was flanked by Home Minister G. Parameshwara, and Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru in-charge D.K. Shivakumar, as the announcement was made. The blame was laid on the police, organisers and the venue operators, with the government taking no responsibility. Also Read: 'My brother was crazy about cricket, it took his life': Chinnaswamy stampede leaves families devastated What the FIR said According to the complaint filed by Girish, KSCA chief executive officer Shubendu Ghosh had approached the Cubbon Park Police Station Tuesday evening around 6 pm, seeking permission for a victory parade and other celebrations for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The team won its maiden IPL trophy later that night and fans poured out on the streets in several localities in celebration, which lasted till the early hours of Wednesday. The police were skeptical as they expected hundreds of thousands of people to descend around the stadium, the FIR said. The police were aware of the challenges in providing security and managing crowds since it was not a scheduled match, and denied permission on the same grounds, including that it would disrupt traffic in the central business district on a weekday, it added. But RCB, DNA Entertainment and KSCA insisted on holding the celebrations on 4 June, the FIR further said, and despite being denied permission, the organisers posted on RCB's X handle at around 7 am about the entire day's events, including the celebrations. This information was then shared widely on social media and also by news outlets. A meeting of senior officers was then held to discuss provision of security and other arrangements to manage the crowd. The police had also brought in additional force, according to the FIR. RCB's post had said that the team would land at 1.30 pm Wednesday at HAL Airport, and then make their way to Hotel Taj West End to rest up. At 4 pm, they were supposed to be felicitated by the chief minister, deputy chief minister and others on the steps of the Vidhana Soudha, which was to be followed by a victory parade in an open-top bus from the Vidhana Soudha to Chinnaswamy stadium, a distance of about 1 km. But the police denied permission for a parade, and the organisers then announced that the celebrations would be held at Chinnaswamy Stadium. The complaint further said that adequate arrangements had been made, but lakhs of fans turned up near the stadium, which has a capacity of 35,000. 'KSCA management committee and RCB franchise officials failed to decide on how to grant fans entry into the stadium. Consequently, thousands of fans gathered on the roads outside the stadium. Around 3.10 pm, the gates at the locations with the largest crowds were opened to let people inside. This led to a severe stampede at the gates, resulting in stampede and commotion,' it read. It added that the police, private and VVIP security personnel then tried to control the crowd and rescue those trapped in the stampede, managing to avert a larger tragedy. RCB, DNA and KSCA have been booked under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 118 (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by using dangerous weapons or means), 121 (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 190 (liability of members of an unlawful assembly for offences committed in pursuit of a common object), 132 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging their duty), and 125 (12) (acts endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. 'Want justice, not scapegoats' The Siddaramaiah government Thursday formed a one-man judicial commission to probe the stampede. Former Karnataka High Court judge Michael D' Cunha will look into the alleged lapses to figure out who was responsible for the mishap. The report will be submitted within a month. The government has so far deflected all questions on the role of political leadership in the tragedy. Police officers that ThePrint spoke to said that it was on the insistence of political leaders that the celebrations took place. Meanwhile, opposition parties have questioned Siddaramaiah over 'making scapegoats' out of the suspended police officers. 'CM @siddaramaiah avare, People of Karnataka are demanding justice, not scapegoats,' R. Ashoka, leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka assembly, wrote in a post. CM @siddaramaiah avare, People of Karnataka are demanding justice, not scapegoats. ಮಾನ್ಯ ಸಿಎಂ ಸಿದ್ದರಾಮಯ್ಯನವರೇ, ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಜನತೆ ನ್ಯಾಯ ಕೇಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ, ಹರಕೆಯ ಕುರಿಗಳನ್ನಲ್ಲ. — R. Ashoka (@RAshokaBJP) June 5, 2025 The state BJP president, B.Y. Vijayendra also posted: 'CM Siddaramaiah and his government, instead of taking accountability for the entire tragedy, are now attempting to deflect blame and make scapegoats out of the already overburdened police personnel—despite the fact that these officials had initially denied permission and were eventually overruled by political directives…' CM Siddaramaiah and his government, instead of taking accountability for the entire tragedy, are now attempting to deflect blame and make scapegoats out of the already overburdened police personnel – despite the fact that these officials had initially denied permission and were… — Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) June 5, 2025 The BJP has accused the government of not heeding to the advice of the police to not hold such celebrations, and then suspending the latter itself. 'How unfair is it to first ignore the well-reasoned advice of the police department, and now unjustly pinning the blame squarely on them? CM Siddaramaiah, DCM DK Shivakumar, and Home Minister @DrParameshwara bear complete responsibility for this tragic episode. They must own up their failure and resign from their positions in the larger interest of the state and its people,' Vijayenendra added. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Bengaluru stampede tragedy: What science tells us about crowd control
Hindustan Times
36 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Gautam Gambhir does U-turn on Shreyas Iyer's Test exclusion days after 'I'm not selector' remark: 'Anyone can be called'
India head coach Gautam Gambhir said anyone can earn a call-up into the national Test team considering they continue to perform in domestic cricket. The former India opening batter had this response when he was asked about Shreyas Iyer's exclusion from the Test team for the upcoming five-match series against England, beginning June 20 in Headingley. This remark comes days after Gambhir's 'I'm not the selector' remark in Delhi. The India head coach was asked about Shreyas' exclusion days after the squad announcement, and back then, he had deflected the query, saying he was not the selector. However, on Thursday evening, Gambhir had a rather measured response, saying a limited number of people can be picked in the squad, but the management is taking note of performances in domestic cricket. Shreyas is the toast of the town after he led the Punjab Kings to the final of the IPL 2025 season. The side might have lost the summit clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) but one cannot deny the right-hander's impact, considering he scored more than 600 runs at an average of more than 50. The 30-year-old has been out of the Test team since the 2024 series against England. He has performed consistently for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, but the call-up into the Test squad is still awaited. 'Anyone can be called if they are in good form. We can only pick 18. But I believe it's always about being open to people who are in good form and can deliver,' Gambhir told reporters in Mumbai ahead of the Indian team's departure for England. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired from Tests, and Shubman Gill will be leading in England, with Rishabh Pant acting as his deputy. Several fans believed Shreyas Iyer would be named in the Test team, considering he scored 480 runs at an average of 68.57 in seven innings in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season. Also Read: Agarkar drops verdict on snubbed Shreyas Iyer's Test future However, Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors and the rest of the committee ignored Shreyas in the squad and decided to name the likes of Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan and Abhimanyu Easwaran. Speaking to reporters, Ajit Agarkar said, "Yes, Shreyas Iyer has played well in domestic cricket, but at the moment, there is no room for him in the Test Team.' Iyer's last Test came against England in Vishakapatnam in 2024. The right-hander has played 14 Tests, scoring 811 runs at an average of 36.86. He also has a century and five fifties to his name.
The Hindu
37 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Bengaluru stampede: Police chief out, RCB named in FIR
On June 4, a shocking stampede claimed the lives of 11 and injured 56 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during celebrations for the victory of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL-2025. In the latest update, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced the suspension, pending inquiry, of Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda and all police officials with jurisdiction over the stadium area. Further, he announced a judicial inquiry by a one-man commission headed by former Karnataka High Court judge Michael D'Cunha. The State government has also informed the High Court that the probe in the case will be handed over to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). This follows soon after city police registered an FIR for culpable homicide, illegal assembly, and other serious charges, which named the RCB franchise; event management company DNA Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA). In a statement to the press following a special meeting of senior Ministers, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that 'prima facie dereliction of duty and negligence of police officials were noted and a decision to suspend them was taken.' He also said police officials had been directed to take stringent action and arrest representatives of RCB, the KSCA, and DNA Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Per the complaint, filed by Cubbon Park police inspector Girish A.K., the KSCA had approached the police on June 3, even before the IPL final was held, seeking permission to hold a celebration in the stadium on the evening of June 4 if RCB won the match. The complaint alleges that despite city police denying permission, the RCB team management 'unilaterally' announced a victory parade around the stadium on social media on the morning of June 4, causing large crowds to gather in the streets. The police have claimed that they denied permission over concerns about large crowds and security. The KSCA was, however, insistent on holding the event, they alleged, following which the police arranged for security. The complaint notes that the police had made elaborate security arrangements in and around the stadium on Tuesday (June 3) night, when thousands gathered to celebrate the RCB win. 'Lakhs of people gathered at the stadium for the programme and the crowd became uncontrollable due to the confusion of organisers on how to allow the people into the stadium which has a seating capacity of around 35,000. The stampede incident and chaos occurred at gate no. 2, 2A, 6, 7, 15,17, 18,20, and 21, resulting in the death of 11 people and injuring 56. The gathering of lakhs of people outside the stadium is due to the RCB announcement at their official website about the free entry pass distribution, leading to the incident,' the complainant stated. Sources have noted that the security deployment at the stadium was inadequate. An official notification said that senior IPS officer Seemanth Kumar Singh was posted as Bengaluru Police Commissioner until further orders. The Hindu's Editorials The Hindu's Daily Quiz Who broke World Champion D. Gukesh's run of classical wins in the ongoing Norway Chess tournament? Hikaru Nakamura Fabiano Caruana Magnus Carlsen Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here.
