Latest news with #Mhatre
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Sena (UBT), MNS workers in joint protest in Dombivali
Saurabha Kulshreshtha MUMBAI: A protest over an incomplete bridge in Dombivali has assumed importance well beyond the inconvenience it's been causing – it's being seen as a possible bridge between two political rivals, whose possible rapprochement could trigger a political realignment ahead of upcoming local elections. The agitation over the bridge at Palava township on the Shil-Kalyan Road comes amid speculation of a reunion of the Thackeray cousins – and an alliance of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by them. Local leaders of the two parties joined forces on Saturday, taking on a common political foe – the Shiv Sena. The development, although local in scope, left political parties and observers wondering whether the Sena (UBT) and MNS might reconcile, at least at the grassroots, given that party workers are keen on a thaw in relations. The bridge has been under construction for seven years, leading to traffic congestion in the area. Local leaders of the Sena led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde had promised to make sure that the work would be completed by May 31 but failed to keep their promise. Saturday's protest, at around 11 am on site, was led by Deepesh Mhatre, Dombivali chief of the Sena (UBT). Not long after, Raju Patil, local MNS leader and former MLA from the Kalyan rural constituency, turned up with party workers. Patil had lost the assembly election in November 2024 to Rajesh More of the Sena. The agitation turned into a joint protest by the Sena (UBT) and MNS, which have been at loggerheads till recently. Speaking at the protest, both Mhatre and Patil slammed Sena leaders for offering hollow assurances regarding the bridge. Vaishali Darekar, chief of the Sena (UBT)'s women's wing, was also present during the protest. The battle for dominance in the region assumes significance in view of the civic elections due later this year. Mhatre and Patil are both struggling to make an impact in the Kalyan-Dombivali region even as the Sena led by Eknath Shinde, particularly party MP Shrikant Shinde, have adopted an aggressive approach against these two leaders. The united front by the Sena (UBT) and MNS on Saturday is seen as a possible alliance of these two parties, at least in the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation elections. Mhatre said every 'Marathi monoos' wants to see the Thackeray cousins working together but they were not at liberty to take a decision on this. 'Both parties, and their leaders and party workers, are united on the issues of the common man. We have come out on the street to raise our voice on the suffering of the common man. This bridge has remained incomplete for seven years. People and vehicle owners daily suffer due to the traffic jams,' said Mhatre. Patil said: 'There is speculation about an alliance between the two parties but a decision will be taken at the party leadership level. But here, in Kalyan-Dombivali, we came together to raise our voices on a people's issue. This bridge at Palava is a long-pending issue and people are suffering as it is still incomplete.' Last month, in a podcast with filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar, MNS chief Raj Thackeray had said he was willing to set aside differences with his cousin and Sena ((UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray in the interests of the 'Marathi manoos'. Within hours, Uddhav responded, saying he too would set aside petty fights for Marathi pride but insisted that his cousin stop hobnobbing with Mahayuti leaders. While senior Sena (UBT) leaders have been speaking in favour of a reunion of the estranged cousins, there has been no further word on the issue from the Thackeray cousins themselves.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
CSK: An exciting future wrapped by the Dhoni question
Kolkata: It's been one of those mystifying seasons where Chennai Super Kings started off looking dangerously outdated but ended with a promising future. Eight defeats in the first 10 matches of the league phase had severely dented CSK's playoffs chances before the ignominy was completed in the form of a last-spot finish. Yet there is hope. In Urvil Patel, Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis, CSK have unearthed batting chutzpah they have been lacking for some time now. Season over, the onus is on CSK to not let go of this exciting batting core. None of them were in the original roster, which wasn't bad to begin with. Rachin Ravindra's international form was too good to be ignored, and it was only prudent that CSK tried to temper his edge with the calm assurance of Devon Conway. That didn't work out well. Ruturaj Gaikwad could have been a differentiating factor but an elbow injury cut short his stint. Shivam Dube had made his name as a middle-overs enforcer but too often was he forced to play as an anchor. Till Mhatre, Patel and Brevis were signed on, and CSK's batting got an instant makeover. Young and fearless, the trio injected much needed bravado into CSK's batting. Between Mhatre and Brevis, 465 runs were scored at a strike rate of nearly 185. In just three matches, Patel has zoomed to a strike rate of 212.5. Twice in their last two matches has CSK passed 200, and on Sunday they had scored their highest total and their biggest win of the season, beating Gujarat Titans by 83. None of that would have happened without these three. 'I was more worried about the batting department; at the end of the day, you have to score runs,' said MS Dhoni after the match. 'But now, looking at how everybody is contributing, we look like a side who can put runs on the board, and the maneuvering with the bowlers becomes slightly easy. Yes, there are still a few holes that we would like to fill. But one of the most important things was when Rutu (Gaikwad) comes back next season, at least we are able to give him a team where he just needs to fit in maybe one in the playing XI and he doesn't have to worry about too many things.' Dhoni, however, remains the biggest elephant in the room. He will be almost 45 when the next IPL comes around, but there is still no clarity on his role next year. 'It depends. Again, I would say the same thing: I have four-five months to decide, there's no hurry to decide what needs to be done,' Dhoni said. 'Every year, it's 15% more effort to keep the body fit - not to forget this is top-level cricket. It's professional cricket—you have to be at your best—and it's not always performance that you can count, because if cricketers start retiring because of performance then a few of them will retire when they're 22.' To think that the captaincy keeps circling back to Dhoni says something about CSK are placed leadership wise. Not to mention, this is a franchise where Dhoni's word is gospel. He is still agile behind the wickets, and no one is a better reader of the game in this format. The strike rate (135.17) isn't bad for someone who bats around 10-15 balls per game and is often found out against spinners. The team is trying to time his entry as batter, but for how long is a question worth asking. Invaluable however is the team-builder aspect in him that can hone new talent like Patel, Mhatre and Anshul Kamboj. And there is no denying that much is left to build of the core that can satisfy Dhoni to the extent that he can call time on his career. Till then, we can continue asking, and he can keep us guessing.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
IPL 2025: It's future tense for Gujarat Titans
Heavy loss to CSK may see current table toppers lose out on Qualifier 1 AHMEDABAD: (CSK) displayed remarkable batting prowess at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, with their mid-season acquisitions Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, and Dewald Brevis leading the charge to post an impressive 230/5 against Gujarat Titans. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The five-time IPL champions complemented their batting with excellent fielding and bowling to secure an 83-run victory. Despite this commanding win, CSK finished last in the ten-team standings with eight points. GT accumulated 18 points, but their recent defeats put their top-two position in doubt, pending other results. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. The triumph was initially built on Mhatre's 34 (17b, 3x4, 3x6) in the powerplay, aggressive batting in the middle overs by Urvil (37 off 19b; 4x4, 2x6) and Shivam Dube (17 off 8b; 2x6), and Brevis' (57 off 23b; 4x4, 5x6) scintillating hitting in the death overs. The fireworks started as early as the second over when Mhatre took a special liking to Arshad Khan hitting him for 28 runs. He slammed two sixes over long-on and mid-wicket. He followed it up with two fours on either side of the wicket. The 17-year-old then hooked the left-arm pacer for a maximum over long leg as CSK galloped to 34 in two overs. Prasidh Krishna (2/22) was introduced in the fourth over, and Mhatre who tried to keep going, skied one to mid-off where Mohammad Siraj took a good overhead catch. Urvil flicked Siraj over mid-wicket for a maximum to get going. He hit left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore over deep mid-wicket before falling to the left-arm spinner who had Patel lofting him to skipper Shubman Gill at extra cover. More Than a Team: The Rise of CSK & the Whistle Podu Army Dube smashed two maximums before being caught by Gerald Coetzee off Shahrukh Khan's part-time offspin. Devon Conway (52 off 35b; 6x4, 2x6), at the other end, helped himself to a half-century before being castled by Rashid Khan, as CSK reached 156/4 in the 14th over. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Thereafter, Brevis and Ravindra Jadeja (21* off 18b; 1x4, 1x6) added 74 off 39 balls for the fifth wicket. Brevis showed no mercy on any of the bowlers, depositing Rashid, Siraj (twice), Coetzee, and Prasidh into the stands. In pursuit, the Titans never got going, with Gill (13) edging to Urvil in slips off Anshul Kamboj. Soon, Buttler (5) and Rutherford (0) were sent back by Khaleel Ahmed and Kamboj (3/13), as the Titans slipped to 35/3 in the powerplay. B Sai Sudharsan (41) and Shahrukh (19) added 55 for the fourth wicket before Jadeja (2/17) had both the batters caught at backward point in the 11th over. The lower order tried, but it was too much to do as the Titans were bowled out for 147. Left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad (3/21) leapfrogged Prasidh for the Purple Cap.
New Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Brevis, Mhatre, Urvil shine as CSK crush GT by 83 runs; finish bottom for first time
Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre and Urvil Patel were not even part of Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) squad at the start of IPL 2025. Picked as mid-season replacements, the trio played bright knocks in CSK's final game of the season, offering hope that the future could be just as bright. After 17-year-old Mhatre and local boy Urvil set the platform with blazing 30s, Brevis cracked a 19-ball half-century on a hot afternoon in Ahmedabad. The upshot was CSK finishing with 230 for 5, their highest total in IPL 2025, and signing off with a win. Chennai Super Kings beat Gujarat Titans by 83 runs in what was the final league game for both teams in this season's IPL. The result meant GT missed a golden opportunity to finish in the top two as they will now have to rely on other results. For CSK, the victory was bittersweet, as they finished the campaign at the bottom spot, the first time it has ever happened in IPL history. Chasing a steep target of 231, Gujarat Titans were bowled out for 147 in 18.3 overs. CSK captain MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. Dewald Brevis and Devon Conway slammed half-centuries to help CSK post a mammoth 230 for 5. Brevis top-scored with a 23-ball 53 before perishing on the final ball of the innings. Conway also struck 52 off 35 balls, but his knock was slightly overshadowed by cameos from Mhatre (34 off 17) and Urvil Patel (37 off 19), who scored at strike rates of 200 and 194 respectively, ensuring the runs came at a fast clip for CSK. Mhatre, CSK's youngest player ever, is an intent machine. When Mohammed Siraj bowled a blameless back-of-a-length delivery on top of the stumps in the first over, he pumped him straight past mid-on for four. In the next over, he clattered left-arm seamer Arshad Khan for a sequence of 6, 6, 4, 4, 6. By the end of that over, Mhatre had raced to 33 off 12 balls. Prasidh Krishna, however, ended Mhatre's innings on 34 off 17 balls in the fourth over with a clever slower variation. CSK were not short of attacking enterprise, though. Urvil got going with an M Vijay-esque six off Siraj and, along with Devon Conway, took CSK to 68 for 1, their joint-highest powerplay score this season. Having come into the IPL with a reputation for being a pace-hitter in domestic cricket, Urvil also took on the spin of R Sai Kishore and Rashid Khan. He moved to 37 off 19 balls before Sai Kishore changed his angle to over the wicket and drew a mis-hit. Conway, becalmed in the early exchanges, exploded when he carted Rashid for two sixes before the wrist-spinner bowled him for 52 off 35 balls in the 14th over. By then, Shivam Dube had already been dismissed by the part-time off-spin of M Shahrukh Khan. GT's chase never truly began. They lost three wickets in the powerplay for the first time this season, which exposed their soft underbelly. CSK cut through it clinically to hand them an 83-run drubbing. Sunday's defeat now leaves GT vulnerable to being overtaken by two of the other three teams in the playoffs. Kamboj wrapped up the win for CSK. Dhoni took an easy catch as Kamboj finished with 3 for 13. Sai Kishore became the last GT batter to fall. The result is irrelevant for CSK as they finished at the bottom for the first time in IPL history. For GT, it was a missed opportunity to seal a top-two finish and they will now depend on other outcomes to determine their path in the playoffs. Chennai Super Kings 230 for 5 (Brevis 53, Conway 52, Prasidh 2-22) beat Gujarat Titans 147 (Sai Sudharsan 41, Kamboj 3-13, Noor 3-21) by 83 runs.
Mint
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Mint
Brevis, Conway fire CSK to 83-run win, dent GTs hopes of a top-2 finish
Ahmedabad, May 25 (PTI) Gujarat Titans' hopes of a top-two finish in the IPL suffered a massive dent when they went down by 83 runs to Chennai Super Kings, who were powered by fifty-makers Devon Conway and Dewald Brevis, here Sunday. The Titans have 18 points after a full set of 14 league matches and are still on top of the table despite the Net Run Rate taking a nose dive after this big defeat. To maintain their position inside the top two, GT now require Royal Challengers Bengaluru (17 points) to go down to Lucknow Super Kings in their final league match. It's important because either Mumbai Indians (16) or Punjab Kings (17 points) will overtake GT with a win from their face-off. Cutting back to the match, once asked to chase a stiff 231, the Titans floundered badly losing in-form skipper Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler and Sherfane Rutherford in the Power Play passage itself with just 35 runs on the board. The Gujarat side was bowled out for 147 in 18.3 overs. Pacer Anshul Kamboj did the early damage, claiming the wickets of Gill and Rutherford. Sai Sudharsan (41, 28b), the latest entrant into the India Test squad, and his Tamil Nadu team-mate M Shahrukh Khan (19) added 55 runs for the fourth wicket to infuse some interest into the chase. But left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja returned for his second spell to dismiss both Sudharsan and Shahrukh in the space of four balls in the 11th over, and the match effectively ended at that point. CSK finished their IPL 2025 engagements at the bottom of the pile with eight points from 14 matches, the five-time champions' worst ever finish in the 10-team league. Earlier, seasoned Conway and promising Brevis produced fifties of contrasting character, laying the foundation for Chennai Super Kings' healthy 230 for five. Once the Super Kings elected to bat on a super hot afternoon, Conway and Brevis led the charge with a 52 off 35 balls, and a 23-ball 57 on a smooth pitch. But Conway's knock was put to shade a bit by cameos by Ayush Mhatre (34, 17b) and Urvil Patel (37, 19b), who made runs at a respective strike rate of 200 and 194, ensured runs came at a fast clip for CSK. The CSK raced out of the paddock, making 44 in just 3.4 overs, courtesy Mhatre's brutal assault on pacer Arshad Khan. Mhatre carved Arshad for 2, 6, 6, 4, 4, 6 in the second over to milk 28 runs and Chennai rarely let that momentum slip. Mhatre, who was recently appointed as the India U19 skipper, soon fell to Prasidh Krishna, skying him to Mohammed Siraj in the deep. But Urvil continued the aggressive ways, while adding 63 runs for the second wicket with Conway. The highlight of his innings was a pick-up shot he played against veteran spinner Rashid Khan that sailed over his head for a six. It's one thing to play that shot against pacers, but to impart timing and power to it against a spinner is totally another thing. However, Urvil perished to left-arm spinner Sai Kishore immediately after hammering him for a six. On the other hand, Conway showed a rare moment of aggression, launching Rashid for a six over long-on but was clean bowled in the very next ball. But Brevis, who smashed India pacer Siraj for 6, 6, 4, justified his 'Baby ABD' tag to perfection, smashing GT bowlers all around the park. The South African played a belligerent knock of his own to raise 74 runs for the entertaining fifth wicket alliance with Jadeja in which the latter contributed just 21 off 18 balls. It was the CSK's young batters' final innings of this IPL, and it might have given a note of optimism for the management too for the next season.
