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News18
an hour ago
- Sport
- News18
Who Is Kusal Mendis? GT's Replacement For Buttler Who Dropped Rohit Sharma, SKY
Last Updated: Kusal Mendis had a debut to forget in the IPL as he dropped two big chances to dismiss Rohit Sharma early into his innings. It was definitely not a debut to remember for the Sri Lankan international, Kusal Mendis, who was asked to replace the in-form English keeper, Jos Buttler, for the playoff stages of the Indian Premier League 2025 edition. In the first eliminator clash against the Gujarat Titans at the Mullanpur Stadium in Mohali, Mendis made two big mistakes, which could prove to be costly for the franchise. Mendis was roped in as Jos Buttler's replacement after the latter had to leave due to England's upcoming white-ball series against the West Indies at home. In turn, the Sri Lankan was roped in for Rs 75 Lakh. He had a debut to forget in the IPL as he dropped two big chances to dismiss Rohit Sharma early into his innings. These drops proved to be costly as an Indian veteran went on to score 81 runs off 50 deliveries to push Mumbai Indians over the 200-run mark. Rohit was dropped twice during the powerplay, allowing the veteran to capitalize on the opposition's fielding errors. First, Gerald Coetzee dropped him in the deep, and then Kusal Mendis, on his GT debut, mishandled a straightforward catch behind the stumps off Mohammed Siraj. It was Bairstow (47 off 22) who provided the Mumbai Indians with momentum in the powerplay through some superb hitting. The out-of-favor England batter, who joined the Mumbai Indians shortly after scoring consecutive fifties in county cricket for Yorkshire, took his chances early and was well rewarded. He targeted the Titans' best pacer of the season, Prasidh Krishna, smashing him for 26 runs in the fourth over, including three sixes. The first six was a pull shot that cleared the square leg fence effortlessly, followed by a clean hit down the ground. Rohit also joined the action when spinner Sai Kishore was introduced during the powerplay. The former MI captain executed the sweep shot perfectly, collecting two fours and a massive six, bringing his team to 79 for no loss in six overs, their best powerplay of the season. The top order's confidence rubbed off on Tilak Varma (25 off 11), who has had an off-season by his standards. He hit three sixes in quick succession before falling to Siraj. Skipper Hardik Pandya targeted Coetzee for a couple of sixes in the 20th over, pushing the total past Considering Mumbai Indians' formidable bowling unit, the Titans have a challenging task ahead. For the third consecutive innings, the opposition team managed to score more than 225 runs against the Titans. (with PTI Inputs) First Published:
Campaign ME
an hour ago
- Business
- Campaign ME
Magic Mango MENA appoints Chief Marketing Officer to lead Dubai expansion
Advertising agency Magic Mango Group has appointed Roshan Farook as Chief Marketing Officer to lead its Dubai operations starting June 2025. With this move, the agency aims to signal a bold new chapter in its global journey, combining Sri Lankan ingenuity with international ambition. With more than 25 years of experience in marketing and advertising, Farook brings a powerhouse portfolio of regional and global brand experience to the Mango playhouse. His career has spanned high-impact roles across Sri Lanka and the UAE, most recently, leading key portfolios such as Al Habtoor Motors, Arabian Centre Mall, Flora Food Group and VinFast Global. Previously, he managed marquee clients such as Unilever Sri Lanka, Axiata, Ceylon Tobacco Company, British American Tobacco (UAE and London), Farook's strategic acumen has been instrumental in securing breakthrough business wins, including his recent win in public relations (PR) and key opinion leaders (KOL) businesses across the MENA region for VinFast Global. His past achievements include building a consumer engagement unit for Unilever, embedding activation and events as a core pillar of campaign planning, and leading brand growth across diverse sectors including FMCG, tech, and automotive. Co-founders Sugibun Sathiamoorthy and Shehantha Fernando welcomed Farook into this new chapter, saying, 'Roshan is not just a brilliant marketer, he's a builder, a connector and someone who believes in creating meaningful brand stories that deliver results. His leadership in Dubai is central to our goal of building a truly global creative powerhouse.' S R Vickneswaran, Director, Magic Mango MENA, added that Farook's entry to Magic Mango MENA, with a multifaceted outlook on trade and industries in UAE, would certainly enhance current skillsets and enable its efforts to spread its wings in the region and beyond. Ralston Joseph, Group CEO of Magic MANGO MENA, said, 'With Roshan at the helm in Dubai, we are not just expanding — we're evolving. His insight into the region, combined with our collective hunger to do meaningful work, will push us into exciting new territories — both geographically and creatively.' Magic Mango's Dubai office, already buzzing with projects across Asia, Africa and the Middle East, is set to become the agency's hub for cross-continental creativity and client partnership. The move aligns with the agency's strategic vision to grow beyond borders while staying rooted in its people-first, quality-over-quantity philosophy. Commenting on his appointment, Roshan Farook, Chief Marketing Officer, Magic Mango MENA, said, 'I'm truly grateful to the ExCo board for their trust and confidence in me. My focus is to drive meaningful impact in the UAE and the new markets we are preparing to enter. With the exceptional energy and talent within the team, I am confident that Magic Mango MENA will not only meet expectations but consistently exceed them.' With eyes set on Europe and Africa by 2026, Magic Mango Group intends to continue defying conventions, proving that purpose, passion and a bit of 'magic' can turn an idea under a mango tree into a global force.
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Sri Lankan refugee remanded on return to Jaffna
A 75-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil refugee, who returned from India after decades of displacement during the civil war, was on Thursday (May 29, 2025) detained by Sri Lankan authorities at the Palaly airport in the northern Jaffna district, on charges of having left the country without a valid passport. Subsequently, a magistrate court in Mallakam town remanded him to custody for a week, despite him obtaining necessary clearance from relevant agencies and being certified a 'refugee' by the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), according to a social media post by senior lawyer and former Jaffna MP M.A. Sumanthiran, who appeared for the man. 'Is this a move by the government to frighten 10k others who've registered to return?' he asked on X. Sri Lanka crisis: Refugees in Tamil Nadu were dreaming of returning to their island nation Apparently responding to the post, which was picked up by local media, Cabinet Minister and Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake said the remand was due to the automatic application of law to persons who had emigrated through a 'non-legalised' port. 'This law could have [been] changed after the war easily if concerned people had worked on it,' he said on X, assuring that he had spoken to the subject Minister, and that immediate action would be taken to change the policy. 'This is not government policy,' he said, recalling his visit to refugee camps in India with a colleague in 2007, and his party, the JVP's (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna) subsequent efforts to pass a law granting citizenship to 28,500 persons living in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. Over the last two years, over 700 refugees who were living in camps have returned to Sri Lanka, according to S. Sooriyakumari, president, OfERR (Organisation for Eelam Refugees' Rehabilitation) Ceylon, a non-profit organisation working with Sri Lankan refugee communities in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. 'Most of them have returned without any issue, so when we heard about this senior person's experience at Palaly, it was concerning. For many years now, our founder S.C. Chandrahasan and our organisation have been asking for a comprehensive package and programme for refugees seeking to return to Sri Lanka and re-start their lives,' Ms. Sooriyakumari told The Hindu. 'A structured policy and a clear programme should be devised in consultation with the law enforcement agencies so there is a shared understanding of this issue,' she added. Also read: Sri Lankan refugees | The long wait for Indian citizenship Nearly 58,000 Sri Lankans, who fled the raging civil war and its aftermath, live across refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. An estimated 40,000 persons live outside the camps and are said to have integrated with the local community. At least 10,000 persons have expressed interest to return to Sri Lanka, Ms. Sooriyakumari said.
Mint
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Mint
GT vs MI, Eliminator: Rohit Sharma scripts history, reaches triple century of sixes en route 7000 IPL runs
Rohit Sharma created history in Mumbai Indians' knockout game against Gujarat Titans in New Chandigarh. The elegant opener became the 2nd batter in the history of IPL to smash 300 sixes. He also became the 2nd batter to cross 7000 runs in IPL. Rohit achieved the two landmarks at one go, sweeping Rashid Khan over the deep square leg boundary. Chris Gayle—357 sixes (141 innings) Rohit Sharma—300 sixes (266 innings) Virat Kohli—291 sixes (258 innings) MS Dhoni—264 sixes (242 innings) AB de Villiers—251 sixes (170 innings) Virat Kohli - 8618 runs (258 innings) Rohit Sharma - 7017 runs (266 innings) Shikhar Dhawan - 6769 runs (221 innings) David Warner - 6565 runs (184 innings) Suresh Raina - 5528 runs (200 innings) Rohit Sharma was dropped twice in the first three overs of the innings. He was dropped on 3 runs by Gerald Coetzee off the bowling of Prasidh Krishna at deep fine leg. Rohit Sharma miscued the pull shot, and the South African dropped a high catch. Rohit was dropped on 12 by wicket-keeper Kusal Mendis, who was making his IPL debut. The Sri Lankan was late to react to the outside edge and spilled a straightforward chance. Rohit rode his luck and smashed his third fifty in the IPL playoffs, after scoring fifties in the IPL 2015 and 2020 finals. 68 off 45 vs Delhi Capitals, IPL 2020 (final) 60* off 36 vs Gujarat Titans, IPL 2025 (eliminator) 50 off 26 vs Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2015 (final) Stay updated on all the action from the IPL 2025. Check the IPL 2025 Schedule, and follow the top performers with the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.
The Star
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Sri Lanka ex-ministers jailed up to 25 years for corruption
COLOMBO (AFP): A Sri Lankan court sentenced on Thursday two former ministers from the government of deposed president Gotabaya Rajapaksa to decades in prison in a landmark corruption case. Ex-sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and former trade minister Anil Fernando were found guilty by the Colombo High Court of misappropriating 53 million rupees ($177,000) of state funds. The pair were also fined $2,000 for using government money to donate board games -- including 14,000 carrom boards and 11,000 draughts sets -- in an attempt to boost the failed 2015 re-election bid of Gotabaya's elder brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa. Aluthgamage was sentenced to 20 years in jail. Fernando was sentenced to 25 years. Aluthgamage is now the most senior member of a Rajapaksa-led cabinet to be successfully prosecuted for corruption. The cases against both men were initiated six years ago, when the Rajapaksa brothers were out of power, but the case had been making slow headway until a new government took office last year. Aluthgamage also faces a separate investigation into allegations that he authorised in 2022 a payment of $6.09 million to a Chinese supplier for a fertilizer shipment that was never delivered. He caused a stir in 2020 when he accused Sri Lanka's national cricket team of rigging the 2011 World Cup final in favour of India, triggering an investigation that ultimately failed to substantiate his claims. Aluthgamage, who served as sports minister from 2010 to 2015, said in June 2020 that he had "not wanted to disclose" the alleged match-fixing plot at the time. "In 2011, we were supposed to win, but we sold the match. I feel I can talk about it now. I am not implicating players, but certain sections were involved," he said. Sri Lanka lost the final at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium by six wickets. Both Indian and Sri Lankan players have strongly denied any wrongdoing. - AFP
