A year on from the indignity of failing to make the playoffs for the only time in their history, Chennai Super Kings returned to their throne in the Indian Premier League to thrill the masses at the Dubai International Stadium.
MS Dhoni got his hands back on the trophy for the first time since 2018 after his Chennai side beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs. It was the franchise’s fourth title, which is one less than the side they deposed, Mumbai Indians.
To say they were popular champions undersells the point. The 25,000-seater stadium in Dubai Sports City was rocking, filled to the 70 per cent permissible under the current Covid safety measures. The vivid yellow shirts of the Chennai supporters entirely outnumbered anything else.
They arrived early, left late, and cheered and whistled to celebrate their side’s return to the top of the podium.
After missing out on the knockouts a year ago, Stephen Fleming, Chennai’s coach, had said the franchise needed to start again and build anew.
And yet their champions this time round were all the same old heroes from the past. Faf du Plessis, 37-years old and deemed unworthy of a place in the South Africa squad for the forthcoming T20 World Cup, propped up the batting in the final.
His 86 not out from 59 balls brought him to within two runs of his opening partner, Ruturaj Gaikwad, at the top of the season’s run-charts. Gaikwad, with 635 runs, just about retained the orange cap.
With 192 for three to defend, Dhoni, 40, organised his side with all the poise you might expect from someone who was captaining for the 300th time in a T20 match.
Ravindra Jadeja’s fielding was game changing. As per always.
Only briefly did the game look out of Chennai’s control. Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill did as they have done so frequently since the tournament resumed in the UAE, and got Kolkata’s innings off to a flyer.
Iyer hit a fourth half-century of his breakout IPL, although he did get some good fortune on the way.
Dhoni dropped him off the second ball he faced, off Josh Hazlewood. Iyer flicked the next ball over fine leg for six.
The same happened again when Iyer was on 21. Dhoni shelled a far tougher chance, off Shardul Thakur, then the left-handed opener swiped the next ball for four.
Iyer was warming to the task, launching a 92 metre six off Jadeja on his way to 50 in 31 balls.
Jadeja got his avenge shortly after, though, as he just about held on to a steepling boundary catch to dismiss Iyer off Thakur.
Gill remained and profited from one unbelievable stroke of luck. On 22, he was caught on the boundary by Ambati Rayudu.
He was reprieved though, because of the fact the ball had clipped a Spidercam cable, thus rendering it a deadball. He then took successive fours off Jadeja straight after. Gill was railing against the inevitable, though.
In Kolkata’s two IPL title wins, they had chased a similar target successfully. In 2012, they made 192 to beat Chennai, while two years later they chased 200 to beat Kings XI Punjab.
This time, though, the task was too sizeable, and they managed just 165 for nine.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Director: Ron Howard
2/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
