Glenn Maxwell guided Kings XI Punjab to a six-wicket win over Rising Pune Supergiant in their opening game of the Indian Premier League.
The Australian struck 40 off 20 balls, with four sixes at the Holkar Stadium, as he and compatriot David Miller (30) put on an unbroken stand of 79 for the fifth wicket to see Punjab home after the innings had been wobbling at 85 for four as they chased a target of 164.
Pune, who had won their opening game on Thursday, had been put into bat by Punjab and were grateful to England all-rounder Ben Stokes for getting them to a competitive score of 163 for six.
Stokes took centre stage in Pune’s middle order, his 50 coming off 32 balls, including three sixes, after the innings had appeared to be in danger of slumping at 49 for three, with captain Steve Smith falling caught and bowled to Axar Patel for 27.
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■ Chirag Suri: 'Sticks a flag in the ground' for UAE cricket
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Stokes put on 61 with Manoj Tiwary (40 not out) to get the team to a total of 163 for six off their 20 overs.
Sandeep Sharma was the pick of the Punjab attack as he took two for 33 off his four overs.
While Punjab had got off to a solid start in reply, their innings had lost momentum after losing Hashim Amla (28) and Patel (24) in quick succession.
But Maxwell and Miller steadied the ship and saw Punjab home with an over to spare on 164 for four.
In Saturday’s other game, Royal Challengers Bangalore held their nerve with the ball to defeat Delhi Daredevils by 17 runs.
Five sixes from Kedar Jadhav during his knock of 69 was the highlight of Bangalore’s score of 157 for eight, with Chris Morris (three for 21) the pick of the bowling.
Delhi had looked to be in contention in reply with Rishabh Pant (50) looking well set.
But needing 21 off the final two overs with three wickets remaining, Delhi could only muster five runs as they lost two wickets, including Pant, to fall short.
Captain Shane Watson led by example, conceding one for 21 off his four overs, including just two of the penultimate over of the match.
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
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Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day – 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227-4 at the close.
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
