DUBAI: Brilliant hostile bowling led by New Zealander Trent Boult took Mumbai Indians to an emphatic five-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals and a fifth Indian Premier League title on Tuesday.
Boult struck twice in his first two overs as Mumbai kept Delhi to 156-7 and the reigning champions raced to the target in 18.4 overs with skipper Rohit Sharma hitting 68.
Sharma, 33, led the chase in his 200th IPL appearance to inspire the most successful team in the Twenty20 tournament to add to triumphs in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
Boult, who was traded to Mumbai from Delhi Capitals last November, took opener Marcus Stoinis with the first ball of the final in Dubai, giving his old team a grim warning of the tough night ahead in the empty stadium.
“It’s been a good few months, giving the franchise a good start,” said Boult after being named man of the match.
“With everything going on, I’ve been welcomed in the side. To have made it across the line, it’s been worth it.”
Ajinkya Rahane was caught behind for two in Boult’s next over. Jasprit Bumrah’s fiery pace also kept Delhi in check.
Mumbai brought in off-spinner Jayant Yadav to bowl the fourth over and he immediately bowled in-form opener Shikhar Dhawan for 15.
Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer, who made an unbeaten 65, and Rishabh Pant rebuilt the innings with a partnership of 96.
But Australian paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile took Pant’s wicket for 56 — his first fifty of a disappointing season.
Boult got Shimron Hetmyer for five with a slower short ball and he returned figures of 3-30 from four overs of devastating left-arm pace.
Iyer went past 500 runs in a season for the first time but Delhi managed just 38 runs in the last five overs, with the loss of three wickets, and Mumbai quickly took control of the run chase.
Sharma and Quinton de Kock set a blistering pace with 45 runs in the first 25 balls before De Kock was caught behind off Stoinis for 20. Later Suryakumar Yadav was run out for 19 in a mix-up with Sharma.
Sharma hit four sixes and five fours in his 51-ball innings and nearly finished the game off with Ishan Kishan but fell to South African quick Anrich Nortje just before the end.
Kishan, who scored over 500 runs in 14 games, stood firm with his unbeaten 33 as Mumbai got the better of Delhi for the fourth time this year, including a drubbing in the first semifinal qualifier.
“I wasn’t looking in good shape at the start of this season, so I had a good chat with Hardik (Pandya) and Krunal (Pandya),” said Kishan.
“Wanted to do what was good for the team with the bat and score big runs.”
Delhi fast bowler Kagiso Rabada took the wicket of Kieron Pollard, for nine, to lead this season’s bowling rankings with 30 scalps over Mumbai’s Bumrah on 27.
England paceman Jofra Archer was named the most valuable player of the tournament for his 20 wickets for bottom-placed Rajasthan Royals.
Mumbai Indians thrash Delhi to take fifth IPL title
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Mumbai Indians thrash Delhi to take fifth IPL title
- Boult struck twice in his first two overs as Mumbai kept Delhi to 156-7 and the reigning champions raced to the target in 18.4 overs with skipper Rohit Sharma hitting 68
- Sharma, 33, led the chase in his 200th IPL appearance to inspire the most successful team in the Twenty20 tournament to add to triumphs in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019
Man City two wins away from another Premier League title
- However Arsenal finish the season, the title will be City’s if Pep Guardiola’s team beat both Tottenham away on Tuesday and West Ham at home in the final round on May 19
- Josko Gvardiol scored twice for City to enhance his status as an unlikely goal-getter for Guardiola, with the left back making it five in his last seven games
LONDON: Two more wins.
That’s all that separates Manchester City from becoming English champion for an unprecedented fourth straight year.
The game is up, though, for Burnley, whose relegation from the Premier League was confirmed on Saturday with a game to spare.
On a significant day at both ends of the standings, City racked up another big victory by routing Fulham 4-0 to climb above Arsenal into a two-point lead. The top two each have two games left, and Arsenal face Manchester United next on Sunday.
However Arsenal finish the season, the title will be City’s if Pep Guardiola’s team beat both Tottenham away on Tuesday and West Ham at home in the final round on May 19.
“My players like to play with pressure. They are used to it,” said Guardiola, whose team have won five of the last six Premier Leagues. “The players enjoy this feeling.
“This season is the same — don’t think about anything other than the next game. Focus on winning the next game and then we will see what happens.”
Josko Gvardiol scored twice for City to enhance his status as an unlikely goal-getter for Guardiola, with the left back making it five in his last seven games. Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez also netted at Craven Cottage as City extended its unbeaten run in all competitions to 33 matches.
No team in the 136-year history of English soccer has won the top division for four successive years. It’s the latest record in touching distance of Guardiola’s City, which have also reached the FA Cup final against Man United on May 25.
Burnley down
Two of the three teams which came up to the Premier League for this season are sure to be heading back down to the Championship after one year.
It’s not looking great for the third one, either.
Burnley needed to beat Tottenham to stand a chance of a second straight season in the league but lost 2-1 to join already-relegated Sheffield United in going down.
Luton lost at West Ham 3-1 to stand on the brink of being the third team relegated. It was given a reprieve, however, when fourth-from-last Nottingham Forest squandered a lead and lost at home to Chelsea 3-2.
Forest was three points above Luton and has a superior goal difference of 12. In the final round of games next weekend, Forest visits Burnley and Luton hosts Fulham — and there has to be a huge, and improbable, swing in goal difference for Luton to survive.
Last season, all three promoted teams staved off relegation for the first time since 2018.
Spurs retain hope
Tottenham kept alive its Champions League qualification hopes with the come-from behind win over Burnley, which was secured by Micky van de Ven’s 82nd minute goal.
Spurs’ first goal was also scored by a defender — right back Pedro Porro — to begin the fightback.
Spurs trimmed the gap to fourth-placed Aston Villa to four points, with both teams having two games left. Villa can secure fourth spot and the final automatic Champions League spot from the Premier League by beating Liverpool on Monday.
Other results
In the fight to qualify for the minor European competitions, Newcastle stayed in sixth place — but dropped six points behind Tottenham — by drawing at home with Brighton 1-1. Newcastle are tied on points with Chelsea, with both teams three points ahead of eighth-placed Man United.
Brentford won at Bournemouth 2-1, Crystal Palace beat Wolverhampton 3-1, and Everton defeated Sheffield United 1-0 for a fifth straight home win.
Real Madrid rest starters in 4-0 rout of relegated Granada with focus on Champions League final
- Brahim Diaz made his case for some playing time in the title game against Dortmund after the creative forward scored two second-half goals
- Ancelotti and Madrid players will celebrate their league title with supporters in central Madrid on Sunday
BARCELONA, Spain: Real Madrid’s backups eased to 4-0 win at the relegated Granada on Saturday as Carlo Ancelotti rested most of his top players to avoid costly injures before the Champions League final.
Defender Antonio Rudiger was the only first-choice player who Ancelotti started for a Spanish league game that was inconsequential for either side.
Madrid clinched their 36th Spanish league title last weekend. They are now fully focused on the European final against Borussia Dortmund on June 1 in London after eliminating Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Granada didn’t have much to play for either after Mallorca’s 1-0 win at Las Palmas meant the team from southern Spain was relegated. Granada are in 19th place and join bottom side Almeria in going to the second division. Cadiz are in danger of becoming the third team to drop.
Little used left back Fran Garcia scored and assisted Turkish teenager Arda Guler in the first half. Brahim Diaz made his case for some playing time in the title game against Dortmund after the creative forward scored two second-half goals.
Thibaut Courtois was back in goal for his second appearance of the season after he recovered from an ACL tear and a knee injury. Ancelotti said on Friday he has yet to decide if Courtois or Andriy Lunin, who has played most of the season, will be his pick against Dortmund.
Luka Modric and Eduardo Camavinga, players with real chances to see minutes in the Champions League final, also started.
“My goal is to arrive to the final with the entire team in peak form, and I think we will do that,” Ancelotti said.
Ancelotti and Madrid players will celebrate their league title with supporters in central Madrid on Sunday.
Atheletic held
Fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao needed an added-time goal against visiting Osasuna to salvage a 2-2 draw, dropping points in their fight for a top-four finish and Champions League berth.
The Copa del Rey champions were five points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid before they host Celta Vigo on Sunday.
Asier Villalibre equalized for Athletic on one of the last kicks of the game when Osasuna goakeeper Sergio Herrera spilled a cross after colliding with a teammate.
Sorloth double
Alexander Sorloth scored his second goal with a stoppage-time header to snatch Villarreal a 3-2 comeback win over Sevilla.
The victory kept alive Villarreal’s chances of catching Real Betis in seventh place and the Europa Conference League spot.
Yazeed Al-Rajhi romps to comfortable victory in Tabuk Toyota Rally
- The Saudi Toyota Championship continues with the Qassim Rally on October 23 to 26
TABUK: Saudi driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi and his German co-driver Timo Gottschalk cruised to an emphatic victory in the Tabuk Toyota Rally and the Saudi extended his lead in the 2024 Saudi Toyota Championship on Saturday.
The Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux drivers suffered no issues on the final 168km selective section and secured a winning margin of 16 minutes 37 seconds.
“It was good for us,” said Al-Rajhi. “It was not easy, very tricky actually. We have good stages in Saudi now. Before it was flat, flat and now it is more technical with good navigation and you need to focus all the time. Now we look ahead to Baja Greece.”
Dania Akeel and Stephane Duple continued to flourish in the Ultimate category with the second of the Toyota Hiluxes and finished second overall, despite getting lost on the stage for several minutes.
“We had a good day except we lost around four minutes in navigation, that is part of the game,” Akeel said. “Other than that, we had a good day. The stage was narrow and quite twisty and that was good for me to get used to the car, I would love to race this car every day. We will see, I want to develop as a driver as much as I can.”
Saleh Al-Saif and Qatari co-driver Nasser Al-Kuwari rounded off the podium places and topped the Challenger standings in their Dark Horse OT3.
MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi continued his superb run of form in Middle East regional events with the fastest time on the final stage that confirmed another victory for the Emirati on his Husqvarna.
He beat local KTM rider Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera by nearly 15 minutes on the final stage to snatch the win by 27 minutes 45 seconds, his cause helped still further when the Saudi incurred a time penalty.
“I’m really happy, so pumped with this win. I know the task was to open and full attack. The task was difficult and not impossible,” Al-Balooshi said. “I really put my head down, stayed focused and I needed more than two minutes, I got a lot more that that. I am really happy to defend this title in Tabuk, I really like all the races in Saudi Arabia. Abdulhalim (Mogheera) really kept me on my toes. He is progressing well.”
There was a nail-biting finish to the battle in the quads with Haitham Al-Tuwaijri managing to snatch the victory on his Yamaha Raptor from rivals Hani Al-Noumesi and Abdulaziz Al-Shayban. The Saudi’s winning margin was just 25 seconds.
The Saudi Toyota Championship continues with the Qassim Rally on October 23 to 26.
Al-Hilal crowned Roshn Saudi League champions after Al-Hazem rout
- The 4-1 win at Kingdom Arena means the Riyadh giants have now extended their Saudi Pro League record to 19 championships
RIYADH: Al-Hilal wrapped up the Roshn Saudi League title with a comprehensive 4-1 win over Al-Hazem on Saturday at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
The victory means that Al-Hilal have now extended their Saudi Pro League record to 19 championships.
Al-Nassr’s 3-2 win over Al-Okhdood on Thursday had delayed Al-Hilal’s coronation for two days at least, but Jorge Jesus and his men knew a win or draw against Al-Hazem would be enough to clinch the title.
Serbian forward Aleksandar Mitrovic, one of the signings of the season, got the party underway with a penalty after 15 minutes but, with nine minutes of the first half left, an unscripted moment saw Faiz Selemani score with a fine left-foot strike after being put through on goal.
Al-Hazem’s joy did not last long however, with Ahmed Al-Juwaid gifting Al-Hilal the lead five minutes later with a bizarre own goal that sailed over goalkeeper Zaid Al-Malki’s head.
The home team scented blood and proceeded to put the result, and the title race, to bed with two goals in first-half added time.
Mitrovic side-footed home from countryman Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s cross from the left in the 48th minute of the half, and the assister turned goalscorer three minutes later to give Al-Hilal a 4-1 lead at the break.
With Al-Hilal fans already in celebratory mood and the title all but confirmed by the break, the second period inevitably saw the home team take their foot off the pedal.
VAR ruled out what would have been Al-Hazem’s second goal in added time and moments later the final whistle went to confirm the championship for Al-Hilal.
Their fans could finally celebrate a title win that had been on the cards for several weeks.
Chinese duo Wang Chuqin, Chen Meng take men’s, women’s singles titles at Saudi Smash
- Wang claims triple crown with success on 24th birthday
JEDDAH: World No. 1 Wang Chuqin and No. 4 seed Chen Meng from China were crowned the winners of the men’s and women’s singles respectively at the 2024 World Tour Saudi Smash table tennis event in Jeddah on Saturday.
Chen took home the women’s crown with a 4-2 win over big-time rival Sun Yingsha in an epic final (6-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8).
Speaking on the stage after the match, Chen told her fans: “I’m very excited, very happy and still find it unbelievable as it exceeded my expectations. Throughout my Saudi Smash journey, each match was a big hurdle.
“I gave my best to make it here and ultimately won the finals. Facing the match against ‘Shasha,’ I hoped that luck would be on my side to clinch the title.
“Despite a few times reaching the finals, I haven’t claimed a title since Singapore Smash 2022. It’s far from easy to turn an opportunity into a victory. I’m really happy.”
Thanks to her victory, Chen also leaves Jeddah with 2,000 International Table Tennis Federation World Ranking points, enough to secure her return to World No. 2.
Meanwhile, in the men’s competition, World Champion Wang proved that he is still the dominant leader, pulling off an impressive victory over the World No. 10 Patrick Franziska from Germany, winning 4-2 (11-2, 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 10-12 and 11-6) in a thrilling final.
Having already taken the mixed doubles title with Sun Yingsha and the men’s doubles with Ma Long, the men’s singles trophy added the final feather in Wang’s cap in Jeddah as he achieved the Saudi Smash triple crown.
With the win also falling on his 24th birthday, the title provided a perfect celebration.
He said: “I could have taken all three titles in the last Grand Smash; unfortunately, I didn’t. Thanks to the birthday blessings, I’m able to win three titles this time, which I’m happy about.
“It seems like some of these trophies were easier than others to get, but in reality the entire Saudi Smash journey has been long and tough for me, which is also the biggest gain.”
