AHMEDABAD, India: Little-known Shashank Singh smashed a 25-ball half-century and led Punjab Kings to a three-wicket win over Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League on Thursday.
Singh clubbed four sixes and six boundaries in his unbeaten 61 off 29 balls as Punjab roared back to reach 200-7 for its second win in four games and hand Gujarat its first loss at home in three games.
Captain Shubman Gill had earlier anchored Gujarat to 199-4 after Punjab had won the toss and elected to field at a sprawling Narendra Modi Stadium.
Punjab lost both its openers — captain Shikhar Dhawan (1) and Jonny Bairstow (22) — inside the batting power play with Dhawan chopping Umesh Yadav’s first ball back onto his stumps while Bairstow was outdone by Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad and was clean bowled.
Sam Curran’s (5) promotion didn’t work out for Punjab as the Englishman offered a tame catch to Kane Williamson but Singh’s arrival at the wicket in the ninth over kept Punjab in the hunt as the right-handed batter showed plenty of aggression.
Jitesh Sharma struck back-to-back sixes to Rashid Khan (1-40) before missing out on a full toss and gave Afghanistan’s star spinner his 50th IPL wicket with Punjab still needing 50 off the final 27 balls.
Impact player Ashutosh Sharma then capitalized on two early dropped catches and smashed 31 off 17 balls as Yadav and Sai Sudharsan missed out catching opportunities in the deep, but Singh continued to hold one end up.
Earlier, Gill upped the ante in the death overs with Rahul Tewatia smashing unbeaten 23 off just eight balls which featured three boundaries and a six.
Williamson made a quiet start to the season in his first game for his new franchise as the New Zealand skipper made 26 off 22 balls before he was caught at backward point in the ninth over.
Gill pushed the scoring rate by adding 53 runs with Sudharsan, who made 33 off 19 balls, before dominating the pace of Kagiso Rabada (2-44) and Harshal Patel (1-44) in the death overs.
Shashank Singh’s half-century earns Punjab thrilling 3-wicket win over Gujarat in IPL
https://arab.news/g4n6u
Shashank Singh’s half-century earns Punjab thrilling 3-wicket win over Gujarat in IPL
- Singh clubbed four sixes and six boundaries in his unbeaten 61 off 29 balls as Punjab roared back to reach 200-7 for its second win in four games
- Captain Shubman Gill had earlier anchored Gujarat to 199-4 after Punjab had won the toss and elected to field at a sprawling Narendra Modi Stadium
‘Sincaraz’ set to dominate as 2026 tennis season kicks off
- The new season gets under way on Friday with the mixed-teams United Cup in Perth and Sydney, headlined by women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek and men’s world No. 3 Alexander Zverev.
- Top-ranked Sabalenka, who is pursuing a third Melbourne Park trophy, starts at the Brisbane International from Jan. 4-11 in a stellar field also boasting Australian Open champion Madison Keys and fourth-ranked Amanda Anisimova
- Djokovic begins what could be his last year on tour at the Adelaide International starting on Jan. 12, still chasing an elusive record 25th major crown and 11th Australian Open title
SYDNEY: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are set for more world domination in 2026, starting at the Australian Open, while Aryna Sabalenka is bubbling with confidence as she chases further Grand Slam success.
The new season gets under way on Friday with the mixed-teams United Cup in Perth and Sydney, headlined by women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek and men’s world No. 3 Alexander Zverev.
Top-ranked Sabalenka, who is pursuing a third Melbourne Park trophy, starts at the Brisbane International from Jan. 4-11 in a stellar field also boasting Australian Open champion Madison Keys and fourth-ranked Amanda Anisimova.
Alcaraz and Sinner, or “Sincaraz” as they have been dubbed, play an exhibition in South Korea on Jan. 10 in their only warm-up before the Australian Open eight days later.
While Spanish sensation Alcaraz bumped his Italian rival from the season-ending world No. 1 spot, Sinner had the last laugh by edging him to retain his ATP Finals title in Turin.
It capped a stellar year in which Sinner retained his Australian Open crown and added a landmark triumph at Wimbledon among six titles, despite missing three months over a doping ban.
“I feel like a better player than last year,” said Sinner after completing his 2025 campaign with 58 wins and just six defeats.
“A lot of wins and not many losses. And in the losses I had, I tried to see the positive thing and tried to use it to evolve me as a player.”
Alcaraz was similarly dominant, clocking a 71-9 win-loss record with eight titles including the French Open and US Open.
But he is yet to go beyond the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, losing to Novak Djokovic in the last eight in 2025.
It is the only Slam missing from his resume and the 22-year-old will start afresh with a new coach after his shock split from Juan Carlos Ferrero, who mentored him since he was 15.
Djokovic last hurrah?
Djokovic begins what could be his last year on tour at the Adelaide International starting on Jan. 12, still chasing an elusive record 25th major crown and 11th Australian Open title.
Now 38, he has had to settle for a secondary role since Sinner and Alcaraz took control of the men’s tour, making the semis at all four majors in 2025 but not going further.
“I can do only as much as I can do,” he admitted after defeat at the US Open.
“It will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner or Alcaraz in a best-of-five in a Grand Slam.”
Since his last Slam title, in 2023 at the US Open, Alcaraz or Sinner have shared all eight majors.
A resurgent Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur, ranked five, six and seven respectively, all feature at the United Cup, while Daniil Medvedev and a returning Nick Kyrgios play in Brisbane.
Sabalenka heads into the new season as undoubted world No. 1, having collected a second US Open title while also winning events at Brisbane, Madrid and Miami.
The Belarusian is favorite for a third Australian Open crown and fifth Slam title, although the likes of Swiatek, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina will have something to say.
“The Australian Open is very special to me,” said Sabalenka, who lost a three-set thriller to Keys in the 2025 decider and heads to Australia after losing the controversial “Battle of the Sexes” clash to Kyrgios in Dubai.
“Winning it twice gives me confidence, but every year brings a new challenge. I’m excited to return and see what I can achieve.”
Challenging her on Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane will be Keys, along with fellow top-10 stars Rybakina, Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva.
Swiatek leads Poland in Sydney at the United Cup, again teaming up with Hubert Hurkacz in their quest for revenge after being beaten by Team USA in the final in 2025 and Germany a year earlier.
The US are spearheaded by Gauff and Fritz, while four-time major winner Naomi Osaka plays the event for the first time, representing Japan.
