Sports
Kingsmen extend winning streak in PSL | The Express Tribune
Perera, Irfan and Labuschagne guided their side to a five-wicket win over Rawalpindiz
Hyderabad Kingsmen celebrate a five-wicket win over Rawalpindiz after successfully chasing 121 in a low-scoring PSL 2026 clash. Photo: PSL/FILE
Hyderabad Kingsmen continued their winning run in PSL 2026 with a five-wicket victory over Rawalpindiz on Thursday, chasing down a modest target with 21 balls to spare after an outstanding bowling display restricted their opponents to 121.
The win marked Kingsmen’s third consecutive triumph and lifted them two places to fourth in the eight-team standings, strengthening their push for a playoff berth. Rawalpindiz, meanwhile, remained bottom of the table after suffering their sixth straight defeat, carrying a negative net run rate of 1.821.
On a surface that played slow despite appearing fresh, Kingsmen’s bowlers set up the victory with disciplined lines and clever variations. Rawalpindiz struggled throughout the innings and never recovered from early damage, eventually posting a below-par total that proved insufficient.
Kingsmen’s chase was far from straightforward, however, as they were forced to rebuild after slipping to 69 for five. Rawalpindiz briefly raised hopes of an upset, but an unbroken 54-run stand between Kusal Perera and Irfan Khan steadied the innings and guided the visitors home.
Perera finished unbeaten on 32 off 24 balls, while Irfan contributed 34 not out from 29 deliveries. The pair came together after the dismissals of Marnus Labuschagne, who made 32 off 21, and Glenn Maxwell, who fell for a golden duck in the space of three deliveries.
Despite the setbacks, Kingsmen were aided by the low required rate, needing just 53 runs from 64 balls when Irfan arrived at the crease. The duo initially focused on strike rotation, working the ball into gaps and waiting for scoring opportunities as the pitch continued to grip.
Once settled, both batters began to accelerate, finding boundaries in the latter stages to ease the pressure and complete the chase without further alarms.
Rawindpindiz had earlier started brightly with the ball. Left-arm spinner Asif Afridi delivered a tight opening spell in the powerplay, conceding only 10 runs in three overs while removing Maaz Sadaqat and Saim Ayub, the latter falling in a wicket maiden.
Fast bowler Mohammad Amir added to the pressure by dismissing Usman Khan at midwicket before the end of the powerplay, triggering celebrations among the home supporters and briefly raising hopes of a major upset.
However, Kingsmen’s innings unravelled in the middle phase as wickets continued to fall. Labuschagne anchored briefly before being trapped lbw by Saad Masood off the final ball of the ninth over. Maxwell’s dismissal followed immediately, as Ben Sears produced a sharp delivery that shattered the stumps and exposed the middle order.
Earlier, Rawindpindiz’s own innings never gained momentum under sustained pressure from Kingsmen’s bowling attack. Mohammad Rizwan struck a couple of early boundaries off Mohammad Ali, but scoring quickly became difficult as wickets fell at regular intervals.
The introduction of spin from the second over choked the run rate, with Ayub and Hassan Khan maintaining tight control through the middle overs. Rawindpindiz reached just 24 runs in the powerplay, the lowest of the season, as Kingsmen dominated with both pace and spin.
The middle order collapse continued as Usman Khawaja was bowled by Glenn Maxwell, while Mohammad Ali responded by dismantling Rizwan with a delivery that jagged back sharply. Daryl Mitchell also failed to trouble the scorers, falling for a duck to Hunain Shah.
Kingsmen’s bowlers maintained relentless pressure, never allowing Rawindpindiz’s scoring rate to climb above five runs per over until the final stages. Hunain Shah and Mohammad Ali were the standout performers, both finishing with three wickets apiece, while Ayub and Hassan Khan complemented them with miserly spells.
Rawindpindiz crawled to 50 runs in 11.1 overs, the slowest scoring rate of the season, before eventually folding for 121.
The performance underlined Kingsmen’s growing confidence in Karachi conditions, where they have now produced back-to-back disciplined bowling displays. Their ability to exploit the pitch and vary pace has emerged as a key strength in the tournament.
Kingsmen will now turn their attention to their next fixture with renewed momentum, while Rawindpindiz face mounting pressure to salvage pride in a disappointing campaign that has yet to produce a single win.
Sports
Mike Trout crushes fifth Yankee Stadium HR in four games
NEW YORK — Mike Trout‘s latest homer against the New York Yankees put him in rare company, and going deep again made history at Yankee Stadium.
Trout homered for the fifth time during a four-game series Thursday, crushing a 446-foot drive in the seventh inning for the Los Angeles Angels in an 11-4 victory.
A three-time MVP, Trout joined Jimmie Foxx (1933), Darrell Evans (1985) and George Bell (1990) as the only players with five homers in a series against the Yankees, according to MLB researcher Sarah Langs.
Trout homered twice Monday before going deep again in the following two games. In the series finale Thursday, Trout drove a 2-2 slider from reliever Angel Chivilli about halfway up the left-field bleachers to give the Angels a 7-4 lead. That shot made Trout the first player to hit five homers in a series in the Bronx.
“I heard that after the game,” Trout said. “It’s pretty surreal. All the great players that came through here, so it’s pretty cool.”
“Honestly, not surprising,” Los Angeles manager Kurt Suzuki said. “When you’re with Mike every day, there’s nothing that you believe that he can’t do.”
Trout also became the first visiting player to homer in four consecutive days at the current Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009.
Trout went 6-for-16 with five homers and nine RBIs in the series. He also has homered in his past five games at Yankee Stadium and drew an intentional walk in his next plate appearance before Jo Adell hit a grand slam.
“At this point it’s vintage Mike Trout,” Adell said. “When he’s healthy and feeling good, there’s nothing like it. It’s special. It’s one of a kind. So for all of us to experience it, it’s special.”
“He’s unbelievable,” Suzuki said. “He really is. It’s been an amazing week for him.”
Trout is hitting .246 with seven homers and 16 RBIs. He is 9-for-27 (.333) with five homers and 13 RBIs on the Angels’ road trip, which coincides with him making a mechanical tweak.
Trout’s career-high homer streak is seven games, achieved Sept. 4-12, 2022. He has homered in four straight games for the fourth time in his career.
Trout’s homer was part of a four-game series that featured four homers from Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge. Judge homered twice Monday, again Wednesday and went deep in the first inning in the series finale.
“He’s unreal,” designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton said after the Yankees lost for the seventh time in nine games. “Cool showing from him and Judgie all series. Obviously, you don’t want that against us, but you got to acknowledge the greatness.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time opposing players who owned multiple MVPs hit at least three homers in the same series.
“It was an impressive show by those two,” Suzuki said.
Sports
2026 NCAA gymnastics championships: Live updates from semifinals
FORT WORTH, Texas — The first semifinal session of the NCAA gymnastics championships included LSU, Florida, Georgia and Stanford — with Florida and LSU advancing to Saturday’s final (4 p.m. ET; ABC).
Next up, Oklahoma, UCLA, Arkansas and Minnesota will compete in Semifinal II, beginning at 9 pm ET (ESPN2). Once again, the top two teams will move on.
Individual event titles and an all-around winner will also be awarded today — but not until both semifinal sessions are complete.
Who will make it to the next round? Will an upset surprise us all? We’ll have you covered with all the action here.
Sports
N.J. governor: FIFA should pay extra train costs to MetLife for World Cup
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Wednesday joined U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer in calling on FIFA to contribute toward World Cup transit security costs.
MetLife Stadium will host eight World Cup games, including the tournament final. The Athletic reported earlier this week that NJ Transit is considering charging $100 for train tickets to shuttle fans between New York Penn Station and the stadium. Standard fare is $12.90.
Parking will be restricted at the Meadowlands stadium complex compared to NFL games — making public transport one of the only options to attend World Cup matches, which get underway June 11.
“We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup,” Sherrill said on X. “And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion. I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years to come.
“FIFA should pay for the rides. But if they don’t — I’m not going to let New Jersey get taken for one.”
Speaking on WNYC on Wednesday, Sherrill said she would approve the fare increase if FIFA doesn’t step in.
“I will, if that’s what it takes, because I’m not putting this on the back of New Jerseyans,” she said.
On Wednesday, NJ Transit’s board of directors unanimously approved a resolution to set transport prices to “cover any and all costs” to transport fans and comply with Sherrill’s directive.
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri on Wednesday said he supported Sherrill’s plea to FIFA and confirmed that commuters would not pay extra costs, according to NJ.com.
“The governor said whatever the fare will be, it will not be cross subsidized by our regular commuters. I’d think every NJ Transit customer would stand behind that,” Kolluri told NJ.com. “It will cost us $48 million. We will charge FIFA fans for those tickets, and it will not be subsidized by our commuters.”
Schumer on Monday said FIFA should be helping pay for World Cup transit security costs.
“FIFA is set to reap nearly $11 billion from this summer’s World Cup, yet New York area commuters and residents are being handed the bill,” Schumer wrote on X. “The least FIFA can do is ensure New York residents can go to the stadium without being gouged at the turnstile. I am demanding FIFA step up.”
We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup.
And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion.
I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years… pic.twitter.com/pugU8davkW
— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) April 15, 2026
Earlier this month, New Jersey’s host travel committee released a detailed plan for transport and parking during the matches, outlining a park-and-ride plan with specific parking lots and shuttle buses that will run to and from the stadium.
“While rideshare and limited premium parking options will be available, the FIFA World Cup at NYNJ Stadium will be a public transportation first event, largely relying on NJ Transit rail and Host Committee bus shuttles,” Natalie Hamilton, a host committee spokesperson, told NJ.com.
“We are strongly encouraging all ticket holders to utilize expanded NJ Transit rail service and the Host Committee’s Stadium Shuttle.”
A FIFA spokesperson insisted the host city had previously agreed to provide free or at-cost transportation to fans at all matches.
“We are quite surprised by the NJ governor’s approach on fan transportation,” FIFA said in a statement Wednesday.
“The original FIFA World Cup 2026 host city agreements signed in 2018 required free transportation for fans to all matches. Recognizing the financial strain this placed on the host cities, back in 2023 FIFA adjusted the host agreement requirements across all host cities as follows: All match ticket holders and accredited individuals shall be able to access transport [public or additionally planned transport] at cost to allow travel to stadiums on match days.
“Moreover, FIFA has worked for years with host cities on their transportation and mobility plans, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host cities for transportation.
“The FIFA World Cup will bring millions of fans to North America along with the related economic impact. Many of these fans will travel to NYNJ to enjoy the eight matches scheduled, including the FIFA World Cup final.
“FIFA is not aware of any other major event previously held at NYNJ Stadium, including other major sports, global concert tours, etc, where organizers were required to pay for fan transportation.”
During the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022, ticket holders enjoyed free transport on the city’s Metro system, funded by the country’s government.
UEFA bore the cost of ticket holders using German public transport in host cities on match days during Euro 2024.
Kansas City, where England’s training camp will be based, will offer free bus travel for fans from the airport close to the Fan Festival in the city center, and daily, weekly and tournament passes for unlimited regional travel costing $5.25 and $50, respectively.
Ticket holders will also be able to use a Stadium Direct service, which connects four park and ride locations as well as the Fan Festival to the Arrowhead Stadium for $15 per person, the host city committee said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) said that there will be no fare increases connected to the staging of World Cup matches in Philadelphia.
The spokesperson said most if not all of the added operating costs of running the services during the World Cup would be covered by a recently awarded federal grant.
Information from Press Association and The Associated Press was used in this report.
-
Entertainment1 week agoQueen Elizabeth II emotional message for Archie, Lilibet sparks speculation
-
Tech1 week agoAzure customers up in arms over ‘full’ UK South region | Computer Weekly
-
Tech1 week agoAs the Strait of Hormuz Reopens, Global Shipping Will Take Months to Recover
-
Fashion1 week agoCII submits 20-pt agenda to Indian govt to back firms hit by Iran war
-
Tech1 week agoThis AI Button Wearable From Ex-Apple Engineers Looks Like an iPod Shuffle
-
Politics7 days agoIndian airlines hit hardest after Dubai limits foreign flights until May 31
-
Entertainment4 days agoPalace left in shock as Prince William cancels grand ceremony
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
[CinePlex360] Please moderate: “Trump considers
