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IPL: Chennai eyeing win against Rajasthan at their new home (Preview)
Pune, April 19 (IANS) After losing their previous Indian Premier League (IPL) clash by a whisker, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will aim to start off with a win against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their new home ground — the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium, here on Friday.
CSK were forced to move out of their original home venue in Chennai amid political unrest over the Cauvery water-sharing issue.
Both the teams, who have returned to the league after serving two year bans following the spot-fixing scandal, will face each other for the first time in the ongoing edition.
While Chennai lost their previous match against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) by 4 runs in Mohali, the Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan suffered a seven-wicket defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at home.
With two wins and two defeats, Rajasthan are placed fifth with four points, while the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai also have an equal number of points after two wins from three matches and are at the fourth position.
Rajasthan started their IPL 2018 campaign on a poor note, hammered by Sunrisers Hyderabad by 9 wickets. They however, gained momentum and registered two back-to-back wins against Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Later, Kolkata outclassed them by seven wickets.
With 185 runs from four games, Sanju Samson has been the most impressive batsman for Rajasthan while skipper Rahane has amassed 130 runs.
Rajasthan’s bowlers — K. Gowtham and Ben Laughlin — have performed well while leggie Shreays Gopal has also been economical.
However, all-rounder Ben Stokes, who was bought for a whopping Rs 12.5 crore, has failed to fire till now.
On the other hand, two-time champions Chennai had a great start to their campaign with back-to-back wins against defending champions Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders.
It was Dwayne Bravo’s 30-ball 68 against Mumbai which helped Chennai register their first win and later, Sam Billings’ 23-ball 56 guided them home against Kolkata Knight Riders in a high-scoring match.
In their last match against Kings XI Punjab, Ambati Rayudu (49) and Dhoni (79) almost handed Chennai a hat-trick of wins but they fell short by four runs.
In the bowling department, Shane Watson has been impressive with five wickets from three games while Shardul Thakur and Imran Tahir have three wickets each from as many games.
It will also be Chennai’s first game at Pune, which is now their new home for this year’s edition of the cash-rich league, and the two-time champions will be keen to regain lost momentum.
Teams:
Rajasthan Royals: Heinrich Klassen, Benjamin Stokes, Jaydev Unadkat, Sanju Samson, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jos Buttler, Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Darcy Short, Rahul Tripathi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Zahir Khan Pakteen, Ben Laughlin, Stuart Binny, Dushmantha Chameera, Anureet Singh, Aryaman Vikram Birla, Midhun S, Shreyas Gopal, Prashant Chopra, Jatin Saxena, Ankit Sharma, Mahipal Lomror.
Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain & WK), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Kanishk Seth, Lungi Ngidi, Dhruv Shorey, Murali Vijay, Sam Billings, Mark Wood, Kshitiz Sharma, Monu Kumar, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, N Jagadeesan.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.