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IPL: Confident Chennai up against Hyderabad (Preview)
Hyderabad, April 21 (IANS) Fresh from a thumping win over Rajasthan Royals (RR), a confident Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 20th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Sunday.
The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai side hammered Rajasthan by 64 runs on Friday at home before narrowly missing a win against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).
Table toppers CSK, who have returned to the cash-rich league after a two-year gap following a spot-fixing scandal, have once again proved why they are one of the title favourites.
Before losing to KXIP, the yellow brigade pulled couple of wins from the jaws of defeat against Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The best part for Chennai is that most of their batters have fired whenever the situation demanded.
While Dwayne Bravo (68 off 30) and Sam Billings’ (56 off 23) brilliant knocks handed CSK a nail-biting win against MI and KKR respectively, skipper Dhoni (79 off 44) was almost about to pull a win against Punjab in a high-scoring clash.
Opener Ambati Rayudu has also amassed 122 runs from four outings averaging 30.50.
In their previous match, it was Australian buy Shane Watson whose scintillating knock of 106 runs propelled CSK to a massive total. Also, Chennai’s most dependable batsman Suresh Raina, who made a comeback after undegoing a calf injury, also loooked good for his 29-ball 46 against RR.
In the bowling department, all-rounder Watson has led from the front, scalping six wickets from four games with an economy rate of 7.38. Also, pacer Shardul Thakur and leggie Imran Tahir have striked at regular intervals, bagging five and four wickets respectively.
On the other hand, the Kane Williamson-led Hyderabad are at the third spot in the points table with three wins from four games.
On paper, SRH possess one of the strongest batting lineups with Wriddhiman Saha
and in-form Shikhar Dhawan as openers followed by skipper Williamson along with Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, and Shakib Al Hasan.
However, in their last outing against KXIP, their batters failed in chasing a high total.
Meanwhile, with the likes Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul and Shakib Al Hasan, their bowling unit looks world-class. Both Bhuvneshwar and Kaul have bagged five and six wickets respectively.
Also, Bhuvneshwar and Kaul have maintained a decent economy rate of 6.75 and 7.25 respectively. Rashid has so far bowled the most dot balls in the league.
Overall, it could once again be an edge of the seat encounter for fans when the two best side of the league face off on a Sunday evening.
The squads:
Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wicket-keeper), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, 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, David Willey.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shikhar Dhawan, Shakib Al Hasan, Kane Williamson (captain), Manish Pandey, Carlos Brathwaite, Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rashid Khan, Ricky Bhui, Deepak Hooda, Siddarth Kaul, T. Natarajan, Mohammad Nabi, Basil Thampi, K Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Sachin Baby, Chris Jordan, Billy Stanlake, Tanmay Agarwal, Shreevats Goswami, Bipul Sharma, Mehdi Hasan, Alex Hales.
–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.