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Kolkata Knight Riders look to ride over prosaic KXIP (Match Preview)
Kolkata: In a repeat of last year’s final, a confident Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look to continue their rollicking form at home as they lock horns with Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens here on Saturday.
The Eden has been a fortress so far this season for KKR with three back-to-back wins and with mystery tweaker Sunil Narine back in the side, the home team will believe they can outdo the opposition four times in a row.
All three departments for the Knights have stood up and delivered in the last few matches, especially the bowling which has been a hard nut to crack. Even the Delhi Daredevils batsmen found the Kolkata bowlers difficult as they lost by 13 runs chasing a target of 172 here on Thursday.
The win took the Knights to third in the standings with 13 points from 11 games.
On the other hand, Kings XI’s campaign has looked like a punctured tyre that had to traverse through a road with spiked strips. Last year’s runners-up have only been a shadow of themselves in this edition with two wins from 10 games.
Hefty Jamaican Chris Gayle of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) did not do them much good either in their last encounter as he smashed the hapless Punjab bowlers en route to 117. In reply to RCB’s 226/3, the Kings could only muster a dismal 88 before being bowled out in 13.4 overs.
The head-to-head encounters also tilt the odds in favour of the Knights who have clinched 10 out of 16 games. But in a Twenty20 game, the tables can turn within a matter of minutes and Kings XI will hope it does, especially with quality foreign willowers in the side who have been misfiring consistently for the last few weeks. But with spin-twins Brad Hogg and Sunil Narine bowling in tandem, it will be difficult belting them away.
The only thing that has worked for the Kings XI are their two bowlers up front Sandeep Sharma and Anureet Singh. Both have been able to pick wickets regularly. However, their mettle will be tested when they come up against the likes of Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan who have been in quite brilliant form off late.
The squads:
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Yusuf Pathan, Umesh Yadav, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Veer Pratap Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sumit Narwal, Sheldon Jackson, Aditya Garhwal, K.C. Cariappa, Vaibhav Rawal, Manish Pandey, Morne Morkel, Pat Cummins, Ryan ten Doeschate, Andre Russell, Brad Hogg, Azhar Mahmood, Johan Botha.
Kings XI Punjab: George Bailey (captain), Virender Sehwag, Murali Vijay, Wriddhiman Saha, Shaun Marsh, David Miller, Glenn Maxwell, Rishi Dhawan, Manan Vohra, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Thisara Perera, Mitchell Johnson, Anureet Singh, Karanveer Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Shivam Sharma, Parvinder Awana, Akshar Patel, Yogesh Gowalkar, Beuran Hendricks, Shardul Thakur.
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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.