Feature
IPL: CSK beat RCB by three wickets to reach final
Ranchi: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) reached the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the sixth time as they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by three wickets in the qualifier 2 of the Twenty20 tournament at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium here on Friday.
Put in to bat, two-time runners-up RCB could only manage a modest total of 139/8 with left-handed opener Chris Gayle top-scoring with 41. Sarfaraz Khan also played a handy innings of 31. Left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra was the pick of the bowlers for CSK as he picked up 3/28 from his four overs.
In reply of the small target, two-time champions CSK were driven by a patient knock from veteran Michel Hussey, who scored 56 from 46 balls. The left-hander shared a useful 47-run stand with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) to help his side reach home with three wickets and a ball to spare.
With this win, CSK set up Sunday’s title clash with Mumbai Indians, who won the qualifier 1 against the same opponents on Tuesday.
Earlier, veteran pacer Nehra once again came good for CSK as he clinched 3/28 in his four overs, including the vital wickets of RCB skipper Virat Kohli (12) and explosive batsman AB de Villiers (1).
Nehra was well assisted by off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who ended with brilliant bowling figures of 4-0-13-1, scalping Mandeep Singh (4). The duo did not allow the RCB batsmen to accelerate at all.
Though left-handed opener Chris Gayle top-scored with 41, it wasn’t his usual innings as he played 43 balls and hit only two boundaries and three sixes.
Two important cameos from wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik (28) and Sarfaraz Khan (31) helped augment RCB’s total at the end, but the top order failed to make an impact when it mattered the most.
Good bowling changes and field placements by CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni also proved significant as Mohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo also clinched a wicket each to slow down the run rate and restrict RCB to 139/8.
During the chase, CSK also didn’t get a good start as their West Indian aggressive batsman Dwayne smith (17) pulled medium pacer Sreenath Aravind it to Mitchell Starc at deep square leg.
At this time, CSK were 21/1 in 3.1 overs and they could have lost their second wicket in the next delivery had Chris Gayle had not dropped Faf du Plessis, who edged to first slip in the very first ball he faced.
CSK had luck on their side on another occasion as RCB’s David Wiese induced an edge off opener Michael Hussey, who was then on 11, only for it was to be dropped by wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik.
However, du Plessis failed to grab the chance and went back to the dug-out after being bowled by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the second ball of the 10th over. The South African right-hander made 21.
Two deliveries later, Chahal gave another blow to CSK by removing Suresh Raina (0). The Indian left-hander offered a catch to Wiese at long-off to leave CSK struggling at 61/3.
However, Hussey kept the scoreboard ticking with ones, twos and odd boundaries before he played it to the hands of Harshal Patel off Wiese.
With 32 still required in 21 deliveries and skipper Dhoni not in his best of forms, it seemed RCB had a chance. But Dhoni and Pawan Negi (12 in six balls) ensured that they enter the final for the fourth time in the last five years.
Following this win, CSK proceed to the final to be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday against 2013 champions Mumbai.
Entertainment
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.