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New York Strikers crowned new champions of Abu Dhabi T10

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New York Strikers wiped away the pain of last edition’s loss to Deccan Gladiators in the final and crowned themselves as the new champions of the Abu Dhabi T10 in the seventh edition at the Zayed Cricket Stadium by recording a seven-wicket win. 

Pakistan’s Asif Ali, known for his power-hitting skills, and skipper Kieron Pollard, put on an unbeaten 56 runs partnership for the fourth wicket in 29 balls. Ali remained unbeaten on 48 off 25 balls with four sixes and two boundaries while Pollard scored an unconquered 21 off 13 balls with one boundary and a six to win the final with four balls to spare. They thus lifted the trophy and received the prize money of $100,000. 

It was a creditable show from New York Strikers that had become part of the Abu Dhabi T10 only in the last edition and have reached the final in both the editions and now won the title too.

Gladiators, who were hoping to record a hat-trick of title triumphs having won the earlier two editions, received  the runners-up prize money of $50,000. Their plans to post a big total was squashed by Sunil Narine who bagged two wickets for six runs from his two overs and restricted Deccan Gladiators to 91 for 5. It was the same total that New York Strikers were restricted to in the last edition’s final that Gladiators won by 37 runs.

Brief scores:
New York Strikers bt Deccan Gladiators by 7 wkts.
  Deccan Gladiators 91 for 5 in 10 overs (Andre Russell 30, David Wiese 20n.o. Sunil Narine 2 for 6) New York Strikers 94 for 3 in 9.2 overs (Asif Ali 48n.o, Kieron Pollard 22n.o)

Player of the Match: Asif Ali

Player of the Tournament: Akeal Hosein

Bowler of the Tournament: Akeal Hosein

Batter of the Tournament: Tom Kohler-Cadmore

UAE Player of the Tournament: Mohammad Jawadulah

Tale of the final battle for supremacy

The tale of the final unfolded with New York skipper Pollard winning the toss and electing to bowl.  Gladiators’ heavy scorer and aggressive batter Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who has often hit the first ball of the innings to a boundary, did that to Mohammad Amir steering him past point. He also hit the second delivery through deep cover for another boundary.  Twelve runs came off the first over.

Muhammad Jawadullah, who bowled the second over too found his first ball race to the boundary. The author of that shot was skipper Nicholas Pooran who elegantly picked the gap between gully and short third man. Pooran also hit Jawadullah’s fifth delivery over gully to pick another boundary. The last ball of the over too went for a boundary over backward point. Twenty-four runs were scored in the first two overs.

Sunil Narine, hailed as a mystery spinner, struck to end the innings of Kohler-Cadmore on unlucky 13 with a ball that turned and hit the middle stump. Worse was to follow. In the third over England’s right arm pacer George Scrimshaw got Pooran out caught by Narine at extra cover for 15.

Andre Russell joined Andre Fletcher, a pair that is capable of tearing apart any attack. However, their partnership lasted only eight runs. Narine sturck again with the fourth ball of his second over forcing Fletcher to pull into the hands of Odean Smith for 5. By the half way mark, Deccan Gladiators were struggling at 37 for 3.

Imad Wasim and Russell tried hard to pull their team to a strong total. But Jawadullah strangled the runs with his accurate five deliveries and removed Wasim with the last ball of that over for 3. Asif Ali at extra cover pulled off a stunning catch diving to his right and produced a one-handed catch.

Scrimshaw was re-introduced for the seventh over and Russell hit the second six of the innings over mid-wicket off his second delivery. He also pulled him for another six over deep square leg.  With only three more overs to go, Gladiators’ score read an unimpressive 57 for 4.

Akeal Hosein, who produced a hat-trick in Qualifier 1 against Samp Army, struck with the first ball of the eighth over to get Fabian Allen caught at deep mid-wicket by Asif Ali for 1. He also gave away just six runs only in that over. Half the side was back in the dug-out for 63.

Russell fought a lonely battle and finally top edged Amir’s first ball of the ninth over the wicketkeeper for a boundary. David Wiese pulled Amir’s fifth ball for a six and the last ball for a boundary.

Wiese hit Hosein, who bowled the last over, was hit for a six off the second delivery. But  that is the only big hit that came of that over. The pair had put on an unbeaten 34 runs in 17 balls for the sixth wicket. Russell remained unbeaten on 30 off 18 balls with two boundaries and two sixes and Wiese unconquered on 20 off 11 balls with two sixes and a boundary for a total of nine runs short of the 100 run mark.

Asif and Pollard’s stubborn batting show

The chase began with Trent Bout bowling at full pace to New York openers  Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Muhammad Waseem. With the fifth ball, he trapped Waseem on 6, leg before with a ball that nipped back. Nuwan Tushara too produced a beauty to clean bowl Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 1. The ball went through his defense to hit the wicket.

Asif Ali joined Niroshan Dickwella and flicked the first ball he faced for a boundary to fine leg. The crowd whistled for the batters but Boult who bowled the third over gave away only one boundary to Dickwella. In the fourth over, Asif Ali gave the crowd what they wanted. He hit Imad Wasim for two sixes off the third and fifth ball both to deep mid-wicket.

Russell struck in the fifth over by removing Dickwella caught by Khawaja Nafay at mid-on for 14. At the half-way mark, New York needed 50 runs off the remaining five overs. Asif Ali hit Waqar Salamkheil’s first delivery for a boundary. Pollard smashed Waqar for a six over mid-wicket to make it anybody’s game.

Asif also hit Thushara for a six off the first ball of the seventh over to long off. Pollard and Asif also ran for quick runs and took 14 runs off Thushara’s over to turn the target into a gettable 25 for 18 balls.

UAE’s Zahoor Khan was introduced for the eighth over and Asif hit Zahoor’s fifth delivery for a six and made it 14 runs from 12 deliveries. Pollard cracked a boundary off Russell’s third delivery of the ninth over to make it five runs off the last over. The pair put on a 50 runs partnership off the first ball of the last over from Zahoor to take the trophy away from Gladiators. 

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No Fluke: India’s teen grandmaster Gukesh crushes Carlsen again in under a month

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There was no table slam, no dramatic sigh, just a quiet handshake and a grimace. On Thursday in Zagreb, Magnus Carlsen resigned once again to Gukesh Dommaraju, this time in a rapid game at the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia 2025.

It’s the second time in less than a month that the Indian teenager has defeated the five-time world champion. After his classical-format win over Carlsen at Norway Chess, Gukesh has now proved he can beat the Norwegian even in faster time controls, and with Carlsen playing white, no less.

With that win, Gukesh surged into sole lead at the end of Day 2 of the three-day rapid section, sitting at 10 points, two clear of Poland’s Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Carlsen, meanwhile, is stuck on 6 points and well behind the leaders.

Not a fluke. Not a meltdown. Just better chess.

What makes this win even more significant is the context. Gukesh has never been seen as a strong rapid/blitz player, even Carlsen himself said so before the tournament began, calling Gukesh one of the “presumably weaker players” in the field.

But Gukesh’s performance in Zagreb is rewriting that narrative. After losing his opening game to Duda, the 18-year-old reeled off five straight wins, including victories over some of the best in the world: Alireza Firouzja, Praggnanandhaa, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Fabiano Caruana, and then Carlsen.

Former world champion Garry Kasparov, on commentary, put it plainly:

“This is not just his second loss to Gukesh, it’s a convincing loss. It’s not a miracle or luck. Magnus was in a big fight, and he lost.”

Carlsen’s pre-tournament jab aged poorly

Carlsen had publicly questioned Gukesh’s readiness for rapid formats, saying:

“Gukesh hasn’t done anything to indicate that he’s going to do well. Players like Gukesh have a lot to prove.”

Safe to say, Gukesh is proving it. While Carlsen walked off without making eye contact after the 49-move defeat, Gukesh looked composed and focused as he moved closer to adding another major title to his fast-growing resume.

Time on his side

Interestingly, Gukesh, known for excelling in slower, classical formats, has been ahead on time even in the endgames during this tournament, including in matches against Carlsen and Caruana. That’s a stark contrast to his earlier blitz outings and signals his evolution into a more complete player.

Now heading into the final day of rapid play, Gukesh leads the standings and is firmly in control.

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Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota dies in car crash in Spain alongside brother Andre Silva

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Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, 28, and his brother André Silva, 25, were tragically killed in a car crash near Zamora in northwestern Spain, authorities confirmed on Thursday.

According to the Spanish Civil Guard, the accident occurred shortly after midnight on an isolated stretch of the A-52 highway, about an hour west of Zamora. The brothers were travelling in a Lamborghini when the vehicle veered off the road and caught fire. Investigators suspect a blown tire may have caused the driver to lose control. No other vehicles were involved.

Emergency services arrived at the scene to contain the blaze, which had also spread to nearby vegetation. The bodies were recovered and are undergoing forensic examination. It remains unclear who was driving.

The news has sent shockwaves across the football world. Jota, whose full name is Diogo Jose Teixeira da Silva, has made 182 appearances for Liverpool since joining from Wolves in 2020. He helped the club lift the Premier League title in May and had also won the FA Cup and two Carabao Cups during his time at Anfield.

Jota was a key player for the Portuguese national team, with 49 international caps and 14 goals, and was part of the squads that won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.

His younger brother, Andre Silva, played for Penafiel, a club in Portugal’s lower leagues.

The accident comes just weeks after Jota married his longtime partner Rute Cardoso on June 22. The couple had three young children. In a recent post, Jota had written: “Yes to forever.”

In a statement, Liverpool FC said:

“Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota. We request the privacy of Diogo and André’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they come to terms with an unimaginable loss.”

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) expressed its sorrow:

“We have lost two champions. Their deaths represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football.”

UEFA announced that a minute of silence will be observed at all Euro 2025 matches on Thursday and Friday in honour of the players.

Cristiano Ronaldo, a teammate and close friend, shared a heartfelt message:

“It doesn’t make sense. We were just together with the national team, you had just gotten married. I send my condolences to your family and wish them strength. Rest in peace, Diogo and André. We will all miss you.”

Tributes continue to pour in from clubs, teammates, and fans around the world as the football community mourns the loss of two young lives and careers cut tragically short.

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Dubai real estate firm names Afghan cricket star Rashid Khan as brand ambassador

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Afghan cricket sensation Rashid Khan has been named the new brand ambassador for Dubai-based MH Developers, a leading real estate firm making major strides in the emirate’s booming property sector.

The announcement comes at a time when Dubai’s real estate market is hitting new highs, with the first half of 2025 showing a 15% year-on-year rise in property prices and a 20% increase in transaction volumes, driven by strong investor confidence, economic stability, and world-class infrastructure.

Cricket and Construction Come Together

Known for his record-breaking feats on the pitch, including being the fastest bowler to reach 100 wickets in T20 internationals, Rashid Khan brings his global appeal and winning mindset to the real estate arena.

“The UAE has always been a second home for Afghan cricket, offering support and opportunity during difficult times,” said Khan. 

“This collaboration with MH Developers is a natural fit for me, professionally and personally, as it reflects shared values of resilience, growth, and building a better future.”

A Strategic Move by MH Developers

Murtaza Hashmi, CEO of MH Developers, said the partnership with Khan is part of a broader strategy to connect with new audiences and tap into Dubai’s rising profile as a global hub for luxury living and smart investment.

“Dubai offers a secure, well-regulated environment that continues to attract buyers and investors from around the world,” said Hashmi. 

“Rashid Khan’s international reputation and unwavering pursuit of excellence align perfectly with our mission to deliver top-tier real estate solutions during this exciting time for the market.”

What’s Next for MH Developers?

With this partnership in place, MH Developers plans to roll out signature projects that blend sophisticated design with solid investment potential, tailored to the modern lifestyle demands of Dubai’s growing resident and investor base.

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