DUBAI: Rahul Tripathi hit a six off the penultimate ball Wednesday to see Kolkata Knight Riders to victory over Delhi Capitals and into the Indian Premier League final.
On a night of heartache, Delhi topped the eight team table but failed to reach the final despite a late comeback when they took four Kolkata wickets in 10 balls including England captain Eoin Morgan.
As the chase for Delhi’s 135 for five became increasingly desparate, Tripathi hit the ball over the boundary to lead Kolkata to victory in Sharjah with 135 for seven and just one ball to spare.
The Kolkata players erupted in joy. They were fourth in the table but still reached the final after beating Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore and now Delhi in the playoffs.
“We are delighted to get over the line,” said Morgan.
“We are in the entertainment business and needed to play some entertaining cricket. Six off two and you would say the odds are for the bowling side. But Tripathi has done it for us so many times.”
Morgan said his team would “dissect” the nervy finish before they play three-time champions Chennai Super Kings in the final on Friday.
“It should’ve been a lot easier after the start we got,” he admitted.
Kolkata bowled brilliantly to restrict Delhi’s normally aggressive batting line up.
Varun Chakravarty claimed the key wickets of openers Prithvi Shaw and top scorer Shikhar Dhawan whose 36 off 39 balls gave Delhi a hope of putting up a competitive score.
But Chakravarty who gave away just 26 runs, fellow pacer Lockie Ferguson who also conceded only 26, smothered the Delhi batters.
Marcus Stoinis hit 18 before he was bowled by Shivam Mari and Shimron Hetmyer made 17 off 10 balls, including two lusty sixes, but no one could build the crucial big partnership with Dhawan.
Kolkata seemed to be strolling to victory when Shubman Gill (46) and Venkatesh Iyer (55) put on 96 for the first wicket.
But after they went only Nitish Rana (13) and Tripathi (12) managed to score.
Wicketkeeper Dinesh Khartik, Morgan, Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan and Sunil Narine all went for ducks in a dramatic final three overs.
Ravichandran Ashwin took two wickets in consecutive balls in the 20th over but Tripathi hit the winning six on the hat-trick ball to secure the win.
“The win for the team was very important,” said Tripathi. “We had one or two tough overs and I never thought it would go so deep.”
Delhi captain Rishabh Pant fought back tears after the game.
“I don’t have words to express at the moment,” he said.
“We just kept believing and tried to stay in the game as long as possible.
“The bowlers nearly pulled it back, but it’s unfortunate that it didn’t go our way.
“They bowled very well in the middle-overs, we got stuck and couldn’t rotate strike. Delhi Capitals are known to be positive and hopefully we’ll come back better next season.”
Winning five of their last seven games, Kolkata put on an extraordinary resurgence in the second half of the IPL — switched to the United Arab Emirates as a coronavirus precaution — to reach the final.
Morgan said the win had been “a nice insight into our team culture — the young guys coming in feel free to express themselves” and now there are “expectations” around the squad going into the final.
Kolkata Knight Riders win thriller versus Delhi Capitals to reach IPL final
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Kolkata Knight Riders win thriller versus Delhi Capitals to reach IPL final
- Winning five of their last seven games, Kolkata put on an extraordinary resurgence in the second half of the IPL
Portuguese goalkeeper Patricio joins Al-Ain for Club World Cup
- “Patricio will arrive to the UAE tomorrow evening to undergo medical tests,” Al-Ain said
- Patricio played 108 matches for Portugal
ABU DHABI: Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio will join Al-Ain on a short-term contract for the Club World Cup, the team from the United Arab Emirates said on Saturday.
“Al-Ain has signed Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio to participate with the team in the 2025 Club World Cup,” the club said on X about the 37-year-old Portugal international who is joining them from Atalanta.
“Patricio will arrive to the United Arab Emirates tomorrow evening to undergo medical tests and join the first-team training,” Al-Ain added.
Patricio played 108 matches for Portugal, helping them win Euro 2016, and has had spells with Sporting Lisbon, Wolverhampton Wanderers and AS Roma.
Al-Ain, who won the AFC Champions League title in 2024, reached the final of the 2018 Club World Cup final in front of their home fans.
This year’s revamped 32-team tournament will take place in the United States in June and July.
Al Ain have been drawn in Group G with Juventus, Manchester City and Morocco’s Wydade.
FIFA opened an exceptional transfer window from June 1-10 to allow players to be signed for the tournament.
Green Falcons hold Alkhobar training session in preparation for World Cup qualifiers
- French coach Herve Renard supervised the team as they held a light recovery session
- Team preparations resume tomorrow night with full training session
KHOBAR: The Saudi national football team held a training session on Saturday in Alkhobar, as they continue preparing for the decisive ninth and 10th rounds of the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
French coach Herve Renard supervised the team as they held a light recovery session at the health facilities of the Green Falcons’ base camp, a media statement said.
Injured left back Muteb Al-Harbi continued his rehabilitation program under the medical staff’s supervision, while teammate Mohammed Bakr resumed physical training with the team’s fitness coach.
After the recovery session ended, Renard gave the players some free time, with the squad scheduled to return later this evening at their base.
The Green Falcons’ preparations resume tomorrow night with a full training session at 7 p.m. in Ettifaq Club Stadium.
The first 15 minutes of the session will be open to the media to offer a glimpse into the team’s readiness as the qualifiers draw near.
Saudi Arabia stands at third place in Group C with 10 points from eight matches. Japan tops the group on 20 points, while second-place Australia has 13 points.
The Green Falcons play against Bahrain on June 5 and Australia on June 10.
Oscar Piastri outpaces team-mate Lando Norris to grab Spanish Grand Prix pole
- Four-time world champion Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell
BARCELONA: Oscar Piastri outpaced title rival and McLaren team-mate Lando Norris in the final minute of a gripping qualifying session on Saturday to clinch pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix.
The championship leader clocked a near flawless final lap of one minute and 11.546 seconds to beat Norris by 0.209 seconds as McLaren claimed a dominant one-two having also topped all three practice sessions.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari and Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes.
Charles Leclerc was seventh in the second Ferrari ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, Racing Bulls’ impressive rookie Isack Hadjar and local hero two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin.
It was Piastri’s fourth pole of the season and career as he seeks to extend his three-point lead ahead of Norris in the drivers’ championship.
“Nice work, very nicely done, everyone,” said the cool 24-year-old Australian on team radio. “That’s quite some turnaround from last year. Well done everyone. Let’s have some fun tomorrow!“
He added: “I’m very glad to be on pole here and now I just need a good start. It’s a long run to the first corner!“
Norris said: “Oscar has driven really well and he deserved it. But it is a great result for the team.”
Piastri’s two-second advantage is the biggest this season between pole and second place.
After an early fast lap from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll in Q1, the big guns arrived in torrid heat with a track temperature of 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), and the air at 29, punishing conditions for tires on a high-degradation track.
The session was briefly stalled when Alpine’s Franco Colapinto stopped in the pitlane and, after a delay, forced others to undertake him leading to a frantic final two minutes.
Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull was eliminated in 20th and last place along with Colapinto, Williams’ Carlos Sainz — his worst qualifying result at his home event — in 18th, Esteban Ocon of Haas and Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg.
For Tsunoda, it was a major setback as he sought to solve Red Bull’s dilemma in searching for a partner to push Verstappen.
At the front, Piastri topped Verstappen and Norris.
In Q2, McLaren’s duo led the first runs ahead of Verstappen, Russell and a revived Hamilton before choosing not to take a second go as Hadjar shone, taking sixth and splitting the Ferraris.
Out went Alex Albon of Williams, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, Stroll and Oliver Bearman in his Haas.
The top 10 shootout began with Piastri lapping in 1:11.836 before Norris overhauled him by 0.017sec for provisional pole on the opening charge.
Russell was third ahead of Leclerc, Verstappen and Hamilton before a late Alonso lap lifted him to fifth amid roaring appreciation.
Cloud cover affected conditions for the second runs as both McLaren men fought for pole with the Australian prevailing.
It was McLaren’s first front row lockout in Spain since 1998.
Real Madrid most valuable soccer team for fourth straight year, say Forbes
- Real became the first soccer club to bring in a billion dollars in a single year
- England’s Manchester United are second in Forbes’ list with a $6.6 billion valuation
MADRID: LaLiga side Real Madrid topped the list of the most valuable soccer teams in the world for the fourth year in a row with a valuation of $6.6 billion, business magazine Forbes has said.
Real became the first soccer club to bring in a billion dollars in a single year after they posted a record $1.13 billion in revenue for the 2023-24 season, the magazine added in a report published on Friday.
The Spanish club, the second sports team in history to hit the 10-figure threshold after National Football League side Dallas Cowboys, are the first soccer team to register one billion euros in revenue in a single season, Deloitte had said earlier this year.
England’s Manchester United are second in Forbes’ list with a $6.6 billion valuation after generating $834 million in revenue in the 2023-24 season despite a forgettable Premier League campaign where they finished eighth.
Real’s LaLiga rivals Barcelona are third, valued at $5.65 billion, while Liverpool and Manchester City are fourth and fifth.
Forbes named six Premier League sides among the top 10 most valuable teams with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea making the list after Bayern Munich and Paris St. Germain.
“Together, the 30 most valuable soccer teams are worth more than $72 billion, or an average of $2.4 billion, up 5 percent from 2024’s record $2.26 billion,” Forbes said.
Ajax appoint Heitinga as new coach
- Former club manager Marcel Keizer will serve as Heitinga’s assistant
- “John knows the club well,” Technical Director Alex Kroes told the club website
AMSTERDAM: Ajax Amsterdam have named John Heitinga as their new coach, with the former Netherlands defender signing a two-year deal, the Eredivisie club confirmed on Saturday.
Heitinga, who grew up in the club’s youth ranks and was part of Ajax’s senior squad for seven and a half seasons, was one of Arne Slot’s assistants at Liverpool in their Premier League-winning season.
Former club manager Marcel Keizer will serve as Heitinga’s assistant and has signed a contract of the same duration, Ajax added.
“John knows the club well,” Technical Director Alex Kroes told the club website.
“We are convinced that he, together with Marcel, will help improve our players and build on the progress made since last summer in terms of, for example, elite sporting culture and discipline.”
Heitinga replaces Italian Francesco Farioli, who resigned earlier this month after a year in charge.
Record 36-time champions Ajax finished the season second after blowing a nine-point lead as they were pipped to the league title by PSV Eindhoven on the final day.
Ajax last won the league in 2021-22.
“It’s good that it’s decided early on in the summer break that they will be in charge from the end of June. (We) can now continue working with John and the other parties involved on the squad composition for the coming season,” Kroes added.
Former Atletico Madrid and Everton defender Heitinga coached youth and reserve teams at Ajax after he retired from playing, following his return to Ajax, in 2016.
He was also briefly appointed as acting coach of Ajax in 2023 after the firing of Alfred Schreuder.
Heitinga, who won 87 caps for the Netherlands, was then David Moyes’s assistant at West Ham United before taking on the same role at Liverpool.
“I am incredibly excited to start,” Heitinga said.
“The last years in England have done me a lot of good. I’ve been able to develop further alongside David Moyes and Arne Slot, while also getting a behind-the-scenes look at two major clubs.
“I’m ready to continue as a head coach and I’m honored to be given that opportunity at Ajax.”
