This year's Indian Premier League has exceeded all expectations, delivering one of the most keenly contested battles for play-off spots.
That has subsequently driven viewership numbers to new heights and firmly established the tournament as a marquee event in sport.
But as good as the cricket has been, it is the star players who have fuelled the craze. And none more so than veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni, along with superstar Virat Kohli.
Dhoni quit international cricket four years ago but his fame has only grown since, having put all his energies into a team that seemingly starts and ends with him – Chennai Super Kings.
Chennai have enjoyed overwhelming crowd support wherever they have played, with yellow jerseys dominating the stands home and away. And Dhoni is the main reason behind it.
Not just that, three of the top four games with the highest concurrent viewership this IPL involved Chennai, and more so when Dhoni has come out to bat.
Dhoni's Super Kings eased past defending champions Gujarat Titans in the first qualifier in Chennai on Tuesday to make it to Sunday's final – their 10th appearance in a title match.
As incredible as the achievement is, there is a growing belief that this could be Dhoni's last game for the franchise that has become his family.
Dhoni, 41, has been playing despite nursing a serious knee injury that has forced him to bat lower down the order and for no more than two overs. He has been thanking the fans and reminiscing about his journey at various venues in his post-match speeches, hinting at this possibly being his last IPL.
On Tuesday, Dhoni said he will wait until the auctions for the 2024 IPL in December to take a decision on his playing career.
"I don't know, I have eight, nine months to decide," Dhoni said when asked by presenter Harsha Bhogle whether the play-off match was his last at home.
"The mini-auction will be around December, so why to take the headache right now. I have ample time to decide," he said.
"I will always be there for CSK whether in playing form or sitting somewhere. I don't really know. But frankly it takes a heavy toll. I have been out of home from January, been practising since March, so we will see."
If Sunday's final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad turns out to be Dhoni's last, he will retire as the most successful captain in cricket having won every major title in all formats at senior level.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
Step by step
2070km to run
38 days
273,600 calories consumed
28kg of fruit
40kg of vegetables
45 pairs of running shoes
1 yoga matt
1 oxygen chamber
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Canada
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
TOURNAMENT INFO
Opening fixtures:
Friday, Oct 5
8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Paktia Panthers
Saturday, Oct 6
4pm: Nangarhar Leopards v Kandahar Knights
8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Balkh Legends
Tickets
Tickets can be bought online at https://www.q-tickets.com/apl/eventlist and at the ticket office at the stadium.
TV info
The tournament will be broadcast live in the UAE on OSN Sports.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
