The Indian Premier League 2024 is approaching the halfway mark, and the future is already looking bleak for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
The league phase of the tournament lasts 14 matches, so there is still a long way to go. But while the other nine teams have a lot to look forward to, Bengaluru fans are already preparing for the worst after losing five of their six matches so far.
Unlike other teams in the bottom half of the IPL table, Bengaluru have had very few positives. Star batsman Virat Kohli is the leading run scorer in the tournament but the rest of the line-up looks far from threatening.
Their international middle-order of Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green has failed miserably with the bat, while bowling has always been their weak point with no strike weapons at the top or in the middle overs.
Bengaluru did try to rectify few of the glaring errors committed at the beginning of the season by bringing in in-form T20 batsman Will Jacks and domestic performers Mahipal Lomror and Vijaykumar Vyshak against Mumbai Indians. But they were easily brushed aside as Jasprit Bumrah picked up five wickets at the Wankhede before Ishan Kishan and the returning Suryakumar Yadav hit belligerent fifties while chasing 197.
What are RCB's playoff qualification chances?
The Royal Challengers have won just one out of six matches and there is not a lot of room for error. In the previous two seasons, the fourth-placed team in the points table that qualified for the playoffs had eight wins and six defeats.
In the IPL, eight wins and 16 points is seen as the mark to hit to ensure qualification to the next stage. However, when the IPL had eight teams, even six wins and eight defeats were enough to secure passage.
But even that seems a daunting task for Bengaluru, who are currently bottom of the pile. Two of their next three matches are against Sunrisers Hyderabad who are being expertly captained by Pat Cummins, while one game is against Kolkata Knight Riders, who have arguably the strongest batting line-up in the tournament.
If the Royal Challengers lose two of these three games, their IPL will be as good as over as they will then only be able to rise to 14 points at best, which is unlikely to be enough for the playoffs as they will then have to depend on other results going their way.
Bengaluru can make it to the playoffs if they win seven of their remaining eight games. But in all fairness, their season is as good as over.
Remaining fixtures for RCB
April 15: Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru (6pm UAE time)
April 21: Kolkata Knight Riders v Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Kolkata (2pm)
April 25: Sunrisers Hyderabad v Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Hyderabad (6pm)
April 28: Gujarat Titans v Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Ahmedabad (2pm)
May 4: Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Gujarat Titans in Bengaluru (6pm)
May 9: Punjab Kings v Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharamsala (6pm)
May 12: Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Delhi Capitals in Bengaluru (6pm)
May 18: Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Chennai Super Kings in Bengaluru (6pm)
Fastest deliveries of IPL 2024
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Results
2pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: Mouheeb, Tom Marquand (jockey), Nicholas Bachalard (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Honourable Justice, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dark Silver, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Dark Of Night. Antonio Fresu, Al Muhairi.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Habah, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
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