The Indian Premier League is nearing its final stretch and three teams are still fighting for spots in the play-offs, with just a handful of league phase matches remaining.
Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans have already been eliminated from the race for the knockouts, while Kolkata Knight Riders have stormed into the next stage after nine wins from 13 matches.
Rajasthan Royals booked their ticket to the next round after Delhi Capitals' win over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday. Both Delhi and Lucknow are effectively out of the tournament.
The fight is still on for the remining two play-off spots. Here we take a look at the chances of the rest of the teams still in contention.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Matches: 12, Points: 14, NRR: 0.406
Hyderabad have a very realistic chance of securing qualification as their remaining matches are against teams that have already been eliminated – Gujarat and Punjab. And both matches are at home. Win both and Hyderabad will be vying for a top-two finish. If they win just one, the Sunrisers will finish on 16 points and still qualify for the play-offs as only four teams now can finish with eight wins or more.
However, if Sunrisers somehow lose both their matches, then they will need Chennai to defeat Bengaluru. They will then qualify as the fourth team, despite being tied on 14 points with Delhi and possibly Lucknow, on net run rate.
Chennai Super Kings
Matches: 13, Points: 14, NRR: 0.528
Chennai have one match remaining and that is against Bengaluru away on Saturday. They have the best run rate among the teams still in contention and can qualify for the play-offs with a straightforward victory against the Royal Challengers.
Interestingly, Chennai can qualify even if they lose to Bengaluru. All they then need to ensure progress is not lose by a margin where their net run rate falls below RCB's.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Matches: 13, Points: 12, NRR: 0.387
Bengaluru have the most difficult path to the play-offs as even a victory against Chennai in their last league phase match might not be enough.
However, if there is one team that deserves some luck, it is the Royal Challengers. The Bengaluru side were down and out near the halfway mark after five defeats from six matches. But they have since staged a remarkable turnaround, winning five matches in a row. And they can still squeeze into the play-offs.
Firstly, they need to defeat Chennai at home on Saturday, and by a decent margin. If they bat first, they need to win by 18 runs or more after scoring 200. Or chase down the target with around two overs to spare to go ahead of Chennai on net run rate while on 14 points.
Remaining IPL 2024 league stage fixtures
Wednesday, May 15: Rajasthan Royals v Punjab Kings, Guwahati
Thursday, May 16: Sunrisers Hyderabad v Gujarat Titans, Hyderabad
Friday, May 17: Mumbai Indians v Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai
Saturday, May 18: Royal Challengers Bengaluru v Chennai Super Kings, Bengaluru
Sunday, May 19: Sunrisers Hyderabad v Punjab Kings, Hyderabad; Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders, Guwahati
Weather update for RCB v CSK
There is a chance of weather disruption during Saturday's match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Indian weather department has predicted rain and even thundershowers for the week in Bengaluru. The forecast for Saturday says there is 70 per cent chance of rain.
If there is a washout, Chennai will qualify for the play-offs on 15 points and Bengaluru will be eliminated.
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WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
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Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
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The%20specs
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Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
4.5/5
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
