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NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel won the toss and opted to bowl against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash on Thursday. The Capitals, the only unbeaten team in the tournament so far, have won all three of their matches and currently sit second on the points table.
RCB, with three wins and one loss, are placed third.
Also See: IPL Live Score
While Bengaluru retained their playing XI, Delhi made one change, bringing in Faf du Plessis in place of Samir Rizvi.
After winning the toss, Axar also shared an update on KL Rahul’s batting position.
“We will bowl first. My fingers are fine, protecting it, but if needed, I will bowl all four overs. Faf is fit, he’s in and (Sameer Rizvi) Rizzie is out. We’ve decided on our order and KL will bat in the middle-order,” Axar said.
He also discussed the bowling strategy:
“Spinners will have a role here, but the fast bowlers can also take wickets. They’ll have to play the roles they’ve been selected to do, we’ve two good leg-spinners, they’re our attacking options, we have defending options as well, so we’ll have to play according to whatever the match situation demands.”

RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, standing in for Faf, said they would have preferred to chase but remained confident.
“We would have loved to chase, but the surface looks hard, we’ll look to put up a good total and defend it,” Patidar said.
“I always back my instincts, but I do plan as well. It’s important to win home matches as well, important to have the momentum going. No changes for us.”
Playing XIs:
RCB: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.
DC: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, KL Rahul (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel (c), Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar.

A man who allegedly caught his wife and her lover together in his house complained to the police that he does not want to live with her anymore as he could be murdered and his body kept in a drum. The incident was reported from Mauranipur in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district.

The woman, Ritu Verma, a clerk in a government girls’ college, had been in an affair with the local councillor Abhishek Pathak, her husband Pawan told the police. The couple has a six-year-old son.

Ever since he discovered the affair, he has been living separately, while his wife and son lived together in Mauranipur. Pawan works at the health department in UP’s Mahoba district.

He said he came to know his wife’s lover was at their house, after which he informed the police and went there to confront him. When the door opened, the local councillor came out from Pawan’s house and started threatening residents and even the police, the complaint said.

“I can’t live with my wife because she can kill me and my son. She can serve poisoned tea to us. It is possible our bodies would be found inside a drum,” Pawan told the police.

He also made a video of the incident, which showed the councillor shouting after rushing out of the house.

Pawan made the “body in drum” comment alluding to the murder of a former merchant navy officer, Saurabh Rajput, by wife Muskan Rastogi and her lover Sahil Shukla in UP’s Meerut. The autopsy report revealed the extreme brutality with which Saurabh Rajput was killed.

His head was severed from the body, both hands were cut off from the wrist and his legs were bent backwards, suggesting an attempt to fit the body in the drum, the autopsy report said. Rajput was allegedly drugged and then stabbed to death by his wife and her lover on March 4, his body dismembered and sealed inside a drum with cement.

Pawan in the video said he caught his wife chatting with someone in October 2024, after which he convinced her to end it.

“She said ‘my body is my choice, I can do whatever I want, who are you to stop me?’ After that my wife and I have been living separately. Last night I made a video call to my son… I felt that someone else was standing there… She disconnected the call,” Pawan said.

“I called the police, and they reached the rented house. They tried to open the door, due to which there was a lot of noise and the neighbours woke up… After a lot of effort, the police got the gate opened… A person came out, and I saw he was Abhishek Pathak, who I caught chatting with my wife in October,” Pawan said.

“The police tried to catch him while leaving. He also tried to attack the people who were making videos of the commotion… He is a councillor and tried to use his influence. I told everyone gathered there my wife can live with whoever she wants, but nothing should happen to my child,” he said.

The police have taken note of the viral video, and started an investigation.

“A video surfaced on social media in which a young man is seen coming out of a woman’s house and an information was received on 112 (police helpline), which rushed to the house and brought him to the police station,” police officer Ramveer Singh said.

RCB vs DC Live: Squads –

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (c), Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Abhinandan Singh, Romario Shepherd, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara.

Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel (c), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel(w), Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Karun Nair, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay, Darshan Nalkande, Dushmantha Chameera, KL Rahul, T Natarajan, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Manvanth Kumar L, Madhav Tiwari.

MS Dhoni is back as Chennai Super Kings captain. He will be the skipper of the five-time champions for the rest of the IPL 2025 after CSK were dealt a severe blow as regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the IPL due to elbow fracture. CSK head coach Stephen Fleming confirmed the development. “Ruturaj Gaikwad ruled out of IPL with fracture on elbow. MS Dhoni to take over as captain,” Fleming told mediapersons on Thursday. Gaikwad sustained the blow when he was hit by a short ball from Jofra Archer.

Dhoni, who led CSK to five IPL titles, will be back in the leadership role from Friday with a match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai. “Ruturaj Gaikwad ruled out of the season due to a hairline fracture of the elbow. MS Dhoni to lead,” the CSK said in an official statement.

Chennai Super Kings have has a torrid start to the IPL 2025. In five matches so far, CSK have lost four and lie at the ninth spot in the 10-team IPL 2025 table. Dhoni will have the humongous task of turning around the season.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT

Ruturaj Gaikwad ruled out of the season due to a hairline fracture of the elbow.

MS DHONI TO LEAD.

GET WELL SOON, RUTU ! #WhistlePodu #Yellove pic.twitter.com/U0NsVhKlny

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 10, 2025

The 43-year-old, under whom CSK won five IPL titles, handed over the leadership to Gaikwad at the beginning of the 2024 season. He said although he discusses things with Gaikwad, he refrains from persuading him to follow his advice.

“Ruturaj has been part of us for quite some time. His temperament is very good, he’s very calm, very composed. So those were the reasons we considered him for leadership.

“Before the start of the tournament, I also told him, ‘If I give you advice, it doesn’t mean you have to follow it. I will try to stay away as much as possible.’ During the season, a lot of people speculated that I was making the decisions in the background,” Dhoni recalled.

“But the fact is, he was making 99 percent of the decisions. The most important calls — bowling changes, field placements — were all his. I was just helping him out. He did a brilliant job of handling the players,” he added.

He also talked about the evolution that T20 cricket as a format has undergone.

“…batsmen are now willing to take risks. They believe that with proper cricketing shots, they can play big strokes, and at the same time, they are improvising with their shot selection…whether it’s a reverse scoop against a fast bowler, a sweep, or a reverse sweep against a pacer.

“I am no different, I have to adapt as well. This is what is required of me for where I am batting. You have to try and stay relevant,” Dhoni said.

“The way we played T20 in 2008 and the way we played IPL last year, it’s very different. Earlier, there was a lot of turn in the wickets. Wickets were two-paced. Now, India’s wickets have become much better; they are more batter-friendly,” he explained.

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The extradition of Tahawwur Rana, brought back to India to face the law for his role in 26/11 attacks in Mumbai that killed 166 people, is a justice not for the martyrs, but every Indian, said Hemant Bhavdhankar, the Mumbai police inspector who was instrumental in the arrest of Ajmal Kasab, the only one of the 10 terrorists who unleashed havoc on the country’s financial capital for three days in November 2008. Click Here For Tahawwur Rana Extradition Live Updates

The retired officer had lost one of his colleagues, sub-inspector Tukaram Omble, in the encounter that led to the arrest. Asked if he has managed to get over the trauma of that day, he said he is still overcome with emotion when he passes that spot. 

“I bow to the statue of Tukaram Omble ji. We are here today because of him only. That is what I personally feel,” he told NDTV in an exclusive interview.

On November 26, 2008. Mr Bhavdhankar and his team were manning a checkpost after the police received information that the terrorists had set off from Nariman Point. 

Abu Ismail and Ajmal Kasab were fleeing in a hijacked Skoda car towards Girgaon chowpatty. His team, he said, got a message from the control room and from there two teams of eight police officers reached the checkpost. 

While some stood behind the barricades, Mr Bhavdhankar and a few others stood at the road divider. 

The Skoda, he said, came at 12.30 and stopped 50 feet away from the checkpost. The driver, Abu Ismail, did not listen to the police instruction and instead tried to take a U-turn at high speed.

“That was the only option for them, since the other roads were barricaded. They could only take a U-turn and go back towards Nariman point, from where they came,” Mr Bhavdhankar said.

“On Abu Ismail’s instructions, Kasab took his Hungarian jacket and wiped the blood from his face. By that time, I was sure that they were the terrorists. I alerted my team and tried to approach and nab Abu Ismail. He opened fire immediately,” he said. 

As a colleague shot one round, Mr Bhavdhankar shot three at Abu Ismail. It was the first time he had shot off his service revolver in an encounter situation, he said. The joint efforts of the two officers eliminated Abu Ismail. 

“Kasab, who was sitting next to the driver, pretended to surrender, putting his hands up. As we slowly approached Abu Ismail, Kasab opened the door and got off. At the same time, Tukaram ji and the team rushed to catch him. Kasab opened fire which hit Tukaram. But he did not release his grip over Kasab and we could catch him successfully,” Mr Bhavdhankar said.

“We survived because of Tukaram Omble’s sacrifice. Fifteen officers survived,” he added.

Tukaram Omble was awarded a posthumous Ashok Chakra, the country’s highest peacetime gallantry award, for his bravery during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. His brother, Eknath Omble, has called for a death sentence for Tahawwur Rana, who is expected to reach Delhi this evening. 

Rana, a 64-year-old Pakistani-Canadian national settled in the US, had provided logistic, financial and other assistance to David Headley, the prime accused in the case. 

Rana is charged under sections relating to criminal conspiracy, waging war against the government of India, murder and forgery and relevant sections under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The Allahabad High Court has granted police protection to an interfaith live-in couple while it hears a plea by their minor daughter alleging threats from her mother’s former in-laws. The court also cited Supreme Court cases to say individuals of major age can live together “even if they have not undergone marriage”.

A division bench of Justice Shekhar B Saraf and Justice Vipin Chandra Dixit observed the child’s biological parents are from different religions and have been living together since 2018.

The court further observed the parents expressed concern over “threats from the respondents”.

The parents claimed also the cops had refused to register complaints despite multiple requests to do so, and had ‘humiliated’ them when they approached the police station in UP’s Sambhal.

“In light of the same, the Superintendent of Police (Sambhal) is directed to ensure that the First Information Report should be registered… if the parents approach the police station.”

“The Superintendent of Police (Sambhal) is also directed to look into the aspect whether any security is required to be provided to the child and the parents in accordance with law…”

Initial reports suggest the mother had begun living with the child’s biological father after the death of her husband. It was after this she received threats from her former in-laws.