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The mighty Mumbai Indians handled the nerves better on the big stage to outlast Gujarat Titans by 20 runs in a high-scoring IPL 2025 Eliminator despite a classy effort from Sai Sudharsan in Mullanpur on Friday. Rohit Sharma (81 off 50) rode his luck to play a fine knock after Jonny Bairstow (47 off 22) made instant impact on his Mumbai Indians debut to push them to an imposing 228 five in 20 overs. Titans, who were sloppy in the field and with the ball, were able to take the game down to the wire with sensational batting from Sudharsan (80 off 49) before falling short at 208 for six to exit the tournament.

In the end, it was Mumbai Indians who won the key moments to advance in the competition. The victory took them to Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad on Sunday when they take on Punjab Kings.

Despite heavy dew, overcoming a such a steep target in a knock-out game needed a special effort which came from Sudharsan who put his team on course for an improbable chase until his dismissal in the 16th over.

Bumrah removed Washington Sundar (48 off 24) with his trademark yorker before Sudharsan missed scoop against Richard Gleeson to see his stumps dislodged, bringing Mumbai Indians back into the game.

While it lasted, it was a delight to see Sudharsan go about his business. In a game of pure muscle, Sudharsan was a picture of elegance and found gaps all around the park with pinpoint precision.

The equation came down to 36 from 12 balls with two left-handers Rahul Tewatia and Sherfane Rutherford in the middle. Mumbai Indians debutant Richard Gleeson bowled the final over with Titans needing 24 runs and he bowled three immaculate deliveries to ensure victory before hobbling out due to hamstring issue. In fact, Suryakumar Yadav, the vice-captain was marshalling resources in the final over and it was a brave punt to bring Gleeson in for three deliveries knowing that he is in considerable discomfort. Once the target was out of reach, Surya took him off and asked left-arm seamer Ashwini Kumar to complete formalities.

Earlier, on a surface which had less grass compared to the one used on Thursday, Mumbai Indians decided to bat first and the batters ensured the team goes into the break with an upper-hand.

Titans dropped three crucial catches — two of Rohit (81 off 50 ) and one of Suryakumar Yadav (33 off 20) – and produced another ordinary effort with the ball in the knock-out fixture.

Rohit was dropped twice in the powerplay before veteran made the opposition pay dearly for their on-field errors. On the first occasion, Gerald Coetzee dropped him in the deep and Kusal Mendis’ GT debut went all awry when he bungled a regulation take behind stumps off Mohammed Siraj.

“Definitely not easy when we drop 3 sitters. Wasn’t easy for the bowlers to control and doesn’t help when you drop 3 catches,” said Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill after the game.

Operation Sindoor was a non-contact, multi-domain mission which included aspects like distributed force application, cyber and disinformation campaign, intelligence capabilities and network-centric operations, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, General Chauhan said the direct and indirect forms of warfare deployed during Operation Sindoor, which began with the May 7 strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, exemplify the future of war.

While Pakistan may have leveraged Chinese commercial satellite imagery, there’s no proof of real-time targeting support. India, by contrast, relied on indigenous systems like Akash, achieving success through effective system networking, integrating both domestic and foreign radars into a cohesive defence structure, he explained, highlighting the impact of modernisation on India’s defence along the borders.

Real-time integration across air, land and sea will only be as effective as the networks they are connected to, he said, while highlighting the need to address if cutting-edge technology should reside in the weapon, platform or network.

Conflict is moving towards flexible, deceptive strategies, with 15 per cent of time during Operation Sindoor spent on countering fake narratives, General Chauhan said. Such narratives during the mission point to the need for a dedicated information warfare vertical, as demonstrated by India in its fact-based communication, even at the cost of slower responses, he said. During the operation launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack, India’s air-gapped military systems remained secure, while public platforms faced minor disruptions, he added.

General Chauhan highlighted the downside of automation and robotics in conflict and the future of Artificial Intelligence in future warfare. When fewer lives are at risk, decision-makers may act more aggressively, he said.

He also explained that military AI’s utility currently remains limited owing to its reliance on open source data. It must be integrated into operations, wargaming, and intelligence gathering to become truly impactful, he added.

On the India-Pakistan relationship, General Chauhan said New Delhi is operating strategically. At the time of the countries’ partition in 1947, Pakistan was ahead of India in terms of social and economic factors. That India is now ahead of its neighbour in these metrics is an accident but the result of a long-term strategy, he said. Emphasising that it takes two hand to clap, the CDS said that if India gets hostility in return for diplomatic efforts, disengagement may be a sound strategy.

The CDS said that the sea becomes India’s strategic outlet as geography and geopolitics constrain India’s movement north and east, owing to the cross-border conflict with China and internal turmoil within Myanmar.

He said nuclear escalation in undeclared wars is illogical, adding that no war is without cost.

Colombia will issue a statement of support for India’s position after the country withdrew their statement condoling the deaths in Pakistan on May 7.

Colombia is scheduled to issue a statement in strong support of India’s position on terror, in a pivot from the South American country’s condolences for the deaths in Pakistan after India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7.

Leading an all-party delegation visit to Colombia, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, “They have withdrawn their statement that disappointed us earlier and will issue a statement of strong support for our position.” This comes a day after he raised concern over Colombia’s stance and said New Delhi was disappointed by it.

Former Indian Ambassador to the United States and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Taranjit Singh Sandhu said that the delegation’s detailed explanation helped reverse the Colombian stance. “This morning we had a detailed interaction with the acting Foreign Minister and our leader and the entire team made specific points to them explaining to them the timeline which perhaps to an extent they might have missed out. The importance of Colombia, apart from other reasons, is also that it will be a member of the Security Council soon,” Mr Sandhu told

According to the data by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Kerala has recorded 1,147 cases, Maharashtra 424, Delhi 294, and Gujarat 223.

India’s active coronavirus cases have risen to nearly 3,000, with Kerala fighting the latest resurgence of infections – followed by Maharashtra, and Delhi. Official data shows a quick rise in the cases within four days. While India recorded a total of 1,010 cases by May 26, the official data by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare shows a total of 2,710 infections as of May 30.

According to the data, Kerala has recorded 1,147 cases, Maharashtra 424, Delhi 294, and Gujarat 223. Tamil Nadu has recorded a total of 148 cases so far, while Karnataka and West Bengal have reported 148 and 116 cases, respectively.

Rajasthan has reported 51 cases, Uttar Pradesh 42, Puducherry 25, Haryana 20, Andhra Pradesh 16, Madhya Pradesh 10, Goa seven, and Odisha, Punjab, and Jammu Kashmir four each. Three states – Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh have reported three cases each, while Mizoram and Assam have two people detected with the infection each so far.

No active case has been reported from Andaman and Nicobar, Sikkim, and Himachal Pradesh. The official data for Bihar is not yet available.

In a widely circulated video on social media, the Pakistani cricketer could be seen being welcomed on stage, alongside his ex-teammate Umar Gul.

Shahid Afridi was recently welcomed by a Kerala community in Dubai.

Cochin University B.Tech Alumni Association organised the controversial event.

Afridi blamed India for security failures following Pahalgam terror attack.

Weeks after Shahid Afridi mocked the Indian side in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, a Kerala community in Dubai welcomed the former Pakistan cricketer, inviting backlash from social media users. The Cochin University B.Tech Alumni Association (CUBAA) organised the event at the Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) last week and extended hospitality to Afridi, who has time and again made distasteful remarks against Indians.

In a widely circulated video on social media, the notorious Pakistani cricketer could be seen being welcomed on stage, alongside his ex-teammate Umar Gul, by the community amid loud cheers. As he arrived, some members could be heard breaking into chants of “boom Boom” in an apparent reference to the cricketer’s nickname. The 47-year-old responded by saying, “Hogaya Boom Boom”.

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