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Tag: Punjab Kings

  • IPL 2021: Win over Kolkata Knight Riders puts Punjab Kings back in contention

    Express News Service

    KOCHI: Punjab Kings have been on the wrong end of close finishes, but they finally managed to get over the line in a drama-filled encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday.

    With the top three spots on the table seemingly locked up by Chennai Super Kings (already qualified), Delhi Capitals (qualified) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (third), all the scramble is for the fourth spot by the teams below them.

    Kolkata, who occupy the final qualifying spot, have looked the best among the rest so far, but a two-point cushion was always tricky.

    Struggling for consistency, Punjab skipper KL Rahul felt it would serve his side better to have a target in front to chase as he opted to field and Kolkata went onto post 165/7.

    Led by Rahul 67 (off 55 balls), Punjab managed to secure a crucial victory that drew them level with Kolkata on the table.

    With this win, Punjab moved to fifth spot and are tied on 10 points with Kolkata and Mumbai Indians.It could have been different had Kolkata been more clinical in the field as there were plenty of dropped catches and misfielding.

    It looked like Punjab had the game in the bag when they needed just five from the last over which was bowled by Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul still at the crease. The Punjab skipper perished while trying to go big and it took the equation to needing four from four balls. Shah Rukh Khan (22 n.o) hit the next ball straight down deep midwicket but Tripathi ended up spilling it over the ropes.

    Kolkata skipper Eoin Morgan felt it was a ‘challenge within a challenge’ when it comes to batting first on surfaces where runs have not been easy to come.

    But Kolkata began brightly thanks to Iyer who started aggressively.His opening partner Shubman Gill couldn’t get going and was taken out by the ever improving Arshdeep Singh. And while Gill departed early, Rahul Tripathi combined with Venkatesh to stitch together a 72-run partnership that kept the scoreboard ticking.

    Punjab managed to stop the flow of runs and restrict them to 165/7.

    Without Chris Gayle who left the franchise citing bio-bubble fatigue, there was added responsibility on Punjab’s openers Rahul and Mayank Agarwal to chase the target down.

    Kolkata offered them a lifeline when Mayank was dropped off his very first ball with Morgan letting go of an easy catch.

    Sloppy fielding proved to be Kolkata’s undoing as Rahul and company managed to finally get a win under their belt to instil some confidence going into their next assignment against Bangalore.

    Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 165/7 in 20 ovs (Venkatesh 67, Tripathi 34, Rana 31, Arshdeep 3/32) lost to Punjab Kings 168/5 in 19.3 ovs (Rahaul 67, Mayank 40).

  • IPL 2021: Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul wins toss, opt to bowl against Kolkata Knight Riders

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Punjab Kings skipper KL Rahul won the toss and opted to bowl against Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match, here on Friday.

    A fit-again Mayank Agarwal was brought back in place of Mandeep Singh in the Punjab playing eleven.

    The other changes were Shahrukh Khan replacing Harpreet Brar and Fabian Allen replacing Chris Gayle, who has left the IPL’s bio-secure environment due to bubble fatigue.

    KKR made two changes, bringing in Tim Seifert for Lockie Ferguson and Shivami Mavi for Sandeep Warrier.

    Teams:

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (C), Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Tim Seifert, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee and Varun Chakaravarthy.

    Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (C), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Deepak Hooda, Fabian Allen, Nathan Ellis, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh.

  • IPL 2021: Bio-bubble fatigue forces Chris Gayle to leave the tournament

    By PTI

    DUBAI: Star player Chris Gayle has decided to leave the IPL’s bio-secure environment due to “bubble fatigue”, his team Punjab Kings said on Thursday.

    Gayle had played two games for the team since IPL’s resumption and now wants to refresh before the T20 World Cup beginning next month.

    The West Indian flew into Dubai from another bio-bubble created for the CPL and staying in a protected environment has taken a toll on him like many other international players in COVID times.

    “Over the last few months, I have been a part of the CWI bubble, CPL bubble followed by the IPL bubble, and I wish to mentally recharge and refresh myself,” said Gayle in a statement issued by Punjab Kings.

    “I want to refocus on helping the West Indies in the T20 World Cup and would like to take a break in Dubai. My thanks to the Punjab Kings for giving me the time off. My wishes and hopes are with the squad always. All the very best for the games coming up.”

    Head coach Anil Kumble said the team respects his decision.

    “I’ve played against Chris and have coached him at Punjab Kings and all through the years I’ve known him he has always been an absolute professional and we as a team respect his decision and desire to prepare himself for the T20 World Cup,” said Kumble.

    CEO Satish Menon added, “Chris is a legend who has changed the game of T20 cricket, and we stand by his decision. He is a part of the Punjab Kings family, and his presence will be missed. We extend all support to him and wish him success.”

    Gayle is likely to remain in Dubai before joining the West Indies squad for the T20 World Cup.

  • All eyes on Venkatesh Iyer vs Ravi Bishnoi match-up as upbeat KKR square off against Punjab Kings

    By PTI

    DUBAI: IPL’s newest sensation Venkatesh Iyer’s footwork or the lack of it will be put through a stern test against the sharp googlies bowled by Ravi Bishnoi when Kolkata Knight Riders square off against a beleaguered Punjab Kings here on Friday.

    Knights all-rounder Venkatesh has caught everyone’s attention with his fearless strokeplay against genuine pace but Bishnoi’s wrist spin has troubled the best in the business during the last two editions.

    It will be the biggest match-up in the game which is very important for KL Rahul’s Punjab Kings if they have any intentions of staying afloat in the competition.

    Rahul had admitted after the defeat against Mumbai that his team has not played well under pressure and needs to put up a better fight.

    The poor show from the middle-order has also hurt them badly as only Rahul (422 runs) and his opening partner Mayank Agarwal (332 runs) have found some form.

    ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle, with 193 runs from 10 games, has been the biggest disappointment.

    Likewise, Nicholas Pooran, the highly rated West Indies dasher, has managed only 70 runs in 10 knocks which perfectly summarises Punjab Kings’ troubles.

    The Indian talent has also not come to the party as far as batting is concerned with both M Shahrukh Khan and Deepak Hooda not making the best use of the opportunities that they have got so far.

    There have been way too many batting collapses and it will be a challenge of sorts for these players to face Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy on a slow track.

    The eight overs from the premier spinners could go a long way in deciding the fate of the match.

    Punjab also has problems aplenty in the bowling department with none save for Bishnoi (9 wickets economy rate 6.16) have been able to trouble the opposition batsmen.

    Mohammed Shami (14 wickets, 7.68) and Arshdeep Singh (13 wickets, 7.64) have got wickets but have leaked runs at the death, most recently against Mumbai Indians the other day.

    For KKR, Venkatesh’s (126 runs at strike rate of 144 plus) mastery against spin has not yet been a topic of discussion but it will be interesting to see if he can survive the first spell of Shami and Arshdeep.

    Also, how he tackles Bishnoi and left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar during the middle overs will be keenly observed.

    Venkatesh will certainly like to put up a strong show which will get him a fat contract during the big IPL auction next year.

    KKR have also made one correct move by sending Nitish Rana up the order as he is a far better player of spin bowling than his skipper Eoin Morgan.

    The strategy paid dividends in their win against Delhi Capitals earlier in the tournament.

    Teams

    Kolkata Knight Riders: Eoin Morgan (C), Dinesh Karthik, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Karun Nair, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathy, Shubman Gill, Harbhajan Singh, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Pawan Negi, M Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russel, Ben Cutting, Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Tim Seifert

    Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (C), Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Shahrukh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Nathan Ellis, Adil Rashid, Murugan Ashwin, Harpreet Brar, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Aiden Markram, Mandeep Singh, Darsan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi BIshnoi, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar, Jalaj Saxena.

    Match Starts: 7:30 pm IST.

  • Didn’t play to our potential till now, says Rohit as Rahul accepts his team can’t handle pressure

    By PTI

    ABU DHABI: Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma agreed that his team didn’t play to their potential in the first three games on resumption while his Punjab Kings opposite number KL Rahul had no hesitation in admitting that his team is not handling pressure situations well enough.

    MI beat Punjab Kings by six wickets after three back-to-back defeats and are now back in play-off contentions with 10 points from 11 games.

    “We do agree that we didn’t play to our potential, but it’s a long tournament and we need to stick to our plans and reading the situations is very important and we can take a lot of confidence from that. It is important not to lose the guard,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

    He was all praise for Hardik Pandya, who finally returned to form with a 40 not out off 30 balls.

    “The way he (Hardik) understood the situation was very crucial from a team’s perspective, it’s important for him to spend the time in the middle as he’s coming back from a injury.”

    Rahul, on his part, seemed disappointed when asked about whether his young team is unable to cope up with pressure situations.

    “It is what it is, we haven’t been able to handle the pressure. We’ll learn more if we play more together as a team,” Rahul said.

    “We need to be positive. We have three games, so we need to take one game at a time. We need to go out there and enjoy ourselves. All our games in the UAE have gone down to the wire, hopefully we can build on that.”

    He also accepted that 135 was not a defendable target on this track.

    “It was a great fight, but 135 was not enough on this pitch.”

    “We should have got about 170. The boys showed a lot of fight with the ball, we have done that two games in a row. The next three games will be interesting for us as the table looks interesting,” Rahul said.

    Rohit said that it was a tough call to drop someone like Ishan Kishan but the team will back him as he tried to get back to form.

    “It’s a tough call (on dropping Ishan Kishan). Saurabh (Tiwary) has played the perfect role today and he’s done well to nudge around in the middle overs. We are gonna back him (Ishan Kishan) as he’s a very important player for us.”

  • IPL 2021: Hardik shows some form as Mumbai beat Punjab Kings by six wickets

    By PTI

    ABU DHABI: Hardik Pandya finally showed glimpses of his destructive self as he brought Mumbai Indians back in play-off contention with the defending champions beat Punjab Kings by six wickets in an IPL encounter on Tuesday.

    Hardik smashed two fours and a six in the penultimate over bowled by Mohammed Shami as his 40 not out off 30 balls saw MI snap a three-match losing streak successfully chasing down a target of 136 in 19 overs.

    Saurabh Tiwary (45 off 37) and Kieron Pollard (15 not out) also played their part as M survived some anxious moments before ending on winning note.

    Pollard who took two wickets in Punjab innings hit a six and four off young left-armer Arshdeep Singh taking 13 off the 18th over which helped Hardik go for the jugular against Shami.

    It only helped that his final shot which ended as a maximum was a regulation catch which Deepak Hooda dropped at the fence.

    After this victory, MI reached the fifth spot with 10 points from 11 matches, while Punjab slipped to sixth spot.

    Defending the total, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi got rid of Rohit Sharma (8) and Suryakumar Yadav (0) in successive deliveries to leave MI toterring at 16 for two.

    Tiwary and Quinton de Kock (27) took the team to 30 for 2 in the powerplay.

    Tiwary eased the pressure with a boundary at the cover-point area, before picking up another four off Nathan Ellis.

    Dropped by Aiden Markram at the boundary line in 8th over, Tiwary danced down the wicket and deposited Harpreet over mid-wicket for a maximum to bring up the 50.

    De Kock, who was looking good, lost his bearing in the 10th over as he dragged one on to his stumps, immediately after pulling Mohammed Shami for a four as MI slumped to 62 for 3.

    Tiwary and Hardik Pandya kept MI in hunt but runs dried up with Arshdeep Singh taking the pace off but Harpreet dropped the India allrounder to add to his frustration.

    Needing 52 off 36, Tiwary clobbered Bishnoi over mid-wicket but he was soon removed by Nathan Ellis.

    Hardik then unleashed a four and six in two balls off Shami to keep MI in the hunt.

    Needing 29 in the last three overs, Pollard blasted one across the at extra cover and then deposited the next one over long-off.

    Hardik then exploded in the 19th over bowled by Shami as he sent a wide delivery across the boundary and then pulled one across the midwicket before heaving one over long-on to end the contest.

    Earlier, Markram shared a 61-run partnership with Deepak Hooda (28) to lift their score after they were reduced to 48 for 4 in 7.3 overs.

    However, once the South African was back in the hut in the 16th over, Punjab couldn’t score a single boundary, managing a meagre 23 runs in the last four overs.

    Pollard (2/8) and Bumrah (2/24) were the pick of the bowlers but they were supported well by Krunal Pandya (1/24), Rahul Chahar (1/27) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (0/19).

    earlier, Mandeep Singh (15) was the first to go as Krunal Pandya dealt the first blow.

    Pollard then removed Chris Gayle.

    Two balls later, Pollard picked up Rahul for his 300th wicket in T20s after the batsman pulled a short of length delivery straight to Bumrah at short fine leg.

    Bumrah then produced his famous dipping yorker to trap Nicholas Pooran in front of wicket as Punjab slipped to 48 for four in 8th over.

    Markram and Hooda then kept the scoreboard ticking, picking up singles of Chahar and occassional boundaries to take Punjab to 90 for 4 in 14 overs.

    Punjab never got the momentum going as new man Harpreet Brar struggled to negotiate the variations of Bumrah and Coulter-Nile in the death overs.

    Hooda, in desperation, then sent one up in the air only to be caught by Pollard as PBKS ended with a below-par score.

  • Struggling Mumbai Indians face inconsistent Punjab Kings

    By PTI

    ABU DHABI: On a slippery slope after a hat-trick of losses, defending champions Mumbai Indians will need their famed top-order batting to fire and turn things around when they take on Punjab Kings in the IPL here on Tuesday.

    Time is running out for Mumbai after they lost all the three games post the resumption of the IPL in the UAE, slipping to the seventh spot with 8 points from 10 games.

    While the five-time champions faltered in their run-chase against Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the team couldn’t defend its total against Kolkata Knight Riders.

    MI’s batting has been a major worry for the franchise as their mainstays with the willow, including Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan, have been struggling for runs.

    Skipper Rohit Sharma scored 33 and 43 in the last two games but couldn’t capitalise on the starts.

    After being left out of the first two games due to fitness issues, Hardik Pandya was included in the playing XI against RCB, but his stay was short-lived.

    The form of these players, who are also part of the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, is a worrying sign not only for the franchise but also for the country’s campaign in the showpiece event, which will be held in the UAE and Oman after the IPL.

    In bowling, Jasprit Bumrah has consistently delivered, returning with 8 wickets so far in the last three matches, while fellow pacers Trent Boult and Adam Milne, too, have contributed with 3 scalps each.

    But the spin duo of Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya has disappointed and will need to step up their performance if MI are to qualify for the knockout stage.

    Punjab, on the other hand, are placed in the fifth spot after returning to winning ways in their last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad following a splendid performance from the bowlers, who made up for the team’s below-par batting display.

    With 8 points from 10 games, just like MI, Punjab too can’t afford any slip-up.

    Punjab boast of some excellent Indian and foreign talent, and yet, they have regularly messed up games, and are one of the most inconsistent teams in the league.

    After failing to score 4 runs in the final over against Rajasthan Royals, the Mohali-based team made three changes in their previous game and it will look to continue with the winning combination after making too many changes over the last 14 seasons.

    Punjab possess a formidable batting line-up with skipper KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal scoring the bulk of the runs at the top of the order.

    With the ageless Chris Gayle, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran also in the ranks, Punjab do have the firepower in batting to blow away any attack.

    However, Punjab’s batters couldn’t adjust to the slow conditions at Sharjah in their last game, prompting skipper Rahul to ask them to learn to bat according to the surface.

    In the bowling department, Mohammed Shami and young Arshdeep Singh have shone the brightest, while spinner Ravi Bishnoi grabbed the opportunity with both hands as he returned with three wickets after his inclusion in the last game.

    Squads

    Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (captain), Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel, Shahrukh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Nathan Ellis, Adil Rashid, Murugan Ashwin, Harpreet Brar, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Aiden Markram, Mandeep Singh, Darsan Nalkande, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar, Jalaj Saxena.

    Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain) Quinton de Kock, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Anukul Roy, Arjun Tendulkar, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, James Neesham, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Marco Jansen, Yudhvir Singh, Adam Milne, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Piyush Chawla, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult.

    Match starts at 7:30 pm IST.

  • Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami set up Punjab Kings’ five-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in dramatic finish

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi snared three wickets as Punjab Kings dished out a clinical bowling display to beat struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad by five runs in a low-scoring but entertaining Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.

    The 21-year-old Bishnoi (3/24) ran through the SRH middle order after veteran India pacer Mohammed Shami rocked the run chase early on by dismissing both David Warner (2) and captain Kane Williamson (1) cheaply in the first and third overs respectively.

    Punjab Kings leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi ran through the SRH middle order

    Chasing 126 for a win on a slow Sharjah Cricket Stadium track, SRH ended at 120 for 7 in 20 overs to end their hopes of making it to the play-offs.

    Punjab, however, kept their hopes alive as they grabbed the fifth place with 8 points from 10 matches.

    West Indian Jason Holder raised hopes of a dramatic win for SRH with a late onslaught of 47 off just 29 balls with the help of five sixes but in the end SRH were short by five runs.

    SRH needed 21 from the final two overs and Arshdeep Singh conceded just four runs from the penultimate over.

    Needing 17 runs from the final over bowled by Nathan Ellis, Holder hit a six in the second ball but SRH needed a six to tie the score and take the match to Super Over.

    But Holder, who had taken three wickets for 19 runs in the Punjab Kings innings, could score just one run from the final ball.

    SRH were 20 for 2 after Power Play and Bishnoi took the centre stage from then onwards as he removed the next three batsmen to stifle the SRH run chase.

    First, he had Manish Pandey (13) in the eighth over before dismissing Kedar Jadhav (12) and Abdul Samad (1).

    From 43 for 3 at the halfway mark, SRH were 60 for 5 in the 13th over.

    The arrival of Jason Holder at the crease gave some hopes to SRH as the West Indian hit two sixes to take 16 runs from the 16th over bowled by Nathan Ellis.

    SRH needed 35 from the final four overs and Wriddhiman Shah (31) was set at the other end but he got run out in the 17th over in a horrible mix-up.

    Earlier, Holder’s impressive spell of three wickets for 19 runs helped SRH restrict Punjab Kings to 125 for 7 after being sent in to bat.

    Punjab Kings batsmen struggled to get going on a slow wicket and failed to stitch any big partnership, the highest being the 30-run stand between Chris Gayle and Aiden Markram, who top-scored with a 32-ball 27, for the third wicket.

    Captain KL Rahul had scored 49 in the previous match but got dismissed early this time as he fell to Holder’s first ball for a run-a-ball 21 in the fifth over.

    The other opener Mayank Agarwal (5), who had scored 67 against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday, was out four balls later as he sliced a Holder delivery to Kane Williamson at mid off.

    Punjab Kings were 29 for 2 after Power Play and could have been three wickets down the next over but David Warner dropped Markram off Khaleel Ahmed.

    The Mohali-based side were 55 for 2 at halfway mark.

    Chris Gayle shunned playing his trademark big-hitting shots but got dimissed for 14 off 17 balls off the bowling of Rashid Khan.

    Nicholas Pooran (8) followed his senior West Indian colleague to the dressing room the next over, while Markram’s promising innings ended in the 15th over while looking for big shots to accelerate the innings.

    Deepak Hooda (13) hit some lusty blows before substitute fielder J Suchith plucked the ball out of thin air in an outstanding fielding effort to dismiss the batsman.

    Punjab Kings took 14 runs from the final over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar to end their innings at 125 for 7.

  • Sunrisers Hyderabad restrict Punjab Kings to 125/7

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: West Indian Jason Holder’s impressive spell of three wickets for 19 runs helped Sunrisers Hyderabad restrict Punjab Kings to 125 for 7 in their Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.

    Sent in to bat, Punjab Kings batsmen struggled to get going on a slow wicket and failed to stitch any big partnership, the highest being the 30-run stand between Chris Gayle and Aiden Markram, who top-scored with a 32-ball 27, for the third wicket.

    Captain KL Rahul had scored 49 in the previous match but got dismissed early this time as he fell to Holder’s first ball for a run-a-ball 21 in the fifth over.

    The other opener Mayank Agarwal (5), who had scored 67 against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday, was out four balls later as he sliced a Holder delivery to Kane Williamson at mid off.

    Punjab Kings were 29 for 2 after Power Play and could have been three wickets down the next over but David Warner dropped Markram off Khaleel Ahmed.

    The Mohali-based side were 55 for 2 at halfway mark.

    Chris Gayle shunned playing his trademark big-hitting shots but got dimissed for 14 off 17 balls off the bowling of Rashid Khan.

    Nicholas Pooran (8) followed his senior West Indian colleague to the dressing room the next over, while Markram’s promising innings ended in the 15th over while looking for big shots to accelerate the innings.

    Deepak Hooda (13) hit some lusty blows before substitute fielder J Suchith plucked the ball out of thin air in an outstanding fielding effort to dismiss the batsman.

    Punjab Kings took 14 runs from the final over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar to end their innings at 125 for 7.

    Harpreet Brar remained not out on 18 from as many balls.

  • Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson wins toss, opt to field against Punjab Kings

    By PTI

    SHARJAH: Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to field against Punjab Kings in their Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.

    Punjab made three changes to their playing XI, handing debut to medium pacer Nathan Ellis and also bringing in Chris Gayle and Ravi Bishnoi while leaving out Fabian Allen, Ishan Porel, and Adil Rashid.

    Sunrisers, however, fielded the same playing XI.

    Teams:

    Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis

    Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (C), David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma and Khaleel Ahmed