The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 has officially kicked off with the high-octane energy fans have come to expect, but the early headlines aren’t just about the towering sixes. On Sunday, the historic Wankhede Stadium played host to the season’s second match, a heavyweight clash between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). While the atmosphere inside the stadium was electric with rivalry, the post-match scene painted a different, much more humorous picture of the ‘Gentleman’s Game.’

Rinku Singh adds comic twist with ‘bat theft’ post high-voltage IPL 2026 showdown

In the world of cricket, a player’s bat is their most prized possession, but for KKR’s finisher Rinku Singh, it seems to be a shared commodity. Following the intense battle at Wankhede, a video shared by the Mumbai Indians’ media team captured a moment of pure gold that has since set social media ablaze.

The footage shows a group of elite willow-watchers, including Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Rinku, huddled together. They were closely inspecting a bat belonging to KKR’s explosive New Zealander, Finn Allen, who had earlier dismantled the KKR attack. As the trio tested the ping and balance of the blade, Rinku’s curiosity seemingly turned into acquisition.

In a flash of comedic timing that rivalled his batting reflexes, Rinku grabbed the bat and sprinted toward the dressing room. A bewildered Tilak was heard shouting for its return while Suryakumar doubled over in laughter. This isn’t Rinku’s first heist; fans quickly recalled his famous attempt to walk off with Sanju Samson’s bat during an India-West Indies series. The ‘Bat Thief of Aligarh’ has clearly struck again, proving that while the competition is fierce, the camaraderie remains the heartbeat of the IPL.

Here’s the video:

𝗔𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗲, 𝗥𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘂 𝗯𝗵𝗮𝗶? 😂 pic.twitter.com/gKiDXRgtBC

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 30, 2026

Also READ: IPL 2026: Cricket Australia breaks silence after KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane questions Cameron Green’s non-bowling

MI breaks opening match jinx in IPL 2026 against KKR

In what will be remembered as a ‘where were you’ moment for MI fans, the five-time champions finally ended a staggering 14-year drought by winning their season opener for the first time since 2012. Facing an imposing target of 221 runs set by the Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai didn’t just break their slow starter jinx—they demolished it. The victory, secured by six wickets with five balls to spare, now stands as the biggest successful chase in Mumbai Indians’ history, surpassing their previous record of 219 against CSK in 2021.

The chase was a masterclass in modern T20 power-hitting. Rohit Sharma rolled back the years with a vintage 78 off just 38 balls, while South African sensation Ryan Rickelton announced himself on the global stage with a blistering 81 off 43 deliveries. Together, they forged a massive 148-run opening stand that silenced the KKR bowling attack. Earlier in the evening, despite a valiant 67 from KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane and a late surge from Rinku, MI’s Shardul Thakur proved to be the “man with the golden arm,” picking up 3/39 to keep the target within reach. By crossing the finish line on March 29, 2026, Hardik Pandya’s men have officially closed a chapter of seasonal disappointment and signaled a new, aggressive era for the Blue and Gold.

Also WATCH: Sherfane Rutherford’s dance leaves MI camp in splits after thrilling win over KKR

NEW DELHI: Citing recent incidents of fatal building fires in Delhi, Odisha and Goa, a technical committee of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has disagreed with the deregulation cell of the Cabinet Secretariat to exclude “fire safety” provisions from the National Building Code. However, it has accepted over a dozen recommendations, including the removal of provisions related to administration and development control norms.The deregulation cell had asked BIS to make different parts of the current NBC, including the Fire Safety part, as handbooks and to take them out of the Code. This is the second instance when the Cabinet Secretariat has asked BIS to change norms. The last one was the withdrawal of the notification related to the revised seismic code.As part of the government’s deregulation drive, the deregulation cell under the Cabinet Secretariat has asked BIS to exclude matters relating to sections such as administration, development control norms and fire safety from NBC and leave these to the state governments and municipal authorities, as they are competent to make these norms.However, the technical committee of BIS, in its last meeting, recommended that the government keep the “Fire and Life Safety” section in NBC, which is being revised. “In deciding so, the committee also observed that from recent incidents in the country and world-wide, it is clear that fire safety is a crucial aspect and that buildings that are not planned/ designed/ maintained to the intended purpose can turn into death traps; so the same should be addressed scrupulously in the Code, as every life is precious,” the minutes of the meeting mentioned.The panel also recommended that this should be part of the “building code rather than a separate handbook”.The committee has accepted several suggestions of the deregulation cell, including the provision of dividing a city into fire zones, removing height restrictions, and relaxing the requirement of sprinkler systems for all low-hazard and small-scale industries. “The committee has agreed to modify the provisions where the suggestions have merit. But any dilution of fire safety norms must be avoided for public safety,’ said a panel member.This is the second such “direct instruction” to BIS from the deregulation cell of the Cabinet Secretariat after it recently asked the standards body to withdraw the notification related to seismic standard “immediately”, people aware of the development said.Some committee members said that when the draft NBC 2025 was ready for publication after over two years of work by experts, the deregulation cell wrote to all states stating that NBC is not mandatory for them to follow. The letter of June 25, 2025, said, “The NBC is not legally binding. It’s a voluntary code for reference. It is not a ‘code’ in a legally binding sense…The subject of land and buildings is listed in List-II (State List) in the Constitution...Hence, buildings and matters like norms for FAR/FSI, setback, ground coverage, parking, green area, fire regulation, etc., as well as other aspects covered in NBC are within the exclusive legislative and executive jurisdiction of states.”Ajit Kumar S M, president of Karnataka Professional Civil Engineers Act — Steering Consortium, said, “Even now, NBC is voluntary in nature. So, the Code can exist, and states can tweak it. Government shouldn’t bulldoze a technical committee of experts which has been set up by a statutory entity.”

Mumbai: Opposition parties, including Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, MNS, AIMIM and Samajwadi Party, staged a walkout from the BMC House on Monday, alleging that leader of the opposition Kishori Pednekar of Shiv Sena (UBT) was “insulted” after being asked to wait in the Mayor’s antechamber despite being officially called for a meeting regarding the protocol department.“We were called for a meeting by the Mayor Ritu Tawde. After reaching on time, we were asked to wait in the antechamber, which we think was incorrect. This is no way of respecting someone’s time,” said Pednekar.Ashraf Azmi, Congress party leader in the BMC, also flagged similar lapses at recent events, including Sion hospital project inauguration and a cleanliness competition announcement attended by actor Akshay Kumar. “All these events are being made out to be political party events instead of ensuring that every elected party in the BMC is made a part of it,” said Azmi.The ruling side, however, maintained that the Opposition members were requested to wait in the antechamber as a mark of respect, and said there was no cause for offence. Shiv Sena’s Yamini Jadhav said, “We make only close people wait in the antechamber. So there’s no need to make an issue of it,” she said.Tawde said she told Pednekar that she will be coming to the antechamber. “We were discussing some party issues and asked Pednekar to wait only for a few minutes. She went in but then left abruptly within a few minutes,” Tawde told TOI. “We wanted to give instructions to the civic protocol department, to ensure that all committee chairpersons are allowed in any civic events and that invites must be sent to them well in advance,” Tawde added.Shiv Sena’s Amey Ghole, who was also present in the Mayor’s cabin, said that he “respectfully” had asked Pednekar to wait and didn’t think it would snowball into such a big issue.was disrespected by the BJP-Shiv Sena in a meeting scheduled at Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde’s chamber regarding BMC’s protocol department.A meeting regarding the BMC’s protocol department, scheduled at Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde’s chamber on Monday afternoon, ended in a walkout by the UBT led opposition party members in the BMC house. Following them were other opposition parties like the Congress, MNS, AIMIM & Samajwadi.

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Donald Trump (Screengrab)

United States President Donald Trump on Monday shared his 1987 interview amid the ongoing war against Iran, resurfacing decades-old comments in which he advocated seizing Iranian oil installations in response to attacks.The video, originally from a December 1987 segment on ABC’s 20/20 with journalist Barbara Walters, shows a 41-year-old Trump discussing US strategy in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War era, when Iran was targeting oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.In the clip, Trump argued against American weakness and proposed taking control of Iranian oil assets along the sea as a direct response.”Why couldn’t we go in and take over some of their oil, which is along the sea?” Trump said.When pressed on the method and risks, including potential involvement of Marines or escalation to war, he replied: “You go in… you take the oil… Let Iran fight their own war. You take their oil.”He added: “You get in trouble with weakness.”Dismissing concerns about Soviet intervention at the time, Trump stated: “I don’t think they would [intervene].”“The next time Iran attacks this country, go in and grab one of their big oil installations, and I mean grab it and keep it, and get back your losses, because this country has lost plenty because of Iran.”VIDEOOn Sunday, Trump said he would prefer to “take the oil in Iran” and indicated that Washington could move to seize Kharg Island, Tehran’s main oil export hub, as the US ramps up its military presence in the Middle East.In an interview with the Financial Times on Sunday, Trump said his “preference would be to take the oil”, drawing a comparison with Venezuela, where the US plans to retain control over the oil sector “indefinitely” after capturing strongman leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.His remarks come at a time when the US-Israel war with Iran has pushed the region deeper into crisis and driven a sharp surge in global oil prices. Brent crude climbed above $116 per barrel on Monday in Asian trading, nearing its highest level since the conflict began.Trump said: “To be honest with you, my favourite thing is to take the oil in Iran but some stupid people back in the US say: ‘why are you doing that?’ But they’re stupid people.”Any such move would likely involve capturing Kharg Island, through which the bulk of Iran’s oil exports are routed.The US has already been reinforcing its troop presence in the region. The Pentagon has ordered the deployment of around 10,000 personnel trained for ground operations, including seizing and holding territory. Roughly 3,500 troops arrived on Friday, among them about 2,200 Marines. Another 2,200 Marines are on the way, along with thousands more from the 82nd Airborne Division.

J&K CM Omar Abdullah makes strong pitch against amendments to Jammu and Kashmir Preservation of Specified Trees Act, 1969

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah, on Monday, made a strong pitch against a bill brought by his own party MLA that seeks to grant landowners the right to cut walnut trees on their property.Omar said passage of the bill would harm the country’s largest walnut economy, of which Kashmir accounts for about 90 per cent, and would rob J&K of a key part of its identity.The bill, moved by National Conference legislator from Pahalgam, Altaf Ahmad Wani, sought amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir Preservation of Specified Trees Act, 1969, to allow felling of walnut trees on private land.Under the 1969 law, no person is allowed to cut a walnut tree, whether on private or state land, without prior permission from the competent authority, and any violation of the law attracts a fine ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 10,000.Defending his bill, Wani said the law is creating a huge problem for landowners as walnut trees occupy significant space, around three trees per kanal (0.05 hectares), and they don’t give reasonable revenue to landowners.He said walnuts were once a major source of income in Kashmir, but most of the trees have aged and stopped yielding. Wani said harvesting is largely done by the owners themselves, and over the years, many people have been injured and died due to falls from trees during the harvesting. He advocated replacing ageing trees with high-density plantations.“It is a strange law where I am not allowed to cut a tree standing on my own land. One has to knock on many doors to get permission, which has become a source of corruption,” Wani said.Omar, however, defended the restrictions, saying the law serves a broader purpose of conserving walnut and chinar trees. He said J&K produces about 3.5 lakh metric tonnes of walnuts annually, around 90 per cent of the country’s total output.The CM said walnut wood is integral to the handicrafts industry, particularly wood carving, and voiced concern that allowing felling of walnut trees could lead to their replacement with concrete buildings. “I am sure once walnut trees are cut, owners will build houses or other structures there,” Omar said, adding that the government could consider changes only if felled trees would be replaced with walnut cultivation on the same land.Though the walnut industry faces competition from soft-shelled varieties from regions like California, Chile, Kashmiri walnuts are valued for their superior taste. Major export destinations for Kashmiri walnuts include the UAE, Turkey, Iraq, Singapore, Algeria, Qatar, Bhutan, Kuwait, Seychelles and Nigeria.

SRINAGAR: While the Centre took all by surprise by announcing the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, there was one person in J&K who knew it beforehand, CM Omar Abdullah said in the assembly Monday, apologizing to the party chief whip, Mubarak Gul, for not heeding to his foreboding then.Omar made the statement while speaking on a bill Gul moved to enhance the salary of the chief whip on the lines of other states. While the CM rejected the bill, he praised Gul for political acumen.He said amid widespread uncertainty in J&K, politicians huddled to debate possible situations on August 3, 2019.“At that time, Mubarak Gul stood up and thumped the table, telling us that Article 370 and 35A would be abrogated, and J&K would be bifurcated and turned into an UT,” National Conference chairperson said, recalling he had dismissed Gul’s warning.“I told him if the Centre had to do it, they would do it around Lok Sabha polls to gain a few seats. Why would they do it four-and-a-half years before the election?” Omar said.“The meeting ended and we all went home,” Omar said, adding, “but on August 5, 2019, when our houses were locked and I saw the news on television, I could only think of Mubarak Gul.”The CM said he still does not know how Gul had foreseen the Modi govt’s plan. As Omar was speaking, MLAs looked towards Gul, hoping futilely he would reveal it. Instead, Gul stood up to announce the withdrawal of his bill.