IPL Captains (Screengrab)

IPL 2026 is set for a blockbuster start this weekend, with the champion teams and star players kicking off the season in front of fans across the world. Here is the schedule for the opening weekend, along with match details and venues.RCB vs SRH: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru- March 28 (Saturday)Sunrisers Hyderabad will take on defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, with the match starting 7:30 PM IST. The two sides last met at this venue in 2024, when SRH posted a record-breaking highest total of IPL 287/3. The match ended in SRH’s favor and also witnessed the highest aggregate in IPL history, with a combined 549 runs scored. At the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB and SRH have a competitive head-to-head record, with RCB holding an advantage with 5 wins in 8 matches, while SRH has secured 3 wins.RCB’s predicted playing XII: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Romario Shephard, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma (Impact Player) SRH’s predicted playing XII: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (C), Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Liam Livingston, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat Impact – Zeeshan AnsariMI vs KKR: Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai – March 29 (Sunday)Three-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders will face five-time champions Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, with the match starting 7:30 PM IST. The last time these two teams met in Mumbai, MI registered a dominant eight-wicket win on March 31, 2025. Debutant Ashwani Kumar starred with figures of 4/24 to bowl KKR out for 116, after which Ryan Rickelton’s unbeaten 62 off 41 balls helped MI chase down the target with 43 balls to spare, securing their first win of the 2025 season. Mumbai Indians (MI) dominate Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Wankhede Stadium, holding a 10-2 head-to-head record over 12 matches. MI’s predicted playing XII: Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock (WK), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Will Jacks, Hardik Pandya, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Shardul Thakur (IMP)KKR’s predicted playing XII: Finn Allen, Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani, Umran Malik (Imp)

KALYAN: The death of local businessman Shrinivas Tandle, a cycling enthusiast, who was struck by a speeding car, allegedly driven by a minor boy, while he was riding his cycle on Kalyan Ring Road on Tuesday, has triggered widespread outrage among residents and fitness enthusiasts who frequent the route. On Thursday, cyclists, runners and residents gathered at the site to pay tribute, demanding urgent safety measures. Once regarded as a safe and vibrant stretch for morning walks, cycling and fitness activities, the Ring Road is now increasingly being seen as a high-risk zone, with reckless driving and unchecked speeding. Members of various cycling groups such as Kalyan Cyclist Group and BikePort Cyclists described a troubling pattern: the road has become a hotspot for young riders and drivers treating it like a racetrack, often exceeding speeds of 100kmph. Evening hours, in particular, see a spike in stunt riding and dangerous driving behaviour. Cyclist Dr Rahnuma Ehteshamuddin said the community would press for immediate safety measures such as police barricading, installation of speed breakers and deployment of speed detection cameras. “This road was once ideal for cyclists and walkers, but the increasing instances of rash driving have made it extremely risky,” he said.Echoing similar concerns, international cyclists and runner Dilip Ghadge said the incident has created fear among cyclists, with many families now discouraging their members from using the road. Police said the minor boy has been produced before the juvenile court and sent to a remand home. A case has also been registered against his mother, in whose name the vehicle is registered, and further action is likely. DCP Atul Zende said immediate steps are being taken to prevent further mishaps. “Barricading work has already started at the spot, and a police outpost will soon be set up,” he said.Police have also conducted medical tests of the 16-year-old minor boy to find out if he was drunk; his reports are awaited.

India imports a big portion of its LPG and LNG needs and has been looking to step up procurement from alternative sources. (AI image)

Amid Strait of Hormuz-linked supply disruptions, India has reportedly sought a waiver from the US for buying liquified natural gas (LNG) from Russia. According to a Reuters report, India has approached the Donald Trump administration, asking for the waiver that would help ease supply constraints.According to two individuals aware of the developments, India and Russia have agreed to begin preparations for restarting direct supplies of liquefied natural gas from Russia, something that has not occurred since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict. One of the sources told Reuters that if India chooses to move ahead, discussions could wrap up within a matter of weeks, even though such an arrangement may risk breaching Western sanctions.

India Looks To Russian LNG To Ease Hormuz Supply Disruptions

The understanding to explore an LNG agreement was reached during a March 19 meeting in New Delhi between Russian Deputy Energy Minister Pavel Sorokin and India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the sources said according to Reuters.

Separately, India has advised domestic energy importers to prepare for a possible restart of Russian LNG purchases, one of the sources said. India has also reached out to the United States to explore the possibility of securing a waiver from sanctions, according to this source and another individual familiar with the matter.According to one of the sources, any fresh LNG agreement is expected to be less advantageous for India compared to the long-term supply contract signed between state-run GAIL and Russia’s Gazprom in 2012. “It is now a seller’s market,” the person said.Also Read | US-Iran war impact: India’s crude imports from Russia near all time highs; will such high numbers continue?Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated last week that India is in discussions with multiple countries to ensure energy security, including sourcing LNG. Officials have also noted that India continues to import Russian liquefied petroleum gas, which is primarily used for cooking and is not subject to sanctions.India has already aggressively stepped up procurement of Russian crude oil after the US-Israel-Iran war disrupted supply of crude oil via the important maritime route Strait of Hormuz. Estimates from Kpler suggest that India has already bought around 50-60 million barrels of Russian crude since the start of the war in late February. The US has said that it has granted a 30-day waiver to India for purchasing Russian crude oil with an aim to keep global oil prices in check. Apart from crude oil disruptions, the supply of LPG and LNG have also been hit. India imports a big portion of its LPG and LNG needs and has been looking to step up procurement from alternative sources.

Global LNG Supplies Hit Due To Middle East Conflict

Yet another factor that has impacted LNG supplies is the attack on Middle East energy infrastructure. The US-Iran conflict has triggered consequences that extend well beyond the immediate spike in global oil and gas prices. Escalating tensions in the Middle East have resulted in damage to critical energy infrastructure across Gulf nations, raising concerns over future liquefied natural gas production and supply.The turmoil has unsettled the global LNG market, with higher prices, disruptions to key export facilities in Qatar and potential delays in upcoming projects creating uncertainty around demand outlook, particularly among cost-sensitive buyers in Asia.Also Read | Petrol, diesel price today: After excise duty cuts, will petrol and diesel rates in your city come down?“We expect this gas price crisis will lead some countries to reconsider growing their gas demand at the rate we previously forecast and so LNG demand growth will be lower than our pre-war forecast,” said Lucien Mulberg, an analyst at S&P Global.Supply constraints are expected to persist as Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route handling around 20% of global LNG trade, and damage to Qatar’s liquefaction infrastructure have disrupted flows. The affected facilities could take 3 to 5 years to restore, sidelining about 12.8 million tonnes per year of capacity. As a result, consultancies including S&P Global, ICIS, Kpler and Rystad Energy have lowered their global supply estimates by as much as 35 million tonnes.This shortfall is equivalent to roughly 500 LNG cargoes, sufficient to meet over half of Japan’s annual LNG imports or cover Bangladesh’s requirements for nearly five years.Before the conflict, analysts had expected global LNG supply to grow by up to 10% this year, reaching between 460 million and 484 million metric tonnes, supported by new capacity additions mainly in the United States and Qatar, with demand projected to rise at a similar pace.S&P Global now estimates that exports from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates could decline by about 33 million tonnes this year. It has also cut its supply outlook by a further 19 million tonnes annually between 2027 and 2029, citing likely delays in Qatar’s North Field expansion and ADNOC’s Ruwais LNG projects currently under development.

MUMBAI: Income Tax Appel-late Tribunal (ITAT), Mumbai bench, has ruled in favour of a taxpayer who received a flat worth Rs 11.7 crore in a redevelopment project in lieu of sur-rendering his tenancy rights. ITAT held that the transac-tion-viz surrender of tenan-cy rights amounted to transfer of a capital asset-and that the taxpayer, V Asher, was eligible for exemption under Section 54F of the Income Tax (I-T) Act. The tribunal further held that the value of the flat could not be taxed under the head ‘Income from other sources’. During scrutiny of the case for the year 2019-20, the I-T officer noted that the tenancy ar-rangement was not genuine. He, therefore, treated the value of the flat as ‘Income from other sources’, taxable at the applicable slab rate, and denied the exemption claimed by Asher under Section 54F. Section 54F provides for capital gains tax exemption when an individual sells a long-term capital asset, such as surrender of tenancy rights, and invests the proceeds in a residential ho-use. If the entire amount recei-ved on sale or surrender of the capital asset is invested in a new house, no capital gains tax arises. A proportionate exemp-tion is available in cases of par-tial investment. According to the I-T depart-ment, the tenancy agreement executed between the taxpayer and his family members was a colourable device created to avoid tax, as the property origi-nally belonged to family mem-bers and the tenancy was for-malised only shortly before redevelopment. However, Asher submitted that the tenancy existed since 2013 and was supported by rent receipts, electricity bills, and records from the Maharashtra Housing and Area Develop-ment Authority (Mhada), which recognised him as a tenant in the redevelopment scheme. ITAT took cognisance of the evidence showing that Asher had been occupying the premises as a tenant for seve-ral years. It held that surren-der of tenancy rights amounts to transfer of a capital asset. Accordingly, the tax tribunal ruled that the treatment of Rs 11.7 crore as ‘Income from other sources’ was not sustai-nable and that the taxpayer was entitled to claim exemption under Section 54F.

Panaji: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has asked for a detailed report from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on match-fixing allegations in Goa that led to chargesheet being filed against 14 players and officials, including a police constable.Last month, the Goa Football Association’s integrity officer and retired deputy superintendent of police Sandesh Chodankar charge-sheeted 14 players and said “there is ample evidence of match-fixing”. The players are on the brink of facing suspensions and even life bans for their alleged roles in match-fixing in Goa Professional League, the top tier of football in Goa.Media reports of match-fixing in Goan football has been assessed by AFC, the governing body of Asian football.AFC has requested AIFF to provide a report on findings of the investigation, details of the process followed, details of any ongoing and/or completed administrative and/or disciplinary proceedings before AIFF and/or its judicial bodies in connection with the investigation.If the AIFF has not been involved in the investigation, AFC requested the federation to provide them with “the findings of the GFA investigation and an update on the current status of the matter, including any proceedings initiated or contemplated at GFA level.”GFA is understood to have already forwarded its investigation report to AIFF.Nine of the 14 suspected players are from Chapora Yuvak Sangh after club president Pravin Dabholkar filed a complaint that Akash Kudnekar, Krishnanath Shirodkar, Sachidanand Satelkar, Bhaskar Jalmi, Aman Govekar, Chaitan Dabholkar, Rohan Pednekar, Vinayak Rane and Akash Sanadi were involved in “match-fixing for monetary benefits”.According to the complaint, all of them had met a suspected match fixer— only identified as ‘masked man’ Sandy, arriving in a tinted car — a day before their Goa GPL clash against Clube de Salgaocar, where they were offered money to lose the game by three goals.For the past six years, international betting monitors like Sportradar and Genius Sports have told GFA about suspicious betting patterns in Goa Professional League which are indicative of match-fixing.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday offered prayers to Lord Ram and participated virtually in the Surya Tilak ceremony at Ayodhya‘s Ram Mandir.Earlier in the day, he extended greetings to the nation on the occasion of Ram Navami, wishing that the festival bring new energy and enthusiasm into the lives of the people. Taking to X, he said, “Heartfelt greetings to all countrymen on the occasion of Ram Navami. May this holy and sacred occasion of Lord Shri Ram’s birth festival bring new consciousness and fresh enthusiasm into all your lives and continuously provide new energy to the resolve of a strong, prosperous, and capable India. Jai Shri Ram!”