Aviation giant Air India group on Tuesday revised its fuel surcharge across domestic and international routes, as Middle East tensions continued to weigh oil supplies across the globe. The move follows the decision by the ministry of petroleum & natural gas and the ministry of civil aviation to cap the increase in domestic aviation turbine fuel (atf) prices at 25%. For domestic travel, the airline will replace its existing flat surcharge with a distance-linked structure. The revised domestic surcharge will come into effect from 0901 hrs IST on April 8, 2026, and will apply across the group, including Air India Express flights.As per the latest data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global average jet fuel price nearly doubled within a month, rising from $99.40 per barrel at the end of February to $195.19 for the week ending March 27, 2026.

Here’s how much more you will pay from Wednesday:

On the international front, the airline has introduced steeper revisions, citing the lack of similar price controls on ATF. Effective from 0901 hrs IST on April 8, 2026, passengers flying to SAARC destinations (excluding Bangladesh) will pay a surcharge of $24 per sector. Charges for the Middle East have been set at $50, while routes to China and Southeast Asia (excluding Singapore) will attract $100. The surcharge for Singapore stands at $60, and for Africa at $130.For flights to Europe, including the United Kingdom, the surcharge has been fixed at $205. Meanwhile, passengers travelling to North America and Australia will be charged $280 per sector, with these rates taking effect from 0001 hrs IST on April 10, 2026.

Why Air India introduced the surcharge?

The airline pointed out that the increase is not limited to crude oil prices alone. Refinery margins, referred to as ‘crack spread’, have also surged sharply, climbing from $27.83 per barrel for the week ending February 27 to $81.44 by March 27. This combination has intensified cost pressures for airlines worldwide. Air India stated that even after the revision, the updated international fuel surcharge does not fully offset the rise in fuel costs, and a substantial portion continues to be absorbed by the airline. The airline added that revisions for flights to and from Bangladesh, along with Far East destinations such as Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, will be announced later, subject to regulatory approvals. Air India clarified that tickets issued before the revised timelines will not be subject to the new surcharge unless passengers make changes to their travel plans that require a recalculation of fares.

LSG pacer Mohsin Khan during a practice session.

LUCKNOW: Lucknow Super Giants left-arm pacer Mohsin Khan, who has made a comeback in IPL after a 14-15 months’ rehabilitation following an injury, said that he could return due to the inspiration of his mother who passed away two months ago.“The long injury layoff pushed me into self-doubt, but my mother kept encouraging me throughout my recovery. When I was unavailable for competitive cricket, and after surgery during rehab, many times negative thoughts came to my mind,” he said.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“I wondered if I would ever play again because I was out for 14-15 months. But my mother always supported me and told me that I would play again,” he said.“My mother’s dream was to see me play IPL and competitive cricket again. I was in the LSG camp and had returned from Bengaluru, and she passed away the same day,” Mohsin said.He said he was close to his mother and used to speak to her a lot on phone calls.“After her death, I was in trauma. I did not practice for a month,” he said.On being retained by LSG despite his injury struggles, Mohsin admitted he did not expect it.He credited LSG physio Vaibhav Daga, trainer Soham, and bowling coach Bharat Arun for helping him regain fitness and rhythm.“I also practised with pacer Mohammed Shami at his farm in Amroha. He has set up a good gym and ground at his farm. We discussed bowling nuances and told me about any shortcomings,” Mohsin explained.

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Australia bowler Mitchell Starc has yet to join the Delhi Capitals camp and it’s learnt that the 36-year-old is likely to miss at least three more games for the franchise. Starc is managing a shoulder and elbow injury back home and is highly unlikely to join the squad till April 20. Before that, Delhi are scheduled to play three games – against Gujarat Titans on April 8, CSK on April 11 and RCB on April 18 – and will miss the services of the star bowler.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The DC think tank is optimistic on having Starc with them at some point in the season but timelines are unclear at this stage. In the left-armer’s absence, the Axar Patel-led unit has won both its games against the Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians, and the versatile bowling unit put up a strong show. Mukesh Kumar has been very penetrative with the new ball. Lungi Ngidi and T Narajan have been accurate in the tough overs and the spinners—Axar, Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam—have controlled the middle overs.Starc’s addition will only add significant bite to this potent attack, and the bowler remains in constant touch with the management. In a social media post last month, he revealed the nature of his injury and hit out at the “misinformed opinions of players.”“Despite the opinions and views of certain individuals with their platforms in and through the Indian media, I’m currently rehabbing and managing an injury in my shoulder and elbow, the extent of which I didn’t know during the Australian summer. These individuals have made some strong statements around involvement in the IPL and provided heavily misinformed opinions of players, preached them as facts, and claimed to know my body better than me,” Starc wrote in a statement.The bowler asserted that he is committed to joining the DC squad “as soon as possible”.“With that said, I do acknowledge this injury setback and that the timing is disruptive to the Delhi team, and I apologise for that and to the fans for not being available for the early part of this season. I remain committed to joining DC, am in continual communication with the team, and will continue to do what I can to be available for DC as soon as possible,” he added.Delhi Capitals next take on Gujarat Titans at home on April 8 and will look to continue their unbeaten run in the tournament. Young batter Sameer Rizvi has aced two chases under pressure and the management would now hope the experienced batters around him step up and make substantial contributions. DC are one of the four unbeaten teams in the tournament and a win over GT will take them to top spot in the IPL 2026 points table.

File Image: Riyan Parag and Hardik Pandya (Pic credit: IPL)

Mumbai Indians will be banking on the return of skipper Hardik Pandya as they look to bounce back against an in-form Rajasthan Royals in their IPL clash on Tuesday.Pandya missed MI’s previous game due to illness, a setback that proved costly in their six-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals. His absence not only deprived the side of his all-round abilities but also forced a reshuffle in team combination. While Suryakumar Yadav stepped in as stand-in captain, MI struggled to find balance, particularly with the ball.The bowling unit looked unsettled, with Corbin Bosch proving expensive, while Jasprit Bumrah has been economical but is yet to take a wicket this season. Mitchell Santner has been a bright spot in spin, but the attack overall will need to step up significantly.MI face a stiff challenge against a Royals side that has hit the ground running this season. Rajasthan’s top order has been particularly impressive, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi providing explosive starts, while Dhruv Jurel has added solidity in the middle. Skipper Riyan Parag has led astutely, especially in crunch moments.Their bowling unit has also delivered, with Ravi Bishnoi emerging as a key wicket-taker and Tushar Deshpande impressing at the death.

RR vs MI Head-to-Head

RR vs MI: Pitch Report

Guwahati has shown early assistance for fast bowlers this season, particularly under overcast conditions. In the only game here so far, Chennai Super Kings were bowled out for 127, with early moisture aiding seam movement, before Rajasthan Royals chased it down comfortably.With rain forecast in the afternoon and clearer skies later, similar conditions are expected. The new ball could offer swing and seam in the Powerplay, making the initial overs crucial. As the pitch dries, batting should become easier, with dew likely to aid chasing teams under lights.

RR vs MI: Predicted XIs

Rajasthan Royals predicted XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (capt), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar DeshpandeImpact Sub: Sandeep SharmaMumbai Indians predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Ryan RIckelton (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya (capt), Sherfane Rutherford, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Trent Boult, Mayank MarkandeImpact Sub: Jasprit Bumrah

RR vs MI: Guwahati Weather Update

Mostly cloudy conditions are expected, with light morning showers followed by thunderstorms in parts during the afternoon. The temperature is likely to peak around 29°C. By evening, skies should turn partly cloudy, although there remains a chance of a late-night thunderstorm, with temperatures dipping to around 19°C.During match hours, conditions look relatively stable, with partly cloudy skies and only around a 10% chance of rain.

RR vs MI: Live Streaming details

The RR vs MI clash will be held at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, with the match set to begin at 7:30 PM IST. The game will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network, while live streaming will be available on JioHotstar.

RR vs MI squads

Rajasthan Royals: Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-Dre Pretorius, Ravi Singh, Aman Perala, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Adam Milne, Brijesh Sharma, Jofra Archer, Kuldeep Sen, Kwena Maphaka, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi and Sandeep Sharma.Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Danish Malewar, Robin Minz (wk), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Atharva Ankolekar, Raj Bawa, Corbin Bosch, Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Tilak Varma, Ashwani Kumar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Deepak Chahar, AM Ghazanfar, Mayank Markande, Mohammad Izhar, Raghu Sharma.

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Stock market today: Dalal Street opened in red on Tuesday, with benchmark indices slipping 0.9% as oil prices continued to rise and US President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran nears. While Nifty50 began the day below 22,800, Sensex fell over 800 points in early trade to touch 73,282.41. As of 9:20 am, Nifty50 was trading at 22,765.45, down 202.80 or 0.88%. BSE Sensex made slight recovery, down 694.03 points or 0.94% to 73,412.82.This fall comes after a sharp rebound in the previous session, when both Sensex and Nifty recovered strongly, erasing early losses triggered by rising crude oil prices as tensions continued to intensify in the Middle East. Traders attributed the rise to intense buying in banking and IT stocks, along with a strengthening rupee, that lifted investor’s confidence.During the volatile session on Monday, the 30-share BSE Sensex surged 787.30 points, or 1.07%, to settle at 74,106.85. During intraday trade, it had jumped 887.91 points, or 1.21%, to touch 74,207.46. Market breadth remained firmly positive, with 3,207 stocks advancing, 1,147 declining and 190 remaining unchanged on the BSE.The 50-share NSE Nifty also ended higher, rising 255.15 points, or 1.12%, to close at 22,968.25. Rupee, however, stayed firm on Tuesday, opening at 93.0025 per US dollar, rising 0.06% from its previous close of 93.06 against the greenback.In global markets, oil prices climbed while equities showed a mixed trend as investors assessed Donald Trump’s latest deadline for Iran to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz or face being “decimated”.West Texas Intermediate rose 2.6% to $115.34 per barrel, and Brent North Sea crude gained 1.3% to $111.24 per barrel. Across Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.2% to 53,323.41 in early trade, while Shanghai’s Composite index rose 0.5% to 3,899.09. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index remained closed for a holiday.In currency markets, euro weakened to $1.1530 from $1.1543 on Monday, while the pound dipped to $1.3216 from $1.3236. The dollar strengthened against the yen to 159.86 from 159.68. The euro also edged lower against the pound to 87.25 pence from 87.27 pence. In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.4% higher at 46,669.88, while London markets were closed for a holiday.

World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura questions FIDE’s safety protocols (Photo by Michal Walusza)

NEW DELHI: The year was 2015. At 55, veteran Grandmaster (GM) Pravin Thipsay hadn’t won any chess tournament in four years. He arrived at the inaugural Dr. Hegdewar Open in Delhi hoping to break the hex, but by the fifth round, he found himself staring at a nightmare.Across from him sat Dhruv Kakar, a 19-year-old engineering student with a modest rating of 1575 on paper. But as the game unfolded, Thipsay watched in disbelief as his pieces were traded away with clinical, engine-like precision.After 87 gruelling moves, the teenager prevailed as the GM sat at the other end of the board with utter disbelief.

“The quality of moves was not matching his rating,” Thipsay told TimesofIndia.com, recalling the incident. “There was a consistency of time taken by him irrespective of whether the move was obvious or not.”The suspicion was immediate. In a scene resembling a thriller, the youngster was taken to a private room afterwards. Authorities then conducted a body search on Kakar and found him strapped with several mobile phones across his body and wearing an earphone so tiny it had to be removed with a magnet.The veteran eventually went on to win the tournament, his first in four years, but the victory was stained by the realisation of how easily the soul of the game could be sold for a digital signal.Fast forward to 2026, and the shadows of 2015 have grown into a global obsession. At the ongoing FIDE Candidates, the pinnacle of the sport, the atmosphere is less like a quiet library and more like a high-security black site.It was this tension that prompted World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura to launch a sarcastic verbal gambit that has since gone viral.“They scan us before the game. They scan us after the game. They have metal detectors and a variety of other scanners,” Nakamura scoffed on his YouTube channel. “I mean, who are we? Are we like Mossad agents inside Iran or something? Come on, we’re chess players! Let’s be real.”For Nakamura, the measures are “complete nonsense”, a theatrical overreaction to a threat he believes is managed through sheer hardware saturation. Yet, FIDE stands firm.Andy Howie, FIDE’s Fair Play Officer, defended the protocols as a necessary shield for a World Championship qualifier. “We have to make sure the players are in a safe environment,” he said on video on FIDE’s YouTube channel.The debate has split the chess world down the middle. Is FIDE protecting the integrity of the game, or have they turned a battle of wits into a TSA checkpoint?The Indian perspectiveRight after the Nakaumra rant, Koneru Humpy, India’s legendary female GM, was one of the first Indian GMs to take to X (formerly Twitter) to voice her support for the strictness.“In today’s era of rapid technological advancement, strong anti-cheating measures are essential,” she noted. “They may feel demanding, but they ensure games are decided by skill. There have been times of doubt during games, but existing rules make it difficult to speak openly.”Humpy’s sentiment is echoed by GM Shyam Sundar M, though he acknowledges the friction Nakamura describes.“It (having proper safety measures) is an absolute must because these days so many technologies keep coming up,” Shyam told this website. “I know how annoying it is. Before the game, players are usually focused only on the board. A long queue for ten minutes or more can be frustrating.”“What annoys a player even more than the waiting time is if someone cheats and never gets caught,” Shyam added. “So, for the benefit of the game, I think, uh, it is essential. Like in the airport, the security check is for our own safety. Once this is done, we know whether we are playing human players or ‘meta-humans.'”Is broadcasting the real problem?While Nakamura rails against the scanners, Pravin Thipsay offers a radical alternative that could render the metal detectors obsolete. Kill the live feed.“Cheating is a major threat. Any Tom, Dick, and Harry with the help of an engine could beat the world champion,” Thipsay explained.“I think live chess is not a necessity. If the games are delayed by one hour, it’s not going to affect the popularity of chess. It’s not like a cricket match where people want to see the match live. People look at these games at their convenience.”

Pravin Thipsay

Thipsay argues that FIDE is “mistaken” in thinking that popularity depends on instant data.He points out the logistical nightmare the current rules create for travelling pros.“When we go abroad, we don’t know where to leave our phones. You need a mobile to reach the location, but you can’t leave it with the organisers, and you can’t take it to the hall. It’s a serious inconvenience,” he further added.His solution, thus, lies in delaying the broadcast by 30 to 60 minutes. “In that case, the cheating chances are almost zero. Players are happy to see even 100-year-old games. The priority should be that nobody has the privilege of showing the games while they are in progress.”A price for the greater good?For younger GMs like Abhimanyu Puranik, the “Mossad agent” treatment is simply the cost of doing business at the highest level.“Anti-cheating measures are of paramount importance nowadays,” Puranik, who recently turned 26, told TimesofIndia.com. “While obviously nothing suspect is going on in events like the Candidates, these events set an example for the quality of anti-cheating that tournaments around the world should aspire to.”

Puranik feels the process can be a hassle, but he also feels: “It is a small price to pay for the greater good of the game.”Nakamura might feel like a spy in a foreign land, but for many Indian players, the memory of the “average player” playing god-like moves is a ghost they aren’t ready to stop hunting.For now, the scanners aren’t going anywhere. And as long as that threat exists, Grandmasters will have to keep acting like secret agents.