Sooryavanshi Not Greatest Ever MVP In A Season, IPL Experts Explain Why

IPL experts Ambati Rayudu, Aaron Finch, and Tom Moody thoroughly enjoyed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's blitz in the 2026 season but still refused to give his performance the status of the MVP (Most Valuable Player). The 15-year-old batter left everyone spell-bound with his powerful performance, amassing 776 runs in 16 matches for Rajasthan Royals. Apart from being the leading run-scorer of the tournament, Sooryavanshi also bagged sveral awards, including the most number of sixes (72). While the Bihar-born batters continues to receives heartfelt praises from all over the world, IPL experts still rated Sunil Narine's performance Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 as the greatest. 

The former West Indies all-rounder was at his absolute best in the 2024 season, scoring 488 runs at a strike rate of 181 and also scalped 17 wickets, playing a pivotal in KKR's third title win.

Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, the experts trio acknowledged Sooryavanshi's extraordinary talent but still considered Narine to be ahead of him in the list of individual performers. 

"Sunil Narine, for me, beats everyone in terms of the best individual IPL season because he's not a well-accomplished batsman like Shane Watson. He had to do a makeshift job opening against quality fast bowling. That season surpasses many great seasons, including Warner's. It was unbelievable. For me, these two seasons are right at the top and difficult to separate," Rayudu said.

Agreeing to Rayudu's statement, Finch added, "I have Narine clearly at the top as the greatest individual IPL season. He was a brilliant bowler, took crucial wickets, scored important runs, struck at 181 and maintained an economy rate of 6.7. To open the batting, bowl in all phases of the innings and then win the title — that's the icing on the cake. That's the greatest season of all time."

Hearing this, Moody joined in and pinpointed the fact that Narine's economy in 2024 was below seven, and he himself was scoring almost 11 runs per over.

"One thing that stands out is that he conceded fewer than seven runs per over in a season where he was scoring at almost 11 runs per over. He's the champion. The runs he scored, we've never seen before. The way he played while still taking 17 wickets at 6.7 makes that season extraordinary."

Speaking about Sooryavanshi, Rayudu and Moody stated that the teenager needs to prove himself on different surfaces, in order to be considered the MVP.

"The only point I would make is that whenever the wicket was slow, he got out early. So he still has to prove himself consistently on slightly more difficult surfaces," said Rayudu. 

"One thing to consider is that this is the era of the Impact Player, where surfaces are much easier to bat on than historically," Moody said.

"Back then, bowlers like Narine, Amit Mishra and Rashid Khan dominated the tournament. Today, that influence has reduced considerably. That's a serious factor when comparing players across different IPL eras," he added. 

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Shoaib Ibrahim's Father Taken Off Ventilator After Brain Surgery

TV actor Shoaib Ibrahim has shared a fresh update on his father's health, a week after he was hospitalised following a brain haemorrhage. In a recent vlog, Shoaib said that his father's condition has improved. He revealed that doctors had earlier placed him on ventilator support due to several medical concerns, but it has now been removed. He also added that his father is conscious and has started responding to him, indicating a positive recovery.

Details

Shoaib said in his vlog, "I brought my father to the hospital last Sunday. After that, his surgery was delayed for 3-4 days because he was on blood thinners. Finally, he underwent surgery on Wednesday, and it went well. Since then, he has started responding. Earlier, he wasn't reacting at all." 

"Over the past few days, my father's heart rate had increased and his blood pressure was also fluctuating. He was unable to swallow properly, so he was placed on a ventilator as a precautionary measure. However, he has now been taken off the ventilator. The support was removed on Sunday after 3-4 days," he added.

Talking about the current condition, Shoaib said, "His heart rate is now under control. Since he had been under anaesthesia for several days, it caused some gas build-up in his intestines, but that has also improved today."

He added, "Speech abhi nahi hai. Dheere dheere unki speech therapy shuru hogi. Aj papa se milke aaya. Achchhe se smile kar raha hai, respond kar rahe hain, bolne ki koshish kar rahe. Inshaallah woh dheere dheere hoga." 

(His speech hasn't returned yet. Gradually, his speech therapy will begin. I met him today. He is smiling well, responding, and trying to speak. InshaAllah, it will improve slowly.)

Background

In a previous video, Shoaib Ibrahim spoke about how serious his father's medical emergency was.

Shoaib Ibrahim said, "As you all know, my father has been hospitalized. We initially thought it was a stroke, but this time it turned out to be a brain haemorrhage. He is not doing well. The last time he had a stroke, there was a blood clot in his brain, which paralyzed the left side of his body. But he was speaking, and he recovered quickly; however, this time there was a lot of bleeding, and it had spread, causing speech problems for him."

"Papa is not reacting at all. The swelling has reduced, and they will perform a procedure on his brain. They will make a hole in his skull and remove the blood clots so that they do not spread. They are waiting for the swelling to subside. They don't want to rush things; they are closely monitoring him for two days," Shoaib added. 

Also Read: Why Dipika Kakar Is Drinking Ground Black Coffee, Husband Shoaib Ibrahim Explains

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"If I Speak About Him...": RCB Captain Sums Up What Makes Kohli An Icon

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar on Sunday said Virat Kohli is "used to doing great things" and his presence in the dressing room was invaluable after they won their second successive Indian Premier League title. The 37-year-old Kohli anchored Bengaluru's chase of 156 against Gujarat Titans in the final with an unbeaten 75 to steer the team home with two overs to spare in Ahmedabad. Bengaluru and Kohli, who finished the season with 675 runs including one ton and five half-centuries, have dominated the T20 tournament since they won their first IPL crown at the 18th attempt last year.

"If I speak about Virat Kohli, I don't have words to explain him. He is used to doing great things," Patidar told reporters.

"He is a great player, everyone knows him - the way he bats. We all have an opportunity to learn from him on and off the field. We spend lot of time with him and try to learn whatever he says, regarding cricket or anything else."

Patidar added, "He reaches out to players to talk about cricket. I always keep watching him -- what he does and the one thing is that his energy in the nets is same as it is in the match."

Called "King Kohli" for his prolific run-scoring, the star opener sealed victory with a six to cap a magnificent 42-ball innings featuring nine fours and three sixes.

Kohli, who has stepped away from Test cricket and T20 internationals, remains a superstar cricketer and the biggest crowd-puller in the sport.

Kohli's iconic number 18 jersey dominated the stands at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world's biggest cricket ground which recorded an official attendance of over 90,000 spectators.

Bengaluru's win took Patidar in elite company as only the third captain to win back-to-back IPL titles.

MS Dhoni achieved the feat with Chennai Super Kings in 2010 and 2011, while Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians to glory in 2019 and 2020.

"Last year was a lot of pressure, this year was more calm because the way we played throughout the tournament, we dominated this year," said Patidar.

"S we were pretty much confident that if we are playing like this we are definitely going to win the second title for RCB."

On his style of captaincy, Patidar said, "I am not expressive but at the same time I am aware of the game situation. Of course you need a backing, as I said there was a lot of backing by the management and the players as well."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Vijay's In-Flight Photo With Air Hostess Wins Internet: "Extra Special Duty"

A picture taken aboard a flight featuring an air hostess and C. Joseph Vijay has gone viral on social media, with fans celebrating the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's humble and approachable public image. The photograph was clicked during Vijay's return journey from New Delhi following his first official multi-day visit to the national capital since taking oath as Chief Minister earlier this month. The cabin crew member identified as Uma Meenakshi shared the image online, calling the flight duty "extra special" after getting the opportunity to meet the actor-turned-politician in person.

Dressed in his now-signature monochrome black-and-white formal attire, the Chief Minister appeared relaxed in the viral picture, which quickly spread across fan pages and political circles.

"Crew duty became extra special today with Honourable Chief Minister Shri C. Joseph Vijay (fondly known as Thalapathy) @actorvijay onboard," the air hostess wrote on Instagram while sharing the image.

See the post here:

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A post shared by UMA MEENAKSHI (@yamtha.uma)

The actor-turned politician's supporters praised Vijay for maintaining the same down-to-earth persona that made him one of Tamil cinema's biggest stars long before entering politics. Many users commented on how comfortably he interacted with ordinary people despite now holding the state's top political office.

The flight came at the end of a politically significant visit to Delhi, where the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam founder held meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several senior Union ministers. Discussions reportedly focused on central funding for Tamil Nadu, infrastructure expansion, welfare programmes, investment opportunities and pending state projects.

From Tamil Cinema Superstar to Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister

Vijay's rise from cinema superstar to Chief Minister has been one of the most closely watched political developments in recent Tamil Nadu history. After launching Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in 2024, he rapidly transformed his massive fan base into a political support network, positioning himself as a fresh alternative in the state's Dravidian political landscape.

His campaign focused heavily on youth engagement, governance reform, anti-corruption messaging, and welfare-driven development. Riding on enormous popularity among younger voters and first-time supporters, TVK emerged as a major political force within a remarkably short period.

Vijay, who also heads the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), won a trust vote on May 13 with the support of Congress, CPI, CPI(M), VCK and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MLAs. The TVK emerged as the largest party after winning 108 seats in the assembly elections.

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Netanyahu Orders Israel Army To Take Control Of 70% Of Gaza Strip

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he had ordered the country's military to take control of 70 per cent of the Gaza Strip, in defiance of the terms of a fragile ceasefire that took effect in October.

"We are currently squeezing Hamas. We now control 60 per cent of the territory in the strip," he said at a conference in an occupied West Bank settlement, according to a video aired by Israel's Channel 12 network.

He said the military had controlled 50 per cent of Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire, adding: "My directive is to move to... 70 percent".

"We're squeezing them from all (sides). We'll deal with what's left afterwards."

The first phase of the truce saw the last hostages seized in Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza, released in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel.

The transition to the second phase, which was supposed to involve Hamas's disarmament and a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army, has been stalled for months.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli forces were to pull back behind a so-called "yellow line", a demarcation between the area under Hamas control and that held by the Israeli army.

Netanyahu announced on May 15 that the Israeli army had expanded its grip on the Gaza Strip.

"There were those who said: get out, get out. We did not get out. Today we control... how much? 60 per cent. Tomorrow we shall see," he said at the time.

Gaza remains gripped by daily violence, with both the Israeli military and Hamas accusing one another of violating the truce in effect since October 10.

Israel has killed more than 900 people since the ceasefire, according to Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.

Israel said on Wednesday it had killed the new head of Hamas's armed wing in Gaza, Mohammed Odeh, after killing his predecessor earlier this month.

Since Hamas's October 2023 attack, Israel has systematically targeted the group's leaders, both in Gaza and across the region.

Odeh is the fourth head of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades that Israel says it has killed since the start of the Gaza war.

On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz repeated Israel's goal of ending Hamas's rule over the Palestinian territory and alluded to a plan for the forced displacement of its residents.

"The plan for voluntary migration from Gaza will also be implemented -- everything will be done at the right time and in the right way," he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Indian Startup's Experimental Balloon Platform Rises 25 km Above Earth

A massive experimental balloon gently flew from the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. It was part of India's private space sector's leap into the space domain, as a startup demonstrated how special high altitude balloons can transform communications, surveillance and scientific research.

Red Balloon Aerospace, a Hyderabad-based company founded in 2025, has successfully launched what it calls India's first indigenous private super-pressure balloon carrying commercial payloads. The mission, named SANA, marks a significant milestone not just for the company but for India's growing ambition in the emerging near-space economy.

The company's VISTA platform rose to about 25 kilometres above Earth, a region far above commercial aircraft but well below satellites. This Stratospheric Zone, between roughly 20 and 50 kilometres, has long remained underutilised globally despite offering unique advantages of persistent observation and lower costs.

India is no stranger to balloon-based science. Government institutions such as the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics have been using high-altitude balloons for decades, especially for astrophysics experiments and atmospheric studies. Their work has built a strong scientific foundation. What makes this moment different is that a private startup is now translating that legacy into commercial applications, moving swiftly to build an industry around near-space platforms.

Red Balloon Aerospace has achieved operational commercial flight within just eight months of its founding. This rapid development shows how private enterprise is accelerating innovation and deployment speed in sectors that were once dominated by government programs.

Mission SANA

Mission SANA carried payloads from seven national and international partners. These included biological experiments, propulsion demonstrations, onboard computing systems, earth observation sensors and navigation validation technologies. According to the company, all payload missions were completed, demonstrating that Indian platforms can meet global commercial standards.

Dr C V S Kiran, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, said the mission is only the beginning of a broader effort to build a near-space ecosystem.

"VISTA validates our core near-space platform technology, and this is only the beginning. Our advantage is execution speed, enabling us to design, test and deploy indigenous stratospheric platforms at a pace that demonstrates India's capability to compete globally in emerging space sectors," he added.

He said this mission placed India among five nations globally with indigenous stratospheric hydrogen balloon capability, alongside the United States, France, Japan, and China

Hydrogen is much cheaper compared to Helium that is also used in high altitude balloons. However, hydrogen is risky to handle as it is highly flammable.

The technology behind VISTA sets it apart from conventional balloons. It uses a super-pressure design that allows it to maintain a stable altitude for extended periods, potentially lasting weeks or even months. 

Unlike traditional balloons that quickly rise and descend, this stability creates a persistent observational and communication platform high above the Earth.

Such platforms can act as floating towers in the sky. From this vantage point, they can support telecommunications, especially in remote or underserved regions, monitor natural disasters in real time, and enable surveillance over large geographic areas. They can also play a role in emerging non-terrestrial network technologies, complementing satellite systems.

Red Balloon Aerospace says its technology addresses a critical gap in spatial infrastructure. While aircraft operate below 10 km and satellites orbit above 160 km, the stratosphere between 20 and 50 km has remained largely unused despite offering strategic advantages. Stratospheric platforms provide high-resolution imaging with longer dwell times than satellites, flexible deployment without orbital launch costs, and rapid response capability for disaster management and communications.

The economic model is equally important. By carrying multiple payloads from different customers on a single flight, the platform enables a shared or rideshare approach. This significantly reduces costs and makes near-space access more affordable for startups, research institutions and government agencies.

Red Balloon Aerospace is also developing a broader suite of platforms, including tethered aerostats and long-endurance airships. Together, these systems aim to create an integrated stratospheric infrastructure layer for communications, earth observation and strategic applications.

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Shemar Moore Returns As Hondo In New 'S.W.A.T. Exiles' Spinoff

The S.W.A.T. franchise is officially getting a new chapter, and Shemar Moore is set to reprise his role as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson in the upcoming spinoff series, according to reports from CinemaBlend. Sony Pictures Television announced that it had ordered a new part titled, S.W.A.T. Exiles.

The new series comes after the original S.W.A.T. concluded its eight-season run on CBS in 2025. The 10-episode first season of S.W.A.T. Exiles wrapped filming in February and is currently being presented to potential buyers during the 2026 LA Screenings in Los Angeles. The show has not yet secured an official network or streaming home, the outlet further reported.

In the spinoff, Hondo is pulled out of forced retirement after a high-profile mission goes wrong. He is then tasked to lead a “last-chance experimental SWAT unit made up of untested, unpredictable young recruits.” 

Joining Moore in the new cast are Ronen Rubinstein, Freddy Miyares, Lucy Barrett, Zyra Gorecki and Adain Bradley. Despite the focus on a new generation of officers, original series cast members Jay Harrington, David Lim and Patrick St. Esprit are also confirmed to reprise their roles.

The news of the returning cast follows earlier reports of behind-the-scenes tension after some cast members, including Harrington and Lim, reportedly expressed disappointment over not initially being approached for the spinoff. The speculation fueled rumours of production drama, though Moore recently shared a celebratory social media video featuring the new ensemble during a public screening event.

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The continuation of the franchise marks another comeback moment for S.W.A.T., which previously survived cancellation twice during its original broadcast run. Fans can still stream the original series on Netflix.

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