Kohli 83 in vain as Kolkata thumps Bengaluru in IPL

BENGALURU, India (AP) — Virat Kohli’s meticulous unbeaten 83 went in vain for Royal Challengers Bengaluru as they were hauled down by Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League on Friday.

Kohli followed his 77 on Monday with a 59-ball knock that anchored Bengaluru to 182-6 on a two-paced pitch that became easier to bat on later.

Kolkata opening batters Sunil Narine, playing his 500th Twenty20, and Phil Salt made a rocket start of 85 in the power play. They reached a winning 186-3 with 3.1 overs to spare.

Narine, 47 off 22, smashed five sixes and two fours. Salt made 30 off 20. They plundered the likes of fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj (0-46) and Yash Dayal (1-46).

Narine was yorked by Mayank Dagar and Salt followed him soon when he pulled impact player Vijakumar Vyshak (1-23) to deep square leg.

But Ventakesh Iyer played some exquisite pull shots and used his feet well in a 75-run stand with Shreyas Iyer to seal the game. Ventakesh offered a straightforward catch to Kohli at deep midwicket soon after his 50 off 30 with four sixes and three fours. Shreyas was 39 not out.

Earlier, Kolkata’s multi-million-dollar pacer Mitchell Starc went wicketless at 0-47, but Andre Russell bowled well with 2-29 despite Kohli’s early domination.

Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis fell to a brilliant off-cutter by Harshit Rana in the second over. Cameroon Green looked to accelerate alongside Kohli but Russell broke their threatening stand by clean-bowling the Australian in the ninth over.

Kohli raised his second successive half-century off 36 balls but it helped Bengaluru only to a par score.

Kolkata has two wins from two matches, and Bengaluru one from three.

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Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli bats during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, India, Friday, March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Spectators react after Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli hit a boundary during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, India, Friday, March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Cameron Green, right, listens to batting partner Virat Kohli after hitting a boundary during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, India, Friday, March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli celebrates scoring fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, India, Friday, March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli bats during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, India, Friday, March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Mayank Dagar, second right, celebrates with teammates the dismissal of Kolkata Knight Riders' Sunil Narine, second left, during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, India, Friday, March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Kolkata Knight Riders' Phil Salt plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, India, Friday, March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Kolkata Knight Riders' Sunil Narine plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, India, Friday, March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Kolkata Knight Riders' Venkatesh Iyer plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, India, Friday, March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli reacts during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, India, Friday, March 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Republican voters advanced strong Senate contenders in Maryland and West Virginia on Tuesday, giving the GOP a big boost in its push to claim control of Congress' upper chamber.

Former Gov. Larry Hogan claimed the Republican nomination in what will be a marquee race in Maryland against Angela Alsobrooks, a top local official who could become the fourth Black woman in U.S. history to serve in the Senate.

Meanwhile, another popular Republican, Gov. Jim Justice, won the Senate nomination in deep-red West Virginia, becoming the overwhelming favorite in the race that represents the GOP's best pickup opportunity in the nation.

In both states, which share a border but feature antithetical politics, the Republican nominees represent a serious challenge for Democrats in the general election as they cling to a 51-49 Senate majority and defend seats in other states that former President Donald Trump won four years ago.

At the same time, Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden sought to project strength in low-stakes presidential primaries. And further down the ballot, two people who were on opposite sides of the Jan. 6 insurrection lost their U.S. House bids — a former Capitol Police officer running in Maryland and a former West Virginia state lawmaker who participated in the riot.

In all, three states hosted statewide primary elections Tuesday — Maryland, Nebraska and West Virginia — as Republicans and Democrats picked their nominees for a slate of November elections that will decide the presidency and control of Congress.

In Maryland, Hogan gives Republicans a legitimate chance at picking up a Senate seat in the deep-blue state for the first time in more than four decades.

Hogan overcame his years-long criticism of Trump, a position that put him at odds with many Republican primary voters but will undoubtedly help him in the general election this fall. Maryland voters gave Biden a 33-point victory over Trump four years ago.

On the other side in the Senate contest, Democratic voters nominated Alsobrooks, the top official in Prince George's County outside of Washington. The 53-year-old African American county executive had been endorsed by many of the state’s top officials, including Gov. Wes Moore, Sen. Chris Van Hollen and U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer.

Alsobrooks prevailed after a contentious and expensive primary against U.S. Rep. David Trone, a liquor store magnate who had invested more than $61 million into his unsuccessful bid.

Race was an issue in the Democratic primary and may be in the general election in the months ahead. Alsobrooks is trying to become the first Black senator from a state in which roughly one in three residents identifies as African American.

On the social media site X, Hogan congratulated Alsobrooks and said, “Voters have a clear and stark choice: more of the dysfunctional partisan status quo or real independent and bipartisan leadership.”

Alsobrooks, also posting on X, promised to “defeat Larry Hogan, keep Maryland blue, and keep our Senate under Democratic control.”

Justice won his primary against U.S. Rep. Alex Mooney. With Manchin gone, the seat is almost guaranteed to turn red come November.

The Trump-endorsed Justice, a former billionaire with a folksy personality, is wildly popular in the state. A former Democrat, Justice switched to the Republican Party in 2017, announcing the change at a Trump rally.

Despite his connection to the former Republican president, Justice doesn't pander to Trump as much as most statewide Republican officials in the state. And he largely avoids focusing on some of the GOP’s favorite culture war issues, such as transgender rights.

Mooney had tried to win over conservatives by labeling Justice a “RINO” — which stands for “Republican in name only” — who would support Democratic policies. Justice did support Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law, saying West Virginia couldn’t afford to turn away the money offered in the bill.

At a polling place in West Virginia’s capital city, voter Steve Ervin said his votes Tuesday were directly related to Trump.

“I really did an exhaustive study of the sample ballot of who I believe supported Trump and Trump supported them,” said Ervin, who works in the state’s unemployment office. “That’s what I made my whole decision on.”

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, the Republican nominee in the 2018 Senate race against Manchin, won the nomination for West Virginia governor.

Biden and Trump have already amassed enough delegates to claim the presidential nominations at their respective national conventions this summer. And they added to their total Tuesday with wins in Maryland, Nebraska and West Virginia.

Yet voters on both sides hoped to register a significant protest vote Tuesday that would demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the Biden-Trump rematch.

Maryland progressives especially unhappy with the Biden administration’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas had encouraged voters to select “uncommitted to any presidential candidate” instead. Results coming in Tuesday night suggested the “uncommitted” vote was running behind the margins of similar movements in Michigan and Minnesota.

There was no uncommitted option in West Virginia or Nebraska.

Everett Bellamy, a Democrat who voted early in Annapolis, said he voted “uncommitted” instead of Biden as a protest against the killing of women and children and noncombatants in Gaza.

“I wanted to send a message,” Bellamy, 74, said after leaving an early voting center.

Meanwhile, Trump's Republican critics could not choose “uncommitted,” but they could choose his former GOP rival Nikki Haley, who appeared on the ballot in Maryland, Nebraska and West Virginia despite formally suspending her campaign more than two months ago.

Derek Faux, an independent voter from Charleston, West Virginia, said he supported Haley, and in other Republican races, he said he voted for the candidates he believed were least like Trump.

“I would rather see moderate, reasonable Republicans than some of the other folks,” said Faux, a librarian.

Tuesday's elections also included two candidates who were intimately involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In Maryland, former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn was among nearly two dozen Democrats running in the state’s 3rd Congressional District. The 40-year-old Democrat lost to State Sen. Sarah Elfreth.

In West Virginia, a former member of the House of Delegates, Derrick Evans, lost his bid to oust incumbent Republican Rep. Carol Miller in the 1st Congressional District. The 39-year-old Evans served a three-month jail sentence after livestreaming himself participating in the storming of the U.S. Capitol.

In Nebraska, Republican Sens. Deb Fischer and Pete Ricketts both won their primaries, one of the rare occasions when both senators in a state were on the ballot at the same time. And in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon fended off a challenge from his right flank.

In North Carolina, voters finalized their pick of the Trump-endorsed Brad Knott in what had become a one-person Republican primary in the state's 13th Congressional District.

This story has deleted an incorrect reference to a California election being Tuesday. The California election is next week.

Willingham reported from Charleston, West Virginia. Peoples reported from Washington.

Follow the AP's coverage of the 2024 election at https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.

Rep. David Trone, third from left, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate, speaks to supporters, conceding the primary race to his opponent, Angela Alsobrooks, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Baltimore. Standing with Trone are his son Rob, left, wife, June, second from left, and daughter Michelle. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)

Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate, speaks after the race was called in her favor at a Maryland primary election night party, Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Greenbelt, Md. (Eric Thompson/The Baltimore Banner via AP)

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan greets supporters during a primary night election party Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Annapolis, Md., after he won the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat opened by Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin's retirement. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan speaks during a primary night election party Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Annapolis, Md., after he won the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat opened by Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin's retirement. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan speaks to supporters during a primary night election party Tuesday, May 14, 2024, in Annapolis, Md., after he won the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate seat opened by Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin's retirement. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice speaks at an election night watch party at the governor's mansion in Charleston, W.Va., on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, after he won the GOP nomination for the U.S> Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin . (AP Photo/Chris Jackson)

FILE - West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice delivers his State of the State address, Jan. 10, 2024, in Charleston, W.Va. (AP Photo/Chris Jackson, File)

FILE - U.S. Rep. David Trone, D-Md., speaks at a news conference Jan. 17, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Democrats voting in Maryland's contentious primary for U.S. Senate are divided about who is best positioned to beat Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan. Trone and Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks are the most prominent candidates in the Democratic primary. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

FILE - Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, center, listens during a bill hearing in Maryland, Jan. 23, 2020, in Annapolis, Md. Democrats voting in Maryland's contentious primary for U.S. Senate are divided about who is best positioned to beat Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan. Alsobrooks and Congressman David Trone are the most prominent candidates in the Democratic primary. (AP Photo/Brian Witte, File)

FILE - Former republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan visits the Bridge Boat Show in Stevensville, Md., April 12, 2024. Democrats voting in Maryland's contentious primary for Senate are divided about who is best positioned to beat Hogan. Congressman David Trone and Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks are the most prominent candidates in the Democratic primary. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Primaries in Maryland and West Virginia will shape the battle this fall for a Senate majority

Primaries in Maryland and West Virginia will shape the battle this fall for a Senate majority

Signs are pictured outside an early voting center on Thursday, May 9, 2024, in Rockville, Md. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump look to pad their delegate totals in Maryland Tuesday, May 14. Maryland voters will also decide contested primaries in a Senate race. Former GOP Gov. Larry Hogan's late entry into the race has given Republicans hope of a possible pick-up in a state that hasn't elected a Republican U.S. senator since 1980. The leading Democratic primary candidates are U.S. Rep. David Trone and Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. (AP Photo/Robert Yoon)