LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Prasidh Krishna took 4-28, followed by half-centuries from Jos Buttler and Shubman Gill, as Gujarat Titans comfortably beat Lucknow Super Giants by seven wickets in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.
Krishna’s spell helped to restrict Lucknow to 164-8 in 20 overs on its home turf. Buttler (60 runs off 37 balls) and skipper Gill (56 off 40) propelled the chase as Gujarat finished with 165-3 in 18.4 overs.
Gujarat moved to fifth in the standings with two wins in four games. It was a second loss for Lucknow, which is sixth behind Gujarat on run-rate.
In Sunday’s other game, Indian superstars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli face off as five-time champions Mumbai Indians hosts defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
Chasing 165, Gujarat opener Sai Sudharsan was caught off leg spinner Digvesh Rathi for 15 at the start of the sixth over.
That brought Buttler and Gill together at 45-1. The pair put on 84 off 58 balls for the second wicket as Lucknow was eased out of the game.
Buttler, who hit 52 against Delhi Capitals in the previous game, got his 50 off 29 balls with nine fours. His innings saw Buttler reach 14,000 career T20 runs.
Gill reached 50 off 34 balls – his second of the season after scoring 70 against Delhi.
Both were dismissed within six deliveries as the Titans went down to 135-3 in 15.4 overs. Washington Sundar (21 not out) and Rahul Tewatia (10 not out) crossed the finish line with eight balls to spare.
Earlier, Lucknow got off to a poor start when Kagiso Rabada (1-54) dismissed Mitchell Marsh for 11. In-form opener Aiden Markram scored 30 off 21 balls and was his team's top scorer. Krishna dismissed Markram in the seventh over.
Lucknow couldn’t get any momentum on a two-paced wicket as Gujarat bowlers struck at regular intervals.
Skipper Rishabh Pant scored 18. Impact player Ayush Badoni made nine runs, falling to Krishna who also struck twice against the lower-middle order as the hosts finished with a sub-par score.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli waves to the crowd prior to start of the Indian Premier League cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in Guwahati, India, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
COTONOU, Benin (AP) — Voters in Benin cast ballots Sunday to choose a successor to President Patrice Talon, who is stepping down after a decade in power, leaving a mixed legacy of economic growth, a growing jihadi insurgency in the north, and the suppression of opposition critics.
Romuald Wadagni, the 49-year-old finance minister and governing coalition standard-bearer, is considered Talon’s anointed successor for the seven-year term. Wadagni is being challenged by Paul Hounkpè, the sole opposition candidate.
Nearly 8 million are registered to vote across more than 17,000 polling stations in the West African nation. Benin had over 15 million people in 2024, and like many sub-Saharan African countries, its population is overwhelmingly young. Polls are expected to close at 4 p.m. with the results expected within 48 hours.
Turnout has been low in recent years, and polling stations in Cotonou, the largest city, were sparsely attended throughout the morning. The city was quiet as the election began, with public demonstrations banned on election day, but stores and streets remain open.
Analysts widely expect Wadagni to win after a parliamentary election in January, during which the opposition failed to cross the 20% threshold required to win seats, leaving Talon’s two allied parties in control of all 109 seats in the National Assembly.
Renaud Agbodjo, leader of the Democrats, was barred from competing after failing to secure a sufficient number of parliamentary endorsements — a threshold critics say was engineered to keep rivals out.
Wadagni has touted the country's economic growth during his decade as finance minister as his key strength. Benin’s economy grew 7% last year, making it one of West Africa’s steadiest performers.
“Ten years at the Finance Ministry have given him something rare in African politics: a quantified record — verifiable and difficult to dismantle in a serious debate,” said Fiacre Vidjingninou, political analyst at the Lagos-based Béhanzin Institute.
While Benin has historically been among the most stable democracies in Africa, opposition leaders and human rights organizations have accused Talon of using the justice system as a tool to sideline his political opponents.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have denounced a sustained crackdown on dissent under Talon, citing arbitrary detentions, tighter restrictions on public demonstrations, and mounting pressure on independent media outlets.
Protests over the rising cost of living sprang up in recent years, but the government and security forces clamped down on any dissent.
Beverly Ochieng, an analyst at the Control Risks Group consulting firm, told The Associated Press that, in the event of a Wadagni victory, the new government will likely continue Talon's policies aimed at positioning Benin as a stable investment environment, while facing a largely constrained opposition.
“Wadagni may want to avert a crisis in confidence by first consolidating power then engaging in dialogue with opponents to demonstrate goodwill,” Ochieng said.
In December, a group of military officers attempted to topple Talon’s government in a failed coup, the latest in a series of recent military takeover attempts across Africa. Most attempted coups follow a similar pattern of disputed elections, constitutional upheaval, security crises, and youth discontent.
Among the coup leaders’ key complaints was the deterioration of security in northern Benin.
For years, Benin has faced spillover violence in its north from neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger in their battle against the al-Qaida-affiliated extremist group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM.
The tri-border area has long been a hotbed for extremist violence, a trend worsened by the lack of security cooperation with Niger and Burkina Faso, both now led by military juntas.
Electoral officials prepare presidential ballot papers at a polling station in Cotonou, Benin, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)
A woman is verified before casting her ballot at a polling station in Cotonou, Benin, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)
A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Cotonou, Benin, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)
A motorcyclist stands beside a billboard featuring presidential candidate Paul Hounkpe in Cotonou, Benin, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)
Presidential candidate Romuald Wadagni greets supporters at a campaign rally in Cotonou, Benin, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)
Road users pass in front of a campaign billboard for presidential candidate Paul Hounkpe and his running mate, Rock Hounwanou in Cotonou, Benin, Friday, April 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Abadjaye Justin Sodogandji)
