Rahul and Sooryavanshi hundreds in vain as Punjab and Hyderabad win in IPL

NEW DELHI (AP) — Delhi Capitals batter Lokesh Rahul hammered a record 152 not out in 67 balls in vain as the Punjab Kings won and pulled off the most successful run chase in Indian Premier League history on Saturday.

In the evening, Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets at Jaipur, as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 103 off 37 balls went in vain as well.

Punjab charged to 265-4 and a six-wicket win in 18.5 overs in reply to Delhi’s 264-2. Opener Prabhsimran Singh led the chase with 76 off 26 balls, including five sixes and nine fours.

Skipper Shreyas Iyer also bludgeoned 71 not out in 36 deliveries, with seven sixes, as Punjab surpassed its own record for the previous highest successful run chase when it made 262-2 against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024. Priyansh Arya chipped in with 43 off 17 balls, including five sixes.

Earlier, opener Rahul notched the highest IPL score by an Indian batter, going past Abhishek Sharma’s 141 for Sunrisers Hyderabad — also against Punjab — in 2025.

Rahul smashed nine sixes and 16 fours in his sixth IPL century, while Nitish Rana hit 91 off 44 balls as Delhi scored its highest ever total in the competition.

Prabhsimran and Priyansh Arya, who made 43 in 17 balls, gave Punjab a speedy start.

The game was halted for 14 minutes when Lungi Ngidi suffered a head injury while fielding. The Delhi paceman was taken to hospital.

Unbeaten IPL leader Punjab has six wins in seven games with one no-result. Delhi's loss was its fourth of the campaign as it slipped to sixth in the table.

Rahul and Nitish Rana faced 95 balls together and batted until the penultimate over, putting on a mammoth 220 runs for the second wicket.

It was the second highest partnership in IPL history for any wicket, after 229 runs between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Gujarat Lions in 2016.

Rahul scored 50 off 26 balls, then accelerated to his hundred off another 21 balls — 100 overall off 47 balls with 12 fours and five sixes.

His next 50 came off only 19 balls, as he hit another four sixes and another four fours.

Rana's 91 off 44 included 11 boundaries and four sixes.

In reply, Prabhsimran and Arya scored 116-0 in the powerplay overs, another record. It was the second highest powerplay score in IPL history.

Arya smashed Mukesh Kumar for six fours and 24 runs in the sixth over. Prabhsimran meanwhile, raced to 50 off 18 balls, including three sixes off Aquib Nabi in the fourth over.

Arya was caught at deep midwicket in the seventh over, and four balls later Prabhsimran was out lbw to Kuldeep Yadav.

The chase was picked up by captain Iyer and impact player Nehal Wadhera. Iyer hit 50 off 26 balls — his fourth half-century of the season — and drove Punjab past 200, taking 23 runs off Kuldeep Yadav’s 16th over.

The skipper was dropped twice as Punjab won with an astonishing seven balls to spare.

The 15-year-old Sooryavanshi hit his second IPL hundred as Rajasthan put up 228-6. He hit 12 sixes to get to his century off 36 balls.

Hyderabad replied with 229-5 in 18.3 overs.

For company, Sooryavanshi had Dhruv Jurel, who scored 51 off 35. They added 112 off 62 balls for the second wicket. Donovan Ferreira’s 33 off 16 balls pushed Rajasthan past 200.

For Hyderabad, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan put on 132 off 55 balls for the second wicket.

Sharma scored 57 off 29 with 11 fours and a six. Kishan reached 50 off 24 balls. He also hit 11 fours and three sixes.

Hyderabad climbed to third in the table, with its fifth win in eight games. Rajasthan was fourth, also with five wins but trailing on net run-rate.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Sunrisers Hyderabad's Abhishek Sharma plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur, India, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo)

Rajasthan Royals' Vaibhav Sooryavanshi celebrates his century during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur, India, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo)

Delhi Capitals' KL Rahul celebrates his century during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings in New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Delhi Capitals' KL Rahul, right, celebrates after hits a six with batting partner Nitish Rana during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings in New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Delhi Capitals' KL Rahul, left, and batting partner Nitish Rana touch gloves during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings in New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Delhi Capitals' KL Rahul leaves the field at the end of the first inning of the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings in New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Delhi Capitals' KL Rahul celebrates after scoring one hundred and fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings in New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — A 30-year-old man from Sudan appeared in a Belfast court Wednesday charged with attempted murder over a stabbing attack that left a man seriously injured and triggered anti-immigrant violence in several parts of Northern Ireland.

Hadi Alodid, 30, was ordered held in jail after an appearance by video in Belfast Magistrates’ Court, where a detective said he blinded Stephen Ogilvie in the left eye during the knife attack. He was also charged with possessing a knife and threatening to kill a radiographer while being treated for a hand injury after the assault.

When police arrived at the crime scene, they found Alodid on the man, armed with a kitchen knife, the detective said. Alodid later told hospital staff: “I’ve killed someone, I don’t know if they are dead,” and said, “I will kill you."

He refused legal representation through an Arabic interpreter and did not enter a plea.

Police were preparing for more violent protests after masked men set fire to several homes they believed to house immigrants, burned trash bins, torched a Belfast bus and pelted police with objects. Firefighters rescued several people from burning homes.

Anselme Shima, a Belfast resident originally from Congo, said he saw smoke from burning vehicles near his home.

“I’ve lived on my street for almost 10 years, I have a good relationship with my neighbors, but last night was a horrific one,” he said. “We don’t know what to do. I’m scared. Seeing this, I’m wondering if I’m next.”

Families, one with a baby, were rescued and taken to police stations for safety, Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher told the BBC.

“These weren’t just families from ethnic minority communities, these were families from across communities that were caught up in this vile behavior last night," Boutcher said. “There is absolutely no excuse for it.”

Boutcher said 200 more officers would be on the streets on Wednesday and the PSNI was calling in support from other forces. Bus and train operators in Belfast said they would stop services early because of expected protests.

Ogilvie’s family appealed for an end to the violence and said migrants “make a deeply valuable contribution to our country.”

“We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility,” the family said in a statement.

Politicians from both parts of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government condemned the violence. First Minister Michelle O’Neill of Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein said it was “thuggery.”

“Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” she said.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, of the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party, said that “taking frustration at the evil actions of a person out on those who had no part in it is utterly wrong.”

Monday’s attack, caught in video footage that quickly spread on social media, was seized on by anti-immigration activists. Ogilvie, a man in his 40s, was hospitalized with deep cuts to his head, face and back.

Police said Alodid entered Northern Ireland from the neighboring Republic of Ireland in 2023, applied for asylum and was given a 5-year permit to remain.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said there is no information to suggest the attack was terrorism-related.

Protests were encouraged online by far-right activists, and the street violence erupted despite politicians' calls for calm.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the stabbing attack as “sickening,” but said violence against people based on their background would not be tolerated.

“The scenes in Belfast last night were shocking and completely unacceptable," Starmer said on X. “There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or elsewhere.”

Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long said social media agitators who “yesterday would have struggled to find Belfast on a map” were “weaponizing” the fears of local people.

“If you’re driving people from their homes based on nothing but the color of their skin, you can’t dress that up any other way, it’s racism, and those bad faith actors need to take a step back,” she told the BBC.

Some politicians said the stabbing should spark a review of the open border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and the Republic of Ireland.

The border is a highly sensitive issue. Allowing the free flow of people is a major pillar of the peace process that largely ended decades of violence known as “The Troubles.” The conflict involving Irish Republican and British Loyalist militants and U.K. security forces left almost 3,600 people dead before a 1998 peace accord.

Much of Tuesday’s violence took place in working-class areas where former paramilitary groups still hold considerable sway over the streets.

Last week a separate case of a university student who was stabbed to death in Southampton, England, in December was seized on by activists and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who blamed immigration for the violence, an idea rejected by Starmer and other British politicians.

Henry Nowak, who was white, was killed by Vickrum Digwa, a Sikh who falsely claimed to police that he was the victim of a racist assault by Nowak. When police officers arrived, they initially treated the wounded Nowak as a suspect before noticing his injury and trying to resuscitate him.

Digwa was convicted of murder and sentenced last week to life in prison with a minimum 21-year term. A protest over Nowak’s death turned violent, with some attacking police with chairs and rocks. Several people were charged with violent disorder.

Lawless reported from London. Brian Melley contributed to this story.

Jamie Corrie stands beside his burnt out house after rioting broke out late Tuesday, in east Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, following a stabbing incident. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Vehicles set on fire by protesters burn on Lendrick Street in east Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, after the arrest of a Sudanese man accused of stabbing a man in the northern part of the city. (PA via AP)

People watch as firemen arrive to put out vehicle that was set alight during a protest in East Belfast following a stabbing incident in Belfast, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

This is a court artist drawing by Elizabeth Cook of Sudanese national Hadi Alodid, 30 appearing via videolink at Belfast Magistrates Court, Belfast, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, after a stabbing attack. (Elizabeth Cook/PA via AP)

A worker clear up the debris in front of a burnt out bus, after rioting broke out late Tuesday, in east Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, following a stabbing incident. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

A woman walks past burnt out houses after rioting broke out late Tuesday, in east Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wednesday, June 10, 2026, following a stabbing incident. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

People watch as a vehicle burns during a protest following a stabbing incident in North Belfast, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

A building is set light to by protesters in central Belfast following a stabbing incident in Belfast, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Masked protesters stand by burning trash containers on Ligoniel Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, after the arrest of a Sudanese man accused of stabbing a man in the northern part of the city. (PA via AP)

Police vehicles come under attack from protesters following a stabbing incident in Belfast, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Vehicles set on fire by protesters burn on Lendrick Street in east Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, after the arrest of a Sudanese man accused of stabbing a man in the northern part of the city. (PA via AP)