KOLKATA, India (AP) — Virat Kohli made a resounding start to the Indian Premier League Season with a 30-ball half century as Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets on Saturday.
Kohli anchored Bengaluru’s dominant chase of 177-3 in 16.2 overs with an unbeaten 59 off 36 balls and gave new skipper Rajat Patidar a winning start to the lucrative two-month long T20 tournament.
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Kolkata Knight Riders' Venkatesh Iyer bats during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Kolkata Knight Riders' Andre Russell is bowled out by Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Suyash Sharma during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Phil Salt bats during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Spectators enjoy the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Kolkata Knight Riders' Andre Russell is bowled out by Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Suyash Sharma during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli, left, and batting partner Liam Livingstone celebrate after winning the Indian Premier League cricket match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Kolkata couldn’t capitalize on captain Ajinkya Rahana’s swashbuckling 56 off 31 balls at Eden Gardens and was restricted to 174-8 after Patidar won the toss and elected to field.
Phil Salt, who was not retained by Kolkata for this season, was ruthless against his former franchise in the powerplay as Bengaluru sped to 80-0 in the first six overs.
Salt smashed ace spinner Varun Chakarvarthy (1-43) for 21 runs in one over inside the powerplay and Kohli also showed plenty of aggression, lifting Australian fast bowler Spencer Johnson for two back-to-back straight sixes.
Chakarvarthy provided the belated breakthrough when Salt was caught at short third as he attempted another big hit against the spinner in the ninth over.
Kohli raised his half century when he flayed Harshit Rana over cover for his fourth boundary as Bengaluru kept scoring at a rapid pace despite losing Salt.
Patidar smacked Rana for four boundaries in one over in his breezy knock of 34 off just 16 balls before he holed out to mid-wicket as Liam Livingstone (15 not out) finished off the game quickly with a hooked six off Johnson and a boundary.
Rahane made a confident start to his captaincy stint at Kolkata with an attacking half century, but spinner Krunal Pandya (3-29) squeezed the home team in the second half of the innings.
Kolkata eyed a big total as they cruised 107-2 in the first 10 overs when Sunil Narine was dismissed for 44 off 26 balls. However, Pandya’s impeccable bowling allowed Kolkata to score only 67 in the final 10 overs.
Pandya got the key wickets of Rahane, Rinku Singh (12) and Venkatesh Iyer (6) while former Kolkata spinner Suyash Kumar had big-hitter Andre Russell clean bowled for only four.
Rahane fell in the trap and couldn’t clear the fielder at deep mid-wicket while Singh and Iyer both got clean bowled as Kolkata lost their power-hitters before the final four overs and slipped to 145-5 in 15 overs. Kolkata slipper further when Kumar Russell was undone by Kumar’s perfect googly.
Josh Hazlewood (2-22) bowled well up front and allowed Kolkata to score only nine runs in the first three overs before Rahane and Narine exploded with a 103-run stand.
Pandya pulled back well for Bengaluru while Hazlewood and Yash Dayal also bowled well in the final overs to restrict Kolkata’s total.
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Kolkata Knight Riders' Venkatesh Iyer bats during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Kolkata Knight Riders' Andre Russell is bowled out by Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Suyash Sharma during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Phil Salt bats during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Spectators enjoy the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Kolkata Knight Riders' Andre Russell is bowled out by Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Suyash Sharma during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli, left, and batting partner Liam Livingstone celebrate after winning the Indian Premier League cricket match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)
TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney lamented Canada’s lost friendship with the United States as he visited the town that sheltered thousands of stranded American airline passengers after the 9/11 attacks.
Carney's visit Monday to Gander, Newfoundland on the second day of a national election campaign comes against the backdrop of a trade war and sovereignty threats from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump’s almost daily attacks on Canada’s sovereignty have left Canadians feeling betrayed.
"In this crisis caused by the U.S. president and those who are enabling him, we lament a friendship lost," Carney said. “In Gander Canadians did extraordinary things for Americans when they needed it. Now, we need to do extraordinary things for ourselves.”
Gander opened its arms to nearly 6,600 airline passengers diverted there when the U.S. government shut down airspace during 9/11.
In a matter of a few hours, the town population of 10,000 in 2001 was overwhelmed by 38 planeloads of travelers, yet locals went to work in their kitchens and cleaned up spare rooms to offer space and food to the newcomers.
When more than 200 flights were diverted to Canada following the attacks on the United States, the Canadians shunted the traffic away from Toronto and Montreal to the eastern seaboard.
Obscure, little-used Gander got to relive its glory days as a stopover point for trans-Atlantic aviation before long-distance flights became possible. Built in 1938 in anticipation of the coming world war, it had the world’s longest runway, and on 9/11 it was the second busiest, taking in 38 flights to Halifax, Nova Scotia’s 47.
Flight crews quickly filled Gander’s hotels, so passengers were taken to schools, fire stations, church halls. The Canadian military flew in 5,000 cots. Stores donated blankets, coffee machines, barbecue grills. Unable to retrieve their luggage, passengers became dependent on the kindness of strangers, and it came in the shape of clothes, showers, toys, banks of phones to call home free of charge, an arena that became a giant walk-in fridge full of donated food.
Once all the planes had landed or turned back to Europe, Gander’s air traffic controllers switched to cooking meals in the building nonstop for three days.
On Monday, Carney visited the home of Beulah Cooper, who opened her home and comforted many including Dennis and Hannah O’Rourke, an elderly couple whose New York firefighter son, Kevin, went missing at the World Trade Center and was later confirmed to have died there.
The O’Rourkes remained friends with Cooper long after and went back to Gander, saying they felt eternally indebted.
“More than 6,000 passengers. Overnight, the town’s population almost doubled," Carney said during a speech to residents. “You showed friendship to people who were fearful. In a crisis, you showed your character. When people needed help, you gave it."
Carney noted the story of that day became legend, immortalized in the Canadian-made Broadway hit musical “Come from Away.”
“It became yet another example of the unbreakable bond between Canadians and Americans. Because when Americans are in need, Canadians have always shown up,” Carney said.
Carney noted Canadians have always been by Americans' side whether it was during the Iranian hostage crisis, or more recently during the California wildfires or in Afghanistan, where Canada lost 158 members of the armed forces and seven civilians.
Trump has declared a trade war on his northern neighbor and continues to call for Canada to become the 51st state, a position that has infuriated Canadians. The American president has threatened economic coercion in his annexation threats and suggested the border is a fictional line.
Trump put 25% tariffs on Canada’s steel and aluminum and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products — as well as all of America’s trading partners — on April 2.
Carney said Canadians are over the shock of the betrayal but now have to look out for themselves. He said Canadians and Americans have been traditionally been like brothers.
"But that’s changed. And it wasn’t us who did the changing. Unfortunately, President Trump’s actions have put that kinship under greater strain today than at any point in our storied history,” Carney said.
Carney and his Conservative opponent, Pierre Poilievre, said Trump must respect Canada’s sovereignty as they kicked off their election campaigns on Sunday. Carney announced a five-week election campaign before the vote on April 28.
Carney still hasn’t had a phone call with Trump and suggested that might not happen until after the election. “I’m available for a call. But you know we are going to talk on our terms as a sovereign country, not as what he pretends we are,” Carney said.
He said the Americans are making a “fundamental mistake" in the trade war.
“They think they will weaken us. They think that they can own us quite frankly, that’s what they think,” he said. “We are going to get stronger. We are going to wait this out. They are going to come to the table and we are going to negotiate a good deal for Canadians.”
Canada Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet launches his campaign with candidates in front of the U.S. consulate in Quebec City on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre appears at a federal election campaign event in Brampton, Ontario, on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Liberal Leader Mark Carney arrives in Gander, Newfoundland, on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, center, walks with candidate Caroline Desbiuens, right, to a news conference with candidates in Quebec City Monday, March 24, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is joined by his wife Anaida Poilievre and children Cruz and Valentina, as he talks with employees at Kruger Packaging during a federal election campaign event in Brampton, Ontario, on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Liberal Leader Mark Carney arrives in Gander, Newfoundland, on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada NDP leader Jagmeet Singh hits the punching bag in an outdoor gym under a bridge after a campaign event during a federal election stop in Montreal on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre talks with employees at Kruger Packaging during a federal election campaign event in Brampton, Ontario, on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, right, laughs in the snow with his campaign wagon master Laura Ziemba, centre, after a event with supporters during a federal election campaign stop in Montreal on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, right, reacts with MP candidate Nima Machouf, left, as he attends a campaign event with supporters during a federal election campaign stop in Montreal on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney looks through a photo album with Beulah Cooper at her home in Gander, Newfoundland, Monday, March 24, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Liberal Leader Mark Carney arrives in Gander, N.L., on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet launches his campaign with candidates in front of the USA consulate in Quebec City Monday, March 24, 2025. (Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press via AP)
Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney gets a hug from Beulah Cooper as he arrives at her house in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, Monday, March 24, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
