Bengaluru dominates Rajasthan in IPL as Mumbai ends Delhi’s unbeaten streak

JAIPUR, India (AP) — Virat Kohli and Phil Salt struck attacking half-centuries to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru register a dominant nine-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.

Salt hit six sixes and five fours in scoring 65 off 33 balls, while Kohli finished 62 not out off 45 balls. Riding on a 92-run opening stand from the duo, Bengaluru reached 175-1 in 17.3 overs.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 75 off 47 balls proved to be in vain as Rajasthan Royals finished with a below-par 173-4 in 20 overs.

With the win, Bengaluru climbed to third in the table with four wins in six games. Rajasthan is eighth after its fourth defeat in six games.

In Sunday’s second game, Mumbai Indians ended Delhi Capitals’ unbeaten run with a 12-run victory.

Mumbai was propped up by Tilak Varma’s 59 off 33 balls, finishing on 205-5. Its spinners choked the home side with impact player Karn Sharma taking 3-36 in four overs.

Mitchell Santner claimed 2-43, plus a sensational fielding effort, as Delhi lost its last three wickets to consecutive run-outs. Delhi was dismissed for 193 in 19 overs.

Put into bat, Rajasthan lost skipper Sanju Samson for 15 runs. He was stumped off Krunal Pandya (1-29) in the seventh over, after putting on 49 off 41 balls with Jaiswal.

Jaiswal made a quick start and raced to 50 off 35 balls, his second half-century of the season.

He added 56 off 39 balls with Riyan Parag (30 off 22) and then another 21 off 16 with Dhruv Jurel. But Bengaluru kept a tight leash on proceedings with no Rajasthan batter able to generate any real momentum.

Jaiswal was out lbw to Josh Hazlewood (1-26) in the 16th over, and it was Jurel’s 35 not out off 23 balls, including two sixes, that allowed Rajasthan to score 47 in the last four overs.

Hurting from a home loss against Delhi Capitals, Bengaluru rebounded in spectacular fashion.

Salt made a blistering start and raced to 50 off 28 balls, hitting four sixes. He put on 50 off 30 balls with Kohli and then further pushed the opening stand to 92 off 52 balls, which did half the job for his team.

After Salt was dismissed in the ninth over, Kohli took charge of the chase and never gave Rajasthan a sniff.

Impact player Devdutt Padikkal helped out with 40 not out off 28 balls as Kohli eased to yet another IPL half-century, this one off 39 balls.

Kohli and Padikkal added 83 off 54 balls as Bengaluru won with 15 balls to spare.

Put into bat, Mumbai had opener Ryan Rickelton hit 41 off 25 balls. Suryakumar Yadav scored 40 off 28, with the duo hitting two sixes each.

Kuldeep Yadav took 2-23 in four overs, signaling a slower surface at Delhi. Varma then hit six fours and three sixes, notching a second half-century this season.

Naman Dhir provided the finishing touch and used the short boundaries to good effect – he scored 38 not out off 17 balls, with two sixes, adding 62 off only 33 balls with Varma.

The duo pushed Mumbai past 200 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

In reply, the hosts lost Jake Fraser-McGurk for a golden duck but Karun Nair returned to IPL action with a half-century after seven years. The impact player scored 89 off 40 balls, hitting five sixes, and putting on 119 off 61 balls with Abhishek Porel (33).

Delhi was ahead at the halfway stage, when the wet ball was changed and Mumbai’s spin sprung into action.

Karn Sharma got rid of Porel, and then sent back in-form Lokesh Rahul for 15. Santner bowled Nair in the 12th over in a game-changing moment.

Delhi’s lower order collapsed under pressure, losing the last four wickets for just 13 runs, including a hat trick of runouts for the final three wickets.

Mumbai climbed to seventh with its second win, while Delhi slipped to second with a first loss this season.

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

Mumbai Indians' Ryan Rickelton, left, celebrates after breaking the stumps to get Delhi Capitals' Ashutosh Sharma, right, out during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, India, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Mumbai Indians' Karn Sharma, center, celebrates with teammates the dismissal of Delhi Capitals' KL Rahul during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, India, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Mumbai Indians' Karn Sharma lies on the ground after failing to field a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, India, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Delhi Capitals' KL Rahul walks off the field after losing his wicket during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, India, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Mumbai Indians' captain Hardik Pandya, right, hugs Delhi Capitals' captain Axar Patel after his team won the Indian Premier League cricket match against Delhi Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, India, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Phil Salt plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, India, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Phil Salt celebrates his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, India, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Royal Challengers Virat Kohli congratulates Bengaluru's Phil Salt for his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, India, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli celebrates his fifty runs during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, India, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli and Rajasthan Royals' captain Sanju Samson chat during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, India, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, India, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

NEW YORK (AP) — Nadine Menendez, the wife of former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, was convicted Monday of teaming up with her husband to accept bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car from three New Jersey men looking for help with their business dealings or legal troubles.

The jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts in the same federal courthouse in Manhattan where a different jury convicted Bob Menendez of many of the same charges last year. The Democrat is supposed to begin serving an 11-year prison term in June.

Nadine Menendez, who stood but did not appear to react as the verdict was delivered by the jury foreperson, was scheduled to be sentenced on June 12, six days after her husband is expected to report to prison.

Outside the courthouse, she wore a pink mask as she stood next to her lawyer, Barry Coburn, said he was “devastated by the verdict.”

“We fought hard and it hurts,” he said. “This is a very rough day for us.”

The evidence shown to jurors over a three-week trial followed the timeline of the whirlwind romance between the couple that began in early 2018 and continued after criminal charges were brought against them in September 2023. Repeatedly during the trial, prosecutors said they were “partners in crime.”

During a 2022 raid on the couple’s Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home, FBI agents found nearly $150,000 worth of gold bars and $480,000 in cash stuffed in boots, shoeboxes and jackets. In the garage was a Mercedes-Benz convertible, also an alleged bribe.

Both Nadine and Bob Menendez said they are innocent and never took bribes.

Initially, they were to be tried together, along with the three businessmen, but Nadine Menendez’s trial was postponed a year ago after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent surgery.

Bob Menendez, 71, resigned from the Senate last August following his conviction. Before the charges were brought he had been chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Prosecutors accused Nadine Menendez of starting to facilitating bribes to the senator around the time that they began dating, before they married in the fall of 2020.

At the time, she was in danger of losing her home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, after missing nearly $20,000 in mortgage payments, trial testimony showed. A longtime friend, Wael Hana, provided cash to save the home — and prosecutors said that in return, the senator began helping Hana preserve a business monopoly he had arranged with the Egyptian government to certify that imported meat met religious requirements.

Nadine Menendez also needed a new car after her old one was destroyed when she struck and killed a man crossing a street. (She did not face charges in the crash). Prosecutors said a businessman, Jose Uribe, gave her a Mercedes-Benz, and in return Bob Menendez used his clout to pressure the New Jersey attorney general’s office to stop investigating some of Uribe’s associates.

Prosecutor said more cash and gold bribes were paid to the couple by Fred Daibes, a prominent real estate developer who prosecutors said wanted the senator to protect him from a criminal case he was facing in New Jersey. Prosecutors said Bob Menendez also helped Daibes secure a $95 million investment from a Qatari investment fund.

Nadine Menendez, 58, was described by prosecutors at her trial as crucial to the scheme, enabling the senator to communicate with the businessmen and Egyptian government officials.

Besides his conviction on bribery charges, Bob Menendez also was convicted of acting as an agent for the Egyptian government. Prosecutors said that in return for some of the bribes, he ghostwrote a letter for Egyptian officials to give to his fellow senators to calm their concerns about human rights abuses and encourage them to lift a hold on $300 million in military aid.

Coburn had argued during his closing arguments to the jury that the evidence was insufficient for a conviction.

“These things we’re talking about here are unproven,” he said.

He said the dealings the senator had with the businessmen were just what a politician is supposed to do for his constituents.

In a rebuttal argument , Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Richenthal urged the jury to convict Nadine Menendez, calling the evidence against her “consistent and overwhelming.”

Uribe pleaded guilty and testified against the others. Hana and Dabies were convicted along with the senator. Hana has been sentenced to eight years in prison while Daibes got seven years behind bars.

Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said in a statement that the verdict “sends the clear message that the power of government officials may not be put up for sale and that all those who facilitate corruption will be held accountable for their actions.”

Nadine Menendez arrives to a federal courthouse in New York, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Nadine Menendez arrives to a federal courthouse in New York, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Nadine Menendez arrives to a federal courthouse in New York, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Nadine Menendez arrives to a federal courthouse in New York, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Nadine Menendez arrives to a federal courthouse in New York, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Nadine Menendez arrives to a federal courthouse in New York, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)