The Indian Premier League has finally reached the business end of its two-month long journey, and in true IPL style, there was a twist in the tale right at the end of the league phase.
The teams for the play-offs were locked in right after the tournament resumed following an enforced week-long break due to the India-Pakistan conflict.
The last remaining play-offs spot was secured by Mumbai Indians last Wednesday, which meant the final seven matches had very different driving forces.
Those already eliminated were looking to finish on a high, while the teams through to the next stage were battling for a top-two finish, which is significant.
It was this desire to finish in the top two that motivated the already-qualified Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final league phase game against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday.
Captain Jitesh Sharma blasted an unbeaten 85 and star batter Virat Kohli hit 54 as Bengaluru stormed into the first qualifier with a six-wicket win, chasing 228 successfully.
Bengaluru were 123-4 when Kohli departed, but Jitesh counter-attacked with a belligerent unbeaten 85 off 33 balls, which included eight fours and six sixes, to ensure victory with eight balls to spare.
IPL play-offs explained
Bengaluru finished second in the 10-team table with nine wins and 19 points - the same as table-toppers Punjab, who have a slightly better net run rate. The Royal Challengers face Punjab in the first play-off match on Thursday. Neither team has won the IPL in 17 attempts and will be hoping to finally end their trophy drought.
The way the IPL play-offs are structured, the top two teams at the end of the league stage get two chances of qualifying for the final. The top two play the main qualifier, the winners going directly to the final.
However, the losers of the first qualifier get another shot at a spot in the final via a second qualifier, where they face the winners of an eliminator match between the third and fourth-placed teams.
The format has been created to ensure the most consistent teams get ample opportunity to enter the title match, while the teams that, say, sneak in at number four don't get to play the final after one good day, as would happen if there were traditional semi-finals.
Bengaluru's rise to the top two pushed Gujarat Titans into third spot. They will face Mumbai Indians in the eliminator on Friday.
The second qualifier - between the losers of the first qualifier and the winners of the eliminator - takes place on Sunday. The title match is on Tuesday.
Who are the favourites in the play-offs?
Punjab, Bengaluru and Gujarat all have nine wins from 14 matches heading into the play-offs. Mumbai won eight.
Looking at the overall form of all teams, Punjab have their nose just ahead in the IPL race. Even before the tournament started, Punjab looked one of the strongest teams, captained by 2024 title winner Shreyas Iyer and possessing one of the strongest local contingent.
Bengaluru and Gujarat are not too far behind, though. The Royal Challengers made dynamic choices in the player auction and have assembled one of the most balanced squads in the league. However, their leadership duo of Rajat Patidar and Jitesh is not the most inspiring.
Gujarat have been on fire as well, with a solid top three under captain Shubman Gill, and boasting a strong bowling attack. However, they rely heavily on their top order and don't seem to have a Plan B if their first three batters fail.
The danger team of the play-offs are Mumbai Indians. They once again had a disastrous start before going on a run of six consecutive wins, securing the final play-off berth.
In this stage of the tournament, Mumbai tend to come into their own. Since 2013, Mumbai have progressed from the league phase seven times and won the trophy on five occasions. Which means when Mumbai go through, they generally go all the way to the title.
Gujarat are the other team who have a proud IPL history; they won the trophy in their first attempt in 2022 and lost a tense final the following year.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
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Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Spec%20sheet
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The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
RESULT
Arsenal 2
Sokratis Papastathopoulos 45 4'
Eddie Ntkeiah 51'
Portsmouth 0
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
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