It was a game between the two Kings of the Indian Premier League and the fans were treated to regal fare with riveting acts of bravado from both sides.
Kumar (prince in Hindi), Praveen, got the contest off to an stunning start, grabbing two wickets with the first two balls of the game.
Murali Vijay (74) and Subramaniam Badrinath (66 not out) then combined in a princely display of batting.
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MS Dhoni later took centre stage and, using his bat as a scimitar, sliced the Kings XI Punjab attack apart. The India captain scored 43 form 20 balls and the Chennai Super Kings had 188 for four on the board after losing two wickets without scoring.
At that stage, the visiting side must have thought they had enough runs, but they had not reckoned with the resolve of Paul Valthaty.
A virtual unknown amid Indian cricket’s demigods, one of the faceless foot soldiers with just one limited overs game for Mumbai in 2006, Valthaty played a majestic knock to guide the Kings XI to a six-wicket win with five balls to spare.
Valthaty, 27, made his intentions known in a blistering 61-run partnership for the opening wicket with his captain Adam Gilchrist (19), the runs coming off just 5.5 overs. He was unstoppable, reaching his 50 from 23 balls and reaching three-figures off 52, a moment that Valthaty later admitted: “I will never forget.”
The bhangras (a traditional Punjabi dance) had started in the stands by then and when Dinesh Karthik finished off the game with a mighty six, every fan was on their seat, applauding a very special innings.
Valthaty returned unbeaten with a 63-ball 120 and one look at the scoreboard would show the enormity of his effort; the next highest score for the King’s XI was Karthik’s 21.
“I think the way one individual stood up when it mattered and then the whole team backing him was fantastic,” Karthik said.
“Some of the shots he played, I think a lot of people would be proud of that … a lot of the legends would be proud of that I guess. It’s just the starting point for him. Good players keep doing it consistently and I think we will expect that as a team from him.
“Considering they were two down for zero, then they go on and get 188, you kind of feel a little upset about it. But I think the way Paul came out and batted changed things for us and we are very happy to do it against CSK.”
Valthaty is faceless even on the Kings XI’s official website; there is no photograph of him against him name, but the profile does warn, “watch out for his exploits at the IPL Season 4”. Few would have read that brief until now, but expect realms to be written about this man.
“Paul has shown some terrific talent in the trial games that we had,” Gilchrist said. “So we had faith that he was able to play well, but that was amazing. That’s one of the better IPL innings and better Twenty20 innings you have seen.
“I enjoyed standing around and watching Paul go. It was wonderful; nice to be in a partnership with him and get the team off to the right start. Yeah, I will be better for the run, but it was a terrific all round effort.”
Words of praise for Valthaty also came from the opposing captain Dhoni.
“Paul batted really well throughout the innings,” he said. “When you are chasing 180-190 runs, you have to keep scoring at a brisk pace and that’s what he did.
“He calculated it really well and went after the bowlers when it was really needed. You have to be at your best and that’s what he did. There was a challenge thrown at him and the intent was really good.
“He went on till the end of the game, which is very important – once you are in, don’t leave it to others.”
Valthaty was beaming as he heard those words at the post-match ceremony. He was the obvious man of the match and also received the orange cap for emerging as the tournament’s leading run scorer.
“I made it to the India Under 19 team in 2002, but then, unfortunately, I got stuck in my IE [Industrial Engineering],” said Valthaty, remembering his days of struggle. “After that, my career went through a lean phase. Now it is all coming together I guess.
“I believed in myself and the team management believed in me, and it all came perfect. I have prepared well for this IPL, starting two months earlier and I believe that paid off today.”
* Compiled by Ahmed Rizvi
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Indika
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Business Insights
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
