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A Pakistan court refused on Tuesday to rule on the detention of activist Mahrang Baloch, a decision her lawyers said will delay her case and keep her behind bars.The 32-year-old was placed under administrative detention by the Balochistan provincial government on March 22, accused of terrorism, sedition, and murder after leading a protest.The Balochistan High Court refused to hear an appeal against her detention, instead referring her case to the provincial government, according to Baloch’s defence team.”They closed all doors for us to appeal and directed us to the government instead,” her lawyer Kamran Murtaza told AFP, calling it a “refusal of justice”.Imaan Mazari, a second lawyer, called it a “complete abdication of responsibility” by the justice system, which has “put her at the mercy of the same administration that detained her”.Baloch will now remain under administrative detention, a 30-day period renewable three times under Pakistani law. The UN has expressed “concern” for the trainee surgeon, who was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 rising leaders of 2024. Balochistan, the country’s poorest province that borders Iran and Afghanistan, is in the grip of separatist militants who regularly carry out attacks on security forces.Baloch founded the Baloch Unity Committee which accuses the state of extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary arrests in their security operations, but advocates non-violence.At least 3,000 supporters have taken part in an ongoing sit-in, blocking key roads near the main city of Quetta for the past two weeks and demanding the release of Baloch and other activists.Authorities restrict access to many areas of Balochistan, where China has poured billions into energy and infrastructure projects, including a major port and an airport. 

Nearly 60,000 Afghans have been forced to leave Pakistan since the start of April, the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday, after Islamabad ramped up a campaign to deport migrants to Afghanistan. Pakistan last month set an early April deadline for some 800,000 Afghans carrying Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC) issued by the Pakistani authorities to leave the country, in the second phase of efforts to remove Afghans. “Between 1 and 13 April 2025, IOM recorded a sharp rise in forced returns, with nearly 60,000 individuals crossing back into Afghanistan through the Torkham and Spin Boldak border points,” the UN agency said in a statement. Families with their belongings in tow have crowded the crossings at Torkham in the north and Spin Boldak in the south, recalling scenes in 2023 when tens of thousands of Afghans fled deportation threats in Pakistan.  “With a new wave of large-scale returns now underway from Pakistan, needs on the ground are rising rapidly — both at the border and in areas of return that are struggling to absorb large numbers of returnees,” said Mihyung Park, head of the IOM’s Afghanistan mission. The UN says nearly three million Afghans live in Pakistan, many having been there for decades, after fleeing successive conflicts in their country and following the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021. More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration cards from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, have also been told to move outside the capital Islamabad and the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi. The Taliban authorities have repeatedly called for Afghans to be allowed a “dignified” return to Afghanistan. As Afghans again began streaming over the border in large numbers, the Taliban Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said: “The mistreatment of them (Afghans) by neighbouring countries is unacceptable and intolerable.”- ‘Halt the forced returns’ -Ties between the two countries have frayed since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.Islamabad has accused Kabul’s rulers of failing to root out militants sheltering on its soil, a charge the Taliban government denies, as Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in violence in border regions with Afghanistan. Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s deputy interior minister said last week that Islamabad was “taking these steps because Afghans are linked to terrorist and narcotics activities”. He added that Afghans waiting in Pakistan for visas to a third country “would be catered to case by case”.But, he added, “there will be no extension for anyone after April 30”.Human rights activists have for months been reporting harassment and extortion by Pakistani security forces against Afghans, as international rights organisations have condemned the forced return campaign. The IOM urged “all countries to immediately halt the forced returns of Afghans until conditions are in place to ensure safe, dignified, and voluntary returns, regardless of a person’s legal status”.The agency said that between September 2023 and April this year, more than 2.43 million undocumented Afghan migrants have returned from Pakistan and Iran, over half of them forcibly returned.burs-sw/tc

Singaporeans vote on May 3 in an election that will test Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s leadership, as the wealthy city-state faces a turbulent global economy upended by US tariffs.This will be the first electoral battle for the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) under Wong since he succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, the son of founding premier Lee Kuan Yew, last year after decades of leadership by the Lees.Parliament was dissolved Tuesday, clearing the way for the vote.Singapore has long been dominated by the PAP, which is expected to remain in power, but opposition gains are closely watched as a referendum on the government’s popularity.And the upcoming elections come at a precarious time.The global trading system that supported tiny, trade-reliant Singapore’s rapid ascent to prosperity is under severe strain since US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.Singapore, one of the world’s biggest transhipment hubs, finds itself exposed after Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries, disrupting global supply chains and sparking fears of a full-blown trade war with China.On Monday, Singapore’s trade ministry downgraded its economic growth forecast for 2025 to between zero and 2.0 percent from 1.0-3.0 percent.In a stark warning to parliament last week, Premier Wong declared that the “era of rules-based globalisation and free trade is over”.”We risk being squeezed out, marginalised, and left behind,” he said.Wong, 52, is seeking a firm mandate to steer the country through choppy waters.It will “strengthen his hand and that of his government in putting in place policies and measures to protect the economy and to negotiate with other countries”, said Eugene Tan, associate professor of law at the Singapore Management University.- ‘Toughest battle’ -PAP is one of the world’s longest-running political parties having been in power since 1959.But the party’s dominance is increasingly being challenged by a more vocal electorate, especially among younger voters who appear open to alternative political voices.The upcoming elections “may well be the toughest electoral battle for the ruling party”, said Mustafa Izzuddin, a political analyst with Solaris Strategies Singapore, citing the “unpredictability of ground sentiments and the emergence of a better quality opposition”.Tan of SMU said “millennial and Gen-Z voters are much more receptive… to a credible opposition in parliament”.In 2020, the opposition Workers’ Party (WP) made historic gains, winning 10 of the 93 seats at stake — a significant jump from its previously held four seats.It is hoping to build on that momentum and is expected to field candidates like Harvard-trained senior counsel Harpreet Singh, 59.In an interview on the local podcast “Yah Lah BUT”, Singh said Singapore could be a “much better and strong country with a more balanced politics”.”We need to have a reset where we treat our critics, people with different ideas, people from outside the system, with more respect and not suspicion.”- ‘More political diversity’ – A total of 97 seats are up for grabs in this election — four more than in 2020 — following a redrawing of electoral boundaries that some opposition parties have criticised as gerrymandering.The majority of the seats will come from a bloc voting system that opposition parties say favours the PAP.”Depending on how the opposition performs, there is a possibility of an emergence of a one-and-a-half party system — where the ruling party retains dominance but faces a more substantial check from a strengthened opposition,” said Izzuddin.But he added that fragmentation threatens the opposition votes as smaller parties compete for influence in overlapping areas.It remains unclear how the economic uncertainty will shape voter behaviour.While Izzuddin suggested the climate could trigger a “flight-to-safety” move that benefits incumbents, Tan pointed to the 2020 election held amid the global pandemic which saw the opposition gain ground.Ultimately, the outcome lies on how much Singaporeans wish to have more alternative views in parliament, but still keep the PAP in power.”The challenge is whether PM Wong can convince Singaporeans that the tariffs war is a significant threat, and that giving the ruling party a secure victory will ultimately benefit Singaporeans — notwithstanding the desire for more political diversity,” said Tan.The opposition is banking on the growing sentiment, with WP rising star Singh saying that “the best governments are not the ones that have dominant control and are not challenged”.”The best governments are the ones that are pushed to be better,” he said. “That’s where Singapore needs to go.”

China’s President Xi Jinping paid tribute to Vietnam’s late revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh on Tuesday, his last day of a trip to Hanoi that President Donald Trump said was aiming to “screw” the United States.Xi is in Vietnam as part of a Southeast Asia tour that will include Malaysia and Cambodia, with Beijing trying to position itself as a stable alternative to Trump as leaders confront US tariffs.The Chinese leader called on his country and Vietnam Monday to “oppose unilateral bullying and uphold the stability of the global free trade system”, according to Beijing’s state media.Hours later, Trump told reporters at the White House that their meeting was aimed at hurting the United States. “I don’t blame China. I don’t blame Vietnam. I don’t. I see they’re meeting today, and that’s wonderful,” he said.”That’s a lovely meeting… like trying to figure out, how do we screw the United States of America.”China and Vietnam signed 45 cooperation agreements on Monday, including on supply chains, artificial intelligence, joint maritime patrols and railway development.Xi said a meeting with Vietnam’s top leader To Lam on Monday that their countries were “standing at the turning point of history… and should move forward with joint hands”.Lam said after the talks that the two leaders “reached many important and comprehensive common perceptions”, according to Vietnam News Agency.- Rail links -On the final day of his visit, Xi laid a red wreath emblazoned with his name and the words “Long live Vietnam’s great leader President Ho Chi Minh” at the late leader’s mausoleum in central Hanoi.He is also due to attend the launch of the Vietnam-China Railway Cooperation, which will help manage an $8-billion rail project — announced this year — to link Vietnam’s largest northern port city to the border with China.Xi’s trip comes almost two weeks after the United States — the biggest export market for Vietnam, a manufacturing powerhouse, in the first three months of the year — imposed a 46 percent levy on Vietnamese goods as part of a global tariff blitz.Although the US tariffs on Vietnam and most other countries have been paused, China still faces enormous levies and is seeking to tighten regional trade ties and offset their impact during Xi’s first overseas trip of the year.Xi will head to Malaysia later Tuesday and then Cambodia on a tour that “bears major importance” for the broader region, Beijing has said.Xi earlier urged Vietnam and China to “resolutely safeguard the multilateral trading system, stable global industrial and supply chains, and open and cooperative international environment”. He also reiterated Beijing’s line that a “trade war and tariff war will produce no winner, and protectionism will lead nowhere” in an article published on Monday in Vietnam’s major state-run Nhan Dan newspaper.China and Vietnam, both ruled by communist parties, already share a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, Hanoi’s highest diplomatic status.Vietnam has long pursued a “bamboo diplomacy” approach — striving to stay on good terms with both China and the United States.The two countries have close economic ties, but Hanoi shares US concerns about Beijing’s increasing assertiveness in the contested South China Sea.

Survivors of the Khmer Rouge’s genocidal regime welcome a beefed-up Cambodian law that forbids denying the movement’s atrocities, but rights advocates and academics warn it could also stifle legitimate dissent.Enacted last month ahead of this week’s 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge seizing the capital Phnom Penh, the law threatens hefty jail sentences and fines for anyone who denies the genocide that killed around two million people between 1975 and 1979.The atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge are widely accepted by Cambodians save a dwindling group of ageing former cadres and soldiers who live mostly in the remote northwest.The hardline Maoist group led by “Brother Number One” Pol Pot reset the calendar to “Year Zero” on April 17, 1975 and emptied cities in a bid to create a pure agrarian society free of class, politics or capital.About a quarter of the population died — of disease, starvation, overwork or by execution — in the disastrous social engineering experiment memorably chronicled by the 1984 Oscar-winning movie “The Killing Fields”.Some activists, however, say former prime minister Hun Sen is using the law to burnish his legacy and stifle any opposition to his son and successor, Hun Manet.The government is trying to “reinforce state narratives rather than to genuinely encourage historical accountability”, said Sophal Ear, associate professor at Arizona State University. “In practice, it could be another tool to silence dissent,” he said.Political analyst Ou Virak called the law a “mistake”, adding: “A population that is afraid to discuss will be even more afraid to ask questions.”- ‘I am the peacemaker’ -Now 72, Hun Sen was a commander under Pol Pot before he fled to Vietnam in 1977, joining other Cambodian defectors to lead the Vietnamese army’s assault that drove the Khmer Rouge out of Phnom Penh.In the more than 30 years Hun Sen ruled Cambodia he stifled dissent, critics say, equating opposition to his leadership as support for those he replaced.”Hun Sen wants to impose his vision of things, saying: ‘I am the peacemaker’,” said Adriana Escobar Rodriguez of the French National Centre for Scientific Research.One form of genocide denial tended to downplay Vietnam’s role in ousting the Khmer Rouge, she said, but another stemmed from the fact that some “people still can’t believe that Khmers could have killed other Khmers” — referring to Cambodia’s majority ethnic group.Hun Sen has defended the stricter law, comparing it to similar legislation against Holocaust denial in Europe.The 2013 law it replaced stemmed from a case involving one of Hun Sen’s main opponents that took place just before national elections.Kem Sokha was accused of describing notorious Khmer Rouge prison S-21 — where an estimated 15,000 people were tortured to death — as a Vietnamese fabrication.He has spent lengthy periods in prison on various charges since, and is currently under house arrest on treason charges and banned from politics.Chum Mey, one of a small handful of people who emerged alive from S-21, sells books describing his experiences outside the former prison, which was turned into the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.He says it would be stupid for anyone to deny the Khmer Rouge’s atrocities.”There is evidence,” the 94-year-old said.”They killed my four children and my wife.”

Former India captain M.S. Dhoni rolled back the years with an unbeaten 26 as Chennai Super Kings bounced back from five losses to down Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets in the IPL on Monday.Chasing a tricky 167, Chennai rode on an unbeaten stand of 57 between Shivam Dube, who hit 43, and Dhoni to achieve their target with three balls to spare at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium.The 43-year-old Dhoni, who took over as captain from the injured Ruturaj Gaikwad in their previous defeat, strode in at number seven and smashed four fours and a six in his 11-ball knock to silence suggestions that he had lost his touch as a master finisher.”Good to win a game, unfortunately the games haven’t gone our way, it gives a lot of confidence to the team,” Dhoni said after winning his first IPL player of the match award since 2019.”It was a tough game, glad to be on the winning side and hopefully it gives us momentum.”The left-handed Dube, who came in as an impact substitute for the five-time champions, got the winning boundary in his 37-ball knock.The result snapped Chennai’s streak of losses but they still remain bottom of the 10-team table with two wins in seven matches.They started strongly with openers Shaik Rasheed and New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra, who hit 37, putting together a 52-run partnership inside five overs.Pace bowler Avesh Khan struck first to cut short Rasheed’s knock on 27 and Lucknow’s ploy to bring in part-time spinner Aiden Markram worked when the South African dismissed the left-handed Ravindra.Impact substitute Ravi Bishnoi struck with two key blows as he caught and bowled Rahul Tripathi for nine and then had Ravindra Jadeja taken at long-on for seven to dent Chennai’s chase.But Dube took charge and took Chennai over the line alongside Dhoni who walked in to loud cheers from the Lucknow crowd largely supporting Chennai.- Pant hits form -Lucknow suffered their third loss in seven matches but can take consolation from skipper Rishabh Pant’s back-to-form 63 in their 166-7 after being invited to bat first.”We had to keep stitching in partnerships. The wicket was stopping a bit, but we could have got 15 runs more I feel,” Pant said.On his own knock, Pant said: “I am feeling better with each and every game, but sometimes it doesn’t come off. (I’m) Slowly getting into my rhythm, taking every match at a time.”Wicketkeeper-batsman Pant, who had scores of 0, 15, 2, 2, 21 in his previous five innings, started cautiously with Lucknow on 23-2.The swashbuckling left-hander played six dot balls to Afghanistan left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad in the middle of his knock but finished with four fours and fours sixes in his 49-ball stay.Pant’s innings involved two key stands, adding 50 with Mitchell Marsh, who hit 30 on his return after he missed the previous match, and 53 with Abdul Samad, who made 20.Pant finally fell to Sri Lanka pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana, who took two wickets in the 20th over.Jadeja stood out with figures of 2-24 in his three overs of left-arm spin.Ahmad returned figures of 0-13 in his four overs and tops the bowling chart with 12 wickets this season.

Nepal’s former king has expressed sorrow over last month’s violent demonstrations by pro-monarchy supporters while lending tacit support to their participants in his first public statement on the protests.Gyanendra Shah, the last king of Nepal, was deposed in 2008 at the end of the Himalayan republic’s decade-long civil war. But public support for the restoration of the monarchy has grown in tandem with dissatisfaction over political instability, corruption and slow economic development.Thousands took to the streets in March for a royalist rally that turned violent, with two people killed and more than 100 arrested.In a video posted on Facebook late Sunday, on the eve of Nepal’s traditional new year celebrations, Shah said that while freedom of expression was a beautiful feature of democracy, it was a right that “must be exercised with restraint”. “The recent violence, arson and vandalism during public demonstrations which caused significant human and material losses have deeply saddened us,” he said.Shah added that he viewed “the growing awareness among Nepali people about the nation and its future positively”.”Our belief has always been in a multi-party democracy and a constitutional monarchy that aligns with people’s sentiments,” he said.Nepal adopted a federal and republican political system in 2008 as part of a peace deal that ended a civil war responsible for more than 16,000 deaths.Shah has largely refrained from commenting on Nepal’s fractious politics since, but recently made several public appearances with supporters.He was crowned in 2001 after his elder brother king Birendra Bir Bikram Shah and his family were killed in a palace massacre that wiped out most of the royal family.His coronation took place as a Maoist insurgency was raging in far-flung corners of Nepal.Shah suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament in 2005, triggering a democratic uprising in which the Maoists sided with Nepal’s political establishment to orchestrate huge street protests.That eventually precipitated the end of the conflict, with parliament voting in 2008 to abolish Nepal’s 240-year-old Hindu monarchy.

The Indian Premier League season reaches the halfway point this week as 10 teams battle for supremacy in the high-octane Twenty20 cricket tournament.AFP Sport highlights five talking points from the opening weeks of the 2025 IPL:- Chennai slump -Mahendra Singh Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings to five IPL crowns in the past, but the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman is struggling to inspire the bottom-placed team.The 43-year-old former India World Cup-winning captain has been among the runs batting down the order, but age seems to have diminished his finishing powers and Chennai have won only one of their six matches.When captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was injured before their last game, Dhoni found himself leading Chennai again. But they collapsed to 103 all out against Kolkata, who romped to an eight-wicket win with 59 balls to spare.The team need to find a spark soon, but commentator and former Australia skipper Michael Clarke noted on JioStar that Chennai’s approach was “conservative” and their aim seems to be “avoid a big defeat”.- Lefties on top -Left-arm spinners have proved crucial in keeping control of run rates in the middle overs, with Chennai’s Afghanistan wrist spinner Noor Ahmad leading the bowling charts with 12 wickets.Orthodox leftie Sai Kishore has also been able to choke the scoring rate for Gujarat Titans, as has wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav of Delhi Capitals. Yadav picked up two more dismissals Sunday to join Kishore on the 10-wicket mark.Another left-arm wrist spinner, Vignesh Puthur, emerged as a talent to watch after the 24-year-old took three wickets on debut for Mumbai Indians, despite not yet playing senior representative cricket for his state.- Openers sparkle -Priyansh Arya and fellow left-hander Abhishek Sharma have lit up the IPL with their swashbuckling batting at the top of the order.Arya hammered a 39-ball century for Punjab Kings, the fourth fastest IPL century of all time, including nine sixes.Four days later, Arya and Punjab were on the receiving end when Abhishek took 40 balls to reach his hundred.He went on to bludgeon 141 in 55 balls, with 14 fours and 10 sixes, as Sunrisers Hyderabad overhauled Punjab’s 245 to pull off the second highest chase in IPL history.Openers Sai Sudharsan (Gujarat), Mitchell Marsh (Lucknow), Travis Head (Hyderabad), Phil Salt (Bengaluru) and Virat Kohli (Bengaluru) have also made rapid fifties to get their side off to great starts.- Hot and cold stars -Kohli has carried his Champions Trophy form into the IPL with 248 runs including three half-centuries, but fellow big names Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant have struggled.India’s Test and ODI captain Rohit has scored 0, 8, 13, 17 and 18 in his five outings for Mumbai.Lucknow splashed a record $3.21 million for wicketkeeper-batsman Pant but have seen no return yet for their money as their new skipper has managed just 40 runs. Shreyas Iyer is one player who has justified a big auction price — $3.17 million — by hammering 250 runs, including a best of 97 not out, for Punjab.- Rahul fires Delhi  -Delhi Capitals have never won the IPL but have made a strong start, led by new captain Axar Patel. They got off to four straight wins before falling to their first defeat on Sunday to lie second behind Gujarat.The Capitals revamped their side in November’s auction and the new set-up is working so far with senior batsman KL Rahul leading the way having scored 200 runs in his four appearances.Delhi edged Lucknow by one wicket in their opening win and Axar vowed to “make it a habit” under his captaincy to get the better of the tight encounters, so vital for IPL success.Another team looking for a first IPL title are Punjab, under Shreyas Iyer, and they have ridden on the form of Arya, Iyer and Prabhsimran Singh, who has scored 133 runs, to record three wins from five matches.

Spinner Karn Sharma returned figures of 3-36 as Mumbai Indians pulled off a stunning 12-run IPL win on Sunday to end Delhi Capitals’ dominant run this season.Chasing 206 for victory, Delhi looked to be cruising at 135-2 when Karun Nair departed on 89 and leg-spinner Karn soon triggered a collapse to bowl out the hosts for 193 in their home Feroz Shah Kotla ground.It was Delhi’s first defeat after four wins in this edition of the T20 tournament. Five-time champions Mumbai got back to winning ways with just their second victory in six matches.Needing 23 runs off the last 12 balls, Ashutosh Sharma raised hopes with two boundaries off Jasprit Bumrah but the last three balls of the 19th over threw up three run-outs as Mumbai celebrated.The win dampened the return of Delhi’s Nair, who hit a valiant knock off 40 balls in his first IPL match after three years.Nair, 33, came in as an impact substitute with Delhi on 0-1 after Jake Fraser-McGurk fell to the first ball of the team’s chase.Nair, who hit an unbeaten 303 against England in a home Test in 2016 but soon lost favour with the selectors, reached his fifty — first after seven years in IPL — off 22 balls to set up the chase in a stand off 119 with Abhishek Porel.Karn, coming in as impact player, broke the stand as he cut short left-hander Porel’s 33-run knock, and soon left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner bowled Nair to hurt Delhi.Karn dismissed Tristan Stubbs for one and then caught and bowled KL Rahul for 15 as Delhi lost their way.Earlier, Tilak Varma smashed 59 and put on a key stand with Naman Dhir, who hit an unbeaten 38, to help Mumbai reach 205-5.South African left-hander Ryan Rickleton, who hit 41, put on a brisk opening stand with fellow opener Rohit Sharma to set the pace.Rohit made 18 but failed to convert his start after being trapped lbw off Vipraj Nigam, and extend his batting flop in this season of the IPL. He has 56 runs from five matches.Rickleton, a wicketkeeper-batsman, kept up the runs with Suryakumar Yadav, who hit 40 off 28 balls, before being bowled by left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.Suryakumar’s entry made Varma change gears as he went after the bowling as the two hammered 60 runs.Kuldeep claimed his second wicket to send back Suryakumar and Nigam dismissed skipper Hardik Pandya in the next over but the runs kept coming.The left-handed Varma, who departed in the last over, then took the total past 200 with the help of Dhir.

Abhishek Sharma lit up the IPL on Saturday with a spectacular 141 off 55 balls to steer Sunrisers Hyderabad to the second-highest successful chase in tournament history of 246 as they downed Punjab Kings by eight wickets.Earlier, Nicholas Pooran continued his incredible form with 61 to help Lucknow Super Giants end Gujarat Titans’ winning streak of four matches, coming out on top by six wickets.The 24-year-old Abhishek put on the best stand so far this season of 171 with opening partner Travis Head, who hit 66, in a chase achieved with nine balls to spare.”We didn’t talk (about) anything,” Abhishek said of the mood ahead of the chase. “It was just natural play for us. The partnership boosted me up.”Punjab hold the record winning chase of 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens last year.Abhishek’s individual score is the third highest in IPL history behind Chris Gayle (175 not out for Bengaluru) and Brendon McCullum (158 not out for Kolkata) and the largest in 12 years.”This one is very special, because I wanted to break that losing streak,” added Abhishek. “Losing four matches back to back was very tough. But we never talked about it in the team.”Shreyas Iyer’s 82 and a late blitz of 34 by Marcus Stoinis steered Punjab to 245-6, but the total proved inadequate as the Sunrisers openers took their team off the bottom of the 10-team table with just a second win in six matches.Abhishek started as he meant to go on, reaching his fifty in 19 balls.Australia’s Head fell to leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal after hitting nine fours and three sixes in his 37-ball knock.But Abhishek raised his century in only 40 balls as he roared, punched the air and waved a piece of paper with a message reading “this one for the orange army”, referencing the Sunrisers fans.Arshdeep Singh eventually dismissed Abhishek, who hit 14 fours and 10 sixes, with 24 to win and Heinrich Klaasen saw Hyderabad home with an unbeaten 21 off 14 balls.- ‘Phenomenal’ Pooran -Earlier in Lucknow, opener Aiden Markram, who hit 58, and the in-form Pooran set up the home team’s chase of 181 before they secured victory over Gujarat with three balls to spare.Markram shared partnerships of 65 with fellow opener Rishabh Pant and 58 with Pooran, who struck his fourth half-century of the campaign to go past Gujarat opener Sai Sudharsan as the leading runscorer this season with 349, at a remarkable strike-rate of 215.”I think one thing is for sure is that we are happy to have Nicholas Pooran in our team,” said Pant of the West Indies star.”You want someone like him on your side and not batting against you. The way he is reading the game right now, the way he is batting is phenomenal.”Gujarat lost top spot in the 10-team table, with Lucknow behind in third with four wins from six matches.South Africa’s Markram stepped up in the absence of his in-form opening partner Mitchell Marsh, who missed the match due to the illness of his daughter.Skipper Pant was promoted to open but failed to strike form despite an early reprieve when Gujarat wicketkeeper Jos Buttler dropped a catch down the leg-side.Pant hit four boundaries before he lofted fast bowler Prasidh Krishna to deep third man, falling for 21 from 18 balls.Pant is still waiting to justify his record auction price of $3.21 million and has only managed 40 runs in five innings.Pooran hammered his fifty in 23 balls before falling to Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan.But he had already done the damage with one four and seven sixes in his 34-ball blitz.Impact substitute Ayush Badoni hit an unbeaten 28 and sealed the win with a four and six after a late wobble.