A day of shifting momentum at the scenic ACA Stadium in Mulapadu saw Hyderabad take early control in its Ranji Trophy 2026-27 clash with Andhra, only for the home side to claw its way back after lunch.

Tanmay Agarwal got the match going, using the pace of the ball to flick one to the boundary. He and Abhirath Reddy absorbed early pressure while keeping the scoreboard moving with well-timed fours. Hyderabad reached 50 in 14 overs, 32 of them coming in boundaries.

Abhirath accelerated after drinks, finding the gaps with ease and bringing up his half-century in 73 balls as Andhra’s bowlers struggled to make a dent. The breakthrough came against the run of play, when Tanmay’s attempted sweep landed in Abhishek Reddy’s hands.

Lunch was taken with Hyderabad firmly on top, but Andhra returned a transformed side. Whatever head coach Gary Stead said during the break worked almost instantly: Abhirath’s mistimed drive found Ricky Bhui, handing Saurabh Kumar his second wicket.

From there on, wickets fell at regular intervals. Saurabh sent back Rahul Singh for his third, and Tripurana Vijay removed the explosive K. Himateja. Hyderabad arrested the bleed briefly, with a 53-run stand between Pragnay Reddy and Rahul Radesh.

But Lalith Mohan eagerly played spoilsport right before tea, beating Pragnay with turn to take a bail off. C.V. Milind fell soon after Hyderabad crossed 200.

A handful of fans made their way to the fences and stood by to welcome Mohammed Siraj, a regional darling even if as the visiting captain in this game. He made it worth their while with a well-timed six over long off. Radesh, meanwhile, held firm and reached a patient 103-ball half-century before running out of partners.

Abhishek and Hemanth Reddy then negotiated two overs without trouble, leaving Andhra with the upper hand at stumps.

The scores: Hyderabad — 1st innings: Tanmay Agarwal c Abhishek b Saurabh 42, Abhirath Reddy c Bhui b Saurabh 67, Rahul Singh c Hemanth b Saurabh 20, K. Himateja c Bhui b Vijay 10, Pragnay Reddy b Lalith 31, Rahul Radesh (not out) 58, C.V. Milind lbw b Lalith 1, Aniketh Reddy c Rahul b Vijay 9, Tanay Thyagarajann c Revanth b Vijay 14, Ruthik Yadav b Vijay 7, Mohammed Siraj c Revanth b Lalith 6; Extras (b-5, lb-3, nb-2): 10; Total (in 86 overs): 275.

Fall of wickets: 1-109, 2-120, 3-133, 4-141, 5-194, 6-200, 7-211, 8-245, 9-253.

Andhra bowling: Saiteja 7-2-18-0, Lalith 22-3-78-3, Sasikanth 4-3-6-0, Vijay 27-5-90-4, Saurabh 26-6-75-3.

Andhra 1st innings: Hemanth Reddy (batting) 4, Abhishek Reddy (batting) 5; Total (for no wkts. in two overs): 9.

Hyderabad bowling: Tanay 1-0-4-0, Aniketh 1-0-5-0.

Toss: Hyderabad.

Published – October 18, 2026 06:19 pm IST

Karnataka ended day one of its 2026-27 Ranji Trophy opener against Andhra on top after scoring 274 and reducing the host to 16 for two at the ACA Stadium in Mulapadu near here on Sunday.

The hero for the visitors was R. Smaran, who marked his senior Karnataka captaincy debut with a splendid century (126, 218b, 11×4, 1×6), rescuing his side from a precarious 22 for four.

Nestled amidst the hills, the Mulapadu ground is picturesque. But under hot conditions and stagnant late-summer air, it resembled a furnace.

Yet, Smaran batted for nearly five-and-a-half hours and did not give Andhra even a sniff until he was out late in the day.

After heavyweights K.L. Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair fell cheaply owing to some good bowling and not-so-good batting, Smaran combined for a 111-run partnership for the fifth wicket with wicket-keeper batter K.L. Shrijith (58, 82b, 3×4, 3×6).

Shrijith was the more expansive batter, coming up with an array of reverse-sweeps and a stand-out acrobatic six over mid-wicket off left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar.

After his dismissal, Karnataka wobbled again, down to 174 for seven. However, Smaran batted superbly with the tail, stitching a 59-run association with debutant Madhav Bajaj (33, 53b, 2×4, 1×6) and 41 runs with Shikhar Shetty (13, 38b, 2×4).

The 23-year-old brought up his eighth First Class century with a punched four off left-arm spinner Lalith Mohan, a carbon copy of the shot with which he had begun his innings.

When he was eventually castled by Lalith while attempting a pull, he threw the bat up in the air in disappointment. But the sadness did not linger long as his spinners pegged Andhra back.

Leggie Shreyas Gopal missed out owing to dehydration and left-arm tweaker Madhav — one of three debutants along with Manvanth Kumar and Ritesh Bhatkal — was drafted into the XI.

After Shikhar struck first ball, having Hemanth Reddy caught at cover by Smaran, Madhav forced T. Vijay to edge to Rahul at slip. Can the away side drive home the advantage?

The scores: Karnataka — 1st innings: K.L. Rahul c Revanth b Sasikanth 4, Mayank Agarwal b Saiteja 5, K.V. Aneesh c Bhui b Saiteja 0, Karun Nair lbw b Sasikanth 8, R. Smaran b Lalith 126, K.L. Shrijith lbw b Saurabh 58, Manvanth Kumar lbw b Saurabh 13, Ritesh Bhatkal b Vijay 6, Madhav Bajaj b Lalith 33, Shikhar Shetty c Revanth b Saurabh 13, Abhilash Shetty (not out) 0; Extras (b-5, lb-2, nb-1): 8; Total (in 82.2 overs): 274.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-9, 3-9, 4-22, 5-133, 6-165, 7-174, 8-233, 9-274.

Andhra bowling: Saiteja 8-3-20-2, Sasikanth 5-2-10-2, Vijay 25-5-71-1, Lalith 22-1-87-2, Saurabh 19.2-1-69-3, Hemanth 3-0-10-0.

Andhra — 1st innings: Hemanth Reddy c Smaran b Shikhar 1, Abhishek Reddy (batting) 10, T. Vijay c Rahul b Madhav 4, Shaik Rasheed (batting) 1; Total (for two wkts in five overs): 16.

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-10.

Karnataka bowling: Abhilash 1-0-5-0, Shikhar 2-0-8-1, Madhav 2-0-3-1.

Toss: Karnataka.

Published – October 11, 2026 08:25 pm IST

Southpaw opener had a fruitful debut last season against Kerala, at the PCA New Cricket Stadium Ground B, Mullanpur in New Chandigarh on October 26, 2025, and should be in the mix again for Punjab in this edition.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: SHIV KUMAR PUSHPAKAR

The recent face-off between Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and actor Allu Arjun over the stampede at Sandhya Theatre on December 5 has begun to show signs of de-escalation, with conciliatory statements and compensation for the victim’s family.

The outpour of sympathy and support for the family of the 39-year-old mother who tragically died, and her nine-year-old son who survived life-threatening injuries, is heartening. One can only hope that as a society, we take collective responsibility to prevent such stampedes—particularly those caused by the frenzy surrounding film stars and movie releases.

That said, the Arjun vs. Reddy battle mirrors a familiar narrative in southern Indian politics: the clash between a star and a powerful politician. This story has played out numerous times, both in the political arena and in film scripts. In real-world politics, history shows that it is generally unwise for politicians to antagonise stars, especially those at the peak of their popularity.  

MGR vs Karunanidhi

The first notable example from Tamil Nadu where a politician who took on a star lost the battle is the defining story of Dravidian politics. The late Chief Minister and DMK patriarch, M. Karunanidhi, antagonised the enormously popular M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), an actor who had a massive following.

MGR worked closely with Karunanidhi in films and was part of the DMK, which was founded by former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai, or ‘Anna’. When Anna passed away while in office in 1969, Karunanidhi took over as Chief Minister and president of the DMK. A rift with MGR followed, leading to a split in the party. MGR went on to form his own party, the All India Anna DMK (AIADMK), and not only defeated Karunanidhi’s DMK but also kept him out of power until his death in 1987.

While there were many other factors at play, including the declaration of emergency, it was fundamentally the narrative of MGR’s persecution that fuelled the rise of the AIADMK. This emotional connection helped keep Karunanidhi and his DMK out of power in successive elections, till MGR was alive. 

Rajnikanth vs. Jayalalithaa, 1996

In 1996, the late Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa—MGR’s successor and a popular actor who took over the AIADMK—had a face-off with superstar Rajnikanth. The friction between the two leaders, who were neighbours in Chennai’s posh Poes Garden area, escalated when Rajnikanth publicly declared that “even God could not save the state if Jayalalithaa came back to power”.

In the 1996 elections, the AIADMK was decisively routed, with even Jayalalithaa losing her seat. There were multiple reasons for this defeat and Rajnikanth’s statement contributed to the atmosphere, but the episode serves as a reminder that a public confrontation with a powerful star is rarely advantageous for a politician in Dravidian politics.

Although Rajnikanth never formally entered politics, he made a film in 1998, Padayappa, where the antagonist was a woman—interpreted by many as a veiled reference to the ousted Jayalalithaa. In the years that followed, there was a reconciliation between the two, with Rajnikanth remaining officially apolitical, though he sporadically made statements in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) until Jayalalithaa’s death.

NTR In Telugu politics, Rajkumar In Karnataka

In the world of Telugu politics, it was the most popular star of the time, NT Rama Rao (NTR), who toppled the Congress in 1983. While there was no narrative of the “persecution of the star” in the assembly battle back then, NTR capitalised on a narrative of the Congress hurting Telugu pride. This political victory still contributes to the stereotype of star power in Southern politics.

Generally, political leaders in Telugu, Tamil and even Kannada politics have treaded carefully when dealing with stars. For example, in Karnataka, Kannada superstar Rajkumar, who stayed away from politics throughout his life, played a significant role in the Gokak agitation for the Kannada language in the early 1980s. This movement contributed to the defeat of the then Congress Chief Minister R. Gundu Rao and the Janata Party’s victory in the 1983 state elections.

While not all stars have been successful in politics, there are enough historical lessons for southern politicians to avoid friction with a star—especially one at the height of his popularity.

What Reddy Can Learn From Stalin

Currently, Tamil Nadu is witnessing the rise of actor Vijay with his political party. Although Vijay has been critical of the ruling DMK, Chief Minister Stalin has refrained from engaging in a war of words. Stalin has even instructed his party, including his son and Deputy Chief Minister Udayanidhi, to avoid getting involved in a public dispute.

Having been a witness to the history of Dravidian politics as the late Karunanidhi’s aide, Stalin understands that politically attacking a star only boosts his or her mass appeal and influence.  

While the Arjun Vs Reddy controversy isn’t electoral in nature—at least not yet—it remains unclear how such a public confrontation erupted in Hyderabad, given the deeply intertwined world of politics and cinema. With close connections, including family linkages, it’s hard to believe this was purely about the stampede. Whatever the reasons, history is a reminder for Revanth Reddy to avoid star-studded confrontations in the future. 

(TM Veeraraghav is Executive Editor, NDTV)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for five districts of Telangana for Sunday (September 8, 2024). Six districts have been forecasted to be under yellow alert. 

According to a weather forecast bulletin issued on Saturday (September 7, 2024), heavy to very heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places in the Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, Mancherial, Jayashankar Bhupalapally, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem.

And, heavy rain is very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Adilabad, Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Khammam, Warangal, Hanamkonda.