IPL 2026: BENGALURU TO FACE HYDERABAD IN SEASON OPENER BENGALURU  THURSDAY  MARCH 12, 2026  `9.00  PAGES 22  LATE CITY EDITION The BCCI announced the first set of schedule for the upcoming season, which will begin on March 28, on Wednesday. A look... First set of ties announced before states’ poll dates With dates for Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam state elections yet to be confirmed, the BCCI has announced the fixtures of the event till April 12. Guwahati, Kolkata will host three matches while Chennai two | P17 CHINNASWAMY AWAITS NOD While Royal Challengers Bengaluru face Sunrisers Hyderabad at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Mar 28, the venue is yet to get final approval to host matches CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries will partner in building the first new oil refinery in the US in 50 years, US President Donald Trump said, calling it the “biggest in US history”. The new refinery will be located in Brownsville, Texas, and will run entirely on shale oil | P10 IRAN WILL NOT BE PART OF FIFA WORLD CUP Iran’s sports minister said their men’s football team is not likely to participate in the 2026 World Cup. “Given that this corrupt government has assassinated our leader, under no circumstances do we have appropriate conditions to participate in the World Cup.” Ahmad Donyamali said D AY ’ S D E V E L O P M E N T S Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is injured but “safe”, officials said Wednesday In the backdrop of rising crude prices, the 32 members of the International Energy Agency announce their largest-ever release of oil reserves, in an effort to calm markets India is not a member of IEA. If oil prices cool, it benefits all. Besides, India has a deal with Russia U.S. BEHEMOTHS CITI AND UK’S DELOITTE EVACUATED OFFICES IN DUBAI, WHILE PWC CLOSED ITS OFFICES IN SAUDI ARABIA US President Donald Trump said there could be a swift ending to war AGENCIES One Majesty IRAN Strait of Hormuz @ Tehran, Tel Aviv, Dubai, Washington IRAN attacked its neighbours and commercial ships on a whim and fancy on Wednesday across the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz and targeted Gulf-allies of the US, escalating a campaign of squeezing the oil-rich region as global energy concerns mounted while American and Israeli airstrikes continued to pummel the Islamic Republic. The Iranian military said it regarded any ships in the Strait of Hormuz belonging to the United States, Israel or their allies as “legitimate targets”. To this, US President Donald Trump warned that doing so will only escalate the US-Israel war effort. Earlier in the day an Iranian , projectile hit a Thai cargo ship off the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz, setting it ablaze. The ship was on its way to Kandla in India. Authorities are searching for three missing crew members from the Mayuree Naree after 20 were rescued by the Omani navy. The ship was hit after departing Khalifa port in the UAE. Iran, late on Wednesday, warned it was ready for a long war of attrition that would “destroy” the world economy This . came hours after Trump said the war is nearing its end. Iran said it would start targeting banks in the Middle East. That PAKISTAN INDIA DUBAI Star Gwyneth SAUDI ARABIA OMAN From DUBAI to KANDLA PORT Gujarat RELIANCE TO INVEST IN FIRST U.S. OIL REFINERY India-bound ship bombed in Hormuz THREE SHIPS TARGETED Thai-flagged bulk carrier Mayuree Naree bound for India was targeted and damaged approximately 11 nautical miles north of Oman Earlier, the Japan-flagged container ship One Majesty sustained minor damage from an unknown projectile Star Gwyneth, a bulk carrier, was also hit by an unknown projectile approximately 50 nautical miles northwest of Dubai Mayuree Naree LS junks no-confidence motion against Speaker P R E E T H A N A I R @ New Delhi AFTER nearly 10 hours of acrimonious exchanges between the Treasury and Opposition benches, the Lok Sabha on Wednesday rejected a no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla through a voice vote. The motion, moved by several Opposition parties accusing the Speaker of conducting House proceedings in a partisan manner, was declared defeated by the Chair amid loud protests and sloganeering by the Opposition over remarks made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah about Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. Responding to the two-day debate on the motion, Shah launched a sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi, making critical remarks about his conduct in Parliament. His comments triggered strong protests from Opposition members, who trooped into the Well of the House demanding an apology . Amid the uproar, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal, who was presiding over the proceedings, announced that the notrust motion was defeated by a voice vote. The government was expected to defeat the motion comfortably with , the NDA’s 293 MPs in the House against the opposition’s 238. Defending Birla, Shah said the Lok Sabha speaker serves as a neutral custodian, representing both the ruling party and the opposition. Shah accused Gandhi of frequently skipping key parliamentary sessions. “You can’t complain about the Speaker not allowing time as you are always on foreign trips during the session.” Earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi interjected during the debate saying that he was stopped from speaking on multiple occasions. Close shave for Farooq as man opens fire F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar NATIONAL Conference president and former J&K chief minister Farooq Abdullah had a close shave with the death on Wednesday evening after the attacker attempted to shoot him from point blank range. The timely intervention of his security guards deflected the shot and saved him. A CCTV clip of the attack has gone viral on social media. In the clip, the attacker can be seen walking just behind Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Singh Choudhary during a mar ria g e ceremony of party leader B S Chouhan’s son at the posh Greater Kailash locality of Jammu. The assailant suddenly breached the security of Abdullah and pointed his pistol at his neck ready to shoot him. Fortunately, the NSG commandos guarding Abdullah noticed it in the nick of time and deflected the shot and overpowered the attacker. He was identified as Kamal Singh Jamwal, 65, of Purani Mandi, Jammu. EXPRESS READ Exports, demand drop crash egg prices by `2 would put at risk, particularly Dubai, which is home to many financial institutions, as well as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. The UN Security Council was to vote later Wednesday on a resolution by Gulf Cooperation Council demanding Iran stop attacking its Arab neighbours. Israel and US said they launched a new wave of strikes” across Iran. Bengaluru: Egg prices have dropped from `7.06 per piece to `4.60 in the state because of disruption of exports to Gulf countries, seasonal demand fluctuations and religious observances, said the National Egg Coordination Committee | P6 In landmark first, Supreme Court allows passive euthanasia for man in coma for over 13 years New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the withdrawal of artificial life support to Harish Rana, now 32, who has remained a vegetative state for the past 13 years. The ruling by a bench of justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan marks the first ever passive euthanasia in the country. Passive euthanasia is the intentional act of letting a patient, who has remained in a vegetative state for a long period of time and has no chance of recovery, to die by withdrawing the life support | P3,11