Almost two years after his last Indian Premier League (IPL) stint, where he mentored Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the 2024 title before taking over as head coach of the senior men’s Indian team, Gautam Gambhir has reportedly been offered a route back to the IPL.
According to a report in Dainik Jagran, Gambhir has been proposed not one, but a sweeping triple role by one of the new owners of the Rajasthan Royals.
The report states that one of the three new stakeholders in the Rajasthan franchise sent Gambhir a proposal offering him the role of “partner, mentor and CEO.”
“A majority of Rajasthan Royals shareholders are selling their stake to the new owners. The deal is currently in a transferable state. One of the owners in RR’s new management has offered Gambhir a two-to-three per cent stake, in addition to the roles of CEO and mentor,” the report said.
However, Gambhir cannot accept the offer as long as he remains head coach of the Indian team. A Supreme Court ruling, based on the Lodha Committee’s recommendations, bars an individual from simultaneously holding a position with an IPL franchise and the Indian team, citing conflict of interest.
If Gambhir were to accept Rajasthan’s proposal, he would have to step down as India head coach. Sources close to the former India batter declined to comment but indicated that he remains committed to his current role. His contract, however, as the India head coach will end after the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
Since retiring as a player, Gambhir has been associated with two IPL franchises. He served as mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants from 2022 to 2023, guiding them to the playoffs in both seasons. He then joined KKR in a similar role for the 2024 campaign before replacing Rahul Dravid as India head coach in July 2024.
Gambhir is currently overseeing India’s T20 World Cup campaign at home. The defending champions have won all three of their group-stage matches, against the USA, Namibia and Pakistan, to qualify for the Super 8s. They still have one group game remaining, against the Netherlands later this week.
Days after a 22-year-old student from Karnataka went missing in the United States, the Consulate General of India in San Francisco confirmed that local law enforcement had recovered Saketh Sreenivasaiah’s body.
However, Saketh’s parents, who are in Bengaluru, are struggling to come to terms with the news. They assert that they will only accept their son’s death once they have seen his body with their own eyes.
“We will only accept that he is dead if she (Saketh’s mother) sees his dead body. Till then, we believe he is alive,” stated Saketh’s father, Srinivasaiah Thammannagowda, during a visit from Karnataka MLC Arathi Krishna to their residence on Sunday, reported The Indian Express.
Despite the Indian Consulate’s assurance that arrangements will be made to repatriate Saketh’s body to India, his parents have expressed a desire to travel to the US. They wish to personally visit and see their son’s remains.
The family declined to engage with the media and requested that government officials who came to their residence depart. Only MLC Arathi Krishna, who also serves as the deputy chairman of the NRI Forum of Karnataka, was permitted to meet with them.
“The family is in disbelief. They say their son was an extremely strong-willed person. They are not asking to bring the body to India but want to go to the US themselves,” Krishna said, as per The Indian Express.
The family has now sought assistance from the Indian government in obtaining emergency visas, as they hold the belief that Saketh may still be alive.
Saketh had successfully completed his BTech in Chemical Engineering at IIT Madras before relocating to the US on September 4 in 2025. He was engaged in post-graduate studies in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California.
As per Krishna, Saketh last reached out to his family on February 8, the day preceding his disappearance. He called his mother, but she was unable to answer as she was at work, he said. “Later, he called his younger brother and spoke to him. After that, no calls were made,” she stated.
When Saketh failed to respond to calls after February 9, the family presumed he was occupied with his studies or work commitments. On February 12, his housemate, Baneet Singh, notified the parents that Saketh was missing.
Saketh is survived by his parents and a younger brother. His father operates a small business, whereas his mother is employed by the state government.
MUMBAI: Four executives of a sub-contractor and an executive of a consultant firm have been arrested after a slab of the under-construction Metro line 4 collapsed, killing one person and injuring three others in Mulund on Saturday afternoon.
Four of the executives arrested are with Milan Road Buildtech, a firm sub-contracted by a consortium comprising Reliance Infrastructure Limited and Astaldi of Italy. They are: project director Harish Chauhan; project manager Kuldeep Sapkal; deputy project manager Saurab Singh; and supervisor Prashant Bhoir. The fifth individual arrested, Avdhoot Inamdar, is project manager at Hill International Inc.
The concrete slab toppled onto a moving autorickshaw, in which Ramdhan Yadav, the deceased, was travelling with two relatives, and a Skoda Kushaq, whose driver was injured. The accident took place near the Johnson & Johnson company and Mulund fire station on LBS Marg. The slab, measuring 6 ft x 4 ft and weighing a few hundred kilos, fell from pier P-196 in the mid-section of the elevated Metro-4 corridor, which extends from Wadala in Mumbai to Kasarvadavali in Thane.
Mumbaikars outraged
The incident triggered outrage across the city. Mumbaikars, frustrated by seemingly unending infra works, dug-up roads and poor safety standards, took to social media in large numbers to voice their anguish.
“We are a city building a metro and other infrastructure at colossal expense. And yet our bridges and metros are collapsing even before they are complete,” said Pranav Naik, urban planner and designer.
“The public at large has been relegated to survival mode and are lucky if they get home alive. Unless we really address this burning issue that nobody likes to talk about, many more of us will be at the receiving end of our politicians’ greed,” said Naik.
Soon after Saturday’s accident, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced an inquiry and ₹5 lakh assistance to the family of the deceased. He said the government would also bear the cost of treatment of the injured.
Who were the victims?
Among the injured was Deepa Ruhiya, 40, who was driving the Skoda, whose dashboard and bonnet were damaged in the accident. Ruhiya sustained minor injuries and was discharged from hospital within a few hours.
The other three involved in the accident, including the deceased, were related to each other. The autorickshaw driver Rajkumar Yadav, 45, in critical condition in hospital, is the brother-in-law of Mahendra Yadav, 52, the third occupant of the vehicle. The deceased, Ramdhan Yadav, 46, is an uncle.
Bystanders said the impact pinned Rajkumar inside the mangled rickshaw for nearly 30 minutes until a crane was brought in to lift the concrete slab. Brihaspati Giri, 32, one of the first responders said, “When we pulled out the body of the deceased, we realised he had probably bled to death. The driver was vomiting blood and it seemed he would pass out any moment.”
Ramdhan Yadav, a resident of Mariahu, Jaunpur, in Uttar Pradesh, had arrived in Mumbai only a week earlier. Family members said he was a farmer and sarpanch of Rambhartani village. He was also the Samajwadi Party block president of Mariahu. Mahendra Yadav, injured in the accident, is the party’s Vidhan Sabha secretary in Mariahu and a former sarpanch.
According to relatives, Ramdhani and Mahendra were accompanying Rajkumar to obtain a high-security registration plate (HSRP) for his autorickshaw from Bhandup. Later, they were to attend the wedding of Rajkumar’s niece, in Kalwa.
Engineer suspended
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), executing the project, on Saturday evening suspended Satyajeet Salve, executive engineer in-charge of the project. Sources told HT that further steps are expected after Fadnavis asked MMRDA to tighten the screws on those involved in the project.
MMRDA has also set up a committee headed by Basavraj M Bhadragond, director (projects), to investigate the accident. The agency has also imposed financial penalties amounting to ₹5 crore on the contractors and agencies responsible for supervision and execution of the work.
The civil work is being carried out by the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure and Astaldi (RAJV). The general consultant – a consortium of DB Engineering & Consulting, Hill International Inc and Louis Berger Consulting Pvt Ltd – has been fined ₹1 crore.
A Reliance Infrastructure spokesperson said, “The specific construction activity at the concerned location was being undertaken by the sub-contractor, Milan Road Buildtech LLP, in accordance with established contractual arrangements. The project was awarded to a joint venture consortium comprising Reliance Infrastructure Limited and Astaldi, Italy. We are fully cooperating with MMRDA and the concerned authorities in their assessment of the incident and are providing all necessary support.”
Red flag ignored?
However, troubling allegations have emerged that the sub-contractor linked to Saturday’s accident had been flagged for safety concerns in the same project along another stretch on LBS Marg.
BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha, who visited the accident site, alleged, “It has emerged that today’s incident involves the same contractor – Milan Road Buildtech LLP – whose work had previously been flagged for negligence. The metro’s chief safety officer said that workers mistakenly cut the parapet wall instead of welding and securing it. As per SOPs, such critical work must be carried out under supervision, but no supervisor was present. The weakened structure collapsed nearly 11 hours later,” said Kotecha.
He said he had recently inspected the 2-km stretch of LBS Marg with MMRDA and civic officials. “We identified serious negligence at more than 55 locations, documented them with over 100 GIS-tagged photographs, and requested action against the contractor.”
Kotecha also raised the matter during the winter session of the state legislature, presenting the GIS-tagged photographs and demanding accountability.
Newly elected mayor Ritu Tawde, who visited the site, said there was negligence on the part of the contractor, noting that the parapet wall had been installed only the previous night. She announced a third-party safety audit of the MMRDA site engineer and contractor, and said police cases would be filed against those responsible for the mishap.
Radhika Merchant is clearly on a fashion roll. The Ambanis’ choti bahu turned heads yet again at the wedding festivities of Vikram Salgaocar, nephew of Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani. After stunning in an ivory lehenga earlier, she switched gears for a special party hosted for the couple and slipped into a breathtaking bright red gown. Looking nothing short of a red rose in bloom, she exuded glamour. Let’s decode her look and take some fashion notes. (Also read: Nita Ambani shines brightest at wedding in sparkling orange saree and jaw-dropping diamond jewels: See pics )
On the occasion of Valentine’s Day, Radhika is serving major fashion inspiration for all the girlies hunting for the perfect red V-Day outfit. In a carousel of pictures shared by her makeup artist, Loveleen Ramchandani, on February 14 via Instagram, Radhika strikes sultry poses in a breathtaking red gown from luxury fashion house Oscar de la Renta.
Her gown features a sophisticated high-halter neckline and a sleeveless silhouette that beautifully balances the dramatic volume of the skirt. The real showstopper, however, is the intricate floral appliqué detailing. The fabric is richly layered with ruffled, rose-like motifs cascading all the way down to a sweeping hemline, creating a plush, three-dimensional effect. The textured craftsmanship adds depth and movement, making the look luxurious.
Talking about the Ambani ladies and not mentioning their opulent jewels? Simply impossible. Radhika took the glam quotient several notches higher by accessorising her look with oversized emerald-green statement earrings, a striking diamond-and-emerald bracelet and bold matching rings adorning her fingers.
Her makeup was kept soft and elegant, featuring nude eyeshadow, sharp winged eyeliner, mascara-coated lashes, well-defined brows, rosy blushed cheeks, loads of highlighter, and a flattering nude lipstick. She styled her luscious tresses in a sleek, middle-parted bun, adding a touch of classic sophistication to the look.
(Also read: Radhika Merchant in crystal ivory lehenga and luxe jewels turns into the prettiest desi princess for a family wedding )
Radhika Merchant, who is married to Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani, tied the knot in a grand and much-celebrated ceremony in July 2024. The wedding was one of the most talked-about events of the year, attended by prominent personalities from across the globe. Radhika is the daughter of businessman Viren Merchant and Shaila Merchant, and she shares a close bond with her sister, Anjali Merchant.
