D. Ravikumar. File
| Photo Credit: T. Singaravelou

Villupuram Member of Parliament D. Ravikumar has urged the Railway Board to approve the detailed project report (DPR) for the doubling of the Villupuram-Thanjavur section, with some variations.

Mr. Ravikumar placed this demand before the Southern Railway, as a follow-up to the annual meeting of the Southern Railway with Members of Parliament in Trichy on Wednesday (April 23, 2025) to discuss railway-related developmental activities, issues, and passenger amenities.

In a letter addressed to the Southern Railway General Manager, Mr. Ravikumar pointed out that the trains being operated on this section run with high occupancy rate. The occupancy of Villupuram-Cuddalore is 82% and Cuddalore-Mayiladuthurai is 91%, he said.

Stating that the route also witnessed heavy freight movement, providing more revenue to the Railways, he said that priority should be given to the doubling work. The MP also urged the Railway administration to hold consultations with the State government and provide alternate housing for families who had built houses near the Villupuram junction and Valavanur station.

He said that a notice was issued to the residents asking them to vacate the land owned by the Railways, as the administration had leased it to private individuals on a long-term basis. The residents have filed a case and obtained an injunction against the railway administration’s order.

Asking these long-term residents to vacate without providing alternative accommodation is unacceptable. The administration should consult the State government to ensure these families are provided with alternate housing, he said.

Mr. Ravikumar’s letter also contained demands for providing escalator facilities at Villupuram junction; introduction of EMU services at Villupuram; stoppage of Tejas Express at Villupuram; additional coaches for Puducherry to Madras Express; introduction of battery cards at the Tirukoyilur and Uludurpet platforms; passenger amenities at Ulundurpet, Tindivanam, and Tirukoyilur stations; stoppage of Tirupati-Rameswaram Express; priority for local residents in leasing railway property; and revival of special fares for senior citizens and journalists.

Sennheiser launches HD 505 wired headphones for gamers and audio enthusiasts in India
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Sennheiser on Tuesday (April 22, 2025) launched the HD 505 in India wired headphones with high-fidelity sound for emerging audio enthusiasts and gamers.

Available in Copper Edition, the HD 505 comes in a lightweight fit, synthetic leather headband, and metal mesh earcup covers. The headphone claims a weight of 237 grams.

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The HD 505 comes with a detachable 1.8 metre cable with a 3.5mm plug and a 6.3mm adapter for compatibility with a wide range of devices.

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The Sennheiser HD 505 Copper Edition is available at ₹27,990 on Sennheiser’s official website and Amazon India.

That SRH are a one-dimensional side has been proven by the manner in which it has struggled on slow and turning pitches.

SRH batters thrive on flat wickets which produce high-scoring contests and having a favourable surface against MI would give the them the best chance to find some momentum.

Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head will have their task cut out against MI given SRH’s chances of winning hinge, to a large extent, on the left-handed opening pair. Their success in the powerplay defines the team’s fortunes in a contest.

Abhishek smacked a 55-ball 141 in his last outing here against Punjab Kings to record the highest individual total for any batter in this IPL.

There will be, however, some concerns around Head who hasn’t gone all guns blazing like he usually does and SRH will want their Australian star to be at the top of his game.

A defeat would put SRH in a tough situation.

For Mumbai Indians, it is a perfect opportunity to test their resurgence in an away game before they return home to face Lucknow Super Giants in Mumbai on Sunday.

Mumbai Indians have put their disappointing start to the IPL behind with three consecutive wins.

The five-time champions are coming off a massive nine-wicket hammering of Chennai Super Kings on a batting-friendly wicket on which they went over the line chasing a target near 180 with more than four overs to spare.

Rohit Sharma’s sensational 76 not out and Suryakumar Yadav’s 68 not out with all his trademark shots coming out fluently signalled the return to form of MI’s two batting pillars.

Tilak Varma did not get to bat against CSK but the left-hander has been in prime form, while Naman Dhir has shown signs of hitting his strides as a finisher alongside skipper Hardik Pandya.

Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t been at his menacing best when it comes to taking wickets but the ace India bowler has begun nailing his line and lengths perfectly.

This could be a warning sign for the SRH batters given MI tend to use Bumrah more strategically, with Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar sharing the new ball.

Head-to-head record:

The pitch at the Ragiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal is traditionally flat and a batting haven. The nature of the surface could have a bearing on the outcome with SRH’s two wins here coming on flat decks ensuring run-fests in their contests against Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings earlier. However, the Pat Cummins-led outfit has lost two home matches too.

A confident Mumbai, on the other hand, is improving by the day. With the addition of Bumrah and Rohit Sharma finding form, Hardik-led side would be walking into the game as favorites.

Teams (from):

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Atharva Taide, Abhinav Manohar, Aniket Verma, Sachin Baby, Smaran Ravichandran, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Travis Head, Harshal Patel, Kamindu Mendis, Wiaan Mulder, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Shami, Rahul Chahar, Simarjeet Singh, Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga.

Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Shrijith Krishnan (wk), Bevon Jacobs, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, VS Penmetsa, Arjun Tendulkar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah.

Match starts at 7:30pm IST.