Author: Atreyo Mukhopadhyay

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were at it, after they looked like they were not in it. This successful chase against the Punjab Kings, who looked like clinching it, should boost their morale and also, provide their campaign a shot in the arm. Let’s see what happened. Karthik and Lomror Dinesh Karthik and Mahipal Lomror, an impact sub in this game, are contrasting names in Indian cricket. The former is a celebrity and the latter not quite. The two combined to take RCB to a thrilling win against Punjab Kings. It did not look completely out of their reach. The required…

Tenacity is an important aspect in sports. It is handy when tackling adversities and a tool to turn things around from situations of despair. When the chips are down and things don’t go the way as planned, persistence can bring you back. It requires conviction in your own methods, the skill to execute plans and a bit of luck. Gujarat Titans showed all these and more in the IPL 2024 match against Mumbai Indians on Sunday night. With 43 needed from five overs and seven wickets in hand, it was MI’s match to lose. After switching over from GT, Hardik…

“Marte dao. Na marle out hobe na (Let them hit. They won’t get out unless they go for it),” said one. “Wicket newar dorkar nei. Run atkale nijerai out hoye jabe (No need to go for wickets. Just stop the runs. They’ll get out on their own),” quipped another. Those were some of the wisecracks and strategic discussions overheard at Xrong Place (pronounced ‘wrong’), a pub-cum-restaurant in south Kolkata, during the Kolkata Knight Riders-SunRisers Hyderabad IPL 2024 match played on Saturday evening. It’s one of the handful of pubs in the city which shows live sports on a big screen…

Not every comeback story has a fairy-tale start. Rishabh Pant’s did not. His team lost and his return from a life-threatening car accident lasted 13 balls. The Delhi Capitals skipper tried almost as many things during that brief stay,before lobbing a catch to short third while trying to go over that fielder. The surprise came after that, when Pant walked out with his team after the innings break donning the big gloves. Despite the National Cricket Academy declaration stating he was fit to bat and keep wickets, it was not clear whether his franchise would immediately have him behind the…

Going by media attention and fanfare, Gautam Gambhir seems to be the most valuable acquisition of the Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2024 after Mitchell Starc. Cameras trained on him at the airport and during net sessions, in the City of Joy, the team mentor appears second in importance only to the most expensive buy in the competition’s history. Gambhir remains a symbol of hope for the franchise, which did not do much of note before and after he led them from 2011 to 2017. He lifted KKR from also-rans in the first three seasons of the league to champions…

Other than accolades and endorsements, cricketers playing IPL 2024 can also look forward to a trip to the USA and the exotic Caribbean islands. Unlike most previous editions, this year’s competition is a direct selection trial for the T20 World Cup, which starts less than 10 days after the IPL final. Before and after the 50-over World Cup, India seemed intent on new faces in T20Is. Hardik Pandya was made the captain. Seniors were either rested or out injured. The likes of Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma and Mukesh Kumar were rewarded for IPL performances. Following the…

He became the captain of India riding a wave of success with Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He gradually settled into the new role and the national team started doing well under him. That’s when Rohit Sharma lost IPL captaincy, after 12 seasons and five title wins. Hardik Pandya’s return to Mumbai as the captain is seemingly a step towards the future. Having lost in the play-offs last year, the team had failed to make the cut in 2021 and 2022. Rohit turns 37 on April 30 and he has spent nearly 17 years in international cricket.…

Chest expanded and thrust out, long arms stretched to the sides like in a match situation and eyes firmly on an imaginary subject — PR Sreejesh said goalkeepers are the craziest in the field of hockey. “How else to you explain someone putting his body in front of a ball struck at 150 mph?” In the volatile world of Indian hockey, Sreejesh has been a constant for almost 18 years. At 35, he makes tough saves look routine, day in and day out, year after year. The goalkeeper denying the opponents with a superlative block or touch in the dying…

What worked in favour of India that they beat England 4-1 in the Test series? The answer is simple. They were better in all the departments, won the decisive moments and did not lose their grip on the match after getting into good positions except the first Test. However, it was not that simple, in the absence of frontline players like Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja missed one match each. At different stages of the series, five Indians were handed debut caps. To pull it off in a high-pressure series with a clutch of inexperienced…

Looking at the topics for discussion at the RevSportz Trailblazers Conclave 2.0, Pullela Gopichand seemed fazed for a moment. Normally, India’s chief national badminton coach is ice-cool. He instructs his wards from the courtside and gets excited at times celebrating points. He is seldom at a loss, in victory or defeat. After inaugurating the conclave, the former All England Open champion had an exclamation mark on his face. “Changing Lives with Sport, Dealing with Pressure, Paralympics, Sporting Ecosystem,” Gopichand said, almost in awe of the diversity of subjects. He also spoke of the importance of cross-discipline interactions. If this is…