Author: Bharath Ramaraj

“Priyansh Arya, I think, is a very special potential opening batsman for us going forward in the tournament,” Ricky Ponting, PBKS’s head coach, said at an event in New Chandigarh. “Depending on which way we go with our overseas make-up, he’s very exciting.” Ponting’s words turned out to be prophetic as a couple of weeks later, Arya has aggregated 158 runs in the 2025 IPL so far, including a blistering 42-ball 103 in the just concluded game against CSK. His innings included no fewer than nine sixes. Incidentally, the southpaw cracked a six off the first ball of the…

What is a balanced pace attack in cricket? It is a reference point to a bowling line-up comprising different cogs, which provides the captain with enough options for various phases of the innings. The Gujarat Titans is one of the IPL franchises that has invested heavily in picking pace bowlers with different traits. So, here’s a peek into how GT have gone about trying to find various nuts and bolts of a pace-bowling engine. Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh, Kagiso Rabada and Arshad Khan are some of the mainstays of that pace attack. Among the lot, Siraj is the current leader…

Nostalgic moments are like small capsules, which are stored somewhere in the memory bank. It could flash in the mind at any point of time, depending on an event or an incident which in turn transports you to a different era. In this context, the event that we are talking about is in a hypothetical sense: Rumours surrounding MS Dhoni’s retirement from the Indian Premier League. And the grapevine related to whether Dhoni would captain for one final time, in front of his adoring fans. For a few minutes, those speculations did indeed take you on a jog down the…

“I think you’ve got to embrace it. The crowd’s obviously going to be very one-sided, but in sport there’s nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent and that’s the aim for us tomorrow.” Pat Cummins’ iconic statement just before the 2023 World Cup final played between India and Australia in Ahmedabad. Australia’s skipper walked the talk by removing Virat Kohli, alongside powering his country to a memorable triumph in front of a sea of blue. More than 16 months later, the Gujarat Titans’ bowlers followed Cummins’ golden words to the tee by leaving the buoyant Royal Challengers…

A few weeks ago, para-athlete Palak Kohli won six medals—two gold, two silver, and two bronze—across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles at the Spanish Para-Badminton International Level 1 and 2 tournaments. In a candid chat with RevSportz, the affable shuttler reflects on her journey—from taking up badminton to overcoming a bone tumour in her ankle and competing in two Paralympics. She also clinched bronze at the 2024 World Championships in Pattaya. Looking ahead, she is set to compete in the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships in France this August and the 2026 Para Asian Games. Q: Can you elaborate on your…

In their first game of the 2025 IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ended up with a massive 286 on the board. It was just one short of SRH’s record-breaking total of 287, which they compiled during last year’s IPL. At that juncture, SRH also had composed four of the five high scores in the annals of IPL. For a moment, it seemed as if no team would be able to stop the SRH juggernaut. However, as the cliche goes, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties. Just two games later, SRH find themselves in a spot of bother. They currently…

“To prepare a cricket pitch, aim for deep, even moisture (75-100mm) to a depth of 100mm, ensuring the soil is pliable and firm, like plasticine, suitable for rolling and molding.” From the above-mentioned quote, it is quite clear that watering the pitch adequately is an important aspect of pitch preparation. On the other side, what will happen if the curator doesn’t water the pitch sufficiently? That could lead to the top layer of the soil not having enough moisture. The resultant outcome could be the pitch cracking up and offering uneven bounce. In such a scenario, it is a given…

In 2010, Josh Hazlewood, had the task of providing Australia with the early breakthrough in the Under-19 World Cup final against Pakistan. Chasing a score of 208, Pakistan had already collected 15 runs on the board. The tension was mounting for the men wearing yellow jerseys. And just like that, Hazlewood struck by dismissing Ahsan Ali. In this context, the keynotes to observe were awkward bounce, hitting the bat hard on impact and higher up on the splice, along with exemplary control. Due to Hazlewood’s heavy artillery, Ahsan was stuck on the back foot. Instead of living in flashbacks, let’s…

There is something more than just wickets and runs that define Shardul Thakur. As he charges to the crease, your mind ends up asking a question – How and why is it compelling to watch Shardul in full flight? It isn’t as if Shardul summons quick deliveries in the range of 95mph. It isn’t as if he leaves the batter stunned into silence by extracting steep bounce. And yet you want to watch him. Love his craft. The heart of a Shardul performance is his unshakable belief. With Shardul, every ball seems like the final delivery of a World Cup…

Runs and lots of runs. In Sunrisers Hyderabad’s opening game of the 2025 IPL against Rajasthan Royals in Hyderabad, they scored a whopping 286 runs while RR replied with 242. With SRH now having four of the five highest scores in the IPL and Lucknow Super Giants possessing an inexperienced attack, we could be in for another high-scoring game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. LSG would definitely be poring through videos to chart out plans against the likes of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishaan Kishan and co. The silver lining for LSG is that Avesh Khan, one…