Author: Bharath Ramaraj

A little more than three weeks ago, when Sunrisers Hyderabad locked horns against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024, the latter were on top of the table and seemed to have all but assured a top-two place in the league phase. Fast-forward to the upcoming Qualifier 2 game between the same two sides, the picture is a tad different. RR went on to lose that match to SRH and that was followed by a string of defeats. So, how did RR slip from a position of strength? The answer to that question would be a nerveless performance from SRH’s pace trio…

At the start of this year, Riyan Parag seemed to be on some kind of a mission. He had already accumulated mountains of runs in limited overs matches for Assam. But he still had some unfinished business to complete in the longest format of the game — Ranji Trophy. In one of the Ranji games versus Chhattisgarh, Parag had to walk out to bat with his side in dire straits – Assam were forced to follow on, and in the second innings, they were 78 for 2. In such circumstances, Parag proceeded to crunch a superlative hundred. He did it…

Ravi Ashwin and Avesh Khan bagged five wickets between them while Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shimron Hetmyer made important contributions as Rajasthan Royals returned to form with a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator in Ahmedabad. With this loss, the spirited RCB side have bowed out of the tournament. On the other hand, RR will now lock horns with Sunriser Hyderabad in Qualifier 2 in Chennai. The Parag-Hetmyer show saves the day for RR At 112 for 4, when Dhruv Jurel was run-out on the back of an excellent throw from Virat Kohli, RR were in…

Five years ago, in the pink city of Jaipur, yours truly had an opportunity to interview Riyan Parag, a star in the making. At the age of just 17, he had already played in an Under-19 World Cup for India, alongside showing enough potential in his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) season for Rajasthan Royals. During the course of that interview, his confidence was unmistakable. The volley of questions was answered with the thought process of a cricketer who seemed to have played a fair amount of games at the highest level for his country. The next four years, however,…

‘See the ball, hit the ball’ – This simple maxim is usually the mantra for any batter while playing street or gully cricket. Somewhere down the years, cricketers at higher levels too have started to base their games on the above-mentioned adage. It is true that at higher levels, there is some sophistication attached to a batter’s methods. But when you witness the likes of Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhishek Sharma and co. floor one opponent after another in the ongoing IPL, it is crystal clear what their modus operandi is – see the ball and give it a mighty…

What to make of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s mind-numbing performance in the IPL 2024? The franchise won just a solitary game out of their initial eight matches. And then they went on to seal six victories in a row and qualify for the Playoffs. In brief, it was akin to watching a back-marker in Formula 1 suddenly overtaking a string of cars and clinching a podium finish. So, what is the secret behind RCB’s enhanced horsepower? It certainly can’t be some sorcery, where a magic wand is enough to turn things around. Maybe, the difficult road to Playoffs began during the…

It was around 4 PM on Saturday evening. For a few minutes, the resplendent sun had peeked through the angry clouds. It was time for yet another visit to the Chinnaswamy Stadium. As one traversed through heavy traffic, there was a whiff of something special about to happen. Yes, for any Royal Challengers Bengaluru game played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, there is a frenzied atmosphere. But the build-up for the all-important clash between Chennai Super Kings and RCB was different. In purely an imaginary sense, half the city dwellers seemed to have gathered in anticipation of buying a ticket to…

Southern flavour in IPL, Dhoni and Kohli! X: Savour the Dhoni and Kohli flavour in IPL 2024 as CSK take on RCB tonight The distance between Chennai and Bengaluru is around 340-350 km if you travel via NH 75. But the two metropolitan cities in the south have enough similarities, and some differences too. For a minute, let’s take into consideration the popular food items of the two cities: Rasam and Sambar. The base of the recipes are made up of similar components. Just that the texture and preparation method are kind of different. Now, we…

If you have a bit of free time, just do a small experiment: Open your account on any of your social media platforms and post a cricket-related news. Within a few minutes, there could be a reply beneath your post – How is the weather like in Bengaluru? So, why are so many cricket fans interested in the weather factor? The reason is simple: Royal Challengers Bengaluru are taking on Chennai Super Kings in a virtual knockout at the Chinnaswamy Stadium tonight. The subtext attached to the game is that it might potentially turn out to be the last time…

Right next to the main gate of the Chinnaswamy Stadium is Queen’s Road. At peak hours in the evening, the road is generally packed with city dwellers. But nothing comes close to the kind of crowds that throng the stadium when Royal Challengers Bengaluru partake in an IPL game. To make it even better, in IPL 2024, RCB are all set to lock horns against arch-rivals, Chennai Super Kings, in what is virtually a quarter-final. Just to give an extent of the fervour and passion ahead of an RCB match, all you need to do is take a brief…