Author: Bharath Ramaraj

Over the last 24 hours, the IPL has been dominated by the post-match fracas that took place during the game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium. Hopefully, the limelight would be back on what happens on the field of play when Lucknow take on Chennai Super Kings at the same venue on May 3. After sliding to an 18-run loss against RCB, the Lucknow set-up perhaps would be hoping for a bit more pace in the wicket, especially with the franchise having a slew of shot-makers in their ranks. Lucknow have a…

On May 1, 2023, fans had gathered in Kirtipur to watch Nepal play UAE in the summit clash of ACC Premier Cup. Unfortunately, the match had to be postponed to the following day because of incessant rain. Just a mere glance through the videos on social media would tell you much about the unabated passion the fans have for the game, as they waited patiently for long hours in persistent rain under umbrellas of vivid colours. The match resumed on Tuesday, May 2, and Nepal charted a memorable win as they beat the UAE by seven wickets to qualify for…

Before the start of inaugural IPL, a brand line was coined by the organisers, “Eight teams, without any players, only warriors.” On the first day of IPL itself, they found a warrior-like performer in Brendon McCullum. Yes, there were cheerleaders and enough glitz and glamour surrounding the opening ceremony of the tournament. But the fireworks from McCullum’s willow against Royal Challengers Bangalore projected the tournament in iridescent colours to the paying public. Incredibly, the first over of the maiden IPL didn’t have any of the fireworks that we have come to associate with a T20 game. The opening duo of McCullum and Saurav Ganguly pinched a…

Around 5490 days ago, Brendon McCullum blazed away to a 73-ball 158 in the inaugural game of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which also heralded a new chapter in the sport’s chronicles – franchise cricket. A little more than 15 years later, we are about to witness the 1000th match in the history of IPL. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is planning a grand celebration to commemorate the milestone. Amid all the glitz and glamour, the Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians will take on the high-flying Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium. It has been a rather…

Overview After a string of losses, Kolkata Knight Riders had a timely boost with a hard-fought win over Royal Challengers Bangalore. To leapfrog a few teams on the points table, they will need more such collective performance. In the game against Bangalore, Jason Roy, Nitish Rana, Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma made key contributions. But they need more from some of the senior pros, especially the West Indian duo of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell. Russell bowled a gutsy spell, using his hit-the-deck skills to keep the opponent in check. But with the bat in hand, he has put on…

The advantage of being a text commentator is that you get the opportunity to cover numerous franchise leagues, alongside international matches. You’re constantly typing thousands of words in order to describe various passages of play. One of those matches that I covered during my time as a text commentator was between Lions and Dolphins in South Africa’s now-defunct Ram Slam tournament in December 2015. Devon Philip Conway, who was then plying his trade in South Africa, essayed a 46-ball 63. It’s true that Conway put on a fine exhibition of strokeplay – maybe a few pulls, square-drives, slog-sweeps and cuts.…

A superlative all-round show proved to be central to Kolkata Knight Riders’ 21-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Kolkata haven’t lost in Bangalore since 2016. Here’s a list of takeaways from the game. The Jason Roy blitz Every single time Roy has come out to bat in IPL 2023, it feels as if he has had a point to prove. Drives, pulls, slog-sweeps, flicks – it was a quintessential innings from Roy. He was especially severe on Shahbaz Ahmed, tonking him for four sixes in a single over. When Roy finally fell in the 10th over…

There is a memory of Mohit Sharma from May 2014 that still lights up like a bulb. It was a high-pressure IPL Eliminator game played at the Brabourne Stadium, home turf for the Mumbai Indians. Amid the cacophony of sounds and an electrifying atmosphere, a young Mohit did exactly what his captain wanted him to do in the slog overs, and was rewarded with three wickets. There was one ball that stood out, which also epitomised Mohit’s key strengths. In the 18th over of the Mumbai innings, Rohit Sharma tried to play a trademark pull stroke off Mohit, but could only find…

Overview At the moment, Kolkata Knight Riders seem to be stuck in a dark tunnel, struggling to find the escape route. Having won just two of the seven games they have played so far, the Kolkata think-tank need to quickly find a way out of the deep abyss. A victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore on their own patch would serve as the starting point for them to get back on track. Collective effort could be a mantra that the think-tank needs to coin for the players. Until now, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh have spearheaded the batting unit, playing at different…

December, 30, 2022 – The day Rishabh Pant met with a near-fatal accident, which ruled him out of playing competitive cricket for months together. Pant’s absence also left a huge void in the Indian set-up, especially in Test cricket – a format where he has turned out to be game-breaker in all conditions. India can’t find a like-for-like replacement for someone who is basically a generational talent. However, ahead of the World Test Championship final against Australia, to be played against at the Oval in June, the question on everyone’s lips is who is the next-best available option? KS Bharat,…