Author: Boria Majumdar

Much has already been said about Bangladesh’s decision not to come to India for the T20 World Cup. Clearly, it is a reaction to what happened the day before, and India’s decision not to allow Mustafizur Rahman to play in the IPL. Miffed by the call, the political establishment in Bangladesh had to react – and they did. Till this point, it was all fine. But the reason cited – security considerations and the safety of the team and players – is where things become problematic. First, security wasn’t an issue till the day before. Everything was fine, and even…

The controversy that erupted on Saturday with the ouster of Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL turned into a full blown crisis a day later, with the Bangladesh Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul posting on social media that he commends the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) decision to not sending the Bangladesh cricket team to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Nazrul had earlier written that he’d request the I&B ministry to stop the telecast of the IPL matches in India. “An emergency meeting of the Board of Directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was held this afternoon to discuss recent…

In this episode of Backstage with Boria, Gurpreet Sandhu, captain of the men’s national football team, shares his thoughts on the grim realities of Indian football. He talks about uncertainty around the league, the ripple effect it will have on the future of football in India, the impact inside the Indian football ecosystem, the need for Indian players to fight for their own competition and why he is still optimistic that India won’t go a full season without having its own league. Boria: How are you dealing with this whole football situation? Gurpreet: Wishing the viewers a very Happy New…

As my readers read this piece, Usman Khawaja is out there at the SCG one final time for Australia, in what will be his last Test match. Each time I see him bat or on the field, I am reminded of his press conference the day before. While I am not here to judge Usman, the question I want to ask is this: does he feel any joy having played cricket for Australia for a good decade and a half? Does he feel pride in wearing the Baggy Green for as many as 88 Test matches? Or was he…

In a major development that will have wider political ramifications, the BCCI have asked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Mustafizur Rahman from the squad, and KKR have already done so, following due protocol. First things first, the BCCI cannot make this call unilaterally. A seasoned administrator and a legal eagle, Debajit Saikia could not have taken this call without back-channel talks with the central government. Clearly, the decision was taken at the External Affairs Ministry level, in consultation with the Home Ministry, and the BCCI may have merely implemented it. Now to the decision itself. With the rise in…

Most countries have now announced their respective 15-member squads for the forthcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. India have done so a week earlier. The thrust, may I say, has been on spin. Australia have focused on the same and the CA post on X highlighted the thought process. The question to ask is do we in India have the spin bowling ability to win us the World Cup and how effective will spin be in the competition? One of the players who has kind of slipped under the radar in the year 2025 despite making real…

We have all wished each other a very happy 2026. But if you are an Indian footballer or a stakeholder in the ecosystem, it isn’t a happy 2026. Indian football is in dire need of inspiration. The league is nowhere in sight, and until last night, there had been no breakthrough. Clubs have pushed the issue back to the AIFF, saying they need the federation to cover at least part of the costs. They have also said it is unfair for the governing body to expect clubs to foot the entire bill for the league. The AIFF, on its part,…

In a new episode of Backstage with Boria, hockey stalwarts, Jarmanpreet Singh and Hardik Singh, open up about their target of ending India’s 50-year World Cup-medal drought. They also reflect on the upcoming Hockey India League season, acknowledge the constant backing from the federation, underline the importance of the Asian Games as a crucial pathway to Olympics, and credit the fans for being the driving force behind their confidence and performances on the big stage. Boria [To Hardik]: What is your first impression on Hockey India League and what it can do for Indian hockey? Hardik: It’s a very good…

The Indian squad for the ODI series against New Zealand is likely to be announced on Saturday or Sunday, and the one name that should be in the reckoning is that of Mohammed Shami. At a press conference in Dubai during the Asia Cup earlier this year, chief selector Ajit Agarkar had said that Shami hadn’t played enough at the time to get himself back into the scheme of Team India things. He had added that there was never any doubt about the class of the fast bowler. If we go by his words, Shami has now played the Ranji…

This is the one question I asked TV Narendran, Tata Steel’s global CEO and managing director, as we met up in Kolkata last week over a cup of tea. First things first, the success of the Trailblazers Conclave can indeed be attributed to the support of Tata Steel and Mr Narendran. I vividly remember a conversation with him in January 2023, when I first requested him for support for the conclave. His answer was interesting. “If you want to do only cricket then I am not keen. Cricket is already a cluttered space,” he had said. It was music to…