Author: Boria Majumdar

It was the evening after India’s shocking defeat in the 2019 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester, and we were yet to come to terms with what had transpired. India had failed to chase down 240 and the dream of winning the trophy had come to an end. The man most in the line of fire was Rishabh Pant. He had played an irresponsible shot and given it away. Rishabh, understandably, was the subject for Twitter trolls, and many called him overrated. He was considered overweight and slammed for his approach to the sport. Sitting in a Manchester…

In the initial seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL), spectators were passionate cricket fans. Fast forward to 2024, and it’s not just the love for cricket that drives fans to the stadium. It’s the love for the competition and teams. The same spectators are now IPL fans! What makes the Manchester derby one of the greatest Premiership clashes is the die-hard fan loyalty of the City and United fans. It is the same in Spain with Barcelona and Real Madrid, and in Italy with AC Milan and Inter. In its early years, the IPL or, rather, the individual franchises…

The last match that MS Dhoni captained in his storied career was the IPL final of 2023. And he won the trophy for a record fifth time as leader. That’s the legacy he leaves behind. And in sport, it is all about timing. His timing in giving up the captaincy has been perfect. The perfect finish for the greatest leader that Indian cricket has ever seen. Emotions aside, the decision is a fantastic one. Smart. We always knew Dhoni had an incredible cricket brain. This decision is proof. He could have recommended that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) go back to…

It was late December 2019, and we had just finished a chat show for one of MS Dhoni’s sponsors in New Delhi. That was when the invite came. “Do you want to have lunch together?” asked MSD. “Please come up to my room and we can grab a bite,” he said, before disappearing into the elevator with his team of security personnel. The whole cricket world wanted to know the mind of the man, and this was an opportunity. There was no one else present and we could have a conversation without having to think of what would come out…

The gesture that broke the Internet on Tuesday evening was when the newly named Royal Challengers Bengaluru men’s team gave their women counterparts a standing ovation. When Virat Kohli video-called the women, moments after they had clinched a nail-biting victory in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) final, it outlined the beauty of sport. A gesture premised on respect, it made an instant impact on everyone who watched it. For Kohli, however, the gesture doesn’t end there. It was just the first act of the drama. While all celebrated him for it, the next act was to say that he now…

Supporters often overreact, and that’s always been the story of fandom. But to a degree, they are entitled to. This is for the simple reason that the two most important constituents of the IPL are the players and the fans. Unless the fans watch, there is no IPL. They help the broadcaster make money, encourage the advertisers to spend and make the tournament what it is. They make heroes of the players and create brands of them. The best example was when the Kolkata Knight Riders won the tournament in 2012. Over 80,000 fans made it to the Eden Gardens…

One of the most-talked-about buys at the IPL auction in February 2022 was Shreyas Iyer. Many had, in fact, predicted that Shreyas would be the most expensive acquisition, and it was a well-reasoned argument. Iyer, a genuine match-winner, had led Delhi with considerable success and was an obvious captaincy choice for the franchise that managed to draft him. KKR did, and much was expected from him. “I have to tell you this. We were eyeing Shreyas for years now, and for the first time, made a pitch for him in the very first year that he had made himself available…

In a photograph that has now gone viral on social media, Rinku Singh is seen at the Eden Gardens praying to the stumps and seeking blessings ahead of the season. The Rinku gesture sums up the IPL perfectly. At its core, it remains very Indian and is the perfect mesh between the traditional and the modern. In the course of the sixteen years since the inception of the IPL, I have spent time with multiple teams and owners and been amazed at the kind of passion the league generates. For example, the entire senior management of one of the teams…

It was well past midnight, and yet I wasn’t sleepy for a second. Lakshya Sen was playing some incredible badminton and making the point that he was back to his best. Even when he lost the first game after an incredible late surge, it was clear that his corner was all charged up. The legendary Prakash Padukone and Vimal Kumar both rushed to Lakshya, and instructions were passed on. Sen was nodding in agreement and looked focussed to make amends in the second game. And he did. In style. Deft placements meshed with power smashes, Sen upped his game and…

I had gone to pick up my daughter from school when a group of young boys walked up to me and asked if they could speak for a minute. Curiosity got the better of me and despite being late, I had a chat. “Sir, you keep saying it is about performance,” said one of the boys. “We see your shows. But then, how can Virat be dropped on the basis of performance? He was the highest scorer in the World Cup and in the World T20 in Australia, he played the greatest T20 innings.” Clearly, he was a Kohli fan.…