Author: Boria Majumdar

At 153-6, few gave Punjab Kings a chance, with two overs from Mohit Sharma still left. Also, it was the great Rashid Khan who was bowling the 17th over. Against such an attack, Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, the impact sub, had a mountain to climb. It was the same Shashank whom Punjab had bid for and then wanted to cancel the deal. Eventually, after a social media backlash, they had to release a statement which said, “Punjab Kings would like to clarify that Shashank Singh was always on our target list. The confusion was due to two players of…

After a stellar year in 2023, when he established himself in the top 10 of badminton’s men’s singles rankings, HS Prannoy has endured a very tough start to 2024. Though he has clinched qualification for the Paris Olympics in July-August, persistent ill-health has hampered his progress this year. As he and his support team work to find a solution, Prannoy spoke to Boria Majumdar, editor-in-chief of RevSportz, about the crucial months that lie ahead, and in particular the defence of the Thomas Cup and the quest for an Olympic medal. Excerpts: Boria: Olympic Qualification is finally done! It was expected,…

It was in late January that I got a call from Sanjeev Goenka, who sounded excited. Anyone who knows him will know he isn’t one to get animated easily. “Mayank Yadav is clocking 150kmph regularly,” he told me. Before I could even understand where he was headed and what he was saying, he added, “He will be our X-factor in the IPL.” While I found the conversation interesting, I did not do anything about it. There was no way to find out who had informed Goenka about it, and without first-hand information it wouldn’t be fair to do the story.…

Yash Dayal is a case study. Of resilience and determination. To make it back after what he went through last year couldn’t have been easy. Five sixes conceded to Rinku Singh, and he was the favourite whipping boy of social-media trolls. The subject of memes, and mocked for days and weeks. No one cared for his mental health, or that he was a youngster. He lost weight and was depressed. Many felt his IPL was perhaps over, and it would take him months and years to get back to the game. But he did come back last season. Showed what…

There was a tweet yesterday morning from the NRAI X handle which showed the great Abhinav Bindra addressing India’s best shooters, including almost all those who have earned the quota for Paris. Bindra was seen speaking on a live link to the shooters about his own experiences, and imparting lessons which should hold them in good stead in Paris. Under normal circumstances, there is nothing much to read in the tweet. Abhinav is the greatest shooter India has produced, and it was natural that he was roped in to speak to the shooters. He is anyway mentoring a number of…

Two matches, and 100 runs conceded in just 8 overs. Having been sold to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for 24.75 crores, you have to question if Mitchell Starc is feeling the pressure of the price tag. Any human being would in his position. It is only natural that such an astronomical figure would weigh on his mind. However much he says he doesn’t feel the pressure, the truth is any human being would. As he concedes more runs, he could well succumb to the pressure of the price tag as many have in the past. Sam Curran and Ishan Kishan…

As a player, Vimal Kumar’s career was overshadowed by the brilliance of Prakash Padukone and Syed Modi. He still won two national titles before moving into coaching. Chief coach at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, Vimal was a richly deserving recipient of the Dronacharya Award in 2019. In this candid chat with Boria Majumdar, editor-in-chief of RevSportz, he spoke of the upswing in fortunes of both Lakshya Sen and PV Sindhu, as Indian badminton looks ahead to another medal-filled Olympic Games in Paris. Boria: Vimal, what have you done? Clearly there is a difference in the way Lakshya played in…

Two parallel leagues are on at the moment in the country. One is the Indian Premier League (IPL), being played on the 22 yards and which is now nearing the end of its first week. The second is also titled the Indian Premier League, but that one is being played in the Fantasy sporting realm by approximately 130 million Indian cricket fans every single day. In just over half a decade, the number of fans playing fantasy cricket has increased from 5 million to approximately 130 million, and if data available is to be believed, the number is expected to…

Prakash Padukone hardly ever speaks to the media. He prefers to work backstage and is happy staying away from the limelight. Having said that, his students like PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen have time and again thanked him for the difference he has made to their games and their Olympic preparations leading into Paris. How has it been for Padukone to work with them? How did it all happen with Sindhu, and what are the areas of concern? What are the plans leading into the world’s greatest sports spectacle? Padukone opened up in this candid conversation which lasted close to…

I have always watched cricket, and loved doing so because it is a contest. A contest between bat and ball. Two very different sets of skills in combat. Bowlers are as much stakeholders of the game as batters, and that’s what makes the sport what it is. If you render bowlers of the quality of Pat Cummins, Jasprit Bumrah, Gerald Coetzee and Bhuvneshwar Kumar into punching bags, it could be anything else but cricket. What we witnessed last night wasn’t sport. It was a bastardisation of the game we love. Batters hitting sixes and fours at will, while the bowlers…