Author: Boria Majumdar

The night before he made his debut, Vaibhav Suryavanshi was apparently nervous about how it’d all go. At the same time, he was determined to set things on fire from the outset. If the debut innings was a trailer, starting with a first-ball six, the one against Gujarat Titans was a full-blown action movie. Taking on four international bowlers, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan, Vaibhav blasted the fastest fifty of the IPL. In fact, the first six set the tone. Siraj had pitched it up expecting some swing. It was the very first over, and Vaibhav…

Three run-outs. That’s how it all changed. After being down and out in the first three weeks of the IPL, Mumbai Indians (MI) are now firmly entrenched in the top four and look poised to make the play-offs yet again. Sport is all about grabbing your opportunity, and that’s what stands out in this team. Against Delhi in Delhi, it all seemed done and dusted. Vipraj Nigam was batting beautifully after a Karun Nair classic, and Mumbai were literally rock bottom in the league table. Jasprit Bumrah, who took 4-22 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Sunday, was hit all…

By Boria Mjumdar The IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens was washed out because at long last a Nor’wester hit the city. While KKR should be happy with a point, the question is what about the fans? For the 35,000 people present at the stadium what was the takeaway? While in the case of football, you can actually watch and celebrate your team in the rain, it isn’t the case for cricket. The IPL has become an addiction for many and with ticket prices being fairly steep, it isn’t always possible for all to…

KKR needed some form of intervention. When nothing was going right for them, the rain gods came to their rescue. For the 35000 fans present, to see Varun Chakravarty being hit all round the park by Prabhsimran Singh was a story of the IPL. It was a campaign going south. None of the bowlers were penetrative and on a wicket where batting wasn’t a piece of cake, Punjab had scored 200 plus. Most KKR fans were frustrated at the dinner break. It was going to be a very difficult chase against the likes of Arshdeep, Jansen and Chahal and another…

Fans often overreact, and that’s often been the story of fandom. But, to a degree, they are entitled. In my book, the two most important constituents of the IPL are the players and the fans. Unless the fans watch the action, 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 (KKR) won the tournament for the first time in 2012. Over 80,000 fans made it to the…

No sport whatsoever with Pakistan, against the backdrop of what transpired in Pahalgam, is now a given. And by no sport, we mean no sport whatsoever. No table tennis, no football, no cricket. India should, in fact, communicate to the ICC that it does not want to be in the same group as Pakistan in ICC competitions. Not when the backdrop is that of terror. And that’s where Neeraj Chopra and his statement becomes relevant. We at RevSportz strongly condemn any attack or abuse directed at Neeraj’s family. As he has already clarified, his invite to Arshad Nadeem was sent…

One key takeaway from the BCCI’s central contracts announcement was Rohit Sharma being retained in the A+ category. Despite the fact that the contracts were premised on earlier performances, Rohit, who doesn’t play international T20 anymore, is now expected to lead India on the forthcoming tour of England. Another gruelling five-Test tour, it will challenge India. And Rohit. Against the moving ball, it will be a real Test of skill and patience. And that’s where his last two IPL performances have been heartening. While I am not trying to suggest that we can make any inference based on IPL efforts,…

India is in mourning as we continue to grieve the dastardly attack on tourists in Pahalgam. It has enraged us all, and yet, there is a sense of helplessness all round. As civil society, what role can we play? How can we show solidarity? As journalists, the question we have asked ourselves is how can sport make a difference and strengthen our hands against terror? On Sachin Tendulkar’s 52nd birthday, it is fair that I try and answer this question with a reference to the master. Sachin played the most difficult Test match of his life in December 2008, just…

Close your eyes, and ask yourself what’s one thing you would want to change in 2025? Almost everyone would have the same answer – we need to bring peace to our world. Be it the multiple terror attacks across the world, the war in Ukraine or the conflict in Gaza, we need a better, more sane and peaceful world. After what happened last night in Pahalgam, it is clear that growing intolerance is a disease, and has to be dealt with as such. We at RevSportz aren’t the army to go and fight terror in Kashmir. We are sports journalists.…

It has now been a year since Banned: A social media trial was launched. And, may I say, the response and reaction from all over has been overwhelming. The truth is out there, and most importantly, my readers and viewers know it all. The two questions that I have been asked multiple times in the course of conversations on the book are as follows: How did I or the family survive the trauma and the abuse? And second, what helped me to get through it all, and how can I now help others who go through similar situations? Both these…