Author: Boria Majumdar

It was mid-day on April 24, 2019. As the car turned into the bylane leading to 19A, Perry Cross Road, Sachin’s home in Mumbai, I was slightly taken aback to see a fairly big crowd that time of day. My initial thought was there must have been an accident of some sort and as a result there was a pile up of cars stretching back to the main road. Accordingly, I decided to get out of the car and walk to his house to be on time for my meeting with the birthday boy. That’s when I realised that the…

We have all seen sport long enough to know that strange things happen. But then, what happened on Tuesday night was more than strange. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), from nowhere, just blew the chase. Over confidence? Cockiness? Bad batting? Or a combination of it all? And no, the pitch wasn’t to blame either. Chasing 112, KKR needed a partnership to get them close. Interestingly, they did get one when Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi were batting. The chase was a canter, and it all seemed routine. That’s when calamity struck. Atrocious shots and complete irresponsibility meant that Punjab Kings (PBKS)…

It was billed as a battle between Shreyas Iyer and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Sadly for the fans and everyone following, it turned out to be a no-contest. This is how we have known Punjab Kings (PBKS) over the years. A team that starts well, but then loses the plot. And today, they lost the plot badly, very badly. We will never know if Shreyas was extra-charged. What we do know is the wicket was good. Harshit Rana bowled well and picked up the three key top-order wickets after Punjab got off to a flier. Priyansh Arya went for one…

In the second part of the insightful interview with RevSportz, Sanjog Gupta takes a deep dive to share his views on how IPL as a brand is now unrivalled, even bigger than the cricket World Cup. He also gives his take on future innovations. Is the IPL now so far ahead of even the World Cup that it has become unrivalled in the market space? This is a much longer conversation. I think IPL is a truly unique brand, which as you said for various reasons stands almost in its own ecosystem in its own world. I don’t think any…

Sanjog Gupta, the current Chief Executive Officer of JioStar, has delved deeper into the regionalisation and customisation of sports broadcast. In the first part of this exclusive chat with RevSportz, he shares his thoughts on a range of topics, including the growth of the IPL brand, and how the brand has married broadcasting with local languages and culture to provide the viewers a unique experience. When I see the IPL brand, and when I see the data, they are staggering numbers. What stands out is that there is a continuous increase, the country doesn’t seem to have enough of this…

The asking rate was touching 12 in a low-scoring game and almost every Dhoni fan was praying for Thala. For the sake of the tournament, he needed to get the job done. The aura and the cult were yet again to be questioned if he failed. CSK, needless to say, needed it badly. Yes, Rishabh Pant missed a trick by not bowling Bishnoi. He was the best bowler on view but did not finish his quota. But at one level, this match was not about Pant or Bishnoi. It was all about Dhoni. There were 22 players playing out there,…

A photograph speaks a 1000 words. In Debasis Sen’s case, they have spoken more than a few thousand words, and still counting, when it comes to the Indian Super League (ISL). One of the most hardworking individuals in the business, Debasis’s picture of Dippendu Biswas and his mother has gone viral not simply in the football world, but also within Indian sport at large. The photograph stands for everything that is good about sport. Humility, simplicity and poise. With experience of more than two decades, this photograph by Debasis was for me the picture of the ISL. Today, while we…

Jamie Maclaren, one of the most successful strikers in the history of Australia’s A-League and the star of last night, said it well, “I have played in the World Cup against Argentina and Messi. I have also played for several leading clubs, but when it comes to fan passion, Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) will rank right at the top of the pile.” This was evident yesterday when Mohun Bagan played Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) final. The match was clashing with a double-header day in the IPL, and there was apprehension all round if fans would…

From morning, I have received approximately 150 messages asking for tickets. Not for IPL tickets, but for the ISL Cup final between Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) and Bengaluru FC. Tickets are all sold out and fans are desperate for that elusive pass to go and watch their favourite team play. For the record, India is ranked 126th in the FIFA rankings and our national team is nothing to write home about. Yet when it comes to club football, the passion is intense. Thousands of Mohun Bagan fans will queue up even when they know that tickets aren’t there. The…

Today, Mohun Bagan Super Giant (MBSG) will lock horns with Bengaluru FC (BFC) at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata in the ISL 2024-25 final. Most eyes will be on the home side as the Mariners have a chance to make it a double this season. Ahead of the clash, BFC goalkeeper, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, had an exclusive chat with RevSportz’s editor-in-chief, Boria Majumdar. In this freewheeling conversation, Gurpreet talked about the preparation, Sunil Chhetri, the importance of fans, his thoughts on Mohun Bagan and much more. Another ISL final for you. Thoughts? Thank you so much for having me.…