Author: G Rajaraman

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) rode the shifting conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday night with a sensible approach to pinch a six-wicket victory and delay Chennai Super Kings’ entry into the play-off stage of the Tata Indian Premier League. The left-handed duo of Nitish Rana, the captain, and Rinku Singh showed wise heads in a match-winning stand during the chase of 145. It must be said that unlike in the first half of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) innings, the track rewarded batters who wore patience beneath their sweaty shirts. Clearly, when he won the toss and…

It should surprise no one if an awestruck Gujarat Titans bowler got hold of the dew-laden ball that had been hit all over the park to get Suryakumar Yadav, the Mumbai Indians’ centurion, to sign it. And Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai’s mentor, did not need to tell the rest of the squad: “Come and look at this. You’ve never seen anything like this.” Suryakumar’s maiden century in the Indian Premier League (103 not out, 49 balls, 11 fours, six sixes) set off the fireworks earlier than event managers programmed them to go off at the Wankhede Stadium. On a night when…

Chennai Super Kings took a confident step towards assuring themselves a berth in the Tata Indian Premier League play-offs with a well-planned, neatly executed and hard-earned 27-run victory at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday, consigning Delhi Capitals to the bottom of the table and the prospect of being on the sidelines during the business end of the high-profile tournament. Here are our takeaways from the game. Dhoni and Chahar make a difference on sticky wicket On a track that could finally – after five games – be branded a typical Chepauk strip, batters could not break into free…

Eric Lira, a Texas native, will be the first person to be convicted under the United States of America’s revolutionary Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act 2020, after he pleaded guilty before US Magistrate Judge Valerie Figueredo in Manhattan Federal Court. The 43-year-old Lira pled guilty to supplying drugs with prohibited substances to two athletes at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. “Lira, who claims to be a ‘kinesiologist and naturopathic’ doctor operating in and around El Paso, Texas, obtained unapproved versions of HGH and EPO, and other, prescription drugs from sources in Central and South America before bringing those drugs into the…

There was the full moon, rising gently over Doha, and there was Neeraj Chopra casting a magical glow of his own in the Doha Diamond League. There were multiple World Champions on show but, for the sizeable Indian presence in the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium on Friday, there was Neeraj Chopra. He drew greater support from and basked in greater adulation that any other athlete. With three meet records and five World Lead performances, the Diamond League season could not have had a better start. However, while World Athletics probably knows it, if it needed any confirmation that Neeraj Chopra…

Commonwealth Games Triple Jump champion Eldhose Paul is unruffled by things, past or future. The World No. 12 has a clear goal in mind when he makes his Diamond League debut in Doha on Friday: get a personal best. “I want to give each jump my best and keep improving,” he says, soaking in the atmosphere in the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium. With the World Championships and the Asian Games on the horizon, Eldhose Paul is aware this is a big year and that he is among those ushering in the international outdoor season here. “It is my first Diamond…

The more you interact with Neeraj Chopra, the more you wonder at the Olympic Games Javelin Throw gold medallist’s evolution as an athlete and remaining grounded. Such journeys, as the one he is on, can be so consuming that athletes can develop tunnel vision, but hearteningly, the pursuit of excellence has not made India’s most loved athlete shut himself off totally. Neeraj Chopra, who won the Diamond League Trophy with an 88.44m effort in the Grand Final in Zurich last year, is looking forward to launching a packed season when he returns to Doha after more than five years to…

Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis, the Royal Challengers Bangalore openers, rode on experience to string together the most critical partnership in a low-scoring Tata Indian Premier League game at the Atal Behari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday. In a match that the visiting side won by 18 runs, their 62-run stand was the deciding factor on a sluggish track. Grudge match polar opposite of first encounter It was a grudge match alright. The teams produced a humdinger when they clashed in Bengaluru on April 10, with Lucknow Super Giants escaping to a one-wicket victory with a stolen…

This was an intensely royal contest that tested the hearts of not just the players but also of those watching Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings scrap hard in the Tata Indian Premier League 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Chasing 201, Punjab Kings’ four-wicket win off the final delivery packed so much into so little time that nobody could afford to take their eyes…

This was an intensely royal contest that tested the hearts of not just the players but also of those watching Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings scrap hard in the Tata Indian Premier League 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Chasing 201, Punjab Kings’ four-wicket win off the final delivery packed so much into so little time that nobody could afford to take their eyes off the ball, even for a moment. Here are our takeaways from a thrilling match. Punjab collective just trumps Conway and company Punjab’s batters refused to give up under tremendous pressure – from Dhoni’s…