Author: WebDesk

Overview The last time these two teams met, Lucknow Super Giants overhauled an imposing total of 212 off the final delivery. But like every other team barring Gujarat Titans, they have struggled to string together a sequence of wins. As for Royal Challengers Bangalore, this is the first of five consecutive matches away from home. Their lopsided schedule is the result of assembly elections in Karnataka in May, and they will return to the Chinnaswamy Stadium only for their final match on May 21. Their bowlers may actually enjoy being away from a venue where neither the pitch nor the…







If you listened to Lalit Modi, you would have thought the Indian Premier League (IPL) was bigger than football’s World Cup final, the Olympics, and the Super Bowl put together. Modi was almost evangelical when talking about his creation, but back in 2008, there were still plenty of sceptics, even within the cricket board. The IPL had started its journey with a bang, as Brendon McCullum’s cavalier 158 opened eyes and quickened heartbeats on the opening night. Elsewhere, Shane Warne’s showmanship and matchless cricket nous were scripting a remarkable story in Jaipur, where the Rajasthan Royals – considered the weakest…

In the animal kingdom, a young male often proves his worth by taking down a grizzled veteran. It’s the ultimate rite of passage, and can often end in one or both being close to death. There was no blood spilled at the Eden Gardens on Saturday afternoon, but on one of the grandest stages in cricket, Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s domination of Rashid Khan, his illustrious countryman, truly announced his arrival as a special batting talent. Gurbaz has three international centuries, all in the ODI format. And while no one is dismissing the value of those innings against Ireland, the Netherlands and…

Years from now, it could well be a trivia question. Who took the last wicket in Sachin Tendulkar’s final Test, triggering waves of emotion and pride so huge that most of will never see anything like it again? The answer is, of course, Mohammed Shami, who flattened Shannon Gabriel’s middle stump with one that swung back in – the same sort of delivery that had first made his name in Kolkata cricket circles. It was just Shami’s second Test, and in nearly a decade since, he has added only 61 more appearances in the longest format of the game. Across…





Dhruv Jurel, the batter who has been one of the big finds for Rajasthan Royals (RR) this season, said he had been motivated by the presence of MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings captain and India legend, behind the stumps during his game-changing knock in Jaipur on Aoril 27. Jurel, who has been given the responsibility of playing the enforcer’s role in the middle order, played another exciting cameo of 34 runs off just 15 deliveries, including three fours and two sixes, at a remarkable strike-rate of 226.67. His impressive knock, and 48-run stand with Devdutt Padikkal, was crucial in helping…