Author: WebDesk

By Bharath Ramaraj Ajinkya Rahane and the spinners were the architects of Chennai Super Kings’ convincing seven-wicket victory against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Here is a list of major takeaways from the game. Rahane and sublime shots Ajinkya Rahane wielding the willow like an artist is a visual delight. In good conditions for batting, the veteran gave a wonderful exhibition of stroke-play. In the second over bowled by Arshad Khan, he cracked an eye-catching cut, drive and punch to put the pressure right back on the young bowler. He also nonchalantly flicked Cameron Green for a…

By Bharath Ramaraj Overview When the IPL 2023 began, Sunrisers Hyderabad looked like a good side on paper and were even tipped to be one of the strong contenders to lift the trophy. However, after playing a couple of games, Hyderabad are occupying the bottom rungs of the points table without a win against their name. Ahead of the game against Punjab Kings, the Aiden Markram-led side is in search of a spark of inspiration from somewhere to make a comeback in the tournament. None of the batters have scored a 50 so far, with Rahul…

Roman Abramovich wasn’t known for being patient with his managers, but his changes usually worked. Under Todd Boehly’s ownership, Chelsea have spent a world-record 552 million pounds in a season to become English football’s most expensive joke. Your previous owner hires a club legend as manager. Unfortunately, he isn’t quite up to the task of competing with the teams at the top table. He gets sacked, and is replaced by a coach renowned for his progressive tactics, but notorious for his prickly personality. He leads you to the pinnacle of club football – victory in the European Champions League –…

By Bharath Ramaraj On a turning track, Krunal Pandya’s all-round heroics powered Lucknow Super Giants to a five-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Lucknow. LSG chased down the target of 122 in 16 overs. Krunal twins arm-ball with turn There is an old school of thought that the arm-ball is a lethal weapon on a track assisting the spinners. And we saw some evidence of that in the game played between Lucknow and Hyderabad. In the eighth over, Krunal removed Amnolpreet Singh with the straighter one. In the same over, he beat Aiden Markram with a wee bit of…

–Boria Majumdar KL Rahul is talented. And he is committed. Perhaps a tad too much on occasions. Does that end up putting more pressure on him than he can cope with? Is that a reason behind his inconsistency? For with him, dedication and hard work was never an issue. Sample this- The Indian team had just finished their fielding drills and left for the batting nets, which were located just outside the Old Trafford ground on the eve of the Pakistan game in the 2019 world cup. Only a few of the support staff were still there clearing out the…

By Bharath Ramaraj Shardul Thakur (68 off 29 balls) and the spin trio of Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Suyash Sharma piloted KKR to a morale-boosting 81-run win over RCB in an IPL game played at the iconic Eden Gardens. RCB could muster just 123 in pursuit of 205. Here are the takeaways from the game. RCB slip up after bright start On a track that offered a hint of seam movement and grip, David Willey and Michael Bracewell had combined to pick up three scalps within the first seven overs. Willey in particular showed his class by picking…

Boria Majumdar “The football match will be in Capital High School Unit 3. You are welcome to attend,” said Karan Singh, project lead at the Abhinav Bindra Foundation. “Abhinav, Angelita, Frederique and Xenia from the IOC will also be there,” he added. For them, it was part of the scheduled visit. For me, it meant missing an IPL show and other important work. What’s there to go and see a match at a local football field? It can’t be anything that I haven’t seen before. More when it is being played in a school facility. That’s when…

–Atreyo Mukhopadhyay Open and shut? Prabhshimran? This match was settled by the Punjab Kings openers. A little unheard of but highly rated, Prabhshimran Singh was possibly the man of the day. There were a few other fabulous batting contributions, but this 22-year-old made a massive difference. He struck the ball with deadly effect and made things rather difficult for the Rajasthan Royals bowlers. It was one-way traffic in the first few overs of the game. He was innovative, adventurous and fearsome. One can say a 34-ball 60 is not perhaps a most telling performance in an IPL game, but this…

G Rajaraman “Wait a minute, it must be a mistake!” we told ourselves when we saw Lucknow Super Giants send in Krishnappa Gowtham as an Impact Player substitute for Ayush Badoni, who had just been dismissed, in their Indian Premier League (IPL) game against Delhi Capitals. We knew of the new rule, but when it happened it did make some of us sit up with a start on Saturday night. The sight of a batter who has been dismissed being replaced so that the ‘Impact Player’ can take his turn at the crease, or the thought of…

 Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma! The much awaited battle will get underway tonight at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. How’s Boria Majumdar’s Fantasy XI for tonight’s blockbuster #RCBvsMI clash? Watch to find out 👇