Author: Shamik Chakrabarty

In the wake of the Chinnaswamy stampede tragedy, the BCCI has formed a three-member committee that will come up with standard celebration guidelines for the IPL franchises within a fortnight. The decision was taken at the cricket board’s 28th Apex Council meeting on Saturday. The committee will have BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia as its chair, alongside treasurer Prabhtej Singh Bhatia and vice-president Rajeev Shukla. On June 4, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory parade revelry had left 11 people dead and 56 injured outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium. While expressing shock and grief over the incident, the BCCI officials had spoken about…

It was the summer of heartbreak for Karun Nair. Circa 2018, and India were touring England for a five-Test series. Nair was in the squad, although warming the bench until an opportunity arose ahead of the final Test at The Oval. But the team management, captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri, in consultation with the then selection committee, decided to fly in Hanuma Vihari from India and drafted him into the playing XI. Nair’s international career came to a grinding halt. Four years later, after he was dropped from the Karnataka Ranji Trophy squad, Nair took to social…

On Wednesday, Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, talked up Nitish Kumar Reddy, as he interacted with the media at Beckenham. “He is a guy that can bowl that magic ball,” Morkel told reporters. From Mohinder Amarnath to Mudassar Nazar – dibbly-dobbly seamers have emerged as game-changers in England in the past. Can Reddy be India’s ‘man with the golden arm’ in the upcoming five Test series in Blighty? As a batsman, Reddy made a good start to his Test career in Australia and returned with some credit in the bank, including a hundred, from a disastrous tour for his side.…

The AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong was, in all likelihood, Manolo Marquez’s last game in charge as the Indian football team coach. The Spaniard reportedly has expressed his desire to leave. Rather, he should be sacked in the morning. Apologies for drawing a Stevie Wonder analogy, but Marquez is full-time FC Goa manager and a “part-time lover” (read, coach) of Indian football. Sir Matt Busby simultaneously managed Manchester United and Scotland in 1958. Jimmy Murphy was Sir Matt’s assistant at United and the manager of the Wales national team. For a brief period, Sir Alex Ferguson managed…

On Sunday, after a five-hour-and-29-minute epic at Roland-Garros, the Carlos Alcaraz era in tennis began in earnest. Jannik Sinner, too, played his part to make the French Open final an all-time classic. It was the first men’s championship match in a Grand Slam between two players born in the 2000s — 21 months apart. In terms of legendary title showdowns, it also offered a throwback to the 2008 Wimbledon final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Federer and Nadal have hung up their racquets. Novak Djokovic’s glorious career has entered the twilight zone. The ‘Big 3’ are now the past,…

On Wednesday, 11 people died because Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the IPL after 18 years of wait. Political blame game has cast a spell on the tragedy, while heads continue to roll. Arrests have been made, including RCB’s marketing head Nikhil Sosale. On Saturday, two Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) officials, secretary A Shankar and treasurer ES Jairam, put in their papers “owing moral responsibility”. Stampedes are like foot-worn ghosts that rear their ugly head from time to time — from the New Delhi railway station disaster to the Maha Kumbh Mela crowd crush and the Bengaluru IPL tragedy. Life…

On Friday morning, Bengaluru Police arrested Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s marketing head Nikhil Sosale in connection with the franchise’s victory parade stampede that occurred outside Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Eleven people were trampled to death, with scores suffering serious injuries. According to a report in The Indian Express that quoted a senior police officer, RCB took an “unilateral decision” to hold the victory parade and didn’t obtain the permission “as mandated under the Karnataka Police Act for events requiring police security”. “We were stretched thin in terms of resources. We were virtually handling four events simultaneously on that day…

From the New Delhi railway station stampede to the Maha Kumbh Mela crowd crush and the Bangalore IPL stampede on Wednesday — have we learnt any lessons from the tragedies? Are we willing to? Where is the accountability? How many people have been brought to book? The life of a common man in this part of the world is not priceless. It’s worthless. As per the official account, 11 people died and scores were seriously injured around the Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s victory parade/celebrations yesterday. And the political blame game has started in earnest. India is not a…

With a reduced slate of boundaries and over-the-boundaries in the Powerplay and Phil Salt departing early, the attention turned to Virat Kohli. Salt and Kohli formed a formidable opening partnership for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in this IPL with more than 1,000 runs between them. The hard numbers say Kohli made a bigger contribution with 657 runs compared to his partner’s 403. But they also confirm Salt’s role as an enforcer with a strike rate of 175.98 vis-à-vis Kohli’s 144.71. In the final, Salt perished in the second over, thanks to a fine catch from Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer. The…

November 19, 2023, and Motera was the theatre of heartbreak. India had moved like a freight train at the World Cup until they fell at the final hurdle. After the defeat against Australia, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Indian dressing room to console the players, Shreyas Iyer looked distraught, still struggling to come to terms with the defeat. He had scored a match-winning hundred (105 off 70 balls) against New Zealand in the semi-final but fell cheaply (4) in the final. He was holding himself responsible for the loss. March 25, 2025, and Shreyas played his first game…