Author: Subhayan Chakraborty

Before the IPL 2025 preparations began, Punjab Kings appointed former Australia captain Ricky Ponting as the head coach to revitalise the team, which is yet to win a trophy. Ponting’s tactical acumen, proven as one of the greatest international captains, is unquestioned. Although his coaching record with Delhi Capitals was inconsistent. Punjab Kings assembled a strong squad during the IPL auction and have started the season impressively, winning three of their first five matches. The decision to spend Rs 26.75 crore on Shreyas Iyer raised eyebrows, especially since the former KKR captain was out of the Indian team. However, Iyer’s…

When Lucknow Super Giants face Chennai Super Kings on Monday, it will be a milestone moment for Rishabh Pant, who will become the 13th player in the IPL history to lead in 50 matches. However, Pant, the batter, has had a rocky start to the IPL 2025 season, scoring only 40 runs at a strike rate of 80 in six matches (five innings). In contrast, Pant, the leader, has shone brightly, guiding LSG to fourth place in the league table with four wins in six matches, despite an injury-plagued bowling attack. For Pant, the batter, the challenge lies in regaining…

Priyansh Arya has been one of the many positives from the high-flying Punjab Kings camp in the Indian Premier League 2025. The youngster smashed a 39-ball century against Chennai Super Kings to make headlines and break records. After scoring a golden duck against Rajasthan Royals, where he was castled by Jofra Archer, Arya came out guns blazing to take down the CSK attack, consisting of the likes of Khaleel Ahmed, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmad. The youngster from Delhi credited PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting and captain Shreyas Iyer for giving him the confidence to go all-out despite…

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly questioned Kolkata Knight Riders’ decision to send Andre Russell and Rinku Singh at No 7 and 8 in a mammoth chase of 239, as the hosts fell short by four runs at the Eden Gardens, losing their third match out of five so far in IPL 2025. KKR, who were cruising at one stage in the chase, tinkered with their batting order and ended up leaving far too many runs for the Russell-Rinku duo as they sent Ramandeep Singh, who has hardly batted in the tournament so far, up in the order, at No…

Subhayan Chakraborty at Eden Gardens Kolkata Knight Riders captain, Ajinkya Rahane, on Tuesday triggered yet another debate around the Eden Gardens pitch after a total of 472 runs were scored in their game against Lucknow Super Giants. The visiting side led by Rishabh Pant clinched a narrow, four-run win in a thriller decided in the last over. KKR had defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last home game with the latter scoring just 120 runs while chasing a 201-run target. That pitch had assisted spinners, and KKR’s vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer praised that particular track for providing a balance between bat and…

It was around 4 pm on Monday, and like the entire world, Mumbai too was celebrating Eid. It was a public holiday, and a quick stroll along Marine Drive would give one the sense that this iconic area in Mumbai was a hotspot for people enjoying the sunset and the evening breeze blowing from the Arabian Sea on their day off. Coincidentally, the Mumbai Indians, five-time IPL winners, were facing off against the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, at Wankhede Stadium. This particular clash has always been a highly anticipated encounter, given the star power both teams possess. With one…

Subhayan Chakraborty in Mumbai Ashwani Kumar scripted history as he became first Indian to bag a four-fer on his Indian Premier League debut. The left-arm pacer dismantled the Kolkata Knight Riders batting line-up after ending up with the figures of 4/24 in three overs at Wankhede Stadium on Monday. Notably, the youngster joined an elite list of 10 bowlers to have scalped a wicket on the first ball of his IPL debut, dismissing local boy and KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane. Hailing from a small town near Chandigarh named Jhanjeri, Ashwani has played just two Ranji Trophy matches for Punjab while…

-Subhayan Chakraborty in Mumbai Rohit Sharma will be in focus when Mumbai Indians face Kolkata Knight Riders at Wankhede Stadium on Monday. This will be the first home game for the five-time IPL winners in the ongoing Indian Premier League. While Rohit has had a poor start to the campaign, scoring a duck and eight against Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans respectively, his childhood coach Dinesh Lad reckons the ‘Hitman’ will be back among runs soon, adding that the IPL form shouldn’t be a benchmark for selection in Test cricket. In the bigger picture, Rohit’s batting form is under…

Subhayan Chakraborty in Mumbai Kolkata Knight Riders head coach Chandrakant Pandit, on Sunday, continued the debate over whether pitches should favour the home franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after Eden Gardens head curator Sujan Mukherjee triggered a controversy by sticking to the rule books and preparing neutral tracks for KKR. That was followed by Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming expressing his displeasure over the failure to read the Chepauk pitch over the last couple of seasons. “As a coach, as a team management, we always, you know, whatever the surface has been provided to us,…

-Subhayan Chakraborty in Mumbai All eyes were on local boy and captain Ajinkya Rahane as Kolkata Knight Riders practiced at Wankhede Stadium ahead of their third match in the IPL 2025 against Mumbai Indians. While MI have dominated the head-to-head, winning 23 times and losing just thrice to KKR, it will be intriguing to see how the defending champions fare against the five-time winners. KKR have several focal points as they aim to maintain their winning momentum after defeating Rajasthan Royals in their last encounter in Guwahati. Will Sunil Narine play after missing the previous game due to illness? Will…