Author: Subhayan Chakraborty

Punjab Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, as fiery knocks from Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh helped the visitors end their four-match losing streak. In was a record-breaking outing in Kolkata, with Punjab chasing 262 runs, the most-ever in any T20 match, with eight balls in hand. The match also witnessed most sixes (42) being hit in a T20 game. Narine, Salt light it up again Sunil Narine and Phil Salt enjoyed yet another show-stealing outing as the duo stitched a 138-run opening partnership, the highest of the season. They stuck to their template of dominating…

A hot and humid Kolkata is set to host Punjab Kings as Kolkata Knight Riders look to continue their rich run of form against the visitors, who are staring at their fifth consecutive defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. KKR have had sheer dominance over Punjab with 21 wins in 32 matches played between the two sides. There have been lots of smiles in the KKR camp since the return of their former captain Gautam Gambhir as team mentor. Gambhir’s magic formula looks to be working with the team, sitting pretty on second with five wins in seven.…

The stellar form of Shivam Dube, particularly evident in his exploits with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2024, cannot be ignored. His performances present a compelling argument for his inclusion in India’s T20 World Cup squad, despite him not bowling a single delivery for CSK from 2023. When Dube broke into the scene, he was seen as a back-up for Hardik Pandya, thanks to his secondary skill which is gentle medium-pace. However, after joining CSK in 2022, Dube has bowled just two overs for the franchise. When he made his India debut in November 2019, opponents quickly found a…

Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered their seventh defeat in eight matches in the Indian Premier League 2024, falling narrowly by one run to Kolkata Knight Riders. The story remains consistent for RCB, with conceding plenty of runs becoming a recurring pattern as they gave away 222 runs against KKR, following their record-setting 287 runs conceded to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous match. The introduction of the Impact Player rule, combined with factors like smaller boundaries and a flat pitch at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, has posed challenges for RCB, which they have struggled to address, unlike some other teams in the tournament.…

India veteran Dinesh Karthik has thrown his hat in the ring for the T20 World Cup selection. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is set to convene either on April 26 or 27 to pick the 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup. “At this stage in my life, it would be the greatest feeling to represent India. I’m 100 per cent ready. I’ll do everything I can to be on that flight to the T20 World Cup,” said the RCB wicketkeeper-batter on Saturday, on the eve of the KKR match. “I have complete faith in the three best people in…

From finding himself in the dark in 2020 to emerging as one of India’s leading spinners in 2024, Kuldeep Yadav has been a revelation, particularly in overcoming the rough phase he experienced four-five years ago. Kuldeep has been one of the biggest positives from this year’s IPL, with an eye to the upcoming T20 World Cup. He is expected to spearhead India’s spin department in the showpiece event, thanks to the phenomenal run of form the chinaman bowler has showcase across formats over the last year or so. Kuldeep reached cloud nine when everything was rosy for him from 2017…

The Impact Player Rule in the Indian Premier League has ignited serious debate, particularly surrounding its potential impact on the development of all-rounders in Indian cricket. The rule, which was introduced in the 2023 season, allows IPL teams to substitute a player – whether a batter or a bowler – during their innings depending on the match situation. One of the critical issues brought to the forefront by this rule is the specialised use of players like Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Tilak Verma, Vijay Shankar among many others. Despite being considered a seam-bowling all-rounder in contention for the…

April 16 marks a bitter-sweet date for Sunil Narine. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) icon smashed his maiden T20 century in his 503rd appearance in the shortest format of the game, and his 168th in the Indian Premier League (IPL), on Tuesday against the Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens. Interestingly, 11 years ago on the same date, Narine had taken a stellar hat-trick against the then Kings XI Punjab. However, despite his efforts, Narine and KKR ended up losing on both occasions. Narine has been pivotal for KKR since debuting in 2012. His strike-rate of 164.84 is second only…

Rohit Sharma playfully sledged Dinesh Karthik during an IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday, suggesting that T20 World Cup selection was on the latter’s mind. “Dimaag mein chal raha hai World Cup (World Cup is on his mind),” Rohit quipped at Karthik. This holds true not just for Karthik, but for all wicketkeepers eyeing a berth. Understanding the context of Rohit’s comment is crucial. The T20 World Cup squad will be selected in the last week of April. Picking two wicketkeepers for the trip to the USA and Caribbean islands is one of the toughest…

There’s something magical about MS Dhoni at the Wankhede Stadium. Fans cherish the iconic six that secured India’s 2011 World Cup victory, and on Sunday, Dhoni took us back in time by smashing a hat-trick of sixes off Hardik Pandya in the final over during Chennai Super Kings’ innings. It was a crucial boost for CSK in the marquee IPL encounter against Mumbai Indians. For the fans packed in MI’s home ground, however, it was sheer euphoria to witness the cricket legend hitting it out of the park at the age of 42. Reactions flooded in from around the world…