Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

Two seasoned strategists with a history of facing off both as teammates and rivals, MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir, meet once more, but this time in altered roles. Dhoni no longer captains Chennai Super Kings (CSK), while Gambhir doesn’t lead Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) either, but their influence remains unmatched. While it’s uncommon to attribute too much of a team’s success to mentors, when those figures are Dhoni and Gambhir, their impact cannot be overlooked. This dynamic will be at the forefront as CSK and KKR clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday, keeping the spotlight firmly…

When a team is chasing a big total, say in excess of 200, it has to make decisions that work in their favour. Of course, a lot of things have to fall in place for the decisions to work. But it all starts with decision-making. While much has been said about the final over by Anrich Nortje, which proved to be the difference between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, another incident stood out as odd. Rishabh Pant didn’t come out to bat until the third wicket fell. Having smashed two back-to-back half-centuries, Pant should’ve come in earlier. He has been…

It was a neck-and-neck contest until nearly the end of the Mumbai Indians’ innings. The difference was made in Anrich Nortje’s last over, which went for 32 runs, courtesy Romario Shepherd, who went berserk. That shifted the momentum entirely in the home team’s favour. Once they had 235, chances of Delhi Capitals getting there were bleak. MI finally got off the mark in their fourth match. DC went bottom of the table with one win from five. DC choke MI in middle overs Mumbai Indians got off to a strong start, courtesy openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, who capitalised…

Having suffered three consecutive defeats, it became imperative for Mumbai Indians players to step away from the field for a brief period to recharge in IPL 2024. The franchise arranged a short trip for the players in Jamnagar, which transformed into a delightful team bonding experience. Having played and lost three, the traditional slow starters of the cash-rich league must get their campaign rolling against a struggling Delhi Capitals, who have registered only one win in three games so far. Fans of Mumbai Indians were filled with excitement and relief on Friday on learning that Suryakumar Yadav, renowned as Mr.…

At a time when there is talk about Virat Kohli’s place in the T20 World Cup squad – whether he should play in June or not, given the scrutiny of his approach and strike-rate – a team like Gujarat Titans (GT) are playing with several sheet anchors. This approach has cost them a few runs and possibly a win in their last game, against the Punjab Kings on home turf in Ahmedabad on Thursday night. Although GT managed to put up a total of 199, which seemed likely to be enough given how well the Titans had defended targets in…

Catches win matches. This isn’t just a phrase, and it was proven once again on Thursday night in Ahmedabad. The two dropped catches, one by Azmatullah Omarzai and the other by Umesh Yadav on opposite sides of the square, proved to be very costly. However, the two uncapped batters, Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, lit up the world’s biggest stadium and pulled off a remarkable run-chase of 200 when their team was cornered at 111-5. Gill lights up Ahmedabad While Shubman Gill’s home ground is Mohali, statistics suggest that Ahmedabad has become his new home base. He seems…

In Lucknow, the partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow appeared unstoppable. At that moment, it seemed like Punjab Kings would secure victory over Lucknow Super Giants. However, fate had a different outcome in store. The turning point came in the 12th over when young pacer Mayank Yadav took the ball and delivered an exceptional spell, completely shifting the momentum in his team’s favour. He also exposed the vulnerabilities of PBKS’ middle order once more. Despite the promising start provided by the openers, PBKS faltered in their run chase, with the middle-order batters failing to deliver. While they may attribute…

On a pitch that offered plenty of assistance for the fast bowlers, where pacers from both teams dominated proceedings by taking a combined total of 10 wickets, you wouldn’t have wanted to bowl if you were a spinner, especially considering the short boundaries at the Wankhede Stadium. That’s where Yuzvendra Chahal stood out. He was the only spinner from both teams to take wickets. Such has been the impact of Chahal with the white ball in T20 cricket. Even if it’s a graveyard for spinners, he will find a way to create magic moments for his team. When Chahal was…

Probably for the first time in the history of the IPL, a toss presenter asked the crowd to ‘behave’ when they welcomed the home team captain with a chorus of boos. The fans who were booing Hardik Pandya turned quiet by the end of the game as Rajasthan Royals firstly dominated the proceedings with the ball, restricting Mumbai Indians to below 130. The impressive performance of RR’s new ball bowlers, showcasing both swing and seam bowling skills, along with the craftiness of Yuzvendra Chahal, left the five-time champions looking like newbies on their home turf. Subsequently, RR chased down the…

Seldom do we witness a pre-game discourse where the focus isn’t solely on the match itself, but also on the anticipation of the home crowd’s reception for their captain. Yet, such is the scenario unfolding this season. There’s a sense of suspense in the air in Mumbai as to how the 33,000-capacity crowd at Wankhede will welcome Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya when he walks into the middle for the coin toss. MI fans have been loyal to their team and the players who have led the esteemed franchise. However, a discernible shift has occurred since Pandya took over the…