Author: Vaibhav Tripathi

An all-round effort from Gujarat Titans helped them overcome Mumbai Indians to secure two points in front of their fans at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium. Defending 196, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna delivered outstanding performances with the ball, playing a crucial role in GT’s successful defence. Siraj set the tone with an excellent spell in the Powerplay. Although he was hit for two consecutive fours at the start, his scrambled seam delivery cut Rohit Sharma in half, castling the MI opener. In the same spell, Siraj dismissed the other opener, Ryan Rickelton. Despite early setbacks, Tilak Varma came out all…

A sea of yellow flooded Chepauk, waving flags, blowing whistles, and roaring with hope, but by the end of the night, it was a sea of stunned silence. Hearts sank as Royal Challengers Bengaluru shattered a 17-season-long curse, breaching the fortress that had so often been Chennai Super Kings’ unshakable stronghold. For CSK fans, watching the fortress fall is painful; watching it crumble so easily is heartbreaking. But the wounds ran deeper than just the loss. Sloppy fielding turned hope into helplessness. Rajat Patidar, RCB’s top run-scorer, was handed not one, not two, but three lifelines, each dropped catch- a…

The Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ended their 17-year-long losing streak at Chepauk with a thumping 50-run win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their IPL match on Friday. What initially seemed like an uphill battle turned into a dominant performance as RCB posted an impressive total of 196/7. Their bowlers then stepped up brilliantly to defend the target, with the pacers doing most of the damage through precise execution, rather than the spinners. When the required run rate was climbing to 15 runs per over, the CSK players tried to find gaps and rotate the strike. Even with…

When Noor Ahmad was bought for INR 10 crore in the auction, it raised quite a few eyebrows. Chennai Super Kings had never splurged this heavily on an overseas wrist spinner in their history. However, it took just two outings for Noor to justify his price tag. He grabbed four wickets in a high-stakes clash against Mumbai Indians, earning the Man of the Match award, and followed it up with three crucial wickets against the formidable batting lineup of Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB got off to a flying start, thanks to a quickfire innings by Phil Salt. With Salt going…

Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, MA Chidambaram Stadium, 7:30 PM What to expect Either a one-sided affair or a nail-biting encounter, this has been the trend over the years when it comes to matches between the two teams. If the Chepauk pitch behaves the way it did in the season opener, a high-scoring game seems unlikely. Even for RCB’s strong batting lineup, it won’t be easy against CSK’s quality spin trio of Noor Ahmad, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin. More than anything, this contest is about how RCB counters CSK’s spin threat. Against KKR, Phil Salt and Virat…

In the IPL, the pressure on players, especially overseas ones, is immense. If a player fails in one game and the team loses, calls for their exclusion often follow. One poor outing can quickly turn a player into the subject of widespread criticism. In the opening match of this year’s IPL season between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Quinton de Kock fell cheaply, and KKR suffered defeat in front of their home crowd at Eden Gardens. Ahead of their second game, many fans demanded De Kock be dropped. With options like Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Luvnith Sisodia…

Riding on a well-crafted and unbeaten knock of 97 from Quinton de Kock and a combined effort from the bowlers, Kolkata Knight Riders secured their first win of the season. They beat Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets in a low-scoring match on a tricky pitch in Guwahati. The Royals were going nicely at one point but the shot selection of some of the batters led to a collapse, triggered by the spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali, from which the Royals could never recover. With a modest total of 152, RR hoped their own spin pair of Wanindu…

Having lost their opening games of the season, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders will be eager to secure their first win when the two former champions face off at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Wednesday, 26 March. Riyan Parag will continue to lead the Royals, with Sanju Samson still recovering from a finger injury. The previous game was a forgettable outing for Parag as captain, and he will be keen to bounce back both with the bat and as a leader by executing his plans on a ground where he has played most of his cricket. No…

Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Barsapara Cricket Stadium- 7:30 PM What to expect An intense affair awaits. Both teams have lost their first games of the season, and they’ll be eager to secure two points from this clash. The spotlight will be on the battle between RR’s batters and KKR’s spinners. In their previous outing, RR’s bowlers leaked runs, leaving the batters with too much to chase despite their valiant efforts. Bowling remains RR’s weaker suit, and they must tighten up to avoid another high-scoring setback. This is where Riyan Parag’s role as captain becomes important. He is young,…

On a flat pitch in Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals’ decision to bowl first backfired as Ishan Kishan’s sensational 106, Travis Head’s blistering 67 and valuable cameos from Nitish Kumar Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen propelled Sunrisers Hyderabad to an imposing 286/6. The total proved more than enough, as SRH clinched an authoritative 44-run victory in what was a high-scoring encounter. By the halfway mark, the outcome seemed inevitable. Chasing the highest total in the IPL history was always going to be a monumental task for RR’s relatively inexperienced batting line-up. Despite a valiant fight, the target was simply out of reach. After…