Ayush Mhatre’s injury doesn’t just remove a batter from Chennai Super Kings’ lineup. It removes the one player whose specific brief was to disrupt bowling attacks inside the first six overs, before the field spreads and boundaries become harder to find. Replacing runs in the middle order is a different problem from replacing powerplay intent […]
Ayush Mhatre’s injury doesn’t just remove a batter from Chennai Super Kings’ lineup. It removes the one player whose specific brief was to disrupt bowling attacks inside the first six overs, before the field spreads and boundaries become harder to find. Replacing runs in the middle order is a different problem from replacing powerplay intent […]
For years, the template was fixed. Bumrah at the death, Bumrah in the 19th over, Bumrah when the match is on the line, and everything else has failed. That template produced results, but it also left the most dangerous bowler in the format sitting on the boundary rope while opposition openers settled into their rhythm […]
The gap is 80 strike rate points. Rishabh Pant sits at 132.43 from seven innings this season. Rajat Patidar is at 212.96. Shreyas Iyer is at 182.45. Those numbers don’t just reflect different levels of form. They represent three completely different approaches to captain-batting arriving in the same tournament at the same time. Pant sees […]
CSK haven’t announced MS Dhoni’s return. They haven’t needed to. Every selection call since his absence has pointed in one direction. The backup wicketkeeper slot, the reshuffled batting order, the redistribution of finishing responsibility across the middle order none of these changes read like reactive squad management. They read like preparation. When a franchise with […]
Akeal Hosein walked off the Wankhede field with figures most spinners only dream of in T20 cricket. Four wickets for 17 runs. He didn’t just take wickets against the Mumbai Indians. He dismantled their batting structure from the first over through to the middle overs, controlling the powerplay with the new ball, deceiving both right-handed […]
Five defeats. Five different opponents, five different venues, and five different phases of the Mumbai Indians’ history. The same story every time. The power play unravels. The middle order fails to stabilise. The lower order scrambles for runs that are already too far away. MI have won five IPL titles and produced some of the […]
The argument isn’t complicated. Nicholas Pooran is one of the most destructive T20 batters in the world. He destroys spin. He accelerates against pace. He changes match situations within three or four overs of taking guard. LSG have all of that available and keep sending him out when the game is already partially decided, the […]
Faf du Plessis didn’t mince his words. Jadeja can bat. Nobody questions that. The problem isn’t the ability; it’s when he decides to use it. Against Lucknow Super Giants, Jadeja walked in under pressure and came out with 43 off 29 balls. That looks fine on a scorecard. Watch the breakdown over and over, and […]
Gujarat Titans arrive at Chinnaswamy with a bowling attack capable of competing anywhere in this tournament. Their batting order is a different matter entirely. Glenn Phillips is being asked to both stabilise and finish, which means he’s doing neither job properly. Washington Sundar hasn’t consistently handled pressure phases against spin. And the lower order beyond […]
Five players ruled out. Three franchises are reshuffling combinations mid-tournament. The IPL injury wave of 2026 isn’t just a squad management story; it’s actively changing how matches are being played and won. Chennai Super Kings have lost both a key batter and their most flexible powerplay bowler. Sunrisers Hyderabad have burned through replacement signings before […]