Pakistan’s spin bowling problem in white ball cricket used to be the same every series: predictable, readable, expensive after over ten. Then he arrived with a googly that doesn’t look like a googly, a carrom ball that does something different every time, and the composure to bowl both deliveries in the 19th over of a […]
Pakistan’s spin bowling problem in white ball cricket used to be the same every series: predictable, readable, expensive after over ten. Then he arrived with a googly that doesn’t look like a googly, a carrom ball that does something different every time, and the composure to bowl both deliveries in the 19th over of a […]
Sunrisers Hyderabad won the IPL once, in 2016, and came close several times after. They’ve had individual greats across every era. Warner with the bat. Bhuvneshwar with the new ball. Rashid with the spin. What they never had was all of them in the same XI at the same peak. This all-time selection fixes that. […]
Mitchell Starc, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Pathum Nissanka. That’s a strong four if all of them are available and in form. The problem is that one of them is already confirmed missing for the early phase, and another had a modest IPL 2025. Delhi Capitals have the right overseas combination on paper. Whether it functions […]
The captains’ meeting before an IPL season is usually procedural. This one wasn’t. Ball replacement restrictions in the second innings. The Impact Player rule is getting another layer of complexity. A two-bouncer allowance per over. Stricter enforcement of bat checks and fielding restrictions. Any one of those changes demands a tactical rethink. All four together […]
Axar Patel said it out loud. The Impact Player rule hurts players like him. Not because he isn’t good enough, he is. Because the rule removes the reason teams need him. An all-rounder exists to cover two departments simultaneously. The Impact Player rule lets teams cover both departments sequentially through substitution instead. Why pick someone […]
Chennai Super Kings built five IPL titles on one thing: knowing exactly who does what and when. Fixed roles. Predictable outputs. Experienced players who had been in every pressure situation before and knew how to handle it. That system is gone. Sanju Samson is in the top order, adding the aggression they lacked. Young players […]
Nathan Ellis is the one bowler in the Chennai Super Kings’ squad who walks to the top of his mark in the 18th over without needing a plan adjusted for the situation. The yorker is his plan. The slower ball is his contingency. The wrist position that produces both from the same delivery stride is […]
Sunrisers Hyderabad have made a decision with their squad construction, and it is an honest one; they are built to outscore opponents rather than outbowl them. Abhishek Sharma attacks at the top. Ishan Kishan anchors or accelerates depending on the match situation. The middle order adds layers of hitting depth that most IPL squads cannot […]
Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United enter this season carrying different kinds of uncertainty. Zalmi revolves around one player, Babar Azam, who managed only 288 runs last season, well below the standard his anchoring role demands. United’s uncertainty is structural, a rebuilt batting lineup with unclear role distribution, and a spin department lacking match rhythm heading […]
Australia’s spin selection for the Women’s T20WC is not a settled conversation, and Alana King is the reason it stays open. Sophie Molineux bowls left arm and contributes with the bat. Georgia Wareham takes wickets and provides batting depth. King takes wickets and does little else. In a format where all-round value increasingly drives squad […]
Kolkata Knight Riders have won three IPL titles, 2012, 2014, and 2024, across different eras with different players and different tactical identities. Building one XI from every player who has worn the purple jersey requires choosing which version of KKR produces the most complete combination rather than simply stacking the biggest names. The answer is […]