Jacob Bethell scored 280 runs in eight T20 World Cup innings at a strike rate above 150. RCB wants him in their XI. The overseas rule allows four players. Salt, David, and Shepherd are already there. Bethell is the fifth option for the four slots. That’s the entire debate in three sentences. It isn’t a […]
Jacob Bethell scored 280 runs in eight T20 World Cup innings at a strike rate above 150. RCB wants him in their XI. The overseas rule allows four players. Salt, David, and Shepherd are already there. Bethell is the fifth option for the four slots. That’s the entire debate in three sentences. It isn’t a […]
The Tanzid Hasan maiden ODI century answered a question that had followed the young opener since his debut: could he translate his aggressive white-ball talent into a match-defining ODI innings? Against Pakistan during the Pakistan tour of Bangladesh, Tanzid Hasan delivered that answer with a commanding hundred that powered Bangladesh to a crucial series victory. […]
Phil Salt scored 435 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 182 with four half-centuries in KKR’s title-winning campaign. Shreyas Iyer scored 351 runs in 14 innings at 146.86 with two fifties while captaining the side. KKR released both. Anil Kumble’s response was direct; removing a title-winning captain and a 182-strike-rate opener simultaneously […]
Cummins didn’t just defend Test cricket. He warned that the loyalty holding it together has limits. An Australian captain admitting players are already turning down franchise deals to honour national duty, but that this sacrifice may not last, is a different kind of statement than the usual honour-and-legacy defence. Cummins isn’t predicting a crisis. He’s […]
The Rajasthan Royals have the squad to reach the playoffs. Whether they have the clarity to win from there is a different question. Riyan Parag takes over the captaincy from a position that needs proving rather than defending. Shimron Hetmyer is in the best hitting form of his career. Kumar Sangakkara is back as head […]
Two batters. Same franchise. Same 360 matches compared. Suryakumar Yadav has 9,459 runs at a strike rate of 152.73 and an average of 35.16. Rohit Sharma has 9,564 runs at 133.51 and an average of 31.88. The runs are almost identical. The strike rate gap is not. That 19-point difference in strike rate across 360 […]
Defending a title requires starting well. RCB’s plan for a strong start was built around two specific bowling options, Nuwan Thushara’s slingy variation in the death overs and Josh Hazlewood‘s new ball control through the powerplay. Thushara is likely unavailable before the tournament has even started. Hazlewood has injury concerns around the early matches. RCB […]
The pitch is ready. The players are ready. The 35,000 fans who bought tickets within minutes of them going on sale are ready. Entry points still have workers around them. Concourses have temporary barriers where permanent structures should be. Walkways carry visible signs of ongoing work. M Chinnaswamy Stadium will host RCB versus SRH tonight, […]
Two wicketkeepers. One XI. This sounds like a problem, but it isn’t. It’s actually the most interesting selection advantage CSK has heading into this season. Dhoni keeps wicket and bats at seven in a finishing role. Samson bats at three or four and doesn’t keep at all—both play. Neither compromises the other. The debate about […]
Pat Cummins leads the bowling. Travis Head destroys power plays. Heinrich Klaasen finishes innings. Liam Livingstone fills whatever gap the match creates. That’s four overseas slots covering four separate functions without overlap or waste. SRH’s overseas selection isn’t built around the biggest names available; it’s built around having the right answer for every phase of […]
There’s a specific kind of controversy that appears in almost every IPL season, the boundary catch, where the fielder grabs the ball, throws it up, steps over the rope, comes back, and claims the dismissal. Half the stadium cheers. The other half argues. Third umpire reviews take three minutes. The batter doesn’t know whether to […]