Cricket now

Virat Kohli (PC: IPL/BCCI) There are pretenders, there’s a nouveau star, and then there’s the master. No disrespect to Vaibhav S oo ryavanshi – the Orange Cap is richly deserved. He is undoubtedly a star for the future. For the moment, though, the stage still belongs to Virat Kohli. On a tricky Ahmedabad pitch, his masterclass in the final against Gujarat Titans (GT) secured a second successive IPL title for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) . Rajat Patidar, as captain, is now in elite company, rubbing shoulders with MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. He owes Kohli a thank you. After restricting GT to 155, RCB looked to be running away with the game through a 62-run opening partnership between Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer in just 4.3 overs. Then the wickets began to fall. A double-wicket over from Rashid Khan made things edgy for RCB. But Kohli was still there, and as long as he remained at the crease, his team appeared destined to win. Class never dies. RCB won by five wickets with 1...

  The T20 Mumbai League is set to get underway on June 1st at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, bringing top-tier local franchise cricket back to one of India’s most celebrated cricketing venues. The tournament was officially launched at an event in the city on May 30th, attended by several prominent names from Mumbai’s cricketing fraternity. Five marquee cricketers- Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Shardul Thakur, Ajinkya Rahane, and Sarfaraz Khan have been named as captains of their respective franchises for the season. All five players have represented Mumbai at the domestic level, alongside featuring for the Indian national team. Now, they will compete against each other as franchise rivals. Matches will be played across June, with the tournament running in the Twenty20 format. The competition is also expected to draw attention from IPL scouts, who are known to monitor domestic tournaments for emerging talent. The T20 Mumbai League is positioned as a significant a...

Shubman Gill ( Image: IPL/X) The debate around Virat Kohli being called the “King” and Shubman Gill being referred to as the “Prince” is an interesting cultural conversation in Indian cricket. At one level, it is harmless fan banter. At another, it reveals something deeper about how we Indians consume sport and construct sporting mythology. The truth is that the labels are both appropriate and premature. Why appropriate? Because sport, much like cinema in South India, thrives on archetypes. We do not merely watch athletes. We assign them roles in a larger narrative. Virat Kohli’s journey over the last decade has earned him a place that transcends statistics. He isn’t just a batsman who scores runs. He became the face of Indian cricket’s most aggressive and self-assured era. He walked into hostile overseas conditions, stared down opponents, demanded excellence and redefined fitness standards. Whether one likes him or not, Kohli changed the cult...

  Shubman Gill (PC:Shubman Gill/X) I have watched the highlights of Shubman Gill’s century against Rajasthan Royals a few times and think it was one of the best innings of this IPL. It was all class and, under pressure, a leadership statement from India’s red-ball and ODI captain. Another 700-run season, and it is clear that Gill has started to push the door open for a possible return to the national T20 team. While there is serious competition from Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and now Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, all of whom have done enough to stake their claims, ignoring Gill’s credentials is not going to be easy. He is India’s best all-format batter and has clearly turned things around in T20 cricket as well. Sport is always about performance, and that is what will decide Gill’s future in the format. At the moment, he seems to be batting at his best and has scored heavily this season. It does not seem as though he is in a hurry or trying to play too many shots at th...

GT and RCB will lock horns for the ultimate prize. (PC: BCCI) The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad is all set for a high-octane final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, as the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), take on Gujarat Titans (GT). With a host of stars set to face off against one another, here we look at the three key player match-ups that could determine which team lifts the trophy. Virat Kohli vs Jason Holder The towering GT all-rounder, Holder, is currently in spectacular form. He recently dismissed both Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal in Qualifier 1, while maintaining an economy rate of 9.75. Earlier in the season, during the league stage, he dismissed Kohli for just 43 in Bengaluru and produced a bowling masterclass to halt RCB’s momentum. In Qualifier 2 against the Rajasthan Royals (RR), he proved that his wicket-taking exploits against RCB were no fluke, as he successfully dismantled the opposition’s middle order with another...

West Indies_ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 (PC: Windies Cricket) The West Indies are currently preparing for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in June-July in England and Wales. After a disastrous start to the year in the shortest format of the game, the team have already won two back-to-back games in the ongoing tri-series involving Ireland and Pakistan. In the World Cup, they are placed in Group 2 alongside the hosts England, defending champions New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Scotland, and Ireland. They are also scheduled to play warm-up games against India and Australia. Squad: Hayley Matthews (c), Chinelle Henry, Deandra Dottin, Stafanie Taylor, Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack, Jannillea Glasgow, Jahzara Claxton, Qiana Joseph, Zaida James, Mandy Mangru, Shawnisha Hector Strength Hayley Matthews, the skipper, remains the biggest key factor behind West Indies’ success. In eight wins since the 2024 T20 World Cup, she has f...