Cricket now

Pant (Image: IPL) Twenty seven crores. The figure is enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine. That’s the kind of money Rishabh Pant is being paid each season for three years. Not even one per cent of the country earns this kind of money in an entire career and, in his case, he is making it in a matter of months. The first thing that needs to be said here is that Pant did not ask for the money. The market decided he was worth that much and his franchise decided to pay him accordingly. But still, it is Pant who has to deal with this burden. However much he may deny it, it seems too much to bear. More so when the season has not gone to plan, it becomes an albatross around his neck. Just the other day, I was reading Shaun Pollock questioning Pant’s captaincy. To be fair to Pollock, he is doing his job as a pundit. Two wins from nine matches and the captain will inevitably be questioned. That’s where the focus should turn to Rishabh. Is the burden of the price tag weighing him down? Is...

LSG vs RCB (PC-BCCI) Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) spoiled the party for defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Ekana Stadium on May 7. Rishabh Pant’s side registered a nine-run win to keep themselves alive in the playoff race, while RCB missed the chance to reclaim the top spot in the points table. In a rain-interrupted contest, LSG bowlers held their nerve after setting a 213-run target and sealed the deal in a last-over thriller. Marsh’s century sets the tone LSG posted 209/3 in the rain-curtailed 19-over clash, courtesy of a brilliant knock from star opener Mitchell Marsh. First, his 95-run opening stand with Arshin Kulkarni (17 off 24) laid the platform, and then a 70-run partnership with Nicholas Pooran for the second wicket kept the momentum going. Marsh reached his fifty in just 20 balls and eventually brought up his second IPL century in 49 deliveries. He was dismissed for 111 off 56, striking at 198.21. Pant’s blistering finish Several rain interruptio...

Krunal Pandya for RCB (Image: IPL) Royal Challengers Bengaluru spinner, Krunal Pandya has been gaining widespread appreciation for his crucial bowling spells – featuring bouncers as well, which make his bowling stand out for a spinner. Speaking on JioStar, Krunal Pandya opened up about his approach to bowling on smaller grounds like M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and Wankhede Stadium, where short boundaries can end up putting bowlers under immense pressure. Krunal acknowledged the challenges that come with bowling at venues like Chinnaswamy, where even slight errors can be punished severely. However, he does not let the dimension of the ground dominate his game play and mindset. “On grounds like Wankhede or Chinnaswamy, especially Chinnaswamy, the boundaries are small. So, I tell myself that if I bowl a bad ball, it will go for a six, whether it is 80 meters or 50 or 60 meters. Sometimes that creates a negative thought when the boundary is small. So, I take the boundary size out of my...

SKY and Hardik (PC: MI) The Mumbai Indians squad travelled to Raipur on Wednesday. Two big stars were conspicuous by their absence — Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav. The former missed MI’s previous match against Lucknow Super Giants and Surya was the stand-in captain. At the post-match press conference, Ryan Rickelton was asked about Hardik’s injury and he said that the skipper had back spasms. The opener expressed his ignorance over Hardik’s possible return date. As regards the all-rounder, there’s no update on his fitness yet and a question mark remains over his participation in the next game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur on May 10 as well. As for Surya, he wasn’t among the first batch of players to travel for the away fixture due to personal reasons. Under Surya, MI returned to winning ways, beating LSG by six wickets with eight balls to spare. The way they wrested the initiative during the second half of LSG’s innings, followed by a 143-run opening ...

Test Twenty (PC: Test Twenty/X) A week ago, it was announced that cricket’s newest format, Test Twenty, will feature mixed-gender games in its very first season. For me, this is a hugely welcome development for two reasons. First, it is trying to practise what it preaches. Men and women – or rather boys and girls – playing together from the very first season is a statement. Second, it helps build on the momentum the women’s game currently has in India. What I would like to see the organisers do is tap into the education domain in India and beyond. The biggest problem in Indian sport is the disconnect between sport and academia. This is the reality at the very top. The sports and education ministries do not engage with each other, and right down to schools, sport remains largely disconnected from education. There is a major opportunity here. There are hundreds of co-educational schools in India, and therein lies an opportunity for Test Twenty. Let me give an example to illustrate the...

BCCI has moved the final from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad. (PC: BCCI) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday announced the venues for the Indian Premier League 2026 playoffs. Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium will host the final. Qualifier 1 will be played in Dharamsala, while both Qualifier 2 and the Eliminator will take place in New Chandigarh. As per tradition, the final is played at the home ground of the defending champions. Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the trophy last year, which is why Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was expected to host the grand final. However, IPL stakeholders officially cited “operational and logistical considerations” for shifting the playoffs across multiple venues. Multiple reports also suggest that the recent controversy involving complimentary IPL tickets for Karnataka MLAs played a role behind the scenes. With the final now set for Ahmedabad, the Narendra Modi Stadium will host the title clash for the fourth time in the pas...