Cricket now

Rinku Singh (PC: IPL/BCCI) Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) vice-captain Rinku Singh produced another match-winning performance to guide his side to a dramatic Super Over win against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on April 26. Batting first, Kolkata were struggling at 93/7 when Rinku took charge and smashed an unbeaten 83 off 51 balls. His knock included seven boundaries and five sixes at a strike rate of 162.74. His four consecutive sixes in the final over against Digvesh Rathi helped KKR post a competitive 155/7. During the post-match presentation, Player of the Match Rinku spoke about his mindset in pressure situations. “My mindset is usually to see how to play the game (because I usually walk in after 4-5 wickets have fallen), and I think about how to take the game deep,” Rinku said. “Wickets had fallen (tonight), so I wanted to take singles, doubles and then capitalise on the loose balls. Just found out late that a spinner would bowl the 20th over.” Rinku’s impact was not...

Images: BCCI/IPL Why has the IPL worked for all these years? Why have fans kept flocking back to the stadiums to support the brand? What explains the continued involvement of the sponsors? The one point non-negotiable has been the quality of cricket on offer. The sport has been at the core and that’s been a real constant for each of the 18 seasons between 2008-2025. In 2026 things have started to change. All of a sudden it is only and only about batters. Yesterday, 1000 runs were scored in 40 overs, with 265 and 228 being chased down quite comfortably. Hundreds from KL Rahul and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi went in vain. No total is safe and the bowlers have been reduced to bystanders who are there to feed balls to the batters to hit sixes and fours. The truth is this is a violation of the sport as we know it. It doesn’t, and can’t work in the long run. Except for a small section of fans who don’t understand the sport, people can’t keep backing this unidimensional and robotic transformati...

Deepti Sharma (PC: BCCI) Deepti Sharma is back in form, and so are India Women, as they finally opened their account in the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa. The visitors registered a 14-run win over the home side in Johannesburg, courtesy of an all-round performance from the experienced all-rounder. Just like the previous three games, South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt once again won the toss and opted to bowl first. However, India made several changes, resting vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, Arundhati Reddy, and Shreyanka Patil, while bringing in Anushka Sharma, Kranti Gaud, and N. Shree Charani into the playing XI. In the absence of Mandhana, Anushka was given the opportunity to open alongside Shafali Verma. The pair added a decent 25-run stand before Shafali was dismissed for nine. Anushka looked positive in the powerplay, scoring 27 off 18. At a crucial stage, Jemimah Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur stitched together a vital 55-run partnership. Jemim...

Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Rajasthan Royals by 5 wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Despite RR putting up a target of 228, powered by a Vaibhav Sooryavanshi century, the SRH batters chased it down in no time.  Here are some of the highlights from the match:   Vaibhav dominates Powerplay Vaibhav Sooryavanshi put up a breathtaking show in the powerplay with a mix of raw power and sharp game awareness. The 15-year-old raced to a stunning half-century in just 15 balls. Vaibhav’s boundaries put the opposition under pressure and set up a score of 77 on the scoreboard at the end of the powerplay. Despite being dropped by Aniket Varma, he capitalised fully, etching his name in history as the youngest player (15 years) to reach 1000 T20 runs. He races to his ton in 36 balls.  Pat Cummins returns as SRH Captain SRH captain Pat Cummins was sidelined due to injury which had kept him away from competitive cricket for approximately four months. He missed the first...

RCB won their fourth game at home this season. (PC: BCCI) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar was pleased with the execution of the bowlers, as well as the way Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli batted to take the team home in a high-scoring affair against the Gujarat Titans (GT) on Friday in Bengaluru. After losing the toss, GT openers Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill forged a hundred-run partnership. The former smashed a timely century. However, RCB pulled things back slightly in the last five overs. “Yeah, the way things went, as I said, I think we bowled according to our plans and the execution was absolutely spot on,” Patidar said in the post-match presentation ceremony. “The way they bowled the yorkers was really good, and that’s why we managed to restrict them to around 200–205. That’s it.” Playing his first game, Jacob Bethell, replacing Phil Salt, was dismissed early inside the powerplay. Padikkal and Kohli then formed a match-winning partnership, scoring...

Sanju Samson (L) and MS Dhoni (R). (PC: Screengrab/CSK) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey has hinted that whenever MS Dhoni makes a comeback, Sanju Samson will have to give up his wicketkeeping duties. Dhoni is yet to play a game in the ongoing IPL 2026. The former CSK captain picked up a calf injury before the start of the season, which ruled him out for two weeks. However, it has now been close to a month, and CSK’s most seasoned player still hasn’t taken the field. His return was highly anticipated against the Mumbai Indians (MI), but that didn’t happen. Hussey said that Dhoni is building his workload to ensure there is no discomfort while running between the wickets. “He’s progressing really well. I know he’s pushing hard to return as soon as possible, and the fans are eager to see MS Dhoni back on the field. We’re hopeful it could be in the next few games, but he needs to be close to 100% to give his best. He’s been batting well in the nets and looks in...