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SA-W vs IND-W: “We could not capitalise as a batting unit” – Smriti Mandhana after 1st T20I loss

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Smriti Mandhana (PC: BCCI Women/X) India Women put up 157/7 in 20 overs against South Africa Women on April 17 in the first of the five-match T20I series, but the Proteas chased it down comfortably with six wickets in hand in Durban. Reflecting on the performance during the post-match presentation, Smriti Mandhana admitted that while the team started well with the bat, they could not function as a unit. “We definitely started well with the bat. Shafali Verma really got going. We could not capitalise as a batting unit,” she said, pointing out that the early momentum was not converted into a bigger total. She also highlighted the team’s fighting spirit with the ball despite losing control at one stage. “Even though we lost our way in the bowling innings, we came back really well to take this match to the last over, speaks a lot about the players,” she added, emphasising the positives from the comeback effort. Looking ahead, she stressed that the team would take lessons from the ma...
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Gill Outshines Green as GT Seal Last-Over Win Against KKR

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Shubman Gill (PC-BCCI) Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) struggles continued as they remained winless, despite posting 180 after opting to bat first. Gujarat Titans (GT) chased it down in the final over, with Shubman Gill’s 86 (50 balls) leading the way to seal a five-wicket win. KKR Falter Early KKR’s troubles began with team selection, as Tim Seifert opened alongside Ajinkya Rahane – a move that misfired instantly. Rahane fell for a golden duck to Mohammed Siraj, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi followed soon after, leaving the innings in disarray. Kagiso Rabada removed Seifert at a crucial juncture, and by the end of the powerplay, KKR were three down. Forced into recovery mode, they lost momentum early. GT Bowlers Dominate GT’s bowlers operated with precision, striking regularly to deny KKR any partnerships. Rabada led the charge with three key wickets, while Siraj and Ashok Sharma chipped in with two each. Rashid Khan was carted around by Cameron Green, but with pressure building once...
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Air Shreyas… pure magic

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Shreyas Iyer pouched a blinder v MI. Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai  It’s a bird… It’s a plane… It’s Shreyas Iyer.  T20 cricket is raat gayi, baat gayi stuff. You watch it, enjoy it and forget it. Some actions transcend the stereotype and stay with you. Sheryas’ catch, assist actually, to dismiss Hardik Pandya produced the moment of magic in the Mumbai Indians versus Punjab Kings game at Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. The scoreboard read: Pandya c Bartlett b Jansen 14. Never mind. Neville Cardus deemed the scoreboard as an “ass” long ago.  Xavier Bartlett bowled a knuckleball to Pandya who slapped it towards long-on. It looked like he gave it enough power to clear the rope. Shreyas, though, sensed an opportunity. He started to run, dived back and was almost parallel to the ground when he caught the ball. He was in a limbo but still had the strength and the presence of mind to throw the ball back to Bartlett. Pandya was convinced and started to walk back to the pavilio...
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Singhs are king at Wankhede

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MI VS PBKS (PC- BCCI) In the end, Punjab Kings made short work of a victory target of 196. Arshdeep Singh set it up for them, and Prabhsimran Singh and Shreyas Iyer did the rest. They won by 7 wickets with 21 balls to spare. MI suffered their fourth straight defeat and went deeper into the mire Bend it like Arshdeep Arshdeep came into this game with an economy rate of 10.5 and just two wickets over the first four matches in this IPL. At Wankhede Stadium, he found his swing. In fact, he moved the ball in the air and off the deck. His first over was a thing of beauty. Ryan Rickelton was a sitting duck. The first ball shaped away and beat the outside edge. A delivery later, the MI opener was beaten again by late swing. Arshdeep bowled fuller and beat the outside edge again. Rickelton was struggling to lay a bat to ball. In his next over, Arshdeep put the southpaw out of his misery to reach 100 IPL wickets. Off the next ball, he accounted for Suryakumar Yadav, moving it away from...
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“She is calm under pressure, knows where to hit the ball”: Claire Terblanche on Kayla Reyneke; Calls India Series a Big Test

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Kayla Reyneke with Clair Terblanche (PC: Kayla Reyneke Insta) A crucial five-match T20I series between India Women and South Africa Women is all set to begin on April 17 in South Africa. The series is going to be a great opportunity for both sides as a part of their preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup in June-July in England. However, some significant names are missing from both squads, but from the Proteas Women’s perspective, eyes will be on the 20-year-old young sensation, Kayla Reyneke. The way this young all-rounder has begun her international career, it’s been a dream one. Her T20I debut against Pakistan – won the game by hitting a six off the last ball when they needed two runs. Then, her epic ODI debut against New Zealand – won the game again by hitting a six off the last ball when they needed six to win the game. That’s the composure and calmness a 20-year-old has already shown in her nine-game international career, and that speaks volumes about her character and t...
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RCB vs LSG: “Idea was to take the game away from the opposition in the powerplay” – Virat Kohli

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Virat Kohli (PC: IPL/BCCI) Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star batter Virat Kohli has climbed to the top of the Orange Cap leaderboard after his 49-run knock against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 16. Despite a few injury concerns, Kohli showed better control and intent compared to his previous outing (vs MI), which guided RCB to the top of the points table. Against LSG at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli looked in charge right from the start. He reached 40 runs off just 20 balls, putting Lucknow under pressure in the powerplay. Though his scoring dipped slightly later, he remained the highest scorer for his team with 49 off 34 balls at a strike rate of 144.11. He missed his half-century but played a crucial role in setting up the chase. After his innings, the 37-year-old opened up about his health and said, “Much better than the last game, still not 100%, knee was sore last game, even health wise I was under the weather for the last four five days, happy with my intensity...
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The ever-evolving Bhuvneshwar continues to shine in the demanding IPL landscape

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  Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Image: BCCI/IPL Bhuvneshwar Kumar isn’t the quintessential fast bowler that you would have imagined while growing up. The one who runs from a long run-up with fluid and long strides. And then that wreaking finish at the other end with those deadly offerings. Yet, in 2026, where modern-day pacers are finding it increasingly difficult to survive in the world of T20 cricket, his bowling can be called as the high-quality machine that rarely fails to deliver. It is also a high-quality machine that upgrades its spare parts all the time. Consider this – Over a period of time, Bhuvneshwar’s traits to move the ball have been praised. Yet, he has also chiseled out a path to survive by pounding it on a back of a length. Just to give credence to that point, in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru-Lucknow Super Giants fixture, at least five of Bhuvneshwar’s deliveries were on short of a length or short in his over 2 and 3. That Bhuvneshwar can mix it up with reverse-swingi...
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