Cricket now

Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan (Image: BCCI/IPL) Former India cricketer Suresh Raina heaped praise on Gujarat Titans’ (GT) opening pair of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan for their outstanding partnership in IPL 2026. Raina called them the greatest batting pair in IPL history. The pair has once again been the backbone of GT’s batting line-up which gave the team solid starts throughout the tournament. “Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan are the finest batting pair in the history of TATA IPL,” Raina said on JioHotstar. “In 46 innings together, they have put up 21 partnerships of 50 runs or more.” Sudharsan (638) and Gill (616) have scored a combined 1254 runs at the top of the order. The duo recently completed their 10 th century partnership in T20 cricket. Their consistent performance up top helped GT  finish in the second place in the points table with nine wins from 14 matches. Raina also compared their partnership with legendary IPL pairs like Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de V...

In a remarkable initiative promoting social inclusion and joy through sports, around 1,600 underprivileged and specially-abled children and individuals from vulnerable communities were brought together to witness the thrilling IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals at Eden Gardens on May 24 2026. The initiative aimed to ensure that the excitement and magic of live sporting experiences reached children and young individuals who often remain excluded from such opportunities. Beneficiaries included orphans, autistic children, specially-abled children, visually impaired individuals, rescued survivors of sexual trafficking, and children from marginalized backgrounds. The initiative was made possible with the generous support of Kolkata Knight Riders, which extended approximately 1,600 match tickets, helping transform a dream into reality for hundreds of children. Several leading NGOs and social organizations partnered in the initiative, including Child In Need Instit...

Arjun Tendulkar. Image :X I did a piece yesterday on Arjun Tendulkar and tried to talk about the burden of the surname. As expected, it polarised opinion. While a lot of people – yes, a significant number – empathised with Arjun, there were many who continued with the nepotism charge and said he was given all the facilities to succeed and yet hasn’t been able to achieve much. They argue that he is privileged and therefore deserves no empathy. My point is simple. Arjun hasn’t done anything to deserve being trolled either. He was picked up by LSG and remained on the bench for the entire season. Ask anyone in the franchise and they will tell you he trained diligently, turned up on time for every practice session, was a perfect teammate and did everything that was asked of him. To be a Tendulkar and sit on the bench couldn’t have been easy. And yet, in his mind, he was Arjun and not Arjun Tendulkar – just another cricketer waiting for his opportunity. He was finally given an opportunit...

Heartbreak for KKR Just 3.4 overs into the first innings, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) knew they were out of the playoff race, as Rajasthan Royals had sealed a convincing 30-run win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Though the team’s shoulders did not drop, KKR head coach Abhishek Nayar was visibly disappointed during an in-game interview. “We didn’t play our best cricket in the initial matches. I am proud of the boys and how they came back in the second half. We knew it wasn’t in our hands, and we will continue to control the controllables,” Nayar told the host broadcaster. Regardless of the outcome of the RR game, KKR’s bowlers put in a commendable effort to restrict Delhi Capitals to 203 on what looked like a beautiful batting track at Eden Gardens. KL Rahul caps off a stellar season KL Rahul was mighty impressive for Delhi Capitals throughout the season, finishing with 593 runs at a strike rate of 174.41. Not only was Rahul the face of DC’s batting, but he also impro...

  Image :X Time always seems to fly. As yours truly pens down those words,  we are already into the fifth month of 2026. Once again it feels as if the clock chugs along akin to a non-stop train. But even if the 1990s decade has turned into 2000s, 2010s and 2020s, certain things seem to remain the same. One of them has to be Shreyas Iyer’s deep reservoirs of mental strength. And that was on full display when Punjab Kings took on Lucknow Super Giants in a must-win IPL game in Lucknow. At 22 for 2, in a chase of 197, PBKS desperately needed a partnership of substance. Shreyas and Prabhsimran Singh didn’t just prop up the innings but also shared a game-breaking alliance as PBKS registered a win of significance. It was a significant victory as PBKS had lost six in a row after a bright start. And if PBKS had lost the aforesaid game, they would have bowed out of the tournament. Moreover, it was an important innings from Iyer’s point of view too. He had been dism...

  Arjun Tendulkar was picked up by Lucknow Super Giants ahead of IPL 2026. Image :X Soon after Arjun Tendulkar was picked up by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), social media went after him. Arjun was trolled, as is the norm these days, and some people went on to accuse him of nepotism. Frankly, Arjun wasn’t involved in the decision-making. Yes, he is a Tendulkar, but that is not something he can do anything about. He is a normal, hard-working cricketer like many others who have played domestic cricket and enrolled themselves in the IPL auction. If a franchise picked him, it is his good fortune. But there is no way he was involved in the decision-making. And if LSG picked him for brand building, I think it was a very prudent call, for the IPL is a business and every brand is entitled to leverage opportunities that come its way. Arjun, needless to say, will forever have to carry the burden of his surname. He will always be compared with his legendary father and be accused of nepotism....

Shreyas Iyer_LSG vs PBKS (PC: BCCI) Punjab Kings (PBKS) registered a seven-wicket victory in a must-win clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on Saturday to keep themselves alive in the IPL 2026 playoff race. With this win, PBKS finally returned to winning ways after six consecutive losses, and now, with 15 points, they are still in contention for the final playoff spot. Skipper Shreyas Iyer led from the front, registering his maiden IPL century (unbeaten 101 off 51) and guiding his team to victory as they chased down the 197-run target with two overs to spare. Apart from Shreyas, Prabhsimran Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal were among the key performers. Now, PBKS will keep a close eye on the upcoming Mumbai Indians (MI) versus Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Delhi Capitals (DC) matches on Sunday in Mumbai and Kolkata, respectively. They need those results to go in their favour to seal a playoff berth. Pant fails, but Inglis, Badoni and Samad fight...