Author: Sandip Pawar

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan talked about the IPL 2021 campaign of Royal Challengers Bangalore and how they were one of the favourites to win the title. RCB led by Virat Kohli, enjoyed a dream run in the now-suspended 14th edition of the league. They started the campaign with a victory over the defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening match. At the halfway stage of the league, RCB had managed to win five out of seven games and were looking primed to end their drought for the championship. However, the IPL had to be postponed due to the breach…

Indian cricketers will undergo an eight-day hard quarantine period in Mumbai before leaving on June 2 for a marathon tour of England. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 20-member squad for the tour of England on May 7. India will be playing the World Test Championship final against New Zealand from June 18 to June 22 at the Ageas Bowl, followed by a five-match Test series against England starting from August 4. Indian members will assemble on May 25 in a bio-bubble created by BCCI in India, where players will undergo eight days of hard…

South Africa’s Director of Cricket and former cricket captain, Graeme Smith, talked about IPL’s postponement while expressing his disappointment with certain players not speaking on the alarming Covid-19 situation during the season. Smith pointed out that few players were sitting on the fence and not making any noise regarding the terrifying Covid-19 situation in India while the IPL was going on but then the same players had refused to tour South Africa due to Covid-19 fears not long ago. South Africa has recorded far fewer cases than India, yet the Australian team had cancelled its trip, pointing at the health…

The second wave of the novel virus Covid-19 has gripped the entire country of India, with over 4 lakh cases reported on Wednesday alone. India women’s team cricketer Veda Krishnamurthy has seen her world turn upside down in a matter of three weeks. Her mother died last month on April 23, while her 45-year-old sister Vatsala Shivakumar passed away at a private hospital in Chikkamagaluru on Wednesday night. Krishnamurthy’s sister, Vatsala, who was admitted to a hospital in Chikkamagaluru, around 245 kilometres from Bengaluru, is understood to have shown signs of improvement earlier this week. Still, she succumbed to the…

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly revealed that the BCCI will create a window for the remainder of IPL 2021 ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup. The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League was suspended indefinitely on May 4 due to the breach in bio-secure bubble and multiple Covid-19 cases emerging from four IPL franchises. Covid-19 cases from both the host venues forced BCCI’s hand to postpone the tournament indefinitely. The board, however, is keen on completing the remainder of IPL 2021 later in the year. Ganguly on Thursday opened up on the situation of the IPL 2021 later this…

New Zealand pacer Trent Boult will be heading home instead of England, where his team will be preparing for the England Tests. After the Indian Premier League suspension, MI pacer Trent Boult will return home instead of England, where his teammates will be preparing for the England Tests and WTC Final. Going by a statement released by the New Zealand Cricket, the 31-year-old left-armer will be back with the team, possibly in time for the second Test match against England. However, NZC have assured that if that doesn’t happen, he will be back in time for the ICC World Test…

PCB has announced a scheme, which will allow women cricketers to get 12 months of paid leave while men cricketers can get 30 days’ rest. On Tuesday, the Pakistan Cricket Board has introduced a parental support policy for all the players that will allow them to get paid leave during the periods of pregnancy and upon the birth of a child. Under this policy, women can get up to 12 months of paid leave, with men allowed 30 days. All players can benefit from the policy immediately. Bismah Maroof is the first beneficiary who recently took an indefinite break to…

Amidst Covid-19 scare, BCCI considers moving the IPL to Mumbai as they look to minimise the risks. Shifting the Indian Premier League tournament to Mumbai is emerging as the serious option for BCCI after several Covid-19 positive cases were reported from different franchises on Monday. Kolkata Knight Riders’ two players, Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier, were found positive, while three staff members from Chennai Super Kings, including Lakshmipathy Balaji, had also tested positive. The cases were reported from two venues currently hosting the tournament – Ahmedabad and Delhi. If things go as planned, Mumbai could be hosting the tournament from…

Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul has been hospitalised after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis and will have to undergo surgery. The Indian Premier League franchise, Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul has flown to Mumbai for surgery and further treatment after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis, which could keep him out of action for the foreseeable future. Rahul was off the field for a part of the Punjab Kings’ game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Rahul had complained of severe abdomen pain on Saturday night, and after not responding to medication, he was taken to the emergency room for further tests. On…

 It was debated that the event should be expanded to 16-teams but the ICC directors are likely to settle for a 14-team format, which was played thrice before in 2003, 2011, 2015.  The argument against the 10-team event is that the arrangement is aimed at ensuring more India games so that the broadcaster can leverage on that financially, and it is so unfair that even the two full-time members, Ireland and Zimbabwe, failed to compete in the championship in 2019. The ICC members have been deliberating on the size of the World Cup through virtual conferences for the last few…