Author: Mishaal Mubarak

The last time Rajasthan Royals (RR) won an IPL game, Delhi Capitals (DC) still had their winning streak intact, Mumbai Indians had not begun their redemption arc, and Jasprit Bumrah had yet to make his return this season. It has been five consecutive losses for RR, and another could slam the door shut on their playoff chances. But the glass is half full, too. If they want to avoid going home after the group stages, they will need to win all of their remaining games. It’s easier said than done, though. In their last three matches, RR suffered defeats by…

Whoever wins this game will shoot to the top position. But there is more to the results in this game. It isn’t really a rivalry, but both cities’ homeboys now play as the best batters for the opposite teams. KL Rahul from Bengaluru is leading the runs chart for DC, while Virat Kohli from Delhi is doing the same for RCB. And that’s not all, both batters are 60-odd runs apart on the Orange Cap list. While the chances of grabbing the Orange Cap in this game aren’t too high for Rahul, Kohli is within an arm’s distance of doing…

Mumbai Indians (MI) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) both find themselves standing neck and neck. Same points, nearly the same NRR, but from what it seems, an entirely different fate. MI had spent much of the current season as a wallflower, only to end up in the inner circles, surrounded by the coolest group. That’s what four consecutive wins will do to you. Their players look in fine touch, high on confidence, just when it matters most. But LSG, unfortunately for them, stand on the wrong side of fortune. Things haven’t hit the right notes for them, which jeopardizes whatever…

It was against Lahore Qalandars (LQ) that Multan Sultans (MS) finally got going after losing their first three games. But facing Islamabad United (IU) next, the old struggles came rushing back. Now, they’re set to meet Qalandars again in the reverse fixture, this time in Lahore. For both teams, though, another memory will loom larger than any of their recent games, their nail-biting final in PSL 2023 at this very venue, where Lahore edged past Multan by just one run. MS might not be in the same form they enjoyed over the past few seasons, but it’s never too late…

No matter how optimistic you are, you can’t post a 111-run target and expect the result to fall your way. Such totals not only bring defeats, but also the kind that keep stinging for long. Unless, of course, you have a combination of Mullanpur’s tricky surface, Punjab Kings (PBKS) hitting the form of their lives, and Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) batters treading causally down the wrong path. And that’s exactly what happened the last time KKR and PBKS faced off. KKR still have a realistic chance of making it to the playoffs, but if they don’t, their night in Mullanpur…

Chennai Super Kings are all but out of playoff contention this season, and coach Stephen Fleming hasn’t shied away from acknowledging the mistakes CSK made throughout the season, as well as during the auction. CSK have lost seven out of their nine games, and a five-wicket defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad only added insult to their injury. “It’s hard to argue that we got everything right,” Fleming said after CSK failed to defend 154 on a sluggish Chepauk surface, losing their first-ever home game against SRH. “And it is not easy. And that is why we are proud…

Sunrisers Hyderabad finally broke free of the Chennai curse, winning their first-ever game at Chepauk with as many as five wickets to spare. They were able to rewrite history thanks to an incredible all-round show from Kamindu Mendis and Harshal Patel’s four-wicket onslaught. On a Chepauk deck where batting was no picnic, SRH opted to choose discipline over drama to not let things slip through their fingers. Harshal ran through the CSK lineup despite Brevis’ reviving attempts Chennai, sent in to bat first, swerved to the fast lane despite losing a wicket on the very first ball. Ayush Mhatre, CSK’s…

After more than ten years of representing Pakistan in green, Nida Dar, undoubtedly one of Pakistan cricket’s finest all-rounders, has decided to take a break from cricket indefinitely. Dar has cited personal and mental reasons behind this decision. The 38-year-old took to social media to make the announcement. In her tweet, she opened up about how recent experiences, both on and off the field, have weighed on her. “A lot of things have happened in the past with me personally and professionally, and this has affected my mental health,” Dar wrote on X. “For this reason, I am taking a…

CSK and SRH are both anchored to the bottom of the table, but mathematically, are still pretty afloat. All they need to do is win every single one of their remaining games. But that’s like saying, “All you need to do to climb Everest is just keep walking upward.” Technically correct. But practically, not so. There’s a reason both sides find themselves in trouble. And their root rot is at the same part: the batting order. SRH’s reason for chaos is their obsession with aggression, which has not quite arrived yet. They can’t stop swinging even with the house already…

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are in the top four now. There aren’t many things that can mess with their playoff chances except, perhaps, their home venue woes, which they’ll have to confront once again. Three wins in eight games aren’t exactly a disaster, but when all three of their defeats have followed the same pattern, things start to take a darker turn. All of those losses came at home. With at least three more home games left, RCB can’t just sweep these issues under the rug by doing well in away games. If a solution is to be found, it…