Author: Mishaal Mubarak

That they are set to play their preferred format might give Pakistan some solace, especially after the drubbing they received from New Zealand in the T20I series. But the memory of how they abysmally fell short of putting a respectable performance in the same format at their own home, just a few weeks ago, is still too fresh to let them wander too far into wishful thinking. Then again, what could be worse than a 4-1 back-to-back series loss? Even if they were to look past the botched Champions Trophy campaign on their home soil, they can not ignore that,…

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) scored a whopping 286 runs in their opening game, and yet, incredible as it may sound, it’s not even their highest total in the Indian Premier League. Of the top five highest innings totals in IPL, SRH were responsible for four of them. It can’t be attributed to luck or conditions entirely. They must be doing something right to end up with so many exploits. Exactly a year ago, on March 27, Sunrisers posted the then-highest IPL total of 277 runs in Hyderabad. Now back at the same venue, on the same date, can they finally break…

Both sides, Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), have yet to get off the mark. RR, in their first game, almost became the victim of the IPL’s first-ever 300-plus target. And if it were not for Tushar Deshpande’s (un)timely intervention, who knows – they might really have conceded a triple ton team total. This is not the sort of start they were looking for their campaign this year. But since they got it, their best bet to undo its impact on their tournament future is to use their second home in Guwahiti to the side’s benefit and get…

Belief is a confusing thing, no one knows exactly how long it needs to be held up. Trusting becomes easier when you are aware of when to pull out. But unfortunately, it’s not the case. Just as it isn’t for Pakistan. They have a new team, full of youngsters, which finds itself facing a 3-1 demoralising defeat on their first tour. They still have a game to go, though. But there is little that the game can do to repair the damage. This was all about the on-field fiasco. There is a bigger issue waiting for them off the field,…

If every player on a team is removed and replaced, will it, still, remain the same ship team? Punjab Kings will definitely not hope so. It did not end well for them in the last season. Or the season before that. Or the season before that. In fact, barring two editions, both over a decade ago, where they cracked into the top four, they have been, without any exaggeration, the worst of the lot.  A ninth-place finish last time triggered them to get rid of all but two of their players and rebuild the side with a winning formula. And…

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) make up IPL’s most followed rivalry, and that is hardly stuff for breaking news. It’s only natural for the fans to go ballistic over their games, with many of Indian cricket’s Goliaths being part of one or the other team. But can the rivalry persist in being as celebrated as it is with one side failing to keep its end steady? Mumbai Indians have not won a single game against their archrivals in the past two IPL seasons, regardless of venues. Pair this up with the change of guard for both sides…

Are we there yet? Have we entered Pakistan’s ‘high-risk’, ‘aggressive’, and ‘as-un-Pakistan-as-can-be’ cricket era? Is the gloom and doom in Pakistan cricket a relic of the past? They chased down 205 with nine wickets and four overs to spare in Auckland. The more you look back at how New Zealand fared, the better Pakistan’s performance appears in hindsight. Perhaps the hosts took the young Pakistan side too lightly. Whatever the reason, it inspired a comprehensive comeback from the visitors. Doing so they CPR-ed the series. But how long before the lifeline deflates again? How long before reality jumpscares them from…

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) ended last season as the runner-up. It could (and should) have been Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their place, playing the final. After all, how can a team with as many as four quicks in their XI expect to win in Chennai? They could not possibly have hoped for their part-time spinners to exploit Chepauk, could they? Turns out, they could – and thats how RR were robbed of a place in the final. But sidekicks doing the main job was nowhere near the highlight of SRH’s IPL season the previous year. Their destructive batting order instilled fear…

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have a title to defend, and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have never wandered far enough in the tournament to worry about such burdens. But despite their contrasting legacies, this clash has never failed to deliver some edge-of-seat stuff over the years. It all started with Brendon McCullum’s unbelievable 158, long before Bazball was even a thing. Like any good rivalry, this one has witnessed its fair share of heated bits, some very ugly, some less so. That is precisely why it was a clever move by the management to open the season with an RCB vs.…

Pakistan have been able to attain little to triumph over so far in this series, but the good news is they still have time to make amends. 2-0 down in a five-match series does not mean it is over, even if the odds point to the opposite. But that could take a lot more than the young Pakistan side can offer. On the other hand, New Zealand can turn the remaining two games into dead rubbers by delivering a coup de grace to the visitors in this game.  But results are hardly what matters right now. Both sides laid out…