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Delhi Capitals (DC) are the only unbeaten team this season as well as, unsurprisingly, the table-toppers. Mumbai Indians (MI), meanwhile, aren’t exactly their polar opposites. However, they have as many defeats as Delhi have wins. This should make their encounter a clear case of drubbing in Delhi’s home ground on Sunday night. But in all likelihood, can Mumbai be walked over like this, especially when the venue suits their skill set so much? They have been known to be late starters. Although they do not boast a very decent record at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, having lost eight out of…

Rajasthan Royals (RR) have struggled with their top order since the start of the season. Although their struggles haven’t been absolute, as some of their top order batters found opportunities to fire in every game, the collective impact has very often betrayed them. A similar thing happened to them in their recent game against Gujarat Titans (GT). Sanju Samson scored 41 runs off 28 balls but could not get any help from the rest of the batters. They returned to their home venue, which is not exactly a familiar arena for them this season. Having played all their home games…

Looking at the points table and not finding Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the foot isn’t really a familiar sight. Just as baffling is seeing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) occupying the basement. Both sides seem to have had a Freaky Friday-esque switch. But the league has reached a point where SRH’s shoddy outings are starting to cost them. With only one win in five games and absolutely no sign of improvement, Hyderabad seem to be gasping confusedly at what’s happening to them. Their highly aggressive batting isn’t serving them the way they expected. Perhaps they relied too heavily on something as fickle…

Peshawar Zalmi (PZ) and Quetta Gladiators (QG) brewed rivalry before rivalries were all the rage. They do not have provincial politics igniting the rivalry. There is no Karachi vs Lahore noise filling the background either. Just two sides who kept nurturing the competition between them that was so very characteristic of both franchises in the days of yore. Now, though, one of them seems to have lost the plot. Since their win in the 2019 season, Quetta failed to make it past the group stages for four consecutive seasons. This jinx was only broken in the last season, when they…

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) turns ten this season, and what better way to mark this milestone than with a face-off between two sides that encapsulate its contrasting journey? On one end, there is Islamabad United, who have been the league’s most consistent franchise since the beginning. On the other hand, Lahore Qalandars, who took their time settling in, but once they did, became a force to be reckoned with. Islamabad enter this season with a trophy to defend, but no amount of silverware will be able to cover their shaky record against Lahore Qalandars lately. They have only played…

The Proteas’ skipper, Temba Bavuma, has sustained an elbow injury just eight weeks out from the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at Lord’s in June. Bavuma, who had travelled to Cape Town after the last league game of the Lions in CSA Division 1 first-class competition was washed out, was due to link up with the team for the final against the Titans on Thursday. However, the Lions were informed of Bavuma’s withdrawal on Wednesday night, as reports about a niggle in his elbow surfaced. As per the reports, the injury has impacted the same elbow, his left one, the…

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) started the IPL season on a spree to take down the past champions of the league, one by one. They defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the title-winners of the IPL 2024, in their opening game. Following that, they went after Chennai Super Kings, who won the IPL 2023. Although Gujarat Titans (GT) disrupted their mission by outclassing them at their own home, it did not deter them from their path of hunting down the big guns. Now, they are after the unbeaten Delhi Capitals, who were dethroned from the top spot just a few hours ago.…

Gujarat Titans (GT) started their season with a defeat against Punjab Kings (PBKS); since then, they’ve been unstoppable. That’s largely due to how their batters, especially the top order, have fared. Jos Buttler is one of the protagonists behind their destructive batting form. It’s the same Buttler who, until last season, was fulfilling the same role for the team he’ll face in the 23rd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL): Rajasthan Royals. It could make for a compelling revenge story, given that RR suffer from the very issues Buttler is now solving for GT. But Buttler and RR have…

Cricket isn’t a one-man sport. It’s foolish to expect one player to do all the work. But if that player is as brilliant as Jasprit Bumrah, you could get away with doing that sometimes. Mumbai Indians (MI), at least, would hope that Bumrah’s charm works quite that way for them on his return to the side. They do not have much to boast about this season so far. The only thing they can find relief in is the fact that they defeated the defending champions. But in all fairness, those defending champions were not entirely themselves when Mumbai beat them.…

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) scored a blistering 286 runs in their opening game, lighting up the season and cranking the 300-plus target talks to the maximum. Since then, they have done little to live up to the destructive label they carried so triumphantly through the last season. Their performances as well as the results in the subsequent three games have exposed the chink within their armor so mercilessly. They find themselves anchored to the bottom of the table, and they do not have much time left to delay the repair work. Their sudden slump prompts a few uncomfortable yet crucial questions,…