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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) have contrasting fates right now. One is looking to break into the top four. The other already knows the game is over. CSK have only two things left this season: chase results with next year in mind, and play out the remaining fixtures. The second job, obviously, makes moving on more difficult. But CSK’s think tank has already occupied themselves with plans for the future. Both Stephen Fleming and Michael Hussey are keeping the youngsters within sight to come back stronger next season. But next season is still a year away. And…

Michael Hussey finds himself in the middle of an IPL edition gone awry for his team, Chennai Super Kings (CSK). When he talked to the media following CSK’s recent loss, there was something about his tone. He was calm, his words were measured, and there was a whiff of hope in there as well. CSK, glued to the bottom of the points table and their playoffs chances not a realistic possibility anymore, have decided to focus on one of the very few things that are still in their hands. And that’s scouting and nurturing the young generation, who can make…

There are defeats, there are collapses, and then there is what Multan Sultans had to endure in Lahore on Monday: an absolute carnage. It was more of a public undoing than a match. Chasing a target of 90 runs, Quetta got over the line with 79 balls to spare. This is the biggest win by balls remaining in PSL history. Somewhere between the first ball and the last, Multan Sultans ceased acting like a cricket team. It all began with a serene first over, where Mohammad Amir conceded a boundary and five dot balls. All was normal. It was calm.…

In cricket, sometimes the side that looks to have messed it up entirely ends up getting over the line. Not due to a miracle, a fluke, but because they manage to stay unbelievably calm in the face of the chaos around them. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) did just that in Delhi tonight. They lost tempo, witnessed their best bowlers getting smashed, and despite all that, still soared away with the points, all thanks to their spin duo, who refused to succumb to defeat. Kolkata began as if they were looking to outdo a storm. Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Ajinkya…

Quetta Gladiators (QG) and Multan Sultans (MS) have played five and six games, respectively, this season, but none against each other. Both sides seem to have switched their fortunes. Until last season, Quetta had the job of sticking to the bottom, watching as a spectator while the remaining five teams battled for the top four spots. They did make it to the play-offs last year, their first since lifting the trophy in 2019, but only just. This year, however, they look in sublime touch with a new captain and many new entrées. Multan, however, have been the punching bag this…

When teams were struggling to settle in with the growing pressure of the Indian Premier League this year, Delhi Capitals (DC) were casually thrashing everyone left, right, and center. It took a resurgent Mumbai Indians (MI) to halt their juggernaut, and DC haven’t quite been the same since. They have lost two of their four games after that MI Clash, and one of their victories came by a whisker through a Super Over. The last time Delhi faced Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was exactly a year ago. Both sides met in Eden Gardens, with the home team comfortably defeating DC…

Virat Kohli has been in red-hot form this season for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, more so while chasing. It has to be more than a coincidence that in each of RCB’s successful chases, Kohli had a half-century next to his name. One such example came on Sunday night, when RCB were chasing a modest 163 on a slow surface against Delhi Capitals (DC). It wasn’t the best of surfaces to bat on, and so was confirmed when the Bengaluru batters slipped to 26 for 3. That’s when Kohli and Krunal Pandya stitched a critical 119-run partnership. Speaking after the game, Kohli…

Gujarat Titans spent their evening in Jaipur posting a total they thought would keep them out of harm’s way. But by the time 15.5 overs of the second innings were bowled and Rajasthan Royals’ had come at par to Titans’ total, a teenager had thrown the laws of probability, rationality, and cricketing logic out of the window. Blasting, Slow, Steady, and Quiet Opening the batting, Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan began like a well-rehearsed violinist duo: steady, spontaneous, and hardly missing a note. Gill looked to have everything in his command, and while Sudharsan was given a reprieve early…

Multan Sultans are set to lose one of their home fixtures in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) following the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to move their match against Karachi Kings on May 1 to Lahore. The decision was made as part of a wider rescheduling plan aimed at reducing operational challenges amid the immediate rise in temperatures across the country, especially in Southern Punjab, where Multan is located. In addition to the shifting of the Sultans vs Kings match, Multan’s home fixture versus Quetta Gladiators has been postponed by one day and will now be played on May…

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…