Livecricket.is

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…

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…