Jaspreet_sahni

RCB have to beat DC at all costs 4 Comments

The worst-case scenario in a team game is when you rely on other teams' results to progress in a tournament. And to escape from that situation, Royal Challengers Bangalore's sole aim on Sunday will be to keep party poopers Deccan Chargers at bay, go to 19 points and sneak through...

IPL sting: Don't expect things to change 4 Comments

It's difficult to evoke a response until you are hurt. There were no cracks on BCCI president N. Srinivasan's forehead and none on the players involved, neither was there a stammer in the speech of parliamentarian cum IPL chief Rajiv Shukla. Their faces didn't exhibit remorse or at least a...

IPL getting hotter with mid-table war 5 Comments

Safe to say Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders are through and even safer to admit that Pune Warriors India and Deccan Chargers are out of the race to the playoffs in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League - with 19 round-robin games left to play. The interesting...

Bye-bye time for Pune and Deccan 6 Comments

Winners have many admirers, losers very few. But in sports, winning and losing is part and parcel of the game. However, it becomes a test of character when the losses become consistent and wins few and far in between. That's what Pune Warriors India and Deccan Chargers stare at in...

When hot, AB de Villiers is very hot 2 Comments

Some may say he has been hot and cold this IPL season. Some might call him a touch inconsistent. Some will stop just short of saying he is the best finishers in the limited-overs game. But the truth of the matter is that on his day, Abraham Benjamin de Villiers...

How the IPL can sustain and garner support 4 Comments

If one were to construe that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is still evolving, still in its infancy, the inference won't be wide off the mark. Five years is a small period for any business, which the IPL indeed is, to run consistently. And when the gamut is as large...

Delhi runaway favourites at halfway point 3 Comments

Delhi Daredevils didn't have a confident air about themselves at the beginning of the Indian Premier League's season five, neither did the fans or the league itself. The off-field pomp and show once again surrounded the 'Big Daddies' Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore, and for some...

Sachin Tendulkar, 39 and going strong 27 Comments

Let's make it simple as he enters the 40th year of a life lived more for others than himself. Let's spare this day from putting expectations on his shoulders something he never refused to take and we never stopped giving. Let's just simply say 'Happy Birthday, Sachin Tendulkar' and feel...

Ganguly doing a 'Korbo Lorbo' for Pune 14 Comments

Some get frustrated, some angry, some sport a cynical smile, and he drives many of us bananas at times. Watching Sourav Ganguly play at 39, internationally retired, nicking more than hitting can be excruciating. But put a captain's armband on him and you see Ganguly transforming into an ageless wonder....

Chennai plot Rajasthan's fall at Chepauk 4 Comments

Fresh from their much-needed win against Pune Warriors India, Chennai Super Kings are ready to welcome Rajasthan Royals - dare say a team looking primed to dismantle Chennai as Indian Premier League's defending champions. Only a couple of points separate the two teams as the league approaches the halfway stage,...

Delhi out to hunt Mumbai in their den 4 Comments

Mumbai Indians have three bowlers among the top ten wicket-takers of IPL 5; Delhi Daredevils just one. Two of Mumbais batsmen feature among the top ten run-getters, but none from Delhi. If you think that tells the story before the clash between the tournament favourites on Monday, think again, because...

Winless Punjab confront unbeaten Pune 3 Comments

One team will look to register its first win and the other will pull out all stocks to remain unbeaten. One captain will try to lift the gloom with runs off his bat and the other will hope overconfidence doesn't find a space in his team's dug-out. The return match...

IPL 5: Ganguly, allrounders the key for Pune 5 Comments

Before putting our analytical brains to Pune Warriors India's 2012 prospects, a word for their topmost warrior, Yuvraj Singh. Down but getting back up fast, Yuvraj is recuperating in the USA from an unfortunate malignant illness. And while the team will definitely feel hollow in his absence, it could also...

IPL5: KXIP need self-belief for a turnaround 3 Comments

In the second of our nine IPL team previews, we profile Kings XI Punjab for whom the captain-cum-mentor Adam Gilchrist will be their biggest source of motivation. The team's biggest challenge will be to deal with a lack of quality Indian players, which has shown them up in previous editions....