Bits and Pieces : The friendliest cricket podcast

Choppy, Max and VaMu say hello and welcome to Gautam Gambhir as coach of the India cricket team. They farewell Jimmy Anderson. And also talk about India's games in Zimbabwe. Along the way, R. Ashwin is a casualty! 1. Bits and Pieces: https://twitter.com/bnp_cricket 2. Chops: https://twitter.com/el_chopernos 3. Max: https://twitter.com/maxdavinci 4. VaMu: ⁠https://twitter.com/varunmurali43 SHOW...

In Mumbai, India gave its cricketing heroes a massive and spontaneous reception to mark their memorable World Cup triumph. Vipul from the Bits and Pieces gang - a North Stand Gang regular, and a major patron of live sport - was one of the 1000s of people who thronged the streets of Mumbai and found their way to the Wankhede, braving rain, crowds, unsympathetic police, dehydration, lost footwear an...

After 4024 days, India end their ICC tournament drought in incredibly dramatic fashion in Barbados. An ending that you could not have scripted, for Rohit, Kohli and Dravid. A redemption arc for Hardik that no one saw coming. A reaffirmation of Bumrah's legend status. A SKY moment whose magnitude will be felt for years. We are still pinching ourselves to confirm that we didn't dream this wh...

We originally wanted to record this episode on the weekend, since we expected Semifinal slots to be decided well before India played Australia. But as it transpired, we ended up recording in multiple installments on Monday, after India defeated Australia, and again on Tuesday following Afghanistan's magical sprint past Australia on the points table, dumping them and Bangladesh out of what is,...

After a sizzling second week of the World Cup filled with close games, upsets, near-upsets and a teary farewell to New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (and nearly England), Hank, Max, Nitin and Adi join the pod to wonder if this is going to be Afghanistan's year. What is Shubhman Gill's side business? Is South Africa practicing the anti-choke, and are New Zealand at the end of an era? How...

Despite the ICC's best efforts with messed up pitches at strange venues, ticketing faux-pas, scheduling gaffes and comical broadcast deals, the first week of the T20 World Cup has been a low-scoring blockbuster featuring upsets, reversals and box-office Pakistan. As England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan lick their early - potentially tournament-ending - wounds, Hank, Chops, Tony and Nit...

It's time for that flagship, marquee cricketing event ... that happens every year. No, we aren't talking about the IPL anymore (and so thank you god) - It's time for a World Cup, in the oddest corner of the world, at the oddest times of the day. As you reset your body clocks, here's a rare episode of Bits and Pieces that doesn't mention Ashwin or Rahul or Shardul or Dhoni... Jo...

As IPL 2024 winds down to anti-climactic conclusion, Tony, Chops, Bisi and Nitin come together to ponder the most important question of all - who has won the Fairplay Award (PS: We had to check). The gang chats about peculiarities such as the impact of luck in T20, the significance of an orange-clad leader who many thought was unbeatable in India falling short in a big contest in 2024, and just ma...

On the day after RCB poured sambar all over the sweet strawberries of CSK, the gang get together to cry/celebrate about the outcome of the best match of the season and the qualifiers to the IPL playoffs. Let's dive in with Max, PGK, Prashant DP, Tareque Laskar, Tony, and Varun Murali. Follow us on Twitter: B&P Cricket: https://twitter.com/bnp_cricket Max: https://twitter.com/maxdavinci PGK...

When was the last time the media, the selectors, the commentators, or even the coach could speak their mind freely or take a hard call in relation to an Indian superstar? India's anchor-heavy T20 World Cup squad selection was followed closely by the Virat Kohli - Sunil Gavaskar spat, bringing back attention to the uneasy power that the holy cows of Indian cricket hold. Is this unique to India?...

Tony, Chops and Nitin chat about the latest happenings in the unending IPL, and cast their deep focus on the strange edge-case that was witnessed at the end of SRH v RR, where Bhuvneshwar Kumar pinned Rovman Powell lbw, with two runs needed to win off the last ball. And now that the Indian team for the World Cup has been selected, our friendly panelists wonder wistfully about the glorious past wee...

From book cricket to stick cricket to cheat mode, the scoring rates in IPL 2024 continue to soar out of the realms of anything we could have imagined. Max, VaMu and PDP come together in Episode 121 to explain how we are reacting to this nose-bleed inducing run-flation, and also 'why' we are reacting this way. This is a rare, reflective episode of Bits and Pieces, and aptly, we kick it off...

Kookaburras in England, Kiwis in Pakistan ... and Ducks in India. As the IPL moves into mid-season madness, our knowledgeable friends assemble to kill many birds with one stone. We ruminate on Travis Head's special liking for opponents in shades of blue, the strange week in the life of Rishabh Pant, Jos Buttler's remarkable 100 v KKR, and a deep-dive into the unforgettable game between Mum...

The answer is no, of course, but why let that come in the way of a buzzword filled headline for your podcast episode! But no, seriously, in Episode 119, we come together and wonder if Bumrah is tough to play because of his PM-like tendencies. We also wonder whether India's T20 World Cup selections will be impacted by the national general election vote-bank politics. Iman is busy simping for Gi...

It's IPL season, so naturally Max, PGK, Varun, and Tony want to start the episode with the team selection for the T20 World Cup. Which Mahabharats characters will make the plane to North America? Also feat: the comedy in Bangladesh and Shreyas Iyer's investment. And finally, some IPL action. Show notes: Tony's piece on Sanju which led to them meeting: https://whereisbillwatterson.subst...

Kaustubh Kumar returns to the pod after nearly a year and says "nothing has changed". The same folk are doubing down on the same views on most things. The episode, which is hosted by doubler-PDP features other regular "downers" VaMu, Sadagopan Murali and MohanK. They talk about the IPL, Kohli's "mediocrity", the Nagin Derby and captaincy problems that have spilled...

Two bouncers per over, TV umpires sitting with directors, bright AF stumps, and some ridiculous cricket. As the IPL clown car drives past the first round of matches, you see the bits and pieces gang waving out of it. Join Nitin, Srinath, Chops, Varun Venkatesh, and newest panelist - ex Cricinfo guy, and current writer of shows such as Family Guy, Farzi, Guns and Gulabs and more - Suman K, as they...

After 16 years, Royal Challengers Bangalore are champions. We lived to witness this fine day. Whodathunk! Nitin, Max, VaMu and Brother T assemble soon after RCB's victory, to review a memorable second installment of the Women's Premier League. And with one week to go for the IPL, we wonder if the RCB boys will follow suit. Also in this episode - Rachana Ramchand, who recently completed a t...

On the wonderful occasion of R Ashwin's 100th test, the gang get together to finally deliver the long promised Cage Match. Join Tony, PGK, Srinath, Hank, and Chops as we talk about what we talk about when we talk about Ashwin talking about us talking about him. And also, a round up of the India England series, and the WTC standings. This episode also features two Ash na tribute songs by the in...

This week, Bits and Pieces goes deep into contract law and HR practices, and quite fittingly, we do this without the lawyer or the HR professional in our gang joining the pod. Our group randomly sympathises with Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer, randomly ridicules the Dharamsala 100th Test darlings Ashwin and Bairstow. And somehow foretells Shardul Bedex Thakur's incredible Ranji semifinal perfor...

Following India's stirring 3-1 series win over England in Ranchi, the gang assembles for take 112 of trying to explain Bazball. And we have two equally reliable takes on this pod - one delivered by Swami Nithyananda (voice acted by Mimicry Marauder Prashant DP), and one from our own Night-hawk Iman Pande, who joins the panel from under a blanket in a hotel bedroom in Bellandur to decode Bazbal...

Moments after India's remarkable win at Rajkot, the crew assembles with boundless joy and schadenfreude, in fond remembrance of Bazball, whose Ashes will be carried in an urn in the back pocket of Jonny Bairstow for the rest of his playing days. Bits and Pieces celebrates the arrival of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sarfaraz Khan, the latest recruits from the (Navi) Mumbai school of batting. But what&#...

Is Shreyas Iyer injured? Is he dropped? Is he rested? Is he acting? Is Kaviya Maran the greatest T20 franchise owner in history? Who is Ollie Robinson? Why does he have a podcast that's rated so poorly that it resembles a puff-of-dustbowl pitch? Why is Rehan Ahmed allowed near a microphone? Does Quentin Tarantino own a T20 side called the Deadly Vipers? Is Chattisgarh a Ranji team? Are Vijayka...

Tony, Bisi, Nitin and SpamMo come together to review India's hard-fought win to draw level in Vizag, on the back of Jaiswal's fine 200 and Jasprit Bumrah's ascension to immortality. The gang spends a lot of time discussing Bairstow's face, Stokes' dreams, Shoaib Bashir's luggage, Ashwin's totem, Root's form and India's selection troubles. Also, a recurring segme...

What a start to a summer of grief, and the Shamar of joy... Bisi, Sandy, Srinath, Murali and Chops get together on the day of Bazball's first win on Indian shores and a Windies' win for the ages at the Gabba to cry, feel angry, smile, guffaw, break heads and crack jokes while constantly pointing and laughing at Ashwin's fielding, and AB de Villiers' ridiculous new ideas to 'imp...