Sledging Room

We are living in Virat Kohli's world. The RCB star first hit out the GT bowlers for a match-winning unbeaten 70 and then tore into critics of his strike rate and his often-questioned ability to play against spinners in the middle overs. Kohli's remarks have been met with contrasting reactions. While a few lauded Kohli for giving it back, others have questioned the need to go after critics after ha...

The public seems to think Virat Kohli’s place in the T20 World Cup is a given. However, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru superstar shot himself in the foot when he came up with a snoozefest in Hyderabad in RCB’s win over SunRisers on April 25, days ahead of the T20 World Cup selection meeting. Yes, Virat Kohli deserves another shot at the T20 World Cup, but will his inclusion do more harm than good...

We are halfway through the IPL 2024 season. While the playoffs race is heating up, the focus is also on the T20 World Cup squad selection, which is set to be done before May 1. Yes, many young names have performed wonderfully well, but will the selectors make bold calls and reward them? Should an aggressive and in-form batter like Abhishek Sharma, who has been one of the pillars of SRH’s batting b...

The Impact Player rule has helped unearth gems like Ashutosh Sharma, who is making waves in the IPL 2024 season. The 25-year-old from Madhya Pradesh and Shashank Singh have been the usual suspects for PBKS in an otherwise floundering batting line-up. But, several cricketers have raised concerns about the Impact Player rule. Yes, record-breaking scores of 270 and 280 add much flair to the viewing e...

What's it with Rajasthan Royals and their strong starts? Their fans start getting nervous when they win a couple of matches on the trot. We have seen the Royals slipping from comfortable positions in the past. Are they a victim of their own genius? Yes, they returned to winning ways by beating Punjab in Mullanpur. But why send Tanush Kotian to open the innings? Kotian, an off-spinner who bats at N...

After the RCB women's side won the WPL 2024, there was hope and expectation that the men's side would do better and finally win the season this time. However, RCB being RCB have started the tournament on a horrific note with five losses and one win in the first six matches of IPL 2024. In fact, MI handed the Bengaluru side a thumping seven-wicket hammering at Wankhede and now RCB are languishing i...

Virat Kohli hit another T20 hundred, his 8th IPL century but RCB lost yet again. Kohli anchored RCB's innings with a brilliant 113 off 72 balls, while the rest of the team could only muster 59 off 48 balls. Despite receiving 11 extra runs from RR, RCB's total never posed a threat as RR comfortably chased it down with 5 deliveries and 6 wickets to spare. Despite losing Yashasvi Jaiswal early, RR's...

It’s 2024. RCB won the Women’s Premier League title and it was expected to inspire the men in the IPL. Two weeks into the IPL 2024 season, RCB look like they would end up with the wooden spoon, again! Virat Kohli is waging a lone battle, trying to shoulder the burden of scoring runs in an otherwise faltering batting line-up. Let’s not talk too much in detail about RCB’s bowling attack. It’s dysfun...

Vintage MS Dhoni is back? Did the Super King underestimate himself? After not getting an opportunity to bat at home in Chennai's first two IPL 2024 matches, Dhoni lit up Visakhapatnam with a sensational knock of 36 from just 17 balls. Chennai lost to Delhi, but CSK fans celebrated the final six from Dhoni as the decibel levels hit the roof in Vizag. Just a reminder, the Sledging Room podcast will...

The IPL 2024 season could not have asked for a better start as the first-round matches lived up to the hype. While Ruturaj Gaikwad has found success and love as new CSK captain, Hardik Pandya's stint as MI captain has had an interesting start. In a never-seen-before moment in franchise cricket, Hardik Pandya was booed by fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Yes, the feeling of Ahmedabad fans was und...

Ee Sala Cup Namdhu! The long wait has ended. Royal Challengers Bengaluru fans can finally rejoice as Smriti Mandhana and her team have won a trophy for RCB as their Women's Premier League campaign ended on a triumphant note. More than RCB's victory, the packed crowds at the Women's Premier League matches are another message to the naysayers of women's cricket. And we are just days away from the st...

It's that time of the year when fan wars become a norm. Yes, it's time for another season of the Indian Premier League. Before previewing and analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the ten teams, let's give you a brief on the major talking points in the lead-up to IPL 2024. Oh, and all Bazball sympathisers, it's time to concede defeat. India hammered England 4-1 to kill the hype around England'...

We are officially in the IPL month. And SunRisers Hyderabad have sounded the bugle with a change in captaincy.  Australia's World Cup-winning skipper Pat Cummins takes over SRH from Aiden Markram, who did not have the greatest of seasons last year with the team. With the change in captaincy, SRH hope to get over their terrible memories from the last season where they finished with the woo...

It's time to concede defeat. Yes, those who backed England to strike again in the Test series were proved wrong. The final nail in England's coffin was hit by a young brigade led by Rohit Sharma, which found new heroes in the absence of their established mainstays. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan, Akash Deep and Kuldeep Yadav have also stepped up and delivered big for th...

Well, is it time to write Bazball's obituary? It seems so as Ben Stokes's led touring side was hammered by 434 runs, their biggest margin of defeat since World War II, in Rajkot. It was a proper statement from Rohit Sharma and his men as England failed to walk the talk. Despite the defeat, Ben Stokes was bullish that England will not change their approach. He labeled criticism, some of them constr...

Yes, the cricket world is waiting for the India vs England series to resume. After two intense Tests in Hyderabad and Vizag, there was a lull before the storm as the teams enjoyed a week’s break. But, plenty happened. Even as the buzz has been around the Rajkot Test, a BCCI diktat to players dominated the narrative on social media. Reports have suggested that BCCI was not happy with players skippi...

Yes, Jasprit Bumrah bowled one of the greatest spells of reverse swing bowling by an Indian fast bowler in Vizag. But, what about R Ashwin? 9 wickets in 2 Tests while Tom Hartley, who made his debut in Hyderabad, has 5 more than the Indian off-spinner. Is it just a lean patch for R Ashwin or is that he needs rank-turners to pick up heaps of wickets? Well, we are not saying this. On several occasio...

Okay, let’s start with an apology. An apology to England, their captain Ben Stokes, their head coach ‘Baz’ McCullum and their much-talked-about approach, Bazball. Bazball won’t work in Pakistan, they said. Bazball won’t work against Australia in the Ashes, they said.  Bazball has no chance against India in India, they said.  Stokes’s all-conquering England side have proved naysay...

Barring the circus in Pakistan cricket, nothing has offfered more entertainment to world cricket like the Bazball in the last two years. The term was coined by an English journalist and it is derived from England men's Test team head coach Brendon McCullum's nickname 'Baz'. Does the legendary batter approve of it? Well, no! Brendon McCullum hates generalising England's new approach and the coinage...

Rohit Sharma’s return to T20I cricket has been underwhelming, but it's quite clear that the team management and selectors have zeroed in on the senior campaigner to lead India at the T20 World Cup. There's no doubting Sharma's class and a couple of good knocks in the IPL might be enough for him to book his ticket to the USA and the West Indies. On the other hand, Virat Kohli, like he always does,...

The Indian cricket landscape buzzed with fervent discussions as the BCCI made a significant move by reinstating two of its most experienced players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, into the T20I squad for the upcoming series against Afghanistan. This decision marked a pivotal moment, especially considering both players had not participated in the shortest format at the international level since thei...

South Africa named a 14-man Test squad for their 2-Test series in January-February with 7 uncapped players. Uncapped opening batter Neil Brand was named as the captain of the side which has a collective experience of 50 Tests. Notably, Brand might become only the second uncapped player to lead a Test team after New Zealand's Lee Germon in 1995 in the last 50 years. South Africa began thei...

There are always two sides to a story, like two sides to a coin. Indian cricket in 2023 has a similar narrative. You can look it as another year in which India failed to win an ICC trophy or laud the processes that were put in place to achieve the ultimate glory. And none of you are going to disagree that 2023 was a landmark year for women's cricket with the inaugural edition of the WPL and the Te...

In the high-stakes world of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions, the 2024 event in Dubai was a spectacle of record-breaking bids and strategic acquisitions. Among the stars who shone the brightest were Australian cricketing sensations Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, who not only broke the bank but also set new benchmarks in the history of IPL salaries. Mitchell Starc, known for his lethal pac...

After the World Cup, there was a lull, as expected. A section of heartbroken Indian cricket fans vowed to not watch cricket again. But the interest is back as plenty of irresistible cricketing action is all set to get underway. India have already headed to South Africa for a full-length tour. Pakistan are hoping to win a Test match in Australia for the first time since 1995. West Indies and Englan...