Cover-April-6-2019jpg

In this issue

06-04-201931 STORIES

New Delhi: CSK batsman M S Dhoni hits a six during the Indian Premier League (IPL T20 2019) cricket match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capital (DC) at Feroz Shah Kotla Cricket Stadiumin New Delhi, Tuesday, March 26, 2019. (PTI Photo/Ravi Choudhary) (PTI3_26_2019_000227B)

IPL: A burgeoning brand!

The growing value of the IPL ecosystem, which we estimated at $6.3 billion after IPL 11, is a testament to its success.

Preity Zinta with Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan in the inaugural year of the IPL in 2008. Preity takes a lot of interest in the affairs of her team, Kings XI Punjab, even today.

Irfan Pathan goes down IPL memory lane

It posed challenges initially, but over the years, the IPL has been a big boost to international cricket.

Last December, tennis legend Martina Navratilova tweeted, “You can’t just proclaim yourself a female and be able to compete against women. There must be some standards.'

Gender and fair play in sports

What are the odds a man would actually change his gender solely to dominate women in sports?

Paul Fein

Ricky Ponting has great expectations from his players.

Ricky Ponting: I’m here to win the IPL

Any training session we have, any team meeting we have, it will be for me to make the Delhi Capitals players better to give them the best chance of wi

M. S. Dhoni is one of two captains to win three IPL titles, the other being Rohit Sharma.

Highs and lows of the IPL

All the records from 11 seasons of the Indian Premier League.

Shane Warne led Rajasthan Royals to trophy triumph in the inaugural IPL in 2008. From that time he has been closely connected with the franchise.

Shane Warne... shining in many roles for Rajasthan Royals!

As a brand ambassador, mine is a task that revolves around so many things that the Rajasthan Royals are trying to achieve off the field, says the spin

The next IPL season is upon us and Chennai Super Kings captain, M. S. Dhoni, has started his preparations.

Disaffection and heart-burning!

The IPL is recognised as one of the top five leagues in the world but without fail every year it will be Indians who will try and bring it down!

Sunil Gavaskar

The pioneers — in any field — have a duty to smoothen the path for those who follow. If today the prize money for women in the Grand Slam tournaments is the same as for men, much of the credit should go to Billie Jean King.

It’s been a long road for the women sportswriters

That women don’t make good philosophers or great artists, or indeed sportswriters is one of those myths men love to give legs to.

Suresh Menon

The swashbuckling batsman is also excited to play at the Wankhede Stadium.

Yuvraj Singh: I’m excited to play in front of the Mumbai crowd

“I am really looking forward to this one. I want to go all guns blazing and I am working really hard towards it," says the new Mumbai Indians recruit.

Last year, the franchise parted ways with its long-time captain, Gautam Gambhir, and Karthik was handed over the responsibility.

Dinesh Karthik: IPL 2019 will be more challenging

“The second year is always going to be far more challenging because the first year was slightly newer, so the expectations are little different (this

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler of Rajasthan Royals will not be around to assist the franchise in the latter stages of this year’s IPL as they have World Cup training with England beckoning them.

IPL: Rajasthan and the ‘deserters’

This year, the IPL will get a glimpse of how other T20 leagues operate and the mundane challenges that it has normally been exempt from.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is clearly the captain of captains so far as the IPL goes. And Chennai Super Kings are the clearest example of a captain’s character rubbing off on his team.

IPL: A slippery format for captains

With established and familiar skippers in the mix, pre-established strategies — with minor tweaks — should remain the norm in IPL 12, which begins on

Kolkata Knight Riders has built a solid team covering all aspects and is expected to be among the favourites in 2019.

Kolkata Knight Riders: A well-rounded team

The franchisee has again shown its faith in players with a proven track record.

If MI can settle in on Rohit’s batting position early on in the season and the rest of the batting order revolves around him, it can overcome its tendency of getting off to a poor start in an IPL season.

Mumbai Indians: Strengthening its back-up options

Coach Mahela Jayawardene will be hoping for his boys to get off the blocks quickly rather than finding themselves with too much of catching to do in t

Sunrisers Hyderabad picked up 21-year-old Khaleel Ahmed last season.

IPL: Will potential be translated into performance?

Much is expected of Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak and Rahul Chahar, Shubman Gill and Shivam Dube in this year’s IPL. How will they fare?

Amol Karhadkar,Ayan Acharya,Santadeep Dey

“I am very excited with the fact that there are a couple of good spinners in my team,' says Ashwin.

KXIP captain Ashwin: I want to learn a few things from Varun

One may feel that there is nothing more to complete the package that he is; but he is eager to evolve.

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

The West Indian has said he will retire after this year's World Cup but is not short of confidence heading into the new IPL campaign

Kings XI Punjab hoping for a reversal of fortunes

The Punjab franchise will be dependent on R. Ashwin’s planning and how he uses the new spin entrants, Varun Chakravarthy and Murugan Ashwin.

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya

On CSK’s strengths, Suresh Raina (right) feels it is the backing that every player gets from another which makes the difference.

Suresh Raina: CSK is a fun and hardworking team

The southpaw said familiarity is the key for Chennai Super Kings’ success over the years in the glitzy tournament.

Hari Kishore M

Chennai City’s 2.4 goals per game is the best in a decade — Churchill Brothers in 2008-09 was marginally ahead at 2.41 goals in 22 matches.

Spanish influx and local mix propel Chennai City FC to I-League success

The coach of the unheralded I-League champion says it’s a credit to the players for achieving the title in his first year in charge, but the process i

Aashin Prasad

Rahul Bheke (third from left) of Bengaluru FC storms into the box and nods in Dimas Delgado’s corner for the ISL final’s lone goal.

Backliner Bheke buoys up Bengaluru!

A defensive approach would have seemed the obvious option for Bengaluru to keep the Goans in check, but the team went for the kill!

Shyam Vasudevan

Shyam Vasudevan

'I really love the role of captaincy; it makes me mature and responsible,' says Shreyas Iyer.

Shreyas Iyer: Important to enjoy each others’ success

"Currently my focus is on IPL and winning it," says the Delhi Capitals captain.

Abhishek Mukherjee

Delhi Capitals, formerly Daredevils, is studded with numerous big hitters who can single-handedly influence the course of contests.

New name, new logo, new jersey and a new vision for Delhi Capitals

The franchise, based in the Indian capital and formerly called Delhi Daredevils, has not enjoyed much success. For the last six seasons, it has been f

Abhishek Mukherjee

With the World Cup in England just a couple of months away, how Dhoni, Jadhav and Rayudu perform will have a bearing on the larger picture.

IPL 2019: CSK bidding for a record fourth title

The Men in Yellow will be hoping to please their large army of fans by lifting the silverware one more time.

Ayan Acharya

Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas celebrates on the podium after winning the Australian Grand Prix.

View from the paddock

F1: Brilliant Bottas draws first blood

The Finn had a very tough 2018 and it’s fantastic to see a driver bounce back from a tough period with such tenacity.

Karun Chandhok

Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Gary Kirsten (right).

RCB coach Kirsten: Training camp a great opportunity to look at some Indian players

“The camp gave us an opportunity to start formulating our thoughts around how we want to play and what our strongest team will look like for IPL 12,"

Shreedutta Chidananda

A.B. de Villiers during RCB's practice session at NCA ground in Bengaluru.

Royal Challengers Bangalore star-studded, but often missing the balance

There are a lot of questions for Kohli and the team management to ponder over. And there are no simple answers.

Shreedutta Chidananda

“We have a bunch of guys who play fearless cricket, and if we do that consistently, we will have a great season,” says captain Ajinkya Rahane.

Ajinkya Rahane: Rajasthan Royals looking for a good start

While the side has a bunch of young talents, it is also bolstered by the return of Steven Smith.

Aussie Steve Smith is back and that is great news for Rajasthan Royals and its skipper Ajinkya Rahane.

Rajasthan Royals boosted by Smith’s return

True to its reputation, the Rajasthan outfit strikes a perfect balance between star power and youth.

The IPL does provide exciting opportunities for the young guns to learn a lot, says Ricky Bhui.

Ricky Bhui: We are in good form

The best part of our campaign will be the fact that we have players who are all in good form, and with David Warner back, there is bound to be a huge

V. V. Subrahmanyam

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s fortunes will depend heavily on the performances of its overseas stars Kane Williamson (left) and David Warner.

Sunrisers Hyderabad covering all key areas

The depth in batting and bowling can help Sunrisers Hyderabad reach the latter stages in the IPL.

V. V. Subrahmanyam

Pedro Manzi in action against Shillong Lajong in a home fixture for Chennai City FC.

I-League: 5 players who have impressed this season

A quartet of them have played key roles in Chennai City FC and East Bengal's title challenge.

Amitabha Das Sharma

Archive

+ READ THIS ISSUE 27-04-2024

+ READ THIS ISSUE 13-04-2024

+ READ THIS ISSUE 30-03-2024

+ READ THIS ISSUE 16-03-2024

Sign in to unlock all user benefits

Get notified on top games and events
Save stories to read later
Access to comment on every story
Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products