CSK are Rachin to a new dynasty
Gaikwad establishes his ability to replace Dhoni, are Orange & Purple Caps outdated, & can the IPL exploit CTV advertising?
The Chennai Super Kings beat the Gujarat Titans by 63 runs in a rematch of last year’s final. Cricket.com’s Aakash Sivasubramaniam writes about how Ruturaj Gaikwad is here to stay as the new CSK captain, and about how the Chepauk faithful have a new cult hero in Rachin Ravindra.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad take on the Mumbai Indians today, with both teams looking for their first win of the season.
Hindustan Times’ Rasesh Mandani asks if the concepts of the Orange & Purple Caps have outlived their usefulness considering they don’t point towards any kind of team success, and the IPL can’t even sell sponsorships for them anymore.
Exchange4Media’s Shatanu David explains why the IPL should focus on Connected TV advertising (CTV connections are when people stream from the Internet on a TV - via a Smart TV, a gaming console, or any other device).
The NBA tracks this statistic called “clutch” performances. It records which teams perform the best during the pressure of a close match…
…unsurprisingly, CSK are up there with the best. More surprisingly, the Mumbai Indians barely win 50% of their clutch games, and the Kolkata Knight Riders are truly abysmal. Plus - no wonder T20 cricket is such a hit if 10.49% of all IPL matches have gone down to the last ball!
By the way, I’ve set up a Twitter and Instagram account under @BestCricStories where I post all these graphs & images, and would appreciate the support if you like them!
India & England headline Australia’s blockbuster summer
Lyon on AUS’ 10-year losing streak v/s IND, & ENG-W and AUS-W will play a Boxing Day Test, & WI post a profit.
Cricket Australia have announced the fixture list for their 2024/25 summer, and the blockbuster India Test series will kick off from Perth in late November. Cricket Australia’s Adam Burnett talks to Nathan Lyon about ending a 10-year losing streak to India at his (statistically) favourite home ground.
The Indian Women squad will also travel to face Australia in December, while the England Women will play a historic Ashes Test on Boxing Day in Melbourne to mark the 90-year anniversary of the Women’s Ashes.
The Women’s Asia Cup will kick off on 19th July in Sri Lanka, while the always anticipated India-Pakistan match will take place on 21st July. Meanwhile, Cricket Namibia has announced 10 central contracts for female cricketers, marking the first women’s national contracts in the association’s history.
South Africa have also announced their central contracts, with Anrich Nortje being the biggest surprise snub. He hasn’t played since he got injured during the World Cup preparations in September, and is apparently focussed on T20s for now.
Cricket West Indies have announced their annual report, stating that they’ve made revenues of USD 62.3 million, and - more importantly - have hit a surplus revenue of $12M after a couple of years of deficit.
Economic Times’ Javed Farooqui reports that Sony have signed an up to $100 million deal with New Zealand Cricket to broadcast the Kiwis matches in India.
Defending Harsha
Harsha Bhogle has a new channel where he talks about cricket and life, & how fielding has evolved since the last millennium.
Harsha Bhogle has a new YouTube channel where he’s uploading videos about the intersection of cricket and society. It’s fascinating stuff. The latest video is on the importance of defense in cricket and in life.
The Analyst Inside’s Simon Man & Simon Hughes interview Rajasthan Royals’ fielding coach Trevor Penney about the evolution of fielding since he was a player at Warwickshire back in the last millennium. [Apple Podcasts]
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