RCB Jacks up the sixes
Will Jacks' 10-ball half century, Pak have new coaches, WC selection hypotheses, &
RCB Jacks up the sixes
CSK & RCB win big, when do we get sick of all the sixes, & RCB is more than a cricket team; it’s a lifestyle brand.
The Chennai Super Kings beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad by 78 runs. Cricket.com’s Gaurav Nandan Tripathi writes about Ruturaj Gaikwad’s ascension to the leader CSK needs. Cricbuzz’s Prakash Govindasreenivasan reports on how CSK turned Mahesh Pathirana from a skinny 17-year old to a 22-year old world beater.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat the Gujarat Titans by 9 wickets. ESPNcricinfo’s Hemant Brar says that Virat Kohli silenced his doubters with his unbeaten 70.
Cricket.com’s Anirudh Suresh has the real story of the game, as Will Jacks left everyone in awe with his 40-ball century. ESPNcricinfo’s Sampath Bandarupalli has the stats on how Jacks got the back 50 runs of that innings in just 10 balls.
Cricket.com’s Aakash Sivasubramaniam asks how anyone is supposed to beat this juggernaut Rajasthan Royals team after they made it 8 wins out of 9 on Saturday. Meanwhile, Hindustan Times’ Nikhil Narain writes about how Jake Fraser-McGurk has turned the Delhi Capitals’ season around.
ESPNcricinfo’s Sambit Bal asks a question that seems to be floating around social media; are we going to get sick of all the sixes? Times Now’s Rahul Sadhu talks to the Eden Gardens pitch curator, who claims these pitches are a direct result of the BCCI’s orders.
Forbes’ Kathakali Chanda interviews RCB VP Rajesh Menon to understand why the organisation is creating a lifestyle brand, and how it keeps fans around despite never winning anything.
Kiran Mani, CEO of Viacom18 Digital, said that he believes broadcasters need to improve the ad delivery mechanisms for the IPL. Meanwhile, Exchange4Media’s Aditi Gupta asks if this year’s IPL will equal the record ad sales from 2022.
It’s frustrating to watch your team give away extras in tight matches. But, I was wondering if these extras make a difference statistically…
…the short answer is no. In the 18 games this season where both teams have batted 20 overs (which makes it easier to compare the impact of extras), in only one game was the winning team’s margin of victory smaller than the difference in extras conceded. On the flip side, in those same 18 games, winning teams gave away more extras SEVEN times. [These numbers hold even if you look at all 46 games this season.]
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!
Gary crosses the Line of Control
IND’s WC-winning coach joins PAK, Renuka Singh finds some form for IND, & Bismah Mahroof’s importance to PAK fans.
Gary Kirsten, ODI World Cup winner with India, has been appointed Pakistan’s white ball coach, while Jason Gillespie has become the Test coach. They’ve got their work cut out as Pakistan could only draw their series against an understrength New Zealand side. Wisden have player ratings for The Falcons.
The Pakistan Cricket Board have announced three locations for the 2025 Champions Trophy, but their is still the looming question of whether India is going to show up for the tournament at all.
India Women beat Bangladesh by 44 runs. ESPNcricinfo’s Srinidhi Ramanujam says that Renuka Singh is finding some form after an abysmal few months.
West Indies Women beat Pakistan by 7 wickets, to extend their series lead to 2-0. Grassroots Cricket’s Rameen Salman writes about what former captain Bismah Mahroof means to Pakistani fans, as she retired before the series started.
The Telegraph’s Sayak Banerjee talks to Kagiso Rabada about how he had to grow up quickly as an era of South African greats like AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock have left the national team.
Cricbuzz’s Telford Vice writes about how South Africa’s CSA T20 Challenge has been overshadowed by the IPL, even in South Africa.
India’s debate on class versus form
Former IND selectors weigh in, a pitch-by-pitch look at who IND should select, & a last chance saloon for ENG coach Matt Mott.
Sportstar’s Shayan Acharya & Vijay Lokapally talk to a couple of former Team India selectors to understand the dilemmas facing Ajit Agarkar & co.
Cricket8’s Shayan Ahmad Khan breaks down the needs for each playoff pitch statistically to understand which Indians players will be best suited and most required for the latter stages of the T20 World Cup.
Hindustan Times’ Rasesh Mandani bemoans India’s lack of allrounders, while his colleague, Aditya Chaturvedi, writes about the lack of pace options beyond Jasprit Bumrah.
The Guardian’s Ali Martin says that defending the T20 World Cup is a last chance saloon for England’s coach Matthew Mott after an abysmal defence of the ODI World Cup last year.
Economic Times’ Javed Farooqui reports that Disney is expecting to see 450 million viewers for the World Cup.
New Zealand knock offs hold Pakistan
Reflecting on the PAK-NZ series, Essex’s coach on their good start, & Vanuatu Cricket CEO talks about their surprise win over ZIM-W.
Batta Fast’s Osman Samiuddin & Ahmer Naqvi recap an abysmal Pakistani performance against a knock-off New Zealand side.
talkSPORT’s Steve Harmison & Neil Manthorp catch up with Essex coach Anthony McGrath to discuss his team’s blistering start to the County Championship season.
News18’s Suramya Kaushik talks to Aussie coach Shannon Young to discuss how the country keeps churning out world class batters, and their use of BPI - the Balance Point Index.
Emerging Cricket’s Tim Cutler - who also happens to be Vanuatu Cricket’s CEO - reflects on emotional World Cup qualifier win against Zimbabwe Women last week, just days after the association had to crowdfund money on the Internet to keep things going. [Apple Podcasts]
Editor’s Note
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