Who’s going to the World Cup for India?
Analysing RCB & DC, India's talent hubs, the World Cup probables, & how coaches use analytics.
SRH put the Kings to sleep
Abhishek Sharma 3.0, the best IPL team analyses I’ve seen feat. RCB and DC, & why tall bowlers are bowling slower balls.
Sunrisers Hyderabad beat the Punjab Kings by 2 runs. Cricbuzz’s Purnima Malhotra writes about breakout star Nitish Reddy’s 64-run Player of the Match innings for SRH, while Hindustan Times’ Nikhil Narain profiles Abhishek Sharma 3.0 as the young batter is finally able to be aggressive on a consistent basis.
Cricket.com’s Aakash Sivasubramaniam praised PBKS’ Arshdeep Singh’s 4-29 in a losing cause, saying that he is the first IPL bowler who limited the damage caused by SRH’s devastating top order.
Cricket analyst Dan Weston has the two best team analyses so far this IPL season; first on RCB’s uneven recruitment & outdated tactics, then on DC’s failures ever since their (seemingly haphazard) 2022 Mega Auction.
Indian Express’ Venkata Krishna B writes about why tall bowlers from Pat Cummins to Mustafizur Rahman have incorporated slow bouncers and slow cutters into their bowling options this season.
Vijayakanth Viyaskanth will replace fellow Sri Lankan Wanindu Hasaranga for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The Hyderabad Cricket Association owes the local electricity board INR 1.64 crore (~$200K) and missed their latest payment (again). The electricity board has already shown they’re willing to play hard ball by cutting electricity to the stadium before an IPL match this season.
The IPL provides a stage for the best players in India. I was wondering where these players came from…
…turns out the north-western belt from Maharashtra to Uttar Pradesh creates most of India’s elite players. My takeaways? Gujarat & UP should’ve had teams a long time ago, and the northern IPL teams have a surprisingly small social media following. Maybe it’s because northern fans support players (who play everywhere), while southern fans support teams?
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!
Who’s going to the World Cup for India?
An insider report on IND’s WC team, The Hundred divestments are moving forward, and what do dogs think of the state of modern cricket?
Cricbuzz’s Vijay Tagore reports on the BCCI’s thinking around the India team for the World Cup. Rishabh Pant is leading the wicketkeeper race, Virat Kohli is a lock, and the selectors are struggling to place Shubman Gill & Yuzvendra Chahal. They’re keeping their eye on breakout pacer Mayank Yadav too.
Cricket.com’s Aakash Sivasubramaniam breaks down the battle for the wicketkeeper spot, led by Pant & Sanju Samson. The Hindu’s Suresh Menon makes the case for Virat Kohli to be dropped despite his form.
Pakistan have hired Mohammad Azar as their temporary coach, have recalled Mohammad Amir & Imad Wasim, and have given a chance to newbie Irfan Khan Niazi for their New Zealand T20 series.
Cricket West Indies has appointed three female board members and one independent director for the upcoming annual tenure.
The Guardian’s Gary Naylor has a well-written look at the start of the county season, from Sussex drawing a winnable match because they didn’t pay £150 to turn on the lights, to the breakout star Kashif Ali’s twin tons in the first match of the season.
The Telegraph’s Will Macpherson details the financial plans for selling stakes in The Hundred teams, and how this money must be distributed across the cricketing pyramid to fund the grassroots and county game. [Paywall]
Daisy Cutter’s Ildiko Connell talks to Ollie & Alfie to get a view we rarely hear; what do dogs think of the state of cricket? (You might know the pair as cricket writer Bharat Sundaresan’s pets, or from their IG page @twowhitepuppers).
Coaching your way through numbers
How coaching and analytics complement each other, Klaasen’s T20 form, & the best IPL openers ever.
Strike Rate’s Dan Weston & Jack Hope talk to former international and successful coach Paul Nixon about how cricket analytics can be an asset to coaches in the modern era, and how the two expertises can mesh for the betterment of a team.
Jarrod Kimber takes a deep dive into the explosive nature of Heinrich Klaasen’s T20 batting at the moment.
ESPNcricinfo’s writers get together to chat about the best openers in IPL history, and whether Virat Kohli deserves to be top of that question.
Editor’s Note
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