The IPL doesn’t care who you were

Why big names were skipped for the IPL, understanding Hughes’ legacy, & Lalit Modi opens up.

Prithvi Shaw is the poster boy for wasted talent, and the IPL has finally become competitive enough that no one can carry him anymore.

India’s change beats Australia’s solidity

IND’s truisms come true, the visitors’ youngsters hold their ground, & AUS need to panic a little bit more.

• Wicked Cricket’s Rahul Singh writes about the truisms that won India the first Test at Perth, while ESPNcricinfo’s Alagappan Muthu says that age is no bar for this young side who were ready to both out-play and out-scrap their hosts.

• The Guardian’s Geoff Lemon believes that Australia have a stasis problem on their hands; keeping calm and carrying on may not be the best solution.

• BBC’s Callum Matthews writes about Marnus Labuschagne’s startling decline from a statistical viewpoint.

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Death is not the end

Understanding Hughes’ legacy on his death anniversary, why DC didn’t retain Pant, & the CT hosts will be decided soon.

• Philip Hughes’ family have put out a moving statement on his tenth death anniversary. Cricket Australia’s Adam Burnett reports on Hughes’ legacy to his family and his community in a story worthy of a documentary. ESPNcricinfo’s Andrew McGlashan talks to Simon Katich about missing his old batting partner.

• Revsportz’s Boria Majumdar talks to DC co-owner Parth Jindal about losing Rishabh Pant, and why the price was just too high to realistically retain him.

• The ICC will decide on the hosts of the Champions Trophy on Friday.

• The Guardian’s Tanya Aldred reports that ECB will continue using the controversial Kookaburra ball.

• Saudi Arabia has denied wanting to launch their own franchise league, but has expressed interest in hosting a few IPL matches.

The IPL doesn’t care who you were

Why big names were skipped for the IPL, the ‘secret willow’ bat, & solving for England’s flooding problems.

• Cricbuzz’s Vijay Tagore talks to Ricky Ponting and others in the PBKS hierarchy to understand why big names like Shardul Thakur and Prithvi Shaw went unsold at the IPL auction, while Hindustan Times’ Rasesh Mandani believes it is a natural consequence of the higher talent levels in the league.

• Cricket.com’s Dhanush Lavanya takes a look at the players who earned their first IPL deals, while ESPNcricinfo’s Deivarayan Muthu asks if MI have unearthed another gem in New Zealand’s Bevon Jacobs.

• Cricket Australia’s Laura Jolly reports on Phoebe Litchfield’s successful first season as captain of the Sydney Thunder, while Josh Schonafinger writes about Lizelle Lee’s six-hitting weapon; a bat made of “secret willow” - no, seriously, that’s what the wood is called!

• The Telegraph’s Geoffrey Boycott thinks that New Zealand should prepare turners to face England, but won’t have the guts to do so. ESPNcricinfo’s Deivarayan Muthu writes about Nathan Smith, the Kiwis’ latest high potential all-rounder.

• The Cricverse’s Simon Hughes tackles the problem of flooding in the county championship; he believes that Worcestershire - which lost multiple matches to a completely flooded ground this year - should eschew sentimentality and team up with the local rugby team to build an all-format venue on higher ground.

“Flooding” somehow seems like an inadequate descriptor for this nonsense.

Modi on the IPL

Lalit Modi opens up, the wild west of Women’s Tests, & previewing the WBBL finals.

• I missed this one from the weekend; Figuring Out’s Raj Shamani had a pretty in-depth conversation with Lalit Modi, the playboy and in-exile criminal behind the IPL, about his wild life and what it took to pioneer the biggest cricket league in the world.

• Good Areas’ Jarrod Kimber takes a look at the wild west of Women’s Tests, where rankings, status and performances all go out the window. It’s an enjoyable look at a cracked system.

• She’s in the Game’s Maitlin Brown & Hannah Darlington preview the WBBL finals. [Apple Podcasts]

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