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Arya’s blitz and Iyer’s astute knock help Punjab Kings rule despite Mhatre’s show

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By K.R. Nayar Mumbai. In a clash of two kings – Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), PBKS won by five wickets with eight balls to spare inside Chennai’s fortress. The victory sent out a message that PBKS now looks stronger than CSK, who were once the kings of the IPL having won the title five times. Through this royal duel, PBKS has announced that they are busy recording new chapters in IPL history. The beauty of this clash was not just PBKS chasing down a daunting target of 210 and recording their ninth successful chase of over 200 runs – the most by any team in IPL history – but also the show put on by two rising stars. PBKS’ Priyansh Arya walked away with the man of the match award through an 11-ball knock of 39 runs. He proved that this award can be won in just 11 balls too. Then there was 18-year-old Chennai’s Ayush Mhatre, who top-scored with 73 runs. The cherry on the victory cake was undoubtedly Shreyas Iyer’s captain’s knock of 50 off 29 balls – a knock playe...
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IPL drowns out election fever and war noise

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By K.R. Nayar   Mumbai. Election fever is at its peak in India, with four states and one union territory going to the polls this month. While there is constant breaking news on television channels across India about the West Asia war, undeterred by all this, from 7:30 pm, almost everyone is glued to the action in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Stadiums are also packed with cheering fans. On Thursday, April 2, all that mattered was whether Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) would beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Kolkata, which unfortunately they did not. The home team lost by 65 runs. Election promises in India gets listeners only till the toss. Once the first ball is bowled, election manifestos are strategically timed out.  Breaking news updates on the war that may pop up on mobile phones are not even glanced at. They are treated like unwanted fielders at fine leg, completely ignored. In the crowded Mumbai trains, passengers, despite being crushed and unabl...
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Born three years after the IPL was launched, Sooryavanshi is a teen tornado

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By K.R. Nayar  Mumbai.  Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) 15-year-old wonder boy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, smashed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to ensure RR an eight-wicket win on Monday. Although he is not yet eligible to get a driving license since he just 15, in cricket, there is no age limit to be in the driver’s seat. And unfortunately for the CSK bowlers, this boy does not care about speed limits. He took only 15 balls to reach his half-century during his 17-ball knock of 52 runs.  The IPL started in 2008 and Sooryavanshi was born in 2011. For a boy younger than the tournament, to bat with such audacity may seem disrespectful to the tournament itself, forget being inconsiderate to CSK’s reputation. For someone who is not a fan of cricket, watching his shots would seem like a video game in which a player hits sixes with ease. His knock was such that no one could press the pause button as long as he was at the crease.  Wonder if he does his school homework too at such s...
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Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton turn exorcists at Wankhede

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By K.R. Nayar Mumbai. Cricket becomes exciting when a jinx is broken and flung into the Arabian Sea. It turns into a spectacle when a target of 221 runs is chased with brilliant, aggressive batting. Even more, it turns magical when the home team wins, and that too at the historic Wankhede Stadium, where many spectacular victories have been celebrated in the past. All of this happened on March 29, during the second match of the Indian Premier League 2026, when Mumbai Indians won by six wickets over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ending a 13-year jinx of not having won their opening game since 2012.  The exorcists: Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma. Photos: Mumbai Indians  For fans who enjoy watching bowlers dominate, this was not their day. It was sheer massacre of the bowlers, so much so that if a bowler managed to deliver two dot balls in a stretch, he became a hero. Hence, it was not surprising that Mumbai’s Shardul Thakur, who bagged three wickets, was awarded t...
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IPL’s run-chase rhapsody through Kohli’s brilliance, Padikkal’s poetry and Kishan's lone fight

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By K.R. Nayar Mumbai.  Narrating beyond what you see in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match is a joy. The opening match of this world’s most popular tournament had its own beauty. A packed stadium, enjoying the art of brilliant batting displayed by Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal, along with Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Ishan Kishan, was a rapturous delight. Of course, the bowling by RCB’s Jacob Duffy added to the radiance of his team’s emphatic six-wicket win, with 26 balls to spare, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The action began after 11 seats at the stadium were kept unoccupied as a tribute to the 11 fans who lost their lives during RCB’s title triumph celebration at this venue last year. These 11 seats will remain permanently unoccupied. If not for the fans, the IPL would never have been as popular as it is today. Respecting those fans was important, and I am sure those 11 would have been there to watch the opening match had they been alive. Cri...
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A book release filled with elegance, anecdotes and untold stories

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By K.R. Nayar From MIG Cricket Club Mumbai. With three cricketing veterans on the same dias, it was a magical Friday evening at the MIG Club in Bandra. There was elegance from former Indian captain Vengsarkar, as he was known for as a batter; there was history and knowledge from Ratnakar Shetty, a former professor who held the prestigious position of BCCI’s Chief Administrative Officer; and there was Prabhudesai, a former media relations officer and biographer. Ratnakar Shetty, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ajinkya Naik and Devendra Prabhudesai release the book. Photos by K.R. Nayar    It was the release of Prabhudesai’s 10th book as an author, titled Running Between the Wickets: The Story of the Indian Men's Cricket Team, at the MIG Cricket Club, Bandra, on Friday evening.  All three have been part of many historical cricketing moments—one as a cricketer and the other two as administrators. When they speak, interesting anecdotes from the history of Indian cricket surface....
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An evening with snooker stars at the Cricket Club of India and the tale of a special World Champion

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By K.R. Nayar From the Cricket Club of India Mumbai.  Snooker in a historic cricket venue like the Cricket Club of India at the Brabourne Stadium was exciting. Having reported only cricket from this venue over the years, the CCI Snooker Classic tournament 2026 being held there, with the best of snooker artistry on display, created a refreshingly different feeling. The fact that this tournament has been held for nearly 60 years and that this venue, known more for cricketing legends, had opened its doors for this elegant sport, shows the magnanimity of the members here in encouraging other sports too. For an event to be staged for nearly six decades demands not just passion, but unwavering commitment from its dedicated members. A get-together of all the snooker stars during the CCI Snooker Classic 2026. Photo by K.R. Nayar A warm get-together of snooker lovers and journalists was then held at the CK Nayudu Hall, where nostalgia mingled with admiration. I was fortunate to mee...
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