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By K.R. Nayar Shreyas Iyer, the India’s new T20I captain is one who has waited for the role for a long time. Though Suryakumar Yadav is the 2026 T20 World Cup-winning captain, a leader must continue to lead from the front. Unfortunately, runs seem to have dried up for Yadav.  Iyer, who has often been ignored even as a player for the big occasions, has now climbed to the highest seat in Indian cricket. Sometimes, destiny delays but never denies. Having watched Iyer from his teenage days to the role of a captain, one always felt he had in him the qualities of a leader.  One that stands out is that he has a street-smart cricketing brain. He always displays it with a calm swagger. During the just-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL), when I had written that Iyer has nerves of steel, one of his fans commented that he also has ice in his veins. Very few players, when under pressure, convey the feeling of having seen the worse and reflect it through their body language. His co...

By K.R. Nayar  India Premier League (IPL) fans have been badly hit by the Evening Disorder Syndrome (EDS). For the last 65 days, they were glued to the television every evening. With Royal Challengers Bangalore emerging champions, the biggest challenge for the fans is how to shake off the IPL addiction. For a few days, many will be like players who went unsold during the auction — sitting in silence, uncertain and deeply emotional. The routine of reaching home in time for the match and getting hold of the remote control to switch the coverage in various languages may last for a few days. In fact, the overworked remote control will sigh with relief and probably announce its retirement after 65 days of peak performance. At the very least, it will demand a battery replacement Some will stare at the television as if it has personally betrayed them — like a power cut at a super over.  Others will keep hoping the broadcast resumes, as if the match was paused due to a “strategi...

By K.R. Nayar  Gujarat Titans failed to post a titanic total good enough to win a title. They tried to defend the total but had to bow before the champion batter called King Kohli. The win gave Royal Challengers Bangalore their second successive title through a five-wicket victory. A victory with 12 balls to spare is not the way a final should have ended, but when a titan-like Virat Kohli is at the crease, then whether it a team named Titans, or an army of giants, none stand a chance of winning.  Kohli, fighting the pain from cramps, remained unconquered with a knock of 75. What lies behind his relentless pursuit? He even struck his fastest fifty in the IPL. His unyielding nature can get too much for his opponents. All of his knocks like this one, whether for RCB or India, have been imperious. The challenge to win makes him ruthless and brings out the brilliance in him. Maybe he needs such situations to unleash his skills.  Once he gets going, he becomes the most f...

By K.R. Nayar  How did Gujarat Titans (GT) win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets to reach the final? What was visible and prominent were Shubman Gills’ knock of 104 and Sai Sudharshan’s 58 and their 167 runs opening partnership. But what was invisible was the brilliant thinking from GT to shake off the impact of their team’s defeat in qualifier 1 and conquer RR that has been riding high on the unbelievable knocks from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. They were aware that it may not be possible to stop Sooryavanshi. So even though he hit 96 runs, they controlled all the other factors to carve out a creditable win.  Gone are the days when cricket is only played on the field. While as pre-match practice is important, equally vital is planning the match – the ifs that will have to be overcome in case the match begins to slip out of hand. Matches are now won in pre-match analytic rooms than on the pitch and surely GT made it happen in this match. They played the silent...

By K.R. Nayar The Indian Premier League is the world’s most popular franchise cricket tournament, but will it be a 15-year-old kid who will decide the winner this season? Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit a breezy 97 to help Rajasthan Royals (RR) knock Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) out of the tournament and reach Qualifier 2 to take on Gujarat Titans (GT). It is evident that unless GT manages to stop Sooryavanshi, they may find it difficult to reach the final. And should RR reach the final, then Royal Challengers Bangalore will be able to retain the title only if this boy is prevented from running amok. Team meetings will no longer be about strategy but on “How to outlive Sooryavanshi.” This is a fact and not a child’s play. Whenever Sooryavanshi has hit a whirlwind knock, his team has won. He cannot even be called the Man of the Match because he is still a young boy. If he continues to play such knocks, all that the opposing teams can do is to return home saying “better luck next time.” Very s...

By K.R. Nayar  Rajat Patidar’s unbeaten 93 that carried Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) into the final was not just a captain’s knock. It was much more than a match-winning innings played by a captain to book his team’s place in the final. It was majestic and explosive. From being an anchor, he turned into an accelerator. He transformed the name of Royal Challengers into royal conquerors. While admiring the brilliance of his knock, we may have overlooked a few things. The margin of victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) was 92 runs, one run less than his 93, which came off just 33 balls with nine sixes and five boundaries. But more valuable than the runs he scored was how it boosted his team’s total and put GT under pressure. So sharp was Patidar’s intent towards setting a big total that throughout his knock there was only one dot ball, and that too fetched his team a bye. Very few may have noticed that his strike rate of 281.81 is the highest strike rate for any captain sco...