Whispers for Cricket Lovers: On Punjab Kings’ Inglis, Arya and fastest IPL tons

By K.R. Nayar
(For Cricketlovers.com)

The heroes of Punjab Kings’ seven wicket win over Mumbai India were Josh Inglis and Priyansh Arya. Inglish hit 73 while Arya scored 62 runs. Behind every player who shines, there's an interesting story—and these two are no exception. Inglis is an England-born Australian cricketer. He was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire and moved to Australia when he was only 14.  He even went on to captain Australia in place of Pat Cummins in an ODI match against Pakistan in November 2024. Incidentally, before him the only English born cricketer to have led Australia in an international match was Percy McDonnell in 1887.

Josh Inglis 

Inglis played only two Tests despite a century

Thirty-year-old Inglis had played in two Tests and 30 ODIs and 29 T20 Internationals. He has hit centuries in all three formats. In fact, in his debut Test match, he hit 102 against Sri Lanka in 2025, and following a duck in the second Test never got picked for Test matches. His only century (120n.o) in ODI was against his country of birth, England, in February 2025. He has also hit a T20I century against India in Visakhapatanam in November 2023.

Priyansh Arya

Arya: Son of school teachers

Priyansh Arya is only 23 years old. Hailing from Delhi, this left-hander is among the hardest hitting youngsters in the country. He had caught attention by hitting six sixes in an over in a Delhi Premier League game. Punjab got him for Rs 3.8 crore after being involved in a bidding war starting from his base price of Rs 30 lakhs. Arya’s parents are teachers in a government school in Delhi.   In 2025, Arya hit one of the fastest IPL centuries in 39 balls against Chennai Super Kings.


Fastest centuries in IPL

Scoring a century in just under 40 balls is becoming a trend in the IPL.  Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Heinrich Klaas hit an unbeaten 105 in 35 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders on May 25, 2025. It was the third fastest century in the IPL after Chris Gayle’s 30 ball century for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013. This season, Rajasthan Royals’ Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit a century in 35 balls against Gujarat Titans. Yusuf Pathan too had hit a 37-ball century for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians in 2010.

Birthday of four great stars

Mahela Jayawardene, Ravi Shastri, Frank Woolley and Michael Hussey – all share the same birthday, May 27

IPL final:  a tribute to Indian Armed Forces

The IPL final, scheduled for June 3, will pay tribute to the Indian Armed Forces for their successful Operation Sindoor. Plans are on to have a ceremony which will feature military bands.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Champions Trophy diary: A Modi look-alike fan and his followers

Image
By K.R. Nayar   Dubai.   Cricket fans lining up to enter the stadium love to have fun. They cheered for one fan who looked similar to Indian Prime Minister Modi. A few, acting like his followers, cheered him into the stadium while calling out, “Modi, Modi, welcome Modi.” He enjoyed the attention, and when this reporter asked for a photo, he waved just as Modi does during a rally. Incidentally, Modi was present during the 2023 ICC World Cup final in Ahmedabad and had consoled the Indian team when they lost the final. In 2024, he hosted the T20 World Cup-winning team for breakfast at his residence. A look-alike Modi fan and his followers. Photo by K.R. Nayar   Indian and Pakistani photographers’ hunt for autographs   It was interesting to watch an Indian and a Pakistani photographer together requesting autographs from Indian players. One wanted an autograph on a cricket bat, while the other wanted one on a cricket ball. Suman Chattopadhyay, from India, is a...
Read more

UAE’s richest domestic cricket tournament launched through a 100-ball format in Sharjah

Image
By K.R. Nayar Petromann Sports Management is known to stage cricket events with a unique twist. The mastermind behind these innovations is Abdul Latif Khan, Founder of Petromann Sports Management. He brought tennis ball cricket to the international level through the 10PL, offering the richest prize money in this format. Now, he is set to launch Elite Corporate Cricket Bash (ECCB), a unique 100-ball format, which is likely to become one of the UAE's richest domestic tournaments, with a prize of Dh 1.3 million, at the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Mazhar Khan and Dav Whatmore release the event jersey as Abdul Latif Khan and Nasir Akram look on  This ten-day tournament will feature 12 corporate teams. Petromann Sports Management, in collaboration with the Sharjah Cricket Council and Emirates Cricket Board, has created this platform to discover emerging UAE talent. The tournament, expected to revolutionize the UAE's domestic cricket scene, will reach an audience of 300 mill...
Read more

A bakery that inspired cricketers closes down after 84 years

Image
By K.R. Nayar For most of us, there would always be something that remains a nostalgic memory from our childhood days. In Trivandrum, where I spent all my early years of life, there was a small bakery called Santha Bakery, nestled in the heart of the city. It will always remain a cherished memory because every item sold here was delicious. For me, this bakery also played a motivational role in my journey as a cricket player and writer. The news of its closure after 84 years is now a painful reminder of its legacy.   Some of the former cricketers assemble bidding goodbye to their favourite bakery    Santha Bakery was more than just a place where I enjoyed cakes and puffs; it was a shop I revered. The three sons of P.M. Krishnan, the owner of the bakery, were brilliant cricketers—fearsome pacers, to be precise. P.M.K. Mohandas, P.M.K. Raghunath, and P.M.K. Premnath were renowned names those days. Mohandas was even mentioned by India’s legendary player E.A.S. Prasanna ...
Read more