'It is no accident that politicians strive to control sports bodies, and get their names associated with popular sports, sometimes by renaming stadiums after themselves,' observes Devangshu Datta.
Jofra Archer would have walked out of the West Indies dressing room on Friday wearing burgundy not light blue. That he did not can be traced back to the day he was left out of the West Indies squad for the 2014 Under-19 World Cup despite having already shone for the age-group side.
The upcoming Indian Premier League is not only about entertainment but it also carries a bundle of hopes for out-of-favour all-rounder Yusuf Pathan, who is eying a comeback into the national team through the T20 event.
Here is a look at the team that will open its campaign against Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai on April 12.
A career that almost always fell apart after promising to fall into place -- Ambati Rayudu will be remembered as someone who could not live up to his rare cricketing talent, undone by a mercurial demeanour that often led to run-ins with authorities. His cricketing journey ended abruptly on Wednesday after a heart-breaking and baffling World Cup snub.
The IPL Players' draft to allow two new franchises based in Pune and Rajkot pick 10 players of their choice will be held at the Mumbai Cricket Association's clubhouse in the Bandra-Kurla Complex on December 15.
Australia will want to steer clear of another defeat at the hands of India when the teams lock horns in the 4th ODI in Bengaluru, so it will only be prudent if they bring in Faulkner for the faltering Richardson and give Agar the boot, says Norma Godinho.
India 'A' selection a step closer to national team, says Krunal Pandya
Steve Smith and David Warner may wake with some relief on Thursday as they greet the final day of their ball-tampering bans
Tom admits that an enforced break from cricket due to the coronavirus outbreak has indeed come as a shock to the system. However, he also admitted that he is utilising the time to refresh mentally.
Left-arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary has grabbed opportunities provided by Chennai Super Kings with seven wickets from seven games, including a man-of-the-match winning 3/19 against Mumbai Indians.
Kerala coach 'happy' to have Sreesanth back provided he proves his fitness.
Karthik will be surrounded by cricketing brains all around him with the 2019 England World Cup winning skipper as his deputy, and New Zealand great Brendon McCullum as the head coach.
Dinesh Karthik's leadership skills are under the scanner after Kolkata Knight Riders's five back-to-back defeats in the ongoing IPL season, but coach Jacques Kallis says there was no discussion on removing the under-fire captain.
'I was shown something about him practicing at the nets for Mumbai Indians so I don't know what kind of injury it is. 'If the injury was serious he wouldn't even be padded up.'
It will not be the first time that the competition has had to be held outside India.
This year's auctions will wrap up in one day.
Suresh Raina was presented a golden opportunity to force his way back into the Test squad after being named captain of the Board President's XI, which will play the West Indies in a three-day warm-up match ahead of the Test series that follows the ongoing One-day internationals.
Rohit Sharma on Monday expressed delight about the BCCI's decision to recommend his name for the government's prestigious Arjuna Award.
The two areas where India's team management and selectors need to do a lot of brainstorming are the No 4 slot and an extra fast bowler.
Mumbai Indians will have their task cut out when they lock horns with Chennai Super Kings.
The World Cup snub could surely be disappointing, but 21-year-old Rishabh Pant will play "many more World Cups" and don National colours for at least 15 years, says former India skipper Sourav Ganguly.
India would be looking to sort out issues such as the opening blues, the middle-lower order conundrum and also the bowling strategies during the three-match T20 series against West Indies.
Skipper Dinesh Karthik will face a big test when a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns with a resurgent Delhi Daredevils, led by double title winning former KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir, in a much-anticipated IPL clash, in Kolkata, on Monday.
Warner leads the run-getters' list and has also notched three consecutive 100-run partnership for the opening wicket with Englishman Jonny Bairstow, who scored a blistering 114 against Bangalore.
'Sometimes we arrange a Zoom call just for him to say hello to the players, that's about it.' 'But otherwise, no, no direct talk, it's never happened, even in a normal year.' 'After the game, you win, you lose, SRK is there to encourage the team, give them hugs.'
'We decided this is the best time to give him the opportunity to lead the team.'
With 10 points from 11 games, it is a must-win encounter for Dinesh Karthik and his men if they want to keep their play-off chances alive.
Overwhelmed by 'surreal' bidding for him during the Indian Premier League auction, it took Jaydev Unadkat some time to believe that franchises were so willing to break their banks to grab a fast bowler.
Medium pace duo of K V Sasikanth and Cheepurapalli Stephen returned with five wickets each as Andhra Pradesh notched up a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Delhi in their Group A Ranji Trophy match on Friday. A round-up of the Ranji Trophy matches on Friday.
Ricky Ponting, Mumbai's head coach, says the team hasn't been able to sustain the momentum for the full length of a match, doing well in only patches.
Kolkata Knight Riders will be aiming to exploit Sunrisers Hyderabad's recent run of poor form
With an eye on the final spot, two-time champions Chennai Super Kings face high-flying Mumbai Indians in their first qualifier in the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Enjoying a prolific run with the bat, Indian opener KL Rahul has said he has become a better cricketer in the last one year owing to a roller-coaster ride both in the domestic and international arena.
Just like it happens with most of the seasoned domestic warhorses, 30-year-old Faiz Fazal had also stopped expecting to break through into the national squad but now that he has earned his maiden India call-up, "the world seemed like a much beautiful place" for the Vidarbha left-hander.
India will have their task cut out against a vastly improved England
Hetmyer smacked three sixes and eight fours in his entertaining knock, helping his side chase down a modest target of 128.
Kings XI Punjab head coach Sanjay Bangar believes out-of-favour opener Virender Sehwag is capable of making a national comeback despite being out of the Indian team for nearly two years now.
'Sachin Paaji told me to enjoy the situation because this is a reward for all the hard work I have put in for so many years in domestic cricket. He told me not to take any pressure on myself, but to enjoy the moment because this will stay with me forever.' Ajinkya Rahane relives his Test debut and how he has become the Indian team's new Mr Dependable in this exclusive interview with Harish Kotian/Rediff.com
Mumbai Indians are all set to open the defense of their title against new outfit Rising Pune Supergiants.
