Author: Manupriyam Gupta

29th August, 1905 – Birth of one of the legendary Indian Hockey player & captain, who helped the nation to be recognised as a dominant force in the field of sports in pre-Independence era. Recognized as the “The Wizard” & “The Magician” Major Dhyan Chand represented the nation in the game of hockey at international level (1926-1949), close to 25 years during which he scored 570 goals in 185 matches. (Stats as per the autobiography) Representing “British India” Hockey team, the Wizard won 3 Gold medals in the 1928 (Amsterdam), 1932 (Los Angeles) & 1936 (Berlin) Summer Olympics. In 1932, Major…

From making his test debut against England at Lords where he made 95 runs on June 22, 1996, till date, Rahul ‘Jammy’ Dravid has taught various disciplines of life and to carry on one’s innings despite the minute obstacles/ pitfalls in life. “There is no substitute of hard work, passion, dedication & consistency and it will surely lead you to success, however long it takes.” – This is surely the teaching one can abstract from the life of the one ‘True Gentleman of Cricket’. Rahul Dravid also passed on his expertise with the young talents of the team by coaching…

“Thanks. Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout. From 19.29 hrs consider me as Retired.”- This was the statement on August 15 evening on the official Instagram account of Indian cricket’s most successful captain. Such was the simplicity of former Indian leader cum captain who had left such a dominating impact on the World cricket. Born in Ranchi, Bihar (then) on 7th July, 1981- he was similar to like any other teenage boy who used to idolize the great cricketing icon- Sachin Tendulkar, one of the prolific Bollywood actor- Amitabh Bachchan and singer Lata Mangeshkar. Showing major signs…

Defeating the table-toppers- Delhi Capitals, winning a tight contest against Mumbai Indians following a tussle of 2 Super overs (statistically the first & probably the last) incident to occur in the history of IPL & bettering the Royal Challengers Bangalore showcasing the strength of their top 3 batsmen- the Kings XI from Punjab have managed to tick all the boxes in the recent performances. From a mere 2 points from 7 encounters & juggling around the bottom 2 places in the points table to gaining 10 points from equal number of encounters. The KL Rahul-led Kings XI Punjab have certainly…

Probably the encounter against MI on October 16 at Abu Dhabi will go down as one of the forgettable moments for their new captain – Eoin Morgan which started off his captaincy with a loss against their arch-rivals at Abu Dhabi on Friday evening. Being on a four-match winning streak before the encounter against KKR, it was a tough challenge for the Knight Riders to overcome the MI storm, especially after being thrashed heavily by RCB earlier in the week by 82 runs at Sharjah. Change in fortunes was on the cards for the Riders as they aim for a…

Facing defeat in their initial encounters of the tournament, David Warner-led Orange Army & Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik will lock horns at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday evening. KKR batting coach – Brendon McCullum will expect a thunderous start from its opening duo of Shubhman Gill & Narine along with a more conservative approach shown by its middle-order trio of Dinesh Karthik-Nitish Rana-Eoin Morgan. The aggressive outing showcased by Pat Cummins with the bat against MI will be a bonus for the Knight Riders if he soon erases all the doubts concerning his expensive spell…

24 September 2007: This day, a leader, a mentor, and a captain was born who led a young bunch of lads on the stage where every player rose his head in pride along with a millions of new generation of Indian cricket fans back home & around the globe to be able to proudly call themselves “World Champions.” This day not only created history in Indian cricket but invoked a belief that the best, experienced teams in the World cricket can be defeated if you have the capability to analyse every possible situation, thereby preparing according to the format.India -…

A mixed atmosphere in the Royals camp with the absence of Stokes & inclusion of Smith in their Playing XI will certainly be a booster to the Rajasthan franchise when they lace their boots against a motivated Super Kings who bettered MI in the opening encounter by 5 wickets. MSD-led Chennai Super Kings will aim to extend their win from Abu Dhabi to Sharjah, thereby expecting its opening pair of Vijay-Watson to lay the foundation of the victory. Rajasthan Royals, on the other end, having followed a downward trajectory along with CSK sharing a 2-year ban from IPL will aim…

Stuart Broad- the England paceman joined the elite club of bowlers to reach the landmark of 500 wickets in international whites. Broad displayed an all-round performance including 62 runs & 10 wickets to help the home side grab their hands on the Wisden Trophy which was the series-deciding encounter at Old Trafford, Manchester. The English captain – Joe Root too credited the right-arm pacer, using the terminology- “Phenomenal achievement”- runs in the 1st innings, 10 wickets maiden itself speaks out loud to justify the Player of the Match & joint Player of the Series holder. Although having reached the milestone…

The buzz revolving around the dates for the start of IPL 2020 amidst the pandemic situation seems to end the long wait as the IPL Governing Council chairman; Mr. Brijesh Patel revealed a huge announcement regarding it. The 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) will be played between September 19 and November 10 in the UAE. As India & many countries across the globe are fighting a battle against the coronavirus from last 4 months, the return of international cricket proved to be a promising entertainment. The ongoing series between England & Westindies has reached its penultimate stage after England leveled…