by Nitesh Mathur | Sep 18, 2020 | IPL, Miscellaneous
CSK All-Time XI, let us start with the obvious. MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina – the twin retirements that shook the world. Now that international cricket is off their mind, who knows they might play even better!
In the All-Time CSK XI, Thala and chinna thala are the two pillars of CSK, but who else is a guarantee?
Even after the two year exodus, CSK has come back with the ‘Dad’s Army’ and won it in style. How long can do they with these old stars? Only time will tell.
CSK has ALWAYS made it to the playoffs—they are just that good. When the odds are in their favor, they win. When the odds are not in their favor, they definitely win.
Anyway, VOTE BELOW AND SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS!
Meanwhile, here is our All-Time CSK XI.
*Note: CSK were banned between 2016-2017, so these players played for other teams then.
The Catch
- In slow turning Chennai pitches, Ashwin, Jadeja, Jakati, and Harbhajan have all played monumental roles – can you fit all four of them in?
- At the top of the order, it seems CSK have a revolving door of Australians – Matthew Hayden made way for Mike Hussey, who was eventually replaced by Shane Watson (there is a Faf in the mix too). Who do you pick?
The Highlights
- 2010, 2011, 2018 – (Champions), 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2019 (Runners Up), 2009, 2014 (3rd)
MY CSK All-Time XI
- Mike Hussey (2008-2015)
- Murali Vijay (2009-2013, 2019)
- Suresh Raina (2008-2019)
- Ambati Rayudu (2018-2019)
- MS Dhoni (2008-2019) – Captain/WK
- Subramaniam Badrinath (2008-2013)
- Ravindra Jadeja (2012-2019)
- Albie Morkel (2008-2013)
- Dwayne Bravo (2011-2019)
- Ravichandran Ashwin (2009-2015)
- Imran Tahir (2018-2019)
Honorable Mention: Shane Watson (2018-2019), Deepak Chahar (2018-2019), Shadab Jakati (2009-2012), Faf du Plessis (2012-2019)
Audience Poll – CSK All-Time XI
- Pick 11 players from the list – with 4 foreign players maximum.
- You need to have a wicketkeeper and at least 5 bowling options.
[yop_poll id=”4″]
Thank y’all for voting! Share with your friends, comment below on your XI, and subscribe to the blog/ follow our social media pages!
For other IPL All-Time XIs, check this page out.
Image Courtesy: Ravindra Jadeja – Amrapahal Pahanswan / CC BY-SA 4.0; MS Dhoni – Pulkitsinha / CC BY-SA 2.0; Albie Morkel – YellowMonkey/Blnguyen / CC BY-SA 4.0; Matthew Hayden – Eva Rinaldi / CC BY-SA 2.0; Suresh Raina – NAPARAZZI / CC BY-SA 2.0
by Nitesh Mathur | Sep 18, 2020 | IPL, Miscellaneous
Let us continue the IPL Party with SRH All-Time XI!
Ever since Deccan Chargers became SRH, they have been ultra consistent. With the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner, and Kane Williamson, their top order has been in safe hands.
Their most unique characteristic, though, is their bowling. Regularly in slow Hyderabad pitches, they have defended scores between 140-150. Most Indian fast bowling internationals have been acquired by SRH at some point or another – Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as well as the up and coming Siddharth Kaul, Barinder Sran, Khaleel Ahmed, and Basil Thampi.
With so many choices available, who makes it in YOUR SRH All-Time XI? VOTE BELOW AND SHARE YOUR XI WITH YOUR FRIENDS!
*Note: We are NOT including players from Deccan Chargers since SRH has been pretty successful since 2013 (even though players like Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds, Adam Gilchrist, and RP Singh were instrumental in their 2009 win).
The Catch
- As mentioned above, great top order, foreign players, and fast bowlers – but what about the Indian batsmen? Manish Pandey/Vijay Shankar/Yusuf Pathan maybe?
- Warner, Williamson, Bairstow? Shakib, Nabi, Rashid Khan, and the Fizz? All great international players. Pick 4 now. The struggle SRH still faces—the problem of plenty.
The Highlights
- 2016 (Champions), 2018 (Runners Up), 2013, 2017, 2019 (4th)
My SRH All-Time XI
- David Warner (2014-2019)
- Kane Williamson (2015-2019) – Captain
- Shikhar Dhawan (2013-2018)
- Manish Pandey (2018-2019)
- Naman Ojha (2014-2017) – WK
- Deepak Hooda (2016-2019)
- Mohammad Nabi (2017-2019)
- Rashid Khan (2017-2019)
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2014-2019)
- Siddharth Kaul (2018-2019)
- Sandeep Sharma (2018-2019)
Honorable Mentions: Karn Sharma (2013-2016), Dale Steyn (2013-2015), Khaleel Ahmed (2018-2019), Moises Henriques (2014-2017)
Audience Poll – SRH All Time XI
- Pick 11 players from the list – with 4 foreign players maximum.
- You need to have a wicketkeeper and at least 5 bowling options.
[yop_poll id=”3″]
Thank you for voting!
For other IPL All-Time XIs, check this page out.
Please Share Your Teams with your friends, follow us on Social Media, and do not forget to SUBSCRIBE!
Image Courtesy: Bhuvneshvar Kumar – Dee03 / CC BY-SA 3.0; Kane Williamson – Mark Lockett / CC BY-SA 2.0; Jonny Bairstow – Mcadge / CC BY-SA 4.0; David Warner – Original photograph: NAPARAZZICrop: Ham105 / CC BY-SA 2.0
by Nitesh Mathur | Sep 17, 2020 | IPL, Miscellaneous
RCB All-Time XI….this is a tough one.
The Royal Challengers from Bangalore. They have so far remained just that- challengers, not champions. Can they win it this time in 2020?
Only time will tell, but let us reflect back and look at the All-Time XI of RCB.
The Catch
- Gayle, Kohli, and ABD – the three stars RCB has revolved around, but then who else?
- Kohli has played 177 games for RCB, ABD-126, Gayle-85, Chahal-83, and Vinay Kumar-64. The next in line is Zaheer Khan with mere 44 games.
- Bangalore gave the Indian team Dravid & Kumble, but do they even find a place in the XI?
The Highlights
- 2009, 2011, 2016 – (Runners Up), 2010, 2015 – (3rd)
MY RCB All Time XI
- Chris Gayle (2011-2017)
- Virat Kohli (2008-2019)
- Parthiv Patel (2014-2019) – WK
- Jacques Kallis (2008-2010)
- AB De Villiers (2011-2019)
- Ross Taylor (2008-2010)
- Robin Uthappa (2009-2010)
- Yuzvendra Chahal (2014-2019)
- Anil Kumble (2008-2010) – Captain
- Zaheer Khan (2008-2013)
- Umesh Yadav (2018-2019)
Honorable Mentions: Manish Pandey (2009-2010), Rahul Dravid (2008-2010), Dale Steyn (2008-2010, 2019)
Does it look like my bowling is not that strong? You are probably right and have just answered why RCB have yet to win an IPL.
Audience Poll – RCB All Time XI
- Pick 11 players from the list – with 4 foreign players maximum.
- You need to have a wicketkeeper and at least 5 bowling options.
[yop_poll id=”2″]
Thanks for voting! Please COMMENT Below on Your Teams and do not forget to SUBSCRIBE!
Do check out our All-Time XI for (1) RR/KKR and (2) KXIP/DC.
Image Courtesy: Virat Kohli – NAPARAZZI / CC BY-SA 2.0; AB De Villiers – paddynapper / CC BY-SA 2.0; Chris Gayle – NAPARAZZI / CC BY-SA 2.0; Rahul Dravid – Chubby Chandru / via CC 2.0
by Nitesh Mathur | Sep 16, 2020 | IPL, Miscellaneous
Day 2 of IPL All-Time XI: KXIP and DC!
Today, Glenn Maxwell and Alex Carey forged a remarkable partnership to seal a memorable win for Australia, resulting in England’s team first ODI loss at home in 4 years.
Guess what? Maxwell will be representing Kings XI Punjab this season, while Carey will be playing for the Delhi Capitals, so let us talk about them today.
KXIP and DC – Who Are They?
DC and KXIP – these teams are an enigma. They have some of the best players but never manage to go far in the tournament barring a season here or there.
Delhi Capitals, formerly the Delhi Daredevils have had players like ABD, Dilshan, David Warner, even Andre Russell and Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik from the Indian contingent. For some reason, they performed well after they were released by Delhi.
Alright, Ready for the VOTING? Tip: Both teams have bought great players on paper in the past, but can you remember if they actually performed well with KXIP or DC?
The Catch:
- Amla, Sangakkara, and Jayawardene all had good records at KXIP but did they play enough?
- Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan are present in both lists, will you pick them in either? Does Yuvi even make it for Punjab?
- Chris Gayle was a star for RCB, but has he done enough for KXIP?
Kings XI Punjab
Highlights: 2014 (Runners-Up), 2008 (3rd)
Audience Poll – KXIP – All Time XI
Pick 11 players from the list – with 4 foreign players maximum. You need to have a wicketkeeper and at least 5 bowling options.
My Kings XI Punjab – All Time XI
Well, here is our All-Time XI for KXIP. We have highlighted the 4 foreign players in our XI.
- Shaun Marsh (2008-2017)
- KL Rahul (2018-2019)
- Glenn Maxwell (2014-2017)
- George Bailey (2014-2015) – Captain
- David Miller (2012-2019)
- Wriddhiman Saha (2014-2017) – WK
- Axar Patel (2014-2018)
- Ravichandran Ashwin (2018-2019)
- Piyush Chawla (2008-2013)
- Parvinder Awana (2012-2014)
- Sandeep Sharma (2013-2017)
Honorable Mentions: Kumar Sangakkara (2008-2010), Adam Gilchrist (2011-2013), Praveen Kumar (2011-2013), Andrew Tye (2018-2019)
Audience Poll Results
- KL Rahul
- Virender Sehwag
- Shaun Marsh
- George Bailey – Captain
- Glenn Maxwell
- Yuvraj Singh
- Wriddhiman Saha – WK
- Axar Patel
- Sandeep Sharma
- Andrew Tye/ Mitchell Johnson (Tie)
- Piyush Chawla
Some Votes: Adam Gilchrist, Manan Vohra, Irfan Pathan, Ravichandran Ashwin
Less than 2 Votes: Kumar Sangakkara, Mandeep Singh, Paul Valthaty, Parvinder Awana, Praveen Kumar
Audience Poll – DC
Highlights: 2009, 2012, 2019 (3rd), 2008 (4th)
My DD/DC – All Time XI
- Virender Sehwag (2008-2013) – Captain
- David Warner (2009-2013)
- Sanju Samson (2016-2017)
- Shreyas Iyer (2015-2019)
- Rishabh Pant (2016-2019) – WK
- JP Duminy (2014-2016)
- Chris Morris (2016-2019)
- Amit Mishra (2008-2019)
- Umesh Yadav (2010-2013)
- Morne Morkel (2011-2013)
- Shahbaz Nadeem (2011-2018)
Honorable Mentions: Kagiso Rabada (2017-2019), Mohammad Shami (2014-2018), Kedar Jadhav (2010-2015), Quinton de Kock (2014-2016)
DC XI – Audience Poll
- David Warner
- Virender Sehwag – Captain
- Shikhar Dhawan/ Prithvi Shaw (Tie)
- Ab De Villiers/ Kevin Pietersen (Tie)
- Shreyas Iyer – Wicketkeeper
- Rishabh Pant
- JP Duminy/ Chris Morris/Morne Morkel (Tie)
- Amit Mishra
- Kagiso Rabada
- Umesh Yadav/Irfan Pathan (Tie)
- Shahbaz Nadeem
Less than 2 Votes: TM Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Gautam Gambhir, Quinton de Kock, Dinesh Karthik, Sanju Samson, Kedar Jadhav, Ashish Nehra, Dirk Nannes
COMMENT BELOW to share your XI or if we missed a player you would have liked. Share, subscribe to the blog, and enjoy!
And visit this post if you missed our All-time XI with RR and KKR and RCB.
Sources: Cricinfo Stats, Cricinfo IPL All-Time XI
Image Courtesy: Yuvraj Singh – lensbug.chandru / via CC 2.0; Virender Sehwag – Flying Cloud – Indian Cricket Team / via CC 2.0; David Warner – Original photograph: NAPARAZZI Flikr Crop: Ham105 / CC BY-SA 2.0 ; George Bailey – NAPARAZZI / CC BY-SA 2.0; David Miller – NAPARAZZI / CC BY-SA 2.0; ABD Villiers – Deon Maritz from Cape Town, South Africa / via CC 2.0; Adam Gilchrist – Nick-D / CC BY-SA 3.0
by Nitesh Mathur | Sep 16, 2020 | IPL, Miscellaneous
Well, well, well, the IPL is here. It is that time of the year. Okay not quite, 2020 is weird. Anyway, six months delayed, but IPL-13 is finally here.
Cricket has restarted and England has done their part in hosting West Indies, Pakistan, and Australia. Now it is time to jump ship across to the U.A.E. for the Indian Premier League.
ESPNCricinfo recently did a series on all-time IPL XI teams. Although we agree on some players, I have a different take on most teams. So for the next few days, we will be doing IPL All-Time XI, 2 teams each day.
Why not start with the teams that inspired the IPL craze? Yes, I am talking about the winners of the 1st IPL, Rajasthan Royals, and Kolkata Knight Riders for whom Brendon McCullum blazed 158 in the first game of the IPL.
All-Time XI – Rules
First, we will first give you a chance to vote on who you think should be in the All-Time XI and then display our All-Time XI.
- Limit to 11 players per team (you can play around with the balance of the team)
- Maximum of 4 foreign players in the XI
- Needs to be able to field a team (a wicket-keeper and 5 bowling options at least)
Note, with major auctions every three years, several players may be in multiple All-Time XI teams.
Rajasthan Royals
Highlights: 2008 (Champions), 2013 (3rd), 2015, 2018 – (4th)
My Rajasthan Royals – XI
Here is my Rajasthan Royals XI. I picked several players from their 2008 winning campaign.
Note: The foreign players are in bold.
- Jos Butler (2018-2019) – WK
- Rahul Dravid (2011-2013) – (C)
- Shane Watson (2008-2015)
- Ajinkya Rahane (2011-2015; 2018-2019)
- Sanju Samson (2013-2015; 2018-2019)
- Brad Hodge (2012-2014)
- Yusuf Pathan (2008-2010)
- Ravindra Jadeja (2008-2009)
- Shreyas Gopal (2018-2019)
- Sohail Tanvir (2008)
- Siddharth Trivedi (2008-2013)
Honorable Mentions: Steven Smith (2014-2019), Shane Warne (2008-2011), Swapnil Asnodkar (2008-2011), Stuart Binny (2011-2019)
Audience Poll – RR XI
The results are in! We received about 29 votes. Here is what the audience voted for:
- Rahul Dravid – Captain
- Shane Watson
- Ajinkya Rahane/Steven Smith (tie) [*Smith will not make it in because of the foreign quota of 4]
- Sanju Samson – WK
- Jos Butler
- Ben Stokes
- Ravindra Jadeja
- James Faulkner/Shane Warne (tie)
- Dhawal Kulkarni
- Munaf Patel
- Pravin Tambe/Shreyas Gopal (Tie)
*Note: Jofra Archer had more votes than Munaf Patel but because of the 4 foreign players quote, he lost to Faulkner/Shane Warne by one vote.
Missed out by Barest of Margins: Jofra Archer (the irony), Yusuf Pathan, Sohail Tanvir
Some Votes: Siddharth Trivedi, Shaun Tait, Stuart Binny, Krishnappa Gowtham
Less than 2 Votes: Johan Botha, Swapnil Asnodkar, Naman Ojha, Dishant Yagnik, Brad Hodge
Was there another player you would have liked to see? Comment Below!
Kolkata Knight Riders
Highlights: 2012, 2014 – (Champions), 2017, 2018 – (3rd), 2011, 2016 – (4th)
My KKR XI
Here is my KKR XI. Most of the players are from the 2012-2014 generation in which KKR won twice.
- Sunil Narine (2012-2019)
- Gautam Gambhir (2011-2017)
- Jacques Kallis (2011-2014)
- Robin Uthappa (2014-2019)
- Manish Pandey (2014-2017)
- Dinesh Karthik (2018-2019)
- Andre Russell (2014-2019)
- Piyush Chawla (2014-2019)
- Morne Morkel (2014-2016)
- Umesh Yadav (2014-2017)
- Kuldeep Yadav (2016-2019)
Honorable Mentions: Chris Lynn (2014-2019), Yusuf Pathan (2011-2017), Shakib Al Hasan (2011-2017), Manvinder Bisla (2011-2014)
Audience Poll – KKR XI
- Gautam Gambhir – Captain
- Manish Pandey
- Robin Uthappa
- Shakib Al Hasan/Morne Morkel (Tie)
- Jacques Kallis (Tie with 5.)
- Dinesh Karthik – WK
- Andre Russell
- Sunil Narine
- Umesh Yadav
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Piyush Chawla
*Note: Shakib, Morkel, and Kallis are tied so 2/3 can fill in the spots. (If it is a turning pitch, we will play Shakib; otherwise, Morne it is).
Missed out by the Barest of Margins: Brendon McCullum (irony #2 – had to be from New Zealand), Brett Lee, Chris Lynn, Ishant Sharma, Sourav Ganguly
Some Votes: Lakshmipathy Balaji, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, Eoin Morgan, Shoaib Akhtar, Nitesh Rana, Yusuf Pathan
Less than 2 Votes: Manoj Tiwary, Manvinder Bisla, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Rajat Bhatia, Iqbal Abdulla
Please vote and share with your friends to see what their best XI is? PLEASE SHARE, SUBSCRIBE, AND COMMENT BELOW ON WHAT YOU THINK!
Next time we will analyze the Best XIs of DC and KXIP. Let the games begin!
For other IPL All-Time XIs, check this page out. For other World XIs, check this page out.
Sources: Cricinfo Stats, Cricinfo IPL All-Time XI
Image Courtesy: Shane Watson – NAPARAZZI / CC BY-SA 2.0; Shane Warne – Chris Brown / via CC 2.0; Jacques Kallis – Kolkata Knight Riders – Official / via CC 3.0; Dinesh Karthik – Dee03 / CC BY-SA 3.0; Sunil Narine – Kolkata Knight Riders – Official / via CC 3.0
by Nitesh Mathur | Sep 10, 2020 | Cricket Stories, Miscellaneous
This week, we did our first interview at Broken Cricket Dreams, where Avinash shared his dreams lived of playing cricket.
This inspired us to do another article in our segment, Twitter Specials. #DreamsLived is also a response our first article in this segment, #BrokenDreams, where we shared several fans’ stories of their broken sports dreams.
We asked our viewers to respond with #DreamsLived in one of two ways:
- If your dream of playing cricket (at any level) was realized, describe your story.
- If not, what else did you do with your time? Did you pick up a new skill? A different sport? Maybe contributed as a fan or analyst?
Let us get started with a quote from the interview.
In our Broken Dreams section, we asked Avinash (@avinashvicky), “Any final thoughts on your dream lived?” and he responded with
“I could not imagine what I have done had I not played cricket all these years. My master’s would be something else, a completely different experience.”
Now to the tweets that was inspired by this interview:
The Tweets
- My Dreams Lived (@cricket_broken):
“Personally, I could not play cricket but became a violinist! Great experience.”
2. Mohd Shamir Ansari (@ShamirMohd):
“I too personally could not play cricket, But I never missed this beautiful game as I compensated it by playing it ‘Online Cricket Games’….”
3. Ansh Sharma (@Im_anshsharma):
“During my childhood I always wanted to become a cricketer But later obviously that could not happen
But now I do my own cricket analysis through various social media platforms
I am a journalism student now And now my dream is to become a sports journalist / anchor”
4. JustCricket (@justcricketblog):
“I playing in school and with local clubs in recent times. Apart from that watching cricket and discussing about it gives me as much joy. I too have played cricket games. My fav are ea cricket 2007 and now big ant studios playing in career mode which gives a fake sense of reality.”
5. Sparsh Telang (@_cricketsparsh):
“Being born in Virat Kohli’s era is a dream come true.”
That is just great! This is exactly the kind of stuff we are looking for.
Comment below on your #DreamsLived and share ahead. We would love to hear more such stories. Also, please SUBSCRIBE so you do not miss any articles!
What Can We Learn?
There are over a billion cricket fans in this world. At one point or another, each one has dreamt of hitting that winning shot, enjoying ecstatic moments in the winning huddles, or just playing the sport professionally.
Sometimes life does not go as planned, but “When one door closes, another opens.”
There is more than one way to live the dream. We can play cricket with our local club, at our universities, or the best form of the game—backyard gully cricket.
Nothing better than just spreading the love of the game in whatever way that is possible.
Sources: Twitter
