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2 weeks ago | 
sportstar.thehindu.com | Pranay Rajiv |Jonathan Selvaraj |Dhruva Prasad
Nothing unnerves a track coach more than a baton exchange in a sprint relay. You could have the fastest runners at your disposal, but even a slightly flawed handover can spell disaster for a relay team. For Indian sprint coach James Hillier, however, the three 30-metre baton exchange zones on a 100m relay track aren’t looming pitfalls. He sees them as fast-moving windows of opportunity — zones that could launch his team into the world’s elite.
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1 month ago | 
sportstar.thehindu.com | Pranay Rajiv |Shayan Acharya
For years, left-arm wrist spinners remained on the fringes of cricket, sidelined by their rarity and the difficulty of mastering the craft. But in recent seasons, especially in T20s, they’ve gone from being mere curiosities to game-changers — turning their uniqueness into an advantage. This shift has reached new heights in IPL 2025. At the halfway mark, the league’s three left-arm wrist spinners have combined for 30 wickets — the highest for their type in any IPL season.
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2 months ago | 
sportstar.thehindu.com | Dhruva Prasad |Pranay Rajiv |S. Dipak Ragav |Ryan Fernando
Captain: Sanju Samson Coach: Rahul Dravid Home Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur / Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati Best Finish: Champions (2008) Last Season: Third Key Stats 1. PowerPlay Dominance at Risk 8.08 – Rajasthan Royals’ economy rate in the PowerPlay since 2023, the best among all teams.
RR has thrived with the ball in the first six overs, thanks to Trent Boult’s impact.
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2 months ago | 
sportstar.thehindu.com | Dhruva Prasad |Pranay Rajiv |S. Dipak Ragav |Ryan Fernando
Captain: Shubman Gill Coach: Ashish Nehra Home Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad Best Finish: Champion (2022) Last Season: EighthKey Stats1. PowerPlay Struggles 7.72 – Gujarat Titans’ run rate in the PowerPlay, the lowest in IPL 2024. Despite a strong overall performance in the IPL, GT couldn’t keep up with the rapid PowerPlay scoring rates of teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad (11.17) and Kolkata Knight Riders (11.07).
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2 months ago | 
sportstar.thehindu.com | Pranay Rajiv |S. Dipak Ragav |Ayon Sengupta |Ryan Fernando
Captain: Ruturaj Gaikwad Coach: Stephen Fleming Home Venue: M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Best Finishes: Champions (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023) Last Season: Fifth Key Stats 1. Spin-Friendly Fortress 7.13 – The economy rate for spinners at Chepauk, the lowest among IPL venues with over 15 matches. Chennai’s home ground continues to favour spinners, making Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, and Noor Ahmad crucial assets. CSK’s well-rounded spin attack is built to thrive in these conditions. 2.
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Mar 3, 2025 | 
sportstar.thehindu.com | Pranay Rajiv |Shayan Acharya
From an auditory perspective, few shots match the sheer impact of a well-timed pull; the crisp crack of the bat is almost unmatched. In India’s 2025 Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh, Shubman Gill produced a stunning pull off Tanzim Hasan Sakib, dispatching it into the second tier of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. His reaction? Characteristic nonchalance. At the other end, Rohit Sharma watched, amused — an apt measure of the shot’s quality, given his mastery of the pull.
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Feb 17, 2025 | 
sportstar.thehindu.com | Anish Pathiyil |Sahil Mathur |Pranay Rajiv |Shayan Acharya
The 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA demonstrated that Afghanistan is no longer just making up the numbers. The incredible talent pool in the country’s reserves, coupled with the experience it has gained by playing cricket in leagues around the world, has made the team a serious contender to go deep into ICC tournaments.
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Feb 17, 2025 | 
sportstar.thehindu.com | Sahil Mathur |Pranay Rajiv |Shayan Acharya |Ayon Sengupta
Bangladesh’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 can best be described as a team of accumulators, lacking significant firepower. Opening its campaign against a formidable India in Dubai, UAE, before travelling to Rawalpindi for its remaining Group A fixtures against New Zealand and host Pakistan, Bangladesh appears to be a side built to score 300 but concede 320 — an unfavourable equation.
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Feb 17, 2025 | 
sportstar.thehindu.com | Pranay Rajiv |Shayan Acharya |Ayon Sengupta
India will head into the 2025 Champions Trophy on the back of one of the leanest build-ups it has ever had for a multi-team event in recent years. Since its defeat in the 2023 World Cup final to Australia, India has played just nine ODIs — the fewest of any team set to take part in the Champions Trophy and the second-lowest overall, behind Ireland. To put it into context, India had played more ODIs (30) than any other team in the 12 months leading up to the previous ODI World Cup.
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Feb 17, 2025 | 
sportstar.thehindu.com | Pranay Rajiv |Paul Fein
South Africa’s performances in multi-nation tournaments have often followed a familiar pattern — strong starts in the early stages, only to fall short when the stakes are highest. This recurring trend has led to persistent discussions about its ability to handle pressure in knockout matches, shaping the narrative around its tournament history. Less than a year ago, South Africa repeated the pattern, losing the T20 World Cup final to India from a seemingly unlosable position.
