Sidharth Monga

India

Senior Writer at ESPN Cricinfo

Articles

Ponting expects 'daring, dynamic and different' PBKS to come back stronger next season

3 days ago | espn.in | Sidharth Monga

The most remarkable thing about Punjab Kings' (PBKS) run to the IPL 2025 final was that they did so with hardly any international experience in their batting. Shreyas Iyer was the only capped Indian batter they had and even he is out of favour in two of the three international formats right now. Josh Inglis, who can perhaps consider himself an Australia regular now, played only 11 out of 17 matches. Glenn Maxwell played seven. Marcus Stoinis batted too low.
Krunal Pandya is an IPL great even if you don't think he is

3 days ago | espn.in | Sidharth Monga

Don't look at numbers. Just close your eyes and say if you think Krunal Pandya is among the ten best bowlers in the IPL. You will, of course, say yes on the day that he became the first to win multiple Player-of-the-Match awards in IPL finals, but answer seriously: does he have any business being in the list of top-ten bowlers in the best, most competitive T20 league in the world? Now look at the numbers. He is among the top ten on every major metric in IPL 2025.
Kohli, finally, just for this moment

3 days ago | espn.in | Sidharth Monga

Virat Kohli just didn't know what to do with himself. It had finally happened. Josh Hazlewood had bowled a dot ball on the second ball of the last over. Punjab Kings (PBKS) now needed 29 to win off the last four balls. He had earlier suggested to AB de Villiers, friend and former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) team-mate with whom he has put together many magical stands, that he was struggling to hold back tears.
Dasher Salt makes all the difference for RCB

4 days ago | espn.in | Sidharth Monga

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have always had openers who score big runs. This year's opening partnership, though, has been their fastest in IPL history while also scoring their third-highest aggregate in any season. RCB's opening partnership is also the third quickest among the teams in IPL 2025, ahead of even Punjab Kings who have looked more aggressive to the naked eye.
The night MI felt the full force of Shreyas' ire

5 days ago | espn.in | Sidharth Monga

Shreyas Iyer was proper in the zone. The kind of space where you forget where you are. It takes time to come down from that trance. When he was walking back after leading a third side into an IPL final, as he protected a seemingly injured right hand and shook hands with his left, he saw Shashank Singh and gave him a dirty look. It doesn't need a professional lipreader to ascertain what he said. Translated to English: "don't come close to me". Followed by the most common Hindi expletive.
Chahal likely to come back for Qualifier 2, Chahar desperate to do so

6 days ago | espn.in | Sidharth Monga

Hotel rooms are easily available in Ahmedabad, there is no random crowd of people outside the Motera stadium, touts are not to be seen, although there is talk of one arrested on Friday for trying to sell 60 tickets at INR 5000 each. The general air is different to what it was even during an England-New Zealand game in the 2023 ODI World Cup, when you couldn't find accommodation at a decent price. Or even during the Gujarat Titans-Chennai Super Kings final earlier that year.
Indian Premier League

1 week ago | espn.in | Sidharth Monga

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 106 for 2 (Salt 56*, Mayank 19, Jamieson 1-27) beat Punjab Kings 101 (Stoinis 26, Suyash 3-17, Hazlewood 3-21, Dayal 2-26) by eight wicketsRoyal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) waltzed their way into their first IPL final since 2016 as they blew Punjab Kings (PBKS) away for 101 on a surface with seam and extra bounce.
The night Jitesh got rid of the enormous weight on his shoulders

1 week ago | espn.in | Sidharth Monga

Once the euphoria settles, Jitesh Sharma will perhaps tell himself good things happen if you keep putting in the good work. Something he might have doubted before this game. Jitesh is not your typical Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) player. He is not a superstar, he doesn't speak English, he didn't even have a single IPL fifty when brought to RCB. Then again, this is not your typical RCB season. They named a non-superstar captain, Rajat Patidar, and threw their weight behind him.
Why India picked Nair and Arshdeep and left out Sarfaraz and Shami

1 week ago | espn.in | Sidharth Monga

This is a landmark selection for India. This is the first time since the tour of South Africa in 2013-14, India's first series after Sachin Tendulkar's retirement, that they embark on a big tour looking to create future superstars. There will naturally be plenty of questions. Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors, answered them all. Well, most of them. Editor's PicksShubman Gill unveiled as India's new Test captain, Pant his deputyWhat will the top four look like?
Confident and assertive, Gill must now chart his own path

1 week ago | espn.co.uk | Sidharth Monga

When England came to India at the start of 2024, India were looking at the start of a transition. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin, all similarly aged, were not going to be around forever. The series started with a defeat, but India rallied to win 4-1. A young man, a promising batter averaging 31 after 20 Tests and playing for his spot in the side, rose to the occasion and scored two centuries.