All posts tagged: Pandya

RCB Tighten Their Grip as Krunal Pandya Sends Jos Buttler Packing

RCB Tighten Their Grip as Krunal Pandya Sends Jos Buttler Packing

Published by Webster

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are in control of the first innings against the Gujarat Titans in the finals of the IPL 2026 on May 31 at Narendra Modi Stadium. Their bowlers picked the crucial wickets of Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Nishant Sindhu and Jos Buttler on intervals to dominate the innings in the summit clash. After being invited to bat first, Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill opened the innings while Jacob Duffy opened the bowling attack. Josh Hazlewood brought the first breakthrough, dismissing Shubman Gill for 10 runs. He got dismissed on a short-length delivery with decent bounce, where Shubman Gill tried for a pull shot but mistimes as the ball went high in the air in mid-off, and Rajat Patidar bagged the catch. Nishant Sindhu, who came to bat at No.3, joined Sai Sudharsan at the crease. However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar bagged the crucial wicket of Sai Sudharsan for 12 runs. He got dismissed on a wide off delivery as the ball top-edged and went in the air towards short fine leg, where Jitesh …

The Leiden copper plates, recently returned to India, are a vital record of Chola history

The Leiden copper plates, recently returned to India, are a vital record of Chola history

Published by Parlour News

When the priceless Chola bronzes from Sivapuram and Pathur villages in Tamil Nadu were returned to India in 1986 and 1991 after protracted legal battles in the U.S. and U.K., it created a sensation. A formidable team of experts from diverse fields helped repatriate the bronzes after they were smuggled abroad. On February 17, 1988, Justice Ian Kennedy of a London court, awarding the idol to Tamil Nadu, praised R. Nagaswamy, who testified in the case, as “an acknowledged expert in the field of Chola bronzes.” Then Director of the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology, Nagaswamy was an epigraphist, iconographer, archaeologist, and scholar of Tamil and Sanskrit. It was celebration time again for epigraphists and scholars of Chola history when Leiden University in the Netherlands handed over the Anaimangalam copper-plate charter, popularly known as the Leiden plates, to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at The Hague on May 16, 2026. The Pallava, Pandya, Chola and Chera copper plates from the collections of the Government Museum, Chennai and the Department of Archaeology, Chennai. | Photo Credit: …

IPL shake-up on the cards? Hardik Pandya for Dube, Mhatre trade idea suggested as CSK nudged for captaincy change

IPL shake-up on the cards? Hardik Pandya for Dube, Mhatre trade idea suggested as CSK nudged for captaincy change

Published by Parlour News

The uncertainty surrounding Hardik Pandya’s future at Mumbai Indians has become increasingly difficult to ignore. Calls for his release have gathered momentum following a disappointing IPL campaign in which the five-time champions finished ninth on the table. It was a season where MI struggled to find rhythm from the outset, with senior players unable to step up in high-pressure moments and the team repeatedly faltering when it mattered most. Hardik Pandya’s captaincy came under the scanner this season. (PTI) Hardik’s leadership also came under scrutiny as Mumbai failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second time in three seasons under his captaincy. The move to hand him the reins after a high-profile trade from Gujarat Titans, replacing long-time skipper Rohit Sharma, was always going to be a bold call. However, the results have yet to justify the decision, with questions now being raised about both the direction of the side and Hardik’s long-term role in the leadership setup at the franchise. Subramaniam Badrinath has stirred conversation with a bold trade suggestion involving Hardik and …

Hardik Pandya set to lose Mumbai Indians captaincy

Hardik Pandya set to lose Mumbai Indians captaincy

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: May 28, 2026 11:16 PM IST Hardik Pandya‘s reign as Mumbai Indians captain is coming to an end. After a season in which they lost 10 of 14 games, finished ninth, and extended their title drought to six years, MI is set to overhaul its squad — starting with the captaincy. The Indian Express, speaking to at least three persons in the MI fold, has learnt that Hardik is likely to lose the captaincy. A discussion on his place in the side is also on the cards. “There were enough signs during the season that the team management wasn’t keen to retain him as captain. There is a clear buzz in the camp,” said a source. The immediate backdrop is a team talk by the coaching staff following MI’s final game of the season against Rajasthan Royals. “The coaching staff was very clear in their message to the senior players that wherever they play, they need to be coachable. There were many instances where the coaching staff recommended something which was backed …

Pandya’s disappears momentarily on Instagram days after end of MI’s IPL campaign

Pandya’s disappears momentarily on Instagram days after end of MI’s IPL campaign

Published by Webster

3 min readUpdated: May 27, 2026 07:55 PM IST Hardik Pandya’s Instagram account appeared deactivated for a few hours just three days after the end of Mumbai Indians’ rather disastrous 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign. While speculation brewed online on why this may have happened, the handle reappeared a few hours later. The speculation was further fuelled by the fact that five-time IPL champions MI had a rather dismal campaign this season. MI finished second to bottom in the league table, tied on eight points with bottom-placed Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) having won just four out of the 14 matches they played and lost 10. Pandya himself had a rather forgettable outing individually. He scored 206 runs in 10 matches but finished with a strike rate of just 138.25, a far cry from the 163.50 he managed last season and well below the kind of strike rate he is known to maintain. Pandya also managed just four wickets in the nine innings that he bowled in and ended with an economy of 11.42. Pandya was …

Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 review: Hardik Pandya took the heat, but MI’s disaster ran far deeper than captaincy alone

Mumbai Indians IPL 2026 review: Hardik Pandya took the heat, but MI’s disaster ran far deeper than captaincy alone

Published by Parlour News

“It has been a season of what-ifs and overall disappointing for all of us.” From left, Mumbai Indians’ Raj Bawa, captain Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah after Chennai Super Kings won the IPL 2026 match, in Chennai (PTI) That one line from Kieron Pollard on Sunday perhaps summed up Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2026 campaign better than the points table could. A season that began with hopes of building on last year’s playoff finish slowly spiralled into confusion, inconsistency and collective underperformance. While captain Hardik Pandya inevitably became the face of the criticism, Mumbai’s collapse ran far deeper than leadership alone. For one of the rarest times in franchise history, almost nothing aligned — not Rohit Sharma’s form, not Suryakumar Yadav’s explosiveness, not Tilak Varma’s consistency, and not even Jasprit Bumrah’s brilliance could rescue them from a season that never truly took flight. On paper, Mumbai looked one of the strongest squads in the competition. The experts could not agree more. Most, if not all, had the five-time champions in their predicted playoffs line-up. And why …

‘Release Hardik Pandya’: Michael Vaughan tells MI, proposes shock KKR captaincy move for IPL 2027

‘Release Hardik Pandya’: Michael Vaughan tells MI, proposes shock KKR captaincy move for IPL 2027

Published by Parlour News

The Mumbai Indians‘ season in the IPL 2026 ended much earlier. They were among the first teams to be eliminated from the race to the playoffs. And after all the scrutiny that has surrounded the franchise this season – like their star players not being in form, the players not functioning in unison and of course, Hardik Pandya‘s captaincy, which has faced the brunt of the criticism – finally the discussions around Mumbai have shifted to who they could retain or release. Former England captain Michael Vaughan made a shock proposal to the Mumbai Indians, which could, in turn, benefit the Kolkata Knight Riders as well. Mumbai Indians’ captain Hardik Pandya, right, and Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain Ajinkya Rahane during the toss (PTI) Speaking to Cricbuzz, Vaughan did not spare a second thought when asked about Hardik. “Release,” he said. But then, I added an outside-the-box suggestion. “Replace him with Cameron Green,” he said. The why of it came later, but Vaughan admitted he never saw the logic behind Hardik’s move back to Mumbai after …

Krunal Pandya sweep shot: The six months of work behind his 73 against Mumbai Indians | Cricket News

Krunal Pandya sweep shot: The six months of work behind his 73 against Mumbai Indians | Cricket News

Published by Webster

4 min readUpdated: May 11, 2026 06:51 PM IST Jitendra Singh, Krunal Pandya‘s childhood coach, watched his player go down on one knee against Will Jacks in the ninth over on Sunday and pick up a boundary through deep square leg. He had seen that shot hundreds of times in the nets. He had built it, piece by piece, over six months. “Grip, head, and a lot of mechanics, alignment, and many other things,” Singh said. “It was not just one thing. Everything was sequenced into one process.” That process was on display at Raipur, where Pandya’s 73 off 46 balls played a central role in RCB’s two-wicket win over Mumbai Indians. The innings was built, largely, on one shot. The sweep is not a new weapon for Pandya. But at 35, with specific work put into its mechanics before this IPL season, it has become something more deliberate — a way to take control of a middle-overs innings without needing to manufacture power from scratch each time. Nothing but respect! 🫡👏 Battling through pain …

Krunal Pandya on why he decided to bat on despite cramps in RCB’s run chase against MI: ‘Always cherish tough situations’

Krunal Pandya on why he decided to bat on despite cramps in RCB’s run chase against MI: ‘Always cherish tough situations’

Published by Webster

With both legs cramping, every run becoming a struggle, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) looking to end a two-game losing run, Krunal Pandya refused to walk off. The all-rounder scored 73 off 46 balls, rescuing RCB from 39/3 and taking them to the doorstep of victory against Mumbai Indians before falling late in the 167-run chase in Raipur on Sunday. But after the match, Krunal revealed the physical toll the innings had taken as RCB edged closer to the IPL 2026 playoffs with a tense two-wicket win. “Obviously, later on, cramps were very, very painful. I mean, it started from calf, hamstring, glutes and both legs. I was cramping,” Krunal said after the game. “But again, I was very clear that I’m not going to go out. I’ll fight through that pain, and I’ll make sure that whatever I can contribute for the team, I’ll do it.” ALSO READ | RCB on top after Bhuvneshwar’s masterclass and Krunal’s rearguard Krunal said the importance of the fixture at the business end of the season pushed him …

Krunal Pandya Holds RCB Together in Tricky 167 Chase

Krunal Pandya Holds RCB Together in Tricky 167 Chase

Published by Webster

A resilient knock from Krunal Pandya has revived and stabilised RCB’s 167-run chase in the IPL 2026 game played against the Mumbai Indians at Raipur. After being invited to bat first, Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma opened the innings while Bhuvneshwar Kumar opened the bowling attack. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bagged the wicket of Ryan Rickelton for 2 runs. He got dismissed on catch by Rajat Patidar in mid off. The RCB bowler bagged his second wicket, dismissing Rohit Sharma for 22 runs. He got dismissed on a lengthy ball where Jitesh Sharma picked the catch behind the wickets. In the same over, he bagged the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav for a duck as the Mumbai Indians lost three wickets for 28 runs. However, Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma anchored the innings as Mumbai Indians scored 53 runs in the powerplay. The duo forged a 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Rasikh Salam broke the crucial breakthrough dismissing Naman Dhir for 47 runs. He got bowled out on a back of length delivery as Mumbai Indians lost …