While cricket fans sink their teeth into the Indian Premier League buffet, our correspondents Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya, Shayan Acharya and Vijay Lokapally discuss their takeaways from a very eventful first week of action. The cricket community also lost one of its most passionate voices - former Australia cricketer and commentator Dean Jones. Our panel also pay homage to the legend. 

To follow our complete IPL coverage, click here. 

#IPL2020 | #RIPDeanJones

If you ask an Indian or Pakistani cricket fan about matches in Sharjah, several remarkable memories will find their way to the table. In this episode, ahead of the IPL's first game in Sharjah, we go back all the way to see where this mythical venue's cricketing spark comes from and spoke to one of the architects of its legacy - former Pakistan skipper and referee Asif Iqbal.  

For our Sportstar Extras IPL special episode on Sharjah ft Madan Lal and Mudassar Nazar, click here.

It's almost time for the Indian Premier League to kick off. From the bio-bubble and conditions in the UAE to what's at stake in this surreal edition of the tournament, Shayan Acharya and Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya preview the 2020 edition. 

For our IPL special edition of the magazine, click here: https://sportstar.thehindu.com/magazine/ebook/ 

#IPL2020 | #COVID19 | #Cricket

Is the COVID-19 pause a good opportunity to shake up the way Indian cricket works? From the IPL coming back and the question marks it poses to Indian domestic scene to their own personal experiences in the system and their ambitions for change, veteran coach KP Bhaskar and Ranji Trophy winner Sheldon Jackson discuss the impact of the pandemic on cricket in India. 

While the Ranji Trophy final between Saurashtra and Bengal opened to celebration in Rajkot, the coronavirus pandemic came knocking at our doors. From noisy stands to an empty stadium and from collective struggles with the pitch to the brilliance of individual performances, this summit clash had it all. As the nation finds itself in lockdown, Ayan Acharya, Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya and Shayan Acharya revisit the final, the Ranji season gone by and the uncertainty that lies ahead. 

This episode also features a special guest from title-winning Saurashtra. Listen in!

To read more about the season, click here.

Here's a quick look at what's at stake when Saurashtra takes on Bengal in the final of this edition of the Ranji Trophy

Aashin Prasad, Samarnath Soory and Anirudh Velamuri analyse India's performances against Afghanistan and Oman keeping India's hopes in the Asia Cup qualifiers and the 2022 WC qualifiers in mind. With several faces from the national side making it back to ISL action this weekend, the trio also discuss the biggest talking points. 

From the success story of the 2019 Pro Kabaddi champion, Bengal Warriors, to the larger questions season seven posed to the nature of the tournament, Shyam Vasudevan, Lavanya Lakshminarayanan and Shivansh Gupta sit down to go back to three months of thrilling kabaddi on this episode of Sportstar's Matchpoint Paradox.

Our football reporters Shyam Vasudevan and Aashin Prasad dissect the celebrated draw between India and Qatar in the FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers. From what India did right to what Qata perhaps did wrong, here's a quick review of the group. 

For our full coverage of the FIFA 2022 WC Qualifiers, head over to www.sportstar.thehindu.com

One is smitten by Smith, the other by Stokes - it is safe to say that our reporters, Aashin Prasad and Ayan Acharya, had a nerve-racking time following the Ashes this year. The duo eventually decided to convert the competitive banter in the newsroom into an analysis of some of the best Test cricket we've seen in a long time.   

Here are the Ashes 2019 in focus on our special analysis series, Matchpoint Paradox.