Stumped

This week’s Stumped with Nikesh Rughani, Jim Maxwell and Sunil Gupta is an Indian T20 franchise special.

The 18th edition of the Indian Premier League starts on 22 March, and the team discuss the major talking points heading into the tournament, including Kolkata Knight Riders selecting Ajinkya Rahane as captain and if this could be the year for Virat Kohli's RCB to win their first title?

We reflect on Mumbai Indians winning the Women’s Premier League for the second time in three years.

Plus, we chat to cricket bat restorer Barney Morris about the rare and growing trade in cricket bat repairs.

(Photo: Players of Kolkata Knight Riders celebrate with the trophy after their victory against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2024 IPL Final match on 26 May, 2024, India. Credit: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

On this week's Stumped, Alison Mitchell, Brett Sprigg and Charu Sharmu discuss India’s dominance of the men’s white ball game - will it continue all the way through to next year’s T20 World Cup and beyond? It’s after India added the Champions Trophy to the T20 World Cup they won in Barbados last year. Virat Kohli reckons this current squad has enough talent to "take on the world" for the next eight years.

We speak to Cricket Australia’s outgoing Chief Executive Nick Hockley. He’s standing down at the end of this month after five years in charge. He tells us the controversial resignation of men’s Test captain Tim Paine was one of the most challenging periods of his tenure, but that he and Paine have since spent a lot of time together and he backs him to have a long and successful coaching career.

He also told us he believes support for the Afghanistan women’s team will continue after his departure and that the controversial decision to mark 150 years of England against Australia with a day/night game can celebrate the history of the game whilst also nodding to the future.

Plus, we look at what Harry Brook’s decision to withdraw from the upcoming Indian Premier League means for him and England.

Photo: Virat Kohli of India and teammate Rohit Sharma celebrate following the team's victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Final between India and New Zealand at Dubai International Stadium on March 09, 2025 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Credit: ICC via Getty Images)

Alison Mitchell, Charu Sharma and Brett Sprigg are joined by former Ashes winning head coach Andy Flower, who shares his thoughts on England’s Champions Trophy exit and who should be the next white ball captain? Flower is the head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore, who are preparing for their 18th season in the Indian Premier League and hoping for their first ever title. He tells us what it is like coaching Virat Kohli and the influence he is having on new captain Rajat Patidar.

Flower spent time as a consultant with the Australia team so gives us his insight into Steve Smith after he announced his international retirement from One Day Internationals.

The ICC Champions Trophy final is set with India taking on New Zealand in Dubai. We preview the final and analyse where it went wrong for Australia and South Africa.

Photo: Coach Andy Flower speaks to his players during an England Lions training session at Allan Border Field on November 24, 2017 in Brisbane, Australia. (Credit: Getty Images)

This week is our 500th episode of Stumped. The show has been going for ten years, so Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma reflect on how the game has changed and developed over the last decade.

India and New Zealand are through to the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy at the expense of Bangladesh and Pakistan. We look at where it went wrong for the hosts and celebrate India’s Virat Kohli who became the fastest player to score 14,000 One Day International runs. And after England's defeat against Afghanistan to knock them out of the tournament, we ask if Jos Buttler should remain as captain?

Plus, after 16-year-old G Kamalani hit the winning runs for the Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League, we look at the pressure on young cricketers. Vice President of the Western Region Junior Cricket Association, Vanessa Pereira joins us and tells us she is worried about the risk of burnout in aspiring players.

Photo: Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma reunited (Credit: Alison Mitchell)

Eleanor Oldroyd, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma discuss Pakistan's disappointing opening performance in the Champions Trophy and how that could impact their match on Sunday against India.

Australia’s Alana King is often hailed for her spin bowling, but what about her exploits with the bat? We are joined by one of her club coaches Carl Sandri. Like King, Sandri also has roots in baseball, so he tells us how he has used their shared interest to improve her batting. He also tells us about his cricketing journey from playing cricket for Italy to coaching Papua New Guinea.

We hear from India’s greatest ever female batter Mithali Raj after she was awarded the lifetime achievement award at the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year awards. She tells us about her journey into cricket and the challenges she has faced.

And we hear from South Africa men’s captain Temba Bavuma who shares his experience of being the first black African player to be appointed as permanent captain of the Proteas.

Photo: Alana King of Australia reacts during day one of the Women's Ashes Test Match between Australia and England at Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 30, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

Ahead of the third season of the Women's Premier League, Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell, and Charu Sharma hear from former England captain Charlotte Edwards and former India fast bowler Jhulan Goswami on what it’s like working together as coaches at Mumbai Indians after being great rivals in their playing days.

Following the recent success of India’s U19 side at youth level, Jhulan gives her opinion on whether she thinks that victory in Malaysia can help lead the senior team to victory at the Women’s World Cup in Autumn.

Image: Jhulan Goswami and Charlotte Edwards laughing whilst talking to each other on the field. (Credit: Mumbai Indians)

Alison Mitchell, Clint Wheeldon and Charu Sharma are joined by the captain of the Afghanistan women’s XI who played an exhibition match last week in Melbourne. Nahida Sapan tells us about the day itself, whether the team have felt supported and tells us her thoughts on whether she would support a boycott of Afghanistan men's matches.

In a recent statement the ICC said "The ICC remains closely engaged with the situation in Afghanistan and continues to collaborate with our members,".. The governing body added it was their intention to "support the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in fostering cricket development and ensuring playing opportunities for both men and women in Afghanistan".

An ICC working group, set up after the Taliban takeover in 2021, has met with representatives of the Afghanistan government and is keen to use its position and the sport of cricket to influence change in the country.

Plus, Clint Wheeldon tells us how the Aussie triumph in the Women’s Ashes has been received in Australia and about the influence of spinner Alana King. We also hear from the Managing Director of England Women's Cricket Clare Connor on what she believes went wrong.

And we ask if India coach Gautam Gambhir is beating England coach Brendon McCullum at his own game after their risky approach in the white ball series.

Photo: Nahida Sapan, captain of Afghanistan Women's XI, leads out her teammates before the cricket match between Afghanistan Women's XI and Cricket Without Borders XI at Junction Oval in Melbourne on January 30, 2025. (Photo by MARTIN KEEP/AFP via Getty Images)

Alison Mitchell, Clint Wheeldon and Charu Sharma discuss what is next for the International Cricket Council after Geoff Allardice resigned as Chief Executive. He leaves after four years in the role in order to 'pursue other challenges'. Allardice was appointed as Chief Executive in 2021 of the ICC and during his tenure has been involved in major developments including bringing the Men's T20 World Cup to the USA and the creation of the World Test Championship. The decision comes less than two months after India's Jay Shah became Chair and with the Champions Trophy due to get underway next month. The Stumped team discuss his legacy and who may be appointed in the role.

Hobart Hurricanes have won their first Big Bash title largely thanks to lifelong Hurricanes fan Mitchell Owen who scored 108 in the final. Clint Wheeldon tells us more about the hometown hero and what this could mean for his cricketing career.

Plus history has been made at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with a Women's Test Match taking place there for the first time since 1949. The Test celebrates the 90th anniversary of Women's Test Cricket. We are joined by David Studham who is the librarian at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to tell us about their collection.

Photo: Geoff Allardice, former cricketer and ICC chief during day five of the ICC World Test Championship Final between Australia and India at The Oval on June 11, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma ask where it all went wrong for England after they lost the Women's Ashes. We ask if changes need to be made after England lost the Ashes at the earliest possible opportunity and have now lost all five matches they have played in the series.

Plus we are joined by South Africa Men’s Head Coach Shukri Conrad after his side made it to the World Test Championship Final. He tells us if he thinks a two-tier system is a good idea, shares his message to the Australia team and we ask him if South Africa should boycott the Champions Trophy?

He also shares why he made Temba Bavuma captain and highlights the pressure that the captain faces.

Photo: South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad during the day 1 of the 2nd Test match between West Indies and South Africa at Guyana National Stadium on August 15, 2024 in Georgetown, Guyana. (Photo by Daniel Prentice/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Alison Mitchell, Jim Maxwell and Charu Sharma are joined by Zimbabwe’s first black cricketer, Henry Olonga, as we ask whether boycotts work in cricket?

It’s in light of political pressure on England and South Africa to pull out of their matches against Afghanistan’s men at next month's ICC Champions Trophy. It's due to the Taliban regime's oppression of women, which includes a ban on playing sport. Olonga, alongside Andy Flower, took a stand against Robert Mugabe’s regime by wearing a black armband in the 2003 World Cup game against Namibia. It was to symbolise "the death of democracy" in the country.

Henry's been living in exile from Zimbabwe ever since and told the programme the current situation has echoes of 2003 and that the International Cricket Council and international Governments should be the ones making the decision not to play, rather than the players.

Photo: Groundmen hold a large national flag of Afghanistan on the eve of the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup one-day international (ODI) match between India and Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on October 10, 2023. Credit: (AFP via Getty Images)