Is Shreyas Iyer injured? Is he dropped? Is he rested? Is he acting? Is Kaviya Maran the greatest T20 franchise owner in history? Who is Ollie Robinson? Why does he have a podcast that's rated so poorly that it resembles a puff-of-dustbowl pitch? Why is Rehan Ahmed allowed near a microphone? Does Quentin Tarantino own a T20 side called the Deadly Vipers? Is Chattisgarh a Ranji team? Are Vijaykanth Viyaskanth and Vyshak Vijay Kumar the same person? Is there a Potchefstroom franchise in the SA20? T...
Feb 11, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 110
Tony, Bisi, Nitin and SpamMo come together to review India's hard-fought win to draw level in Vizag, on the back of Jaiswal's fine 200 and Jasprit Bumrah's ascension to immortality. The gang spends a lot of time discussing Bairstow's face, Stokes' dreams, Shoaib Bashir's luggage, Ashwin's totem, Root's form and India's selection troubles. Also, a recurring segment in the podcast now - Srinath Sripath's impressions of Harsha Bhogle. And to this, we add a new doozie: Prashant DP's reimagination of...
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 109
What a start to a summer of grief, and the Shamar of joy... Bisi, Sandy, Srinath, Murali and Chops get together on the day of Bazball's first win on Indian shores and a Windies' win for the ages at the Gabba to cry, feel angry, smile, guffaw, break heads and crack jokes while constantly pointing and laughing at Ashwin's fielding, and AB de Villiers' ridiculous new ideas to 'improve' the game. And - a bonus epicmax clip of Srinath Sripath pulling off the most audacious Harsha Bhogle impression ev...
Jan 29, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 108
In Episode 107, Bits and Pieces continues its Pulitzer-worthy investigation into the state of cricket pitch manufacturing, outfield preparation and stands manufacturing as the American venues for the 2024 T20 World Cup get into a race against time, logic and sense to be ready in time for the ICC's big event. Also, an in-depth look into various Indian squads for various formats of cricket, some of which have been announced and some of which haven't (to be clear, we are referring to the squads her...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 24 min
At one point Tony says "We've been talking for 20m and only Rachna has made any sense" (edited out). At another point Tony whines on like a pork "chop" about Sanju Samson not making the "cut" (edited out). And for some part of the pod Tony self edits himself out of the pod on account of a power-cut. In between all of this, Chops, Bisi, Rachna, VaMu, SandyG and Tony talk about "cricket without borders", fielding in the IPL, over-reliance on data, selection methods, the Afghanistan ODIs, the upcom...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr 16 min
It's year 3 of Bits and Pieces, and on episode 105 Tony, PGK, Mohan, Murali, Tareque and surprise guest Iman talk about how the balance of the universe is maintained, about the primacy of Presidents and Secretaries, of the team that turned up for Bihar, and why England is correct in bringing a Chef to India. Join the gang for the sublime and the ridiculous. And tell a friend. Follow us: Bits and Pieces on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bnp_cricket Tony: https://twitter.com/notytony Mohan: https://...
Jan 06, 2024•1 hr 20 min
As 2023 winds down, catch the gang in a mood that is equal parts dark and humorous. There's a bit of looking back with dollops of recency bias thrown in and there's a bit of looking forward with pessimism and optimism jostling with each other for screentime in a set of moving pictures called imagined reality. Time is a circle, they say and the circle of Centurion has made us none the wiser. Oh, and don't miss the many in-jokes that all of you are in on, dear listeners and the needles that are re...
Dec 31, 2023•1 hr 23 min
It's been a glorious week, one in which Sanju Samson has scored a scintillating century to win India an ODI series in South Africa. So, Max, Varun, and Tareque get together to discuss everything else. From Punjab Paddlers' Shashank redemption, to Hyderabad's Hyper bids, we've got you covered. Join us this holiday season for all the action from the world of cricket, and a deconstruction of the IPL auctions and teams, that's as long and entertaining as the IPL itself. Follow us on Twitter Bits and...
Dec 25, 2023•1 hr 53 min
Just when we thought we'd covered every possible angle there was to the Hardik Pandya transfer story, Mumbai Indians named him as captain, setting tongues wagging across the board, including in our esteemed panel which asks the exclusive question that no one else thought about: Have Mumbai appointed the right Pandya brother? Hardik-gate reminds us of Pakistan in the 90s; Pakistan's Test team getting pulped in Australia reminds us of India in the 90s; And India's ODI selection reminds us of Pakis...
Dec 17, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 1Ep. 102
In this episode, Bits and Pieces takes guard afresh after completing a fine 100. We ponder the metaphorical implications of Mushfiqur's soft-handling the ball, Buttler's disastrous run as ODI captain, and Pakistan's comical preparation for their next hammering in Australia. Also, lots of banter on the WPL Auction, and a cool rundown from Rachana Ramchand, and a review of the Englnd v India T20s. This episode also unveils the real reason why CSK doesn't pull off a Mumbai-Hardik and buy every sing...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 101
If an auto-rickshaw in Bangalore were a player in Indian cricket, who would it be? And why? What is the connection between a former Indian cricketer, an African nation, and a large temple in South Asia? Did ChatGPT select the Indian cricket teams for the South Africa series? And what's with the utter weirdness of the IPL (retentions)? NitinS, KartikT, SandyG, SrinathS, and MuraliS discuss these and much more in the 100th episode of Bits & Pieces... We are wherever you listen to podcasts: htt...
Dec 03, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 100
This week, the Bits and Pieces gang is in conversation with S Giridhar and VJ Raghunath, two amazing cricket romantics who talk about their wonderful book called "Mid Wicket Tales: A Century and More of Cricket" which has been recently released. The indomitable duo holds court on a whole host of topics, ranging from Madras and Bombay cricket in the 60s and 70s to the ODI World Cup final 2023. They astound us with their memory, delight us with anecdotes aplenty and have us smiling ear to ear at h...
Nov 27, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 99
Join Hank, SamMo, Tony, Iman, Chops, PGK and Nitin as they review India's resounding performance in the 2023 World Cup, where they followed up flawless victories against all teams in the league stage, with one more win against New Zealand to reaffirm their position at the top of the ICC ODI ranking tables, seven full points clear of Australia. The gang also reviews the warm-up friendly match between the two teams on a tricky pitch at Ahmedabad, ahead of the much-awaited T20 series kicking off be...
Nov 19, 2023•1 hr 10 min
It's time for the semi circle. With the 4 qualifiers decided, the gang is now ready to take a 180 degree turn on all of their pre world cup qualifiers. What happened when Angelo's metal Helmet met mental hell outside Bank of Baroda, Maxi's pickle juice blitzkrieg and much more - on the latest Bits and Pieces 'Time Out' with Sandy, Srinath, Chops, Knittins, and Tony. Follow us: Bits and Pieces on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bnp_cricket Sandyji: https://twitter.com/sandeeplanjewar Srinath: https:...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 97
As the World Cup leaps into the final round of league games, Mohan, SamMo, PGK, Prashant and Nitin come together to laugh at England, applaud India, sympathise (and hope) with Pakistan, be wary of Australia, and evaluate multiple variations of Mohan NRR calculators. Along the way, comments on Steve Smith's beautiful statue at the Wankhede, Ajay Jadeja's mentorship of Afghanistan and the Naagin Derby in a poisonous environment. Follow us on X, formerly known as One-Day cricket, whose death is imm...
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr 13 min
What connects the England team to your grandma's Godrej Almirah? Is Hardik Pandya's injury a ligament of our imagination? Is this pod calling the Kettleborough black? Join Murali, Sandeep, Max, Bisi, and Sameer as they delve into yet another epic week of the world cup. Follow us: B&P on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bnp_cricket Murali: https://twitter.com/muralisatagopun Sandeep: https://twitter.com/sandeeplanjewar Max: https://twitter.com/maxdavinci Bisi: https://twitter.com/bisibelebhaat Sa...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 95
Join Tony, Bisi, Prashant, and Chops for an Oral Examination of the world cup as they pose important questions such as are voltage fluctuations a good thing? Is Hardik Pandya a stabilizer? Do you really need lush green outfields? And if a choke is so bad, why does your motorbike have it? Possibly includes some cricket content midway through the league stage of World Cup 2023 as well. Follow us on Twitter Bits & Pieces: https://twitter.com/bnp_cricket Tony: https://twitter.com/notytony Bisi: ...
Oct 23, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 94
SUMMARY: TWELVE games in, the latest edition of the 50-over cricket World Cup, WC23, was finally a go. With a star-studded line up of top Indian singers like Arijit Singh, Sukhwinder Singh and Shankar Mahadevan and a marquee clash of India and Pakistan, the new Motera resembled a colosseum. Which it truly wasn’t. Join Zainub, Murali, VaMu, Bisi, Iman and SamMo as they dive into the damp squib that was the game. They then dive into their predictions on who makes it to the semis; on why Bumrah is ...
Oct 15, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 93
It's only fitting that the latest edition of the ODI World Cup kicks off in week 92 of the podcast! Five games into the tournament, Tony, Max, PDP, Nitin and pod debutant Iman Pande assemble to talk about mosquitoes, fungus, sheep, pigeon droppings, Kiwi allrounders and other interesting creatures like Blaze and Tonk, the official mascots of the mismanaged World Cup... Also ft. KL Rahul's origin story, the impossibility of Ifty Chacha being a spinner, some Rachin Ravindra love, Dutch name puns a...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 92
The world cup has somehow not started yet, but the Bits and Pieces gang is not holding back any punches on preparations and reparations. Join Srinath, Adi, Bisi, Nitin, Tony and debutant and youngest adult voice on the pod - Rahul as they round up the teams and let out streams of consciousness - a Tedx Lasso if you will. Also featuring a short world cup quiz from Adi. Follow us: Bits and Pieces podcast on Twitter - https://twitter.com/bnp_cricket Srinath - https://twitter.com/srinathsripath Adi ...
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 91
The gang this week decides to put on their combinatorics hats to work out multiple combinations for India in the upcoming World Cup, set to the sound of a million boxes being ticked at once. They are at sixes and sevens while trying to figure out the 7s and 8s for each team. There is incessant propping up of Ashwin but in kutti doses only. There is something interesting happening in every single team and ICC is listening in to this episode with intent since it might have the answer to the questi...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Join Tony, Nitin, Max, Tareque, Vaishnavi, and Sameer on ep 89 of the friendliest cricket podcast as they get together with the cup of joy overflowing in Asia, hope of ploy growing for Ash na, the mush room of the Asia cup, the mushrooming of fungi in Dharamsala, fun guys in the Indian dressing room, run up to the world cup and the ODI boom, Shubman Gill's year of centuries, updates on the fear of injuries, and much more. Follow us: Bits and Pieces on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bnp_cricket Ton...
Sep 18, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 89
The conscience keeper of Indian cricket joins the gang on Episode 88 of Bits and Pieces, for a wide-ranging chat on the heavy-handedness of the BCCI and what that means for Indian cricket in particular, and world cricket at large. Nitin, Prashant and Vipul dive deep into Sharda's recent BCCI magnum opus on the Caravan, the ticketing and organisational fiasco around the World Cup, India's curious relationship with Pakistan cricket, the IPL, the tamatar that binds the Indian cricket curry and much...
Sep 12, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Our friendly bunch of friends record this week's episode right after the India vs. Pak match in the Asia Cup ended as a damp squib. They waste no time in likening the proceedings in the first half of the match to a time and place they know in their bones. There's also some synchronized jaw-dropping when they realize that yet again, Pak pace is haal 100% in and of itself, and the Indian lower order is 'haal behaal'. Collective cheering also happens at the recent results in the international women...
Sep 03, 2023•55 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Big Cricket scenes are upon us again with the Asia Cup, the Asian Games, the ODI World Cup scheduled for the near future. This week's podcast has the five friends still feeling unsure about the ODI WC schedule and thinking about first world problems related to which credit card is better for which event - that conversation Ark is as "deluge-ional" as a certain Noah's jokes. They wibble endlessly about Mankading and Womankading yet again and they plan to construct a church in the honour of (Camer...
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Join Max, Tony, Hank, Chops, SamMo and Sandy as they bring their ranting A-Game to the ICC World Cup ticketing and scheduling mess that doesn't seem to have an end in sight. The group gets serious wondering whether Hardik is a good captain, until they realise that he's not even the captain any more. They also lament Indian cricket's lack of structure, unlike Australia and England. And they identify the man who may solve India's problems as team director - Ilayaraja. Hehe. Kidding. That would hav...
Aug 20, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Writer, Podcaster and all-round pop culture connoisseur Ahmer Naqvi joins the Bits and Pieces gang for Episode 84, where they exchange notes about growing up on either side of the border, Imran and Javed to Wasim and Waqar, why Bombay and Karachi are worlds apart, and briefly even entertain the fantasy of a reunified India - Pakistan XI. Follow us on twitter.com/bnp_cricket Ahmer: twitter.com/karachikhatmal Srinath: twitter.com/srinathsripath Prashant: twitter.com/prashantdptweet Tareque: twitte...
Aug 13, 2023•1 hr 27 min
In Episode 83, our enthusiasm is undimmed by India's supremely sub-par showing in the Caribbean. As the BCCI continues to muck up the 2023 ODI World Cup, we remember previous better conducted cricket events, such as the Cognizant office tournament. We start talking about Mukesh Kumar, and end up making as many detours as possible, and finish by talking about Kuldeep Yadav, whose run of rotten luck continues thanks to the terrible puns we subject him to. In between times, a full week after the Ra...
Aug 06, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 83
Vinayakk and Nishit make their pod debuts and join pod regulars Murali, Sameer, Tareque and Srinath to discuss all things from Bazball, Pakball, the circumstances surrounding Harmanpreet Kaur's outburst, and wonder if tickets to the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup will ever be released to the public. A big shout-out to Harini Kannan for our fab new logo! Follow her on https://twitter.com/kannanharini4 Follow us: Bits and Pieces - https://twitter.com/bnp_cricket Vinayakk - https://twitter.com/vinayakkm ...
Jul 30, 2023•59 min
Can a nightmare leave you nostalgic? Yes - if you are an India cricket fan whose formative years were the 90s! That glorious decade that continues to hold us to ransom in its thrall, subjecting us to the sporting equivalent of Stockholm Syndrome. In Episode 81 of Bits and Pieces, the gang is fittingly joined by Sidvee, who is the founder and host of the 81 all out podcast, in addition to all the other awesome things he does. This episode is a break from our regular programming, as Tony, PGK and ...
Jul 23, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 81
