Episodes
Published 03/28/24
Ketan Mhatre started his cricket journey playing underarm cricket before being picked for his village’s tennis-ball cricket team. However, he didn’t get an opportunity right away. He had to be the 12th man for a considerable time but Ketan was clear about what he wanted to do. When the opportunity came, he grabbed it with both hands. His reward for taking his opportunity was a sports bike. First of his many. Today, he has earned so many bikes as prizes, his identity is the ‘Biker Man’ of...
Published 03/28/24
Hardik Pandya moved back to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans and was subsequently named the team's captain. The move and his appointment haven't gone down well with fans of both teams. He is getting trolled on social media platforms mercilessly. In Mumbai Indians' season opener against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, fans of both teams jeered him constantly. Amol Karhadkar, Sports Journalist, The Hindu and Amol Gokhale analyze events surrounding Hardik Pandya and the backlash he has received,...
Published 03/27/24
When Tushar Deshpande made his Sports Katta debut in 2020, he was yet to earn an Indian Premier League cap. As he returns to Sports Katta for another conversation in our special series 'IPL Uwaach', he not only has an IPL title to his but has also been crowned Ranji Trophy champion. Add to that the fact that Deshpande was Chennai Super Kings' highest wicket-taker during its triumphant IPL 2023 campaign and it underlines the boy from Kalyan has indeed come a long way. In a freewheeling chat...
Published 03/23/24
The world of tennis-ball cricket is unearthed and beyond imagination. In the last few years, it has blossomed. The fan base of tennis-ball cricket is growing exponentially courtesy of live-streaming platforms. Players have made a decent career playing tennis-ball cricket as the sport became commercially viable. Krishna Satpute  @KrishnaSatputeOfficial  is the superstar of this ‘tennis-ball’ world. The fans fondly call him the ‘God of Tennis-Ball Cricket’. On the sidelines of the Indian Street...
Published 03/22/24
Sumit Dhekale started his cricketing journey at 16, playing leather-ball cricket. At the same time, he would also indulge in various kinds of tennis-ball cricket viz box cricket, light-tennis etc. As he became better and better with tennis-ball cricket, the leather-ball cricket took a back seat. However, even today he likes leather-ball cricket better and plays in leather-ball tournaments whenever time permits. There’s an ear-to-ear grin on his face as he recalls winning the Mumbai Premier...
Published 03/21/24
Vishwanath ‘Vishu’ Jadhav used to play under-arm cricket as a kid and always wanted to be a batter. He often used to accompany his local team to cricket games but never liked it when he was used just as a fielder. Even then he was clear about two things - he enjoys batting and he doesn’t enjoy studying. Vishu used to roll his arm in practice and would do well against left-handed batters. But one day he was asked to defend a small total against a south-paw batter and he managed to do that....
Published 03/20/24
The IPL 2024 (Indian Premier League) will kick off on March 22 with the Southern Derby between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. But this IPL feels different from the rest. Why so? Not just the players, but even selectors are padding up for what follows next. The T20 World Cup that begins on June 1. Players will be eager to make their cases and earn a ticket to the West Indies and the USA. Captain Rohit Sharma, his deputy Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah...
Published 03/19/24
“Captain Ajinkya Rahane has held this Mumbai team together.” Rahane’s Mumbai teammates rightfully said this throughout the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season. On 14 March 2024, Mumbai clinched the Ranji Trophy for the record-extending 42nd time. Rahane was available for Mumbai for the entire season, barring two games, which he had to sit out due to a niggle. He scored a vital half-century in the second innings of the Ranji final but was woefully out of form otherwise. However, for Rahane, the...
Published 03/18/24
Umesh Ydav b Dhawal Kulkarni 6. This was the final wicket of the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season that earned Mumbai their 42nd Ranji Trophy title. The bowler who got that final wicket also called time on his 16 years of domestic career for Mumbai. Dhawal Kulkarni came into the Mumbai Ranji side from the U-19 set-up and shared the dressing room with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Wasim Jaffer, Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar and Amol Muzumdar to name a few. What it means to play cricket for Mumbai and...
Published 03/18/24
He grew up in a 10x10 room with his parents and elder sisters in Ganeshnagar, a slum in Mumbai's Wadala area. He lost his father when he was in school and his mother had to pick up an odd job to ensure the children continued with their education. He then started playing kabaddi on a stage with his friends in his locality. He rose through the ranks playing Junior and Senior Nationals. Then came a chance to play for Dena Bank and Air India before an opportunity in the Pro Kabaddi League came...
Published 03/10/24
Hitesh Walunj picked up cricket in his school days and would train at Nehru Stadium in Pune. In academically crucial class X, he asked his parents to let him continue his cricket and as a trade-off, he carried his books around in the kit bag under the pretext of studying. But books never came out of the kit bag as Hitesh had set his mind on a cricket career. He progressed through club cricket and made his Maharashtra debut in the 2018-19 season in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. But he had to...
Published 03/03/24
Kaushal Inamdar is a renowned music composer as we know him. However, he is an ardent sports fan. He grew up in Dadar near Shivaji Park, so it was obvious that he picked up a bat and ball. But he also played hockey in his school days. Today, he passionately follows tennis as well. An athlete and music share a close bond as athletes often find themselves surrounded by music. In this episode of ‘Sportscha Kida’ with Amol Karhadkar, Kaushal shares the relationship between Sports and Music, the...
Published 02/25/24
Mumbai won the Ranji Trophy in the 1984-85 season and had to endure a drought of eight seasons to lift the coveted trophy again. In his swansong 1993-94 season, Ravi Shastri guided Mumbai to the Ranji title. The quarter-final between Mumbai and Karnataka is still regarded as a landmark game in the history of Indian domestic cricket. Why is the very next season considered the finest domestic season of Sachin Tendulkar’s career? The same team lifted the Ranji Trophy again in 1996-97. What’s the...
Published 02/22/24
Finally, Sarfaraz Khan made his India debut and how. He scored scintillating half-centuries in both the innings against England in the third Test. But this opportunity came Sarfaraz’s way after banging scoring runs and tons in all conditions and situations. This was a reward for his hard work. Amol Karhadkar, Deputy Sports Editor, at The Hindu, shares his story. But does every cricketer get his reward with an India cap? The answer is ‘No’. In this episode of Weekly katta, Amol Gokhale and...
Published 02/21/24
In a first in the Marathi podcast world, Sports Katta and  @LeleSunandan  present the first 'crossover podcast' while previewing the third Test between India and England, to be played at the Niranjan Shah Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. The episode features Sunandan Lele and Amol Karhadkar, Deputy Editor with The Hindu... मराठी पॉडकास्टमध्ये प्रथमच एक क्रॉसओव्हर घडतंय... स्पोर्ट्स कट्टा आणि सुनंदन लेले घेऊन येत आहेत भारत विरुद्ध इंग्लंड तिसऱ्या कसोटीचं सादर करीत आहेत पूर्वावलोकन म्हणजे...
Published 02/14/24
India and England are set to resume their five-match Test series after a break of 10 days and one can sense that something is bubbling under the surface. The big question is, are IPL stars reluctant to play Test cricket? Or is it just a matter of prioritizing white-ball cricket? The debate can and will go on. On the other hand, records beckon in the third Test. Sarfraz Khan can make his Test debut. Ben Stokes is set to play his 100th Test match. Ravichandran Ashwin is on the brink of 500 Test...
Published 02/13/24
The U-19 Cricket World Cup once again highlighted a couple of things. India’s consistent performance to make it to the final for the fifth consecutive time. However, their unbeaten run came to a grinding halt against a familiar foe in the final - Australia. But what are the takeaways of this tournament? Uday Saharan came out with flying colours as a skipper and a batter. Musheer Khan and Sachin Dhas showed why they are so highly regarded. On the flip side, Arshin Kulkarni, who promised so...
Published 02/12/24
Shrikant Jadhav grew up in a small village in Ahmednagar district. A certificate of appreciation at the hands of a chief guest in school on Independence Day was a big deal for him at that time. As his game flourished, he moved to Mumbai to compete in Professional tournaments. The journey hasn't been easy by any stretch of the imagination. Shrikant had to pull out of the first two seasons of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) because of injuries. That's when the reality hit him hard. He decided to...
Published 02/11/24
India’s premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is on the cusp of 500 Test wickets with 499 against his name after the second India vs England Test. To mark his imminent landmark achievement, in this episode of Weekly Katta, Aditya Joshi and Amol Karhadkar look at his career, the hurdles he had to cross and where his achievement stands in terms of the rich lineage of Indian spinners. Is he the greatest Indian spinner ever?  भारताचा ऑफस्पिनर रविचंद्रन अश्विन ५०० कसोटी बळींच्या उंबरठ्यावर आहे....
Published 02/07/24
Aditya Ganpule won a gold medal in the 100mtrs sprint in his school days. But he opted to play kho-kho because his brother played the game. Today, he plays for Telugu Yoddhas in the Ultimate Kho-Kho league but the journey wasn’t an easy one. He had to deal with failure multiple times at a young age but he kept going without giving up. Still 21, Aditya shares his journey to the top in this episode of Kattyavarchya Gappa with Amol Gokhale… आदित्य गणपुले शाळेत असताना १०० मीटर धावण्याच्या...
Published 02/04/24
Rohan Bopanna recently became the oldest tennis player to achieve the World No. 1 ranking in men’s doubles. He also clinched his first men’s doubles title at the Australian Open to add the cherry to the top. Bopanna’s achievements become even more special when you realise that he is 43 years old or in his own words, he is on Level 43. Amol Gokhale, Gaurav Rao and Ninad Indapurkar put into perspective what Bopanna’s feat means to Indian tennis in this episode of Weekly Katta…  भारताचा...
Published 01/31/24
India’s kabaddi star Aslam Inamdar has a touching story. He hails from a poor background and lost his father at a young age. His mother had to work as a domestic help to run the house. The situation compelled Aslam to pick up odd jobs at hotels and farmlands to help his family. However, he never gave his Kabaddi practice a miss. His life changed for the better after he moved to Thane-Mumbai to play in professional kabaddi leagues. His stock rose rapidly after a phenomenal show in the Junior...
Published 01/26/24
Pacer Prem Devkar began his cricketing journey at 13, playing tennis ball cricket in the backyard with his brothers. Even though he tasted success in that format he always aspired to play ‘leather ball’ cricket. But, in Dombivali, he did not get as many opportunities as he would’ve liked. However, his life shifted into a fast lane on December 13, 2022, when he met coach Sanjay Gaitonde. In the past year, he has made the most of the opportunities that came his way. His impressive bowling...
Published 01/20/24
The U-19 Cricket World Cup kicks off on January 19 in South Africa. The stalwarts of Indian cricket - Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli - to name a few, all played in the U-19 World Cup. That put them in the limelight but they had to go through the grind of domestic cricket to earn the India cap. Arshin Kulkarni, Sachin Dhas and Musheer Khan are three Maharashtrians in this year’s U-19 squad and are ones to watch out for. But, is this tournament still relevant? How many...
Published 01/16/24