The Top Order Cricket Podcast The Top Order Podcast

In this episode of the show, the team are all in the same room to review the first few days of the ICC T20 World Cup hosted by the West Indies and USA.
We discuss our early impressions, throw out a few hot takes and share our favourite performances from the opening week.


Are the pitches no good?

Is it already time to write off Sri Lanka?

How good is Aaron Jones’s bat?!

Is Anrich Nortje back?

What's going on with the Super 8 groups?

Are Afghanistan a danger side?

Could Ireland upset India

And much more!


We are planning to record regularly throughout the tournament, particularly as we approach the Super 8 and knockout stages. All going well, we’ll have at least one more episode available by Sunday night. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.
You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including a recent conversation with Mike Hesson, plus chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com.
Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro
1:20 Super 8 seedings are ridiculous
10:25 USA v Canada - How good is Aaron Jones's bat?
18:25 West Indies v PNG - The importance of a gameplan against spin
23:50 Bowlers on top so far
30:45 South Africa v Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka in trouble already?
34:40 Afghanistan's impressive start
37:30 Namibia v Oman Super Over drama
41:00 Are the low scoring games fun to watch?
43:45 Can Ireland upset India?
46:50 New Zealand's build up
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In this episode of the show, the team are all in the same room to preview the ICC T20 World Cup hosted by the West Indies and USA.

We discuss the 20-team format, what overall tournament success looks like for the ICC, the quick turnaround from the IPL and the type of cricket we might see played throughout the month of June.

We then look at the 4 groups in more detail - will India and their star-studded line-up cruise through Group A? How much pressure is there on England to bounce back from their ODI World Cup disappointment? Will the Black Caps make it to the knockout stages yet again? Is this South Africa's moment? Or is a home win for the West Indies written in the stars? Which teams hold the biggest upset potential? And prediction time!

We won't be doing daily updates of this World Cup, but are hoping to record regularly throughout the tournament, particularly as we approach the Super 8 and knockout stages. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including a recent conversation with Mike Hesson, plus chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro - when and where?
3:29 Do we like the 20-team format?
7:10 What does success look like for the ICC?
10:07 Short turnaround from the IPL
14:43 Expectations for pitches and scores?
19:00 Group A preview - India, Pakistan, Ireland, USA, Canada
29:15 Group B preview - Australia, England, Namibia, Scotland, Oman
41:15 Group C preview - West Indies, New Zealand, Afghanistan, PNG, Uganda
52:50 Group D preview - South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Nepal
1:01:55 Predictions!
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In this episode of the show, the team are all back in the same room to discuss the IPL 2024 final, which saw a dominant performance from the Kolkata Knight Riders that reflected their dominant season.

We discuss Mitchell Starc’s magic delivery to Abhishek Sharma, and how his best performances of the season came in the biggest games. There’s praise for Venkatesh Iyer and the young bowling pair of Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana, plus special mention for Sunil Narine’s outstanding campaign.

We also discuss Sunrisers Hyderabad and what they need to improve to go one step further next year, as well as some general thoughts about the length of the tournament, the impact player rule and global fan engagement with such a big window carved out for the IPL. .

This episode ends our IPL coverage, but the T20 action doesn’t stop - we’ll back in your feed in a couple of days with a full preview of the ICC T20 World Cup, which starts on 2 June. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.

You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including a recent conversation with Mike Hesson, plus chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.

And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening.

0:00 Intro
1:05 KKR win IPL 2024
2:30 KKR's dominant bowling attack
3:53 Mitchell Starc's peach and how he stepped up
5:15 Complete team effort from KKR
9:30 Sunrisers season - where did they come up short?
11:45 Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head
17:10 Gautam Gambhir's impact and potential India coach?
23:50 Impact player rule
30:13 Is the length of the window too long?
31:30 How can the IPL improve global fan engagement and buy in?

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In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu look back at the final week of the IPL 2024 regular season before previewing the upcoming knockout fixtures.
Recorded on 20 May, we talk about a week that saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru storm into the playoffs, Sunrisers Hyderabad snatch second place, Kolkata Knight Riders watch some rain fall, Rajasthan Royals extend their losing streak and missed opportunities for Lucknow Super Giants and the Chennai Super Kings.
We discuss the epic match between RCB and CSK, which essentially became a quarterfinal thanks to LSG's slip up earlier in the week, and then take a closer look at all four playoff teams as we move to the business end of the season.

KKR have been superb all season, but will Phil Salt's absence and consecutive washouts leave them vulnerable?

The Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack has improved throughout the season, but are their chances tied heavily to the success of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head at the top of the order?

With the Rajasthan Royals in a slump and Jos Buttler gone - is Ravichandran Ashwin at 5 really the answer?

Virat Kohli's form has been immense all season for RCB, but have they become an all-round threat during this six-game win streak?

Plus predictions and much more!


We might be back again later in the week with more news and views if there's an incredible game we can't wait to talk about, but if not we'll be in your feed again about this time next week to wrap up the final and also look ahead to the T20 World Cup. Until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.
You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including a recent conversation with Mike Hesson, plus chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.
And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com.
Thanks for listening.
0:00 Intro
1:30 RCB beat CSK to roar into the playoffs
5:20 Rachin Ravindra's contribution
7:45 Virat Kohli's fantastic season
10:50 RCB's all-round game
14:50 Rajasthan's losing streak - can they turn it around?
21:15 Rajasthan's middle order struggles
24:05 KKR fully deserve their number-one spot
29:20 Potential for KKR v SRH to be a run-fest
31:30 Do the Sunrisers chances rest solely on whether Head and Sharma fire?
36.50 Predictions
40:30 Final general thoughts
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In this episode of the show, Binksy and Stu look back at another week that was in IPL 2024.
Recorded on 13 May, we rank all 10 teams into 3 tiers, as we unpack the key themes emerging from this tournament as a whole as during the lead-in to the playoffs.

Are the Kolkata Knight Riders in a tier of their own now?

The Rajasthan Royals keep losing!

Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head hit 30 boundaries from 58 balls in a big Sunrisers Hyderabad win - is this a sign of things to come at the T20 World Cup?

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won 5 in a row and look like a completely different team now from the start of the tournament - can they sneak into the playoffs?

Are the Chennai Super Kings good?

David Warner is back for the Delhi Capitals, but they need a lot to go their way in the final week

Lucknow Super Giants have fallen out of the top 4 after a crushing loss against SRH

Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan provided a rare highlight for the Gujarat Titans in 2024

Should Team India be worried about the form of Mumbai Indians' stars Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya?

The Punjab Kings are an IPL team

And much more!


We'll be back again later in the week with more news and views, but until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.
You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including a recent conversation with Mike Hesson, plus chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.
And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com.
Thanks for listening.
0:00 Intro
4:00 KKR - Are they in a tier of their own now?
8:50 SRH - Will Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma's approach carry through to the T20 World Cup
12:40 RR - How much will momentum matter in the knockout games?
22:10 RCB - Five wins in a row
25:10 CSK - Are they good? Or not?
31:55 DC - A long shot now
32:40 LSG - Still a chance, but a huge run-rate hit against SRH
36:00 GT - Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan's partnership - are hundreds even special anymore?
39:45 MI - Should Team India worry about the form of Hardik and Rohit?
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In this episode of the show, Baldy, Binksy and Stu look back at another week that was in IPL 2024.
Recorded on 6 May, we review all 10 teams, handing out the power rankings along the way, but with a much bigger focus on the top half of the table this week.

Is the Kolkata Knight Riders bowling attack now good enough to win the competition? And has Sunil Narine changed T20 cricket forever?

A quiet week for the Rajasthan Royals, but no reason to panic

Sunrisers Hyderabad vault back into the top 4 thanks to Bhuvneshwar Kumar's magic moment in the game of the week

Marcus Stoinis has found a level of consistency for the Lucknow Super Giants

Will the mounting injury toll prove costly for the Chennai Super Kings?

The Delhi Capitals, still have a chance, but they're in must-win territory now

It's great to see Mohammed Siraj smiling for Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Rahul Chahar had an impressive week for the Punjab Kings, who have built a strong core of local players, but what about their overseas talent?

The Gujarat Titans are a team lacking in firepower right now

Why hasn't Nuwan Thushara seen more game time for the Mumbai Indians?

And much more!


We'll be back again later in the week with more news and views, but until then please take the time to give us a like, follow, share or subscribe on all our channels (@toporderpod on Twitter & Facebook, and @thetoporderpodcast on Instagram & YouTube) and a (5-Star!) review at your favourite podcast provider, or tell a friend to download. It really helps others find the show and is the best thing you can do to support us. You can also find all our written content, including our Hall of Fame series, at our website.
You can also dip back into our guest episodes - including a recent conversation with Mike Hesson, plus chats with former World Cup stars Shane Bond and Mike Hussey, current players such as Matt Henry, Sophie Devine and Ish Sodhi, coaches Gary Stead, Jeetan Patel and Luke Wright, as well as Barry Richards, Frankie Mackay, Bharat Sundaresan and many more fascinating people from all across the cricketing world.
And if you'd like to reach out to us with feedback, questions or guest suggestions, get in touch at thetoporderpodcast@gmail.com.
Thanks for listening.
0:00 Intro
1:45 KKR - Varun Chakravarthy's improvement is rounding out KKR's bowling attack
8:55 KKR - Has Sunil Narine's batting success changed T20 cricket?
13:20 RR - A loss this week against SRH, but still plenty of positives
17:40 SRH - Sunrisers at their best are serious contenders
24:55 LSG - Right in the playoff picture, but still a tier below the top 3
29:50 CSK - Injuries mounting up
35:10 DC - Net run-rate is an issue
39:15 RCB - Mohammed Siraj is back! And what's Cameron Green's best role?
46:30 PBKS - An impressive week for Rahul Chahar
49:50 GT - What else is there left to say?!
51:40 MI - Batting woes this week, and where has Nuwan Thushara been?
57:25 Players leaving the IPL for international cricket
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