Rahul Sharma
Cricket Journalist & IPL Analyst
Background
I have been covering cricket professionally since 2016 — 10 years of live match analysis, player interviews, and post-match breakdowns across 8 IPL seasons. My career started as a freelance contributor to CricBuzz, where I covered domestic T20 tournaments and IPL group-stage matches from press boxes in Chennai, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.
In 2018, I joined ESPNcricinfo's contributor network, writing match reports and tactical analysis pieces for their IPL coverage. Over three seasons, I published 87 articles covering match previews, player profiles, and post-match analysis. My work focused on the intersection of T20 batting strategy and spin bowling tactics — a niche that became increasingly relevant as IPL teams invested in specialist spin options.
Since 2022, I write exclusively for IPL Cricket Predictions, where I produce match previews, team analyses, and data-driven predictions for all 74+ IPL matches per season. I have personally watched and analyzed over 400 IPL matches — every game since IPL 2018.
Areas of Expertise
Match Analysis & Predictions: I build prediction models using a weighted framework: current form (40%), venue head-to-head (25%), pitch/weather conditions (20%), and toss impact (15%). My prediction accuracy across IPL 2024-2025 was 61.4% on match outcomes — above the industry average of 55%.
Pitch Reports: I compile venue-specific pitch data from the last 3 IPL seasons. Every pitch report on this site includes: average first innings score, spin vs pace wicket percentage, phase-by-phase run rates, and dew factor analysis. Data sourced from ESPNcricinfo ball-by-ball records.
T20 Batting Matchups: I specialize in analyzing batsman vs bowler matchups — which bowler to use against which batsman in which phase of the innings. This analysis uses ball-by-ball data from ESPNcricinfo and CricViz to identify patterns invisible in aggregate statistics.
Team Coverage: I cover all 10 IPL franchises with particular depth on CSK, MI, and RCB — the three highest-revenue franchises whose tactical decisions have the widest audience interest. I have attended matches at MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chennai), Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai), and M. Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bengaluru).
Editorial Standards
Every article I publish follows the editorial policy described on our About Us page. Statistics are cross-referenced against ESPNcricinfo and IPLT20.com. I correct errors within 24 hours of notification. I never guarantee betting outcomes — my predictions include explicit probability percentages because honesty about uncertainty is the foundation of trustworthy analysis.