IPL 2021: 11 films and shows on cricket that will stump even the most ardent fan

'Lagaan': The Oscar-nominated film is set in the 1800s, at a time when India was occupied by the British Empire. Denizens of a small village finds themselves challenged to a game of cricket after one of them opposes the land tax levied on them. Eager to escape the burden, Bhuvan (played by Aamir Khan) leads a merry band of villagers to bat their way to victory. The only problem is, none of them have ever played the game. Director Ashutosh Gowariker adds humour to an otherwise grim scenario, while interweaving stories of triumphs and tragedies faced by the players. You can watch this 2001 Bollywood film on Netflix.

'Million Dollar Arm': Some may argue this 2014 Disney film isn’t about cricket per se, but we beg to differ. Based on a true story, American sports agent JB Bernstein scouts for Major League Baseball players in India through a contest that invites talented cricketers to participate. Jon Hamm (‘Mad Men’) stars as JB Bernstein, with ‘Life of Pi’s Suraj Sharma playing the cricketer turned baseball player.

'Sachin: A Billion Dreams': This 2017 documentary recounts the journey of Sachin Tendulkar and how he overcame obstacles with the help of his family, friends and those in the sports fraternity to become India’s biggest cricketing legend. The documentary weaves in fictionalised narratives with archival footage, along with in-depth interviews with those who intimately know Tendulkar.

'Inside Edge': The Amazon Prime Video series looks into the murky dealings in cricket leagues. Don’t be surprised if some of the stories draw parallels with real-life rumours that swirled around the Indian Premier League. Vivek Oberoi, Richa Chadha and Angad Bedi star with breakthrough actors Siddhant Chaturvedi and Tanuj Virwani stealing the show. Two seasons are out on the streaming platform with a third one in the works. No release date for the third season has yet been announced.

'Iqbal': This 2006 Nagesh Kukunoor directorial is an underdog story of a young boy named Iqbal who dreams of playing for the Indian cricket team but feels handicapped due to his speech and hearing impediments. When his condition becomes a roadblock to chase his dreams, he asks a retired coach, played brilliantly by Nasserudin Shah, to train him. However, if there is any one actor that needs credit then its Shreyas Talpade who brings humour and sensitivity to a difficult role. One of the most underrated actors in the Indian film industry today.

'Fire in Babylon': This 2010 documentary looks into the great achievements by the West Indies cricket team of the ‘70s and ‘80s, exploring the ‘Calypso Cricketers’ phenomenon by featuring archival footage and interviews with legends of the sport, including Viv Richards, Clive Lloyd, Desmond Haynes, Colin Croft and more. Written and directed by Stevan Riley, the film was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for Best Documentary.

'Jersey': South Indian star Nani plays Arjun in this Telugu film, a failed cricketer who decides to return to cricket in his late 30s fulfil his son’s wish for a jersey as a gift. The film won two Indian National Film Awards last month for Best Feature Film in Telugu and Best Editing for Naveen Nooli. The movie is also being remade in Hindi, starring Shahid Kapoor in the lead.

'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story': Late Sushant Singh Rajput slips into the role of former Indian skipper MS Dhoni, delving into the role of a young boy from Ranchi who aspired to play for Team India one day. Dhoni’s struggles, setbacks and heartbreaks are dealt with finesse by director Neeraj Pandey, with Rajput bringing sincerity to the role.

'Kai Po Che!': Based on author Chetan Bhagat’s book, ‘The 3 Mistakes of my Life’, this was the film that served as the pitch for late actor Sushant Singh Rajput to bat his way into Bollywood. Also starring Amit Sadh and Rajkummar Rao in the lead, the film follows the story of three friends based in Ahmedabad who face natural disasters, religious politics and find love on the way to achieve their dreams — all to the backdrop of cricket, of course.

'22 Yards': The underrated Barun Sobti stars as Ron Sen, a sports agent who falls from grace and needs the crutch of a rising talent to resurrect his own career. The film has been directed by sports journalist turned filmmaker Mitali Ghoshal and saw Sobti bag the Best Actor trophy at the Bay Area South Asian Film Festival in 2018. The movie went on general release in 2019.

'Selection Day': Before author ‎Aravind Adiga’s ‘The White Tiger’ became an Oscar-nominated film, he was brought into focus by Netflix through his series ‘Selection Day’. Out in 2018 on the streaming platform, the series stars Mohammad Samad, Yash Dholye, Karanvir Malhotra and Mahesh Manjrekar in this sports drama. Brothers Radha and Manju are raised by their cricket obsessed father who moves them to Mumbai to get selected for the domestic circuit.