The fifteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to begin on the 26th of this month. This time the first round is to be held as a group round in a different way than ever before. Each team will play in 14 matches. It is noteworthy that there are five teams in each group. Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will play in the first match.
It is in this context that we will rewind in this chapter of Cricket ‘Kettu’ the match winning innings moments that will be the best ever in the 15 year history of IPL.
> Brandon McCullum: 158 off 73 balls!
It was a time when the T20 cricket format was gaining international attention. The IPL series started in 2008 as its manifestation. Kolkata and Bangalore clashed in the first match. Kolkata batted first in the match. Ganguly and McCullum were the opening batsmen. McCullum had the dot in the first 6 balls without taking any runs. But he never stopped his action game after that. He hit 10 fours and 13 sixes throughout the innings. IPL cricket was brought to life by his performance as ‘One Man Army’. Bangalore lost the match.
> Mahendra Singh Dhoni: 51 off 20 balls!
Dhoni, the eldest son of the Chennai Super Kings, has been playing in the IPL since 2008. He has played several masculine master strokes. These 51 runs are just one of them. Dhoni scored these runs in the elimination match against Mumbai in the 2012 season. Chennai team scored 187 runs through his game. Mumbai fell without being able to chase it. Chennai team was playing in the final that season.
> De Villiers: 47 off 17 balls!
De Villiers is affectionately known as the 360 degree batsman. This was also recorded during the match held in the 2012 season. De Villiers will be unbeaten on 47 off 17 balls against the Deccan Chargers. De Villiers delivered the innings with 181 runs to spare. De Villiers is the second highest scorer in IPL cricket after Chris Gayle. He has hit a total of 251 sixes in the IPL arena.
> Hot-Rick King Misra!
Amit Mishra has taken hat-tricks in three seasons, 2008, 2011 and 2013. To date no bowler has broken his record. Misra has taken 166 wickets in a total of 154 IPL matches. Mishra’s Kethe is the only batsman in modern-day cricket to rule with his spin bowling.
> Malinga: 3.4 overs – 13 runs – 5 wickets!
Malinga played for the Mumbai Indians from 2008 to 2019. Malinga took 5 wickets for 3.4 overs against the Delhi Daredevils in the 2011 season, conceding just 13 runs. Malinga is also the highest wicket-taker in IPL cricket. He has taken a total of 170 wickets. Chennai player Bravo has a chance to beat it this season.
> Chris Gayle: 175 off 66 balls!
The name of Gayle, who is six feet tall, comes to mind when it comes to T20 cricket. The one who ruled the scepter with his bat in IPL cricket. Gayle scored 175 off 66 balls against Pune Warriors India in the 2013 season. This is the highest number of runs scored by a single batsman in a single innings in the IPL to date. He is also the highest run scorer in IPL cricket. Gayle has hit a total of 357 sixes. He has a maximum of 17 sixes in a single innings.
> Most runs scored by batsman: Virat Kohli – 6283 runs
> Most fours: Shikhar Dhawan – 654 fours
> More Fifty: David Warner – 50 Fifty
> More Percent: Chris Gayle – 6 Percent
> Fastest Fifty: KL Rahul – 14 balls
> Best Strike Rate: Russell – 178.57
> Best Average: KL Rahul – 47.43
> Most Maiden Overs: Praveen Kumar – 14 overs
> Most Dot Balls: Harbhajan Singh – 1268
> Most Dot Balls in One Innings: Deepak Sahar – 20 Dot Balls
> Best Economy: Rashid Khan – 6.33
> Best Bowling Innings: Alsari Joseph – 3.4 overs – 12 runs – 6 wickets
Last chapter: Cricket ‘Build’ 24: The Best Ball of the Century – Shane Warne Memories!