Indian Premier League proved to be instrumental in shaping Cricket in the entertaining form that is in at present. Short boundaries, fearless batsmen and colors in the stadium. All of this owes its inception to IPL. The league became some kind of a transformative dose for the batsmen who stripped loose of the fear of getting out and started launching brutal attacks on bowlers. Such was the confidence shift that occurred because of this league. It brought in money in the proportions that were once unheard of. All of a sudden everyone was vying to get a contract in IPL.
May it be the players of officials, everyone wanted to get a part of the pie that IPL was. The mushrooming of other T20 leagues around the globe couldn’t decrease IPL’s popularity and in spite of certain financial discrepancies and power struggle, IPL’s rule reigns supreme as its viewership is still in millions. We have chalked a small list of the greatest IPL moments from the 9 seasons of IPL.
Ab de Villiers Vs Dale Steyn
Is there anyone who can challenge Ab de Villiers’s status as an absolute freak? I would love to find that person and stare him into oblivion. But there has never been a player forged by God who didn’t have his share of weaknesses and trust me when I say that almost every team management which has remained on the receiving end of AB’s bat would gladly give up millions of dollars to the person who points one of those weaknesses that AB might have.
On the night of May 4, 2014, Ab de Villiers made his compatriot, deadly bowler taste some of the punishment that he so regularly hands out to bowlers. Royal Challengers Bangalore needed 39 runs on last 18 balls and the only man that they could have wished for to be at the crease was Ab de Villiers. Good for them AB was still there. Steyn charged in on the first bowler of the over only to see the ball sail over the fielder at mid wicket’s head. Steyn came back with a perfect Yorker but that didn’t preclude Ab from snatching 2 runs on it. On the third ball, AB smashed the ball as high as the nearest star to earth might be. Result was a six. A lap sweep over fine leg helped AB claim 4 more runs. On the last ball of this big over, Ab de Villiers played it down the Third Man for a single. Maybe it was out of respect for his fellow South African team mate. Otherwise the kind of form that he was in, he could have slapped that one over the square boundary. 23 runs in the over meant Deccan Charger needed only 18 runs in the last two overs. This dual between two of the finest players of our generation was won by “The Freak”.
Sohail Tanveer’s Record breaking Bowling
Left Arm Pakistani pace bowler, Sohail Tanveer, announced himself at world’s stage with an impressive World T20 2007. He came in the IPL’s first edition ever with a reputation of a hard to pick bowler. His action makes it difficult for the batsmen to see the ball coming out of his hand. Making use of this advantage, Sohail made sure that he does maximum damage to the oppositions in IPL. Playing for Rajasthan Royals in an important match against the batting heavy Chennai Super Kings, Sohail Tanveer removed 6 batsmen for only 14 runs. A record breaking bowling performance which helped Sohail Tanveer claim the first Purple Cap of the IPL remains fresh among the minds of the fans.
Chris Gayle Shattered Records With Mammoth 175
When Gayle gets going, one often gets this inkling as if he is playing with cheat codes on. Inhuman power that his shots depict makes one question the bravado of the bowlers who despite knowing his reputation have courage to bowl against him. Ask Pune Warrior’s bowlers and they will tell you the tale of the nightmare of a match which occurred on April 23, 2013. Chris Gayle scored the fastest century in T20 Cricket. 30 balls, just 30 balls are all he needed to achieve the feat. Gayle ended up scoring 175*, the highest individuals core in a T20 game and powered his team Royal Challengers Bangalore to 263/5, the highest team total in T20s. A mammoth performance by a giant statesman was indeed on of the finest moments of IPL.
Shoaib Akhtar Makes Crowd Erupt at Kolkata
Eden Gardens. This stadium located in the South Indian city of Kolkata gave fame to a bowler who hailed from a Garrison city of Pakistani Punjab. World’s fastest bowler, Shoaib Akhtar made a comeback to Eden Gardens in 2008 in IPL’s first ever edition for Kolkata Knight Riders against a star studded Delhi Daredevils. For the first time in his life, Akhtar had the blackening of the crowd in Eden Gardens and from the performance he showcased that day, it seemed as if this is what he had been craving all his life. Shoaib took 4 wickets for just 11 runs. The fast and furious Shoaib proved too hot for the Delhi Daredevils to handle. This performance has a symbolic value more than the numbers suggest. This was the game when Shoaib made millions of new fans in India by his flamboyant bowling.
Sachin Tendulkar & Ricky Ponting Opening for Mumbai Indians
You would have to jog your memory and jog it for some hundreds of mild to remember an opening pair greater than that. Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar, the two all-time great batsmen went out to open for Mumbai Indians on 4th April, 2013. This was a site that many had only envisioned knowing that it might not ever happen. Yet it happened.
The Performance Spectrum of Glenn Maxwell
Maxwell set IPL abuzz with his unconventional style of play and exuberant shots in the league’s 7th edition. Three innings and three consecutive outclass performances by this Aussie star made sure that Kings XI Punjab sailed home easily. In the first match, Kings XI was in pursuit of a mammoth 205 set by Chennai. Being sent in at number 3 by the team management, Glen Maxwell started fireworks which led him to scoring 43-ball 95. He carried his surreal form in the next game where Kings were chasing another mighty target. This time it was 195 set by the Rajasthan. Maxwell’s reply: 45-ball 89. In the third game, Maxwell’s bat continued throwing up runs as he scored a 43-ball 95 to power Kings XI to 193. These three innings are so good that they get to be placed in the finest moments of IPL.
Mumbai Indians Vs Rajasthan Royals- Jail Break
May 25, 2014. A match which was effectively knockout for both teams, Mumbai Indians set Wankhede Stadium ablaze with runs. The equation for Mumbai Indians was pretty simple. They had to chase whatever total was set by Rajasthan Royal in 14.3 overs in order to get pass Royals to qualify for the play offs. Batting first Rajasthan Royals scored a mighty 189, making this match almost unlosable for them. Mumbai Indians came out all guns blazing. Corey Anderson plundered runs and so did Samson. In the 15th over, Faulkner, bowling for Royals had 8 runs to defend which he couldn’t. After 14.3 overs, scores were tied and few Royal players could be seen celebrating but it turned out that if Mumbai Indians scored a boundary on the next ball they could still qualify. A six was what they managed on the next ball to cap a surreal match.
Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Rajasthan Royals – Super Over
In IPL’s 2009 edition, this match between KKR and RR would always be remembered for the big hearted Prince of Kolkata who gave his absolute best to bring his team in a position from where victory seemed in touching distance. Batting first, RR scored a total of 150. In reply, KKR were 94/5 before Ganguly got in the grove and nicked one just when KKR needed 2 of 2. Great fielding by Warner on the second last ball and a runout on the last ball meant a tie. In the super over, Gayle from KKR scored three boundaries off Ajantha Mendis who had conceded only 19 runs in his 4 overs prior to the super over. In reply, Yousuf Pathan’s powerful hitting proved too good for KKR.