Beating all odds and surpassing everybody’s expectations, the Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 final to lift their maiden IPL title on Sunday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. That also brought to end an action packed tournament – that has already carved out a niche for itself through its 9 editions since 2008 – that lasted for close to two months. The league has created a legacy of its own and over the years has been known for some of the most mind-boggling T20 stats created and broken.
This season too was no different as it saw several records being created and broken, with some of those feats being achieved in the most stupendous of manners. Here in this piece we bring to you 10 such records.
1. Most runs in an IPL season: Virat Kohli – Royal Challengers Bangalore (973 runs)
The man who has been on an unbelievable run feast since the beginning of the year was in some surreal form this IPL season, rewriting the record books and carving out a tale to be remembered. Akin to the 1981 Ashes series, to the 2003 World Cup, and the 2016 World T20, this IPL tournament would also be remembered majorly for one man’s unbelievable feats. Kohli not only scored runs in this tournament but also carried the Royal Challengers Bangalore on his back and guided them to the final of the tournament.
From 16 games, the Delhi-born superstar accumulated 973 runs at a stupendous average of 81.08 and an excellent strike-rate of 152.03. In the process, he got 4 centuries and 7 fifties, hit 83 fours, 38 sixes and also took 6 catches. Previously, the record was jointly held by Kohli’s RCB teammate Chris Gayle and the Australian legend Michael Hussey, both of whom scored 733 runs each in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
2. Most centuries in an IPL season: Virat Kohli – Royal Challengers Bangalore (4 centuries)
Before the tournament began, Virat didn’t have a century against his name in T20 cricket. When the tournament concluded, he had 4 of them. Such has been the form of this Indian batsman that he has started making all-time records look ridiculous. En route to his record-breaking aforementioned run scoring streak, Kohli also registered 4 centuries this season, which is also an IPL record. Previously, this record had belonged to Chris Gayle who had scored 2 centuries in the 2011 season.
Kohli scored two of those hundreds against one of the two new franchises, the Gujarat Lions, one of the remaining two against the Kings XI Punjab and the other one against the second new franchise that featured this season, the Rising Pune Supergiants.
3. Most runs in an IPL career: Virat Kohli – Royal Challengers Bangalore (4110 runs)
The domination of the RCB captain has been like no other cricketer in this tournament. The Virat juggernaut has shattered almost every record that was up for grabs at the start of the tournament. The 27-year-old now also holds the records for most runs in an IPL career with 4110 runs from 139 matches at an average of 38.05 and a strike rate of 130.43 with 4 centuries and 26 half centuries. He has hit 359 fours, 149 sixes and has also taken 55 catches in his IPL career.
Previously, Virat’s fellow countryman Suresh Raina held this record who had 3699 runs prior to this season, from 132 games. Raina was also one of the most prolific run-scorer this season, as he scored 399 runs from 15 games and now has 4098 IPL runs.
4. First man to reach the 4000-run mark in IPL: Virat Kohli – Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Virat Kohli saga continues here as well, as the Indian Test captain, during his run-scoring spree also breached the 4000-run mark in the IPL. He became the first man to score 4000 career runs in the IPL during his knock of 113 against the Kings XI Punjab on May 18, 2016, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
In that rain-hit encounter, the Royal Challengers had piled on a massive score of 211/3 off just 15 overs, wherein Chris Gayle had also scored big. The Caribbean had scored 73 runs off just 32 balls and had plundered the Punjab bowling to all parts of the ground along with his captain, Kohli.
5. Highest partnership for any wicket: 229 runs between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers – Royal Challengers Bangalore
By now, you would have gotten bored of reading Kohli’s name everywhere with every record that has been mentioned so far. But such has been the Delhi boy’s form that he features almost everywhere. The record for the highest partnership for any wicket was also broken this season when Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers put on 229 runs for the second wicket in RCB’s second league game against the Gujarat Lions. Both Kohli and de Villiers hit hundreds in that game, with de Villiers remaining unbeaten on 129 runs off just 58 balls.
Absolute carnage had unfolded on 14th May 2016 at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, as the Royal Challengers registered a score of 248/3 in their 20 overs and then bowled the Lions out for 104, thereby winning the match by 144 runs. These two players also held the previous record for the highest partnership, also for the second wicket, when they had put up 215 runs in a game against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium last year.
6. Highest 5th wicket partnership:Shakib-Al-Hasan and Yusuf Pathan- Kolkata Knight Riders (134*)
Speaking of partnerships, the record for the highest 5th wicket partnership was also broken this year, when Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan of the Kolkata Knight Riders put up 134 runs and remained unbeaten to guide their side to a respectable total of 158/4 in 20 overs in a game against the Gujarat Lions. Shakib remained unbeaten on 66 off 49 with 4 fours and 4 sixes while Yusuf made 63 off 41 with 7 fours and 1 six.
However, this effort was not good enough to take the Knight Riders to victory, as the Gujarat Lions chased down the target of 159 with ease riding on Dinesh Karthik’s fifty. The Lions got home with 5 wickets in hand and 2 overs to spare.
7. Most fifties in an IPL career: David Warner – Sunrisers Hyderabad (34)
The captain, who through his sheer courage and determination lead his side to IPL glory when nobody had given them a chance also plundered runs mercilessly and emphatically throughout the tournament also registered his name in the record books, when his 9 IPL fifties this season made him the cricketer with the most number of fifties in the all of IPL’s history.
Warner’s hunger for scoring runs enabled him to amass 848 runs from 17 matches at a magnificent batting average of 60.57 and a disastrous strike-rate of 151.42. Previously this record was held by Gautam Gambhir who had 26 fifties to his name before the start of this season and added 5 more to that tally to make it 31. However, Gambhir’s team, the Kolkata Knight Riders were eliminated by the Sunrisers in the Eliminator.
8. Biggest margin of victory (by runs) :144 runs – Royal Challengers Bangalore
The IPL runners-up had a plethora of records to their name and they added one more to their tally when they defeated the Gujarat Lions by 144 runs in one of their league games. It was the same game wherein AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli shared the highest partnership for any wicket in IPL history, that of 229 runs for the second wicket and RCB piled up 248 runs on the board.
In reply, the Lions crumbled under the pressure of the magnanimous target and could manage only 104 runs before being bowled out in the 19th over. Previously, this record was held by the Kolkata Knight Riders who had defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 140 runs in the opening game of the first season of the league, in 2008.
9. Two centuries in a single IPL innings: Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers – Royal Challengers Bangalore
En route their awe-inspiring show at the Chinnaswamy against the Lions, the RCB also owned the record of two centuries being scored in the same innings of an IPL match. Neve before in the history of the IPL had two centuries been scored in a single IPL innings. Kohli and de Villiers both registered tons in that game thereby taking the Royal Challengers to a mammoth total of 248/3.
Kohli scored 109 off 55 balls with 5 fours and 8 sixes, while de Villiers went a notch higher, making 129 runs off just 52 balls hitting 10 fours and 12 sixes. It was complete domination by the IPL finalists at the Chinnaswamy as they went on to win the game by 144 runs – also a record.
10. Most number of consecutive games in the IPL: Suresh Raina
Before the season began, Suresh Raina held the record for the most number of consecutive games played by a cricketer in the IPL – 132. However, due to the birth of his child, he had to miss the team’s return league game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, and hence, had to forfeit the unique record of not missing a single IPL game since the beginning of the league, back in 2008.
He still has the record for most the number of consecutive games – 142 – it’s just that now he is no more the player to have not missed a single IPL game since the league’s inception.
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