Since the tournament is named ‘Indian’ Premier League, what good is it if the Indian players don't perform well in it? Thankfully, though, a great many Indian players fared exceptionally well in the 9th edition of the IPL.
Be it with the bat or the bowl, the nation could be proud of its players and their performances. In fact, both the Orange Cap and Purple Cap holders were Indian players—a testament to their brilliance in this year’s IPL.
There were plenty of performances that caught the eye and don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes. Let's take a look at the top 7:
#7 Virat Kohli's 109 vs Gujarat Lions
The IPL have had only 2 Indian players as MVP since its inception. Virat Kohli was its second recipient as his performances in this IPL were beyond anything anyone has ever witnessed.
His first century, incidentally against the very same team, went in vain. However, he made sure lightning didn't strike twice.
Facing the Lions in a must-win encounter, he and AB de Villiers went full throttle and made the Gujarat bowlers look like a bunch of primary school kids.
In the end, he finished with 109 runs while playing only 55 balls in the process.
#6 Krunal Pandya's all-round performance vs Delhi Daredevils
Krunal Pandya was one of Mumbai’s big money signings. Since his younger brother, Hardik, did well the previous season and a price tag of Rs. 2 crores meant the expectations were heavy on Krunal.
And he didn’t just match them, but exceeded them with his fantastic performances in IPL 2016. In fact, it could be argued that he was Mumbai Indians’ best player—but we will leave that debate for another day.
In this game, he was promoted to number 3 and he shocked everyone with his splendid display of power hitting. Facing only 37 balls, he scored 86 runs—an innings that took Mumbai’s score over 200.
But he wasn’t done just yet. With the ball, he also grabbed 2 wickets to complete a perfect game for himself and his team as Mumbai romped home to a massive 80-run win.
#5 Virat Kohli's 113 v Kings XI Punjab
Pre-match rain is almost never welcome news for fans. They flock into the stadium with the hope of seeing their idols play the game that they so love. However, in this rain-afflicted encounter, only one side of the fans were happy: the RCB supporters
In a way, even the Punjab fans were glad that the rain poured down and cut the game short since the embarrassment they had to face was inexplicable.
A late start meant that the game was cut short to 15 overs per innings. A lot of runs were expected since the track was a heaven for batsmen. However, no-one expected a 200+ score in such a short time.
Not only did RCB manage to get past the 200 mark, Virat Kohli added another century to his T20 career with a superb innings of 113 runs off just 50 balls. In the end, RCB won by 82 runs thanks to Kohli's brilliant knock.
#4 Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 4/29 vs Gujarat Lions
This tournament has been a one to forget for most bowlers. The pitches in India rarely favour the bowler and it was no different in this year’s IPL as well.
However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was one of those beacons of hope in the bowling department. He ended the tournament as its highest wicket-taker—and it was this game that became his stepping stone to glory.
On a batting-friendly track, he managed to destroy a formidable Gujarat batting line up who could only score 137 runs while also ending with figures of 29 for 4 in his 4 overs.
#3 Dhawal Kulkarni's 4/19 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Another and (spoiler alert) the final bowler in this list. While Bhuvi desecrated Gujarat’s batting line up, Dhawal Kulkarni’s spell of fire against Royal Challengers Bangalore was even better considering the strength of Kohli and co.
Defending 158, Gujarat Lions made a dream start, thanks to this underrated Indian pacer. He stunned the star-studded top order of RCB with his trickery with the ball. He grabbed the wickets of Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Sachin Baby—all of whom were in great touch prior to the game.
However, his effort went in vain, due to ABD’s brilliance. But, ending the game with 19 runs from 4 overs while taking 4 wickets against RCB’s batting line-up is as Herculean a task as it gets.
#2 Rohit Sharma's 85* v Rising Pune Supergiants
The IPL is usually Rohit Sharma’s hunting ground. However, this was a tournament he wouldn’t like to remember as his side failed to reach the playoffs. Also, his batting wasn’t as incredible as it usually is—especially when his team were batting first in the game.
However, it wasn’t all that gloomy for the Mumbai-born cricketer as it was his masterclass that helped them beat the Rising Pune Supergiants.
Chasing a tricky total of 160, Rohit Sharma took the attack against Pune bowlers and single-handedly, blasted his way towards the finish line, scoring 85 runs from 60 balls in the process.
#1 Virat Kohli's 108* vs Rising Pune Supergiants
And this was perhaps the best innings by an Indian batsman in the IPL this year. This innings redefined what chasing in T20 should be like. The class with which Kohli chased down 192 was simply exemplary. No amount of superlatives could do justice to this chase, and no amount ever will.
As the Supergiants posted a healthy score of 191, Kohli had just one thing mind: to score quickly and win the encounter in which they had to be victors if they wanted to keep their top 4 hopes alive.
And Kohli did just that. He single-handedly drove the score towards victory. In 58 balls, he scored an unbeaten 108 to get them over the line—and towards a top 4 finish.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download Cric Rocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more!
