IPL 2018: 8 milestones to watch out for in the first 5 matches

The 11th season of the IPL kicks off today in Mumbai, where defending champions Mumbai Indians take on arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings. As usual, this is the time of the year which belongs to the entertainment of every cricket fan. The world’s best players either team up together or take each other on, so there is no compromise on the quality of cricket.

However, as victory is the ultimate aim for almost every player and team, there are milestones or landmarks to watch out for. These give players tremendous confidence and pride in the effort that they are putting in, wanting to go down as the finest in the tournament’s history eventually.

So taking the first 5 matches of the IPL 2018 into account, here are 6 big names and the 8 milestones could very well be achieved during this period itself

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#1 - Virat Kohli (150 IPL appearances and 4500 runs)

After a long, well-deserved break, Virat Kohli will be back in action to lead the Royal Challengers Bangalore outfit. He will look to forget the 2017 tournament and start afresh with himself and his team.

It is well known that Kohli is the only player in this year’s competition to have played for only a single IPL franchise in the 11 seasons of the tournament so far. His consistency and fitness has been that remarkable too. So when he takes the field at the Eden Gardens on Saturday against Kolkata Knight Riders, the champion batsman will become the fifth player in the history of the tournament to play 150 IPL games. Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Dinesh Karthik are the players to have achieved this feat before him.

Apart from that, Kohli could well achieve another landmark in the same match. He is 82 runs short of becoming the second player after Raina to reach the 4500-run mark in the competition. And if he replicates his returns of 2016, he could well go past him to become the highest run-getter of all time by the end of the tournament.

#2 Robin Uthappa (150 IPL appearances)

Robin Uthappa will be playing his 150th IPL game when KKR take on RCB on Saturday

The IPL 2018 will be Robin Uthappa's fifth season with Kolkata Knight Riders. Uthappa has been a massive part of their success, helping them win the title in 2014 while they made it to the playoffs in 2016 and 2017.

In all probability, Uthappa will become the joint fifth-highest in terms of the number of appearances alongside Virat Kohli on Saturday. KKR take on RCB and that will be Uthappa’s 150th appearance as well.

It is a great co-incidence but victory isn’t. Who will have the last laugh? Time will tell.

#3 Dinesh Karthik (3000 IPL runs)

Having played for many IPL teams in the past, Dinesh Karthik could have a great season as KKR's captain

Dinesh Karthik’s stocks have risen further, having been elected as Kolkata Knight Riders’ captain this season. The Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batsman has been a part of several IPL teams in the past and has participated in 152 matches so far.

A veteran in the competition, Karthik’s average of 24 doesn’t do justice to his talent. Yet, he has an opportunity to redeem himself this time. As KKR take on RCB and Chennai Super Kings in their first two games, Karthik could get to the 3000-run mark in IPL cricket. He is 97 runs away from it. Should he get there, he would become the 9th Indian to reach this landmark.

#4 AB de Villiers (3500 IPL runs)

AB de Villiers has been amongst the most prolific overseas batsmen in the IPL

The dashing South African batsman was in tremendous nick at home in Test matches against India and Australia. Now, he is back to the format he seems to enjoy the most, T20 cricket and Indian conditions, which he makes the most out of and people love him for it.

de Villiers has been a constant with RCB since 2011 and his stint has run parallel with his growth from a young talent to a seasoned veteran batter. He is 27 runs away from becoming the third overseas player to reach the 3500-run mark in IPL cricket, only behind David Warner and Chris Gayle. He could achieve this feat in the match against KKR itself.

With Warner not playing this year and Gayle being unpredictable in terms of consistency, de Villiers has the best chance of overtaking both of them to score the most number of runs in IPL cricket by an overseas player.

#5 Sunil Narine (100 wickets)

Sunil Narine could reach the 100-wicket mark in the first week of the IPL 2018

The KKR vs RCB match has a lot attached to it than just the result. Sunil Narine is more than likely to start, being KKR’s top overseas spinner. The West Indian was a force to reckon when he began playing in the IPL for the Knight Riders, playing an integral part in their championship wins in 2012 and 2014.

However, he has been bogged down in recent years due to allegations of a suspect bowling action. Perhaps numbers can motivate him. Narine is 5 wickets away from becoming the third overseas bowler to pick up 100 wickets in IPL cricket. Only Lasith Malinga and Dwayne Bravo have more than him. He has played 82 matches so far, for which the numbers are quite impressive.

The spinner is more than capable to achieve this landmark at least in the match against CSK, if not RCB. Can Narine be back to his lethal best and amongst the wickets again?

#6 Yusuf Pathan (150 appearances and 3000 runs)

Yusuf Pathan will aim for more impact with the Sunrisers Hyderabad

Pathan made a switch from KKR to Sunrisers Hyderabad this season. Although he won few vital games for the Knight Riders, he wasn’t as consistent and lethal with him as he was with his first team, Rajasthan Royals. Ironically, he has a chance of achieving not one, but two milestones against the Royals on Monday.

The flamboyant batter would become another Indian to join the 150-match club, after Uthappa and Kohli in all probability. Also, like Karthik, Pathan is nearing the 3000-run mark in IPL cricket is 96 runs away from the milestone.

Nothing like a big innings from Pathan to launch the IPL 2018 for himself and the Sunrisers Hyderabad in style!