The 9th edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League got underway on 9th April 2016. The previous 8 editions have witnessed plenty of high-voltage action and a plethora of drama. IPL has seen many records getting broken, many feats being achieved in this span of 8 years.
Just like a big tournament, IPL too has many unusual facts which can bewilder even the most die-hard IPL fans who have been following the league since its inception. Well, we have selected 10 such bewildering facts about the lucrative league. Here they are
1. Yusuf Pathan and Rohit Sharma are the only players who have won the tournament thrice
KKR’s big-hitting batsman Yusuf Pathan and current Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma share a rare feat which is unmatched by others. They have won the IPL thrice with two different franchises and that surely is something they should be extremely proud of.
Yusuf Pathan won the inaugural edition of the IPL with the Rajasthan Royals in 2008. He was one of the star players of the squad who immensely contributed with both bat and ball.
That was a fairytale season for the Royals as they defied all the odds to emerge winners. Pathan moved to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2011 and won two IPL trophies with them in 2012 and 2014. It surely is a great achievement for the Baroda all-rounder.
The talented Rohit Sharma won the IPL with the Deccan Chargers in 2009. He was one of the key members of the squad and he repeated that feat with the Mumbai Indians twice in 2013 and 2015. Rohit as captain of the Mumbai Indians team won the last edition of the IPL when no one gave them a chance after their dismal start to the campaign.
The Mumbaikar inspired his team to a famous win and etched his name in IPL’s history.
2. Chris Gayle remained unsold in the 2011 auction
You will be surprised to know that IPL’s most destructive batsman Chris Gayle remained unsold in the IPL auction in 2011. Later he came in as a replacement for fast bowler Dirk Nannes in the Royal Challengers Bangalore team and set the tournament on fire with his blitzkrieg.
Gayle played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the first three seasons of the IPL and played 16 matches for them. He scored 463 runs in those 16 games but could never get going in that KKR jersey.
The 2011 season saw the re-birth of the giant as he came, saw and conquered the tournament with his blistering stroke-play. He scored over 600 runs in 2011 and backed that up with over 700 scores in 2012 and 2013 to stamp his name in the IPL history forever.
One who remained unsold surely did answer with the bat in a grandiloquent manner.
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore involved in all three 200 run partnerships
The flamboyant RCB team has a batting line-up that can intimidate any opposition. The likes of Gayle, Kohli, AB De Villers in the same team surely will send shivers down the opposition's bowlers’ spines.
Team RCB has been involved in a rare feat in IPL. They have been involved in all three 200-run partnerships in IPL where they are on the receiving end once.
It was the Australian duo of Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh who put up a record 2nd wicket stand of 206 in 2011 at Dharamshala in a game against the RCB. But with the kind of firepower RCB had in its batting, it was a matter of time before that got emulated or broken.
Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle came tantalizingly close to breaking that record when they put on 204 runs together in a game against Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2012. Last year it was RCB again as they finally managed to break the record as Virat Kohli and AB de Villers put together a record stand of 215 in a game against the Mumbai Indians in Mumbai
4. The curious case of Delhi Daredevils
The Delhi franchise is the only team who has never played the IPL final. Though Deccan and Sunrisers are two different teams but since they represent the same city i.e. Hyderabad, so it is only Delhi who has never played the coveted IPL final. Also, they have another dubious record of scoring the most number of below-100 scores in the IPL.
Delhi played in two semifinals in 2008 and 2009 and qualified for the playoffs in 2012. Despite having a great team at their disposal Delhi failed to qualify for the grand finale on all the three occasions.
In 2008 and 2009 they were beaten by the eventual champions Rajasthan Royals and Deccan Chargers respectively in the semis.
Let’s see if Delhi can turn its fortunes around this season.
5. Aaron Finch and Parthiv Patel- Played for six different franchises
The Australian and the Indian share a unique feat of playing for six different franchises in IPL. Finch appeared for Gujarat Lions yesterday to emulate the feat of the diminutive keeper-batsman from India.
Parthiv played for Chennai Super Kings, Kochi Tuskers, Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians and it surely is a unique feat.
Aaron Finch has also played for six different franchises throughout his IPL career. They are Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils, Pune Warriors India, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Lions to complete almost a full circle.
6. Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa- Played for 4 different teams but they were always in the same team
These two Karnataka cricketers have played for 4 different teams in the IPL but there is a twist in the tale. These two teammates have played for the same team in all the 8 seasons so far and they are going to do the same in this year too.
They both started their IPL journey with the Mumbai Indians in 2008. Next year they both shifted their bases to their home franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore and stayed there for two seasons.
They again changed their teams as this time they played for the now defunct Pune Warriors India. From 2014 onwards, these two are playing for Kolkata Knight Riders and have won the tournament together in 2014.
This inseparable pair surely epitomizes the Jai-Viru concept aptly. Wherever they go, they seem to be together.
7. Gautam Gambhir- Most Fifties and Most Ducks
Former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir has been one of the best performers in the IPL. He has amassed plenty of runs for both the teams he played for in the IPL. He is KKR’s highest run getter and sits pretty at the 4th spot for in the Delhi Daredevils’ highest run-getters’ list.
Gambhir also has scored the most number of 50s in IPL. But there is a record that he would love to forget. Gautam Gambhir has scored the most number of ducks i.e. 11 alongside Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan Singh to share this ignominious feat.
So it is clearly a high-low affair for Gambhir.
8. Harbhajan Singh and Virat Kohli- 9 editions, same franchise
Team India teammates Harbhajan Singh and Virat Kohli share a unique feat together in the IPL. They are the only players who have been part of the same franchise throughout their journey in the IPL.
With the suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Dhoni, Raina, Ashwin joining other teams, Harbhajan and Kohli remain the only players who have represented the same franchise throughout these 9 seasons.
Harbhajan Singh has been a backbone of the Mumbai Indians squad and he even won the IPL trophy twice with them. Virat Kohli will surely look to add the IPL title to his kitty as it is a trophy that has been eluding him since 2008.
They both are great team men and surely people love their presence both on and off the field.
9. The high and low for the Kolkata Knight Riders
Twice IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders has been one of the most successful teams in the tournament. KKR, however, has two records which have an interesting connotation.
KKR still holds the record of a win by the most number of runs in the tournament. KKR defeated RCB by 140 runs in the opening match of the inaugural season of the IPL and recorded their names in the history books of IPL.
However, they have another record which they would like to forget. KKR holds the dubious feat of being defeated with the most number of balls remaining in the second innings. It too happened in the 2008 edition when they were thrashed by Mumbai Indians.
KKR bundled out for a meagre 67 and Mumbai chased that down in 5.3 overs to add more salt to KKR’s woes.
10. Sachin Tendulkar- The only Indian who have won the player of the series award in IPL
The maestro has left his indelible impression in IPL too. He is still the only Indian player to have been awarded the player of the series award in IPL in 2010. The veteran also won the orange cap that year as he scored a mammoth 618 runs in that tournament. He was in sublime form and he showed the world that he could excel in the slam-bang version too.
Sachin guided Mumbai Indians to the final that year which they eventually lost to Chennai Super Kings. Tendulkar played a great knock in the final too. Till date, no other Indian apart from him has won the coveted player of the tournament award in IPL.
Kudos to the genius once again.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️
