5 interesting facts about the Indian Premier League that you didn't know

The Indian Premier League is in its eleventh edition and has established itself as the best among the various T20 leagues around the world. The glamour and the entertainment that is on display provide the league a big brand value.

Over the past decade, there have been a lot of close matches, Super Overs, Hat-tricks, attacking knocks, awesome catches, outstanding tactical decisions which have reaped high rewards. Some players have surprisingly excelled in their secondary department of the game like Yuvraj Singh’s two hat-tricks and Rohit Sharma’s hat-trick in 2009; Sunil Narine’s fifty in just 15 deliveries in 2017.

The comeback story of Mumbai Indians in the 2015 edition of the IPL is one of the highlights of the tournament history so far. Several players have achieved incredible feats which are very difficult to emulate and will be remembered by the audience.

However, there are a few remarkable facts which even ardent fans would not know. Here are five interesting things about the Indian Premier League.

---

#5 Chasing team has won the IPL Final only when Yusuf Pathan was a part of the team

In the ten seasons of the IPL so far, the sides batting first in the final have been more successful, emerging victorious seven times. Putting runs on the board in the final has proven to be important with teams defending below-par totals on quite a few occasions. However, in the three finals won by the chasing side, Yusuf Pathan has been a common factor.

Yusuf played a key role in Rajasthan Royals’ triumph in the inaugural final in 2008 with an all-round show of 3-22 and a brisk knock of 56. He won the Man of the Match award as the Royals chased down the target of 164 runs set by the Chennai Super Kings.

Representing Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012, Yusuf could not contribute much in the final falling for just 1 and gave away 17 runs in the solitary over he bowled. Knight Riders chased down CSK’s daunting total of 190 with Manvinder Bisla smashing 89 runs in just 48 deliveries.

Again, playing for KKR in the 2014 final against Kings XI Punjab, Yusuf forged an important 71-run partnership with Manish Pandey for the third wicket as they chased down the target of 200.

#4 Rajat Bhatia has played the most matches in the IPL among the “Uncapped” players

Rajat Bhatia has been a useful "Uncapped" contributor in the first ten seasons of the league

The IPL has provided a great platform for domestic performers to showcase their talent against the top quality opposition. Many players who have not been able to make it to the Indian side have carved their own niche with some good performances in the league. Rajat Bhatia is one such player who has been a part of the IPL for the first ten seasons and has played the most matches among the “uncapped” players with 95 appearances.

Representing Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiant, Rajat has bagged 71 wickets at a good economy rate of 7.40. He was pretty useful with his slower deliveries and disciplined line and lengths, bowling primarily during the middle overs of the innings.

#3 Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey have been a part of the same team for the first decade before being separated this season

Robin Uthappa-Manish Pandey: Bonding of a decade

The Indian Premier League teams see a shuffling of personnel after every three years (the previous cycle was of four years) when the big auctions take place. With the constant shuffling, players often end up playing against each other after being successful playing together.

Amidst all these changes, the pair of Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey has been together for the first ten seasons of the tournament before being separated in the current edition.

The Karnataka duo was a part of four teams during these years. They first represented Mumbai Indians in the inaugural season in 2008, went to their native side Royal Challengers Bangalore for the next two editions in 2009 and 2010.

Pandey achieved the distinction of becoming the first Indian batsman to score an IPL century while playing for RCB in 2009.

In 2011, they were snapped up by the new franchise Pune Warriors India and represented them till 2013. They then became a part of Kolkata Knight Riders for the next four seasons and played a vital role in the Knight Riders’ title-winning season in 2014 with Uthappa winning the Orange Cap and Manish being the Man of the Match in the Final.

In this year’s auction, Manish went to Sunrisers Hyderabad while Robin was retained by Kolkata using “Right to Match” card.

#2 Anil Kumble is the only player to win the “Man of the Match” award in the IPL final in a losing cause

Anil Kumble's Man of the Match performance of 4/16 was not enough for RCB to win the title in 2009

In the ten finals of the tournament, there have been spectacular performances from different players. The runners-up have also delivered some magnificent performances during the course of the decade.

However, the Man of the Match award has gone to the player from the winning side on nine out of the ten occasions. The only player to win the award in a losing cause is Anil Kumble. In addition to this, he is the only player to win it for just bowling effort.

The veteran spinner bowled an economical spell of 4-0-16-4 to restrict the Deccan Chargers line-up to just 143/6. Opening the bowling, he got the important wicket of the opposition captain Adam Gilchrist in the first over, before scalping the wickets of stroke-makers like Andrew Symonds and Rohit Sharma in the middle overs.

Despite having a modest total to chase, Royal Challengers Bangalore could manage just 137/9, losing wickets at regular intervals against a disciplined bowling line-up.

#1 No Kolkata Knight Riders batsman has scored an IPL century since Brendon McCullum in the inaugural IPL match

Brendon McCullum- The only centurion from KKR in IPL

The Indian Premier League commenced in a grand style in 2008 when Brendon McCullum, representing the Kolkata Knight Riders, blasted the Royal Challengers Bangalore bowlers, en route to the then highest individual T20 score of 158 not out at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

There have been several excellent batting performances since, with a total of 49 centuries scored, across the eleven editions of the tournament. Chris Gayle is at the top of the list with six hundreds, while Royal Challengers Bangalore hold the record for most hundreds by a team with 12 centuries.

However, despite being a part of the league for all the eleven seasons and being champions twice, no Knight Riders batsman has crossed the three-figure mark in the next 156 matches. There have been six scores in the 90s with Manish Pandey’s 94 against the Kings XI Punjab in the final of the 2014 edition, being the second highest score.