Five masterstrokes in the history of IPL

There’s no denying the fact that the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most widely followed T20 league across the globe. The league, by virtue of its popularity gained in its first decade, has undoubtedly helped the mega sporting event turn into a Global brand. It was a step that took place in 2008 to promote the shortest version of the game that gave rise to IPL.

In its every subsequent season, the league has grown by leaps and bounds, and amidst the glamour, it has lived up to its expectations of providing entertainment through pure cricketing action.

Known for its astounding fan following, the league has thrown many surprises in terms of decision making that may seem to defy the logic of the game but certainly have proved to be effective for the teams in question. Here we take a close look at some of those decisions in the glorious ten years of IPL history that awestruck many at once, but the results proved their effectiveness.

5. R Ashwin takes the new ball in the 2011 Final

Ravi Ashwin opened the bowling for CSK in the 2011 final

It was the final of the fourth edition of IPL that saw a southern derby between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings. The men in yellow on the back of a vast opening stand between Murali Vijay and Mike Hussey posted 205 on the board leaving RCB with a daunting task at hand. All eyes were on the charismatic Chris Gayle who had been in stupendous form throughout the tournament. But once again MS Dhoni got the better of the opposition when he asked Ravichandran Ashwin to begin the proceedings for them in the all-important game.

It was a tactical move by the skipper, realizing Gayle’s weakness against the off-spinner. Ashwin didn’t disappoint his captain as he delivered in the very first over by taking the big scalp of Chris Gayle, who was back in the pavilion bagging a duck in the final. This, in turn, was a match-defining decision to make Ashwin bowl the opening over as RCB relied much on the explosive opener to provide the brisk start to chase the mammoth total. It was disheartening for the fans as the Red Army was never in the game as they handed a comfortable victory to the home team to become the champions for the second time on the trot.

4. Gautam Gambhir’s ploy against MS Dhoni

Gautam Gambhir went with an attacking field set up for MS Dhoni in 2016

Gautam Gambhir has always been known for his aggressive brand of cricket and his will to win every game that reflects from his on-field decisions as a skipper. This was no different when he tried to attack the RPS skipper MS Dhoni in a match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rising Pune Supergiants in the ‘City of Joy’ in 2016.

It was the game towards the business end of the tournament that made it even more significant. In a rain-curtailed match, we witnessed an aggressive style of captaincy when Gambhir had more than three men placed around the bat for Dhoni.

The skipper came in to bat when his side was languishing at 74-4 after the fall of Bailey’s wicket. Gambhir, in order to choke the flow of runs completely, attacked Dhoni in a field setting that isn’t very common in the T-20 format.

This, in a way, increased the pressure on the batting side as Dhoni found it challenging to get the flow of runs going on a wicket that offered turn. Eventually, he found himself battling on eight off 22 balls after which the rain prevented any further batting for RPS, to conclude an easy win for the home team in a shortened 9-over match.

3. Sunil Narine’s top order blitz for KKR in 2017

Sunil Narine started to open the batting for KKR in 2017

This was one of the most exciting things that happened to IPL in 2017. The ploy to send Sunil Narine up the order did pay off for the Gautam Gambhir-led side. It was an intentional move taken by the KKR management to make the best use of their players given Sunil had the abilities to hit the ball a long distance. Narine turned the season on its head when some of his top-order blitzes tempted the cricket pundits to categorize him as a well suited T20 all-rounder.

His pairing with the explosive Chris Lynn became a headache for the opposition captain as the duo would go hammer and tongs in the first six overs. One of the most widely talked partnership was encountered at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru against the red army. This game saw some serious hitting form from Narine as he paved his way through to a fifty off just 15 deliveries, to record for the joint-fastest fifty in the IPL history. This came in as an added advantage for Gambhir who could rely on Narine both with the bat and ball.

2. Chris Gayle’s signing with RCB in 2011

RCB signed Chris Gayle as a replacement for Dirk Nannes in 2017

This has been one of the fascinating stories of the IPL. The league known for its theme of ‘Talent meets opportunity’ has been successful in reviving the careers of many talented cricketers by providing them the opportunity to express at the global stage. Chris Gayle, one of the most destructive batsmen, saw his career at the crossroads when he was denied any bid in the IPL Auction in 2011. Having represented Kolkata based franchise for the first three seasons, the Southpaw failed to impress any of the franchise at the Auction in 2011 before he was later roped in by RCB as the replacement to injured Dirk Nannes.

This, in turn, was a blessing in disguise for the Bangalore-based franchise as they didn’t have a great start to the tournament losing three of their first four games. Chris, who was left out of the West Indies squad against Pakistan, in his very first game in IPL 4, arrived with a bang as he mustered 102 runs in just 55 balls against his former franchise to see his team over the line. This was just the beginning of an unforgettable journey that eventually saw him leading the batting charts in the entire season. He even grabbed the orange cap by scoring 608 runs in the twelve matches and propelled the team to the final of the tournament.

1. MS Dhoni’s field setting against Pollard in 2010 Final

MS Dhoni's unorthodox field setting did Pollard in during the 2010 final

Known for his calm and composed attitude behind the stumps, MS Dhoni has always been right on the money for his tactical decisions that he has taken on the field. It is his captaincy that enabled Chennai to lift the IPL trophy twice in two years. The man in question with his great understanding of the game stands a step ahead of the opposition. A similar noteworthy event took place in the 2010 final against the Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium when the ‘Captain Cool’ took an instinctive decision in the penultimate over.

Mumbai required 27 off the final seven deliveries with Kieron Pollard being the lone man standing between CSK and the title. The West Indian was going hard at the bowler's before he became the victim of Dhoni’s well-thought plan. Dhoni placed a straightish mid-off right behind the bowler’s arm. It was a trap well set by the captain that saw the immediate effect with Pollard being caught by the same fielder on the next ball in his attempt to stroke a delivery that was pitched well outside the off-stump by Albie Morkel. This was the final nail in the coffin that helped them get their hands on the IPL trophy for the very first time.