IPL 2018: 5 surprising performances from Week 1

A week has passed since IPL 2018 commenced. So far, we have seen some very exciting matches with plenty of twists and turns. There hasn’t been a single century or a five-wicket haul so far but there have been some glorious performances with both bat and ball.

Some of these performances have come from big names from whom such performances are expected. There have also been some top performances which have come from a few unexpected players. Here are five surprising performances from the first week of the IPL.

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#5. Mujeeb ur Rehman shattering Virat Kohli’s stumps

Royal Challengers Bangalore had a poor start to their run-chase against Kings XI Punjab yesterday as they lost Brendon McCullum in just the second delivery of the innings. Baz’s opening partner Quinton de Kock and skipper Virat Kohli batted steadily and RCB were 32/1 from 4 overs.

The 5th over was bowled by 17-year-old Mujeeb ur Rehman who gave only 3 runs. Mujeeb began with a dot before Quinton de Kock took a single in the second delivery. This put Kohli on strike. The third delivery of the over saw Kohli drive a back of a length delivery to backward point.

The next delivery was a little wide but headed towards the middle stump. Kohli hit it towards long on. After two dots, the Afghan got rid of Kohli. The teenager bowled a googly which pitched outside the off stomp before angling in to rattle Kohli’s middle stump. The over from Mujeeb ur Rehman yielded just 1 run.

#4. KL Rahul’s record-breaking 51 against Delhi Daredevils

Rahul smashed the fastest fifty in IPL history

KL Rahul was one of the most expensive buys at this year’s IPL auction as Kings XI Punjab invested a whopping 11 crore on him. Even though he didn’t do too well for India this year, he was expected to perform in the IPL.

KXIP needed to chase down 166 against the Daredevils and Rahul began smashing from the beginning of the innings. Punjab added 52 in the first three overs and Rahul scored 51 of those runs. His half-century came from just 14 deliveries, a new record for the fastest fifty in IPL history. Rahul was dismissed soon after reaching his fifty but he put KXIP in command of the game by that time.

#3. Dwayne Bravo’s match-stealing 68 in the tournament opener

Bravo's 68 is the highest score by a No.7 batsman in IPL history

Chennai Super Kings were in deep trouble while chasing 166 against Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener. They were struggling at 118/8 in 16.3 overs with Dwayne Bravo the only recognised batsman left. At this point, it seemed that Mumbai Indians would bag the win because very few expected Bravo to take them home.

The reason? Before the IPL, Bravo hadn’t produced many big scores in T20s. His last T20 fifty came way back in September 2016 against Pakistan when he scored 55 from 54 deliveries.

However, Bravo silenced the MI crowd by smashing the bowlers all around the park. He went on to score 68 from just 30 deliveries before he was dismissed. CSK eventually won and Bravo was adjudged the Man of the Match. Bravo’s 68 is also the highest score by a No.7 batsman in IPL history.

#2. Nitish Rana dismissing Kohli and ABD in consecutive deliveries

Rana was expensive in his only over but he got two big wickets

In KKR’s tournament opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Nitish Rana was given the responsibility of bowling the 15th over of the RCB innings. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers were at the crease. Rana, a part-timer, conceded a six to AB de Villiers in the first delivery.

In the very next delivery, ABD skied the ball to the leg side but Mitchell Johnson took the catch to dismiss him. The following delivery, Rana bowled a fuller one which crashed into Kohli’s middle-stump. Rana was on a hat-trick after having dismissed RCB’s two most dangerous batters.

#1. Mayank Markande’s spells in MI’s first two matches

Markande is currently the leading wicket-taker in this year's IPL

Mumbai Indians may have lost their first two matches in this year’s IPL but they have unearthed a gem in Mayank Markande. The 20-year-old spinner is currently the leading wicket-taker in the competition.

In the first match of the tournament, Markande took three wickets, conceding just 23 runs. He dismissed Ambati Rayudu before taking the key wicket of MS Dhoni. Markande’s third scalp was Deepak Chahar. His spell was the second best by a Mumbai Indians bowler on IPL debut.

Markande followed this up with an even better spell against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Markande conceded 23 runs again but took four wickets. The 20-year-old dismissed Wriddhiman Saha before getting the wicket of the dangerous Shikhar Dhawan. He then dismissed Manish Pandey before bowling out Shakib al Hasan.

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