IPL 2019: Top 5 game-changing moments from Week 1

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli

The Indian Premier League commenced last week, and what a week it has been. In one week alone, we have witnessed multiple 200+ scores, a couple of centuries, a controversial moment and some brilliant bowling.

This year is already shaping up to be one of the best seasons the IPL due to its unpredictability. This year, we have seen how one moment can change a game completely in a team’s favor. These game-changing moments also gave fans a reason to watch the game until the end as anything can happen at any moment.

As the saying goes: “It isn’t over till the fat lady sings.” This statement could very well be used to sum up this year so far. Despite all the thrilling finishes and game-changing moments, we’ve taken the time to highlight the top 5 game-changing moments that stood out from the 1st week of the IPL.


#5 Bumrah dismisses Kohli (MI vs RCB)

Jasprit Bumrah dismisses Virat Kohli
Jasprit Bumrah dismisses Virat Kohli

The moment that everyone was waiting for in this year’s edition of the IPL was Jasprit Bumrah vs Virat Kohli. In fact, this was the tagline used in the advertisements leading up to the tournament. Therefore, fans were watching with utmost excitement when Mumbai Indians took on the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Mumbai Indians batted first and posted a total of 187/8 thanks to a brilliant cameo from Hardik Pandya. It was now time for Royal Challengers Bangalore to chase. After losing an early wicket, Kohli walked in to bat and was immediately facing Jasprit Bumrah. It was the moment everyone was waiting for.

Bumrah bowled three balls to Kohli and was dispatched to the boundary on all three occasions. It had seemed like Kohli got the better of the Indian pacer.

All was going well for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and they were cruising along towards a win. When Jasprit Bumrah came in to bowl his second over, Kohli tried to take him on again, but this time he was caught by Hardik Pandya.

This would be a game-changing moment for RCB who would begin losing wickets consistently and eventually fell short of their target by just 6 runs. Jasprit Bumrah picked up three wickets and was named the Man of the Match.

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL live score, purple cap, points table, schedule, news, orange cap and fantasy tips.

#4 Rishabh Pant’s knock (DC vs MI)

Rishabh Pant
Rishabh Pant

Delhi Capitals are always known for getting off to poor starts every year. They always seem to get off to poor starts during a match resulting in a low total that their bowling lineup is unable to defend.

This time, Delhi Capitals rebranded themselves and were all set to take on the Mumbai Indians. After the losing the toss and being to put in to bat first, Delhi Capitals got off to a decent start. The match was looking even until the third wicket fell. Once Rishabh Pant walked out to bat at number 5, the entire game changed in Delhi Capitals’ favor.

Pant was an absolute delight to watch and showed why he is one of India’s most destructive middle order batsmen. He took apart a very good bowling unit and dispatched them for multiple sixes all over the ground. He even made Jasprit Bumrah look like an amateur bowler.

In the end, he remained unbeaten on 78 runs from just 27 balls and helped Delhi post a mammoth total of 213/6 in their 20 overs.

In return, Mumbai Indians were bowled out for 176 runs falling 37 runs short of their target.

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL orange cap, points table, schedule, news, live scores, orange cap and fantasy tips.

#3 Andre Russell's cameo in KKR’s opening match

Andre Russell
Andre Russell

Sunrisers Hyderabad was always known for having a very good bowling attack spearheaded by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Hence, when they posted a total of 181 against the Kolkata Knight Riders, it looked like SRH would stroll towards an easy victory.

KKR, on the other hand, paced their innings beautifully at the beginning. But, after losing the wickets of Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, and Nitish Rana in quick succession, Kolkata Knight Riders soon found themselves in troubled waters and needed over 60 runs to win in the last 5 overs.

Andre Russell wasn’t willing to give up the fight just yet as he tore through the entire SRH bowling lineup and brought KKR right back in this match. Russell was in top form for KKR and helped them cross the finish line with ease. He single-handedly won Kolkata Knight Riders their opening game and remained unbeaten on 49 runs from just 19 deliveries.

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL purple cap, points table, schedule, news, live scores, orange cap and fantasy tips.

#2 Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Capitals

Prithvi Shaw
Prithvi Shaw

This entire match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals felt like a complete roller coaster ride with lots of twists and turns. Kolkata Knight Riders were put in to bat first by Delhi Capitals. KKR struggled from the start and soon found themselves struggling at 61/5. Just as everyone had written KKR off, Dinesh Karthik (50 runs from 36 balls) and Andre Russell (62 runs from 28 balls) both stitched together a magnificent partnership that helped their team reach a total of 185/8 in 20 overs.

DC put up a tough fight thanks to a brilliant partnership between Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer. At one point Delhi was looking poised to win the match comfortably when Prithvi Shaw was dismissed for 99 runs. The remaining batsmen struggled to score many runs and soon Delhi managed to tie the game which meant it was time for a super over.

Delhi batted first in the super over and were reduced to just 10 runs. Looking at Russell and Karthik walk out to bat in the super over, it looked like the match would be over in just three balls, but Kagiso Rabada had other plans in mind. The South African pacer clean bowled Andre Russell in the third ball and restricted KKR to just seven runs helping Delhi win by three runs.

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL 2019 schedule, news, points table, live scores, orange cap, purple cap and fantasy tips.

#1 Ashwin Mankads Jos Butler

Ashwin Mankads Jos Butler
Ashwin Mankads Jos Butler

This was certainly one of the most controversial moments of the season so far. After losing the toss and being put in to bat first, KXIP scored 184/4 in 20 overs thanks to stellar performances by Chris Gayle and Sarfaraz Khan.

Rajasthan Royals came out to bat. Butler, who opened the innings looked in sublime form. He was hammering the bowlers to all parts of the ground and quickly reached his fifty. The Royals were comfortably cruising to a victory.

The match was slipping away from Kings XI Punjab’s hands and Ashwin had to do something. So, what did he do?

He decided to run out Jos Buttler by Mankading him. Ashwin took his runup and instead of bowling the ball, he turned around and ran out Buttler, who was backing up too far. I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether this incident was within the spirit of the game, but it was the biggest game changer of the season so far and turned the game on its head. Rajasthan Royals lost the match by 14 runs in the end.

Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL points table 2019, schedule, news, live scores, orange cap, purple cap and fantasy tips.

Check RCB Squad 2024 Details. Follow Sportskeeda for IPL 2024 Live Score, Schedule, Points Table

Quick Links

Edited by Zaid Khan