IPL 2021: 3 best batting performances from Week 1

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is now well underway, and it promises to be even more competitive than last year.

Only four points separated the team that finished second (the Delhi Capitals) and the team that finished last (the Rajasthan Royals) in IPL 2020. And after the first week of this edition of the tournament, only the Royal Challengers Bangalore are yet to suffer a defeat.

The pitches at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai have produced some contrasting clashes, although both venues have assisted the batsmen at certain times.

In this article, we rank the 3 best batting performances from Week 1 of IPL 2021. Note: The first 8 matches (from RCB vs MI to PBKS vs CSK) have been considered.

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#3 Deepak Hooda (64 off 28, IPL 2021 Match 4 - RR vs PBKS)

Deepak Hooda

Coming into this tournament after being at the centre of an ugly controversy involving Baroda captain Krunal Pandya, Deepak Hooda stroked a brilliant fifty against the Rajasthan Royals in Match 4.

Hooda may not have scored as much as KL Rahul in the same clash or Prithvi Shaw against CSK or KL, but the impact of his innings was immense. Promoted to No. 4 ahead of Nicholas Pooran, the 25-year-old smashed 4 fours and 6 sixes to finish on 64 off 28 balls.

Sixes were nonchalantly whipped over deep mid-wicket or caressed over deep extra-cover as even the well-set Rahul watched from the other end. The Punjab Kings reached a massive total of 221/6 in their 20 overs, which eventually proved to be too much to get for the Rajasthan Royals.

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#2 Shikhar Dhawan (85 off 54, IPL 2021 Match 2 - CSK vs DC)

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan enjoyed playing against the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020, where he smashed a stroke-filled century at Sharjah en route to the Delhi Capitals' first-ever finals appearance. He continued his good form against the Men in Yellow in Match 2 of IPL 2021 at the Wankhede Stadium.

After CSK amassed 188/7 in the first innings, Dhawan and his partner Prithvi Shaw cut loose. The southpaw was particularly severe on Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur as he found the boundary on 10 occasions and cleared it twice.

Thakur eventually dismissed Dhawan for 85 with a well-disguised yorker, but not before the opener had played an array of innovative sweeps and lofts. DC cantered home in the 19th over with 7 wickets and 8 balls to spare.

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#1 Sanju Samson (119 off 63, IPL 2021 Match 4 - RR vs PBKS)

Sanju Samson

Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson had the spotlight firmly on him in the lead-up to IPL 2021. He was appointed at the helm after Steve Smith was released, and some felt that it was too soon for him to take up the role.

After all, Samson had flattered to deceive in IPL 2020 and had even lost his place in the Indian team. But he silenced his critics with a breathtaking display of hitting in Match 4 against the Punjab Kings, although he was dropped on three separate occasions.

Coming in at No. 3 after Ben Stokes was dismissed off the third ball of the innings, Samson took a few balls to get his eye in before unleashing himself on the PBKS bowlers. He smashed 12 fours and 7 sixes in his 119-run knock, which was 96 runs more than the next highest score in the innings.

Samson waged a lone battle and with five runs needed off two deliveries, decided to deny Chris Morris a single. Although he didn't clear the boundary off the final ball, the 26-year-old impressed all with his guts on IPL captaincy debut. He walked away with the Player of the Match award.