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The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to get underway from March 26, with the final scheduled for May 29. The event will be held entirely in India, with 70 league matches to be played across four venues in Mumbai and Pune. The schedule for the playoffs will be announced later.
Two new franchises will be making their debut this season – the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and the Gujarat Titans (GT). To accommodate them, the format of the tournament has been altered slightly with 10 teams divided into two virtual groups of five each. The playoffs format remains the same.
Memorable IPL performances over the years
This season too, fans will be hoping to see some wonderful performances with bat and ball as well as on the field. On that note, we went down memory lane and revisited some of the finest performances in the IPL.
#5 Anil Kumble (5/5)
Former India leg-spinner Anil Kumble claimed incredible figures of 5 for 5 in an IPL 2009 encounter for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Cape Town. RCB batted first in the match and managed only 133 for 8. However, Kumble’s brilliance stunned RR, who cleaned up for 58 in 15.1 overs.
Rajasthan had already lost half of their side for 47 when Kumble claimed his first wicket. He ran through the lower order, claiming the last five wickets. Yusuf Pathan (11) skied a catch to long-off while Ravindra Jadeja’s (11) slog-sweep ended in the hands of deep-midwicket.
Kumble then beat fellow leg-spinner and opposition captain Shane Warne (3) in the flight and had him stumped. Munaf Patel (0) swiped one towards long-on while Kumble completed a five-wicket haul when Kamran Khan’s (3) slog ended up as a catch behind the wickets.
The former leggie would go on to claim 4/16 in the final against the Deccan Chargers (DC) as well. However, RCB went down in the key contest by six runs.
#4 Sohail Tanvir (6/14)
In the inaugural IPL edition in 2008, Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir produced sensational figures of 6 for 14, turning out for RR against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Chennai elected to bat first after winning the toss against Rajasthan in Jaipur, but were bundled out for 109 in 19 overs.
Tanvir struck on the very first ball as he got one to swing in to Parthiv Patel (0) from outside off and trapped the former keeper-batter in front of the stumps. The left-armer made it two in the over when he trapped Stephen Fleming (0) in similar fashion. Tanvir left CSK reeling at 11 for 3 as Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan (5) edged one outside off to second slip.
The Pakistan fast bowler returned towards the end of the innings to clean up the tail. He ended Albie Morkel’s knock on 42 as the left-hander was bowled attempting a heave. Muttiah Muralitharan (0) and Makhaya Ntini (11) were also cleaned up as Tanvir completed a six-fer. His 6 for 14 remained an IPL record for best bowling figures until Alzarri Joseph claimed 6 for 12 in 2019.
Chasing 110, RR eased to victory by eight wickets as Graeme Smith scored an unbeaten 35 while Swapnil Asnodkar contributed 32.
#3 AB de Villiers (133*)
South African legend AB de Villiers has played some incredible knocks for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL. One of his finest performances came against the Mumbai Indians (MI) during the 2015 edition at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, when he hammered an unbeaten 133 off just 59 balls.
De Villiers came in at No. 3 following Chris Gayle’s dismissal for 13 and slammed 19 fours apart from four sixes. He featured in an unbroken 215-run second-wicket stand with then-RCB skipper Virat Kohli (82* off 50). After beginning cautiously, De Villiers upped the ante by dispatching Harbhajan Singh for a four and a six in the eighth over.
The boundaries kept flowing from the South African’s bat as he reached his 50 in 29 balls. In the 15th over, he slammed Hardik Pandya for three consecutive fours. De Villiers’ brought up his 100 off 44 balls, hammering Jasprit Bumrah for consecutive sixes. A few more boundaries followed as De Villiers dominated the MI attack.
Thanks to his and Kohli’s brilliance, RCB posted a mammoth 235 for 1 on the board in their 20 overs. Mumbai fought hard in response but were restricted to 196 for 7 as RCB registered an impressive 39-run victory.
#2 Brendon McCullum (158*)
Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum got the IPL off to an unforgettable start, cracking an unbeaten 158 off 73 balls in the very first match of the T20 league in 2008. Representing the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against RCB, he whacked 10 fours and 13 sixes during the course of his magnificent knock, putting the Bangalore attack to the sword.
RCB were made to rue their decision to bowl first after winning the toss. McCullum launched into Zaheer Khan in the second over of the innings, hitting him for three fours and a six. The Kiwi batter reached his 50 off 32 balls but he was only just beginning to warm up. In the 15th over, he walloped Cameron White for two sixes and a four to race to 99 off 52.
McCullum reached his 100 in the next over and kept going strong. The penultimate over bowled by Jacques Kallis went for 21 as McCullum launched him for two sixes and a boundary. He also slammed three maximums in the last over bowled by Praveen Kumar as Kolkata finished on 222 for 3.
A stunned RCB were rolled over for 82 in the chase as they folded up in 15.1 overs. Praveen Kumar (18) was the only RCB batter to reach double figures as KKR pacer Ajit Agarkar claimed 3 for 25.
#1 Chris Gayle (175*)
West Indies legend Chris Gayle played the most destructive innings in the IPL, clobbering an unbeaten 175 off only 66 balls during the IPL 2013 edition. Representing RCB against the now defunct Pune Warriors, the left-handed dasher clubbed 13 fours and as many as 17 sixes in an unbelievable display of big-hitting.
Pune decided to field first after winning the toss and it was a decision that cost them dearly. Gayle slapped Ishwar Pandey for five fours in the second over of the innings. He then looted 28 off the 5th over bowled by Mitchell Marsh, pounding him for four sixes to bring up a 17-ball half-century.
The carnage continued as Gayle dispatched Pune skipper Aaron Finch for four maximums and a boundary in the eighth over. The dominant left-hander brought up the fastest IPL hundred (30 balls) in style, launching Ashok Dinda down the ground for a maximum.
More big overs followed as Gayle slapped Ali Murtaza for three sixes and two fours in the 15th over. In the process, he also reached his 150 off 53 balls. Courtesy Gayle, RCB ended with a record IPL total of 263 for 5.
The Pune Warriors crawled to 133 for 9 in response as Bangalore registered a mammoth 130-run triumph. Gayle also claimed two wickets in the one over that he bowled!
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