IPL 2022 Playoffs: Top 3 batting performances in the Eliminators of the tournament 

Third-placed Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are all set to lock horns with fourth-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Eliminator of IPL 2022 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday.

The winner of the Eliminator will face Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2022. RR lost the Qualifier 1 against Gujarat Titans (GT) by seven wickets yesterday (Tuesday).

Both LSG and RCB will come into the Eliminator on the back of a win in their last league fixtures. While LSG defeated Kolkata in a nail-biting contest, Virat Kohli guided RCB to a win against table-toppers GT.

Ahead of the all-important tie between LSG and RCB, we roll back the clock and relive the top three batting performances in the IPL's Eliminators.

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#3. M.S. Dhoni - 51* off 20 against MI in IPL 2012

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Mumbai Indians (MI) has always been a headline-making contest. MS Dhoni added another chapter to their rivalry when the two IPL teams met in the IPL 2012 Eliminator.

Mumbai elected to field after winning the toss and had CSK reeling at 1 for 2 just eight balls into the game. Two solid CSK batters, Michael Hussey and Subramanian Badrinath, then steadied the ship with a 72-ball 94-run partnership. Both of them missed out on a half-century when they were dismissed inside the 14th and 15th overs.

This led skipper MS Dhoni to walk to the crease. The champion finisher remained unbeaten until the end and ensured a good finish for CSK. He scored 51* runs at a strike rate of 255, with six fours and two maximums. The Ranchi-born hit a boundary off every MI bowler he faced, including a hat-trick of fours against Dhaval Kulkarni.

From a stage where even 160 seemed a herculean task, Dhoni took CSK to a match-winning total of 187-5 in the first innings.

A well-rounded bowling effort by the CSK bowlers meant MI lost the game by a healthy margin of 38 runs. The CSK skipper was also adjudged Player of the Match was his blistering knock at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

View the IPL 2022 orange cap here.

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#2. Rishabh Pant - 49 off 21 against SRH in IPL 2019

The newly-named Delhi Capitals made the IPL playoffs in their debut season thanks in large part to Rishabh Pant's consistency. In the IPL 2019's Eliminator versus Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the southpaw delivered one of the most impactful knocks of the season.

After being put in to bat first, the Orange Army posted a competitive total of 162/8 and had a gun bowling attack fully capable of defending the total.

Delhi got off to a good start in their chase with openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw stitching together a 66-run stand. The right-hander even smashed a quick-fire half-century. However, the wickets kept falling for the Capitals in the middle overs.

Rashid Khan, who picked up two scalps for just 15 runs in his four overs, was in great rhythm. Pant entered the chase in the 11th over. But the highlight of Pant's innings was that he paced his knock according to the requirements of the chase.

Pant displayed superb game awareness to target Sunrisers' weakest link Basil Thampi in the 18th over, slamming him for 21 runs. A maximum off Bhuvneshwar Kumar reduced the equation to five runs before Pant was holed out for 49 (21 balls) with five required from seven balls in his attempt to finish the game.

Ultimately, DC completed a thrilling win by two wickets and progressed to the Qualifier 2 against the CSK.

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#1. Ab De Villiers - 66 off 38 against RR in IPL 2015

Ab de Villiers scored a brilliant half-century against RR in the 2015 Eliminator [P.C: IPLT20]

Recently inducted into RCB's Hall of Fame, Ab de Villiers has been a legendary player for the Bangalore-based franchise.

The IPL veteran showcased his immaculate talent when RCB met Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator of IPL 2015 in Pune.

After opting to bat first in the crunch tie, RCB lost their two pillars in Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli inside the powerplay. However, courtesy of a brilliant showing by de Villiers, they were bailed out by the Proteas.

AB de Villiers combined with Mandeep Singh (54* off 34) for a game-changing partnership and stitched 113 runs for the third wicket. The Pretoria-born smoked four boundaries and as many sixes in his 38-ball stay, scoring 66 runs at a strike rate of 174.

Thanks to some clean hitting by the two right-handers, Bangalore recovered from a sluggish start to post a challenging 180 for four.

Rajasthan never looked convincing in their chase as they kept losing wickets and eventually folded for just 109 in 19 overs. De Villiers was named Player of the Game for taking his side to Qualifier 2.