IPL 2022: Ranking the best performances of the week

We are more than halfway through the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 edition. After 42 matches, the Gujarat Titans (GT) have maintained their dominance and are sitting pretty at the top of the IPL 2022 points table. They have garnered 14 points from eight matches, losing just one game. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) are second with 12 points from eight games, followed by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), who have six wins in nine matches.

A few other teams are jostling in the middle, having put up inconsistent performances in recent matches. While Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have 10 points each, the Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) are on eight apiece. With five consecutive losses, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are languishing in the bottom three, which includes the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai Indians (MI).

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IPL 2022: Top 5 performances of the week

Over the last week, players have come up with some fantastic performances in IPL 2022 to help their respective sides gain ascendancy. In this feature, we recap the top five performances of the week.

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#5 Kuldeep Sen 4/20 (RR vs RCB, Match 39)

Kuldeep Sen celebrates a wicket with RR teammates. Pic: IPLT20.COM

RR pacer Kuldeep Sen ran through the RCB batting line-up with figures of four for 20 to help his team successfully defend 144 in Pune. Sen got the big wicket of Bangalore skipper Faf du Plessis (23), having him caught at cover. He got the next ball to nip away to force an edge off Glenn Maxwell.

He returned towards the end of the innings to have Wanindu Hasaranga caught and bowled for 18 off a short of a length delivery. Sen had his fourth when Harshal Patel (eight) slammed a length ball straight to long-on. Ravichandran Ashwin also claimed three wickets and Prasidh Krishna two as RR cleaned up RCB for just 115.

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#4 Shikhar Dhawan 88* off 59 balls (PBKS vs CSK, Match 38)

Shikhar Dhawan has had an inconsistent run for PBKS in IPL 2022. In nine matches, he has scored 307 runs at an average of 38.38 and a strike rate of 126.34. However, it was his innings that laid the foundation of Punjab’s win against Chennai. PBKS were sent into bat by CSK in that match, and Dhawan guided the innings with an unbeaten 88 off 59 balls.

The left-hander smashed nine fours and two sixes during the course of his innings, which came at a strike rate of nearly 150. Dhawan was the dominant partner in a second-wicket stand of 110 with Bhanuka Rajapaksa (42 off 32 balls). The Sri Lanka batter struggled to get the big hits, but Dhawan covered up for him by lifting the run rate. PBKS posted 187 for four and ended up winning the contest by 11 runs.

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#3 KL Rahul 103* off 62 balls (LSG vs MI, Match 37)

KL Rahul celebrates his hundred against Mumbai. Pic: IPLT20.COM

LSG captain KL Rahul scored his second hundred of IPL 2022 when his team took on the Mumbai Indians in match number 37 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Rahul’s first ton of the season had also come against the same opposition. In the second meeting between the two sides, Rahul hammered an unbeaten 103 off just 62 balls, a sublime knock featuring 12 fours and four sixes.

Rahul was the star of the innings, with Manish Pandey (22) being LSG's second-highest scorer. The duo added 58 for the second wicket and it was the skipper who took charge of the run rate as Pandey scored at a run-a-ball. Despite Rahul’s brilliance, LSG were held to 168 for six. Lucknow’s bowlers then did exceptionally well to restrict MI to 132 for eight.

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#2 Kuldeep Yadav 4/14 (KKR vs DC, Match 41)

Kuldeep Yadav (4/35) was the man of the match when DC met his old franchise KKR for the first time. In the second IPL 2022 fixture between the two sides, the left-arm spinner once again dominated Kolkata and claimed the Player of the Match honor. This time, he picked up four for 14 as DC defeated KKR by four wickets.

He began his demolition of Kolkata by having Baba Indrajith (six) caught in the deep with a tossed-up delivery. On the very next ball, he trapped Sunil Narine (0) plumb in front of the stumps. Kuldeep ended Shreyas Iyer’s vigil for 42, having the KKR skipper caught behind with a shortish delivery outside off. He had another big scalp when Andre Russell (0) charged down the track and was stumped. Kolkata were held to 146 for nine as DC chased down the target in 19 overs.

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#1 Umran Malik 5/25 (SRH vs GT, Match 40)

Umran Malik celebrates one of his five wickets. Pic: IPLT20.COM

This performance may have come in a losing cause but it was a sensational effort nonetheless. Defending a total of 195, SRH pacer Umran Malik claimed all five wickets to fall in Gujarat Titans’ (GT) innings in the IPL 2022 match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Four of his five victims were bowled after failing to deal with his express pace.

Malik began his destruction job by cleaning up Shubman Gill for 22 and ending the opening stand of 69. He also ended Hardik Pandya’s (10) innings with a well-directed short ball that the GT skipper could only top-edge. Wriddhiman Saha (68), David Miller (17) and Abhinav Manohar (0) all found his pace too hot to handle as they were castled. Malik’s five-fer put SRH on top, but Rahul Tewatia (40* off 21) and Rashid Khan (31* off 11) lifted GT to a thrilling last-over victory.

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