IPL: Second innings knocks that had more impact than a century

It has been 7 days since the season of nonstop cricket began with a bang, and, if the first week is a hint of things to come in the future, we are in for one of the most memorable seasons of IPL. While senior players like Shikhar Dhawan and AB de Villiers have continued to dominate the early goings in the batting department, youngster Mayank Markande has emerged as the surprise package in the bowling department. CSK and SRH are leading the points table once again, whereas MI and DD have again made slow starts to their campaign.

However, the silver lining of the first week has been the lightening and aggressive knocks by the players that changed the direction of the match momentarily. The innings by the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Sam Billings, and Dhawan not only won matches for their teams, but they were so stunning that the players deserved a hundred. Over the years, several players have changed the landscape of a game with their knock in the 2nd innings but couldn't reach the 3-figure mark that they deserved. Here are 10 of those that had more impact than a century.

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#10 Manvinder Bisla (89 vs Chennai Super Kings)

Robbing CSK of their 3rd consecutive title.

Kolkata Knight Riders' first IPL title win in 2012 was nothing short of a dream come true, and Manvinder Bisla was one of the main architects of that memorable victory. It was his innings in the final at Chennai that not only robbed CSK of their 3rd consecutive title, but also gave KKR a long-due IPL title.

Batting first at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, the home team posted a mammoth 190 on the board, courtesy some brilliant batting by Suresh Raina. Chasing 191, KKR got off to the worst possible start as they lost their captain in the first over. Joined by Jacques Kallis in the middle, Bisla launched a counter-attack on the CSK bowler, bashing them all around the park.

Scoring 89 runs from just 48 balls, which included 8 fours and 5 sixes, Bisla guided KKR to 139 from just 14.3 overs before he was dismissed by some good bowling by Albie Morkel. Although he missed a well deserved century by 11 runs, his innings was enough to lay the foundation for a memorable title win for the Knight Riders.

#9 AB de Villiers (89* vs Sunrisers Hyderabad)

The Best of this generation.

Royal Challengers Bangalore have had a mixed history so in the IPL, with the team finishing both near the top of the table and the bottom of the table in the first 10 years. However, there was a period of four years, between 2013 and 2017, when they had inarguably the best top 3 in IPL. While Kohli is always grabbing attention for his exploits, AB de Villiers is equally valuable to the team, and he was at his destructive best against SRH in 2014.

After they were put to bat first in front of a packed crowd in Bangalore, SRH posted a good 155 on the board, thanks to a 49-ball 61 by David Warner. Despite a modest target to chase, RCB got off to the worst possible start and were reduced to 38/3 in 7 overs when ABD came out to bat.

Taking the attack on SRH bowlers, ABD started hitting the ball in all the directions. Despite disappointing outings by his partners Rossouw and Yuvraj, ABD kept the required rate under control and it was his swash-buckling inning of 89 runs from 41 balls, which included 6 fours and 8 sixes, that made the difference as RCB reached the target in 19.5 overs.

#8 Ross Taylor (81* vs Kolkata Knight Riders)

New Zealand's best batsman.

After finishing the maiden IPL season at second to last on the points table, RCB made a strong comeback in 2009 as they finished as the runners-up, behind only Deccan Chargers. Led by the legendary Anil Kumble, RCB won a number of matches due to some impressive performances by its players, and, during their league match against KKR, it was Ross Taylor's turn to prove why he was an integral part of the team.

Batting first at the Super Sports Park in Centurion, KKR, on the back of some magical batting by Brendon McCullum, posted 173 on the board. Chasing 174, RCB got off to a good start in the powerplay, but three wickets in quick succession reduced them to 74/3 in 11 overs when Ross Taylor came out to bat.

With 100 required in 9 overs, Ross Taylor straight away went into gear 4 and started bashing all around the ground. With Rahul Dravid and Mark Boucher holding the other end, Taylor went on a rampage and, with the help of 7 sixes and 5 fours, scored 81 runs from just 33 balls. KKR bowlers clearly didn't have any answers to Taylor's counter attack as RCB reached the target with 4 balls still remaining.

#7 Glenn Maxwell (95 vs Chennai Super Kings)

Maxwell at his destructive best.

2014 brought a new turn of fortunes for the Kings XI Punjab. After going through a complete revamp of their squad, the boys from Punjab achieved their best ever result in 2014 when they finished the season as the runner up to Kolkata Knight Riders. Several players like Virender Sehwag, David Miller and George Bailey played their part in the success, but no one was more instrumental in the success than Glenn Maxwell, who made his intentions clear in his first match for the team against CSK

Batting first in Abu Dhabi, CSK posted a gargantuan total of 205 on the board thanks to some exceptional batting display by Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum. After an explosive start, KXIP lost two quick wickets which reduced them to 38/2 in just 3.4 overs. Glenn Maxwell took the responsibility upon himself and started unleashing a flurry of shots all across the ground.

With David Miller holding the other end, Maxwell raced to a quick fire 95 from just 43 balls with the help of 15 fours and 2 sixes. When he was dismissed in the 16th over, KXIP were just 40 shy of the target. Miller wrapped the proceeding with 7 balls still left, giving KXIP the perfect start to the new season.

#6 Chris Morris (82* vs Gujarat Lions)

Proving his worth in style.

Chris Morris' stint with Rajasthan Royals in 2015 made him a hot property in the 2016 auctions and he was rightfully bought by Delhi Daredevils for a whopping 7 crores to strengthen their line up. He didn't get enough chances in the early matches of the team, but when he got the perfect opportunity against Gujarat Lions, he proved his worth in style by playing an inning that almost gave scares to the opposition.

Batting first at Delhi's home ground in Feroz Shah Kotla, Gujarat Lions posted a commendable 172 on the scoreboard on the heels of some impressive batting by Smith and McCullum. Chasing 173, DD got off to a horrendous start as they were soon reduced to 16/3. A loss of 4th wicket at 57 brought Morris out in the middle with 116 still left to win in 9.2 overs.

Morris began a counter-attack and started bashing all the bowler from the word go. Along with JP Duminy, Morris began accelerating the inning and continued the assault even after Duminy's dismissal. With the help of 4 fours and 8 sixes, Morris' unbeaten inning of 82 runs from 32 balls almost stole the match from Gujarat Lions as DD fell short by just 1 run. However, despite being on the losing side, Morris was given the MoM award.

#5 Manish Pandey (94 vs Kings XI Punjab)

The knock that won KKR their second IPL title.

Despite having been on the domestic scene for almost 6 years, Manish Pandey was still struggling to find a permanent team in IPL. After a lackluster 3-year stint with Pune Warriors India, Pandey's fortunes changed when he was bought by the Kolkata-based Franchise in 2014. He played various match winning knocks for his new team throughout the season, but none of his knocks can come even close in valuation to the knock that took KKR to their second IPL title.

After defeating CSK in a high-scoring Qualifier, Kings XI Punjab were the favorites to win the title at Wankhede Stadium. Batting first, KXIP put up a gargantuan total of 199 on the scoreboard, thanks to a career-best 115 by Wriddhimann Saha, solidifying their stance in the match. Chasing a target of 200, KKR were 6/1 in the first over when Pandey arrived at the crease to change the landscape of the match.

Taking the charge, Pandey started scoring runs at a swift pace. With healthy support from skipper Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan, Pandey went on a rampage spree, hitting 7 fours and 6 sixes en route to a 50-ball-94. Just when it seemed Pandey would finally reach a century, he was dismissed in the 17th over at a score of 176. However, his innings was enough to take KKR to a memorable IPL title victory.

#4 Manan Vohra (95 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad)

The inning that almost took KXIP to a win.

There have been several memorable innings in the history of IPL that have literally given scares to the opposition team momentarily, but if there is one inning that has the right to be on the top of that list, then Manan Vohra's unforgettable inning against SRH in 2017 is certainly that inning. After winning their first two matches, both teams had lost their subsequent couple of matches and, hence, were looking to make a strong comeback in the tournament.

Batting first, Sunrisers Hyderabad, despite a superb 54-ball-70, only managed a moderate 159 in their 20 overs. Although a target of 160 was never going to be a tough task, KXIP had the worst possible start as they lost Hashim Amla off the very first ball of the inning. A string of poor shots saw them reduced to 62/5 at the 10 overs. It was at this moment that Manan Vohra took the charge of taking KXIP across the line.

With Mohit Sharma and Axar Patel holding the other end, Vohra went into berserk-mode and started bashing KXIP bowlers, especially Rashid Khan, all around the ground. In the blink of an eye, Vohra, with the help of 9 fours and 5 sixes, raced to a 50-ball-95. His innings reduced the deficit to just 15 runs before he was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 19th over. SRH might have won the match by 5 runs, but Vohra momentarily snatched the match away from their grasp with a once in a lifetime inning.

#3 Rishabh Pant (97 vs Gujarat Lions)

A berserker style knock that blew away GL.

2017 season was not very kind to both Delhi Daredevils and Gujarat Lions, as the two teams finished at 6th and 7th respectively in the points table. In spite of that, both the teams played two instant classics against each other within just a week, with DD coming on top in both showdowns. However, their first clash at Feroz Shah Kotla will always stay intact in the minds of the fans, as it featured the coming-of-age performance by youngster Rishabh Pant.

Asked to bat first in this showdown, Gujarat Lions posted a king-sized total of 208 on the board, thanks to a pair of phenomenal innings by Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik. A target of 209 was never going to be a cake-walk for DD, and they found it the hard way as they lost Karun Nair in just the 3rd over. However, it was just the beginning of the downfall for GL as this brought Rishabh Pant to the middle.

Along with Sanju Samson, who himself played a knock of 61 runs, Pant instituted a match-winning partnership of 143 runs in just 10.3 overs. While Samson played his role well, hitting 7 sixes, it was Pant who proved to be the game-changer as he hit 6 fours and 9 sixes en route to a 43-ball 97. Right when everyone thought Pant would finally reach his hundred, he was dismissed in the 15th over with only 29 left to win. DD took only 3 more overs to win the match, and Pant was rightfully given the MoM award.

#2 Suresh Raina (87 vs Kings XI Punjab)

Best IPL inning of Raina's career.

No player in the history of IPL has single-handedly won more matches for a single team than Suresh Raina has for Chennai Super Kings. Having been part of the team since its inception in 2008, Raina is still the highest run scorer in the history of IPL and has played so many match winning knocks for the team under pressure situation. However, all of his knocks, even his memorable century, fades in comparison to the insane, lightening knock that he played against Kings XI Punjab in the 2014 playoffs.

In front of a wild crowd at Wankhede Stadium, Kings XI Punjab, who were asked to bat first, scored a massive total of 226/6 in 20 overs, thanks to a barbarian-style 122 run knock by Virender Sehwag. Chasing a near-impossible target of 227 runs, CSK got off to a dismal start as they lost Faf du Plessis in the first over. Someone had to take charge, and who better than the heart and soul of the team - Suresh Raina.

Targeting all the fast bowlers, Suresh Raina played arguably the most aggressive inning in the history of IPL. In just 6 overs, he took Chennai Super Kings to the 3-figure mark. He played a total of 24 balls in those 6 overs and played a knock of 87 runs, which included 12 fours and 6 sixes. Raina got dismissed in the first ball of the 7th over, ending his knock at just 87 runs in 25 balls. Even though CSK fell short of the target by 24 runs, they actually had the upper hand in the match when Raina was playing the inning of his life.

#1 Corey Anderson (95 vs Rajasthan Royals)

One of the most phenomenal innings in IPL history.

On the first day of 2014, Corey Anderson took the world by storm when he smashed Shahid Afridi's 18-year old record for the fastest ODI century. Being a hot property in the 2014 IPL auctions, he was bought by Mumbai Indians as they were looking to retain their IPL title. Even though everyone knew what he was capable of, he did not play any memorable knock for the team for the majority of the tournament, but when he did, he made sure he played a knock that will forever remain in the minds of the cricketing world.

In a do-or-die match, Mumbai Indians faced Rajasthan Royals in the last group match with a spot in the playoffs on the line. Batting first, Rajasthan Royals posted a total of 189/4 on the scoreboard on the heels of twin half-centuries by Samson and Nair. In order to make it to the playoffs, MI had to achieve the target in 14.3 overs and someone had to take the charge of playing the match-winning knock. Enter Corey Anderson - MI's weapon of destruction.

After losing their first wicket at 19, MI promoted Anderson up in the batting order, who proved it right by hitting 10 runs in the first two balls he faced. With players like Rohit Sharma, Michael Hussey and Ambati Rayudu playing their part on the other end, Anderson held one end and, with the help of 9 fours and 5 sixes, played an unbeaten knock of 95 runs in just 44 balls. This was enough to take MI to 189 in 14.3 over, with a boundary required on the next ball to qualify for the playoffs. Aditya Tare smashed the next ball out of the park, taking MI to the playoffs in style. Anderson won the MoM award for his impeccable performance.

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