IPL History: 10 Memorable Innings

Less than a week remaining for the highly-anticipated IPL 2019 to start. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially declared the schedule of first 17 matches of the tournament. The cricket spectacle will be performed across various stadiums in India, with the defending champions, Chennai Super Kings locking horns with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match of the tournament.

Since the time the IPL was unfolded in 2008, there has been exceptional entertainment in every season of the meet, and there have been some magnificent innings played by the batsmen. Here are my selection of top ten memorable IPL innings.

But before we start, let's address the criteria and stats used to pick these innings:

1. Batsmen with minimum 50 runs have been considered.
2. Innings with a strike rate above 200 are considered.
3. Importance of the innings also counted.

So, Let's begin!

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#10 Wriddhiman Saha 115* vs Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL Final, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru Jun 01,2014)

Wriddhiman Saha

Kolkata Knight Riders were up against Kings XI Punjab in the final of the 2014 IPL at the historical Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Punjab won the toss on a decent pitch and opted to bat first. Umesh Yadav did some early damage to dismiss Virender Sehwag, and when Narine bowled George Bailey for 1, Punjab's score was only 30. But Wriddhiman Saha, batting at number 4, played superbly to bring Punjab into the game. He went on to score his maiden ton and shared a crucial 129 run partnership with Manan Vohra.

Coming out to chase the target of 200 set by Punjab, Manish Pandey pounded the Punjab bowling attack all corners of the ground, smashing a 50-ball 94 that set the condition for a 3-wicket win for the Riders.

Runs: 115* Balls: 55 Fours: 10 Sixes: 8 Strike Rate: 209.09

#9 Brendon McCullum 158* vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru April 18, 2008)

Brendon McCullum

This was the innings which gave the inaugural Indian Premier League a ferocious start. The innings was staged by Brendon McCullum against the star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore at the historical Chinnaswamy Stadium. Mr.Fantastic scored 158 on the day, hitting 10 fours and 13 maximums. In a format where 180 was being chased comfortably, McCullum assured Kolkata got past 200 to put the match beyond Bangalore.

McCullum's 158 remains one of the most captivating T20 innings by a Kiwi batsman in the Indian Premier League.

Runs: 158* Balls: 73 Fours: 10 Sixes: 13 Strike Rate: 216.43

#8 Virender Sehwag 119 vs Deccan Chargers (Hyderabad, May 5, 2011)

Virender Sehwag

It was the contest between Deccan Chargers Hyderabad and Delhi Daredevils, where Hyderabad posted a dismaying target of 176 runs in 20 overs. JP Duminy and Kumar Sangakkara played a crucial role in setting up the total.

Delhi did not begin well and was grappling at 25-3 off 5.4 overs. With 151 runs needed off 86 balls, the target looked difficult to chase. But Sehwag had different plans and started hitting the Hyderabad bowlers. He added 61 runs for the fourth wicket with Travis Birt and then combined 67 runs for the fifth wicket beside Irfan Pathan. Sehwag finished with 119 from 56 balls, at a tremendous strike rate of 212.50 which included 13 fours and 6 sixes in entire. It was an innings against the quality Hyderabad bowling attack consisting of the likes of Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma, and Amit Mishra. Eventually, Delhi reached the target with 6 balls to spare.

Runs: 119 Balls: 56 Fours: 13 Sixes: 6 Strike Rate: 212.50

#7 Suresh Raina 87 vs Kings XI Punjab (Mumbai, May 30, 2014)

Suresh Raina

This was the second qualifier of IPL 2014. The venue was the Wankhede Stadium at Mumbai and Chennai Super Kings were up against Kings XI Punjab. Batting first after losing the toss, Punjab got off to an exceptional start with Virender Sehwag and Manan Vohra adding 110 runs for the first wicket. Sehwag went on to achieve a superb 122 off 58 balls including 12 fours and 8 sixes. David Miller's fleet-footed 38 took them to a mammoth total of 226 runs at the end of 20 overs.

Chennai got off to the worst possible start, losing du Plessis in the first over with just one run on board. Suresh Raina walked in at no. 3. With a huge target ahead, Raina smashed everything that was bowled at him. He took just 25 balls to reach 87 runs which included 12 fours and 6 sixes. However, inadequate support from the middle order took Chennai 24 runs short of the total.

Runs: 87 Balls: 25 Fours: 12 Sixes: 6 Strike Rate: 348.00

#6 Yusuf Pathan 100 vs Mumbai Indians (Mumbai, Mar 13, 2010)

Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan's ton might not have been enough to help his team claim supremacy in the match against Mumbai Indians, but it was certainly enough to take him to the first place on the list of fastest hundreds in IPL (now its Chris Gayle).

Chasing Mumbai's total of 212, Rajasthan found themselves in trouble as their side was struggling at 66/4 after 9.2 overs. Requiring 146 to win in 64 balls, Rajasthan needed an aggressive innings to stay active in the contest. The No.5 batsman from Gujarat, Yusuf Pathan responded to that call pretty well and staged a never before innings at the Wankhede. Pathan went on to score an innings of 100 runs in just 37 balls. But the fate had other ideas, Pathan was hooked in a runout trap built by Sathish. Eventually, Mumbai seized the match for 4 runs.

Runs: 100 Balls: 37 Fours: 9 Sixes: 8 Strike Rate: 270.27

#5 Virat Kohli 113 vs Kings XI Punjab (Bengaluru, May 18, 2016)

Virat Kohli

RCB Fans would hardly be able to disremember the innings that Virat Kohli played against Kings XI Punjab in IPL8. When the officials limited the match to 15 overs per side, Gayle and Kohli had no other plans but to smack the ball over the boundary line. Although Gayle started his innings with full aggression, it was Kohli who took his side to surpass the 200 runs mark. In 50 balls, he scored 113 runs and stayed unbeaten till the subsequent ball of the innings. His innings included twelve fours and eight sixes.

Chasing a high total of 212 was never going to be an easy task for KIXP, and they slumped to a heavy defeat. Eventually, Kohli was awarded the Man of the Match title.

Runs: 113 Balls: 50 Fours: 12 Sixes: 8 Strike Rate: 226.00

#4 AB de Villiers 129* vs Gujarat Lions (Bengaluru, May 14, 2016)

AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers played an incredible knock against the Gujarat Lions in a must-win game for his side in IPL 2016. Royal Challengers Bangalore had to win all the remaining four matches to keep alive any chances of making the playoffs, and this was the first one among them.

Batting first, Bangalore lost their in-form Chris Gayle and were coping at 19/1 situation. But then came in AB de Villiers. Under a large amount of stress, de Villiers played ridiculous innings with Virat Kohli for the second wicket. He scored 129 runs from 52 balls, and lead his side to reach a mammoth total of 248. Mr. 360° stroked ten fours and twelve huge sixes in his innings. His performance backed Royal Challengers Bangalore to beat Gujarat Lions by a large margin of 144 runs.

Runs: 129 Balls: 52 Fours: 10 Sixes: 12 Strike Rate: 248.07

#3 David Miller 101* vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (Chandigarh, May 6, 2013)

David Miller

This was perhaps the best innings in the 2013 edition of the Indian Premier League. The memories of this innings must be as new as vegetables from the fresh garden.

Kings XI Punjab were struggling at 51/3 while chasing a huge total of 191 in the league stage match against Royal Challengers Bangalore. It became 64/4 with a little over 11 overs to go and the spectators gathered at the Mohali Stadium had all but given faith. From there, Killer Miller took his team to the finishing line. The South African batsman showed no mercy and smashed his way to a 38 ball ton, which was the second fastest in the IPL, and helped Punjab to chase the target with two overs to spare.

It was David Miller's night in Mohali.

Runs: 101 Balls: 38 Fours: 8 Sixes: 7 Strike Rate: 265.78

#2 Corey Anderson 95* vs Rajasthan Royals (Mumbai, May 25, 2014)

Corey Anderson

Mumbai Indians were up against Rajasthan Royals at Mumbai to determine who would play the eliminator against the Chennai Super Kings. Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and invited the visiting team to bat first. Sanju Samson's 74 and Karun Nair's quick 50 helped the Rajasthan Royals post 189 total on the scoreboard.

Mumbai's dreams for qualifying for the playoffs looked all but ruined when Rajasthan posted a mammoth total of 189 which the Men in Blue had to chase down within 14.3 overs. But Corey Anderson had other plans. He started smacking Rajasthan bowlers and took Mumbai to Rajasthan's total in 14.3 overs. After a lot of drama, Aditya Tare ensured playoffs for Mumbai Indians banging six in the fourth ball of the over. Anderson's 95 runs staging was crucial in Mumbai's triumph.

Runs: 95 Balls: 44 Fours: 9 Sixes: 6 Strike Rate: 215.90

Chris Gayle 175* vs Pune Warriors (Bengaluru, Apr 23, 2013)

Chris Gayle

In Bengaluru, on the 23rd of April, Chris Gayle showed the world why he is called Master Storm. After being put into bat by Aaron Finch, Royal Challengers had a blistering start. The Caribbean giant showed no mercy to the Pune bowling attack as he sent 17 deliveries over the boundary rope that night. Gayle also hit 13 fours in his remarkable innings of 175 runs. Gayle was magnificent on the day. He was expressly sharp on the cunning Ali Mortaza, who went for 45 runs in 2 overs. He also spanked the occasional bowler Aaron Finch for 29 runs in an over.

The innings was a compilation of various T20 records, including most runs, most sixes in an innings, the highest total in IPL etc. This phenomenal performance will take the No.1 slot in the segment.

Runs: 175 Balls: 66 Fours: 13 Sixes: 17 Strike Rate: 265.15