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The ongoing week of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 has seen some fascinating contests. Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by five wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Chasing 186, MI got home in 17.4 overs thanks to good batting contributions all round
The rematch of the IPL 2022 final between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad went down to the last over. Eventually, RR prevailed by three wickets in a challenging chase of 178.
The clash between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru was a high-scoring one, with both teams scoring in excess of 200. Eventually, CSK got home by eight runs.
There have been some fantastic individual performances from players across franchises in IPL 2023. In this feature, we look at SK’s Top 5 Coolest Performances of the Week, presented by Lloyd.
#5 Shimron Hetmyer (56* off 26)
RR finisher Shimron Hetmyer played an exceptional knock in the match against GT. Chasing 178, Rajasthan were off to a horror start in the chase, losing four wickets for 55 runs inside 11 overs. Skipper Sanju Samson (60 off 32) and Hetmyer (56* off 26) then added 59 for the fifth wicket.
After Samson’s departure, Hetmyer ensured he stayed till the end and took the team over the line. The West Indian left-hander struck two fours and five sixes in his powerful knock, which came at a strike rate of 215.38.
Hetmyer took RR to victory in emphatic fashion, slamming Noor Ahmad for a maximum in the last over of the match.
#4 Venkatesh Iyer (104 off 51)
KKR batter Venkatesh Iyer became only the second cricketer from the franchise to notch up a hundred in the IPL. He smacked 104 off only 51 balls in the game against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. It was a thoroughly dominating effort as the next best score in KKR’s innings was 21* by Andre Russell.
Demonstrating his full range of strokes, Iyer struck six fours and as many as nine sixes, scoring at a strike rate of 203.92. He was looking good for a lot more when he was dismissed by Riley Meredith in the 18th over of KKR’s innings.
Though his knock ended up on the losing side, it is a worthy contender for the coolest batting performance of the week.
#3 Devon Conway (83 off 45)
CSK opener Devon Conway smashed 83 off only 45 balls in the IPL 2023 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Sent into bat after losing the toss, Chennai got off to a poor start as the in-form Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed by Mohammed Siraj for 3.
Conway took control of proceedings following Gaikwad’s early exit. The left-handed batter added 74 runs for the second wicket with Ajinkya Rahane (37 off 20) and 80 for the third wicket with Shivam Dube (52 off 27).
The Kiwi cricketer’s powerful innings featured six fours and an equal number of sixes. He was looking good for three figures when he was bowled by pacer Harshal Patel. Conway’s knock set up CSK’s eight-run win against RCB.
#2 Cameron Green (64* off 40 & 1/29)
Mumbai Indians all-rounder Cameron Green scored a brilliant 64* off only 40 balls in the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Uppal. Batting first after losing the toss, MI got off to a good start as openers Rohit Sharma (28 off 18) and Ishan Kishan (38 off 31) made decent contributions.
Green anchored Mumbai’s innings after the exit of the openers, while also ensuring that he scored his runs at a swift pace. The Aussie struck six fours and two sixes in his unbeaten innings and featured in a crucial 56-run fourth-wicket stand with Tilak Varma (37 off 17).
Thanks to Green’s efforts, MI posted an impressive 192/5 on the board. After his batting exploits, the 23-year-old also made an impact with the ball. He dismissed SRH skipper Aiden Markram (22) and finished with figures of 1/29. For his heavy duty all-round effort, Green was deservedly named Player of the Match.
#1 Avesh Khan (3/25)
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) pacer Avesh Khan starred with 3/25 in his team’s 10-run win over Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Batting first, LSG managed only 154/7 on the board in their 20 overs. RR were cruising at 87/0 in the chase.
Marcus Stoinis dismissed the Rajasthan openers to bring LSG back in the game. Avesh then came up with a superb bowling performance to stun RR. He dismissed the in-form Hetmyer for 2. The right-arm pacer was given the responsibility of bowling the last over, with Rajasthan needing 19.
Avesh sent back Devdutt Padikkal (26) and Dhruv Jurel (0) off consecutive deliveries to seal victory for LSG. For his fine showing under pressure, Avesh’s effort can be termed the coolest bowling performance of the week.
This article is brought to you by Lloyd - A Havells Brand. Stay tuned for the upcoming set of Lloyd Presents Top 5 Performances of the Week.
