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Kane Williamson is celebrating his 33rd birthday today. The New Zealand captain was born on August 8, 1990 in Tauranga. He has been one of the most successful cricketers for the Blackcaps.
In 2021, Kane Williamson led New Zealand to their maiden ICC World Test Championship triumph. Apart from that, the Kiwis have also made it to the finals of ICC World Cup 2019 and ICC T20 World Cup 2021 while playing under Williamson's captaincy.
The star New Zealand batter is doubtful to participate in Cricket World Cup 2023 because of an injury which he suffered in the IPL this year. Making his debut for the Gujarat Titans, Williamson hurt his lower limb while attempting a boundary save against the Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Kane Williamson missed the entire IPL 2023 season because of the injury he suffered in the first match. He has resumed practice now, but the right-handed batter is yet to make his return to the international arena.
While IPL 2023 did not turn out to be a memorable one for Williamson, the New Zealand captain enjoyed a lot of success during his stint with the Sunrisers Hyderabad from 2015 to 2022. On his 33rd birthday today, we will look back at the top three moments of Kane's IPL career.
#1 Kane Williamson wins the Orange Cap in IPL 2018
IPL 2018 was the best season of Williamson's career. After David Warner was banned from playing in the tournament, Sunrisers Hyderabad asked Kane Williamson to lead the team. The Orange Army qualified for the final under Williamson's captaincy.
Williamson, who played only 15 IPL matches in three seasons before 2018, ended up scoring 735 runs in 17 games of the 2018 season. He won the Orange Cap award that season, but SRH lost in the final against Chennai Super Kings.
#2 Kane Williamson brings in a short leg and a slip for Andre Russell
Another moment from IPL 2018 to feature on the list is from the Qualifier 2 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. Chasing 175 for a win, KKR raced to 93/2 in 10 overs at the Eden Gardens. It looked like the home side would secure a win comfortably.
However, Kane Williamson's brilliant captaincy denied KKR a win. He used Rashid Khan and Shakib Al Hasan well to put pressure on the KKR batters. Andre Russell was the most dangerous batter in the Kolkata batting lineup.
While most captains try to keep their best fielders in the deep for Russell, Williamson decided to bring a short leg and a slip fielder. The move worked wonders as Russell edged a ball from Rashid Khan to Shikhar Dhawan at first slip and got out for just three runs off seven balls.
#3 Kane Williamson wins IPL trophy
Winning the IPL trophy is the dream of every player participating in the Indian Premier League. Williamson won his only IPL championship with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.
He played six matches in the 2016 season, scoring 124 runs at a strike rate of around 100. While Williamson did not play any matches in the playoffs, he got a chance to lift the trophy after SRH beat Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final.
