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The picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala will see IPL action return after ten years, with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) hosting the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Wednesday, May 17.
Located by the Himalayan mountain range, the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala is quite a picture with one of the most scenic views for a cricket match. Over the years, it has gone on to become an international venue, also hosting a Test between India and Australia in 2017.
It has also hosted the Punjab Kings, or the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) as they were called earlier in the IPL. Punjab have won five and lost four matches at the venue so far and with the playoff race heating up, they will be hoping to create more fond memories with their last two league fixtures to be played here.
On that note, let's go back in time and revisit three of the most memorable matches that Dharamsala has hosted in the IPL.
#3 KXIP vs MI, IPL 2013
The Kings were out of contention for a spot in the playoffs of IPL 2013 while Mumbai Indians (MI) had sealed a berth in the top two. The two teams locked horns in Dharamsala for their final league fixture, which happened to be a dead rubber.
Despite losing two early wickets, the Kings rolled along nicely with Shaun Marsh and Azhar Mahmood sharing a 148-run stand for the third wicket. That, coupled with Manan Vohra's unbeaten cameo of 20, powered them to a score of 183/8. With a number of MI's batters failing to convert their starts, they fell way short of the target.
But the moment of the match came in the final over. Adam Gilchrist, playing his final competitive game, decided to roll his arm over. It took him one delivery to dismiss Harbhajan Singh as he broke into a jig, similar to the Gangnam Style step that Chris Gayle popularized.
It was an iconic culmination to what was an iconic career in every true sense for the Australian legend.
#2 KXIP vs RCB, IPL 2011
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) entered their clash against the Kings in IPL 2011 in Dharamsala on the back of seven consecutive wins. However, they ran into a red-hot Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh, who smashed records en route to a 206-run second wicket stand on a belter of a surface.
Gilchrist racked up his second century in the league and Marsh remained unbeaten on 79 to power the hosts to a mammoth 232/2. Even with an in-form Chris Gayle in their ranks, the total proved far too steep for RCB, who never got going the moment the Jamaican was dismissed for a duck.
Only AB de Villiers offered some resistance with a 27-ball 34 as Piyush Chawla snared four wickets for the Kings, who skittled RCB out for a paltry 121 to register a thumping win.
#1 KXIP vs CSK, IPL 2010
Yup. That game. That day when MS Dhoni brought the roof down by swinging for the mountains - almost quite literally!
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) endured a mixed bag in the league phase of IPL 2010 and needed nothing short of a win in Dharamsala to make the playoffs for a third successive year. A blistering 57-ball 88 from Shaun Marsh subjected the CSK bowlers to a tough time, as the Kings racked up 192/3 in their 20 overs.
Once CSK lost Matthew Hayden and Murali Vijay early, Suresh Raina and Subramaniam Badrinath staged a recovery act. Raina's dismissal for 46 brought Dhoni to the middle as he took things forward with Badrinath, who notched up a half-century himself.
Sixteen runs were required off the final over sent down by Irfan Pathan before the equation read 10 needed off four deliveries. The Super Kings skipper hoisted the left-arm seamer for two towering sixes over wide long on to seal a dramatic win, which then saw him vent out his emotion as he pumped his helmet in the process.
A never-seen-before look of 'Captain Cool' immortalized himself, as well as the venue into folklore. Even today, whenever the IPL and Dharamsala are taken in the same breath, the first thought always goes to Dhoni's heroics.
What is your favorite memory from cricket matches played at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala? Have your say in the comments section below!
Also read: 5 best bowling spells in a losing cause in IPL history ft. Bhuvneshwar Kumar
