Top 5 'backs-to-the-wall' blinders in IPL 2018

IPL 2018 is over and as is the norm with IPL, it provided spectacular entertainment. There were many superlative performances with both the bat and the ball that took our breath away. A good inning deserves greater credit when it is played when the team's ship is being wrecked than when it is sailing smoothly. There is greater heroism in delivering the goods when the team has its back to the wall. Here are five 'backs-to-the-wall' blinders from the IPL.

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#1 Dwayne Bravo (68 off 30) vs Mumbai Indians(MI)

Dwayne Bravo's all-round skills made him a permanent fixture in the line-up of the Chennai Super Kings and in the inaugural match of the season, they were on full display.

It was also a clash between two most successful teams in the history of the IPL. Mumbai Indians and CSK, who were making a comeback, were keen to get off to a winning start.

Mumbai Indians batted first and posted a total of 165. Their bowlers decimated the CSK batting line-up and MI's victory seemed to be a foregone conclusion. But, Dwayne Bravo snatched the match back out of the fire for the Super Kings with a stupendous 68 off 30 balls.

He was dismissed at the doorstep of victory but Kedhar Jadhav completed the remaining runs. Bravo had already impressed with the ball after going for 0/25 off four overs. The champions of the IPL had well and truly arrived.

#2 Faf du Plessis (67* off 42 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Qualifier 1)

Du Plessis was outstanding in the Qualifier 1 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) gained a formidable reputation as the masters of defending paltry totals. All their bowlers bowled so magnificently that even measly targets looked like mountains. Another such fantastic display seemed to be on the cards when they reduced the Super Kings to 62/6 in the latter's pursuit of 140.

Rashid Khan, in particular, bowled a menacing spell giving away only 11 runs and taking the key wickets of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo.

Du Plessis who batted with a low Strike Rate till then upped the ante realising that he had only tail-enders to his aid. The South African skipper went berserk in the last five overs and won the game single-handedly.

He finished off the match with a straight six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and remained unbeaten on 67 off 42 balls. Du Plessis' rescue effort stunned the Sunrisers and propelled CSK straight into the finals.

#3 Kane Williamson (84 off 51) vs Chennai Super Kings

SRH skipper Kane Williamson had a fairy tale season

With the absence of David Warner, much of the responsibility of the Sunrisers' batting fell on the shoulders of Kane Williamson and he carried it splendidly throughout the tournament. He ended the tournament as its leading run-getter and in the process, silenced any doubts raised about his T20 credentials.

He was the lynchpin of the SRH batting line-up and compiled many masterpieces in this season. One such masterpiece was his 84 off 51 against CSK.

Chasing an imposing total of 183, the top order of Sunrisers was blown away by Deepak Chahar. He sent three of the top four batsmen packing for a collective total of just 1 run. Williamson started off sedately but cranked up the tempo in the middle overs to put the Sunrisers suddenly back in contention.

SRH lost the match by a wafer-thin margin of four runs but without Williamson's masterful knock, it would have been a comfortable victory for CSK.

#4 Krishnappa Gowtham(33* off 11) vs Mumbai Indians

Krishnappa Gowtham was one of the bright spots for the Rajasthan Royals in this season

Krishnappa Gowtham is one of the domestic cricketers who shone brightly for the Rajasthan Royals in this season. He did a nifty job with his off spin bowling and played some valuable cameos with the bat when the team needed them desperately.

Against Mumbai Indians, a target of 168 seemed well within the reach of the Royals when Sanju Samson and Ben Stokes were going strong. But, a flurry of wickets seemed to have left too much for the tail-enders to do.

With all the recognised batsmen back in the hut and the Required Run Rate(RRR) exceeding 12 runs per over, Gowtham had an uphill task ahead of him. Royals certainly had their backs to the wall. But, Gowtham stunned the Mumbai Indians by smashing 33 off just 11 balls at a whopping Strike Rate of 300.

Much to the horror of MI's fans, Royals reached home with two balls to spare courtesy of Gowtham's cameo. It was not the only time in the season that Gowtham's sixes would swing the match in RR's favour.

#5 Rashid Khan (3/19 vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Qualifier 2)

Rashid Khan flummoxed many batsmen with his magical leg spin

This was the second qualifier and the winner would face the Chennai Super Kings in the final. Batting first, Sunrisers' batsmen struggled against the spinners of Kolkata Knight Riders and a 150 odd total seemed to be on the horizon.

But, Rashid Khan gave the innings a wonderful late surge with an unbeaten 34 off just 10 balls and propelled SRH to a challenging 174.

At the half-way mark, KKR batsmen had already polished off more than half of the target. Opener Chris Lynn was on song and KKR had plenty of wickets in hand. Sunrisers had already lost four games on the bounce and a defeat here would be an anti-climax to their wonderful campaign.

They needed something magical to stay in the contest and their trump card Rashid rose to the occasion. His 3/19 wrecked the KKR's ship that was sailing smoothly till then and set SRH up for a date with the Super Kings in the final. Fittingly, he was the 'Man of the Match.'