IPL 2018: Top 5 cameos of the season

We are into the finals of the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League. After 59 exciting encounters, Chennai Super Kings will meet Sunrisers Hyderabad in the finals on Sunday to decide the champions.

IPL 2018 gave us some exciting knocks over the past seven weeks. Cameos can completely change the complexion of a game in the matter of an over or two.

A quick-fire 20 or 30 makes a lot of difference in a T20 game. IPL 2018 has produced quite a few stunning cameos so far.

On that note, let’s take a look at the top cameos that have been played in IPL 2018.

#5 Sunil Narine, 29 off 10

Sunil Narine is the master of cameos in IPL 2018. Opening the batting for Kolkata Knight Riders, Narine has played some stunning cameos throughout the campaign. The best of the lot is the one he played against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 19th.

Chasing a score of 173 against arguably the best bowling unit in IPL 2018, Sunil Narine got KKR off to a thunderous start with some brilliant power hitting. He tore apart Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma on his way to a stunning 29 off 10 balls.

His brutal knock included four boundaries and two sixes. His breathtaking cameo took the pressure away from Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik as KKR’s middle order chased the target with ease.

#4 Shardul Thakur, 15 off 5

Thakur's cameo sealed the game for CSK in qualifier 1

Shardul Thakur was Chennai Super Kings’ unlikely batting hero on Wednesday when they played Sunrisers Hyderabad in qualifier one at the Wankhede. Sunrisers Hyderabad set a target of 140 for CSK to qualify for the finals.

Chasing a modest score, Super Kings were reeling at 62 for 6 in the 13th over. Runs were hard to come by and they needed 23 in the last two overs with only two wickets in hand. When all eyes were on Faf du Plessis, Thakur struck Siddarth Kaul for three boundaries in the 19th over and took CSK within touching distance of a victory. 15 off 5 balls from Thakur took CSK to the finals.

#3 Andre Russell, 41 off 12

Russell has played some stunning innings this IPL

The West Indies all-rounder is one of the most fearsome hitters of a cricket ball in the world right now. Throughout his career, he has played some deadly cameos in limited-overs cricket. He did not miss out in IPL 2018 as he played a mind-boggling knock (41 off 12 balls) against Delhi Daredevils at the Eden Gardens.

Asked to bat first by Gautam Gambhir, Kolkata Knight Riders were 117 for 4 in the 14th over when Andre Russell came out to bat. He struck his second ball for a maximum and went on to hit five more sixes, all off Mohammed Shami. He was dismissed by Trent Boult in the 18th over, but the damage was already done. His 41 off 12 balls took KKR to a match-winning score of 200 for 9 in 20 overs.

#2 Krishnappa Gowtham, 33 off 11

Gowtham played a brilliant cameo against Mumbai Indians

Gowtham played one of the best cameos in IPL history. Chasing a moderate score of 168 against the Mumbai Indians, Royals were struggling at 125 for 6 in the 18th over when Krishnappa Gowtham came out to bat. Rajasthan Royals needed 43 from 2.5 overs against the likes of some of the best death bowlers in the world, Jasprit Bumrah and Mustafizur Rahman.

Gowtham, one of Royals’ most expensive signings this season, smashed the Mumbai Indians bowlers to all parts of the ground and took them home in 19.4 overs. He struck the ball cleanly and ended up with a match-winning knock of 33 runs off 11 balls.

#1 Rashid Khan, 34 off 10

Rashid Khan's cameo carried SRH to the finals of IPL 2018

Rashid Khan played one of the most important cameos in IPL history on Friday. Put in to bat by Dinesh Karthik in qualifier two of IPL 2018, Sunrisers were struggling at 138 for 6 in 18 overs.

The 19-year-old came out to bat after the fall of Yusuf Pathan in the 19th over and took the game away from Kolkata Knight Riders in the blink of an eye. He struck two sixes in the 19th over and then two more in the 20th over.

He scored 34 off 10 balls (two fours and four sixes) to take the score to a match-winning 174. Given the circumstances under which it was played, this innings could rank amongst the best cameos of all-time in T20 cricket.