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The inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was a novel experience for everyone - the administrators, fans and cricketers. It redefined several aspects of the game.
One of them was that it wasn't necessarily a fifty, hundred or five-for that won the game for a side. A quick-fire 30 or a breezy two-wicket spell could do the job too - Farvez Maharoof's 2/11 (for Delhi Daredevils) won him a player of the match award.
However, many times such performances were overshadowed by other knocks and forgotten.
On that note, let's take a look at some of such impactful, but now forgotten, performances from the 2008 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL)
5 forgotten individual performances in the IPL
#1 Mohammad Kaif (34 off 16) vs Deccan Charges, Hyderabad
Mohammad Kaif's overall T20 batting record (Average 21.7, S/R 103) is far from impressive. His USP as a limited-overs batsman was to play as an anchor or sometimes as a finisher.
But Mohammad Kaif left his conservative approach at home in this particular encounter against the Deccan Chargers.
Rajasthan Royals got off to an excellent start in their chase of 215. However, things looked dicey when they needed 89 off 8 overs with most of their power-hitters back in the pavilion.
Enter Mohammad Kaif. He launched Andrew Symonds for three sixes in the 15th over, and raced to a 16-ball-34. By the time he was dismissed, Rajasthan needed a relatively comfortable 29 off 17.
His contribution was largely forgotten in a match remembered for some brutal hitting by Graeme Smith, Yusuf Pathan and Andrew Symonds.
But it was this uncharacteristic knock which gave Rajasthan impetus at the right time and helped them win the game.
#2 RP Singh (2/14) vs Mumbai Indians, Mumbai
The 2008 IPL was a largely forgettable affair for the Deccan Chargers, and this win against the Mumbai Indians was probably the highlight of their season.
Adam Gilchrist's 47-ball-109 helped Deccan chase down the 155-run target in just 12 overs. Deccan won by 10 wickets but what was forgotten was RP Singh's economical spell that restricted Mumbai to 154 in the first place.
The left-arm pacer conceded just 15 runs in his quota of four overs while picking up the wickets of Luke Ronchi and Dwayne Bravo.
#3 David Hussey (26 off 12) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata
This 16-over game was a low-scoring affair. The Kolkata Knight Riders got off to a slow start and couldn't get going, ultimately managing 129 runs. But they were in luck, as Royal Challengers Bangalore couldn't rise to the occasion and lost the game by 5 runs.
The player of the match award went to Sourav Ganguly for his leadership and a splendid spell of 1 for 7 in 3 overs, which given the circumstances, was no less than gold for KKR.
However, another crucial factor for the KKR win in this IPL game was David Hussey’s 26 off 12. He took RCB's Praveen Kumar and Anil Kumble to the cleaners.
#4 Yuvraj Singh (2/12) vs Mumbai Indians, Mumbai
Yuvraj Singh was famous for his big hitting but in this particular game it was his bowling that helped Kings XI Punjab cross the line.
Mumbai needed 34 off their last four overs. Irfan Pathan conceded just three runs in the 17th over, which finished with him running out Sachin Tendulkar. However, with Shaun Pollock and Robin Uthappa at the crease, 31 off 18 wasn't out of reach.
Yuvraj Singh chose to bowl himself in the 18th over and dismissed both Pollock and Uthappa. When Mumbai came close again after an erratic over from VRV Singh, Yuvraj Singh bowled the final over which saw three run outs.
Kings XI won the match by one run.
#5 Suresh Raina (43 off 30) vs Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai
Suresh Raina is revered by Chennai Super Kings fans and they have good reason to admire him as much. In the first-ever IPL final, Raina led CSK's charge with a 30-ball-43, a catch and a run-out.
Though CSK lost the game, there's no doubt that Suresh Raina gave his 100% to the team's cause. He was the team's IPL top-scorer and as CSK lost the match, Raina's performance has been largely forgotten.
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