5 top non-century IPL knocks in a losing cause

T20 cricket has taken the world by storm ever since it’s inception in 2005. Big hits like fours and sixes are what fans love and slowly but steadily, the shortest format of the game is fast becoming the best format of the game.

Likewise, the Indian Premier League, ever since it’s establishment in 2008, has fast grown into one of the biggest and most entertaining domestic T20 league in the world.

Cricket, as we know, is a team sport and everybody in the team contributes towards the win but sometimes we witness a single player single-handedly takes his team to an improbable victory. We have come across some scintillating knocks in the IPL as well.

Not all individual brilliance leads to a win and that’s exactly what we are going to talk about. This article talks about some individual brilliance in the IPL that went in vain.

Here are the top 5 non-century knocks in a losing cause in the history of the Indian Premier League:

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#5 Harbhajan Singh’s 64 off 24 balls for Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab

It was Mumbai’s first home game of the season and the crowd at the Wankhede wanted nothing less than a home win. The home team had won the toss and as usual, decided to chase. The Punjab openers got off to a good start and at the back end of the innings, captain George Bailey’s quickfire 61 not out gave the Punjab unit a competitive total of 177.

Chasing 178, Mumbai got off to a horrendous start as they lost their skipper Rohit Sharma for a duck. Things kept getting worse for them and soon they found themselves reeling at 59 for 6 in the 14th over.

In walked Harbhajan Singh at the fall of Kieron Pollard’s wicket and right from his first ball he began clobbering the bowlers. He along with Suchith stitched a 100 run partnership in just 37 balls but it was all too late as the home team fell 18 runs shy of the target.

Fans were distraught but they found solace in Harbhajan’s breathtaking 64 off 24 balls which was studded with five fours and six humongous sixes.

#4 Yuvraj Singh’s 83 off 38 for Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals

How often do you see a player scoring 83 off 38 and then grabbing 4 wickets and ending up on the losing side?

The game was played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which happens to be a chasing ground and thus, RCB needed to put up a challenging score on the board. The start was poor as both Kohli and Gayle were dismissed cheaply. De Villiers tried to steady the ship while Yuvraj Singh went after the bowling.

He looked in ominous form and threatened to take the game away from the opposition with his clean striking. He finished on a magnificent 83 of just 38 balls which included 7 fabulous fours and 7 monstrous sixes. RCB ended on a commanding 190.

Later in the game, Yuvraj Singh was handed the ball and the Punjab lad didn’t disappoint as he picked up four wickets to dent the Rajasthan chase. It was certainly his day and it seemed as if RCB would win the game with ease but it was not to be.

James Faulkner and Steve Smith had other ideas. They came together when the score read 106 for 5 in 14 overs and began smashing all the RCB bowlers. In the end, they chased down the mammoth 190 with 7 balls to spare. It was a bittersweet day for Yuvraj as his heroics went in vain.

#3 AB De Villiers’ 89 off 46 for Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kings XI Punjab

AB De Villiers was back in the RCB playing XI after a back injury had ruled the South African out for his team’s initial two games. With Virat Kohli out injured, De Villiers knew that the burden would be on him to score the runs for his team. The RCB fans were delighted to see their star player back and hoped for some fireworks and as usual, he didn’t disappoint.

Stand-in skipper, Shane Watson was dismissed in the very first over itself and in walked De Villiers at number 3. He began very cautiously but when the team slipped to 22-3 and with not much batting to come, he decided to change gears.

Out came the crisp cover drives, the glorious De Villiers scoops and the mighty heave over cow corner. These extraordinary strokes delighted the Indore crowd. It seemed as if De Villiers was batting on a completely different wicket.

While the rest of the RCB batsmen managed a collective score of 59 runs in 74 balls, De Villiers himself stroked an impressive 89 off 46 balls which was studded with three boundaries and nine massive sixes! RCB ended up on a decent 148-4 which proved to be too little as the KXIP batters chased down the target without any hiccups.

RCB fans were gutted that their team lost but De Villiers’ return to the side was a pleasing sight and they hoped he could continue this form for the team.

#2 Chris Morris’ 82 off 32 for Delhi Daredevils vs Gujarat Lions

How often does one see the man of the match be given to a player from the losing side? It was that kind of day for Chris Morris whose all-around pyrotechnics fell tantalizingly short for his side.

Put into bat, Gujarat got off to a flying start by Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum. The duo stitched together a 100 run partnership inside 11 overs. It seemed as if they would reach a score in excess of 200 but some tight bowling at the death forced Gujarat to end up with 172 on the board. With Chris Morris bagging two wickets.

Delhi got off to a horrendous start and found themselves tottering at 16-3 in four overs. They scraped their way to 57-4 in 10 overs and with the asking rate climbing, the Delhi skipper Zaheer Khan sent in Chris Morris at number 6. The lanky South African came in and blasted an unbelievable 82 off just 32 deliveries which included four fours and eight delightful sixes. When it seemed that Delhi would edge this one out, Dhawal Kulkarni held his nerve to eke out a one-run win for the hosts. Morris was left stunned and so were all the Delhi supporters. Full marks to both teams for an absolute humdinger!

#1 Suresh Raina’s 87 off 25 for Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab

Over the past few years, Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab have given us some breathtaking contests. The one in 2014 was quite similar. It was a knockout game and the winner would be going to the IPL final.

CSK won the all-important toss and surprisingly decided to chase. Punjab got off to a flying start with Sehwag being the aggressor. Sehwag continued his flawless batting and notched up a splendid 122 which gave the Punjab outfit a commanding 226 on the board.

It was a tall chase and CSK were desperate to get off to a good start. Faf du Plessis was dismissed in just the second ball of the innings and in came Suresh Raina. Right from his first ball, Raina looked in sublime form and his glorious batting display sent a few jitters in the Punjab camp.

Raina seemed unstoppable and it needed something special to dismiss the man from Uttar Pradesh and that’s exactly what happened. A brilliant piece of fielding by the Punjab skipper George Bailey found Raina well short. The crowd at Wankhede applauded the sensational knock of 87 off just 25 balls which included 12 fours and 6 sixes.

Raina’s special knock went in vain as Punjab sealed a 24 run win and booked their place in the grand finale for the very first time.