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The Indian Premier League is among the most exciting cricket leagues overall the world. Over the years, we have witnessed some incredible batting displays by star players. According to ipl news, here are 5 of the best batting performances in IPL history that are hard to forget:
On this memorable day in 2013, Royal Challengers Bangalore were up against Pune Warriors India in an IPL match in Bangalore. RCB captain Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bat first on a batting paradise. Openers Chris Gayle and Kohli gave RCB a solid start by adding 93 runs for the first wicket. However, after Kohli's dismissal for 40, RCB lost wickets at regular intervals.
This brought the big-hitting Chris Gayle to the center. What followed was an unbelievable display of brutal hitting. Gayle took a special liking to anything short and dispatched the bowlers all around the park. He smashed the bowlers mercilessly with his big hits clearing the boundary ropes with ease. The Pune bowlers had no answers to Gayle's power-packed strokes. He mixed his big hits with clever rotation of strikes to keep the scoreboard ticking.
By the time he reached his 150, the entire Chinnaswamy Stadium was on its feet cheering for the West Indian. Gayle reached his epic 175 off just 66 balls with the help of 17 monstrous sixes. His innings shattered numerous records and left the cricket world in awe of his brute strength. With Gayle's blitzkrieg, RCB amassed a mammoth 263/5 in their 20 overs.
It was the year 2015 and Royal Challengers Bangalore were taking on defending champions Mumbai Indians in their first match of the season. RCB won the toss and opted to bat first on a pitch that looked difficult for batting. However, little did anyone know that they were about to witness one of the greatest IPL knocks of all time.
RCB lost their first 3 wickets with just 48 runs on the board. In walked AB de Villiers with his team in a spot of bother. ABD, as he is fondly known, took his time to get settled on the surface. He rotated the strike regularly and found the boundaries when loose balls were on offer. Just when it looked like he was opening up, he lost his partners at the other end.
With wickets falling around him, the pressure was mounting on ABD to score the bulk of the runs alone. But he was equal to the task. He changed gears effortlessly and started playing some outrageous shots. He was scoring all around the ground, playing late cuts, scoop shots, inside-out lofts, and straight sixes with equal elan.
On April 18, 2008, the inaugural match of the Indian Premier League took place between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bangalore. All eyes were on this high-profile T20 tournament and expectations were high. KKR won the toss and opted to bat first on a good batting surface. However, they suffered an early blow as their opener lost his wicket with just 10 runs on the board.
It was then that Brendon McCullum, the KKR captain, came out to bat. He was an experienced T20 player who had played many matches for New Zealand and in other leagues. However, no one could have predicted what was about to unfold. McCullum went after the RCB bowlers from the word go. He scored boundaries all around the ground, sweeping, slogging, and driving effortlessly. The pace of his innings raised the excitement levels of the packed stadium.
As per ipl news and updates, within no time, McCullum raced to his 50 and then his 100. He did not let up the aggression even after reaching the three-figure mark. By the time he was dismissed in the last over, he had smashed an unbeaten 158 off just 73 balls. His innings was studded with 10 sixes and 13 fours. Thanks to McCullum's blitzkrieg, KKR posted a massive total of 13 fours. Thanks to McCullum's blitzkrieg, KKR posted a massive total of 222/3 in their 20 overs. RCB fell short by a big margin while chasing.
It was the 2019 IPL final between arch-rivals Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at Hyderabad. Chennai won the toss and opted to field first on a batting-friendly surface. However, Mumbai got off to a terrible start and was reeling at 31/3 inside the powerplay overs. Their star opener Rohit Sharma walked out to bat with his team in trouble.
Rohit took his time to get settled in but once he did, he started playing his strokes effortlessly all around the ground. He found the gaps beautifully and also cleared the ropes with ease whenever the bowlers erred in their line and length. At the other end, wickets were falling but Rohit continued scoring at a brisk rate. He mixed caution with aggression and rotated the strike regularly to keep the scoreboard ticking.
By the halfway mark, Rohit had already notched up his half-century and looked set for a big one. In the death overs, he went on a six-hitting spree and targeted both the spinners and pacers. His excellent wrist work and immaculate timing helped him dispatch some of the best bowlers in world cricket to all parts of the ground.
It was the Eliminator match of the 2017 IPL between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata. SRH needed to win the match to stay alive in the tournament. The pitch at Eden Gardens was slow and turning, making batting very difficult. KKR captain Gautam Gambhir won the toss and opted to field first.
SRH got off to a shaky start, losing Shikhar Dhawan early. But then David Warner took the field. He watched the ball closely in the first few overs and played with soft hands. After spending some time in the middle, Warner shifted gears and started taking on the KKR spinners. He was especially severe on Piyush Chawla, hitting him all over the park.
Warner raced to his half-century in just 29 balls. He kept finding the boundaries with ease, whether it was through drives, cuts, or pulls. The KKR bowlers tried different tactics but nothing seemed to work against the marauding Warner. He took on the Pacers with equal disdain later on. At the other end, batsmen struggled on the slow surface but Warner made the batting look effortless.
As per Cricket News, these have been some of the most amazing individual batting displays seen in the IPL over the years. Big hitters like Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum provided entertainment with their brute power hitting. Meanwhile, elegant stroke players like AB de Villiers and David Warner dominated attacks with their all-round batting skills. The IPL continues to unearth batting talents from all over the world. As the tournament grows bigger with each passing year, we can expect to witness many more such spectacular batting performances in the future as well.
