The Indian Premier League (IPL) has returned with its 16th edition to entertain the fans. The new season has begun with Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) five-wicket defeat at the hands of the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The league will strive to be at its best for the next few weeks and deliver great action to its viewers.
Since its inception, the T20 extravaganza has given innumerable iconic moments to its avid supporters. In every season, drama, zeal, and suspense have been integral parts of the cash-rich league to raise the excitement level of fans. As the tournament has completed its 15 years, league followers would like to cherish some incredible moments that they got in this long and beautiful journey.
Here are the ten memorable moments in the IPL history
10. Virat Kohli- AB de Villiers’ record partnership against Gujarat Lions (GL) in 2016
In 2016, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) played incredibly well throughout the tournament and concluded their journey as the runners-up. The star batters Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers played a vital role in making the franchise’s campaign memorable for their fans. Kohli ended up as the top-scorer in the competition, while de Villiers got the third spot in the highest run-getter chart.
Their incredible batting efforts won a few important games for RCB in the tournament, but in the 44th match, both batters came together to decimate Gujarat Lions (GL). Winning the toss at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Gujarat’s stand-in skipper Brendon McCullum chose to bowl first, but his decision went terribly wrong when Kohli and de Villiers stitched a 229-run record stand to help their team post a colossal total of 248/3.
While building this phenomenal partnership, both batters scored tons which helped their team to rout the opponents by record 144 runs. However, their largest victory feat (by runs) got shattered in 2017, with Mumbai Indians (MI) beating Delhi Capitals (DC) by 146 runs. At the end of the match, de Villiers received the Player of the Match award for his superb knock.
9. Pat Cummins’s joint-fastest fifty against Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2022
Pat Cummins achieved an unprecedented feat in the 15th edition of the tournament. Donning the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) jersey, the Australia pacer smashed the unbeaten fastest half-century of the tournament against Mumbai Indians (MI). With the innings, Cummins equalled KL Rahul’s record of the fastest fifty against Delhi Capitals (DC).
Playing the contest at the DY Patil Stadium, KKR were following a target of 162 runs. Things got tricky for Knight Riders when they lost half of their batters at a score of 101 in 13.1 overs. However, taking the matter into his hands, Cummins played some exquisite strokes and completed his half-century in just 14 deliveries.
Against his national teammate Daniel Sams, the veteran showed a relentless approach, hitting 35 runs in his over. Riding on his unbeaten 56-run knock that came off 15 deliveries, KKR took the match away from MI with five wickets in hand, and the dashing Aussie also received the Player of the Match award.
8. Andre Russell’s 48 runs off 13 deliveries against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2019
Andre Russell won a lot of games for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the cash-rich league but in 2019, he played an unforgettable knock against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to take his team home with five wickets in hand. In a high-scoring game at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the hosts concluded their innings on 205/3 with the help of their fiery batting performance.
Coming out to chase the colossal target, KKR batters adopted an aggressive approach. However, Knight Riders saw the match going out of their hands after their skipper’s dismissal in the last ball of the 17th over. With 53 runs required off just 18 balls, the two-time IPL champions required a majestic from one of their most experienced servants Russell.
Grabbing the chance with both hands, the Caribbean player came hard on the opponents. Showcasing his power-hitting potential, he chipped in with his unbeaten 48 off 13 and snatched the match from RCB’s control. The KKR stalwart studded his rapid innings with seven maximums and a four.
7. Yusuf Pathan’s 100 off 37 deliveries against Mumbai Indians (MI) in (2010)
In the first installment of the league, Yusuf Pathan was a vital cog in Rajasthan Royals (RR) due to his exceptional batting talent. The Baroda-born cricketer played a vital part in the franchise’s great victory in 2008. Providing his services to the Royals from 2008-10, Pathan played some furious knocks from his bat, but in 2010, he delivered his memorable in a losing cause.
Contesting against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the second game of the third IPL installment, RR were looking to start their campaign with a win. However, the task for RR became complicated, with the hosts putting up a massive total of 212/6 on the board after winning the toss. The matter worsened when Rajasthan lost their four batters on a score of 66.
With the arrival of Yusuf Pathan at the crease, things started changing for the visitors as the batter flexed his muscles to take the match close. In the end, MI bagged the game by four runs, but Yusuf’s innings stole all the limelight, as without his contribution, RR’s defeat margin could’ve been massive.
6. Underrated Rajasthan Royals' (RR) outstanding title triumph in the maiden IPL edition
Rajasthan Royals (RR) became the first team to pull off the IPL trophy. RR initiated their journey with a huge nine-wicket loss against Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils). But after the defeat, the franchise played quality cricket under the leadership of Shane Warne.
Among experienced and star-studded teams such as Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and Deccan Chargers, Royals adopted a fearless playing style and topped the points table in the league stage with record 11 wins. Taking the momentum ahead in the knockout round, they also demolished Delhi Capitals (DC) by 105 runs in the semi-final.
In the grand final, the Royals emerged victorious by three wickets in a last-ball thriller against MS Dhoni-led CSK. Despite looking weak and inexperienced side throughout the competition, Royals succeeded in clinching the title due to their young brigade. Players such as Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan, and Shane Watson stood up and delivered their best to the team.
5. Chennai Super Kings' victorious return in 2018
After serving their two-year ban, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) returned to the cash-rich league in 2018. Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, the loyal CSK fans were expecting their team to win the prestigious trophy one more time.
With fabled names such as Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, and Suresh Raina, the Yellow Army emerged as a destructible force. In the league round, Dhoni and his men ended up in the second position with nine wins in 14 games, following Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Emboldened by their previous round’s performance, CSK showed no mercy on the league table-toppers
SRH in the Playoffs and the final. On D-day, the Men in Yellow outsmarted the Orange Army by eight wickets and clinched their third title. Shane Watson, who became one of their best players in the season, notched up an unbeaten century in the final to take the team home.
4. Sohail Tanvir’s 6/14 vs Chennai Super Kings (2008)
In the inaugural IPL season, Rajasthan Royals went on to win the title due to the amazing collective efforts of their young stalwarts. With the bat, Shane Watson and Yusuf Pathan reinforced the team; on the other side, Sohail Tanvir supported his captain Shane Warne with the ball to make RR a brutal force for their rivals.
With 22 wickets in 11 matches at an economy of 6.46, he became the first Purple Cap winner. In a game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Tanvir brought joy to RR fans with his extraordinary bowling effort. The left-arm pacer took 6/14 figures and powered his team to grab an eight-wicket victory.
From the first delivery of the match, Tanvir dominated MS Dhoni and Co. In his first over, the speedster dismissed openers Parthiv Patel and Stephen Fleming to strengthen his team. During his four-over spell, he looked formidable and bowled havoc-wreaking deliveries to ruin the CSK batting attack.
3. Brendon McCullum’s unbeaten 158 in the inaugural IPL match
In 2008, Brendon McCullum made the IPL opening match memorable with his stunning performance against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Winning the toss, RCB captain Rahul Dravid chose to bowl first at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. The RCB skipper’s decision went wrong as the KKR opener Brendon McCullum came out all guns blazing from the get-go.
The current England Test coach played a massive knock of 158 runs in just 73 deliveries. Quality bowlers like Zaheer Khan, Jacques Kallis, and Praveen Kumar lost their line and length against the right-handed batter, which gave him a chance to bring his century in just 53 deliveries.
The swashbuckling wicket-keeper batter looked more fierce against Bangalore bowlers in the last few overs and helped his team to cross the 200-run mark. Scoring 158 runs in just 73 deliveries, he powered Knight Riders to claim a 140-run triumph in the maiden league match.
2. Anil Kumble’s 5/5 vs Rajasthan Royals (2009)
After delivering a below-par display in the maiden IPL season, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) trusted Anil Kumble to lead the ship. Captaining the Challengers for the first time in the second installment of the league, the veteran led from the front and grabbed a sensational victory against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Winning the toss against his counterpart Shane Warne, Kumble elected to bat first. On the bowling-friendly surface, RCB batters amassed 133/8 on the board, with the major efforts of Rahul Dravid (66 runs off 48 deliveries) and Kevin Pietersen (32 runs off 30 deliveries).
Taking advantage of the bowling surface, the RCB skipper showed his spunky side and destroyed Rajastan's batting unit. Fetching 5/5 figures with the ball in 3.1 overs, he helped his colleagues to fold the RR batting innings on 58 and take the match home by a comfortable margin of 75 runs.
1. Chris Gayle’s unbeaten 175 runs against Pune Warriors India (2013)
Chris Gayle broke various records in his vast IPL career. In 2011, the veteran joined the Royal Challenger Bangalore (RCB) camp and became an integral part of the franchise due to his stunning batting performance in the season. Utilising his unprecedented batting talent, the Caribbean player became the first player to bag Orange Cap in two consecutive IPL seasons (2011 and 2012).
In 2013, he added another achievement to his name. This time, he scored an unbeaten 175-run knock against Pune Warriors India (PWI) and became the highest individual scorer in the tournament's history. His colossal innings was studded with 30 boundaries (13 fours and 17 maximums).
His humongous score also made Bangalore the first team to go beyond a 250-run score in the league. Riding on Gayle’s monumental innings, Challengers put up 263 runs on the board, which later gave an opportunity to RCB bowlers to breathe fire with the ball and seal a 130-run triumph in the contest.
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