Over the years Indian Premier League fans are privileged to see some extraordinary display of batsman-ship. Some of the great innings in the shortest format of the game has been played in the IPL ever since its inception. The innings include some jaw dropping stuff be it Chris Gayle’s 175-run biltz last year or Brendon McCullum’s 158 in the very first IPL match.
The selection of this list is based on various criteria like the amount of runs scored, the strike rate at which those runs came, importance of the match (i.e the matches were a qualifying place was on the line as compared to a dead rubber), quality of opposition, and so on so forth.
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Another decisive factor was to try and accommodate various skills of a batsman for e.g some batsman prefer elegance over smashing monstrous sixes; while some prefer 15-ball cameos which plays a more impact on a match around as opposed to a run a ball fifty. This was done in an earnest effort to include various batting styles which are on show in IPL cricket.
We also limited one innings per batsman for the sake of covering wide range of innings (remember IPL has been around for six years now) else a certain gentleman by the name of Christopher Henry Gayle would have taken up position from number one to 10 in this list.
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Hence, we at Sportzwiki have compiled the list of top 10 IPL knocks. The following are the top 10 IPL innings:
10) Adam Gilchrist: 85 (35) – DC vs DD, 22 May 2009
Adam Gilchrist’s knock of 85 from just 35 balls, with a strike rate 242.85, reminded one and all of the similar knock which he played for Australia in 2007 World Cup final against Sri Lanka. His 35 ball stay on the crease included 10 fours, and 5 sixes.
His innings turned a tricky chase in a semi-final in to an easy stroll for Deccan Chargers. Adam Gilchrist, who is widely regarded as an all-time great, showed in his twilight in 2009 that his influence has not diminish after retiring form international cricket. Gilchrist almost single-handedly pulled Deccan Chargers from bottom of the table in the first edition in 2008 to winning the tournament next year.
When he got out for 85 after ten overs, his teammates were able to knock off remaining runs as Deccan Chargers went on to not only win the semi-final, but also the final by defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore.
9) Michael Hussey: 116*(54) – CSK vs KXIP, 19 April 2008
One of the most consistent and versatile cricketers in the modern era, Michael Hussey showed in his worth in second-ever IPL match, which came just a day after McCullum‘s memorable 158 runs (which is second on our list). Hussey’s ability to collect runs has allowed him to complete a seamless transformation from Test to one day cricket and lately in his career into the Twenty20 as well. Hussey not only relied on mere hitting the ball over the ropes, but also was equally keen to run singles and doubles often converting a single into double and double into three with help of his lightning running between the wickets.
Hussey since this innings has gone on to become a fulcrum in CSK batting order over the years with players like Murli Vijay, Suresh Raina, and MS Dhoni, to win two IPL titles.
8) Mahela Jayawardene: 110* (59) – KXIP vs KKR, 4 April 2010
You know what folks, not all IPL innings are full of big hits, as can be proven from this innings from arguably the greatest craftsman of our era – Mahela Jayawardene.
In the early years of IPL he was a veteran who was out there to prove a point that T20 is not just a game for young players. Mahela Jayawardene chose this match against Kolkata Knight Riders to prove to the world that elegance is not something you can associate with Test cricket only, it is equally relevant in Twenty20 cricket as well.
And one more thing which went in his favour was he was able to do this in a big chase at Eden Gardens where thousands of fans were against him, made this innings even more remarkable.
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