The Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to welcome its 16th season. The two-month-long campaign, which is nothing short of a festive extravaganza, will kickstart with an eagerly awaited clash between defending champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings. Since its inauguration in 2008, the cash-rich league has gifted a number of golden memories to cricket enthusiasts over the years. While the tournament is still a few days away, let’s take a look at some of such memorable moments in the Indian Premier League (IPL):
Brendon McCullum’s 158* against RCB (2008)
Brendon McCullum gave an unforgettable start to the Indian Premier League. The former New Zealand batter, who represented Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural IPL season, notched up the only 150-plus score of the edition in the very first encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore. During his unbeaten 158-run knock, which took just 73 balls, McCullum smashed 10 boundaries and 13 maximums. Courtesy of his swashbuckling batting, KKR posted a mammoth 220 runs on the board and eventually won the match by a huge margin of 140 runs.
AB de Villiers’ 23 in an over vs Dale Steyn (2012)
Dale Steyn might rank among the most lethal pacers the IPL has ever witnessed. But his former South African teammate AB de Villers handed him a nightmarish memory in the 2012 season. Steyn, who was part of the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, conceded as many as 23 runs in a single over during a group-league match against RCB. De Villiers lit up the M Chinnaswamy Stadium with two fours and two sixes in the 18th over, helping his side to chase down a massive 182-run target.
Chris Gayle’s 175* vs Pune Warriors India (2013)
Chris Gayle, an RCB legend, altered the equation of T20 cricket when he played an unbeaten 175-run knock against Pune Warriors India in the 2013 IPL. The Caribbean big hitter took just 30 balls to breach the three-digit mark, recording the fastest ton in the tournament. It was nothing short of a legendary innings as Gayle hit 13 boundaries and 17 crowd-catchers during his 66-ball innings.
Adam Gilchrist turns bowler (2013)
Adam Gilchrist, during his spell with Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), decided to roll his arms in a 2013 match against Mumbai Indians. Coming in to bowl the final over, the Australian wicketkeeper got rid of Harbhajan Singh in his first delivery, which concluded Mumbai’s innings. Harbhajan went for a biggie but ended up being caught at the long-on region by Gurkeeraj Singh, gifting Gilchrist the only wicket of his cricket career.
Most impressive run chase in IPL history (2014)
Mumbai Indians – the most successful team of the IPL – recorded the most dominating victory in the tournament history in a group fixture against Rajasthan Royals in 2014. Stepping on to chase a more-than-decent total of 190 runs, the Paltans reached the required target in just 14.4 overs. Corey Anderson was mostly responsible for the destruction as the Kiwi all-rounder smashed an unbeaten 95 off only 44 balls. His innings was decorated with 9 fours and 6 maximums.
Virat Kohli’s century with injured hand (2016)
Virat Kohli is still awaiting his maiden IPL title. But, the star Indian batter has taken the tournament by storm with several worth-remembering knocks. Kohli kicked off the 2016 season in red-hot form but picked up an unfortunate injury during RCB’s match against KKR. He required 9 stitches on his left hand. Disregarding the pain, Kohli returned to the field only after 48 hours and played a centurion knock against Punjab Kings, scoring 113 off 50 deliveries.
Chennai Super Kings’ comeback title win (2018)
Chennai Super Kings – the second-most successful franchise of the IPL – remained out of the tournament for two seasons. The Yellow army, led by legendary captain MS Dhoni, however, made a roaring comeback in the 2018 IPL. They finished second in the group league and got the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the playoffs. In the title bout, CSK again defeated Hyderabad and took home their third IPL trophy.
Alzarri Joseph records best figures in IPL history (2019)
Alzarri Joseph’s entry into the IPL was nothing but a fairytale. The West Indies pacer joined Mumbai Indians as a replacement for injured Adam Milne. Joseph wrapped his very first against Sunrisers Hyderabad with an impressive figure of 6/12, which is still the best spell in the history of the tournament.
Rahul Tewatia stuns Punjab Kings (2020)
Rajasthan Royals holds the record for the most successful run-chase of IPL thanks to the heroics of Rahul Tewatia. Coming in to chase a mammoth 224 against Punjab Kings, Tewatia pulled off a slower start, scoring 8 runs off his first 19 balls. In the next 12 deliveries, the Haryana-born batter went on to smash 45 runs, helping his side gun down the massive target.
Lockie Ferguson clocks the fastest delivery of IPL (2022)
Gujarat Titans scripted history by lifting the IPL title in their maiden appearance last season and Lockie Ferguson was certainly one of their standout performers. The Kiwi pacer, apart from taking 12 wickets, hit the headlines for clocking the fastest delivery of the tournament’s history. In the summit battle against Rajasthan Royals, Ferguson bowled a toe-crusher to Jos Buttler in the first over with the speedometer reading 97.7 mph.
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