10 Current cricketers and their IPL defining moments

These are some of the best moments in the IPL ever.

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Since its inception, the IPL has been one of the most anticipated tournaments in the cricketing circle. The reason being its high-voltage action and the number of twists and turns it presents in every season. At the center of it are the cricketing stars who try their level best to entertain the audience with their on-field performances.

In the process, they might also end up doing something special which will always hold an important place in the history of the league. However, sometimes those performances will not only become the iconic moments of the league but it will also become the highlight of a cricketer’s IPL career. Over the years several cricketing stars have tried to define their IPL moment but only a handful of them have succeeded in it.

Here is the list of 10 current cricketers and their IPL defining moments :

1) Virat Kohli – Hundred with a stitched-up hand

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Twitter)

In every cricketer’s journey there comes a time when he is at the height of his powers. At the time, he will be churning out awe-inspiring performances at will. The classic example to describe such an event is Virat Kohli‘s maniac run in IPL 2016 where he batted like a man on a mission to fulfill his IPL dreams.

The RCB skipper accumulated close to 1000 runs in a single season including 4 centuries. In a way, he single-handedly led the team to their second IPL final. From all those innings his century against Kings XI Punjab will rank amongst the best in the tournament history. That knock of 113 off 50 balls included one of the best cricketing moment of his career.

Even after having 7-8 stitches (split webbing) in his left-hand Kohli kept on playing his shots to increase the team’s playoff qualification chances. Thereafter, when he reached the milestone he made a lovely gesture to the dug-out indicating his team-mates that he has overcome the pain to score runs for the team. That moment not only showed his determination but also defined his passion for the gentlemen’s game.

2) David Warner – Leading from the front

David Warner Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner celebrates his century.. (Photo: IANS)

The IPL has unearthed various gems and the Australian cricketer, David Warner is one of them. The left-hander has been one of the most consistent performers of the league and it can be validated from his record of being the only cricketer to win the Orange Cap thrice. Besides his captaincy record is also quite impressive as he has a win rate of 55.31%.

Especially Warner enjoyed a dream-run in the 2016 IPL where he scored over 800 runs in the season. In true sense, the southpaw led the team from the front and his innings of unbeaten 93 in the playoffs against Gujarat Lions is enough to prove the point. Chasing a target of 160, the team suffered from a typical batting collapse and lost half of the side with just 85 runs on the scoreboard.

Fortunately for SRH, their skipper was looking in his elements. On a sluggish Delhi track, Warner played with utmost sensibility and guided the team to the safe waters. Like a true hero, he stayed till the end and earned the ticket to the IPL final. That innings will always be a special one in the IPL history as Warner transformed himself from an extraordinary player to an IPL legend. Thereafter, he also stroked a crucial half-century in the final and helped the team win their maiden title.

3) AB De Villiers – The Steyn Removal

AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers. (Photo Source: Twitter)

There is no doubt that the beauty of IPL lies in the mouth-watering contests between the world-class cricketers. The excitement doubles when two stars of the same international team pit against each other. Not only it shapes up a new rivalry in the cricketing fraternity but it also allows the involved cricketers to prove their ascendancy against their regular team-mates.

Among all such rivalries, the biggest one has to be the showdown between Dale Steyn and AB De Villiers in IPL 2012. At the time both the South African stars were the top-ranked players of the world cricket. So when they came face-to-face in the 18th over of the run-chase, it was going to be the make or break moment of the game.

Irrespective of the result, along with the fans both the Bangalore and Hyderabad dug-outs eagerly awaited for the clash of the titans. As it turned out, De Villiers dismantled Steyn with his range of shots as he scored 23 runs in the over. In particular, his six over the covers and the scoop shot became the highlight of their encounter. Moreover, it sealed the game for RCB and stamped the class of Mr. 360 in the IPL.

4) Chris Gayle – The Bangalore Storm

Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle. (Photo Source: Twitter)

It is next to impossible to make this list without the name of Chris Gayle in it as the Universe Boss has contributed so much to the league. Be it with his explosive batting or dynamic personality Gayle has always been a crowd-favorite. Especially in Bangalore where he has spent half of his IPL journey.

Time and again the southpaw has entertained the RCB fans with his range-hitting. Out of his 6 IPL centuries, 3 of them have come in front of the Chinnaswamy crowd. And the most memorable has to be the record-breaking innings of unbeaten 175 against Pune Warriors in IPL 2012. That knock is the perfect example of Gayle’s power-game as he munched on Pune bowlers like evening snacks.

He hit 30 boundaries in the innings including 17 towering sixes and paved the way for the highest team total in the history of IPL which is yet to be challenged. More importantly, 175 remains the highest individual score in T20 cricket. In all means that innings is nothing short of a spectacle, and that’s why it can be considered one of the best performances of the IPL.

5) MS Dhoni – An epic last over heist

MS Dhoni of CSK
MS Dhoni of CSK. (Photo by Duif du Toit / Gallo Images/Getty Images)

There is a reason why CSK has been the consistent side in IPL history as they always play the game with emotions in check. Right from their coach, Stephen Fleming to skipper, MS Dhoni they have individuals who have immense self-belief in their capabilities. That’s why the team has usually been part of some of the IPL classics where they have won games from improbable situations.

One such incident happened way back in IPL 2010 when the Chennai battled Punjab at the picturesque Dharamsala stadium. Chasing a target of 193 CSK needed 44 runs in the last 3 overs. All their hopes were pinned on the skipper who was expected to provide the final flourish. To add to the drama, the Dhoni-led side was hugely dependent on the outcome of the game to qualify for the playoffs.

Once again as per norm Dhoni took the game to the last over and the equation stood at 16 runs off 6 balls. Also, he had to tackle an international quality bowler in the form of Irfan Pathan. However, MSD showed great composure and completed the run-chase with his supreme finishing skills. Thereafter what followed after the last hit was a rare moment in Indian cricket as MSD expressed his bottled-up emotions. From that, it can be said that the win defined his IPL legacy as CSK went onto win the title later that year.

6) Andre Russell – Shellacking the Chepauk crowd

Andre Russell
Andre Russell. (Photo: IANS)

The West Indies players have always been hot commodities in the IPL as they have often proved their worth with their game-changing capabilities. One such Caribbean star is Andre Russell who has been a key player for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The all-rounder is one of the most profitable investments the franchise has made in the years.

Russell is an impact player whose performance cannot be only weighed in terms of runs scored and wickets taken by him. On his day he can change the course of the game within matter of overs. It can be explained best from his highest IPL score of unbeaten 88 against Chennai Super Kings in 2018. Coming at a precarious situation when the scorecard read 89/5 at the end of 10 overs Russell played a gem of an innings.

He carted the Chennai bowlers to all parts of the ground and in the process, he deposited the ball 11 times into the stands. In short, Russell stunned the Chepauk crowd with his belligerent hitting and powered the team-total over 200. Within a half-hour, the cricketing community witnessed the rise of Russell into a league of his own. However, the sad part is that he couldn’t save the day for the KKR as Chennai chased down the score in a nail-biting game.

7) Rashid Khan – Spinning a web

Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: Twitter)

At 21, Rashid Khan has already charted out some mind-boggling numbers. He has picked up close to 250 international wickets and with each outing, the Afghanistan prodigy seems to get better with his craft. In simple terms, he has become one of the finest spinners of this generation and that’s why he has been a regular in the T20 leagues around the globe.

Even in the IPL, he has weaved his magic on several occasions. The leggie has bowled some match-winning spells for Sunrisers Hyderabad and one of them came against Mumbai Indians in the 2018 IPL. Defending a low score of 118 SRH needed their bowlers to step-up and Rashid didn’t disappoint. He bowled with amazing control and picked up crucial wickets whenever the team needed breakthroughs.

In particular, he outfoxed proven match-winners like Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya with his bag of tricks. The Mumbai batsmen got entangled in the web spun by Rashid as the leg-spinner ended up with the figures of 2/11 in his four-over spell. Those numbers might not be record-breaking but it is certainly a spell which a true cricketing fan will always admire. Besides, Khan made it clear to the cricketing community that he can also perform well in the big leagues.

8) Lasith Malinga – Redemption is complete

Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

In the history of IPL, very few overseas players have not been traded in the auctions. One of them being Lasith Malinga who has donned the Mumbai jersey in all the editions. He has been one of the reasons for the Blue team’s unprecedented success in the league and his tally of 170 wickets in 122 games is enough to prove the point. However, the speedster was dropped for the 2018 IPL due to his poor returns in the previous seasons.

From that move, it seemed Malinga’s IPL career is doomed but fortunately for the Mumbai fans he returned to the fold for the 2019 IPL with a good year of international cricket behind him. Immediately the Slinga showed his impact with a couple of man of the match awards. Fast forward to the IPL final, Mumbai expected to benefit from the experience of Malinga but he conceded 42 runs in his first 3 overs.

So when Chennai needed 9 runs in their final over everybody except Rohit Sharma doubted the skillset of the Sri Lankan legend. In a turn of events, he redeemed himself with a 7-run over and helped the Mumbai Indians lift their 4th IPL title. He may have bowled better spells in the IPL but the last over heroics in the final will always be a special one as he defied all the odds to make it a memorable comeback. Furthermore, he perfectly defined that ” Form is temporary but class is permanent “.

9) Jasprit Bumrah – The perfect death over

Jasprit Bumrah of Mumbai Indians
Jasprit Bumrah of Mumbai Indians. (Photo: Twitter)

When IPL set out on its journey, it promised to shape up the next generation of Indian cricket. Having said that, one never anticipated that the league will dig out a world-class talent like Jasprit Bumrah. He has already given some memorable fast-bowling spells to the country’s cricket fans. Such has been his rise that now he is the spearhead of the Indian bowling unit across formats.

As far as his IPL career is concerned, he has become the trump card of the Mumbai Indians camp. Whenever the team is in trouble, the skipper dials up Bumrah to provide a breakthrough. One such instance happened in the 2017 IPL when the Mumbai Indians played Gujarat Lions in their den. The match went into the Super Over and the Blue team desperately needed Bumrah to work his magic as they could only manage 11 runs in their batting essay.

It was an extremely difficult task as Brendon McCullum and Aaron Finch were on the crease. Stunningly, Bumrah tamed both the T20 veterans with his array of slower balls. In between, he also bowled a couple of pin-point yorkers. In the end, he only conceded 6 runs in the Super Over and enhanced his reputation in the cricketing fraternity. On that night, Bumrah took his game to the next level and since then he has not looked back.

10) Dwayne Bravo – The Eleventh-hour act

Dwayne Bravo shot
Dwayne Bravo plays a shot. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The West Indies has always produced quality T20 exponents. So it is not a surprise why some of the Caribbean players have become integral members of the IPL. One being Dwayne Bravo who has been a marquee player of the Chennai franchise in the last decade or so. The all-rounder has played a big role in making CSK a reckoning force in the league.

Though Bravo has usually been a death-over specialist for the Yellow team, there have been times when he has won games for his team with his batting prowess. Especially his finishing skills have often helped the team in nail-biting run-chases. Its finest example is his innings of 69 off 30 balls against Mumbai Indians in the 2018 IPL opener. Walking out to bat with half of the side in the dressing-room Bravo didn’t have any time to settle down with the required rate clocked at 12.

Suddenly he hit a flurry of boundaries and within no time he completed his half-century. Thereafter he also smoked Jasprit Bumrah for 20 runs including 3 sixes in the 19th over which eventually brought down the equation to 8 runs off 7 balls. Even though he got out in the last ball of the penultimate over he did his part with one of the most memorable innings of his IPL career. Besides CSK pulled off another heist and this time Bravo was their hero.

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