IPL 10: 5 best performances in the league stage which went in vain

We have reached the business end of IPL 10 and we are left with just 4 more matches before we get to know the champions of the 10th edition of the best T20 league across the world. The group stages have seen some terrific individual performances both with both bat and the ball and also in the field and at the end of it all we have found out our four teams who have qualified for the playoffs.

All through this tournament, we have seen some exceptional performances going in vain. Kings XI Punjab opener Hashim Amla was two times unlucky as despite his twin centuries Punjab came out losers on both the occasions. Not only Amla but there have been quite a few all-round performances which haven’t given their side a victory.

So as we approach the playoffs let’s have a look at 5 best performances in the group stages which went in vain.

Manan Vohra- 95 of 50 deliveries (Kings XI Punjab v Sunrisers Hyderabad)

It was the brilliant innings from the blade of opener Vohra which kept Punjab in the game till the very last over of the match despite losing wickets at regular intervals. The youngster kept Punjab in the hunt with his amazing strokeplay and waged a lone battle to take Punjab within touching distance of the target.

They were reduced to 82/6 chasing 159 runs but it was Vohra who batted sensibly and struck the big shots on a consistent basis. He smashed 9 fours and 5 sixes during his exceptional innings before falling to Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the penultimate over. It was a painful moment for Vohra as he played some amazing shots and deserved to take his side over the finishing line. It was a perfectly executed Yorker by Bhuvi which thudded on to his pads and would have crashed onto middle and leg.

Hashim Amla- 104 of 60 deliveries (Kings XI Punjab v Mumbai Indians)

The cool and calm customer smashed his maiden IPL century against the two-time champions Mumbai Indians in the 22nd match of the tournament but it wasn’t enough as Mumbai chased down the stiff target of 199 in a canter as they romped home by 8 wickets and with 27 deliveries to spare. He began with some terrific ground shots in the powerplay and rotated the strike along to keep the scoreboard ticking.

It was an innings mixed with finesse and hard-hitting and proper cricketing shots were out on display. He took on the Mumbai bowlers effortlessly in the final overs and smashed as many as 6 sixes, much opposite to his natural game. His innings also contained 8 scorching heats to the fence.

Samuel Badree- 4/9 in 4 overs (Royal Challengers Bangalore v Mumbai Indians)

It was another effort by an individual which went in vain against the Mumbai Indians. He was given his first game of the tournament and the ploy worked wonders as the leggie ripped through Mumbai’s top order to reduce them to 7/4 in the 3rd over. It was also the same over where he bagged the first hat-trick of the tournament.

His first wicket came with a well tossed up delivery as Parthiv Patel gave away a simple catch to the cover fielder. Mitchell McCleneghan was sent up the order but failed to pounce on a dull toss and was holed out in the deep. The hat-trick delivery was the best of the lot as it breached the defence of Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma and castled the timbers.

He came back strongly in his 2nd spell and removed Nitish Rana with a short of length delivery. He mistimed it straight to the cover fielder and he duly accepted it. Later on, it was the brilliance from Kieron Pollard which helped Mumbai stage a remarkable comeback and eventually ended up winning the game by 4 wickets and with more than an over to spare.

Ravindra Jadeja’s brilliance in the field (Gujarat Lions v Mumbai Indians)

The left-arm spinner and a hard-hitting batsman had a relatively mediocre outing with both bat and the ball but his twin run outs in the 35th match of the tournament against Mumbai was one of the stand-out performances of the league. It wasn’t enough though as Mumbai clinched the nail-biting thriller via super over as Jasprit Bumrah held his nerves and delivered the killer punch.

Jaddu unleashed two sensational direct throws which sent back Jasprit Bumrah and Krunal Pandya back to the pavilion in the final over to take the game to the super over. From point, his rocket arm did the business for both of them as the match ended in a tie.

Chris Lynn- 84 of 52 deliveries (Kolkata Knight Riders v Kings XI Punjab)

The man who made a comeback in this match after a month-long layoff due to a shoulder injury announced his arrival with a brilliant 84 but it wasn’t enough as KKR fell short by 14 runs. Chasing a target of 168, Lynn’s mind boggling innings kept Kolkata in the chase despite a middle-order stutter. He began with a string of boundaries in the powerplay and played himself in when wickets were falling at the other end.

His breezy innings was decorated with 8 fours and 3 hits over the fence but a brilliant run out by Axar Patel sent him back to the pavilion with Kolkata within touching distance if the target. They couldn’t get over the line after Lynn’s wicket and was eventually bowled out for 153 after 20 overs.