Stats: Players who won the man of the match award in a losing cause in IPL

Ankit Rajpoot produced one of best bowling spell in the IPL history only to be on the losing side as the Sunrisers Hyderabad defended a mere 132-run total. Rajpoot took three wickets in his first three overs in the powerplay to break the SRH’s top order. He returned to bowl the final over of the innings to complete his 2nd five-wicket haul in T20 cricket. Thus, Ankit Rajpoot became the first uncapped player in the history of IPL to take a 5-wicket haul.

He recorded the best bowling figures for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL but was the last man to be dismissed in their innings as SRH successfully defended 132. His bowling figures of 5/14 are the 2nd best to be on the losing side in the IPL after Adam Zampa’s 6/19 also against Sunrisers in the 2016 season. Rajpoot, however, won the man of the match award for his efforts in the game. Ankit Rajpoot became only the 13th player to receive a man of the match award in the IPL despite finishing on the losing side.

Yuvraj Singh is the only player to receive the man of the match award twice being on the losing side. He scored a fifty and took a hat-trick in the 2009 season against RCB but saw his team fall short of the target. Yuvraj led Pune Warriors against Delhi Daredevils in 2011 with an unbeaten 66 and a 4-wicket haul in the final but finished on losing side. Anil Kumble is the only player to be on the losing side and receive a man of the match award in the IPL playoffs. He won the match award in the 2009 IPL final for his bowling.

The last player to join the rare list was Hashim Amla in the 2016 season while playing for KXIP also against SRH. He scored 96 in the match played in Mohali which SRH won by seven wickets. As many as four losing team players have won the man of the match awards in the 2016 IPL season but no such entries from 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017 editions.

Losing team players to win the man of the match award in an IPL game:

(Stats as on April 26, 2018)