Top 10 Best cameos of IPL 2016

The cameos in the IPL 2016 have simply been a pleasure to watch. While that has been doing the rounds of late, some of the cameos have come in match-winning causes. Moreover, they have also come when they were required. That said, here are the top 10 best cameos from the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League. 1. MS Dhoni – 64 off 35 balls v KXIP: MS Dhoni Rising Pune Supergiants. (Photo Source: BCCI) MS Dhoni’s talent as the finisher was diminishing by the tournament. In the rain-hit encounter against the Kolkata Knight Riders, he could muster just 8 runs from 22 deliveries. However, in the final match of the tournament for him and his vanquished side, Dhoni showed the world exactly what he was capable of. He smashed 64 off just 32 deliveries as the pride of the Supergiants remained intact. This included 2 sixes of the last two deliveries to seal the win. 2. Krunal Pandya – 86 off 37 balls v DD: Krunal Pandya. (Photo Source: BCCI) Krunal Pandya had earlier shown his ability to hit the long ball in the last couple of innings but those were the 20s, 30s and 40s he still needed to play that substantial knock to earn the reputation of a big hitter. He did exactly that in the match against the Delhi Daredevils. Krunal was sent in at no. 3 to accelerate the innings after skipper Rohit Sharma fell in the 7th over and he got off to a flier. His 86-run knock that came off just 37 balls propelled Mumbai to a 200 plus score. The elder Pandya brother struck seven 4s and six 6s in his inning that proved to be match winning in the end. 3. Chris Morris – 82 off 32 balls v GL: Chris Morris. (Photo Source: BCCI) Perhaps the best innings of the entire tournament. Of course, Virat Kohli has a plethora of 50 plus scores, but this masterpiece from Chris Morris stands out. It was effectively the knock that put life into the tournament. The first few deliveries to Morris from the Lions bowlers were dispatched into the crowd. He reached his half-century in just 17 deliveries, becoming the fastest batsman to a half-century. He went on to smash an unbeaten 82 off just 32 deliveries. However, the Lions went on to clinch an extremely entertaining match by one run. 4. Yusuf Pathan – 63 off 29 balls v RCB: Bengaluru : Yusuf Pathan of Kolkata Knight Riders celebrates his half century during an IPL match. (Photo Source: IANS) A few eyebrows were raised when Yusuf Pathan wasn’t included in the Indian squad for the series against Zimbabwe. Why would anyone in the right frame of mind want to pick a 33-year old in a squad full of youngsters? Yusuf Pathan was in the form of his life. He smashed an audacious 63* off just 29 deliveries including 6 boundaries and three sixes thus ensuring that the Challengers were denied a victory at home yet again. 5. Bipul Sharma – 27 off 11 balls v GL: Bipul Sharma. (Photo Source: BCCI) Although David Warner had blasted the Sunrisers to a winning position, the target set by the Gujarat Lions seemed to be a bridge too far. However, Bipul Sharma went about changing those odds by showing some winning intent. He smashed three sixes and went on to score 27 runs off just 11 deliveries ensuring a safe passage for the Lions to the final. 6. Iqbal Abdulla – 33 off 21 balls v GL: AB de Villiers-Iqbal Abdullah. (Photo Source: BCCI) They say cometh the moment cometh the man. Iqbal Abdulla hadn’t batter in the 2016 IPL previously and all of a sudden, he was thrust into a nail-biting run chase with AB de Villiers. Moreover, this was the first playoff against the Gujarat Lions, and the stakes could not get any bigger. Abdulla smashed 33 off 21 deliveries including two boundaries that ensured that the Challengers went over the line with a well-deserved victory. 7. Yusuf Pathan – 37 off 18 balls v RPS: Yusuf Pathan. (Photo Source: BCCI) As mentioned earlier, it was rather expected that the older of the Pathan brothers would indeed waltz his way back into the Indian squad. With rain playing a significant role in proceedings, the Knight Riders were asked to chase 66 off 9 overs. The chase began badly when Gambhir and Uthappa fell early on in the innings. However, Yusuf Pathan smashed 37 off just 18 deliveries as the Knight Riders cruised to a win in just five overs. 8. Ben Cutting – 39 off 15 balls v RCB: Ben Cutting. (Photo Source: BCCI) Ben Cutting hadn’t played an innings of value until the final of the IPL. The final, however, saw a different Ben Cutting come to the fore. He blasted 39 off just 15 deliveries including three fours and four sixes. Of the four sixes, one was a whopping 117m long. Needless to say, the Sunrisers went on to pip the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 8 runs to clinch the title. 9. Kieron Pollard – 51 off 17 balls v KKR: Bengaluru: Jos Buttler and Kieron Pollard of Mumbai Indians celebrate after winning the IPL match. (Photo Source: IANS) Not a single IPL season goes by without a blitz from Kieron Pollard. The Mumbai Indians were staring down the barrel as a loss loomed over the horizon. However, Pollard smashed the second fastest half-century in the tournament as he smashed 51 off 17 deliveries. His blitz included 2 boundaries and 6 mammoth sixes. 10. Jos Buttler 41 off 22 balls v KKR: Jos Buttler. (Photo Source: BCCI) In the 5th match of the tournament, one of the IPLs few English stars stepped up to the plate with a fantastic cameo against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens. Buttler smashed 41 of 22 deliveries including 3 fours and 3 sixes as the Mumbai Indians went on to win by six wickets. The English wicketkeeper-batsman was roped in after he impressed one and all with not just his glovework but also his ability to hit clean shots and the cheeky ones.