The ongoing pandemic has turned the world upside down and I think it’s time we accepted Indian Premier League won’t be held this year.
That’s unfortunate, but while we wait for things to get better, here is a throwback to some of the most iconic moments of the tournament that you can relive as you stay safe at home. Enjoy!
1. The one where it all started. Kolkata Knight Riders’ Brendon Mccullum walked onto the pitch with opening partner Sourav Ganguly in the first-ever IPL match. He hit 158* off 73 balls, giving the tournament an inauguration that did justice to its stature.
Exactly 12 years later, he says, “That night, my life changed completely in the space of those three hours or actually, even an hour and a half”.
2. Underdogs Rajasthan Royals lifting the trophy in the first season, against all odds and expectations, getting owners business that they thought they’ll be able to make in THREE years.
The team, led by Shane Warne, had in fact lost its first match by 9 wickets. However, it managed to turn things around.
3. Shah Rukh Khan celebrating Kolkata Knight Riders’ entry into the final of IPL season 5 with a somersault.
The final they went on to win, after which SRK famously said, “I felt for the first time in my life, that if I stood on the balcony and took off, I could fly”.
4. AB de Villers’ 17-ball-47 with 5 fours and 3 sixes, helped his team Royal Challengers Bangalore amass 72 runs in the last 3.2 overs.
They went on to win the match against Deccan Chargers and AB registered his name in history books with one of the best played innings in IPL history.
5. On a particular night in 2013, an unbelievably powerful Chris Gayle scored a record-breaking 175* in just 66 balls to show what magic he can pull off on his day.
They call him the ‘universe boss’ for a reason.
6. Alzarri Joseph took 6 wickets for 12 runs to create an IPL record in his first-ever match in the tournament.
This happened last year in 2019, when Alzarri was just 22-years-old.
7. Mumbai Indians registering a 1-run victory in the nail-biting final of IPL 2017, after scoring the lowest first-innings total in the tournament’s finale.
Thanks to Jasprit Bumrah (who’d go on to become the world’s best) and Mitchell Johnson, Mumbai Indians somehow managed to defend the target in the most thrilling final since the inaugural season in 2008.
8. MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings winning the IPL on comeback after 2-year-suspension handed to the team because of owners’ involvement in betting.
With that, CSK managed to add the word ‘golden’ before the previously used term ‘team of oldies’.
9. Mumbai Indians clinching another IPL trophy with a 1-run victory in 2019. This time it was against Chennai Super Kings, who showed great valour but failed by a whisker.
To give you an idea of CSK’s perseverance, here is a picture of Shane Watson playing in clothes soaked in blood because of his bleeding knee. He got 6 stitches later.
10. Yusuf Pathan winning the match for Rajasthan by scoring quickfire 18 runs in tournament’s first super-over in 2009.
It is imperative to mention here, that the match was played against KKR, who had chosen Chris Gayle for the super-over.
11. In a few years’ time, Pathan would be scoring a 22-ball-72 but this time for KKR, instead of against them.
This was in the year 2014, when Yusuf Pathan enabled his side to win the match by 4 wickets, thanks to his swashbuckling innings laced with 5 fours and 7 sixes.
12. Dhoni doing Dhoni things by scoring 54 runs off 29 balls against Kings XI Punjab to take his side home.
CSK needed 16 runs in the final over and MS Dhoni single-handedly accomplished with the help of 2 sixes and 1 four. With that, CSK entered the semi-final and later, won the tournament.