Top 5 memorable innings from IPL 6

The sixth edition of the Indian Premier League turned out to be a typical Bollywood pot-boiler – complete with action, drama and comedy. While most of the action occurred off the field, the crowds witnessed plenty of the same on the ground too. If the initial part of the tournament, arguably, belonged to the bowlers, the latter half witnessed a complete domination of the batsmen, with the occasional brilliant bowling performance. Here are the top 5 individual knocks played in this year’s edition:

1. Chris Gayle (175* off 66 balls; 13 fours, 17 sixes)

This knock was meant as much for demoralising the opposition as for re-writing the record books. The big Jamaican wielded his bat like a Kalashnikov assault rifle as he sent the Pune bowlers on a massive leather hunt. It poured sixes at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium that day, and Pune’s best bowler on the day, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, later remarked that when Gayle is in this sort of a mood, there’s not much anyone can do.

In the process, the former WI skipper broke Kiwi blaster Brendon McCullum’s six-year old record for the highest individual score in T20 cricket as well as the record for the maximum number of sixes hit in a single T20 innings. Truly, it was an absolute treat to watch the West Indian in full flow.

2. David Miller (101* in 38 balls; 8 fours, 7 sixes)

South African left-hander David Miller almost single-handedly won the game for his side Kings XI Punjab against the mighty Royal Challengers Bangalore at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. With his team in deep trouble at 64/4 and Adam Gilchrist sitting out, it was left to the 23-year-old to see them over the finish line, and he did it in grand style. For me, the six he struck off Chris Gayle to complete his hundred and secure the win was the highlight of his knock. Terrific prospect for the immediate future!

3. Kieron Pollard (66* off 27 balls; 2 fours, 8 sixes)

Kieron Pollard unleashed his big-hitting skills on the hapless Sunrisers Hyderabad in a must-win encounter for the Mumbai side. The giant Trinidadian was initially tied down by excellent bowling from Karan Sharma and Dale Steyn, but he came into his own once Thisara Perera was brought into the attack. He hammered the luckless Sri Lankan for three sixes in a row, before turning on Amit Mishra and subjecting him to similar treatment. Fittingly, Pollard blasted the wayward Perera for two more huge hits that sealed the deal for Mumbai. The 2013 IPL champions owe a lot to this big-hitting lad from T&T.

4. Virat Kohli (99 runs off 59 balls; 10 fours, 4 sixes)

In a game made much more memorable for the RCB by left-arm seamer Jaidev Unadkat’s 5/25, skipper Virat Kohli unleashed a brutal assault on the winless Delhi Daredevils with uninhibited, incandescent power hitting. The youngster was unlucky to miss out on a maiden IPL hundred, but he did enough to help his side post a challenging total against the laggards. It was a chancy innings as Kohli survived two close shaves – one of which was a catch dropped by Virender Sehwag. Moral of the story for the Daredevils: If Gayle doesn’t get you, Kohli will. A captain’s knock, and a very vital one at that!

5. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (67* off 37 balls; 7 fours, 4 sixes)

Trust the India and CSK captain to deliver the goods in close games. Against the Sunrisers, he stood tall among the ruins and soaked in the pressure created by leggies Karan Sharma and Amit Mishra. With 28 runs needed off 12 balls and both Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo back in the hut, it was left to MSD to steer CSK to safety, and he did it in his own inimitable style – finishing things off with a six and two consecutive fours off seamer Ashish Reddy. That’s the amount of impact MSD has on close games – the longer he stays at the crease, the brighter the chances of his side winning.

There were other innings of importance and flair too, which oh so narrowly missed making the cut but deserve more than a special mention:

- Shane Watson’s 70 off 34 against CSK

- AB de Villiers 50 off 23 against PWI

- Suresh Raina’s 100 off 53 against KXIP

- Michael Hussey’s 88 off 51 against RR

- Rohit Sharma’s 79 off 39 against KXIP

Disclaimer: The article reflects the author’s opinions and not necessarily Sportskeeda’s views.