IPL is the biggest cricket league in the world. It is celebrated like a cricket festival in India. It gives opportunities for young players to showcase their talent in front of a broad audience. There are numerous players like Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Surya Kumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan who came as an underdog, and now an integral part of the Indian cricket team. We have seen some exceptional moments in the IPL season that will always be remembered forever. Here, we are presenting "Top 10 big stories of IPL seasons".
1. Rajasthan Royals Vs. Punjab Kings
Rajasthan Royals became the first team to chase the massive target of 224 runs in the IPL against Punjab Kings. Mayank Aggarwal scored an outstanding knock of 106 runs for Punjab Kings. It felt like Punjab would surely win this match. Sanju Samson scored an impressive knock of 85 runs, Steve Smith and Rahul Tewatia scored fast fifties, making the chase easy for Rajasthan. Rajasthan secured an epic victory over Punjab with three balls remaining.
2. Rashid Khan's Hat-trick
Afghani player, Rashid Khan is one of the best spinners in the world. He again reminded the world why he is best by taking the first hat-trick of the IPL 2023 against Kolkata Knight Riders. He always impressed with the ball and bat. He dismissed Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Shardul Thakur in three consecutive deliveries to turn the table in his favor.
3. Kohli-Dhoni Reunion
It is always special when the two best players meet. Virat and Dhoni met after a high-scoring thriller in Bengaluru, and the reunion brought big smiles to the faces of cricket fans worldwide. Kohli himself posted a picture on social media while hugging MS Dhoni.
4. LSG Last Ball Win Against RCB
Royal Challengers Bangalore had a good start, with openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis scoring 61 and 79 runs, respectively. RCB managed to post the score of 212 runs on the scoreboard within the allotted 20 overs. KL Rahul's Lucknow needed 213 runs to win. On the other hand, Lucknow had a challenging start, as their top three batters were dismissed with only 23 runs on the board. Nicholas Pooran was the game-changer for Lucknow, scoring 62 runs in just 19 balls, which shifted the momentum in their favor and revived Lucknow's chances in the game. The match was full of unexpected twists and turns. In the end, Lucknow secured the victory on the last ball, and Avesh Khan expressed his aggression by throwing his helmet on the ground in celebration. Later, an argument happened between Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. This match is the perfect example of a drama that is full of twists and turns.
5. Rinku Singh's Five Sixes
Rinku Singh smoked Yash Dayal and smashed five consecutive sixes in a row against defending champions Gujrat Titans in IPL season 16. Rinku's five sixes in the final over took Kolkata Knight Riders to a stunning victory over Hardik's GT. Every cricket fan will remember this unforgettable moment.
6. Yusuf Pathan 100 Off 37 Balls
It is always hard to chase down a big target like 212 when the run rate gets into the double figure. Pathan scored the fastest IPL ton in 2010 against MI. He smashed nine boundaries and eight sixes in the incredible innings of 37 balls. Unfortunately, his century was not enough for Rajasthan to win the high-scoring thriller game against Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians.
7. McCullum's 158 Off 73 Balls Against RCB
McCullum smashed an unbeaten knock of 158 runs with ten fours and 13 sixes in his innings. KKR put a massive score of 222 runs on the board. On the other hand, RCB scored 82 runs in 15.1 overs for the loss of 10 wickets. Kolkata registered a remarkable victory of 140 runs over RCB.
8. Gayle’s 175 Off 66 Balls
Chris Gayle was one of the most dangerous players in cricket. This 175 run knock was one of the most memorable moments in the IPL history. It is the highest individual score in the IPL to date. Gayle smashed Pune bowlers in all corners of the ground, and it seemed impossible to stop him on that day.
9. Kohli's Golden IPL Season 2016
Virat Kohli is one of the finest batters in the history of IPL and world cricket. Kohli holds the record for most runs in a single IPL 2016 season. He scored 973 runs for RCB; he was in his best form in 2016, and he scored 4 tons and seven fifties in the 2016 IPL season. Unfortunately, RCB lost the IPL final against Warner's Hyderabad.
10. MI Become IPL Champions In 2015
It was the tale of an epic comeback by Mumbai Indians. Men in Blue lost five matches in the first six matches in IPL, and they did not look anywhere close to making their way to playoffs. The critics had already stamped that the team was out of the race for playoffs, as they needed to win seven out of the next eight matches. After that, the game that MI showed shut the mouths of the critics. They clear their intentions that we are here to fight and win. MI secured victory in the rest of the matches, and qualified for the playoffs and won knock-out games and registered a stunning victory over Dhoni's CSK. Captain Rohit Sharma and Simmons smashed 50*(26) and 68(45) runs respectively.
