6 best knocks in losing causes in IPL history | Looking at the best batting knocks in losing causes after Sanju Samson’s century for Royals vs Kings
The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League has begun in a grand style. There have already been some spectacular individual performances especially by the Indian players in the IPL this season.
One of those brilliant performances was the knock of 119 runs off 63 balls by Sanju Samson against the Punjab Kings, which unfortunately ended in a losing cause. There are several instances of a magnificent knock coming in losing causes in IPL history. In this article, I am going to highlight six such knocks; Samson’s knock being the first one. Here we go.
Sanju Samson: 119 (63) vs Punjab Kings, 2021
This was the first game for Sanju Samson as captain of Rajasthan Royals. After opting to bowl first, all the RR bowlers except the young Chetan Sakariya fell prey to the dynamic batting line up of PBKS and RR were set a target of a mammoth 222.
RR suffered a poor start to the chase as they lost both of their openers for just 25 runs. Problems got aggravated as they lost their most prolific batsman Jos Buttler at a score of mere 70 and still needed 152 runs from 75 balls to win.
In such a scenario, the task of Sanju Samson was to not only score at a rapid pace, but also play till the end. He did that in a much matured manner by stitching 2 brilliant partnerships of 53 off 31 balls and 52 off 22 balls with Shivam Dube and Riyan Parag respectively. His contribution was 54 off 27 in both these partnerships combined. After Parag got out, he carried the chase singlehandedly and scored 36 out of the remaining 42 runs of their innings from just 14 balls.
What was special about this knock was the way Samson guided the chase alongside the youngsters after the dismissal of Stokes and Buttler. He batted like a senior pro. Unfortunately, he couldn’t clear the fence in the last ball. Although RR lost the game, Sanju must be proud of his efforts and this knock will definitely give him a lot of confidence to lead his side from the front in IPL 2021.
Yusuf Pathan: 100 (37) vs Mumbai Indians, 2010
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I would like to term this as one of the most stunning knocks I have ever seen in the IPL history. This was the 2nd match of the 3rd edition of the IPL. After opting to bat first, MI posted a huge total of 212 runs, courtesy half centuries from Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary.
Chasing 213, RR’s innings was derailed as they lost 4 wickets in just 66 runs and needed 147 runs from just 64 balls to win at a point of time with Yusuf Pathan still at the crease as their lone hope. Known for his effortless striking, Yusuf unleashed himself in a brutal manner and raced to his hundred in just 37 balls. He mostly targeted the spinners and smashed 9 fours and 8 huge sixes on his way to this sparkling century.
He was dismissed in the most unfortunate manner, i.e. run out, when RR still needed 40 runs from 17 balls. His wicket shifted the match into Mumbai’s favour and they snatched the game by just 4 runs despite valiant efforts from Paras Dogra (scored 41 off 29). This was the fastest century in the IPL at that time and the record was broken 3 years later by Chris Gayle against the Pune Warriors. It still stands as the second-fastest century in the IPL history and the fastest by an Indian batsman.
Suresh Raina: 87 (25) vs Kings XI Punjab, 2014
I would term it as one of the neatest knocks in the history of IPL. Fondly regarded as the Mr. IPL, Raina’s blistering knock almost made it look possible for CSK to chase a huge total of 227 in the second qualifier of IPL 2014.
After being asked to bat first, the Kings XI Punjab posted a big total of 226 runs as Virender Sehwag played a stupendous knock of 122 runs off just 58 balls. Chasing 227, CSK started in a poor manner by losing one of their key batsmen, Faf du Plessis, in the 2nd ball of the innings. After that, it started raining boundaries as Raina entered the crease. He utilized the powerplay to perfection and CSK raced to 100 in just around 6 overs
Then occurred a terrible miscommunication between he and Brendon McCullum, and Raina went back to the dugout with frustration after being runout. He had scored 87 out of a total of 100 runs by then and it took him just 25 balls to score these priceless runs. He mercilessly attacked the Punjab bowlers especially Parvinder Awana and Sandeep Sharma and hit 12 gorgeous fours and six huge sixes on the course of this brutal knock.
CSK needed 127 runs off 83 balls with 7 wickets in hand when he got out. With MCcullum present at the crease and the likes of Dhoni, Jadeja and David Hussey still to come, this was very much gettable in Mumbai. However, they lost the momentum and went on to lose the match by 24 runs and this knock ended in a losing cause despite being a match winning one.
Wriddhiman Saha: 115 (55) vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 2014
Generally, Wriddhiman Saha is seldom rated as a T20 batsman. However, he has played some wonderful knocks in the IPL and this is the best one among them. After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, Punjab didn’t have the ideal start as they lost both Virender Sehwag and the skipper, George Bailey, at a score of just 30 runs in 5.1 overs.
Then came to the crease Wriddhiman Saha and joined with Manan Vohra. In the next 12 overs, they both formed a magnificent stand of 129 runs and ensured that Punjab would certainly post a defendable total. Saha was the wrecker-in-chief as he smashed 115 runs off just 55 balls with the help of 10 fours and 8 sixes, which played a key role in Punjab posting a big total of 199 in the all important Final. His extremely welltimed shots were eye-pleasing and the way he paced his innings was exemplary. Although KKR chased the target with 3 balls to spare, this knock still remains one of the bests being played in an IPL final.
Rishabh Pant: 128* (63) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2018
This knock is special in the sense that Rishabh Pant was the one man army for Delhi that night. After opting to bat first, Delhi suffered a disastrous start as they lost 3 wickets for just 43 runs in 7.4 overs, with Shakib picking 2 important wickets of Prithvi Shaw and Jason Roy.
The game was in Delhi and playing strokes freely was not an easy task on that turning track. The way a young Rishabh Pant dealt with the best T20 spinner Rashid Khan on that kind of a track was outstanding. He hit 4 fours and a six against Rashid. He then went after Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the best bowler of SRH, and hit 43 runs from just 11 balls against him, with 26 runs coming from the last 5 balls of the innings (2 fours, 3 consecutive sixes). Such a mind blowing knock of 128* off just 63 balls made Delhi post a respectable total of 187 on the board. Although Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson chased it with ease for SRH, Pant’s knock is still regarded as one of the best IPL knocks by an Indian batsman.
Hardik Pandya: 91 (34) vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 2019
This is one of my all-time favourite knocks in the IPL, albeit in a losing cause. It was the 47th game of IPL 2019 and after being asked to bat first, KKR posted a mammoth total of 232, thanks to half centuries from Shubman Gill and Chris Lynn and a brutal knock of 80 off just 40 balls by Andre Russell.
Chasing a total of 233 in 20 overs is an extremely difficult task on any ground and the hopes of MI sank further as they went on to lose their top four for just 58 runs in 8.2 overs. With the asking rate touching 15 runs an over, Hardik Pandya went to the middle and what followed next was nothing short of absolute carnage by the swashbuckling all rounder from Baroda. He launched six after six especially against the KKR spinners Sunil Narine and Piyush Chawla and scored the fastest fifty of the season in just 17 balls.
Hardik turned out to be more brutal than Russell and played a breathtaking knock of 91 from just 34 balls, which included 6 fours and 9 monstrous sixes. He didn’t get enough support by others and Mumbai Indians eventually lost the game by 34 runs. But, it was his knock that wrecked havoc in the opposition camp for a certain period of time and proved to be vital in reducing the margin of defeat.
So, this is my list of 6 best knocks those came in a losing cause in the IPL. Do any others come to mind? Have your say!
Written by Debashish Sarangi. Follow Debashish on Twitter today.
