The IPL3 was an extravaganza in itself although surrounded by too much off field muck it never failed to entertain. Close matches, great performances, power hitting and star quotient was provided in the right mix for the viewers. The Chennai Super Kings came out trumps against the talented and inform Mumbai Indians to lift the IPL3 story. Here is my take at the Hits & Misses of IPL3. The men that mattered, heart stopping action moments, great catches, the finds & the flops of the tourney and much much more.
TOP INNINGS
- Mahendra Singh Dhoni–54*vs Kings XI Punjab
45 runs needed from 19 balls was the equation. It came down to 16 needed off 6 balls. Dhoni was to face the last over to be bowled by Irfan Pathan.
Ball 1 disappeared to the fence for a 4.
Ball 2 will never ever be found again as Dhoni launched it into space.
Ball 3 was shown its way out of the stadium and the rest was HISTORY.
The emotions of Dhoni after the match where he punched himself on his cheeks like a boxer said it all and it was the most electrifying innings of this IPL.
- Yusuf Pathan- 100 vs Mumbai Indians
Mumbai scored a daunting 212. Royals were in a spot of bother at 66-4. Enter Yusuf Pathan and he walloped the Mumbai bowlers all round the ground to bring up a breathtaking century scoring a 100 in just 37 balls. With his wicket Mumbai help on to win the match but that innings from YP was just special!
- Murali Vijay- 127 vs Rajasthan Royals
Tagged as a test player Murli Vijay showed his true class with some brutal hitting. All his shots weren’t slogs but authentic cricketing shots right out of the coaching manual. It was such a special innings that it was a treat to watch.
TOP CATCHES
- David Hussey
Runs around the boundary line & takes the catch at long off. The momentum takes him inside, throws the ball back to play, comes back to take the catch. Amazing catch that!!!
- Doug Bollinger
A much tougher version of David Hussey catch. Had to judge the catch, then fell over and came back to take the catch. As Douggy described after that match. He would never probably even think of taking a catch like that.
- AB de Villers
Praveen Kumar hit the ball to long on. AB totally misjudged the flight of the ball and then readjusted and took a one handed blinder. Blinder too is very small a word to describe that catch.
THE FINDS
- Ambati Rayudu(Mumbai Indians)
He was the biggest find of the tourney. He with his delicious batting held the Mumbai inning together many a time. He also impressed with his lesser known wicketkeeping skills(who could forget that stumping of Pietersen). Rayudu is one for the future!!!
- Saurabh Tiwary(Mumbai Indians)
If Rayudu was all class Saurabh showed the brutal side of cricket. All his shots were out of the Dhoni book of batting. His shots were not aesthetic or pleasing to the eye but they were very effective that sometimes you felt it was Dhoni of the old batting left handed. With Rayudu he was one of the main reasons for Mumbai’s surge to the finals.
- Murali Vijay(Chennai Super Kings)
With Haydos terribly out of form. Vijay provided just the perfect launch pad for the players to come. His 127 was a treat to watch and he is the future of Indian cricket.
THE FLOPS
- Tilakaratne Dilshan(Delhi Daredevils)
Awfully out of form and just scoring 44 runs in 6 matches tells a story. The hard hitting Dilshan was merely reduced to a performance that earns him a top spot in the flop book.
- S Sreesanth(Kings XI Punjab)
If a consistent economy rate of 12 RPO was not enough. S Sreesanth showed the antiques that earned him a slap from Harbhajan in IPL 2. After getting hit for boundaries off a free hit, a sarcastic clap at the batsmen and the umpires aren’t going to earn you brownie points. No wonder KXIP banned him on disciplinary grounds. Total Fail.
- Yuvraj Singh(Kings XI Punjab)
Poor form, controversy and what not. Yuvi was right in the middle of it and his form was one of the main attributes that contributed toward KXIP’s downward spiraling in the table.
THE “THE MOMENTS” of IPL
Here are some moments that defined the IPL. Moments that made it fun, thrilling, electrical and a pleasure for the eyes.
- Yusuf Pathan’s heroics with the bat.
- Robin Uthappa smokin 6’s out of the ground.
- Ambati Rayudu stumping KP.
- Pollard’s 13 ball 45*.
- Murali Vijay’s classic 127.
- Doug Bollinger & David Hussey’s catch at the boundary line.
- Sachin’s Class
- Raina’s Final act.
- MRF Blimp(not for the right reasons though)
- Karbonn kamal Catch, DLF maximum & Citi moment of successes.
- KXIP’s dreadful tournament.
- Jayawardena’s 109*.
- The Super over(CSK vs KXIP).
- Praveen Kumar’s HAT TRICK.
- DC’s resurgence with 5 wins on the trot.
- Harbhajan’s 18 ball 49.
and many such more moments made the IPL that was in 2010.
Rajster's Ramblings 