10 Little known IPL facts

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the crowds favorite contest, the best players from the international cricketing arena and some of the most exciting domestic talents come together to play the 45-day extravaganza. Most of us have been following the IPL for the last 8 years and are into the 9th now and since we have seen most of it, believe we know everything about the league. But just to surprise you a bit here are the 10 little known IPL facts. 1. Chris Gayle went unsold in IPL Auction: Chris Gayle RCB. (Photo Source: BCCI) Yes, it’s true. Before the Gaylestorm took over the IPL, Chris Gayle was unsold in the IPL Auctions for the 2011 edition. He was then brought in by RCB as a replacement for injured Dirk Nannes. What followed was a magnificent display of pinch hitting throughout the tournament. He is the only cricketer to win the Orange Cap twice and missed out for the third time closely to Mike Hussey. 2. Won the IPL thrice? Rohit Sharma IPL Trophy. (Photo Source: BCCI) No team has won the IPL thrice. Yet there are 2 players who have achieved this unique feat of being a part of the winning team thrice. Yusuf Pathan won as a part of Rajasthan Royals in 2008 and with KKR in 2012 and 2014. Rohit Sharma won it with the Deccan Chargers in 2009 and led Mumbai Indians to the title in 2013 and 2015. 3. The Sixer Boss: Chris Gayle has hit the most number of sixes in IPL history. (Photo Source:BCCI) The number of sixes Chris Gayle has hit in IPL history stands at a mammoth 230. What’s more shocking is the fact that there is a difference of 80 sixes between him and the second placed Suresh Raina. He has scored above 50 sixes in a season twice in 2012 and 2013 and is the only player to do so. What is the record for the longest six in IPL? – Top 10 Longest sixes of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 4. Sohail Tanvir: Sohail Tanvir RR. (Photo Source: BCCI) Sohail Tanvir’s figures of 6/14 remain the best bowling figures by any bowler in the IPL till date. In the first season of IPL, against the Chennai Super Kings, Tanvir ripped apart the top order before coming back to clear the tailenders. He bowled a hostile opening over getting the better of both Stefen Fleming and Parthiv Patel. His outstanding figures are yet to bettered. 5. Oldest and youngest player: Sarfaraz Khan. (Photo Source: BCCI) During the IPL 8 match between RR and RCB, a unique feat happened. This match was indeed remarkable. It featured the oldest Indian player as well as the youngest Indian player of IPL 8, for the first time against each other. Pravin Tambe (43 yrs 198 days old) and Sarfaraz Khan (17 yrs 179 days old) had an age difference of a whopping 26 years! And coincidentally, this match took place on Sachin’s birthday. Which team has won most number of matches? – Teams with most wins in IPL 6. Best Partnership: AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli RCB. (Photo Source: BCCI) There have been three 200-run partnerships in the history of the IPL. The highest being 215 runs stand between Kohli and AB de Villiers for the 2nd wicket last season. Against the Mumbai Indians, RCB amassed 235 with AB de Villiers scoring a century and Kohli with a fifty in the end, they won the match by 39 runs. 7. Most successful captain: MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: BCCI) MS Dhoni is the most successful captain in the history of IPL with 79 wins to his name. He also has an outstanding success rate of 60.93 which is the best for any player who has captained in 50 or more games. Adding to that, the team he has captained has never failed to reach the semi-finals or the playoffs. They have contested in the IPL finals 6 out of 8 times. 8. Most runs in a single IPL season: Michael Hussey CSK. (Photo Source: BCCI) 733 is the most number of runs scored in a single IPL season and it has been achieved twice. Chris Gayle was the first one to do it in IPL 2012 with an outstanding average of 61.08 and a magnanimous strike rate of 160. Michael Hussey achieved the feat in IPL 2013 amassing 733 runs for CSK at an average of 52.35. Both were undoubtedly the Orange Caps for respective seasons. 9. DJ Bravo: Dwayne Bravo Purple Cap. (Photo Source: BCCI) The Champion guy, DJ Bravo was the Purple Cap winner in IPL 2015. He took a fortifying 32 wickets in the tournament which is the highest by any bowler till date. He did so at an astounding average 15.53 and an economy rate less than 8. He is also the only bowler to win the Purple Cap twice. Who are the bowlers who have won the Purple Cap? – List of Purple Cap holders in the IPL 10. Kumar Dharmasena: Umpire Kumar Dharmasena. (Photo Source: BCCI) In an umpiring record, the Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena has officiated the most number of IPL games. He has umpired in 74 IPL matches spanning 7 years. He started umpiring in IPL from the 2009 season. He has also officiated the IPL finals 3 times i.e. in 2013, 2014 and 2015.