IPL 2021: Top 5 memorable opening partnerships in the history of the tournament
The league has seen some world-class opening pairs in its 13 seasons.
4. Murali Vijay- Michael Hussey
For any successful team, having two good openers batting at the top is very important. For Chennai Super Kings, their success in the years 2010 and 2011 wouldn’t have been possible without their two openers, Murali Vijay and Michael Hussey. In the 2010 IPL, Matthew Hayden had opened the innings for CSK with Vijay. But, Hayden’s form became a concern when they travelled to South Africa for the Champions League.
Captain MS Dhoni pulled a trick off his sleeves as he introduced Hussey as Vijay’s new opening partner. In the final of the competition, the two produced a match-winning century stand to beat South Africa’s Warriors franchise. Eventually, Dhoni decided to stick to the same combination when he got back both of them for the IPL 2011.
In the final of IPL 2011, they produced a partnership of 159 runs in 15 overs to help the franchise win their second title on the trot. They followed that up with another successful opening stand of 87 in the 2012 final, but unfortunately, they lost to Kolkata in that game. Vijay and Hussey came up with memorable stands even in the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
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