Top 5 knocks which set the tone for a Successful IPL Campaign (In the League Stages)

Top 5 knocks which set the tone for a Successful IPL Campaign (In the League Stages): In this game of cricket there have been certain individuals who have produced performances which have always inspired, uplifted the teams to perform lot better than they did or what was expected from them. There are times when a player decides to take it on his head the responsibility of changing the fortunes of the team and on singular excellence change the tide of the match. Here is a compilation of the Top 5 knocks which set the tone for a successful IPL campaigns for their teams: 1. M.S. Dhoni 54* off 29 balls vs KXIP, Dharamshala, 2010: MS Dhoni scored 54* from 29 balls and won a match which at one stage looked out of their grasp.(Photo Source: BCCI) It was a do or die, game for the men in yellow to make it to the Knockouts and Punjab had set a daunting target of 193 at the picturesque Dharamshala. The chase was executed typically according to the strategy of “take it till the last and Dhoni will win it for you from there”. 16 were needed of the last over from Irfan Pathan. MSD was on strike and the rest as they say was history 4,2,6,6 and CSK won with two balls to spare. The skipper scored 54* from 29 balls and won a match which at one stage looked out of their grasp. 2. Yusuf Pathan 72 off 22 balls vs SRH, Kolkata, 2014: Yusuf scored 72 from 22 balls. (© Getty Images) KKR were assured of a spot in the knockouts but needed to chase 161 in 15.2 over’s in their final league match to make it to the top 2 at the end of league stages. Yusuf who had until then not scored a single fifty in the past three years walked out to bat and played the innings of his life. This power packed knock consisted of seven sixes and five fours, dispatching the SRH bowlers all around the Eden Gardens. Yusuf scored 72 from 22 balls, he not only won KKR the match but inside the required margin of balls to help them climb to no. 2. 3. Gautam Gambhir 93 off 51 balls vs RCB, Kolkata, 2012: Gautam is a captain who leads by example and this knock is a testimony to the fact. (Photo Source: BCCI) Gautam is a captain who leads by example and this knock is a testimony to the fact. What makes this knock special was it came at their home ground, a slow, turning wicket where they set modest totals batting first and bamboozled the opposition with their spinners and medium pacers. Gambhir fell short of a well deserved hundred as he got out for 93, but till then he had ensured the team was set to reach a par score. They did and comfortably won the game by 47 runs. 4. Rohit Sharma 74* off 50 balls vs DD, Mumbai, 2013: This responsible innings from Rohit is likely to have earned him the captaincy. (Photo Source: BCCI) Mumbai Indians were struggling upfront in the season with their captain Ricky Ponting failing miserably both as a captain and a batsman. This responsible innings from Rohit is likely to have earned him the captaincy. He rotated the strike when Dinesh Karthik was going all guns blazing and later took it upon himself to finish the innings, for his team as he scored 74*. Eventually, Rohit was offered captaincy mid-way through the season. 5. Graeme Smith 91 off 51 balls vs CSK, Chennai, 2008: Graeme Smith scored 91 from 51 balls in what we can safely term his best IPL innings. (Photo Source: AFP) Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings were the best two teams in the competition. This game was an early indicator of where the trophy would end up going to. RR batted first and Graeme Smith who was in fine form throughout the 2008 season played a stellar knock. The innings was a complete one, with several of his classical cover drives, straight bat hits over deep long and slog sweep over deep square leg. Smith scored 91 from 51 balls in what we can safely term his best IPL innings.