3 best IPL centuries at the Wankhede Stadium
The Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated the Gujarat Titans (GT) by 27 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday, May 12. With this result, MI climbed to the 3rd spot in the IPL standings while GT is still at the top of the table.
Batting first, MI posted a mighty total of 218/5 at the end of 20 overs. Their batting effort was headlined by Suryakumar Yadav (103* runs off 49 balls), who struck a magnificent century. Suryakumar struck 11 boundaries and 6 maximums at a strike-rate of 210.20 in the course of his whirlwind knock.
In reply, GT were in all sorts of trouble at 103/8 off 13.2 overs. The only Titans batters who managed to go big were David Miller (41 runs off 26 balls) and Rashid Khan (79* runs off 32 balls).
Rashid struck an unbeaten half-century as he added some sort of respectability to the GT total. GT finally finished their innings at 191/8 at the end of 20 overs.
The star of the day and the man of the moment is, undoubtedly, Suryakumar Yadav. He becomes the latest member of the Mumbai Indians' squad to score a hundred in the IPL. SKY also joins the list of centurions at the prestigious Wankhede Stadium - the usual home ground for Mumbai.
Now, the question is bound to arise - Was this among the best hundreds at this venue? Let us take a look at the 3 best centuries scored at the Wankhede Stadium in IPL to find out the answer.
#1 RCB vs MI, IPL 2015 (AB de Villiers - 133* runs off 59 balls)
Batting first, RCB posted a mighty total of 235/1 at the end of 20 overs. After losing Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers joined Virat Kohli in the middle.
De Villiers (133* runs off 59 balls) struck a fantastic hundred to propel his side to a massive total of 235/1 at the end of 20 overs. The original 'Mr. 360' struck 19 boundaries and 4 maximums in the course of his swashbuckling knock at a strike-rate of 225.42.
He was well-supported by Virat Kohli (82* runs off 50 balls), who combined with one of his closest cricketing buddies to post a 215-run second wicket stand. Amazingly, this partnership came against a bowling attack consisting of Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, and Mitchell McClenaghan.
In reply, MI could muster a total of 196/7 in their run-chase. AB de Villiers was awarded the POTM award as RCB won by 39 runs. This match will always be remembered for one of the greatest partnerships between Kohli and De Villiers.
#2 RR vs PBKS, IPL 2021 (Sanju Samson - 119 runs off 63 balls)
Chasing a mighty total of 222 in 20 overs, the Rajasthan Royals were reduced to 70/3 in 7.3 overs with world-class players such as Ben Stokes and Jos Butler back in the pavilion.
It seemed all lost for RR until Sanju Samson (119 runs off 63 balls) struck a world-class hundred to almost take his side to an unlikely win. Samson stroked 12 boundaries and 7 maximums in the course of his blitzkrieg.
Needing 5 runs off the last ball, Arshdeep Singh dismissed Sanju Samson, who was one boundary away from avoiding a loss for his side. In spite of a heartbreaking defeat, it was one of those rare instances when a player from the losing side was awarded the POTM award.
#3 DC vs RR, IPL 2022 (Jos Buttler - 116 runs off 65 balls)
Batting first at the Wankhede Stadium, RR posted a mighty total of 222/2 at the end of 20 overs. Jos Buttler (116 runs off 65 balls) struck 9 fours and 9 sixes and scored at a strike-rate of 178.46.
Buttler combined with Devdutt Padikkal to post a massive opening partnership of 155 runs. He was ably supported by Padikkal (54 runs off 35 balls) and Sanju Samson (46* runs off 19 balls).
In reply, DC mustered an impressive total of 207/8 at the end of their 20 overs. DC needed 36 runs in the final over and Rovman Powell (36 runs off 15 balls) struck 3 consecutive sixes in the first three balls to make it a nail-biting finish.
However, a controversy surrounding a no-ball call at the end of the game was a bitter finish to an exciting encounter. In the end, DC fell short by 15 runs and Jos Buttler was awarded the POTM award.
With that, we complete our list of the 3 best centuries at the Wankhede Stadium. Yes, Suryakumar Yadav dazzled everyone at the elite venue with his hundred, but he isn't the first.
Can you think of any other top centuries at MI's fortress? Let us know in the comments section below.