3 greatest knocks played by an overseas batsman in IPL history
De Villiers stuns the world with his unorthodox Genius, Chris Gayle makes the crowd gape at him with the brutal power that he exhibits. If McCullum captivated the crowd with his belligerence and flamboyance, David Warner has carved a niche for himself with his unparalleled consistency. In this article, let us look at the three greatest knocks played by an overseas batsman in the IPL.
#3. Ab De Villiers- 129*(52 balls) Vs. Gujarat Lions
The Gujarat Lions was squashed to a pulp by a batting masterclass by the legendary Ab De Villiers at the Chinnaswamy stadium on 14th May 2016. The South African batting powerhouse tore apart the Gujarat bowling attack and scored a sensational 129* off just 52 deliveries.
De Villiers started his innings with a six off the second ball he faced. The ball was pitched short, and he deposited it over cover with ease. His second six showed why he is such a difficult batsman to bowl to. De Villiers initially moved towards the offside, Pravin Tambe delivered the ball on leg stump, and in a fraction of a second, De Villiers went down on one knee and smashed him behind square for another six.
The third ball of the 11th over witnessed another De Villiers special. Dhawal Kulkarni bowled a short of a length delivery, and De Villiers swatted the ball over mid-wicket with nonchalance. The master batsman brought up his fifty with a sizzling square cut, and the crowd at the Chinnaswamy stadium went delirious.
De Villiers continued the carnage with the willow. In the 15th over of the innings, he deposited Tambe over mid-wicket for a six and followed that up with a stunning square drive over point for a boundary. In the 16th over of the innings, De Villiers smashed Praveen Kumar for two consecutive sixes and dismantled the bowling attack.
De Villiers brought up his hundred with a single through the offside. It was an incredible exhibition of unorthodox batting that left the crowd gasping. After the hundred, he showed no signs of stopping. He smashed Jadeja for two consecutive sixes in the 17th over of the innings, and the bowler appeared clueless.
Off the last ball of the 18th over, the batting legend deposited Dwayne Bravo on the roof of the stadium. De Villiers finished with 128* and helped his side post a humongous total of 248 runs on the board. De Villiers' captivating hundred helped his side to wallop the Gujarat Lions by 144 runs.
#2. Brendon McCullum-158* (73 balls) Vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore
The crowd could not have expected a better start to the Indian Premier League in 2008. In the inaugural match of the cash-rich league, Brendon McCullum dazzled and sparkled his way to a whirlwind 158* for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
The dashing Kiwi batsman tore into Zaheer Khan in the second over of the innings. He first whipped the second ball over mid-wicket and followed that up with a pull in front of the square that raced to the boundary. A top edge off the next ball flew over the third man for six, and another flick followed that over mid-wicket for a boundary.
In the fourth over of the innings, McCullum smashed Ashley Noffke for two consecutive sixes. A pull shot that landed over the square leg boundary was followed by a belligerent drive over cover for six. McCullum brought up his fifty with a couple to deep mid-wicket.
In the 12th over of the innings, McCullum danced down the track with elegance and smashed Sunil Joshi over his head for six. The RCB skipper Rahul Dravid even made Cameron White roll his arm over but to no avail. White was smashed for two sixes and a boundary in the 15th over of the innings, and the RCB outfit appeared clueless. McCullum brought up his century with a couple to Long-Off. And with that, he became the first batsman to score a hundred in IPL cricket.
After the hundred, McCullum started toying with the bowling. McCullum tore into Kallis in the 19th over of the innings. A six over mid-wicket was followed up by a lusty blow over Long-on. He then smashed Kallis past cover for a boundary, and the experienced South African was taken to the cleaners.
In the final over of the innings, McCullum blasted Praveen Kumar for three sixes to finish with a colossal 158*. His knock paved the way for KKR to crush the Bangalore outfit by a whopping margin of 140 runs.
McCullum hundred
#1.Chris Gayle- 175* (66 balls) Vs. Pune Warriors India
In the 2013 edition of the IPL, Chris Gayle etched his name in the record books courtesy a knock that will forever be etched in IPL folklore. In an exhibition of brutal power, Gayle scored a sensational 175* and in the process, created a plethora of records in T20 cricket. His 175* is the highest individual score in T20 cricket, he smashed the fastest hundred in the T20 format off just 30 balls and is the only batsman to have scored over a hundred runs in sixes alone (17 sixes) in a T20 inning.
The Jamaican legend tore apart Ishwar Pandey in the second over of the innings. He smashed five fours off Pandey, and the momentum swung in favor of the Bangalore side right from the outset. Gayle welcomed Mitchell Marsh to the bowling crease with a towering six over Long-On and followed that up with another six over cover. Two more sixes off the last two balls completed Marsh’s miserable over.
The eighth over bowled by Finch witnessed Gayle at his savage best. He smashed four sixes and a boundary off the left-arm spinner and clobbered him for 29 runs in an over. The crowd was enjoying every moment of it, as Gayle stamped his authority over the opposition. The West Indian batting legend brought up his hundred with a six off Ashok Dinda that landed on the roof. Gayle reached his hundred off just 30 balls, and reached triple figures in the 9th over of the innings,
After reaching his hundred, Gayle was again unstoppable. He smashed Mitchell Marsh over mid-wicket for a colossal six, and all that the bowler could do was gape at Gayle in sheer disbelief. Gayle then smashed left-arm spinner Murtaza for four sixes in an over and brought up his 150 in style.
Gayle’s final six came off the first ball of the 20th over. Dinda bowled the ball on off stump, Gayle gave himself some room and smashed him over cover for a six. Gayle’s 175* allowed the RCB side to post the highest total in IPL history. They finished with 263/5 and thrashed the Pune outfit by a margin of 130 runs.