3 instances in IPL when a century came in a losing cause
Match number 22 of IPL 2023 between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium saw the home team cruise to a win, handing Nitish Rana's side their second consecutive loss.
For KKR, the standout performer was Venkatesh Iyer as the left-handed batter became only the second KKR cricketer to score a century in the IPL after the first hundred from Brendon McCullum in the inaugural match of the tournament in 2008.
Iyer's century went in vain as no other KKR batter got going, ultimately posting an easy target for the Mumbai Indians to chase. Here, we take a look at three other instances in the tournament when a century came in a losing cause:
#1 Wriddhiman Saha: 115 KXIP vs KKR, 2014 Final
Wriddhiman Saha became the first batter to score a century in an IPL final when he smashed a famous century playing for the Punjab franchise. Saha's century stole the show as big hitters like Virender Sehwag, Glenn Maxwell and David Miller failed to get going in the final.
Saha played a sublime knock, ultimately finishing with a score of 115 with eight sixes and ten boundaries. Although the wicket-keeper batter helped his side post a total in excess of 190, his knock went in vain as KKR managed to chase it down in the final over of a thrilling final.
#2 Rishabh Pant: 128* DD vs SRH, 2018
Rishabh Pant scored his first and only century in the tournament during the 2018 edition of the tournament as he smashed an unbeaten 128 against SRH. After his side lost early wickets, Pant took the attack to the opposition and played a fearless knock, hitting the SRH bowlers all around the park.
In 20 overs, Delhi finished at 187/5 which was chased quite comfortably by the opposition batters. Shikhar Dhawan (92*) and Kane Williamson (83*) ensured there were no hiccups during the run-chase as SRH won the game by 9 wickets.
#3 Sachin Tendulkar: 100* MI vs KTK, 2011
Sachin Tendulkar scored his first IPL hundred in 2011 when he smashed an unbeaten 100 against Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Batting first, Tendulkar and Ambati Rayudu propelled the Mumbai Indians to a score of 182/2 in their 20 overs. Tendulkar hit three sixes and 12 boundaries and scored at a strike rate of 151.51.
The Kochi batters, however, chased down the target in 19 overs, riding on the back of explosive half-centuries from Brendon McCullum and skipper Mahela Jayawardene.