5 best IPL knocks at the Eden Gardens ft. Jos Buttler
Eden Gardens in Kolkata, one of the most iconic cricket stadiums in the world, has been home to many historic international and IPL matches over the years. The stadium in Kolkata is known to suit batters and allow them to play their shots freely, while also providing some help for bowlers.
Till now, 89 matches have been played at Eden Gardens in IPL history, and fans have witnessed some amazing knocks. The most recent addition came on April 16 in the 31st match of IPL 2024. The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), after being asked to bat first, scored 223 runs, thanks to a brilliant century by Sunil Narine. The KKR opener scored 109 runs in 56 balls.
However, Narine’s innings was overpowered by Jos Buttler, who singlehandedly won the match for the Rajasthan Royals (RR). The English batter remained unbeaten with 107 runs off 60 balls. His innings included nine fours and six sixes, guiding the Royals to their sixth win of the tournament.
However, these two knocks were the latest additions to a long history of iconic knocks at Eden Gardens in IPL history. On that note, we will take a look at the top five IPL knocks at the Eden Garden Stadium, Kolkata.
Top 5 knocks at Eden Gardens in IPL
#5 Vintage Yusuf Pathan innings at Eden Gardens in IPL 2014 (72 off 22 balls)
Match 54 of the IPL 2014 pitted Kolkata against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). KKR won the toss and decided to bowl first. Batting first, no Hyderabad batter managed to score a big innings, and small contributions from several players guided them to a score of 160 runs.
KKR needed to win the match in 15.2 overs if they wanted to finish in the top 2. Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa started well for Kolkata, but it was Yusuf Pathan who guided them to glory. The Indian batter went berserk and scored 72 runs in only 22 balls. His innings was studded with five fours and seven sixes, guiding his team to a memorable win.
Kolkata managed to chase down the target in 14.2 and secure second place in the points table. Later on, Kolkata went on to win their second IPL title by defeating Kings XI Punjab.
#4 Chris Gayle powers RCB to a thumping win over Kolkata in 2011 (102* off 55 balls)
Kolkata faced RCB in the 24th match of IPL 2011. Bangalore won the toss and invited KKR to bat first, who, thanks to some handy contributions from Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan, managed to put up a decent total of 171 runs.
However, Chris Gayle made things look very easy in the second inning. The RCB opener scored a brilliant century, as he remained unbeaten on 102 runs in 55 balls. His innings included 10 fours and seven sixes, guiding RCB to a victory with 11 balls remaining.
#3 Rajat Patidar takes RCB one step closer to the IPL 2022 final (112* off 54 balls)
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) won the toss and elected to bowl first in the Eliminator match of IPL 2022 held at Eden Gardens. RCB didn’t start well as Faf du Plessis got out on a duck, and soon after Virat Kohli was out for 25. However, Rajat Patidar had some other plans; he went crazy and hit LSG’s bowlers to every part of the ground.
The Indian batter remained unbeaten on 112 runs in 54 balls; his innings were studded with 12 fours and seven innings, guiding RCB to a mammoth total of 207 runs.
In response, KL Rahul and Deepak Hooda battled for LSG but couldn't take them over the line as they fell short by 14 runs. Meanwhile, Rajat Patidar was also declared the Man of the Match for his brilliant innings.
#2 Sunil Narine show at Eden Grdens in IPL 2024 (109 off 56 balls)
Rajasthan Royals won the toss and invited Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to bat first in the 31st match of IPL 2024. However, things didn’t go in RR’s favor, as Sunil Narine went berserk, scoring a brilliant century.
The West Indian player scored 109 runs in 56 balls; his innings included 13 fours and sixes, guiding KKR to a total of 223 runs. Later on, Narine also took two crucial wickets, but Jos Buttler had some other plans as he won the watch for RR in a tough situation. Nevertheless, Narine’s innings got etched in the history books as one of the finest knocks at Eden Gardens.
#1 Jos Buttler shows who’s the real boss in a tough chase in IPL 2024 (107* in 60 balls)
It was in the same match that Sunil Narine scored an amazing century to guide KKR to a mammoth total of 223 runs. RR was in a terrible position at one moment; after 12.2 overs, they were 121-6. However, Jos Buttler kept scoring from one end, and later in the innings, he was supported by Rovman Powell, who scored 26 on 13 balls.
Meanwhile, RR needed nine runs off the final over. Jos hit the first ball of Varun Chakaravarthy for a six, which also brought up his hundred. After that, he played three dot balls and then took a double on the penultimate delivery. RR needed one run in one delivery, and he hit the ball to the open mid-wicket area, guiding Rajasthan to a memorable victory.
Jos remained unbeaten on 107 runs in 60 balls; his innings was studded with nine fours and six sixes. The English batter also won the Man of the Match award for his innings.