5 funniest on-field moments in IPL 2023
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 culminated with a sensational climax as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated the Gujarat Titans (GT) in a nail-biting last-ball finish in Ahmedabad on Monday, May 29.
Chasing 171 runs in 15 overs for victory, the CSK batters held their nerves and paced their way to a magnificent win to script another chapter in their storied history.
With the win, Chennai also equaled the Mumbai Indians' record for the most titles won (5) in IPL history.
This IPL featured some memorable performances from several uncapped Indian players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, and Akash Madhwal, among others.
The season also saw the resurgence of a few IPL stars like Piyush Chawla and Mohit Sharma.
Nevertheless, with all the high-octane action unfolding, there were also some lighter moments on the field, providing fans with joy and a sense of togetherness amidst the fierce competition.
On that note, let's look at the five funniest on-field moments in IPL 2023.
#1 David Warner's sword celebration to imitate Ravindra Jadeja
The final weekend of the league stages produced the most hilarious moment of the season in the clash between Chennai and the Delhi Capitals (DC).
The incident involved the DC skipper David Warner and the CSK all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
During the second innings, Warner attempted a run with the fielder shying at the stumps. He made his ground initially but stepped out again to steal a run upon seeing the ball head toward Ajinkya Rahane.
The Delhi skipper was outside the crease, forcing Rahane to throw at the stumps. The ball then went to Jadeja on the opposite side, and he mock-attempted to run Warner out.
After staring at Jadeja for a few seconds, Warner willowed his bat by doing the former's iconic sword-waving celebration, inducing laughter from both the players and a few others on the field.
Unfortunately, the moment was one of the rare fun moments for the Capitals on the field, as they suffered another crushing defeat by 77 runs.
It was their final game of a season in which they never took off and finished second to bottom on the points table.
#2 3 RR fielders collide before Trent Boult completes the catch
In the first meeting between the IPL 2022 finalists, Gujarat and the Rajasthan Royals (RR) produced one of the most comical and dramatic dismissals.
GT wicketkeeper batter Wriddhiman Saha was early on his flick in the third ball of the innings, producing a leading edge that went straight up in the air off the bowling of Trent Boult.
Fielders from point and mid-wicket, along with the wicketkeeper, converged in an attempt to take the catch.
However, the lack of calling led to a collision between the two fielders, resulting in wicketkeeper Sanju Samson failing to grab the catch. But in a moment of good fortune for the Royals, the ball popped up to Boult, who was ball-watching, and he completed the catch.
Rajasthan ended up winning the game in the final over to move up to the top of the points table with their fourth win in five games.
However, the team cooled off since that game and made a shocking exit without qualifying for the playoffs.
#3 Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell play Stone-Paper-Scissor during a DRS review
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) stars Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell were caught playing stone-paper-scissor during their match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS).
The hilarious moment transpired during a DRS review in the 11th over of PBKS' run chase when wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma was given out LBW off Harshal Patel.
RCB won the game comfortably by 24 runs despite the DRS decision being overturned in PBKS' favor.
However, inconsistencies in batting and bowling at different stages of the season proved detrimental as Bangalore narrowly missed out on playoff qualification with a defeat in their final game against the Gujarat Titans.
#4 Andre Russell's peculiar act at the non-strikers' end
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Andre Russell produced one of the most strange and funny moments of IPL 2023 when he took guard at the non-striker end facing deep midwicket as Kuldeep Yadav was about to deliver the hattrick delivery.
The Delhi Capitals (DC) slow-left-arm bowler picked up wickets off consecutive balls to reduce KKR to 93/8 in the 15th over.
With Kuldeep about to deliver the hat-trick ball to Umesh Yadav, Russell was performing this hilarious act at the other end.
Despite the comical moment, the West Indian all-rounder was the lone warrior for KKR. He smashed an unbeaten 38 from 31 balls to take the team to a total of 127 to offer some semblance of respectability.
However, DC chased the paltry total down in the last over with four wickets in hand to record their first win of the season.
#5 Wriddhiman Saha wearing his trousers in reverse leaves skipper Hardik Pandya bursting into laughter
Gujarat Titans (GT) wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha was involved in a laugh-worthy moment when he rushed out to the field with his trousers in reverse against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Ahmedabad.
Batting first, Saha led GT to a massive score of 227/2 in their 20 overs, scoring 81 off only 43 deliveries.
Considering the heat of the afternoon game, GT decided to substitute KS Bharat for Saha. However, the umpires did not allow the move leading to a brief delay, after which the 38-year-old was made to rush back onto the field.
It was clear that Saha was not prepared to return and was observed wearing his trouser in reverse, leading skipper Hardik Pandya and pacer Mohammed Shami to burst out in laughter.