5 most iconic player battles in IPL history
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most prestigious T20 franchise league in the world, and sees the best players from all over the world play both with and against each other.
5 most iconic player battles in IPL history
We have seen international teammates face off in even contests between bat and ball that now have an added subtext. We have also seen the biggest international rivalries played with the same intensity in franchise clothing.
Over the years in the IPL, we have seen many such battles as close friends and fierce rivals look to get the wood over one another. Ahead of the 2020 edition of the IPL, we take a look at the 5 most iconic player battles in the history of the tournament.
#5 Harbhajan Singh vs Suresh Raina
Harbhajan Singh might be teammates with Suresh Raina at CSK at the moment but while the former was at the Mumbai Indians (MI), many a battle ensued between the 2011 World Cup winners.
With both players having been mainstays of their respective sides, Bhajji bowled to Raina in almost every MI vs CSK game. Harbhajan managed to dismiss the CSK vice-captain on 5 occasions, 3 times via a catch and twice stumped. Only Chris Gayle has been dismissed an equal number of times by the off-spinner.
Raina, on the other hand, experienced reasonable success against MI while Harbhajan was part of the side. With an average of 33.71 and strike rate of 145.08, the elegant southpaw scored 708 runs against the 4-time IPL champions.
This rivalry is currently restricted to the CSK nets, as Raina and Harbhajan attempt to bring MS Dhoni's side their 4th IPL title.