Harbhajan Singh breaks a few IPL batting records
No batsman was able to stay out there for long, none of them were hitting boundaries and the runs were coming at the pace of a Test match. In the end, it was a Punjabi who blasted the Kings XI Punjab bowlers for the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The Mumbai Indians were chasing the target of 178 set by Kings XI Punjab and lost their skipper Rohit Sharma on the second ball and the team was on the back-foot straightaway. The wickets kept falling and the team could get to only 17/3 at the end of powerplay and 32/4 at the end of 10 overs.
The home team needed 118 runs in the last six overs to win the match with four wickets in hand. There was no hope of any miracle to happen either. But the vastly experienced Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh decided to deal with the situation on his own. He just played in his natural style – smashing whatever he could. He began by hitting three consecutive fours in the four balls he faced.
Harbhajan ended up with 64 in 24 balls with five fours and six sixes. He got to his 50 in just 19 balls batting at No.8 and broke some important batting records in his innings. The team fell short by 18 runs.
Here are some of his feats:
Fastest half-centuries for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League
|
Balls |
Batsman |
Final score |
Against |
Venue |
Date |
Result |
|
19 |
Harbhajan Singh |
64 (24) |
Kings XI Punjab |
Wankhede |
12-Apr-15 |
Lost |
|
20 |
Kieron Pollard |
66* (27) |
Sunrisers Hyderabad |
Wankhede |
13-May-13 |
Won |
|
21 |
Dwayne Smith |
68 (28) |
Chennai Super Kings |
Delhi |
21-May-13 |
Lost |
|
23 |
Sachin Tendulkar |
63 (32) |
Delhi Daredevils |
Delhi |
17-Mar-10 |
Won |
|
25 |
Sanath Jayasuriya |
114* (48) |
Chennai Super Kings |
Wankhede |
14-May-08 |
Won |
|
25 |
Corey Anderson |
95* (44) |
Rajasthan Royals |
Wankhede |
25-May-14 |
Won |
Harbhajan Singh now holds the record of scoring the fastest 50 in IPL despite the team having had players like Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Smith and Rohit Sharma in it.
Fastest half-centuries in the Indian Premier League
|
Balls |
Batsman |
Final score |
For |
Against |
Venue |
Date |
Result |
|
15 |
Yusuf Pathan |
72 (22) |
Kolkata Knight Riders |
Sunrisers Hyderabad |
Kolkata |
24-May-14 |
Won |
|
16 |
Suresh Raina |
87 (25) |
Chennai Super Kings |
Kings XI Punjab |
Mumbai (WS) |
30-May-14 |
Lost |
|
17 |
Adam Gilchrist |
85 (35) |
Deccan Chargers |
Delhi Daredevils |
Centurion |
22-May-09 |
Won |
|
17 |
Chris Gayle |
175* (66) |
Royal Challengers Bangalore |
Pune Warriors India |
Bangalore |
23-Apr-13 |
Won |
|
19 |
Robin Uthappa |
51 (21) |
Royal Challengers Bangalore |
Kings XI Punjab |
Bangalore |
16-Mar-10 |
Won |
|
19 |
Harbhajan Singh |
64 (24) |
Mumbai Indians |
Kings XI Punjab |
Mumbai (WS) |
12-Apr-15 |
Lost |
Harbhajan Singh is the only lower order player to score 50 in less than 20 balls in the IPL.
Highest individual scores batting at No.8 in T20 cricket
|
Runs |
Batsman |
Fours |
Sixes |
S/R |
Team |
Opposition |
Venue |
Date |
Result |
|
79* (44) |
Abongile Sodumo |
7 |
4 |
179.54 |
Border |
E. Province |
East London |
13-Nov-11 |
Lost |
|
65 (26) |
Ruchira Palliyaguruge |
2 |
8 |
250.00 |
Saracens |
Chilaw |
Colombo (Bloomfield) |
03-Mar-07 |
Won |
|
64 (24) |
Harbhajan Singh |
5 |
6 |
266.66 |
Mum Indians |
Kings XI |
Mumbai |
12-Apr-15 |
Lost |
|
63* (27) |
Robbie Frylinck |
4 |
6 |
233.33 |
Dolphins |
Lahore Lions |
Bangalore |
27-Sep-14 |
Lost |
|
63 (44) |
Tyron Henderson |
4 |
3 |
143.18 |
Kent |
Hampshire |
Beckenham |
02-Jul-06 |
Won |
No batsman had scored 50+ while batting at No.8 or lower in the IPL. Harbhajan became the first to do so and his 64 (24) is the third highest individual score at No.8 in overall T20 cricket.