IPL 2017: Top 10 five-fors in the IPL
T20 cricket is a fickle format. In the shortest format of the game, the best of the best may end up failing while some relatively unknown players perform above all odds. Taking five wickets in just 24 deliveries is no joke. Several quality bowlers have tried, but many have ended up short.
The task of bowling to aggressive batsmen in small grounds is a nightmare of a task, let alone taking a bunch of wickets. However, there have been a few instances where the bowlers have reigned supreme and dominated an IPL game from start to finish.
With IPL 2017 about to begin, let us see ten such instances in the past where a bowler has picked up five wickets in an IPL game:
#1 Anil Kumble (for Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals, 18th April 2009)
It’s game one of IPL-2 and the vociferous Newlands crowd welcomed the mother of all cricket carnivals into their country with great pomp. Opting to bat first, RCB managed to creep past 130 thanks to vital contributions from Rahul Dravid and Kevin Pietersen. Chasing a relatively easy target, defending champions Rajasthan Royals couldn’t get going as they lost half their side for a paltry 28.
With the introduction of the Bangalore team’s lead bowler, it was just a matter of time before the tail was removed. Kumble picked up his first in his second over as Yusuf Pathan fell to a half-tracker. Ravindra Jadeja was the next pawn to fall as he was dismissed the very next ball. Opposition captain Shane Warne fell victim to a classic googly, making him Kumble’s third scalp for the evening. Two deliveries later, Sohail Tanvir threw away his wicket, miss-hitting a swipe.
The veteran spinner wrapped it up in the fifteenth over of the game as debutant Kamran Khan edged a straighter one to the keeper. Kumble ended up with astounding figures of 5/5 in 3.1 overs. The first game of IPL-2 produced the only five-wicket-haul in the entire tournament.