IPL 2019: 3 most mind-boggling shots of the season
The Indian Premier League is the biggest domestic cricket extravaganza in the world for a reason. The league is the perfect fusion of classic, old-school cricket and modern, unorthodox cricket; it caters to both serious cricket fans and people who watch the league purely from an entertainment point of view.
While the unorthodox shot-making and brutal six-hitting in the league are enjoyed by almost everyone, the textbook shots played by classic batsmen cater to the purists of the game -who'd otherwise have lost their sanity by now.
The T20 format, in which the IPL is played, requires great awareness of match situations, field placements and opposition strategies. Batsmen are always on their toes thinking about what shot to execute so that they can score the maximum possible runs on any given ball.
Constantly pressured by the severe constraint on the number of balls in a T20 match, the gifted batsmen end up pushing themselves and playing the most unbelievable shots to accelerate the scoring rate. Here, we look back at the three most mind-boggling shots played in IPL 2019:
#3 AB de Villiers' unbelievable one-handed swipe for six
AB de Villiers is not called 'Superman' for nothing. When he received a beamer on his chest from Mohammad Shami in the 19th over of RCB's home game against the Kings XI Punjab, he ducked, and simultaneously sent the ball soaring into the stands for a maximum.
What was even more mind-boggling about this shot is that though his eyes were off the ball and his bat was in his 'wrong' hand (his left hand), he struck the ball with great power, while simultaneously making connection at the sweet spot of his bat. For someone who is rightly called Mr. 360, there can be no 'wrong' hand, can there?