IPL 2020: 5 most expensive overs this season
The 13th edition of the IPL (Indian Premier League) witnessed some stellar individual performances, especially in batting. The COVID-19 pandemic meant that IPL 2020 had to be moved from its original slot in April/May to later in the year, and it had to be held outside India..
The shift in venue to the UAE threw in new and unexpected challenges to all the teams in IPL 2020. While Indian pitches offer good turn for the spinners, the ones in UAE proved to be move favourable for the pacers; nevertheless, the batsmen flourished the most and scored runs aplenty.
Five most expensive overs in IPL 2020
IPL 2020 was generally a mixed bag for bowlers, with some of them being taken to the cleaners by batsmen, who helped their franchises put up big scores or chase them down with elan.
With batsmen smashing the ball to all corners of the park, especially in Sharjah, IPL 2020 witnessed a lot of expensive and game-changing overs. On that note, let us have a look at the five most expensive overs in the 2020 edition of the IPL.
#T1 30 runs - RR against KXIP
(Sheldon Cottrell to Rahul Tewatia)
Who could forget the over that made Rahul Tewatia an overnight star? Tewatia plundering 30 runs off a Sheldon Cottrell over would undoubtedly remain etched in the minds of cricket fans for a long time.
What Tewatia pulled off was an absolute carnage in Sharjah as he helped Rajasthan Royals secure, what looked like an improbable chase of a 224-run target against Kings XI Punjab. That over from Cottrell read 6-6-6-6-0-6.
#T1 30 runs - RR vs CSK
(Lungi Ngidi to Jofra Archer)
Jofra Archer, more renowned for his blistering pace, provided a rousing demonstration of his clean hitting ability in IPL 2020.
Against the Chennai Super Kings, Archer smashed pacer Lungi Ngidi for 26 runs in an over, doing so at a strike rate of over 350. The 9-ball over from Ngidi read 6-6-NB+6-NB+6-0+WD-0-1-1-1.
The 30-run over made it one of the most expensive 20th overs in an IPL innings.
#2 28 runs - KXIP vs SRH
(Abdul Samad to Nicholas Pooran)
In what could be regarded as one of the most blistering innings in this year's edition of the IPL, Nicholas Pooran smashed SRH's young Abdul Samad for 28 runs in an over. The over read 6-4-6-6-6-0.
In the process, Pooran also scored the fastest 50 in IPL 2020, doing so off just 17 balls. He went on to score a brilliant 77 off just 30 deliveries.
#3 27 runs - (MI vs RCB)
(Adam Zampa to Kieron Pollard)
With Mumbai Indians (MI) starring down the barrel against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), MI vice-captain Kireon Pollard stepped out to bat. He thrashed the RCB spinner Adam Zampa to all corners of the ground to score 27 runs in the over which read 4-6-6-2-6-3.
Thanks to the big Caribbean's blistering knock, Mumbai Indians forced a super over, where they eventually came up short. Nevertheless, Pollard's knock kept Mumbai in contention till the very end.
#4 26 runs - MI vs RR
(Ankit Rajpoot to Hardik Pandya)
Can one talk about big hitters and not take Hardik Pandya's name? Definitely not!
The younger of the two Pandya brothers, Hardik smashed Rajasthan Royals' Ankit Rajpoot for 26 runs off just six balls.
Pandya went on to score 60 off just 21 balls in that innings, which was the fourth-fastest half-century in IPL 2020. During that knock, Pandya also took a knee to dedicate his brilliant knock to the 'Black Lives Matter' movement.
Ankit Rajpoot, on the other hand, ended his quota of four overs by giving away as many as 60 runs at an economy rate of 15 runs per over. Even though the Royals managed to win the game, Pandya stole the limelight with his cracker of an innings.