IPL 2021: 3 players who hold unexpected records in the T20 league
IPL franchises are gearing up for the second half of the IPL 2021, which will be held in the UAE from September 19. The franchises are going all out to prepare for the resumption of the tournament.
Every year, the IPL sees a number of records being created and broken. The Indian leg of IPL 2021 saw Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli become the first batter in the history of the T20 event to score over 6,000 runs.
Further, the legendary MS Dhoni also played his 200th match for Chennai Super Kings. RCB pacer Harshal Patel also created history, becoming the first bowler to claim a five-for against defending champions Mumbai Indians.
IPL records held by players that will surprise you
While Kohli scoring IPL most runs and Chris Gayle smashing the fastest centuries in the IPL are on expected lines, there are a few IPL all time records held by players that will surprise you. Take a look.
#1 KL Rahul - Fastest fifty
One would typically associate someone like a Gayle or AB de Villiers, who are explosive hitters, to hold the record for the fastest fifty in the IPL. But it is the more sublime KL Rahul who has achieved the feat. The current Punjab Kings skipper broke the record for the fastest fifties in IPL history when he hammered a fifty off 14 balls against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Mohali during the 2018 edition.
In the second match of IPL 2018, Rahul punished DC bowlers in a sensational exhibition of hitting. PBKS were set to chase a competitive 167 in the contest but Rahul made the result a formality, striking 51 in 16 balls. The opener clobbered six fours and four sixes during his short but adventurous stay at the crease.
Rahul began by walloping Trent Boult for a six and two fours off consecutive balls. The third over, bowled by Amit Mishra, went for 24 as Rahul slammed two sixes and three fours to bring up the fastest IPL fifty. Rahul was dismissed immediately after by Boult but PBKS went on to win the game by six wickets.
#2 Yuvraj Singh - 2 hat-tricks in the same season
While veteran leggie Amit Mishra has claimed the most IPL hattricks (3), Yuvraj Singh is second the list. He picked up two hat-tricks with his part-time left-arm spin. Apart from Mishra and Yuvraj, no other bowler has claimed more than one hat-trick in the IPL.
Incredibly, both of Yuvraj’s hat-tricks came in the same edition of the IPL - 2009. He claimed 3 for 22, playing for Punjab Kings (PBKS) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Durban. Yuvraj sent back Robin Uthappa and Jacques Kallis with the last two off his second over. With the first ball of his third over, he trapped Mark Boucher lbw with an arm ball to complete his hat-trick. PBKS, however, faltered in a chase of 146 as RCB won the contest by 8 runs.
Yuvraj’s second hat-trick came in Johannesburg against Deccan Chargers, this time in a winning cause. The Chargers needed only 135 to win the contest but thanks to Yuvraj’s heroics ended up losing the contest by one run.
With the last ball of the 12th over of Chargers’ innings, the left-arm spinner dismissed Herschelle Gibbs. Then, with the first two balls of the 14th over, he had Andrew Symonds stumped and Venugopal Rao bowled to complete the incredible feat of claiming two hat-tricks in the same IPL season.
You can go through IPL 2021 stats here.
#3 Alzarri Joseph - Best bowling figures
Young West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph holds the record for the IPL best bowling figures. He claimed 6 for 12 in 3.4 overs, playing for Mumbai Indians against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad during the 2019 edition.
The feat was sensational considering Joseph was making his IPL debut in the game. Batting first, MI managed to post a below-par 136 for 7. However, Joseph’s incredible spell saw SRH being cleaned up for 96. The West Indian first got David Warner to inside edge one on to his stumps and then had Vijay Shankar caught with one that was banged into the surface.
Deepak Hooda, Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar all fell to Joseph as the pacer completed a five-for on IPL debut. He made it six and also bowled MI to victory by 40 runs, having Siddarth Kaul caught behind first-ball.
In an anti-climax, Joseph was ruled out of IPL 2019 due to a shoulder injury he suffered in a match against Rajasthan Royals. He was released by MI ahead of IPL 2020 auction and went unsold at the IPL 2021 auction.