IPL: Top 5 highest opening partnerships in 10-wicket wins
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) silenced all their critics as they got back to winning ways after chasing 179 runs without losing a wicket against the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in Match 18 of IPL 2020 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
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Batting first, KXIP rode captain KL Rahul’s 63 off 52 balls and a late flourish from Nicholas Pooran (33 off 17 balls) to post 178 for 4. Considering CSK’s current form and their frail batting line-up, it looked like the total was above par and KXIP were on course to register their second win of IPL 2020.
But what followed defied all expectations and odds. Shane Watson, who had scored a meagre 52 runs in the first four matches, stitched an unbeaten 181-run opening partnership with the in-form Faf du Plessis to help CSK win by 10 wickets and jump up to the fifth position in the IPL 2020 points table.
For the record, there have been just 12 instances of 10-wicket wins across the 13 seasons of the Indian Premier League, and Watson and du Plessis’ opening stand of 181 runs now features in the second position on the list.
We look at the top 5 highest opening partnerships in 10-wicket wins in the IPL.
5. 139 runs (KXIP vs CSK, Mohali, IPL 2013)
The win came at a time when MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings was at the height of their powers. Batting first, the Adam Gilchrist-led Kings XI Punjab struggled to score runs as Dwayne Bravo (3 for 27) and Dirk Nannes (2 for 17) wreaked havoc to bundle out the hosts for a paltry 138.
In reply, the KXIP bowlers failed to replicate anything similar as Murali Vijay and Mike Hussey remained unbeaten to take CSK home with 10 wickets and 18 balls to spare. Vijay scored a run-a-ball 50 and Hussey bagged the Man of the Match award, scoring 86 off 54 balls to script a 10-wicket win over the hosts.
4. 155 runs (MI vs DC, Mumbai, IPL 2008)
There is a sense of nostalgia around this match as it dates back to not only the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 but also when the Mumbai Indians used to play their matches at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Batting first, MI struggled to get going on a flat deck before cameos from Abhishek Nayar (34 off 19 balls) and Dwayne Bravo (34 off 18 balls) helped the hosts to post a score of 154 for 7. RP Singh was the pick of the bowlers for the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, having returned figures of 2 for 15 from four overs.
In reply, captain VVS Laxman and Adam Gilchrist made a mockery of the target and chased it down in 12 overs to register a 10-wicket win over the Shaun Pollock-led side. While VVS Laxman played a conservative knock of 37 off 26 balls, Gilchrist bludgeoned his way to his first IPL hundred – 109 off 47 balls including 10 sixes.
3. 163 runs (RR vs MI, Jaipur, IPL 2012)
It was arguably the busiest span of 10 days for the scorers in IPL history as four 160-run plus partnerships were recorded in that period. It started with Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli’s 204-run second-wicket partnership against the Delhi Daredevils (DD) and ended with MI’s rout of their Rajasthan hosts.
Batting first, RR posted 162 for 6 on the back of Shane Watson’s 45 off 36 balls and a quickfire 17-ball 30 from Stuart Binny. The total, however, didn’t prove to be enough as openers Sachin Tendulkar and Dwayne Smith remained not out to get MI over the line with 10 wickets in hand.
Though the RR bowlers managed to delay the impending outcome till the 18th over, Sachin Tendulkar’s 58 off 51 balls and Man of the Match Dwayne Simth’s 58-ball 87 made the run-chase look easy in the end.
2. 179 runs (KXIP vs CSK, Dubai, IPL 2020)
The fifth and second positions feature the same two sides, yet the results are seven years apart. Interestingly, the hero of the 2013 win is now the batting coach of the Chennai Super Kings.
Though KXIP posted a competitive total of 178 for 4 on the board, Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis convincingly chased it down with 10 wickets and 14 balls in hand. Watson seemed to have got his mojo back with a 53-ball 83, while du Plessis scored 87 off 53 balls and moved up to the second position on the IPL 2020 Orange Cap list.
1. 184 runs (GL vs KKR, Rajkot, IPL 2017)
This match has gone down in the IPL record books because the 184-run opening stand is not only the second-highest opening partnership in the history of the IPL but also occupies the 15th position in T20 history.
Batting first, the now-erstwhile Gujarat Lions posted a score of 183 for 4 courtesy skipper Suresh Raina’s 68 off 51 balls and a 25-ball 47 cameo from now-KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik.
What followed was absolute carnage from the KKR openers as captain Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn took the GL bowlers to the cleaners, and finished the match with 10 wickets and 31 balls to spare. While Gambhir played the anchor role scoring 76 off 48 balls, Man of the Match Lynn hit 8 sixes on his way to scoring 93 off just 41 deliveries.