Kedar Jadhav's top 5 IPL knocks
Kedar Jadhav has called it a day on his cricketing career. The star Indian all-rounder played his last T20 match yesterday night (June 2), leading the Kolhapur Tuskers against Ratnagiri Jets in a Maharashtra Premier League match, where he got out for a two-ball duck.
Jadhav shared a reel on his Instagram profile featuring the best moments of his career and announced his retirement from all formats of cricket. Although he is the captain of the Kolhapur Tuskers team in the ongoing Maharashtra Premier League, it seems unlikely that he will play any more matches in the competition.
Speaking of Kedar Jadhav's career, he played 73 ODIs and nine T20Is for India. The all-rounder also played total 95 IPL games, where he aggregated 1,208 runs at a strike rate of 123.14. Jadhav turned up for Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Chennai Super Kings in his IPL career.
Now that Jadhav has retired from all formats of the game, here's a look at the top five IPL knocks played by him.
#1 Kedar Jadhav announces his arrival in IPL - 50* (29) vs RCB, March 25, 2010
Jadhav's first-ever IPL appearance came for Delhi Capitals (then known as Delhi Daredevils) in 2010. The all-rounder was a part of RCB in 2009 but did not get any chances to play. He made his debut for Delhi against RCB and smacked a fantastic half-century.
Batting at number five, Jadhav amassed 50 runs off just 29 deliveries. He hit five fours and two sixes while stitching up an unbeaten 49-run fifth-wicket stand with Andrew McDonald. Jadhav's half-century helped Delhi beat RCB by 17 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
#2 Kedar Jadhav's bravery wins it for CSK - 24*(22) vs MI, 2018
Chennai Super Kings returned to the IPL in 2018 after a two-year suspension. Their first match was against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. MI scored 165/4 and reduced CSK to 118/8.
It looked like Mumbai would easily win the game, but Dwayne Bravo's incredible half-ton brought CSK back. However, Bravo lost his wicket when CSK needed seven to win. The match would have been over had Jadhav, who retired hurt, did not come out to bat.
Jadhav retired hurt when he was on 14. He had to face Mustafizur Rahman in the final over, with CSK needing seven to win. The injured player played out three dot balls before smashing a six and a four to complete a memorable victory for Chennai.
#3 Kedar Jadhav's highest score in IPL - 69 (37) vs Delhi, 2017
2017 was the year for Jadhav. He had the best ODI series of his life against England, and he followed it up with some impressive performances for RCB in the IPL.
Virat Kohli was not available for the first few matches of that season. Shane Watson captained RCB in a league game against Delhi, and Bengaluru were down to 55/3. Jadhav then launched a counter-attack. He had a 66-run fourth-wicket partnership with Stuart Binny.
Binny scored only 16 runs off 18 balls, while Jadhav aggregated 69 from 37. He smashed five fours and five sixes to ensure RCB reached 157/8. RCB won that game by 15 runs eventually.
#4 Kedar Jadhav's highest score in a losing cause - 63* (34) vs SRH, 2015
In 2015, Raipur hosted a league game between Delhi and Sunrisers Hyderabad. SRH reached 163/4, thanks to a half-ton from Moises Henriques. Chasing 164, Delhi slumped to 66/4 despite a half-century from opener Quinton de Kock.
Jadhav batted at number five, and Saurabh Tiwary united with him in the middle. Jadhav raced to 63 off 34, smacking eight fours and two sixes. It looked like he would win it for Delhi but his team reached 157/4, losing by six runs. Tiwary remained not out on 26 off 25.
#5 Kedar Jadhav's last IPL half-century - 58 (54) vs MI, 2019
A year after his heroics at the Wankhede Stadium, Kedar Jadhav was back in Mumbai, representing CSK against MI. The home team batted first again and scored 170/5 this time.
In response, Chennai lost wickets at regular intervals. Kedar fought like a lone warrior for the team, scoring 58 off 53. The next top-scorer for CSK was Suresh Raina, who managed 16 runs. MI restricted CSK to 133/8 in 20 overs. Jadhav's half-century, comprising eight fours and a six, ensured that CSK did not suffer a massive defeat.