Ranking the 10 greatest moments in IPL history
The IPL has produced some really great moments since its inception. There are a lot of great moments that could make you feel nostalgic when you look at the transformation of the tournament. Some moments were absolutely breathtaking while some moments were highly emotional. Over the years, fans have seen it all: blood, sweat, tears, and glory.
This got me thinking about the greatest moments in the tournament. When looking back at the tournament's rich history, there are 10 moments that really stood out to me. Here, we’ve attempted to rank those moments to identify the single greatest moment in IPL history.
So without further ado, here are the 10 greatest moments in IPL history.
#10 Anil Kumble’s 5 wickets for 5 runs
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Royal Challengers Bangalore posted a total of 133/8 In 20 overs thanks to a great knock of 66 by Rahul Dravid. This total looked too small to defend on a beautiful batting track like Cape Town.
But nothing is impossible for legendary leg spinner Anil Kumble who looked in top form against the Rajasthan Royals. He single-handedly demolished the Rajasthan Royals’ batting lineup on his way to a fifer. He finished the match with five wickets for five runs as Rajasthan Royals were bowled out for just 58 runs.
Despite Kumble's bowling efforts, Dravid was named the man of the match.
#9 Rajasthan Royals chase down 217 runs
Rajasthan Royals were considered the underdogs during the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. They were a very weak team on paper, but their performances on the field indicated otherwise. One such performance was when Rajasthan Royals took on the Deccan Chargers.
The Royals won the toss and elected to field first. Deccan lost a couple of early wickets, but a century from Andrew Symonds helped steady the innings and Deccan Chargers reached a total of 214/5 in 20 overs.
Chasing huge scores is a big challenge because the margin for error is too slim. The need to keep up with the demanding run-rate often results in quick wickets. However, this wasn’t the case as Rajasthan Royals carefully constructed their innings. Graeme Smith and Yusuf Pathan’s partnership of 98 runs helped keep the Royals in the run chase.
Kaif chipped in with a cameo of his own scoring 34 runs from 16 balls. But it was Shane Warne who was the hero for his team on this day slamming 22 runs from 9 balls to guide his team over the finish line.
This match is so memorable because it raised the confidence of the Royals’ players, made them believe in themselves, and it put them in serious contention for the title.
Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on IPL score, purple cap, points table, schedule, news, orange cap and fantasy tips.