Top 5 highest individual scores in a successful chase in IPL history ft. Marcus Stoinis
A sensational knock from Marcus Stoinis helped the Lucknow Super Giants beat Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in the 39th match of the 17th edition of the IPL. Stoinis remained unbeaten on 124 off 63 deliveries as LSG chased down the target of 211 with three deliveries to spare.
The surface at the Chepauk didn't look an absolute belter, but Ruturaj Gaikwad batted was simply sensational in the first innings. CSK needed an impetus after the wicket of Ravindra Jadeja, which was provided by Shivam Dube.
The southpaw blasted a 27-ball 66 to provide the impetus while Ruturaj scored at a fast pace despite not looking to muscle the ball. The score of 210 looked more than enough at one stage, but Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran shifted the momentum towards their side before the Australian held his nerve in the final over to take his side home.
Stoinis' 124* was also the highest score in a successful run chase in the IPL. Let us now have a look at the top five highest individual scores in a successful chase in IPL history:
# 5. Sanath Jayasuriya 114* for Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings in 2008
One of the earliest heroes of T20 was Sri Lankan maestro Sanath Jayasuriya, who had a brief association with the Mumbai Indians during the first three years of the IPL. Jayasuriya made his presence felt in the inaugural edition of the tournament, smashing an incredible 114* against CSK.
On the back of a superb half-century from S Badrinath, CSK posted 156 in their allotted 20 overs. However, Jayasuriya put on an exhibition in the second innings. The hard-hitting batter obliterated the CSK bowling attack, smashing a 48-ball 114.
Jayasuriya shared an 82-run opening stand with Sachin Tendulkar, where the latter's contribution was just 12. Jayasuriya hit nine fours and 11 sixes during his whirlwind knock and took the Mumbai Indians over the finish line with more than six overs to spare.
# 4. Shane Watson 117* for Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018
In the final of IPL 2018, Australian all-rounder Shane Watson repaid the faith shown in him by MS Dhoni and the CSK team management by scoring a match-winning century to guide the team to their third title. Watson wasn't in the best form, but Dhoni persisted with him and gave him a longer rope which yielded fruits in the final.
Useful contributions from Kane Williamson and Yusuf Pathan propelled Hyderabad to a competitive score of 178. At the start of the run chase, Watson couldn't lay bat on ball and was beaten consistently by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. However, it was a different Watson from the sixth over onwards.
A six and a four of the bowling of Sandeep Sharma got him going and there was no looking back. He kept plundering all the bowlers and boundaries kept coming thick and fast for the yellow army. He went onto smash an unbeaten 117 off just 57 deliveries, which was studded with 11 fours and eight sixes.
# 3. Virender Sehwag 119 for Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers in 2011
A batter well ahead of his time, Virender Sehwag played several memorable knocks for India, but when it comes to the IPL, this has to be his best-ever knock. Plying his trade for the Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals), Sehwag smashed an incredible 119 against the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, taking DD to a four-wicket victory.
Thanks to impressive knocks from JP Duminy and Kumar Sangakkara, the Chargers posted 175 runs, which looked a decent score on a pitch which was a tad dicey. However, Virender Sehwag thrashed the DC attack like a bunch of schoolboys.
In an innings where the second-highest score was just 17, Sehwag toyed with the bowling attack and smashed 13 fours and six sixes during his 56-ball knock. The Chargers bowled well to the other batters, but it wasn't enough to stop DD from winning it with an over to spare.
# 2. Paul Valthaty- 120* for Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings in 2011
Paul Valthaty played one of the finest knocks in the IPL history in a run chase against the Super Kings. Back in 2011, the stylish right-handed batter took a liking to the CSK bowlers and smashed a 63 ball 120* which included 19 fours and a couple of sixes.
Chennai had posted a challenging score of 188 after batting first on the back of half centuries from Murali Vijay and S Badrinath. Valthaty came out with a positive frame of mind and kept finding the gaps on a consistent basis. What was so impressive about the knock was he relied on traditional cricketing shots to score his runs.
There was no stopping the young batter as he kept up the tempo, even after the powerplay. The boundaries kept flowing and the CSK bowlers were left short of answers in front of a relatively new name who made batting ridiculously easy on that day. Punjab eventually chased down the target with five deliveries to spare.
# 1. Marcus Stoinis- 124* for the Lucknow Supergiants vs Chennai Super Kings in 2024
Stoinis racked up the highest individual score in a run chase in the history of the IPL when the Australian rattled the Chennai bowling attack and smashed them to all corners of the Chepauk Stadium. He almost single-handedly won the game for LSG from a precarious situation.
Chasing a target of 211 on a dicey Chennai pitch was always going to be a challenge and when Lucknow lost a couple of early wickets, it looked too steep a mountain to climb for Lucknow. However, Stoinis had other ideas as he came out firing on all cylinders, smashing his maiden IPL century in the process.
He took his time in the middle overs when run-scoring became a bit difficult, but with 74 runs required off the final five overs, Pooran and Stoinis turned it around for LSG. The southpaw started the onslaught and Stoinis and Hooda carried it on. With 17 required off the final over, Stoinis smashed a six and three fours to seal the deal for Lucknow.