Here are the five amazing knocks from the first half of the IPL 2021.
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Only 29 matches were finished when the IPL 2021 was postponed indefinitely by the BCCI and IPL governing council. But in those 29 matches, IPL fans got to see some of the best performances with both the bat and the ball, and even in the field itself.
Therefore, Team COC presents the five best knocks from the first half of the IPL 2021
82- PRITHVI SHAW (DC) vs KKR
KKR somehow managed to put 154/6 on the board with Andre Russell making 45* in 27 balls with 4 sixes.
In reply, Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan added 132 runs for the opening wicket in just 14 overs. In this partnership, Dhawan made 46 in 47 balls, but Shaw was the dominant partner as he carted the KKR bowlers to all parts of the Ahmedabad ground.
He actually started with hitting six fours in the very first over, bowled by Shivam Mavi, and never looked back from there. He hit 11 fours and 3 sixes in his knock, as he made 82 runs in just 41 balls and fell just 10 runs shy of victory, but had ensured an easy win for DC with little over 3 overs remaining.
76*- AB DE VILLIERS (RCB) vs KKR
KKR landed the first blow by removing Virat Kohli for 5 and Rajat Patidar for 1, while Devdutt Padikkal followed for 25 runs. Just when KKR felt that they had RCB set for a total of around 160, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers exploded on the KKR bowling attack.
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Maxwell was a bit lenient on KKR bowlers, hitting 75 in 49 balls with 9 fours and 3 sixes. However, AB de Villiers was brutal in his execution in the death overs as he slammed 76* in just 34 balls with 9 fours and 3 sixes and powered RCB to 204/4 in 20 overs.
This total was enough for RCB to win the match by 38 runs after their bowlers kept picking wickets at regular intervals.
87*- KIERON POLLARD (MI) vs CSK
CSK had batted first on a batting beauty of a wicket in Delhi and slammed 218/4 in 20 overs. Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali made half-centuries, while Ambato Rayudu slew the MI bowlers badly with 72* in 27 balls with 7 sixes and 4 fours in his knock.
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MI didn’t have the best of starts with De Kock (38), Rohit (35), and Krunal (32) trying their best to push the run-rate up. MI looked down and out when De Kock fell in 10th over with the score reading 81 runs.
But then Pollard smacked everything bowled at him for a six or four in a whirlwind knock that featured 8 sixes and 6 fours as he raced to 87* in 34 balls. MI won the match on the last ball, with Pollard etching his name in history by playing one of the best knocks in the IPL tournament.
101*- DEVDUTT PADIKKAL (RCB) vs RR
In the 16th match between RCB and Rajasthan Royals, RR batted first and made 177/9 in 20 overs. The total was a tough one on a dicey Mumbai turf.
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However, RCB made a mockery of the total as they chased the target down without losing a single wicket, as captain Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 72*in 47 balls with 6 fours and 3 sixes. On the other hand, Devdutt Padikkal recorded his maiden IPL century, making 101* in 52 balls with 11 fours and 6 sixes in his knock.
RCB reached the target in 16.3 overs, all thanks to some lovely batting by the young left-hander opener, who timed the ball exquisitely and also showed some power shots as well.
119- SANJU SAMSON (RR) vs PBKS
Samson in his first match as RR captain won the toss and chose to bowl first. He regretted the decision as PBKS put up 221/6 in 20 overs. KL Rahul made 91 in 50 balls with 5 sixes and 7 fours, while Chris Gayle made 40 and Deepak Hooda smoked 64 in 28 balls with 6 sixes and 4 fours.
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RR didn’t have a very good start to their innings as Ben Stokes was out for a duck on the 3rd ball of the first over, while Manan Vohra made 12. Enter Sanju Samson, who single-handedly kept his team in the chase, despite the odds stacked against him.
Jos Buttler (25), Shivam Dube (23), and Riyan Parag (25) played some important cameos, but it was a Sanju Samson show in all.
He slammed 119 runs, becoming the first player in IPL history to score a century on his captaincy debut. He hit 12 fours and 7 sixes in his 63-ball knock and was dismissed on the last ball, trying to hit a maximum with five runs needed on the last ball of 20th over.
Though heart-breaking, Sanju Samson’s 119 was one of the best knocks in the first half of the IPL 2021.