Indian Premier League (IPL) undoubtedly the biggest T20 league in the world. The tournament which started as an experiment but went on to become one of the biggest franchise competition. In the 12 year history, we have seen some memorable performances in the IPL final. Performances that will live in the memories of every cricket fan forever.
A player is often judged on how he performs when the pressure is extreme on the biggest of stages. IPL final is definitely that one big stage where if a player performance he is invariably separated from the rest. Here are some of the greatest performances at the grand finale of the crown jewel of T20 cricket.
Top 5 Most Memorable Performances In The IPL Final:
5. Kieron Pollard (2013)
The stage was set at the mecca of Indian cricket the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Two high profile teams Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings were up against each other. Mumbai by then had not won any IPL title whereas Chennai had already won two. Batting first MI were struggling as no batsman were able to break the shackles. However, the big West Indian Kieron Pollard turned the final on its head and played a match-defining knock.
Pollard went berserk in the last few overs and slammed 60 off just 32 deliveries. Other specialist batsmen had a strike rate of around 100 in the innings but Pollard batted at a strike rate of 187. He managed to take the total to a competitive 148 that inspired his team. CSK could only manage 15 runs as Mumbai lifted their first IPL trophy and Pollard was awarded the player of the match.
4. Manish Pandey (2014)
Chasing a target of over 200 is never easy in T20 cricket and Kolkata was chasing it in the 2014 IPL final. Kings XI Punjab was in the driving seat after the completion of the first innings of the match. Kolkata Knight Riders got off to a steady start before Manish Pandey came out a bat at number 3 at his home ground at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Pandey single-handedly took the match away from the grasp of KXIP and entertained everyone. He was in the form of his life and was clearing the boundary at will. Pandey top-scored with 94 from just 50 balls and helped his side with the IPL. He missed out on a hundred but KKR eventually chased down the target in the last over.
3. Manvinder Bisla (2012)
Kolkata Knight Riders were facing the favourites Chennai Super Kings at their fortress in the IPL final. CSK posted an impressive total of 190 runs on the board and it looked as if they will easily go past KKR in the final. Manvinder Bisla, however, had other plans as he went to play a special knock which stunned everyone present at the ground.
The opening batsman scored 89 runs off mere 48 balls and produced a knock for the ages. He dominated every CSK bowler and stood tall under pressure for his team. Bisla’s knock helped KKR chased down the target as they won their maiden IPL crown.
2. Ben Cutting (2016)
Look away all RCB fans, it’s the Australian Ben Cutting second in the list. RCB were facing SRH at their home ground and were on a roll. It finally looked that Kohli will lead his side to the elusive IPL win in front of their adoring fans.
RCB had the match reasonably under their control before Cutting walked out to bat in the 16th over. The all-rounder then played one of the all-time great knocks in IPL history. He scored 39 off just 15 balls and provided the much needed late flourish for his side.
He took the team total to 208 which in the end proved a little too much even for the gun batting line-up of RCB. Cutting also chipped in with the ball and picked to crucial wickets. He played the prominent role in the IPL final and helped the Sunrisers Hyderabad win the IPL trophy.
1. Shane Watson (2018)
Warrior Shane Watson has to be at number 1 who stole the show in the 2018 IPL final against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Chasing 179 in the final Shane Watson was crucial for CSK if they had to win the title. The all-rounder looked badly out of form during his initial stay at the crease.
Watson surprisingly wasn’t able to time any of his shot and looked in serious trouble. He was nursing an injury which was making it impossible for him to play the big shots. As soon as he was able to hit one stroke from the middle of the bat it all changed.
The Australian then activated his ‘Beast Mode’ and just had fun against the SRH bowling attack in the final. The emotional comeback of CSK in 2018 had a fitting end as they won their 3rd IPL title. Watson the hero of the match scored a sublime 117 off just 57 balls at a strike rate of over 200 and ended the match with 9 balls to spare.