In the initial years of the Indian Premier League (IPL), most of the Indian stalwarts played in the franchise league which has now evolved into the biggest franchise league in the world. Rahul Dravid was among those big Indian names who graced the league. In this article, we will take a look at his top 3 innings in the IPL.
75* vs Rajasthan Royals, 2008
Rahul Dravid delivered his best performance in IPL in the inaugural season when he was playing for Rajasthan Royals. Royals had posted 197 runs in the first innings which was a challenging total for Royal Challengers Bangalore to chase. The chasing side got off to a shattering start with half of the team back in the pavilion even before they could add 50 runs.
However, the skipper stood strong in the adverse situation and fought till the last ball. Dravid could not carry his team to the victory but his unbeaten 75-run knock was enough to establish his T20 credentials.
66 vs Rajasthan Royals, 2009
It was the first match for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2009 season and Dravid helped his team begin the tournament on a positive note. This is a very similar batting performance to the previous one as there was no notable contribution from any other batter.
Dravid being the experienced campaigner took up the responsibility and guided his team to a fighting total. Eventually, Bangalore won the match and Dravid was awarded the player of the match for his match-winning knock.
66 vs Chennai Super Kings, 2011
Rahul Dravid played the last few seasons of his IPL career for Rajasthan Royals. This innings was played by the former India captain against Chennai Super Kings in the 2011 season. Rajasthan batted first in this match and Rahul Dravid gave an impeccable start along with Shane Watson.
This opening partnership was very significant as the innings derailed later on but because of this partnership, Rajasthan could post 147 runs in the first innings