IPL 2023: Top Ten Moments from League Stage

Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir, David Warner and Yashasvi Jaiswal. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The league round of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 concluded on May 21, with the intriguing contest between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. After more than one and a half months of riveting cricketing action, four teams managed to advance to the playoffs.

During the league stage, a lot of amazing moments were recorded, and out of those, some will be remembered by supporters of the league for a long time. As the high-voltage playoff matches come one after the other, let’s recount some memories from the blockbuster league round that will be etched in the memories of avid fans of the blockbuster league for a long time.

Here are the 10 moments from the league stage of the IPL 2023:

10. Virat Kohli’s verbal tussle with Gautam Gambhir and Naveen-ul-Haq

Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. (Photo Source: Twitter)

This season, IPL watchers got to see a new rivalry after Lucknow Super Giants’ close one-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in match 15 of the competition. In the nail-biting thriller, LSG snatched the game from Challengers on the last delivery of the match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Avesh Khan, who completed the last run and clinched the victory for his team, and threw his helmet to celebrate the triumph. For his wild celebration, Avesh also got penalised after the match but what grabbed more attention was LSG’s mentor, Gautam Gambhir, silencing the RCB fans in the stands after the game.

After three weeks, both teams faced each other again in match 43 held at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium. This time, RCB claimed an 18-run win in a low-scoring match.

During the game, Kohli pointed to one of his shoes while speaking to Naveen-ul-Haq during the match, and escalating the matter, the Afghan pacer got involved in a spat with the batting maestro during the customary handshake after the match. However, things got worse when Gambhir also got involved with Kohli in a heated exchange.

9. David Warner and Ravindra Jadeja’s on-field camaraderie

David Warner and Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

In the 67th match of IPL 2023, Delhi Capitals (DC) played their last game of the season against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. For Super Kings, it was an important contest as they needed to win it to qualify for the playoffs. On the other side, Capitals were looking to spoil CSK’s campaign with a victory.

Winning the toss, Super Kings elected to bat first and accumulated 223/3 at the end of their innings. Following the total, Delhi’s batting order collapsed again and ended up at a score of 146/9 in their 20 overs. Except for DC skipper, David Warner, all other batters failed to turn up against CSK bowlers. Scoring 86 off 58, the Aussie strived to strengthen the team but his efforts couldn’t do much.

Along with his sensational performance, Warner also amused fans with a funny act. During the match, the left-handed batter survived a run out. The Aussie then went out of his crease intentionally to tease the fielder, Ajinkya Rahane. Rahane, who was holding the ball, targeted the stumps again and it went to Ravindra Jadeja.

This time, Jadeja threatened to target the stumps and Warner mimicked the CSK all-rounder’s sword celebration. The incident brought joy to the faces of spectators present at the stadium, as they cheered in ecstasy.

8. Delhi Capitals’ tribute to Rishabh Pant

Rishabh Pant. (Photo Source: Jio Cinema)

This year, Delhi Capitals (DC) captain, Rishabh Pant couldn’t participate in the 2023 IPL due to his horrific accident in December 2022. In his absence, the leadership mantle was handed to David Warner, and under the Aussie, the 2020 IPL runners-up failed to perform up to the expectations.

During Delhi’s disappointing campaign, their supporters missed Pant and recalled his batting exploits for the franchise in the previous editions. In their opening game, Delhi faced a humiliating 50-run defeat at the hands of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Stadium.

At the end of the day, Capitals failed to deliver desired results to their supporters but won their hearts by displaying a gesture of respect to their stalwart, Rishabh Pant. In the absence of one of their oldest stalwarts, Pant, the DC team management hung Pant’s number 17 jersey in their dugout.

7. Sandeep Sharma’s no-ball against Sunrisers Hyderabad

sandeep sharma no ball: Twitter

Prasidh Krishna’s stress fracture injury benefited Sandeep Sharma as the latter got a chance to serve Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the former’s absence. Throughout the tournament, Sandeep looked decent with the ball and delivered some match-winning performances to Royals with his bowling efforts.

In his team’s three-wicket victory against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in match no. 17 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, the pacer defended seven runs off three deliveries and received appreciation from RR supporters. His excellent display in the CSK match strengthened his image as a death bowler and RR started using him as their death specialist.

Believing in Sandeep’s skills in match no 52, RR skipper, Sanju Samson, handed the ball to him to defend 16 runs while saving the score of 214. Like the game against CSK, Sandeep bowled the first five deliveries well. With SRH requiring five off the last ball, Royals were expected to take the game home.

However, Sandeep bowled a no-ball to Abdul Samad, who got caught at long-off by Jos Buttler. Now, taking advantage of the extra delivery, Samad cleared the fence and took SRH across the line with four wickets in hand.

6. Lucknow Super Giants score second-highest total in IPL history

Punjab Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

In the 38th contest of IPL 2023, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) clashed with Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the latter’s backyard, the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium. PBKS skipper, Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and chose to field first. However, Dhawan’s decision went against his team as LSG amassed 257/5 on the board.

Riding on the extraordinary knocks of Kyle Mayers (54 off 24), Ayush Badoni (43 off 24), Marcus Stoinis (72 off 40), and Nicholas Pooran (45 off 19), LSG put up the second-highest team score in the league’s history, just second to Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 263/5 against Pune Warriors India in IPL 2013.

After displaying their solid side in the batting department, Lucknow put up a fine show with the ball and bagged a convincing 56-run win. At the end of the historic game, Stoinis received the Player of the Match award for his superb performance of 72 off 40 and 1/21.

5. Rinku Singh’s last over heroics against Gujarat Titans

Yash Dayal and Rinku singh. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

At the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium, Rinku Singh muscled Gujarat Titans’ (GT) bowling attack in match 13 and fetched a three-wicket triumph for his side. In the Super Sunday contest, Rashid Khan captained GT against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as Hardik Pandya opted out of the contest due to his poor health.

Luck favoured Rashid at the toss and he decided to bat first on the batting-friendly surface. While enjoying the support of the local crowd, GT batters came heavily on KKR bowlers and posted 204/4 on the board in their 20 overs.

Chasing the massive total, KKR openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narayan Jagadeesan departed early but Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana stepped up in the crucial situation to take the game close. In the last over of the match, Yash Dayal stood in front of Umesh Yadav to save 29 off six.

On the first delivery, Umesh took a single and brought Rinku to the crease. With 28 needed off five, KKR’s defeat looked certain but the southpaw hit five maximums on the remaining deliveries and snatched a victory from the hands of the hosts.

4. Rajasthan Royals getting bundled out for 59

Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore. (Photo Source: IPL)

In the 60th IPL match, Rajasthan Royals (RR) required a victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to qualify for the playoffs without any hassle. Playing in front of the home crowd at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, RR bowlers stopped the visitors to 171/5 in their 20 overs.

Following the target, Royals were expecting their key batters Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, and captain Sanju Samson to turn up against bowlers but all these names failed in front of RCB’s disciplined bowling. Along with these big names, key batters Joe Root and Devdutt Padikkal also fell under pressure.

In the lower middle order, Shimron Hetmyer played some good strokes but eventually, the West Indies batter also fell to Glenn Maxwell after scoring 35 off 19. After Hetmyer’s wicket, the remaining lower-order batters Adam Zampa and KM Asif also got out to Karn Sharma in the next over. At the end of the game, RR got folded to 59 in 10.3 overs.

3. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s fastest IPL fifty

Yashasvi Jaiswal. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

After losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in an unfortunate way at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Rajasthan Royals (RR) headed to Kolkata to face the Nitish Rana-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in match number 56. Sanju Samson, the captain of RR, came out as the winner of the toss and chose to bowl.

Batting first, KKR batters struggled to rack up runs as RR bowlers operated in a disciplined way. However, with Venkatesh Iyer’s 57 off 42, Knight Riders piled up a low score of 149/8 at the end of their innings.

For RR, it was almost a do-or-die game, and in the crucial contest, their opening batter, Yashasvi Jaiswal, again looked dominant and shattered KL Rahul’s record of the fastest IPL fifty. Yashasvi notched up his half-century in just 13 deliveries, the youngster put his team in a winning position. In RR’s remarkable nine-wicket win, Jaiswal contributed with an unbeaten 98-run knock off 47 deliveries and also became the Player of the Match.

2. Mumbai Indians become the first IPL team to chase 200+ scores in consecutive games

Mumbai Indians. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)

After performing terribly in the first leg of the competition, Mumbai Indians (MI) looked fierce in the second leg. Their onslaught started against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match number 42 held at the Wankhede Stadium. Hosting RR at their home ground in the 1000th IPL game, MI looked exceptional with the bat and chased down the target of 213.

Cameron Green and Suryakumar Yadav chipped in with their rapid knocks of 44 (26) and 55 (29) respectively and took their team close to the target of 213. Tim David gave the finishing touch to his side with his 45* off 14. Against Jason Holder, he hit three back-to-back maximums to take his side home by six wickets.

After winning the home contest against RR with confidence, MI’s campaign moved to Mohali to face Punjab Kings (PBKS). Like their previous game, Mumbai again were tasked to chase a colossal total.

This time, they got a target of 215, and grabbing the opportunity with both hands, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav played outstanding knocks of 75 (41) and 66 (31) respectively to help their team pocket the match comfortably by six wickets. With successful chases in both contests, Mumbai became the first side to clinch 200+ scores in two consecutive IPL matches.

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s maiden IPL ton in 1000th IPL match

Yashasvi Jaiswal. (Photo Source: IPL)

Rajasthan Royals (RR) couldn’t qualify for the next round but their opening batter, Yashashvi Jaiswal, emerged as one of their biggest assets in the ongoing season. With 625 runs in 14 matches at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 163.61, he ended up as the leading run-scorer for Royals in this IPL edition.

In the 1000th IPL match against Mumbai Indians at the fabled Wankhede Stadium, Jaiswal created history with his maiden IPL ton. Scoring 124 runs off just 62 balls with 24 boundaries (16 fours and eight maximums), the ferocious opener powered his team to accumulate 212/7 on the board.

The 21-year-old’s scintillating knock went in vain as MI batters looked stunning with their bats and handed a six-wicket defeat to the visitors in the nail-biting match. Despite Rajasthan’s loss, Jaiswal became the recipient of the Player of the Match award for his standout display.