A great beginning sets the stage for a fantastic climax. That’s how it especially works in the shortest format of the game. More often than not, batters try to bulldoze the opposition bowling from ball 1 and target a mammoth total that ensures a victory. As the IPL kicks off in a few weeks, let’s look at the Top 10 Highest Totals in Powerplay in IPL History.
The List of Top 10 Highest Totals in Powerplay in IPL History
The first 6 overs also known as the batting powerplay gives players a license to go for the big shots early on in the innings. With all the field restrictions in the play, the batters either enjoy placing their shots through the gaps or just go over the top making the best use of the powerplay. Here are therefore the Top 10 Highest Totals in Powerplay in IPL History.
10. 79/1, RCB Vs KTK, IPL 2011
Chasing a modest total of 126, the destructive pair of Gayle and Dilshan looked in hurry from the very first over. Gayle was at the pinnacle of his career and blowing to him was the worst nightmare for every bowler. The Universe Boss went berserk with the willow as he tonked 5 massive sixes and 3 fours in his brief stay of 16 balls. Dilshan played his cheeky shots to further frustrate the spinners, especially Ramesh Powar. At the end of the batting powerplay, RCB added 79 runs on the board as the match ended one-sided.
09. 79/0, SRH Vs KKR, IPL 2017
After losing the toss, David Warner and his men were put to bat first on their home ground by KKR. David Warner despite being a prolific run-scorer in that season was facing criticism for being extremely cautious and slow in the start. The southpaw thereby went in to clear the air on why he is called the pocket-sized dynamite. The SRH skipper unleashed carnage on the KKR bowlers and even the mystery spin combo of Narine and Kuldeep faltered to control the damage. Warner’s partner Dhawan played a second fiddle. He rotated the strike to give the man in form the majority of chances to overpower the opposition. Warner reached his fastest IPL fifty in epic style by dispatching Narine’s delivery into the stands. SRH were at 79/0 at the end of powerplay and were on the move to post a huge total.
08. 82/1, KXIP Vs MI, IPL 2017
Courtesy of brilliant ton from Hashim Amla, KXIP posted a daunting target of 199. MI openers Jos Buttler and Parthiv Patel henceforth were up against a tough challenge upfront. The team needed a flying start for a smooth chase. The duo pressed the accelerator from ball 1 as KXIP were stormed by a blitzkrieg from the two. Patel played an entertaining cameo of 37 runs off just 18 deliveries with 4 fours and 2 sixes. KXIP bowlers had succumbed to Buttler’s unconventional strokes as MI were underway on a historic chase.
07. 83/4, RCB Vs SRH, IPL 2015
In a rain-hit clash, RCB were chasing a target of over 80 in just 6 overs. Kohli and his troops were desperate for a win to keep their hopes alive. The Caribbean King Chris Gayle stepped in with captain fearless Virat Kohli to face the dare. Gayle storm took over the game as he went bonkers with the bat. Kohli’s classy strokes kept fans on the edge as the match was going down the wire. SRH bowlers chipped in with a few wickets to nudge past their southern rivals. But the captain finished things off in style with a maximum. RCB chased down 83 in just 6 overs with a delivery to spare.
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06. 84/1 , DC Vs DD, IPL 2009
Deccan Chargers needed 154 runs in the 1st semifinal against DD to qualify for the final. Herschelle Gibbs departed without troubling the scorers and it felt that bother the teams were feeling the heat of knockouts. However, Aussie veteran Adam Gilchrist came to the rescue as he played one of his finest knocks in the shorter formats of the game. The DC skipper rallied to 74 in just 25 deliveries in the powerplay as Sehwag and his men were left in shock by Gilchrist’s onslaught.
05. 86/1, KXIP Vs SRH, IPL 2014
Naman Ojha’s fireworks with the bat baffled KXIP as they were given a target of 206 runs in 20 overs. An asking run rate of over 10 is always a burden on the chasing team as scoring runs at a brisk rate becomes necessary to stay in the hunt. If it was the wicket-keeper batter from SRH in the 1st innings, KXIP’s gloveman Wriddhiman Saha too hit back hard at the opposition. Saha and opener Manan Vohra stitched in a quickfire 91 runs partnership after senior opener Sehwag perished early on. A bowling lineup spearheaded by Dale Steyn and Bhuvneshwar Kumar stood no match to the men in form as KXIP cruised to 86/1 in their powerplay overs.
04. 87/2, KTK Vs RR, IPL 2011
In their penultimate league match, the Kochi Tuskers were in a do-or-die situation for a win to progress to the playoff. Opting to field first, Aussie all-rounder Brad Hodge shined with the ball as RR got all out for 97 runs. Despite an easy total to chase, the KTK batters played with aggressive intent in order to boost their net run rate. Brendon McCullum launched an explosive attack upfront as the RR bowlers looked clueless on the field. KTK lost 2 wickets in the powerplay but aggregated 87 runs on the board in a lopsided affair.
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03. 90/0, CSK Vs MI, IPL 2015
CSK versus MI is the mother of all clashes in IPL. Whenever the two most successful teams of the global T20 league are up against each other, the result is always a cracking contest. In 2015, MI set up a target of 184 runs for CSK to chase in Wankhede. Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum came out to open with a strong resolve to demolish the opposition bowling unit. The duo set loose mayhem on the bowlers as premium bowlers like Malinga and Harbhajan were taken aback by the scathing attack. CSK were at 90/0 in the powerplay as a chase that was looked like an uphill task eventually turned out to be a cakewalk.
02. 100/0, CSK Vs KXIP, IPL 2014
CSK was the first team in the IPL to score 100 runs in their batting powerplay and it is still second in the list of top 10 highest-totals in the powerplay in IPL history. And all credits go to one man, Mr. IPL aka Chinnathala aka Suresh Raina. When the veteran southpaw came into bat, CSK were struggling 1-1 while chasing a mammoth target of 227 in Qualifier 2. MS Dhoni and his troops needed a miracle to change their fortunes.
And Raina played perhaps the best knock of his IPL career. No matter who was bowling to him, Raina was only dealing in 4s and 6s. CSK ended their powerplay at 100-0, as hopes stayed alive in the whistle podu army. Unfortunately, the CSK batting line-up faltered in the middle overs resulting in a heart-breaking loss. But Raina’s 87 runs off just 25 deliveries remains one of the finest knocks in the history of T20s.
01. 105/0 , KKR vs RCB , IPL 2017
2017 was the year when KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir played the masterstroke of sending Sunil Narine up in the order with Aussie power-hitter Lynn. The RCB bowlers were taken aback by the Caribbean spinner’s batting heroics. Narine smashed RCB all around the park to hit his maiden fifty in record 15 balls and equaled fellow Knight Yusuf Pathan’s record of the then fastest 50 in IPL. Lynn on the other end was at his usual best, hammering sixes and fours at his will. The duo ousted RCB’s hopes to win as they cruised to 105 runs at the end of 6 overs for the loss of no wickets. Not just in IPL, 105/0 is the highest total in batting powerplay in T20s as well.
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