Kings XI Punjab were one of these teams as they played their first three home matches in Indore. The ‘neutral’ venue saw people of Madhya Pradesh flock to the Holkar Stadium to catch their favourite stars in action. And the stars obliged with a plethora of sensational outings.
Let’s take a look at 5 players who added more beauty to the already picturesque state with their brilliant performance in Indore:
#5 AB de Villiers’ carnage vs Kings XI Punjab
For Royal Challengers Bangalore fans, this Indian Premier League was one to forget as their team were on the wrong end of innumerable embarrassing records. With their star-studded line-up, it was a surprise to see them struggle in the manner they did.
And it wasn’t any different for star batsman AB de Villiers. This IPL has been a quiet one for the South African, but against the Kings XI Punjab, he played a stunning knock. It was definitely his best in this year’s IPL as runs flowed from his bat like the Betwa River in Orcha, which was a sight to behold.
His unbeaten 46-ball 89 was the reason why his team made a respectable total in an encounter where the rest of his team-mates couldn’t really put up much on the board. In the end, the ‘hosts’ ended up beating Bangalore by eight wickets, but de Villiers’ knock will forever be remembered.
#4 Varun Aaron’s tight spell vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
In the very same game, the reason for the Challengers’ poor outing – barring de Villiers – was Varun Aaron. The speedster might not have had a great tournament per se, but his influence on this game was so compelling that none of the stars of Royal Challengers’ line-up could pick out his deliveries.
Aaron’s spell of four overs, 21 runs and two wickets totally dismantled the Royal Challengers’ batsmen in the process.
If it weren’t for de Villiers’ brilliance, described in the last slide, RCB would have struggled to put up even a 100 runs on the board. And that would have been all thanks to Varun Aaron.
#3 Hashim Amla’s incredible century vs Mumbai Indians
It is quite unbelievable that this is only Hashim Amla’s second season in the Indian Premier League. The legendary South African batsman was fantastic in this year’s IPL and this was one of his best innings in the edition.
Against the Mumbai Indians, the Proteas maestro scored a vehement 104 in only 60 balls. His innings consisted of eight fours and six sixes as he smashed his way through the Indians’ bowlers. It was a mesmerising sight for the Punjab fans as their best batsman scored a century against the team which went on to top the group stage.
#2 Jos Buttler’s brilliance vs Kings XI Punjab
One of the classiest innings in this year’s IPL was rendered futile by another classy inning that came from the bat of Jos Buttler. The English wicket-keeper batsman was at his destructive best against the Kings XI Punjab bowlers as he smashed his way to a 37-ball 77 to help his side to a major win.
His speed and elegance with the bat helped the Mumbai Indians win the game by eight wickets. The Englishman’s innings in Indore will forever be remembered for ensuring the visitors returned home with happy faces.
#1 Maxwell’s 20-ball 44 vs Rising Pune Supergiant
We will conclude this slider with a blitzkrieg knock in this year’s Indian Premier League. After some good batting from Ben Stokes and Manoj Tiwary, Rising Pune Supergiant made 163 against the Kings XI Punjab in their allotted 20 overs.
It was a competitive total on a difficult batting track, but it wasn’t enough thanks to some good teamwork by the Punjab batsmen. However, the cherry on the cake was Glenn Maxwell’s innings of 44 in just 20 balls.
The Kings XI Punjab skipper smashed the ball for four maximums while caressing it to two fours to lead his team to a six-wicket win.
0 votes