The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most competitive T20 league in the world. However, the fans often have a misconception that the IPL is only made for the batsmen who know how to hit the ball hard. Over the last 12 years, many sweet timers of the ball have also achieved much success in this league.
The pitch does not assist the batsmen every time, and in that case, running between the wickets becomes very crucial. The franchises are now fine with the fact that a batsman cannot clear the boundary regularly but he can keep the scoreboard ticking with ones and twos. In this article, we will have a look at those four innings where a batsman scored 50 runs merely through running between the wickets.
Virat Kohli – 90* vs. Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2020
Virat Kohli looked in sublime touch during his unbeaten 90* against the Chennai Super Kings earlier this month. The RCB captain proved to be the difference between the two teams. He paced his knock to perfection as he started off slowly and stabilized the innings with strike rotation.
In the slog overs, he went after the CSK bowlers and helped RCB post a magnificent total of 169/4 on the board. In reply, Chennai could only score 132/8 as Kohli’s running between the wickets helped RCB win.
David Warner – 100* vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2019
While the Royal Challengers Bangalore have a much balanced squad in IPL 2020, the same could not be said about their squad of the previous season. RCB’s bowling attack was not so strong, and the duo of Jonny Bairstow and David Warner took perfect advantage of it.
The English wicket-keeper batsman dominated the game with his 56-ball 114, whereas Warner supported him to perfection with a 55-ball 100*. The southpaw took 50 runs via running between the wickets in that game.
Virat Kohli – 100* vs. Gujarat Lions, IPL 2016
Virat Kohli features once again on this elite list, highlighting how he has evolved into a marvelous T20 player despite not being the biggest hitter of all. Kohli had not scored a century in the IPL before the 2016 season. However, in the 2016 edition of IPL, Virat registered four centuries.
The first one came against the Gujarat Lions in Rajkot. He scored 50 runs via boundaries and the rest through running between the wickets. Unfortunately, the Royal Challengers Bangalore lost that match.
Manish Pandey – 114* vs. Deccan Chargers, IPL 2009
The first batsman to achieve this unique feat of scoring 50 runs in an IPL inning merely through running between the wickets was Manish Pandey. The right-handed batsman was a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in 2009. Although the conditions in South Africa favored the quick bowlers, Pandey did not back off as he became the first Indian centurion in IPL history.
Pandey played a knock of 114 runs against the Deccan Chargers. He hit 64 runs through fours and sixes, while the rest 50 came through running between the wickets. It is noteworthy that the other batsmen took almost seven years to match the unique record that Manish Pandey created in 2009 as Virat Kohli became the second batsman to score 50 runs through running in the 2016 season of IPL.
