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5 things that happened for the first time in IPL 2021

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MS Dhoni and Harshal Patel IPL
Photo: BCCI/IPL

The 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League is done and dusted, with the Chennai Super Kings defeating the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 Final to become champions for the fourth time. Not many expected a CSK vs. KKR final when the competition began.

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However, some unexpected things happened in IPL 2021. Some of those instances happened for the first time ever in the tournament’s history. Here’s a list of five such things.

1. A Royal Challengers Bangalore player won the Purple Cap for the first time in IPL 2021

IPL 2021
Photo: BCCI/IPL

Harshal Patel became the first bowler to win the IPL Orange Cap award while donning the Royal Challengers Bangalore jersey in an IPL season. The right-arm pacer accomplished the feat by taking 32 wickets in 15 matches for the Bangalore-based franchise.

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2. An uncapped player won the Man of the Series award for the first time in IPL 2021

Apart from winning the Purple Cap award, Harshal Patel also bagged the Man of the Series award. He topped the Most Valuable Player of the Season leaderboard and joined Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli in the elite group of Indian cricketers to have won the IPL MVP award.

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3. Sunrisers Hyderabad finished last for the first time

Sunrisers Hyderabad entered the IPL in 2013. The Orange Army had been one of the most consistent teams. They reached the playoffs in the last five seasons. However, this year, they finished last in the points table for the first time ever.

4. IPL tournament had to be stopped midway

The Indian Premier League started in the year 2008, and before 2021, there was not a single IPL tournament that was halted midway. However, in IPL 2021, BCCI had to stop the tournament after 29 matches because of a COVID-19 outbreak in the bio-bubbles.

5. A retired Indian cricketer won the IPL trophy as captain

MS Dhoni became the first retired Indian cricketer to win the IPL trophy. Apart from Dhoni, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir are the only Indian skippers to have won the IPL. While Rohit is still playing, Gambhir won his two titles before retiring from international cricket.

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