Legends galore – Five former batting greats of the IPL
With the IPL 2020 nearing, the excitement of fans is also notching up. Every cricket fanatic is eager to witness the T20 extravaganza in the UAE this year. No one could’ve imagined in the inaugural edition that the tournament will pave its way to becoming the premier domestic T20 competition across the globe. In its 12-year journey, many legends have been a part of the IPL extravaganza. Be it Indian or overseas players, fans are always up to see their favourite star in action. Fortunately, IPL fans have witnessed many legends of the game plying their trade in the cash-rich league.
Here are five legends who’ve been a part of the IPL:
5. Matthew Hayden
No IPL fan can forget the sight of Matthew Hayden walking out in the middle with a Mongoose bat. Hayden always had the ability to smash runs at a brisk rate and it was evident from his batting shows for Chennai Super Kings.
Hayden was a part of Chennai Super Kings since the inaugural IPL season. In the 2009 edition, he even won the Orange Cap as the season’s highest run-scorer, with 572 runs to his name. Hayden will surely go down as one of the most impressive veterans to brace the IPL.
4. Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag is widely regarded as one of the most destructive batsmen of all time. In any format of the sport, Sehwag never shied away from flaunting his explosive batting. He was the ‘Icon’ player of Delhi Daredevils (Delhi Capitals now). In his eight-year reign in the tournament, Sehwag enthralled the audience with many explosive knocks. He was associated with Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils in his IPL career, scoring 2728 runs in 104 games at an explosive strike-rate of 155.4.
3. Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid, ‘The Wall’ of Indian cricket was tagged as a Test specialist before the inaugural edition of the tournament. He was an icon player for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first season where he registered 4 victories out of 14, scoring 371 runs at an average of almost 28.
In the next 2 seasons with RCB, he scored 271 and 256 before moving his base to Rajasthan Royals. Dravid, defying all odds, emerged as the 9th highest-run scorer in 2013 edition after he scored 471 runs including four half-centuries. Dravid captained RR in 40 matches, steering them to 23 victories.
2. Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting is one of the most successful skippers in international cricket, having achieved 220 victories in 324 matches. Ponting might’ve donned the coaching hat right now but it was a treat to watch ‘Punter’ bracing the field while donning Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians jersey.
Ponting was associated with KKR for the inaugural season where he featured in only four matches. Later in 2013, he represented Mumbai Indians, playing six matches and scoring 52 runs. It wasn’t a batting brilliance which people had hoped for but it surely was a treat to watch Ponting and Tendulkar bat together for MI.
1. Sachin Tendulkar
Widely known as the ‘God of Cricket’, Sachin Tendulkar was the icon player of Mumbai Indians in the inaugural edition. The Master Blaster played 78 IPL matches and scored 2,334 runs at a strike-rate of 119.82. He even captained the side until the 2011 season and led MI to 32 wins in 55 matches.
Tendulkar’s association with the franchise will always be an endearing one. Along with Sehwag, Tendulkar is the only India veteran to have scored an IPL century.
