The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season saw many spectacular individual performances. Several experienced and young batters came to the party. In short, there were plenty of quality batting performances in IPL 2023.
Centuries Galore
Former India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli did quite well, slamming back-to-back centuries. Dashing T20 batter Suryakumar Yadav played brilliantly, hitting a century against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Then, guys like Yashaswi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh proved their worth and might be seen playing for India soon. Oh, by the way, Shubman Gill also hit a couple of centuries in the season.
We will look at the five top knocks that dazzled the fans this season. If you are one of the ardent cricket fans and missed out on them, this is a great time to get a quick recap. These players were also popular picks in online cricket betting during the IPL 2023 season.
Shubman Gill (129 vs MI):
Mumbai Indians (MI) bowlers had one of their worst nightmares in IPL 2023 as a red-hot Shubman Gill thrashed them to all parts of the ground in Qualifier 2 clash in Ahmedabad. With ten sixes and seven fours, the 23-year-old reiterated why he is among the most exciting players among the current crop of youngsters.
In the 15th over of the match, Gill reached his century in just 49 balls. It was an exhibition of classic T20 batting, as the MI bowlers could not find a way to stop the flow of runs. The GT opening batter gave an evening to forget for Piyush Chawla, the MI’s top performer in IPL 2023.
We list Gill’s top five scores in IPL 2023:
- 129 (60) vs Mumbai Indians
- 104* (52) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
- 101 (58) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
- 94* (51) vs Lucknow Super Giants
- 67 (49) vs Punjab Kings
Yashaswi Jaiswal (124 vs MI):
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) youngster made good use of the opportunity of batting at his home ground and put the MI attack to the sword, bringing up his maiden IPL hundred. Opening for RR, Yashasvi Jaiswal took on the pacers upfront, slamming the likes of Riley Meredith and Cameron Green all over the park. He eventually reached his fifty in 32 balls as he carved Piyush Chawla through the covers.
Jaiswal’s assault on Meredith didn’t stop at that point, as he kept going after him throughout the innings. He brought up his hundred by hitting him through the long-on. In between, he took out the reverse scoop twice. Moreover, he also hit a reverse shot once in the innings, showing the guts he had acquired in his cricket journey.
Suryakumar Yadav (103) vs GT:
Suryakumar Yadav brought his ‘A’ game to the table. MI, who batted first, was placed at 61/1 when SKY walked into bat in the middle. He started with back-to-back boundaries against Rashid Khan before taking on the pacers.
The MI batter hit Alzarri Joseph for a couple of maximums. Meanwhile, against Mohammed Shami, he restrained himself. Nevertheless, he reached his fifty by carving the Afghan spin king for a boundary. From here on, he just stepped the paddle on the gas.
He raced to his hundred from 53 in a span of just three overs as the 32-year-old took on Mohit Sharma for 20 runs in an over. It was an excellent turnaround for SKY, who came to the IPL after a disappointing series against Australia.
The IPL 2023 season saw a missed Mankading attempt from Harshal Patel against Lucknow Super Giants.Is Mankading legal in cricket? Find out more about the controversial mode of dismissal.
Virat Kohli (100) vs SRH:
Chasing 187 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kohli took things into his own hands, slamming Bhuvneshwar Kumar for back-to-back boundaries in the first over. He then went after the spinners. The RCB opening batter reached his seventh fifty in the season in just 35 balls.
But his mayhem didn’t stop there. He would then smash the subsequent 50 runs in 27 balls. Kohli was particularly harsh against the pacers and hit them with all the strength in his body. Kohli, who hit seven fifties in the season, went on to score another hundred.
The three-figure score helped RCB beat SRH by eight wickets which meant they stayed in contention till the final match of the league stage.
Rinku Singh (48 vs GT):
Chasing a mammoth target of 209 against GT, Kolkata Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) needed something special, and Rinku Singh volunteered. The equation was: 39 runs were needed off eight balls. He started with a six and a four against Josh Little. From here on, Rinku did something which no one had imagined.
With 28 required off five balls, the left-handed batter executed a perfect assault against Yash Dayal, starting with a maximum over extra cover. It was a full toss, and the youngster hit it with ferocity.
Next ball, he hit a six again off a full toss. With 16 now needed off 3, he hit Dayal for another six, meaning KKR needed ten off the last two balls. Rinku didn’t look back and smashed the bowler for back-to-back sixes to send the KKR dugout into a frenzy.
Concluding Thoughts
These excellent knocks made IPL 2023 a treat for cricket fans. While it helped Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill reaffirm their position in the Indian team, the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rinku Singh might break into the Indian team thanks to these wonderful performances.
