In the Twenty20 format, it's always the batting performances that bag
a fair share of the interest, and in this editon of the IPL, the story
has been the same. With the tournament entering its last lap, the top
batsmen have already warmed up and now aim to finish on a high.
Unfortunately, we are yet to see a century this season but there have been quite a few knocks that have lit up the seventh edition. Glenn Maxwell was the one who set the stage on fire in the UAE leg with scores of 95, 89*, 95 and then continued the fireworks when the event moved to India.
But Maxwell is not the lone batsman to have been in the spotlight. Batsmen like AB de Villiers (RCB), Dwayne Smith (CSK) and Yuvraj Singh (RCB) have joined the race with some scintillating stroke-play.
Glenn Maxwell 95 (vs CSK in Abu Dhabi)
The tournament was just two days old and being played in the UAE but that bit of detail hardly mattered for Glenn Maxwell as he helped Kings XI Punjab register a six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings with
seven balls to spare. Chasing a massive target of 206, Punjab needed an explosive innings and Maxwell played one by hammering a 43-ball 95, which was studded with 15 fours and two sixes. But before the Aussie could achieve the three-figure score, he was bowled by Dwayne Smith.
Glenn Maxwell 95 (vs SRH in Sharjah)
Surisers Hyderabad made the wrong decision of asking Punjab to bat first as Shikhar Dhawan's call backfired. Maxwell carried on from where he had left by slamming yet another 95 off 43 balls, which included nine sixes and five fours. Punjab got the right start provided by openers Cheteshwar Pujara and Virender Sehwag and went on to put up 193 for 6 in 20 overs. Chasing the target, Hyderabad were all out for 121 and lost the match by 72 runs.
Glenn Maxwell 90 (vs CSK in Cuttack)
Maxwell in this edition of the IPL has developed a special liking for Chennai and in the eastern city of Cuttack, he had something special for the crowd. Like Hyderabad, Chennai also made the mistake of opting to bowl first and Maxwell made full use of the belter at the Barabati Stadium. He hit eight sixes and six fours in his 38-ball 90 to power Punjab to a formidable 231 for 4. Chennai tried to match Punjab but could score only 187 for 6 to concede defeat by 44 runs.
AB de Villiers 89* (vs Hyderabad in Bangalore)
De Villiers showed the prowess of his batting skills by single-handedly taking Royal Challengers Bangalore to a four-wicket win over Hyderabad. Chasing 156, Bangalore were far behind at 95 for 3 in 14.3 overs and stood no chance of pulling things back, but De Villiers played a gritty unbeaten 41-ball 89 to clinch a thriller for his team. De Villiers innings was studded with eight sixes and six fours.
Glenn Maxwell 89 (vs Rajasthan in Sharjah)
Rajasthan Royals, after putting up 191, were relatively sure of a victory until Maxwell spoiled their party. Rajasthan bowlers gave their team the right start by sending Sehwag and Wriddhiman Saha back early but Maxwell wasn't bothered. He, along with Pujara, first steadied Punjab and then turned on the heat to score a scintillating 89 off 45 balls, which included six sixes and eight fours. Maxwell failed to carry his bat but not before taking Punjab within striking distance of the target.
Aaron Finch 88* (vs Delhi in Dubai)
The burly Australian is yet to set the tournament on fire except for this innings against Delhi Daredevils in Dubai. Finch is a destructive operator in this format and Hyderabad bank heavily on his fire-power top of the order. The Finch we know was exceptional in this match by scoring an unbeaten 88 off 53 balls, which included four sixes and eight fours.
Yuvraj Singh 83 (vs Rajasthan in Bangalore)
This innings of Yuvraj had to be one of the special as he returned to form after going through a lean patch. He was in some kind of flow with supreme timing as he amassed 83 off just 38 balls and scored seven sixes and an equal number of boundaries. Riding on Yuvraj's knock, Bangalore put up 190 for 5 before Steven Smith and James Faulkner ruined his heroics by guiding Rajasthan to a five-wicket win. Bangalore lost but Yuvraj surely emerged as a champion.
Robin Uthappa 80 (vs Mumbai in Cuttack)
The Karnataka batsman is in some serious form and with three fifties so far - he is making a strong case for India comeback. The 52-ball 80 was clinical if not blazing as Uthappa chose his shots well according to the merit of the ball. Particularly, two successive sixes off Lendl Simmons over extra-cover had class written all over it. Kolkata Knight Riders needed someone to anchor their chase of 142 and Uthappa provided that. Moreover, Uthappa could be easily credited, along with Gambhir, for Kolkata's fightback.
Naman Ojha 79* (vs Punjab in Hyderabad)
Naman Ojha has always been that under-rated cricketer having all the talent to play at the top. The wicketkeeper-batsman exhibited his class in Hyderabad's home match against a formidable bowling of Punjab by blasting an unbeaten 36-ball 79, which was filled with seven sixes and four boundaries. However, SRH went on to lose the match.
Dwayne Smith 79 (vs Delhi in Delhi)
After shifting base to Chennai from Mumbai, Dwayne Smith is a changed batsman altogether and in IPL 7 he is giving some competition to Maxwell in the batting charts. Delhi, after putting up 178 batting first at the Kotla, thought they had a competitive total on the board, but Smith scripted Chennai's eight-wicket win with a calculated 51-ball 79 . Moreover, Smith is trailing Maxwell at second with 440 runs in the highest run-scorers' list.
Unfortunately, we are yet to see a century this season but there have been quite a few knocks that have lit up the seventh edition. Glenn Maxwell was the one who set the stage on fire in the UAE leg with scores of 95, 89*, 95 and then continued the fireworks when the event moved to India.
But Maxwell is not the lone batsman to have been in the spotlight. Batsmen like AB de Villiers (RCB), Dwayne Smith (CSK) and Yuvraj Singh (RCB) have joined the race with some scintillating stroke-play.
Glenn Maxwell 95 (vs CSK in Abu Dhabi)
The tournament was just two days old and being played in the UAE but that bit of detail hardly mattered for Glenn Maxwell as he helped Kings XI Punjab register a six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings with
seven balls to spare. Chasing a massive target of 206, Punjab needed an explosive innings and Maxwell played one by hammering a 43-ball 95, which was studded with 15 fours and two sixes. But before the Aussie could achieve the three-figure score, he was bowled by Dwayne Smith.
Glenn Maxwell 95 (vs SRH in Sharjah)
Surisers Hyderabad made the wrong decision of asking Punjab to bat first as Shikhar Dhawan's call backfired. Maxwell carried on from where he had left by slamming yet another 95 off 43 balls, which included nine sixes and five fours. Punjab got the right start provided by openers Cheteshwar Pujara and Virender Sehwag and went on to put up 193 for 6 in 20 overs. Chasing the target, Hyderabad were all out for 121 and lost the match by 72 runs.
Glenn Maxwell 90 (vs CSK in Cuttack)
Maxwell in this edition of the IPL has developed a special liking for Chennai and in the eastern city of Cuttack, he had something special for the crowd. Like Hyderabad, Chennai also made the mistake of opting to bowl first and Maxwell made full use of the belter at the Barabati Stadium. He hit eight sixes and six fours in his 38-ball 90 to power Punjab to a formidable 231 for 4. Chennai tried to match Punjab but could score only 187 for 6 to concede defeat by 44 runs.
AB de Villiers 89* (vs Hyderabad in Bangalore)
De Villiers showed the prowess of his batting skills by single-handedly taking Royal Challengers Bangalore to a four-wicket win over Hyderabad. Chasing 156, Bangalore were far behind at 95 for 3 in 14.3 overs and stood no chance of pulling things back, but De Villiers played a gritty unbeaten 41-ball 89 to clinch a thriller for his team. De Villiers innings was studded with eight sixes and six fours.
Glenn Maxwell 89 (vs Rajasthan in Sharjah)
Rajasthan Royals, after putting up 191, were relatively sure of a victory until Maxwell spoiled their party. Rajasthan bowlers gave their team the right start by sending Sehwag and Wriddhiman Saha back early but Maxwell wasn't bothered. He, along with Pujara, first steadied Punjab and then turned on the heat to score a scintillating 89 off 45 balls, which included six sixes and eight fours. Maxwell failed to carry his bat but not before taking Punjab within striking distance of the target.
Aaron Finch 88* (vs Delhi in Dubai)
The burly Australian is yet to set the tournament on fire except for this innings against Delhi Daredevils in Dubai. Finch is a destructive operator in this format and Hyderabad bank heavily on his fire-power top of the order. The Finch we know was exceptional in this match by scoring an unbeaten 88 off 53 balls, which included four sixes and eight fours.
Yuvraj Singh 83 (vs Rajasthan in Bangalore)
This innings of Yuvraj had to be one of the special as he returned to form after going through a lean patch. He was in some kind of flow with supreme timing as he amassed 83 off just 38 balls and scored seven sixes and an equal number of boundaries. Riding on Yuvraj's knock, Bangalore put up 190 for 5 before Steven Smith and James Faulkner ruined his heroics by guiding Rajasthan to a five-wicket win. Bangalore lost but Yuvraj surely emerged as a champion.
Robin Uthappa 80 (vs Mumbai in Cuttack)
The Karnataka batsman is in some serious form and with three fifties so far - he is making a strong case for India comeback. The 52-ball 80 was clinical if not blazing as Uthappa chose his shots well according to the merit of the ball. Particularly, two successive sixes off Lendl Simmons over extra-cover had class written all over it. Kolkata Knight Riders needed someone to anchor their chase of 142 and Uthappa provided that. Moreover, Uthappa could be easily credited, along with Gambhir, for Kolkata's fightback.
Naman Ojha 79* (vs Punjab in Hyderabad)
Naman Ojha has always been that under-rated cricketer having all the talent to play at the top. The wicketkeeper-batsman exhibited his class in Hyderabad's home match against a formidable bowling of Punjab by blasting an unbeaten 36-ball 79, which was filled with seven sixes and four boundaries. However, SRH went on to lose the match.
Dwayne Smith 79 (vs Delhi in Delhi)
After shifting base to Chennai from Mumbai, Dwayne Smith is a changed batsman altogether and in IPL 7 he is giving some competition to Maxwell in the batting charts. Delhi, after putting up 178 batting first at the Kotla, thought they had a competitive total on the board, but Smith scripted Chennai's eight-wicket win with a calculated 51-ball 79 . Moreover, Smith is trailing Maxwell at second with 440 runs in the highest run-scorers' list.
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