The IPL 2023 winner was decided in a thrilling final between the Chennai Super Kings and the Gujarat Titans. On Monday, May 29, the Super Kings won following a last ball boundary in Ahmedabad.
The grand match capped up a thrilling season that saw lots of ebbs and flows amongst 10 teams till the last game. There was an abundance of riches in terms of ability on exhibit throughout the season. There were multiple outstanding performances from various individuals.
Shubman Gill was awarded the Orange Cap for his great batting season where he scored 890 runs in 17 matches. Mohammed Shami of the Gujarat Titans won the Purple Cap with 28 wickets. GT also had the season’s top three wicket takers – Shami, Rashid Khan, and Mohit Sharma.
Apart from those three bowlers, numerous more delivered outstanding performances during the league and playoff phase of IPL 2023. With another fantastic season in the books, let us take a look at the top five spells of IPL 2023.
1) Akash Madhwal – 5/5 (MI vs LSG)
Akash Madhwal of Uttarakhand bowled the best spell of the season. His bowling performance of 5/5 in 3.3 overs aided the Mumbai Indians in their Eliminator victory over the Lucknow Super Giants.
The 29 year old took the first wicket of LSG’s batting innings while they were chasing 183. Madhwal then returned in his second over to dismiss Ayush Badoni and Nicholas Pooran, reducing LSG from 74/3 to 74/5 and thus derailing their run chase.
Akash Madhwal’s stats were the greatest by an IPL playoff bowler in history. It aided MI’s advancement to Qualifier 2 against the Gujarat Titans. He ended the IPL 2023 season with 14 wickets at a 15.64 average and an 8.59 run per over economy rate.
2) Mohit Sharma – 5/10 (GT vs MI)
Mohit Sharma of the Gujarat Titans followed in the footsteps of Akash Madhwal in Qualifier 2 against the Mumbai Indians.
Defending a mammoth score of 233/3 in 20 overs, the Gujarat Titans appeared to be withering under Suryakumar Yadav’s assault until Mohit Sharma entered the attack.
On a flat Ahmedabad surface, the 34 year old produced one of the finest spells in IPL playoff history. Mohit took 5 wickets in 14 deliveries, including the crucial wicket of Suryakumar Yadav on 61.
Mohit stamped his name in the record books with the second best bowling figures a game after Madhwal got the best ever bowling numbers in the IPL playoffs. Mohit Sharma ended the IPL 2023 season with 27 wickets in 14 matches with average of 13.37 and economy rate of 8.17.
3) Mark Wood – 5/14 (LSG vs DC)
Mark Wood of England threw one of the quickest and most damaging spells in IPL 2023. He helped the Lucknow Super Giants win their opening game of the season by 50 runs against the Delhi Capitals.
After reaching 193/6 in 20 overs, skipper KL Rahul chose Wood to frighten the DC hitters and shatter a blooming opening partnership.
Wood bowled with remarkable velocity and venom to destroy the DC batting order, triggering a collapse. Wood concluded his session with 5/14, including crucial wickets of Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh, and Axar Patel.
Despite just playing four games in IPL 2023, Wood picked up 11 wickets and helped LSG get off to a solid start. They finally made the playoffs, but were defeated by Mumbai in the Eliminator.
4) Arshdeep Singh – 4/29 (PBKS vs MI)
Arshdeep Singh of the Punjab Kings bowled one of the most underappreciated spells of this year’s IPL. He took 4/29 in his four overs, helping PBKS achieve a dramatic 13-run victory against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023
The Kings batted first and scored 214/8 on what was perhaps the greatest batting pitch in the competition at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
With Suryakumar Yadav batting on 57 off 25 balls, MI seemed to be on track for a spectacular triumph at 175/3 in 17 overs. Arshdeep had different plans. He dismissed Suryakumar in the 18th over while allowing only nine runs.
MI still needed 16 runs in the last over of the run chase, but the 24-year-old delivered one of the greatest overs of the season under pressure. Arshdeep surrendered only two runs and took important wickets of Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera to lead PBKS to a crucial 13-run victory.
5) Varun Chakaravarthy – 4/15 (KKR vs RCB)
While quite a few spinners played substantial roles in their team’s success, the only spinner in our top five spells of IPL 2023 is Kolkata Knight Riders’ Varun Chakaravarthy.
The 31-year-old began his comeback season after a disastrous 2022 in the IPL with a fabulous spell of 4/15 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He helped KKR win the first game of their campaign. After losing their first game against PBKS, KKR posted an impressive 204/7 in their 20 overs.
However, with the pitch assisting strokeplay and RCB possessing a dangerous batting lineup, the result was far from a foregone conclusion. With RCB on a roll, KKR captain Nitish Rana put Varun into the powerplay. The Tamil Nadu born cricketer did not disappoint, dismissing Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell in his first two overs.
Varun then returned to take another two of wickets, helping KKR to their first win of the season. Varun Chakaravarthy had a fantastic season in the IPL 2023, taking 20 wickets in 14 games while averaging 8.15 runs per over.