As we approach the end of the league stage of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL 2023), some memorable innings come to mind.
Yashasvi Jaiswal recently scored the quickest fifty in IPL history (13 balls) against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and is presently ranked second on the Orange Cap list. Earlier in the season, the youthful left-hander crushed the Mumbai Indians (MI) for a century.
Other prominent batters this season include Faf du Plessis, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Devon Conway. However, there are a select handful who have played a single notable inning despite failing in most or all of their previous league matches.
Here are three great batsmen who have only played one significant knock in the IPL 2023 so far.
3) KL Rahul – Lucknow Super Giants
KL Rahul of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had his IPL 2023 campaign cut short due to a thigh injury. On May 1, he was injured during a match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and Krunal Pandya took over as captain.
Rahul was having a dreadful individual season even while playing in the league. He delivered multiple hits that were detrimental to the Super Giants, with his lack of intent placing pressure on the hitters surrounding him. The 31-year-old scored 274 runs in nine matches, with an average of 34.25 and a strike rate of 113.22.
Even though it ended in a loss, one knock stuck out. Not his 68 against the Gujarat Titans (GT), which nearly cost LSG the game when he declined to accelerate when the chase was almost complete, but his 74 against the Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Rahul scored the highest score for his team in an inning where the next-best contribution was opening partner Kyle Mayers’ 29. Only four batters, including Rahul and Mayers, scored 15 runs.
However, LSG also lost that game. In the second innings, Rahul made some strange tactical moves, but Sikandar Raza’s all-around performance ensured PBKS crossed the line in the last over.
2) Harry Brook – SunRisers Hyderabad
The SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) made a large investment on Harry Brook at the IPL 2023 auction, but their faith in him has not been repaid in any way.
With 163 runs in nine innings at an average of 20.38 and a strike rate of 121.64, the Englishman has been one of their poorest performers this season. His ability to play against spin has been his most glaring weakness, and he has also seemed vulnerable while facing pace on the powerplay.
Brook scored 100 of those 163 runs in a single inning, hammering an unbeaten century against KKR to spark hopes of a return to form. In his knock, he hit 12 fours and three sixes as SRH won a high-scoring game by 23 runs.
Brook then went on to post scores of 9, 18, 7, 0, and 0 to lose his spot in the Hyderabad team.
1) Rohit Sharma – Mumbai Indians
What may be the cause of Rohit Sharma’s consistent failures in the IPL? He has all the shots in the book and always appears to be due for a huge hit, but he just hasn’t found the proper recipe to flourish in the league
Rohit has only scored 220 runs in IPL 2023, with an average of 18.33 and a strike rate of 128.65. The ace batter, who had five consecutive single-digit hits before his recent 29-run blast against GT, hasn’t been able to provide MI with regular powerplay starts.
Rohit did, however, play one innings that earned him the Player of the Match honour. MI crossed the line off the last ball while pursuing 173 against the Delhi Capitals (DC), with the opening batsman making 65 off 45. In his relaxing knock, he hit six fours and four sixes.
