On Friday, May 12, the Mumbai Indians beat Gujarat Titans by 27 runs at Wankhede Stadium. As a consequence, MI has moved up to third place in the IPL rankings, while GT remains at the top.
MI batted first and finished 20 overs with a massive score of 218/5. Suryakumar Yadav (103* runs off 49 balls) led their batting effort with a superb century. Suryakumar hit 11 boundaries and 6 maximums in his whirlwind knock with a strike rate of 210.20.
Suryakumar Yadav is unquestionably the star of the day and the man of the moment. He is the latest member of the Mumbai Indians side to reach the century mark in the IPL. Sky also enters the list of centurions in Mumbai’s typical home venue, the renowned Wankhede Stadium.
The inevitable question now arises: Was this among the finest hundreds at this venue? To discover out, let us look at the three finest IPL hundreds made at the Wankhede Stadium.
1) AB de Villiers – 133*(59 balls) vs MI, IPL 2015
Batting first, RCB reached a massive total of 235/1 after 20 overs. After Chris Gayle was dismissed, AB de Villiers joined Virat Kohli in the middle.
De Villiers (133* runs off 59 balls) hit a brilliant century to push his side to a mammoth score of 235/1. In his spectacular inning, ‘Mr. 360’ hit 19 boundaries and four sixes with a strike rate of 225.42.
He was ably assisted by Virat Kohli (82* runs off 50 balls), who put on a 215-run second wicket partnership with one of his closest cricketing mates. This partnership came against a bowling attack that included Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, and Mitchell McClenaghan.
In response, MI scored 196/7 in their run-chase. AB de Villiers was named Player of the Match as RCB won by 39 runs. This game will be remembered for one of the greatest partnerships in cricket history between Kohli and De Villiers.
2) Sanju Samson – 119(63 balls) vs PBKS, IPL 2021
The Rajasthan Royals were reduced to 70/3 in 7.3 overs while chasing a formidable total of 222 in 20 overs, with top players like Ben Stokes and Jos Butler back in the pavilion.
RR appeared to be doomed until Sanju Samson (119 runs off 63 balls) hit a world-class century to almost guide his team to an improbable victory. During his batting, Samson hit 12 boundaries and 7 sixes.
Sanju Samson, who needed five runs off the final ball to save his team’s defeat, was dismissed by Arshdeep Singh. Despite a painful defeat, it was one of the rare occasions when a player from the losing team received the POTM award.
#3 Jos Buttler – 116(65 balls) vs RR, IPL 2022
Batting first at the Wankhede Stadium, RR amassed a massive score of 222/2 after 20 overs. Jos Buttler (116 runs off 65 balls) scored at a strike rate of 178.46, hitting 9 fours and 9 sixes.
Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal worked together for a stunning opening partnership of 155 runs. Padikkal (54 runs off 35 balls) and Sanju Samson (46* runs off 19 balls) assisted him admirably.
In response, DC posted an outstanding score of 207/8 after 20 overs. DC needed 36 runs off the last over, and Rovman Powell (36 runs off 15 balls) hit three consecutive sixes in the first three balls to make it a thrilling finish.
However, a debate over a no-ball call at the end of the game was a sad finish to an exciting game. In the end, DC fell 15 runs short, and Jos Buttler was named Player of the Match.
That brings us to the end of our list of the three finest centuries at Wankhede Stadium. Yes, Suryakumar Yadav’s hundred wowed everyone at the exclusive venue, but he is not the first.
Are there any more top centuries at MI’s stronghold that you can think of? Please share your thoughts in the comments box below.
