On Sunday, April 9, Sunrisers Hyderabad achieved their first win of IPL 2023, defeating the Punjab Kings by 8 wickets with 17 balls remaining. Rahul Tripathi (74*) and Aiden Markram (37*) built an impressive partnership for the third wicket during the run chase that looked difficult in the opening nine overs.
Punjab King’s batters couldn’t produce any significant scores, except for their skipper Shikhar Dhawan, who played an incredible knock, scoring his 50th fifty-plus score of 99* off 66 deliveries. This ensured that the PBKS scored a respectable 143/9 from 88/9 after 15 overs.
Let’s look at 3 other instances when a batter remained unbeaten on 99 in IPL history:
1) Suresh Raina against SRH, Hyderabad, IPL 2013
CSK had a great start to the match when Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay shared a 45-run stand in just 5.2 overs. This gave Suresh Raina the opportunity to play a powerful inning, and he didn’t waste it. Raina and Hussey shared a 133-run partnership in just 12 overs, of which Raina was the star. He hit 11 fours and three sixes during his 52-ball stay at the crease and was on 95 with one ball left in the innings. He then hit a four to become the first player in IPL history with individual innings scores of 98, 99, and 100, helping CSK to a smashing 77-run win.
2) Chris Gayle against RCB, Mohali, 2019
Chris Gayle faced his former team in this match-up. The visitors won the toss and decided to bowl first. Gayle absolutely smashed the opposing bowlers, making 99* from 64 balls, with no other player crossing 20 runs in their innings. PBKS scored 173/4 in the first innings. Gayle blitzed Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav in his powerplay overs, reaching a score of 48 off 23 balls. He then slowed considerably in the next 27 balls, scoring just 20 runs. But he exploded again in the death overs, adding 31 runs off the last 14 balls. Despite Gayle’s magnificent performance, RCB won the match by 8 wickets with four balls to spare.
3) Mayank Agarwal against DC, Ahmedabad, 2021
Mayank Agarwal was appointed as the skipper of Punjab Kings for this IPL fixture. Delhi Capitals won the toss and chose to take the field first. Agarwal (99* off 58) scored almost 60% of the team’s total runs, taking them to 166/6 in the first innings. Despite Punjab losing wickets frequently, Agarwal remained determined and scored 40 runs from 34 balls. The right-handed batter picked up the pace and scored 59 runs from the last 24 balls, keeping them in the game. Ultimately, Delhi Capitals won the match with 14 balls left to spare, sealing victory by 7 wickets.
