7 Unbreakable Records In Indian Premier League (IPL)

The IPL is as massive it gets in stature with each passing year. As the new editions of the IPL keep approaching, there is an enhanced focus on the upcoming milestones and records. Ever since the inception of the extravaganza in 2008, while many records have come into being, most got overhauled as well. The shortest format hardly enables for any record to remain intact.

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However, there are certain records which might never get breached or any player might not even get close to it. Such milestones and landmarks are equivalent to once in a lifetime thing; hence, all the stars have to align perfectly for any cricketer to go past it. And even then and despite several attempts, many players might be unsuccessful in doing so.

We take a look at seven unbreakable records in the IPL history:

Chris Gayle – 175:

The West Indian truly went berserk against the Pune Warriors’ bowling attack in April 2013 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The pitch perfectly suited to Chris Gayle’s needs as the ball came on to the bat nicely, facilitating his six-hitting prowess. He smashed a 30-ball hundred that powered RCB to an improbable 260 in 20 overs.

He remained 175 not out by the end of the innings making way for the highest IPL team total till date and the highest score in T20 cricket. In the process, the southpaw easily breached past Brendon McCullum’s 158, scored in the inaugural IPL season. The 66-ball unbeaten knock contained 17 sixes and 13 fours. Hence, this particular record might remain unbreakable.

Chris Gayle – 30-ball century:

It was the same match in which Chris Gayle hammered 175; he reached three figures only after five overs of batting. The Pune Warriors’ bowling line-up had to bear the brunt of Gayle’s marauding as he inflicted mercy on no bowler. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was perhaps the best bowler as he conceded only 23 runs in four overs.

The 40-year old got to his hundred through a six, breaking the record of Yusuf Pathan, who reached there in 37 deliveries. The Jamaican’s hundred off 30 deliveries would be perhaps the hardest one to break. It is worth noting that Ab de Villiers has a 30-ball ton in ODIs; however, doing it once again would be an uphill task despite the enormous amount of potential.

MS Dhoni – 9 IPL finals:

MS Dhoni has perhaps become the synonym of successful, not only becoming one of the successful captains in the world but also in the cash-rich league. He was the most expensive player in IPL 2008, leaving everyone behind on the back of guiding India to the summit of the 2007 ICC World T20. The keeper-batsman lifted Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to the finals where they narrowly lost to the Rajasthan Royals. It was only the beginning of the yellow army’s dominance as they reached the final on nine out of 12 seasons so far.

The years 2009, 2014, and 2016 were the only ones they could not make it. It is worth noting that in 2016 and 2017, the franchise remained suspended. Out of the nine seasons, MS Dhoni guided them to three titles, which is a massive achievement as captain out of which two were successive ones. Hence, reaching nine tournament finals would indeed be challenging to scale for any franchise moving forward.

Chennai Super Kings – Making to the playoffs in all the seasons they played in:

MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings hold another distinct record of making it to at least the playoffs in every edition they played in. It is also a feat scaled by no other franchise so far in 12 editions of IPL and will remain unbreakable undeniably. It is a testament to not only the yellow army’s talent but also the ability to handle themselves under pressure. Often CSK’s have found themselves in position, needing to win a game mandatorily to reach the playoffs.

And no matter the pressure, one of the experienced men have stood up to complete the task. If Chennai were active in 2016 and 2017, that might have been the perfect record. It was only in 2009 and 2014; they could not go past the knockout stage. RCB beat them in 2009 while Kings XI Punjab beat them five years later to reach the playoffs.

Chris Gayle – 37 runs:

Two years before Chris Gayle struck an unforgettable knock of 175, he pummelled young left-arm pacer Prasanth Parameswaran of Kochi Tuskers Kerala for 37 runs. Chris Gayle came as a replacement for veteran seamer Dirk Nannes, having gone unsold in the auction. He went on to win the Orange Cap that year and earned the next year too.

Coming to the memorable over, Gayle smashed three sixes and three fours in the third over of the innings in pursuit of 127. What made it go for 37 was that Parameswaran overstepped in the second delivery of the over that went for a six. Even though RCB won comfortably by nine wickets, the Jamaican could not be present to finish the job. Hence, a 37-run over could remain unbreakable forever.

Amit Mishra – 3 IPL hattricks:

Amit Mishra has so far taken three hattricks in the history of the tournament, which is the most by any bowler. Amit Mishra took it for the Deccan Chargers in 2011, Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013, and Delhi Daredevils in 2008. The veteran leggie’s IPL tally includes 157 wickets in 147 games.

The next best bowler is Yuvraj Singh, who boasts of two hattricks in the IPL but is now retired. The only active player and the specialist bowler who remains is Sam Curran. The left-arm seamer took one hattrick last season; however, to take two more for a fast bowler in Indian conditions is a challenging task.

Virat Kohli – 973 runs in a single season:

Virat Kohli fell only 27 runs short in 2016 of scaling 1000 runs in a single season. It was an outstanding edition for Virat Kohli, who plied his trade for the RCB since the 2008 season but displayed his true potential in 2016. While as a captain, he could not lift the trophy for RCB, he won the Orange cap.

The 31-year old mustered 973 runs in 16 games, averaging an astounding 81.08 with a strike rate of 152.03. The 973 runs consisted of four centuries while Kohli has five in total. The next best in a single season turned out to for David Warner, who scored 848 in the same edition. Hence, Virat’s record is unlikely to be broken.

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