Pant’s 97, Warner’s Record 126 - IPL 2017’s Top 5 Innings

From one of the youngest players in the IPL to a veteran - the top innings this season have come from varied bats.

Fifty nine matches, five centuries and countless match-winning performances from the stars have lit up the 10th season of the IPL.

Seven weeks of action later, we have reached the final of the competition, which will be played between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiant in Hyderabad on Sunday.

In this one, we put together the top five batting performances of IPL 2017 so far.

Rishabh Pant’s 97

A triple century in his first full Ranji Trophy season and named captain of the Delhi one-day team ahead of Gautam Gambhir – this was to be Rishabh Pant’s season to step into the big leagues. Right before the start of the tournament though, the young wicketkeeper-batsman lost his biggest support system, his father. Pant though powered on and joined his team in time for the first match of the season, against RCB in Bangalore. With a well-made 57, Pant gave the most fitting tribute to the man who pushed him to pursue his dreams.

However, it was much later in the season that Rishabh played what could well be his career-defining innings.

Playing at home, Delhi were chasing a record total of 208 set by Gujarat Lions. After two overs, Karun Nair was sent packing. The score read 24/1, and in walked Rishabh Pant.

With Sanju Samson at the other end, a familiar partner from his India A outings, Pant went on to forge one of the most memorable partnerships of IPL 2017. 143 runs in 10.3 overs before Samson fell to Ravindra Jadeja.

The job was still not done and Pant soldiered on. Six boundaries and nine sixes rained from his bat before Dinesh Karthik pouched his nick. Pant was out on 97, but by this stage Delhi needed just 27 from 30 balls.

They won the match by 7 wickets.

Hashim Amla’s 104

Left out of previous IPLs because he is “not T20 player”, Hashim Amla made a late entry into the league via Kings XI Punjab franchise in the last season. The team’s 2017 season though will be defined by just one player - Amla.

Glenn Maxwell, Eoin Morgan and Shaun Marsh – all certified big-hitters of the ball but it was Amla’s class which stood out. Along with his two innings of 104, both coming off 60 deliveries.

The first one though, against Mumbai Indians, resonates more. For the innings could possibly be the worst treatment meted out to Sri Lankan great Lasith Malinga. In the 16th over of the innings, Amla smashed two sixes and two boundaries to make 21 off the 5 deliveries he faced.

And there was an encore. The 20th over. A single. A six. Another six – this one to get to his century and #AmlaKaHamla was trending on Twitter.

David Warner’s 126

There were many big shocks this season (Read: Gayle/RCB) but David Warner and his Indian love story continued in the shortest format.

He did not have the best time in whites when Australia played India in the Test series right before the IPL, but the T20 tamasha just brings out the best of Warner. His 126 against Kolkata Knight Riders is the highest total of the tournament.

Put into bat first on their home ground, Warner and opening partner Shikhar Dhawan tormented the visiting KKR bowlers, going unbeaten till 139 were on the board.

The SRH skipper completed his 50 in 20 deliveries and when Chris Woakes dropped an easy catch at long-off off Kuldeep Yadav in the 10th over, the stars had successfully aligned themselves.

A total of 10 fours and eight sixes were unleashed from Warner’s bat as he recorded the highest score of this IPL. His team won the match by 38 runs.

Sanju Samson’s 102

Part of IPL since 2013, Sanju Samson has always been among the runs but as India’s chief selector said “he is still one India A tour from his big break”. And that has been the tale of Samson’s short career so far – always talked about highly but failing to make a lasting mark.

All that though, changed on 11 April.

IPL 2017’s first century came off the Kerala opener’s bat in Delhi’s game against Rising Pune Supergiant. In the process, the 22-year-old right-hander also became the second youngest to smash an IPL century.

It was 2/1 in the second over and Samson walked in to bat. He signalled his arrival though with two consecutive fours off Deepak Chahar. In the next over, Samson destroyed medium pacer Ashok Dinda's line and length by hitting two consecutive fours and declaring his intent.

The fifty came in 41 balls and he finally fell on a 63-ball-102. Delhi went on to beat Pune by a mammoth 97 runs.

Ben Stokes’ 103*

The most expensive international buy in IPL history, Ben Stokes had more than a few spotlights on him when the 10th season of the tournament started.

Just a few games in and you realised just why the all-rounder was worth Rs 14.5 crore for Rising Pune Supergiant. If he wasn't acing with the ball, then it was with the bat, and if not that, then with some inspirational work in the field.

On 1 May though, in his skipper Steve Smith’s words, he “certainly earned his cash”.

Electing to field first on winning the toss, Pune dismissed the visitors for 161 runs in 19.5 overs but initially made heavy weather of their chase before reaching it with one ball left. All courtesy Stokes who smashed 103 runs off just 63 balls with the help of seven boundaries and six sixes.