The Indian Premier League (IPL) is evolving every year. The competitions between the franchise and players make this league even more competitive. In the IPL, players often chose their personal milestone for the reward of the “Orange Cap,” even after the reward in the high-octane T20 league, some players prefer to play for their team rather than their own milestone.
A selfless inning isn’t defined by it; it totally depends upon the player’s intent and the situation of the game and the sake of the team. From Mr IPL Suresh Raina to Ishan Kishan’s recent knock , We are going to discuss the top 10 selfless innings in IPL history.
10 selfless innings in IPL history
1. Suresh Raina (CSK vs KXIP, 2014)
In a high-pressure qualifier match where Chennai Super Kings were chasing a huge 227 runs against Kings XI Punjab (PBKS), Mr. IPL played a legendary inning of 87 of 25 balls. In that inning he reached a half-century in just 16 balls. He didn’t even care about his century; his main focus was to chase the target. But his inning ended up on a tragic run-out and became one of the important selfless innings in IPL history.
2. Ishan Kishan (SRH vs RR, 2026)
In this year’s IPL Ishan Kishan played a captain’s knock. When he came to bat, SRH lost Abhishek Sharma at zero runs. Kishan was very close to his century when he batted in the nervous 90s and most batters slow down their innings and look for their century but Kishan refused to slow down his innings and lost his wicket on 91.
3. Manish Pandey (KXIP vs KKR, 2014)
Manish Pandey is one of the most underrated players in IPL history. Fans often forget about his contribution and his match-winning knock. In the 2014 IPL final against KXIP, Manish Pandey played a heroic knock after KKR lost an early wicket of the orange cap winner, Robin Uthappa; Pandey took responsibility. Pandey was at 94 in just 50 balls; he could easily have scored his century but he didn’t go for personal achievement and tried to hit the six and lost his wicket.
4. MS Dhoni (CSK vs RCB, 2019)
When it comes to selfless cricketers, MS Dhoni’s name will always be there and in the match against RCK in 2019, Dhoni proved it again with his brilliant innings. CSK was in very poor situation when they were down to 28/4, and Dhoni came to the rescue. From this bad situation, Dhoni took the match till the last ball, and they scored 24 runs in the last over. Mahi single-handedly scored 84 runs in 48 balls, anchoring the innings with a strike rate of 175, making it a remarkably selfless innings.
5. Virat Kohli (RCB vs MI, 2017)
Virat Kohli was returning from his shoulder injury, and he didn’t look for a slow start to find his momentum. In that match, Kohli scored 62 runs in 47 balls. Now, fans can criticize his innings for the strike rate, but players like Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers failed to play a run-a-ball inning. Despite often losing the match, Kohli’s innings will always be remembered.
6. Kieron Pollard (MI vs CSK, 2013 Final)
In a low-scoring final match where the Mumbai Indians were struggling to find the momentum and lost 4 wickets in just 42 runs, Pollard played a very important knock of 60 runs in 32 balls, helping MI reach 148 runs. He hit 2 sixes in the last over; his important knock helped MI to win the final, and Pollard was the player of the match.
7. Yusuf Pathan (KKR vs SRH, 2014)
KKR was chasing a target of 161, and they needed to finish the match before 15.2 overs to finish in the top two in the points table. Pathan came to bat when KKR was at 78/4 in 10 overs and showed his power hitting. He scored 72 runs in just 22 balls with a strike rate of 327. His innings included 7 sixes and 5 boundaries.
8. Robin Uthappa (KKR vs RPS, 2017)
KKR was chasing 183 runs against the Rising Pune Supergiants, where they lost the early wicket of Sunil Narine. Then Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir played a brilliant partnership. Uthappa played a fiery innings of 87 runs in just 47 balls, helped KKR achieve the target in just 18.1 overs.
9. AB de Villiers (RCB vs MI, 2015)
Mr. 360 played a brilliant cameo of 41 runs off just 11 balls against the Mumbai Indians in the 16th match of IPL 2015. He played the inning with a strike rate of 372, including 5 fours and 3 sixes. Although RCB lost the match, de Villiers’ innings will always be remembered as the most unselfish knock in IPL history.
10. Rahul Tewatia (RR vs KXIP, 2020)
Rahul Tewatia’s 53 off 31 balls inning vs KXIP in 2020 was a miracle. His 5 sixes in an over help with the successful run chase. Although Sanju Samson became the player of the match, Tewati’s innings was one of the best selfless innings in the IPL record.
Also Read: Top 5 Selfless Innings in International Cricket History
