For CSK to advance to the IPL 2010 semifinal, they needed to win this game. Kings XI Punjab had set a lofty goal of 192 at Dharamsala, and the Yellow Brigade’s situation looked very bleak.89/3 was the score on the scoreboard at the halfway point. The final 10 overs would need to produce an additional 104 runs.
It was getting harder for CSK to chase with 47 runs needed off 18 balls, but MS Dhoni maintained his composure. He smashed two enormous sixes off Irfan Pathan’s bowling to help CSK win when they needed 16 off 6 balls. He totaled 54 runs off 29 balls, including five fours and two sixes.
Chennai Super Kings have been one of the most successful teams in IPL history. The team has won 4 IPL trophies along with 2 Champions League titles. CSK batters have been instrumental in their illustrious journey in the IPL and have often bailed the team out of trouble.
Let us have a look at the top 5 innings played by CSK batters in the history of the IPL:
Suresh Raina 87 off 25 balls vs Kings XI Punjab, Qualifier 2
Suresh Raina was unstoppable during that match. Chasing 226 runs, CSK lost an early wicket. Raina tore apart the bowling lineup and was merciless. It is undoubtedly one of the best performances in the history of the IPL, if not the best. Before being run out, Suresh Raina destroyed the Punjab bowlers with a strike rate of 348.
His ruthless 25-ball innings of 87 runs included 12 fours and 6 sixes in total. He made Chennai Super Kings equal Punjab's dominance, but the middle order failed the team, and it cost Chennai Super Kings the game by 24 runs. Although Raina's IPL performance came in a losing cause, it will always go down as his best performance.
MS Dhoni 54* off 29 vs Kings XI Punjab, 2009
For CSK to advance to the IPL 2010 semifinal, they needed to win this game. Kings XI Punjab had set a lofty goal of 192 at Dharamsala, and the Yellow Brigade's situation looked very bleak.89/3 was the score on the scoreboard at the halfway point. The final 10 overs would need to produce an additional 104 runs.
It was getting harder for CSK to chase with 47 runs needed off 18 balls, but MS Dhoni maintained his composure. He smashed two enormous sixes off Irfan Pathan's bowling to help CSK win when they needed 16 off 6 balls. He totaled 54 runs off 29 balls, including five fours and two sixes.
Murali Vijay 95 off 52 against CSK, 2011 final
Vijay was crucial to CSK's 2011 title victory. Vijay scored 95 runs off 52 balls while playing against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the summit match, striking four fours and six sixes. Although he finished five runs short of a century, his 95 runs nonetheless enabled Chennai to score 205 runs overall. That game was won by CSK by 58 runs. He played some eye-catching shots in that match and was dancing down the track against the RCB spinners.
Albie Morkel 28 off 7 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2012
This is not a big innings but was certainly a match-winning one. Albie Morkel brought CSK out of the dead to script a famous victory for the franchise. In the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli scored fifty runs for RCB, leaving CSK chasing a mammoth total of 206. After losing MS Dhoni, who was hitting more than 170 for 41 off 24 balls, CSK was in deep trouble. As Daniel Vettori, the RCB's then captain, gave Kohli the ball, the men in yellow needed 43 off the final two overs.
In an over that cost 28 runs, Albie Morkel destroyed Virat Kohli by hitting 3 sixes and 2 boundaries. After scoring successfully with 15 runs in Vinay Kumar's final over, CSK went on to win the game.
Shane Watson 117* off 57 vs SRH, 2018 final
The SRH bowlers were destroyed by Watson, who controlled them and had them all over the place. During his undefeated innings of 117 off 57 deliveries, he struck 11 fours and 8 sixes. Suresh Raina was supporting Shane Watson well as Watson was sporting his most threatening appearance. Watson and Raina's partnership grew stronger after Watson's opening partner Faf du Plessis left the game in the fourth over. The pair put on a 117-run stand that helped CSK win their third IPL championship.
Watson looked completely out of touch in the first 2-3 overs. But once he got going, he became unstoppable.
