IPL 2022 | Top 10 knocks that bewitched audiences in the 15th season

The T20 format has always been a batters game, which has captivated audiences across the globe. Apart from the razzmatazz of the Indian Premier League (IPL), it is the brazen-faced struck fours and sixes that one gets hooked on in front of the TV/mobile screens.

The recently concluded season of IPL was no different, as it featured 1,062 sixes and 2,015 fours across 74 matches, including a monstrous 118m-long strike from Liam Livingstone. It is the first time in IPL history that the four-figure mark has been breached in the number of sixes smacked.

Let's have a look at some of the most outrageous batting performances that have stimulated everyone over the course of two months and three days. 

Pat Cummins

Coming off slow and dull tracks in Pakistan, Cummins smoked Mumbai Indians (MI), bowling all over the park, in the 14th game of the tournament. The multi-million dollar buy for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), in particular, took to task his fellow countryman Daniel Sams for 35 (6,4,6,6, 2NB,4, and 6) in an over to record a 14-ball fifty. His heroics ensured KKR a seemingly comfortable win against Mumbai.

Jos Buttler vs GT

The Englishman set the tournament on fire, smashing four centuries this season. But his fifty against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 24th game of the tournament saw him single-handedly destroy their bowling. The right-hander scored 54 off 24 deliveries, including towering sixes over the mid-on and mid-off regions. As a result, he contributed 77 per cent of the team's score in a losing cause.

Rashid Khan

The wily leg-spinner, known for his bowling, displayed antics with the bat that left the opposition and fans spellbound. The stand-in captain for the Titans took down Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) Chris Jordan in the 18th over, whipping him for 23 runs in 5 balls to turn the tide. He was out for a 12-ball 40 but had served his goal by then.

Tim David

David, who came in as a replacement for Kieron Pollard, muscled his opponents in the second half of the tournament. The Singapore-born showed brute strength against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in match number 69. He scored at a strike rate of 309.09 in his game-changing knock of 34, which helped his former franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), edge past Delhi to qualify for the playoffs.

Rinku Singh

Rinku has been a bench warmer for most of his time with the KKR franchise, despite exhibiting his talent in whatever limited chances he was presented with. The stylish left-hander produced an exhilarating knock against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) chasing 211, with a slim chance of qualifying still in sight. The Uttar Pradesh-lad creamed Marcus Stonis for 18 in four balls before falling to a brilliant catch by Ewin Lewis for 40. However, KKR fell short of victory by two runs.

Shivam Dube

Dube has not done justice to power-hitting skills in the IPL, ever since making his debut in 2018. Brought by the Chennai side, the Mumbai-born ransacked his former side, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The all-rounder dug his club out of a hole, ably supported by MS Dhoni in his knock of 95*. Dube waited inside the crease and thumped the ball out of the park 13 times - 5 fours and eight sixes.

David Miller 

Overshadowing Buttler, who is going through a purple patch with the bat, is no easy feat. However, in Qualifier 1, Miller did just that to propel his side into the IPL final. Tonking the bowlers for sixes with brutal force seemed effortless for the South African mauler during his knock of 68 from 38 balls, which included three fours and five sixes, where three came on consecutive deliveries in the final over of the match.

Rajat Patidar 

From being hailed as the next domestic talent to being unsold in the auction, Patidar had quite an unsavoury IPL beginning. Coming in as a replacement, the Indore-born opener vented all his frustration to the LSG bowlers. Helped by sloppy fielding and luck, Patidar hurtled himself to his first-ever T20 century in merely 49 balls. He remained unbeaten on 112*, his knock laced with 12 fours and seven sixes.

Jos Buttler vs RCB

It is hard not to mention Buttler's fourth ton this season. Rajasthan Royals (RR) rode on his back in Qualifier 2, where the smiling assassin was on full display. He slogged anything that was in his reach without even caring an inch for the bowler's reputation during his innings of 106*.

Quinton de Kock

It will be hard to ignore QDK from this list after his surgical butchering off the KKR bowlers during his knock of 140. The 29-year-old pulled and swept the opposition bowling into nothingness during his surge of 50 to 100 runs, which lasted just 23 deliveries. The left-hander blitzed his way to 140, smacking three sixes and four fours in the last 11 balls he faced during his stay in the middle.