5 best innings in a losing cause in IPL 2023

The Tata IPL 2023 ended on a dramatic note with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) clinching the trophy on the last ball of the final, courtesy of a boundary from Ravindra Jadeja. The season will be remembered for a long time for its fantastic batting display.

This edition witnessed the highest number of 200-plus scores in IPL history, with the teams touching the mark on 31 occasions. The likes of Faf Du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, and Devon Conway lit up the tournament with their stunning batting.

The tournament witnessed several high-scoring encounters, where the heroics of several batters were often bettered by the batters of the opposition. On that note, let us take a look at the 5 best innings in a losing cause in IPL 2023.

#1 Virat Kohli (101* runs off 61 balls), RCB vs GT, IPL 2023

In a must-win encounter for RCB (Royal Challengers Bangalore), their star batter Virat Kohli (101* runs off 61 balls) scored an excellent hundred against Gujarat Titans' attack, consisting of Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, and Mohit Sharma. In his unbeaten knock, he stroked 13 fours and 1 six as he batted at a strike rate of 165.57. It was 'King Kohli's' second consecutive ton. RCB posted a par total of 197/5 at the end of their 20 overs.

His efforts were undone by his long-term Team India member Shubman Gill (104* runs off 52 balls) as he too scored a fantastic hundred to take his side home. Gill struck 5 boundaries and 8 maximums in his swashbuckling innings that came at a strike rate of 200. Vijay Shankar (53 off 35 balls) also contributed with a fine half-century. In the end, GT chased down the score in the final over of the match, winning by 6 wickets. Gill was awarded the Player of the Match (POTM) award for his match-winning knock.

#2 Sai Sudarshan (96 runs off 47 balls), GT vs CSK, IPL 2023

In the all-important final against CSK, Sai Sudarshan (96 runs off 47 balls) played one of the best innings in the history of IPL finals. In his exceptional innings, Sudarshan struck 8 fours and 6 sixes at a strike rate of 204.25. He missed out on what would have been only the third century in the IPL finals. He had had an impressive season. He helped his side reach a total of 214/4 at the end of 20 overs.

His efforts went in vain as CSK won on the final ball of the match. The CSK batting effort was a complete team one in which all players, barring MS Dhoni, played well. The likes of Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, and Ravindra Jadeja helped their side to victory. Conway (47 off 25 balls) was awarded the POTM award for his excellent innings as CSK chased down the DLS target of 171 in 15 overs to win their 5th title.

#3 Venkatesh Iyer (104 runs off 51 balls), KKR vs MI, IPL 2023

Batting first at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in the 22nd match, Venkatesh Iyer (104 runs off 51 balls) took his team to a fightable total with a scintillating hundred. Iyer struck 6 fours and 9 maximums at a strike rate of 203.92. However, barring Iyer, none of the KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) batters capitalized on the flat pitch in Mumbai as the team posted a below-par total of 185/6 at the end of their 20 overs.

In reply, MI (Mumbai Indians) chased down the target with ease as a swashbuckling half-century from Ishan Kishan (58 runs off 25 balls) and quick-fire cameos from Suryakumar Yadav (43 runs off 25 balls), Rohit Sharma (20 runs off 13 balls) and Tim David (24 runs off 13 balls). Despite being on the losing side, Iyer won the POTM award.

#4 Yashasvi Jaiswal (124 runs off 62 balls), RR vs MI, IPL 2023

Batting first at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Yashasvi Jaiswal (124 runs off 62 balls) single-handedly took his side to a total beyond 200. The left-handed opener struck 16 fours and 8 maximums at a strike rate of 200. The value of Jaiswal's innings can be measured by the fact that the second-highest contributor to the RR (Rajasthan Royals) innings was 25 extras. Thus, at the end of 20 overs, RR posted a par total of 212/7.

In reply, MI were kept in the hunt by Cameron Green (44 runs off 26 balls) and a half-century from Suryakumar Yadav (55 runs off 29 balls). However, the necessary fireworks at the end of the innings were produced by Tim David (45* runs off 14 balls), who officially announced himself on the big stage. It was another one of those rare occasions when a player from the losing side received the POTM award — Jaiswal.

#5 Glenn Maxwell (76 runs off 36 balls), RCB vs CSK, IPL 2023

Chasing a target of 227, RCB were off to a poor start as they were reduced to 15/2 at the end of 2 overs, including the loss of their star batter Virat Kohli. However, Captain Faf Du Plessis (62 runs off 33 balls) and Glenn Maxwell (76 runs off 36 balls) produced a 126-run partnership in just 61 balls. Maxwell was particularly impressive as he tore into the hapless CSK attack. He struck 3 fours and 8 sixes as he played at a strike rate of 211.11.

His dismissal was soon followed by the loss of Du Plessis as RCB lost their way from 159/4 in 14 overs before getting beaten by 8 runs in a match that they should have won on a batting-friendly Chinnaswamy pitch. After the match, CSK Captain MS Dhoni said that if Du Plessis and Maxwell had batted till the end, RCB would have probably won the match by the 18th over. Conway (83 runs off 45 balls) was awarded the POTM award for his half-century for CSK.

With that, we complete our piece on 5 best innings in a losing cause in IPL 2023. Can you think of any other such innings? Let us know in the comments section below.