5 most famous cameos in IPL

T20 cricket is all about hitting. Quickfire 20s and 30s are considered more vital to a T20 innings and are more exciting to watch as well. Batsmen with abilities to hit from ball one are considered a big asset in T20 cricket.

Beyond some fastest 50s and 100s, there were quite a few brief flurries that proved influential in victories of various teams across the previous 10 editions of the Indian Premier League.

Players like M.S. Dhoni, Ben Cutting, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Colin de Grandhomme, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Daniel Christian, and Yuvraj Singh are known for their cameos in T20 cricket.

NOTE: Only innings of 13 balls or less and scores of less than 50 runs have been considered for this article

As we go into the 11th edition of IPL, we take a look at the 5 most famous cameos from the competition's history.

#5 Luke Wright, 34 runs from 10 balls Vs Kings XI Punjab, 2013

Luke Wright's 34 off 10 was a delight to watch

Though Luke Wright is one of the best T20 opening batsmen of all-time, he never shone in the IPL. It is really surprising that a T20 batsman of his calibre has played only 7 IPL games so far in his career.

In a game against Kings XI Punjab during the IPL 2013, Pune Warriors batsman Luke Wright struck a stunning 34 off 10 balls. Coming in after the wicket of Yuvraj Singh, late in the innings, Luke Wright hit each of the first six balls he faced for a boundary.

Though it was a blistering cameo, it could not save his team as David Miller and Mandeep Singh chased the target of 186 set by Pune Warriors in 19.5 overs. Sadly, he never returned to IPL after 2013.

#4 AB de Villiers, 41 runs from 11 balls Vs Mumbai Indians, 2015

Chinnaswamy stadium is too small for his sixes

The Proteas batsman is one of the most successful overseas players in the Indian Premier League history and has played a lot of match-defining innings. The RCB middle-order batsman is one of the most destructive players in the shorter formats of the game and the Chinnaswamy stadium has witnessed it on many occasions.

In a game against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2015, chasing a huge score of 210 for victory, Royal Challengers Bangalore were struggling at 62 for 3 after losing Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli for nothing. When the game seemed over for RCB, AB de Villiers had other plans.

He struck one of the best T20 bowlers of all time, Lasith Malinga, for 22 runs in an over, which included a reverse lap. Though he could not save RCB on the day, he played one of the finest T20 cameos of all-time.

#3 Kieron Pollard, 45* runs from 13 balls Vs Delhi Daredevils, 2010

Pollard humiliated Daredevils with a blistering cameo

Kieron Pollard has played some cracking innings' in IPL but none better than the one he played against Delhi Daredevils during the 2010 Indian Premier League at the Wankhede stadium.

Pollard came in during the 18th over and struck 2 fours and 5 huge sixes to finish with an unbeaten 45 runs off just 13 balls to take Mumbai Indians to 183/4 in 20 overs. Mumbai won the game easily as Delhi Daredevils could not put up a fight and ended up with only 144/7 in 20 overs.

It was an innings of complete dominance as Wankhede witnessed their favorite player in full cry. None of the Delhi Daredevils bowlers had an answer to Pollard's brutal hitting and succumbed to his will.

#2 AB de Villiers, 31 runs from 8 balls Vs Pune Warriors, 2013

AB de Villiers destroyed the Pune Warriors bowlers with some brutal hitting

It is no surprise to see AB de Villiers twice on this list. This T20 match will go down in history as the world saw Chris Gayle 'universal boss' smacking the hapless Pune warriors for an unbeaten 175 runs of 66 balls.

While Chris Gayle’s record-breaking innings grabbed all the headlines, AB de Villiers matched him shot for shot in his brief stay at the crease. Coming to bat with few balls to go, AB de Villiers struck a blistering 31 runs off 8 balls.

He started his innings with a boundary through midwicket and then struck his second ball for a six over long-on. His next 6 balls read 4,1,4,6,6,W. He took Royal Challengers Bangalore to 263/5 in 20 overs, so far the highest score in an innings in Indian Premier League.

#1 Chris Morris, 38* runs from 9 balls Vs RPS, 2017

There is no ground in the world that he cannot clear

This could easily be rated as one of the best cameos in T20 cricket history. Chris Morris has played some brilliant T20 knocks in his career but none better than this.

Walking in after the wicket of Sanju Samson with Delhi Daredevils at 166/4 and 1.4 overs left in the first innings, the South African all-rounder produced a maniac batting display, smacking 38 from just nine balls, which includes four boundaries and 3 sixes.

He hit Adam Zampa for 16 runs in 4 balls and then decimated Ben Stokes for 22 runs in the 20th over to take Delhi Daredevils to 205/4 in 20 overs. Delhi Daredevils won the game easily as Pune Warriors were dismissed for a paltry 108.