The action that unfolded on the first and last ball of every IPL season

2016:

First Ball:

Bhuvi and Warner played pivotal roles in Sunrisers winning their maiden title

A Maharashtra derby, the 2017 IPL opener saw debutants Rising Pune Supergiants taking on defending champions Mumbai Indians. MS Dhoni’s friend and teammate RP Singh was handed the ball for the first over as Lendl Simmons got ready to face.

An in-swinging back of a length delivery greeted Simmons, who nudged the ball towards the square leg region to complete a single that brought Rohit Sharma on strike.

Last Ball:

The finale of IPL 2016 saw Sunrisers Hyderabad taking on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the latter’s den. 18 off the final over would have been a tough ask any day. Add to it that lower order batsman were facing the eventual Purple Cap winner Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the pressure of losing a third final, RCB had their task cut out.

Before running in to bowl the last ball, Bhuvi had ensured that his team will be crowned champions as 13 were still required. He missed the yorker by a couple of inches which enabled Iqbal Abdullah to scoop it past the fine leg fielder for an insignificant boundary.