5 iconic IPL battles we will never see again

The Indian Premier League is one of the best and oldest T20 franchise leagues in the world, and next month, it will be held for the eleventh time. Over the years, the tournament has witnessed dwindling support and a frenzied atmosphere.

The grandeur of the IPL is set to continue this year as well, with teams going all-out to fight to purchase the players they believed would consolidate the balance of the team at the IPL auctions.

However, when we look back now, they are some irreversible changes that have taken place in the IPL. There are few battles which we shall never witness again due to the fact that most of these players are not a part of the game anymore

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#5 Dale Steyn vs AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers's heroics, especially in the T20 format of the game, has helped him garner a definition to his name - Absolutely Brilliant de Villiers. Such is the stature of de Villiers in any format of cricket he plays. Over the years, for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, he has been instrumental in achieving success.

On the other hand, Dale Steyn boasted a reputation as one of the deadliest bowlers in the world. For his team, Steyn was the bowling spearhead and was trusted deeply by the skippers at the death overs.

Against RCB in the IPL, Steyn boasted an impressive economy of 6.92, but only de Villiers managed to thrash him all over the park. The first time was in 2012 when he scored 23 runs off Steyn's over and again in 2014 when Steyn was taken for 24 by de Villiers.

#4 Shoaib Akhtar vs Virender Sehwag

Sehwag and Akhtar commentated together on a few occasions after retirement.

These two do not need any introduction. One is the fastest bowler the world has ever seen and the other is one of the most flamboyant and aggressive openers of all time. Although the Sachin Tendulkar vs Shoaib Akhtar battle was more predominant, Virender Sehwag and Akhtar weren't on friendly terms while they faced each other.

In the IPL, it would have been simple scintillating to witness they two go up against each other, but because of the fact that Akhtar represented KKR for a solitary season, they have faced each other only once in the IPL till date.

Well, that match went on to be a thriller as KKR notched up just 133 batting first on the Eden Gardens wicket. Akhtar then ripped apart the DD top order, including Sehwag on the very first ball, as he was caught by the wicketkeeper. Eventually, DD were bundled out for a mere 110.

#3 Sourav Ganguly vs Shane Warne

The duo was involved in a heated conversation in an IPL match. Source: The Times of India

Two heavyweight superstars from two cricket crazy countries were involved in six IPL matches, and the fascinating fact is that they faced each other as skippers in the cash-rich league.

The left-handed Sourav Ganguly was renowned for his prowess to take the attack to the opposition bowlers on the go whereas the Aussie legend, Shane Warne, had a healthy reputation to cap the run flow at any stage of a T20 game.

However, against the Rajasthan Royals, Ganguly had a couple of memorable knocks, including a match-winning 75. On the other hand, speaking about Warne's achievements against Ganguly, he had conceded only 40 runs in 35 deliveries and had even got the wicket of the Indian captain once.

#2 Sachin Tendulkar vs Muttiah Muralitharan

They are demi-gods in the history of cricket.

While Sachin Tendulkar will be remembered for amassing a staggering amount of runs in the ODI and Test formats of the game, Muttiah Muralitharan will be remembered for his 800 scalps in the Test arena.

Coming to the IPL, this duo faced off multiple times and Tendulkar had the edge over the off-spinner. He registered a couple of top knocks against CSK while Muralitharan was a part of the playing XI.

The Sri Lankan spin maestro never managed to dismiss Tendulkar in the IPL but gave away only 36 runs in 26 balls against the Master Blaster. His overall performance against a team featuring Tendulkar has been extremely economical, despite the lack of wickets.

#1 Lasith Malinga vs MS Dhoni

Malinga has dismissed Dhoni 3 times in the history of IPL. Image Source: BCCI

Lasith Malinga is a household name in the Indian Premier League, courtesy his toe-crushing yorkers that have sealed matches over the years. On the other hand, the Chennai Super Kings skipper, MS Dhoni, is regarded as the best finisher in any format of the game.

In the IPL, the pair locked horns on numerous occasions, and overall, Dhoni managed to hit 93 runs against Malinga at a strike rate of over 140.

However, Malinga managed to contain Dhoni with 23 dot balls till date and even dismissed him thrice in the history of the tournament. With 'Slinga' being unsold in 2018 and with him contemplating retirement, the Malinga vs Dhoni battle is something we shall never see again.