IPL 2019: Top 5 Batting knocks of the Season

#1 Hardik Pandya's destructive 91 off 34 vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Pandya finished with 91 runs off 34 balls with nine sixes and six fours at a strike rate of 267.65

This is the only innings in the list where the player ended up on the losing side. This matchup between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians carried a different value for each team as KKR needed to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. On the other hand, MI needed a win to solidify their place in the league table.

Bating first, KKR set a monstrous target 233 for MI, courtesy of a fifty each by Shubman Gill, Andre Russell and Chris Lynn.

MI made a royal mess of the chase as they lost wickets at regular intervals and were 58 for 4 in 8.2 overs when Hardik Pandya came to the crease to replace Suryakumar Yadav. He got into the act quickly as he smashed Chawla for two maximums in the 10th over.

Pandya took a liking for the spinners as he deposited Narine for a six over deep mid-wicket in the 11th and Chawla for another couple of maximums in the 12th.

He targeted pacer Harry Gurney in the next over by hitting him over deep-mid-wicket for a six and then slicing him over cover for a boundary.

He picked up on Narine again as he hit him again over the mid-wicket boundary for a six to bring up his half-century in 17 balls, the fastest 50 of the IPL. The next ball was expertly placed into the gap as Pandya scored a boundary to collect 12 runs off the 14th.

Russell bowled a tight 15th over but Hardik went after Chawla in the next carting him for three consecutive boundaries. Karthik brought back Narine for the 17th and Pandya welcomed him with a four and six off the first two balls as he entered into the 80's by the end of the over.

At the start of the 18th over, MI needed another 59 runs off just 18 balls. Pacer Harry Gurney came into the attack and was imimmediately carved over the square leg boundary for a six and then over the covers for a four as Pandya hit the 90's but Gurney had the last laugh as Hardik perished trying to go over his favorite deep mid-wicket region.

He finished with 91 runs off 34 balls with nine sixes and six fours at a strike rate of 267.65.