IPL 2022: Top 3 Rahul Tripathi knocks in the competition

The Mumbai Indians will face the Sunrisers Hyderabad tonight (Tuesday, May 17) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in the 65th game of IPL 2022. So far this season, MI have won three and lost nine matches, while SRH has won five and lost seven.

Both IPL teams are battling it out for the first time this season. While Mumbai Indians have officially been knocked out of the playoffs, SRH need to win both their remaining matches by huge margins to dig through to the playoffs.

Mumbai Indians haven't had a good outing this year but looking at the bright side, young Tilak Varma has been the find of the season for them. Jasprit Bumrah and Daniel Sams have found their feet with the ball.

For Hyderabad, Abhishek Sharma and Aiden Markram have been great with the bat but another important middle-order contributor has been Rahul Tripathi. Rahul has 317 runs in 12 games this season at an average of over 35, and is seven hits shy of 100 sixes in T20 cricket.

Rahul has the ability to build partnerships and be an explosive player when needed. His assessment of the game has been impeccable and has won his side many contests. On that note, let's take a look at three of Rahul's best batting performances in the competition's history.

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#1 93 (52) - RPS vs KKR in IPL 2017

Tripathi scored a career-best 93 against KKR in IPL 2017

When Rahul Tripathi was playing for the Rising Pune Supergiant back in 2017, he put up his career-best showing against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Batting first, KKR lost a few batsmen at the top early but with some death hitting by Colin de Grandhomme and Suryakumar Yadav, KKR posted a target of 156.

RPS openers Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Tripathi walked out with the intention of staying till the end but Rahane was dismissed for 11 runs. Then, one after the other, all Pune batsmen started tumbling, except Rahul who held his ground and knocked the Kolkata bowlers all over the ground.

Rahul took the game to the very end and scored 93 off 52 deliveries, laced with nine fours and seven sixes. Pune crossed the line comfortably with four wickets to spare. Rahul was adjudged Player of the Match for his brilliance with the bat.

View the IPL 2022 orange cap here.

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#2 81 (51) - KKR vs CSK in IPL 2020

Tripathi played a match-winning 81 off 51 versus CSK in IPL 2020

In the 21st game of IPL 2020, Rahul Tripathi, this time in KKR colors, played a match-winning knock to take the Kolkata team home. Batting first, KKR openers Rahul and Shubman Gill got off to a fiery start but Gill was dismissed for 11 runs.

Soon, the KKR batsmen started falling like dominoes but Rahul realized that he would need to stay till the end to post a defendable total. Despite the pressure, he didn't curb his natural instincts and went after the CSK bowlers.

Rahul Tripathi scored all over the ground, piling up 81 runs off 51 balls, including eight fours and three sixes. He helped KKR register a target of 168.

In response, the Chennai batsmen fell short of the total by 10 runs despite Shane Watson's half-century and Rahul was yet again declared the Player of the Match.

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#3 71 (37) - SRH vs KKR in IPL 2022

Rahul Tripathi en route to his 71 (off 37) vs KKR in IPL 2022

When SRH met KKR for the first time this year, Rahul scored his season best (thus far) against his former team. Batting first, the KKR openers couldn't get a grip on the Hyderabad bowlers and quickly found themselves at 31/3.

However, Nitish Rana's half-century and Andre Russell's power-hitting towards the end powered KKR to 175/8. With a huge target in sight, SRH openers Kane Williamson and Abhishek Sharma walked out with confidence but were both sent back for under 40 runs.

This is when Rahul Tripathi and Aiden Markram took charge and built a 94-run partnership. Tripathi scored a quick 71 off 37 deliveries, inlcuding four boundaries and six maximums. Rahul, who was once again named The Player of the Match, helped SRH cross the line with seven wickets and 13 balls to spare.