IPL: Top 5 man of the match performances in a losing cause

#1 Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan played a pivotal role in the Rajasthan Royals' title triumph in the inaugural IPL season back in 2008. His only century, however, came in the third edition in 2010. The second game of the tournament saw the Mumbai Indians square off against the Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede stadium.

The Mumbai Indians posted a mammoth target of 213 owing to half-centuries by their consistent middle-order batsmen, Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary. In response, the Rajasthan Royals got off to a slow start and lost wickets in the process. Yusuf Pathan came in to bat with the Royals struggling at 40/3 in 6.3 overs. They needed 173 runs to win in 81 balls at a run rate of well above 12.

The game was as good as over. Yusuf Pathan disagreed. He was at his destructive best that day, and when Yusuf Pathan is at his best, even the best of bowlers wouldn't want to bowl to him. Demonstrating his typical gung-ho style of batting, Yusuf got to three digit figures in 37 balls to rattle Tendulkar's men. To this day, this remains the second-fastest century in IPL history. In fact, it's the highest strike rate ever for a score equal to or above 100, with a strike rate of over 270. Even Gayle's 175 knock was at a lower strike rate than this Yusuf knock!

However, despite his best efforts, the required run rate was too overwhelming and the Rajasthan Royals narrowly ended up on the losing side, missing the target by just 4 runs. An unlucky Yusuf Pathan was deservedly awarded the man of the match award.