Top 3 Marcus Stoinis moments in the IPL

One of the most brutal hitters of the cricket ball in the modern generation, Marcus Stoinis is an integral member of any white-ball side he has played for. A batter who can decimate any attack on his day and a more than dibbly-dobbly medium pacer who can chip away with some crucial overs for his captain.

The Aussie all-rounder celebrated his 34th birthday on Wednesday (August 16), and Twitter was flooded with birthday wishes on his auspicious day. Besides being a pivotal member of the Australian white-ball set-up, Stoinis has also emerged as the go-to man for the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Having been bought by LSG ahead of the 2022 season, Stoinis had a below-par return in his first season for the new franchise. However, his role was that of a finisher, and he didn't face enough balls to make an impact. LSG gave more responsibility to Stoinis in 2023 and reaped the rewards.

Stoinis had a spectacular season with the bat, scoring 408 runs in four matches. He was at his whirlwind best, and the range-hitting was quite a sight for the fans out in the stadium.

On the eve of his birthday, let us recall the top 3 Marcus Stoinis moments in the IPL:

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#1 Smashing 37 runs in 8 balls for LSG against MI in 2023

Stoinis went berserk during a ferocious knock of 89 against the Mumbai Indians earlier this year. Blazing his way from 45 to 82 in just 8 deliveries, Stoinis was instrumental in LSG's hard-fought 5-run victory.

Recovering from a precarious situation, Lucknow went on to post a competitive score of 177 after being put into bat. When Quinton de Kock was dismissed during the 7th over, they were tottering at 35/3.

It was the partnership of Stoinis and Krunal Pandya that turned the match in favor of LSG. Stoinis looked belligerent towards the final few overs, smashing the MI bowlers to all corners of the Ekana Stadium.

He powered his way to a 47-ball 89, which was studded with four fours and eight sixes. The knock proved to be enough in the end, as the LSG bowlers held their nerves and snatched a victory.

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#2 Holding his nerves for LSG and winning a cliffhanger with the ball against KKR in 2022

While we have seen Stoinis step up with the bat when his team needs him the most, this was one of those rare occasions when Stoinis bowled his side to a victory. In a match against KKR in 2022, Stoinis held his nerve and helped LSG secure a 2-run victory.

With 21 required off the final over, Stoinis was handed the ball by KL Rahul. He was put under early pressure by Rinku Singh, as the dynamic southpaw clobbered him for a couple of sixes and a four to bring the equation down to 3 off 2.

It took a superhuman effort on the field from Evin Lewis to send back Rinku on the penultimate delivery of the match. Stoinis then delivered the killer punch by castling Umesh Yadav on the final delivery with a pin-point Yorker.

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#3 Stoinis' quickfire half-century for the Delhi Capitals against KXIP in 2020

Marcus Stoinis scored a quickfire half-century against Punjab back in 2020.

The year 2020 was the breakthrough year for Stoinis in the IPL. He scored over 350 runs and played a pivotal role in the Delhi Capitals reaching the final for the first time in their history.

In this particular match against the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Stoinis scored a 21-ball 53 on a pitch where other batters struggled to get a flow to their innings. After being put into bat, DC went on to post a competitive 157 on the back of a Stoinis masterclass.

At 96/6, Delhi was staring down the barrel when Stoinis turned it around with some blistering strokeplay. He smashed seven fours and three sixes during his belligerent knock, which proved to be enough in the end.

The match ended in a tie, with the Delhi Capitals comfortably winning the super over with three deliveries to spare.