IPL 2020: Top five opening matches in the tournament's history
What's the story
The 13th edition of Indian Premier League is all set to begin with the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings facing arch-rivals Mumbai Indians on March 29. Much like the previous editions, this season's tournament opener is expected to uplift the extravaganza in India's cash-rich league. Let us flip the pages back and take a look at the best five opening games IPL has produced.
#1
When McCullum scripted history at Eden Gardens
Amidst all the hype and pandemonium surrounding the newly introduced IPL, in came Brendon McCullum. His blistering 158 off 73 deliveries propelled Kolkata Knight Riders to 222/3 after Royal Challengers Bangalore put them into bat in the first ever IPL fixture. KKR won the match by 140 runs as they bundled out RCB for 82 runs in front of the massive Eden crowd.
#2
A thrilling encounter in Chennai
Defending champions CSK were up against KKR in the IPL 2011 opening encounter.
Batting first, CSK posted 153/4 after 20 overs.
The KKR openers looked set at 64/0 during their chase when Shadab Jakati provided them the crucial breakthrough.
Losing wickets at regular intervals, KKR fell short of two runs to lose the match.
MS Dhoni affected three stumpings in the match.
#3
The Yuvraj Singh show in Hyderabad
The David Warner-led Sunrisers Hyderabad met Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2017 opener. While SRH lost Warner early on, Shikhar Dhawan and Moises Henriques put them in the driving seat. Later, Yuvraj Singh hammered the RCB bowlers for 7 fours and 3 sixes during his 27-ball 62. RCB's top five batsmen fetched them a solid start, but they were bowled out for 172.
#4
The staggering return of Chennai Super Kings
CSK were deemed as 'daddy's army' as they were staging a comeback from a two-year ban in 2018. Chasing 166, CSK were reduced to 84/6 with MS Dhoni falling to Mayank Markande. Dwayne Bravo single-handedly snatched the game away from Mumbai in the death overs, having struck seven sixes. Kedar Jadhav, who got retired initially, returned in the final over with a match-winning four.
#5
CSK spinners trump Kohli's troops in 2019
Royal Challengers Bangalore were expected to reverse their horrific record of previous season, this time around. But Chennai Super Kings had other plans. The likes of Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja dismantled the entire RCB side for 70 at the Chidambaram deck. Notably, none of the RCB batsmen except Parthiv Patel reached double figures. CSK later chased it down with ease.