By Avinash Kr Atish
New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) From high-scoring thrillers, stumps cartwheeling to fielders showing off their immense abilities, the Indian Premier League is known for it’s extravaganza over the years and the ongoing 2023 season has also produced some memorable and top moments, so far.
With the tournament returning to the traditional home and away format, the fans, at the stadium and watching on television sets and mobile phones, have enjoyed many heart-warming moments and also saw many historic feats.
Whether it was MS Dhoni’s lap at Chepauk, the legendary Sunil Gavaskar taking the CSK’ captain autograph or Rinku Singh’s historic moment, this year’s IPL has given fans many moments to cherish.
With the league stage reaching to its end, IANS takes a look at some of the top moments of IPL 2023, so far.
Dhoni giving autograph to Gavaskar
It was an emotional moment for legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar when he took the autograph from MS Dhoni on his shirt during Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) last league match at the Chepauk.
Despite their six-wicket defeat to the Kolkata Knight Riders in their last home game of IPL 2023, Sunday was a special occasion for Chennai Super Kings and their fans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Since it was CSK’s last home of the season, Dhoni decided to do a lap of honour at Chepauk with his teammates. As the CSK players walked around their home stadium, Gavaskar chased down the pack of players and asked CSK skipper Dhoni for his autograph. The former India captain, in fact, asked Dhoni to autograph his shirt, a touching tribute from one legend of the game to the other.
Gavaskar revealed the real reason behind his impulsive action and why he got emotional when Dhoni was giving him the autograph.
“When I got to know that Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni are going to take a lap of honour at Chepauk, I decided to create a special memory. That’s why I ran towards MSD to take his autograph. It was his last home game at Chepauk,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
“Of course, he will get a chance to play here if CSK qualifies for the playoffs. But I decided to make that moment special. I was fortunate enough that someone in the camera unit had a marker pen. So, I am thankful to that person as well,” he added.
The 73-year-old Gavaskar also appreciated Dhoni for his gesture and hailed the CSK skipper for his legacy in Indian cricket.
“So, I went to Mahi and requested him to sign an autograph on the shirt that I was wearing. It was so nice of him to acknowledge it. It was a very emotional moment for me because he has made immense contributions to Indian cricket,” he said.
Rinku’s five sixes
It was an unbelievable moment when Kolkata Knight Riders batter Rinku Singh smoked Gujarat Titans pacer Yash Dayal for five back-to-back sixes to pull off a miraculous heist for his team and every cricket fan around the world was left awestruck.
Undoubtedly, Rinku’s final over heroics against the defending champions will be etched in cricket history books in golden words and it is arguably one of the best moments in the history of the IPL.
With 28 needed off the final 5 balls, no one expected a KKR win, but Rinku, against all odds, pulled off something spectacular to become an overnight sensation. After that knock, the left-hander batter has done consistently well for KKR, showing the world that it was not a fluke.
Arjun Tendulkar’s maiden IPL wicket
Waiting for his chance in the dugout for two seasons, Arjun, son of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar, finally had his big IPL moment when he got his first wicket in the IPL.
On April 18 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, the Mumbai Indians left-arm pacer gave away only five runs while defending 20 runs in the last over and dismissed SRH batter Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
It was a moment to cherish for many Indian cricket fans, Arjun as well as for a proud father in Sachin Tendulkar, who must have waited for years for it to unfold in front of his eyes.
Kohli-Dhoni reunion
After the high-octane clash between RCB and CSK, pics of the Dhoni-Kohli meet-up on the ground took social media by storm. Whenever, the iconic duo got together, it brought a big smile to the faces of fans around the world and it was no different on that occasion.
Infact, former India skipper Kohli shared an image of himself hugging Dhoni after the game, showing the camaraderie between the two.
LSG’s one-wicket last-ball win
Lucknow Super Giants’ last-ball win against the Royals Challengers Bangalore had all the drama which had everyone on the edge of their seats.
As RCB pacer Harshal Patel missed out on a run-out attempt off the final ball on the non-striker end with LSG needing one run, Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi stole a bye as LSG pulled off a thrilling one-wicket win.
Veteran wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik fumbling under pressure and Avesh and Ravi’s quick thinking gave LSG a memorable win. Avesh Khan was also seen smashing his helmet on the ground during the celebration.
–IANS
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