It’s that time of the year when the IPL fever is going to take everyone by storm. The mega T20 tournament usually takes place during the months of April and May, but it had to be delayed due to the ongoing pandemic. The Dream11 IPL is just a few days away, and fans are more excited than ever to see their favourite players battle it out on the biggest stage of T20 cricket.
If there is any format in the gentlemen’s game that favours the batsmen, then it has to be the T20 format. Scores over 180 are chased in the IPL, and no score is considered to be safe anymore. Many factors like heavier bats and shorter boundaries account for the fact that IPL is mainly a batsmen’s game.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the top 5 highest team scores in IPL history:
5. CSK – 240/5 vs KXIP in 2008
There isn’t a better team than Chennai Super Kings to kick off an IPL top 5 listicle. MS Dhoni’s men might have lost the finals in 2008, but when they squared up against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali in their season opener, there was only one winner. Michael Hussey cracked the fastest T20 century at the time and powered CSK to 240/5.
Mr Cricket’s innings was filled with as many as 9 sixes and 8 fours. Other notable run scores for CSK were Suresh Raina (32), Subramaniam Badrinath (31) and Matthew Hayden (25). Chennai Super Kings restricted Yuvraj Singh-led KXIP to 207/4, and the MS Dhoni reign started off with a bang.
4. KKR – 245/6 vs KXIP in 2018
One of the highest scores in recent times as Kolkata Knight Riders amassed a total of 245 and Kings XI Punjab found themselves at the wrong end of another bashing. This match was just an indication of how devastating Sunil Narine can be whilst wielding the willow. The Trinidadian born all-rounder opened the innings and smashed off just 36 deliveries.
Uthappa and Lynn gave him great company during the start of the innings. Captain Dinesh Karthik’s half-century and Andre Russell’s 30 off just 14 balls acted as the perfect finish as Kolkata Knight Riders fell just short of scoring 250 runs. Kings XI Punjab batted well for their 2014 but they never really looked like chasing the mighty total.
3. CSK – 246/5 vs RR in 2010
We have to go back 10 years for this contest. Neither CSK nor MI had laid their hands on the IPL trophy yet, and Murali Vijay was in the form of his life. Vijay tore apart the Rajasthan Royals bowling attack as he scored 127 runs off just 56 balls. At the time, this was the highest team total in IPL as CSK broke their own record which they had set in 2008.
Apart from Murali Vijay, Albie Morkel was also destructive with the bat. The Proteas all-rounder scored 62 off just 34 balls. In response, Rajasthan Royals scored 223/5 with Naman Ojha (94) and Shane Watson (60) leading the charge. Although Albie Morkel picked up 2 scalps, he got a taste of his own medicine as he conceded 56 runs off his 4 overs.
2. RCB – 248/3 vs GL in 2016
Batting first in their own backyard, Royal Challengers Bangalore scored a mammoth 248/3 in 20 overs. After the early dismissal of Chris Gayle, the pressure was on Kohli and De Villiers to score the runs, and they stood up to the task. They eclipsed their own partnership record and added a staggering 229 runs in 16 overs.
Virat Kohli scored 109 in 55 balls (5 fours and 8 sixes) which made him the first batsman to score 2 tons against the same team in one edition of the league. AB De Villiers was even more dangerous on the day as the South African hit a belligerent 129 off just 52 balls (10 fours and 12 sixes). Gujarat Lions collapsed for 104 all out as RCB won by a large margin of 144 runs.
1. RCB – 263/5 vs PWI in 2012
Who can ever forget this game? Christopher Henry Gayle ripped apart Pune Warriors India’s bowlers to shreds. With an individual score of 175* off 66 balls and a century reached in 30 balls, Gayle set records for the fastest century reached in any format of cricket, the highest individual score in a T20 match, and the most sixes scored in a single innings in the IPL.
Another player who lit up the Chinnaswamy stadium on April 23rd was AB De Villiers. Mr 360 scored 31 runs off 8 balls at a strike rate of 387.50. Pune Warriors India was never going to reach the total and capitulated at 133/9. Chris Gayle also took 2 wickets in the match, and it felt as if everything he touched turned to the gold that evening.
