Best Bowling Performances of Ishant Sharma in IPL
Once deemed as the next big thing in Indian cricket, then faded into oblivion, then made a comeback after a decade and now he is ready to rise and shine once again. This might sound like the script of any random Bollywood movie, but this actually is what the scenario with Ishant Sharma is. Back when the spectacle that we see today, known as IPL, was taking its first baby steps, Ishant Sharma was deemed as the next superstar of Indian cricket.
Understandably so, Kolkata Knight Riders spent USD 950,000 on him back in 2008. His first season was below par, but he made a comeback in 2009. Consistency has always been an issue with Sharma, and he was poor again in the next season. After KKR, Sharma has found himself in the Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab and Rising Pune Supergiant lineups.
Best Bowling Performances of Ishant Sharma in IPL
Now, he plies his trade for the Delhi Capitals, where he has sort of rediscovered himself. Over his long IPL career, Ishant Sharma had delivered some good bowling performances.
Let us have a look at the Top Bowling Performance of Ishant Sharma in IPL:
5. 2/16 vs Delhi Capitals
For our first mention, we go back to 2011, which marked in the first season in the colours of the now-disbanded franchise Deccan Chargers. Sharma’s team batted first and piled up a competitive total of 175, thanks to commendable knocks from Kumar Sangakkara and Jean-Paul Duminy.
In the run chase, Capitals lost Aaron Finch early. Ishant Sharma then joined the party and got the wicket of the then youngster Naman Ojha. In his very next over, he picked up another wicket in the form of veteran Venugopal Rao. He also maintained an astonishing economy rate of just 4 runs per over. But unfortunately for him, this particular match will be remembered for Virender Sehwag, whose century propelled Delhi towards the victory.
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4. 2/15 vs Mumbai Indians
2013 is the most recent season you would find in the list of Best Bowling Performances of Ishant Sharma in IPL, which also hints at Sharma’s gradual dip in form after that. But when Sunrisers Hyderabad faced Mumbai Indians at Hyderabad in this game, Sharma was at the top of his game. Dwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar gave the away side a good start.
Sharma broke the deadlock and in some fashion. He cleaned bowled the ‘God’ of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar. A couple of balls later, he picked up the wicket of Dinesh Karthik. From then onwards, he kept the Indians’ batters on strings as he conceded only 15 runs from his 4 overs.
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3. 2/9 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
This match is remembered with fond memories by every single cricket fan around the world, for various reasons. Firstly, this was the first-ever match of IPL, and secondly, Brendon McCullum played a blinder of innings in this game.
But in addition to all of that, Ishant Sharma also bowled exceptionally in this 2008 game. McCullum’s superb 158 helped KKR score 222 runs, which meant Sharma had a big total to defend. His IPL career could not have started in a better manner, as he got the wicket of the wall Rahul Dravid with his first-ever ball. A few overs later, he got the wicket of another RCB opener, Wasim Jaffer. Sharma also conceded only 9 runs in one of the most cherished matches of KKR.
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2. 3/27 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Some of Sharma’s best performances in IPL came in the Sunrisers Hyderabad kit. Hence, we go back again to the 2013 season. Royal Challengers Bangalore were in the receiving end of Sharma’s brilliance once again, as his spell restricted Virat Kohli’s team of just 130.
Sharma was on the money from the start and got the wicket of opener Tillakaratne Dilshan in the fourth over. Hyderabad was always on the driver’s seat, but a partnership between Moises Henriques and Virat Kohli brought RCB back into the mix. Sharma broke the partnership by dismissing the Aussie, and then got the wicket of tail-ender Ranganath Vinay Kumar.
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1. 5/12 vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala
Perhaps Ishant Sharma wished that Kochi Tuskers Kerala lasted for more than just a season, for his best-ever performance in the IPL came against them. In this 2011 game, Deccan Chargers scored a meagre 129 from their 20 overs.
Sharma found his rhythm from the beginning and picked up three wickets in his first over itself. Parthiv Patel, Raiphi Gomez and Brad Hodge were the victims. In his next over, he picked up two more wickets to claim his first and so far his lone 5-wicket haul in the tournament. This time, the victims were Kedar Jadhav and Mahela Jayawardene.
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