Best innings of Robin Uthappa in IPL
Back in 2014, when Kolkata Knight Riders spent INR 5 crores on Robin Uthappa, not many saw that as a bargain. A few questions were raised, but when Robin Uthappa himself was asked about it, he said he didn’t see it as a surprise, and it was because of his performances in the previous seasons. It is true that ever since the inception of the competition, Robin Uthappa has been a dependable player for whichever franchise he played for.
But for a player approaching 30s, with very few chances of making it to the Indian team, many pundits thought the deal will prove to be a blunder. Instead, Uthappa went on to form one of IPL’s best opening partnerships of all time, with his skipper Gautam Gambhir. But the ‘Gauthappa’ duo is a part of history, with Gambhir finding himself in politics and Uthappa joining the Rajasthan Royals. In his 177-matches long career, he has played some brilliant knocks.
5 Best innings of Robin Uthappa in IPL
Let us have a look at his top 5 Best Batting Performance of Robin Uthappa in IPL:
5. 70 (49) vs Kings XI Punjab
The 2016 season was a fairly successful one for Robin Uthappa. He scored 394 runs in this season at an average of over 25. His strike rate was particularly impressive in this season, which was on show when KKR took on Kings XI Punjab. At Eden Gardens, the knights were to bat first.
As was the case often when these two batted, Gambhir and Uthappa set up a match-winning first-wicket partnership. Gambhir played the role on an anchor, while Uthappa was the one to call for the flamboyant shots. In just 49 deliveries, he scored 70 runs. His knock consisted of 6 fours and also a couple of big hits.
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4. 75 (45) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
One big reason why Kolkata Knight Riders spent the money they did for Uthappa in 2014 was his brilliant knocks in 2013. In this season, Uthappa represented the now-disbanded franchise Pune Warriors India. In this match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Pune bowled first and conceded 187 runs.
They had a mountain to climb, but Uthappa’s well-matched that mountain. He played a blinder of a knock, scoring 75 runs from just 45 deliveries. He hit five boundaries and as many sixes in the process. Unfortunately for Pune, no other batsman could provide him with the necessary support and they ended up losing the game.
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3. 80* (59) vs Chennai Super Kings
Just like the previous two seasons mentioned, Robin Uthappa was at the top his game in the 2015 season as well. In this match at Eden Gardens, KKR bowled first against Chennai Super Kings and conceded 165 runs. Once again, Gambhir and Uthappa provided KKR with the good start.
But this time around, the skipper departed way earlier than his team would have expected him to. Panic started to spread when the next two batters, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav, followed suit in the blink of an eye. But Uthappa then set up a partnership with Andre Russell to take KKR over the line. He remained not out on 80 from just 59 balls.
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2. 83* (51) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Though Uthappa has always been consistent, scoring over 300 runs in almost every season, the 2014 season was beyond spectacular. He reached greater heights here and amassed 660 runs. The best knock of his best-ever season came when KKR faced Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Eden Gardens.
Batting first, KKR found themselves in a spot of bother as both Gautam Gambhir and Manish Pandey were dismissed inside 4 overs. Uthappa again set up a partnership, this time with Yusuf Pathan, to restore parity. After Pathan’s dismissal, he continued his brilliance with Shakib Al Hasan. He scored an unbeaten 83 to help KKR reach 195 runs, which Bangalore didn’t manage to chase down.
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1. 87 (47) vs Rising Pune Supergiant
Though a part of the competition since the very first season, Uthappa has never scored a century in IPL. But he came close on multiple occasions, and this particular match was the closest he came to what could have been an exceptional maiden century.
Batting first, Rising Pune Supergiant scored 182 runs against KKR. Around this time, Uthappa was already demoted to number 3. But pinch-hitter Sunil Narine departed early in this game, giving Uthappa the chance to form a partnership with Gambhir. That he did, and then also played some big shots. The ‘Gauthappa’ duo scored 158 runs for the second-wicket partnership, which was enough to take KKR over the line.
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