For long, the Indian Premier League has been home to the biggest stars of cricket, who keep showing up as the best in bowling stats with consistency.
But what makes it special are those once-in-a-lifetime surprises, which make people go wow. Amidst all those surprises, there have been some amazing five-wicket hauls by players which are indeed impressive, considering bowlers only get four overs in T20.
Wherein fans look forward to such outstanding performance by elite bowlers, IPL has witnessed many instances of some surprising heroes who've made their mark. Such instances have not only led to a match being won, but also earned the bowlers their place among IPL heroes. Notably, the players have come as big surprises who were not much into T20 cricket.In this article, we have selected five such five-wicket hauls from IPL which took everyone by surprise.
5 Game-Changing IPL Five-Wicket Hauls That Came Out of the Blue
1. Ishant Sharma – 5/12 vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 2011
Image Source : AFP
The first name in our list is the one who earned himself the tag of a Test match specialist. But Ishant surprised everyone in the shortest format of the game in IPL 2011.
In the encounter between Deccan Chargers and Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Ishant bowled a match-winning spell with figures of 5/12. This is the only instance of Ishant picking up a five-wicket haul in T20 cricket. Ishant is known for swing bowling and accuracy in bowling with bounce.
2. Amit Mishra – 5/17 vs Deccan Chargers, 2008
Image Source : Associated Press
Amit Mishra had his day at work during the inaugural edition of IPL while playing for Delhi Daredevils. He dismissed 5 batsmen in just 17 runs while playing against Deccan Chargers. The spell was quite impressive given the fact that wrist spin bowling had not yet evolved to a new level in T20 cricket. It helped him become a prominent figure among the wrist spin bowlers in IPL cricket.
3. Ankit Rajpoot – 5/14 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2018
Image Source : BCCI
Ankit Rajpoot's sensational 5/14 for Kings XI Punjab against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the year 2018 ranks among the most surprising bowling performances in IPL. The lesser-known fast bowler played with precision and swing against an aggressive batting line-up. This performance by the bowler clearly indicates that players who do not have much recognition could make their mark in such tournaments with a bit of luck.
4. Alzarri Joseph – 6/12 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2019
Image Source : BCCI
Making a debut in a highly competitive league such as IPL is difficult in itself. However, for Alzarri Joseph, making his debut became an eventful occasion. In 2019, the young fast bowler delivered 6/12 in a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad when playing for Mumbai Indians. With such remarkable figures, Alzarri Joseph holds the record for being the best bowler ever in IPL history.
5. Dimitri Mascarenhas – 5/25 vs Pune Warriors India, 2012
Image Source : AFP
It would be a surprise to learn about Dimitri Mascarenhas as an aggressive strike bowler. But this man delivered a memorable spell for Kings XI Punjab against Pune Warriors India in IPL 2012. By varying his pace, using good line and lengths, he outwitted the batsmen and mowed down the middle order.
This innings shows that skill and strategies play an important part over speed, thus becoming one of the most underrated and influential five-wicket hauls in the history of IPL.
Conclusion
Being unpredictable in nature, these sudden five-wicket hauls make perfect sense in the context of IPL. While all attention goes to the big stars, these spells keep the league exciting. They have created waves in the history of IPL and have been memorable for more reasons than one. These spells show that in T20 cricket, anything could happen to anybody. And that should always be kept in mind while playing in this format of the game.