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Sanju Samson (Image source- Twitter)
The 15th edition of the Indian T20 League is about to get underway, and the excitement is crossing heights. The teams are all set with their preparations for the biggest event of the year. This edition of the ITL is set to be a huge success, with the two new teams joining the competition. Here, in this listicle, let us look at some of the best innings of the Indian T20 League that have come in a losing cause.
Sanju Samson's 119 (63) vs Punjab, 2021
Captaining in his first match for Rajasthan, Sanju Samson had a point to prove in the match against Punjab. Chasing a massive target of 222, Rajasthan got off to a shaky start, losing both of their openers for just 25 runs. Problems got worse when they lost their most productive batter, Jos Buttler, for a measly 70 runs with still 152 needed from 75 balls to win. Samson, in this situation, played one of the best knocks and scored 119. He hit 12 fours and seven sixes but fell just short. Rajasthan lost the match by just four runs in the end.
Suresh Raina's 87 (25) vs Punjab, 2014
One of the biggest stars of the Indian T20 League, Suresh Raina, had a big job at hand as Chennai was chasing 227 for a win. After Faf du Plessis fell on the second ball of the innings, Raina walked into bat and it rained sixes. Suresh Raina helped Chennai reach a score of 100 in the powerplay. He hit 12 fours and six sixes in his innings. However, he fell just after the powerplay. Nobody else could get the runs for the team and they lost the very important knockout game.
Wriddhiman Saha's 115 (55) vs Kolkata, 2014
In the final of 2014, playing for Punjab, Wriddhiman Saha played one of the best innings of his life. He played some brilliant strokes across the park as he scored 115 in just 55 balls. He hit 10 fours and eight sixes in his entire innings to get Punjab to a good total of 199 in the first innings. Despite the fact that Kolkata beat the mark with three balls to spare, this knock remains one of the finest ever an ITL final.
Rishabh Pant's 128* (63) vs Hyderabad, 2018
Rishabh Pant defined his spot in the Delhi team with this knock, his maiden ton. This century had come after a long wait and falling in the '90s a few times. He walked in to bat when Delhi was scoring at 6:00 runs per over in the eighth over. Pant mixed caution with aggression and targeted their main bowler, Rashid Khan to hit him for four fours and a six to get Delhi to 187. However, they could not defend their total as they lost the match.
Hardik Pandya's 91 (34) vs Kolkata, 2019
Mumbai was chasing 223 runs in the match. Mumbai was off the track as they could only get 58 runs in 8.2 overs when Hardik came into bat. Hardik Pandya decimated the bowling, scoring 91 off 34 balls, including six fours and nine huge sixes. He did not receive enough help from his teammates, and Mumbai finally lost by 34 runs.