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Tata IPL 2023 has gotten off to a terrific start, with ten games played as on Friday, April 7. The defending champions Gujarat Titans have picked up where they left off, beating CSK in the tournament opener before adding another win to that list.
The Punjab Kings and the Lucknow Super Giants are the other two sides that have started well, with the Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad on the other end of that spectrum.Â
We’ve seen some terrific individual performances in the league so far, and they’ve come both in winning and losing causes. Let’s look at the top five individual performances of Week 1 of Tata IPL 2023.
Honorable Mentions: Moeen Ali – 4/26 versus LSG
Note: Only performances made in games on or before Friday, April 7, are considered.
#5 Tilak Verma – 84 (46) versus RCB
Tilak Verma played one of the knocks of the IPL to keep the Mumbai Indians in the game in their season opener against RCB. The classy left-hand batter was their biggest positive in a disappointing IPL 2022 campaign, and that trend continued as he was the only spark in what was, otherwise, a dismal display from them.
Disciplined bowling from the RCB bowlers reduced MI to 48/4 in the 9th over, leaving Tilak Verma and debutant Nehal Wadhera at the crease. While Nehal hit a couple of big shots, Tilak did the bulk of the scoring, targeting the right bowlers and picking the right moments to attack.
After the fall of the big-hitting Tim David, the youngster laid into the RCB seamers in the death bowlers, leading to a powerful finish that saw them get to a more than competitive total of 171/7. Unfortunately for him, a limp bowling display saw them getting well beaten.
#4 Nathan Ellis – 4/30 versus RR
PBKS seamer Nathan Ellis exhibited his wide range of change-ups in a masterful bowling display against a powerful RR batting lineup to help PBKS register their second win of the season. The Australian seamer has been one of their best bowlers in the absence of Kagiso Rabada.Â
PBKS batted well to post 197/4 in the first-ever IPL match at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. On a good batting wicket, they had to do well to contain the devastating Buttler and Samson.
Thankfully for Punjab, Ellis was up to the task. He picked up the key wickets of Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, and Riyan Parag, effectively taking out their entire middle order.
Ellis mixed up his variations well, with his cross-seam delivery, in particular, proving successful. Picking up the wickets of quality batters on a flat deck is not easy, and Ellis deserves due credit for his stellar performance.
#3 Ruturaj Gaikwad – 92 (50) versus GT
CSK’s Ruturaj Gaikwad played a brilliant knock to set the ball rolling in the very first match of IPL 2023. The Maharashtra batter looked very comfortable at the crease against a strong GT bowling lineup and went all guns blazing at one end despite the wickets falling at the other.
He smashed nine sixes and four boundaries and was extremely unlucky not to score a hundred. However, a constant flurry of wickets at the other end and the lack of meaningful partnerships affected his rhythm in the second half of the CSK innings.
He ultimately holed out to Shubman Gill after scoring 92 runs off just 50 balls. His knock proved to be in vain, as a lackluster CSK bowling lineup couldn’t hold back the GT batters.
#2 Mark Wood – 5/14 versus DC
Before IPL 2023, Mark Wood played only one game in the IPL, the curtain-raiser of IPL 2018. Representing the returning Chennai Super Kings, Wood had a forgettable outing and hadn’t played in the IPL since, despite CSK’s iconic win in that clash versus MI.
Cut to April 2, 2023, after finally overcoming the injury hurdles that prevented him from participating in IPL 2022, Mark Wood unleashed his pace on the IPL and the hapless DC batters. Defending a target of 194, LSG needed a wicket when skipper KL Rahul tossed the ball to Mark Wood, with the DC openers getting off to a good start.
Wood bowled a couple of unplayable deliveries to rattle the off stumps of Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh to swing the game in LSG’s favor. He finished the match with figures of 5/14 in his four overs, with his spell instrumental in LSG registering a resounding 50-run victory.
#1 Shardul Thakur – 68 (29) versus RCB
Could it have been anyone else? In terms of sheer impact, the difficulty of the situation, and the probability of it happening, Shardul Thakur’s blistering half-century against RCB is easily the best individual performance in IPL 2023 so far.
Walking into bat when his side was struggling at 89/5 in 11.3 overs, the bowling all-rounder produced a performance that left the RCB bowlers struggling to find answers. From a position where even a score of 150 was a doubt for KKR, Thakur’s blitzkrieg alongside Rinku Singh took them to a match-winning total of 204.
He also picked up the wicket of Michael Bracewell to clear any doubts KKR had of winning the match. He rightfully won the Player of the Match award for his efforts.
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