As the Indian Premier League is all set to kick off from September 19th after an indefinite period of waiting, fans are overwhelmed at the thoughts of their favourites taking the field once again.
What makes this cash-rich league even better isn’t just the players featuring in it but the bunch of possibilities that lurks around in the air like some invisible elements, waiting to be smoked up by some catalyst. One such possibility is the breaking of old records and setting new ones, as stars burn out of the sky while new ones are formed.
We will look at a few records which can be at stake in the imminent edition and maybe shortly eclipsed by others in the fray.
1. King Kohli may surpass Gayle’s records of the maximum number of centuries
The Caribbean titan, Chris Gayle claims the pole position for the number of centuries in IPL with six in his tally.
The man breathing on his neck is none other than the Indian captain, Virat Kohli. He has already managed to rack up five centuries until now.
Warner is also comfortably sitting along with 4 tons up his sleeve. Therefore, it will be a savoury race to the witch mountain with Warner and Kohli chasing Gayle for this monumental record that could see a new winner in the race unless the opener himself crafts something dramatic.
2. Amit Mishra may be dethroned
Mishra’s prolonged run in the Indian Premier League has seen the experienced campaigner running riots in the opposition’s ranks with some enigmatic deliveries up his sleeve.
He has notched up 157 scalps from 147 games, which is by far the highest number of wickets by a spinner in IPL.
Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla will be in hot pursuit of this veteran cricketer’s numbers in the current edition of the fray as they have 150 up their sleeves.
Much to the dismay of everyone, given their age, we may see limited performances from these stars.
3. Kohli will eye the 6000 run mark
Virat Kohli has been absolutely relentless in his IPL pursuits as the Indian skipper surpassed Suresh Raina’s landmark of being the highest run scorer of the tournament while he is stationed at the pinnacle now with 5412 runs at the average of 37.84.
Despite being off colours in the last tournament played by Kohli, it would be wrong to say that the Indian skipper will remaim silent in his favourite format of the game. Most importantly he will be eyeing the hallowed mark of 6000 runs as he is just 588 short of the landmark. Though the figure seems exorbitant, but Kohli already holds the record of 973 runs in a single season, thereby making it very much possible.
Suresh Raina will also be another batsman in the line as his total exploits from the tournament has seen him amassing 5368 runs with the magical figure lurking in his sights.
4. Dwayne Bravo set to complete the double (1500 runs and 150 wickets)
A true champion in the game’s context and also the singer of the song ‘champions’, Bravo will not be a frequently-seen apparition in Indian Premier League, given his age.
However, the West Indian veteran is comfortably stationed at 1483 runs and 147 wickets. 17 more runs and 3 more wickets will slingshot the cricketer to perfectly double figures that would read 1500 runs and 150 wickets for Bravo, quite a remarkable feat to be achieved that underlines the all-round capability of the cricketer.
5. Most dismissals as a wicket-keeper in IPL
Quite expectedly, Dhoni claims the ace with 132 dismissals up his sleeve, followed closely by another veteran wicket keeper, Dinesh Kartik who has 131.
It will be a cold and long race to the top as the duo will battle it out to register higher numbers behind their gloves.
Though going by the age, Kartik may have an undue advantage over his erstwhile Indian skipper, Dhoni has his own way of conjuring magic.
Kartik also holds the record for the highest number of catches with 101 pouches against his name.
