On this day, Pakistani bowler Sohail Tanvir recorded the best ever bowling figures in the Indian Premier League and which is a record that stands tall till date. Rajasthan Royals’ victorious campaign in the inaugural IPL season was an unbelievable journey. The team was a perennial underdogs team but they fought hard and won clean. The Royals shocked everyone by topping the points table, they then went on to defeat mighty CSK in IPL Final.
Captained by the legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne, the team comprised the likes of Graeme Smith and Shane Watson – not the ideal names when it comes to T20 cricket. 2008 was also the only season to feature Pakistani players, Rajasthan Royals’ victorious campaign was empowered by exceptional bowling spells from the wrong-footed Sohail Tanvir, whose awe-inspiring spell against CSK in the group match is what we will discuss today.
The left-arm pace bowler removed the opener Parthiv Patel straightaway. He was dismissed on the very first ball of the match. His partner Stephen Fleming was back to the pavilion on the 5th ball of the same over. Already rattled by the twin strikes in the first over, CSK lost Vidyut in the third over as Tanvir’s unorthodox bowling reduced them to 12/3 in just 3 overs. Shane Watson and Shane Warne then ripped off the middle order, thus exposing the tail to Sohail Tanvir. CSK were at 96/7 when Tanvir came back for his second spell, in the 17th over.
Striking twice in his third over, Tanvir removed the well-settled Albie Morkel off his first delivery then he rattled Muralitharan’s stumps on the 4th ball, thus recording his first five-for in the IPL. He clean bowled Ntini after two boundaries to take his sixth wicket thus ending with unbelievable figures of 6/14 in 3.4 overs. CSK got all out for only 109 runs, RR later chased it with 8 wickets in the hand.
Deservedly, Tanvir won the Match of the Match award for his sensational figures of 6/14 and ended the season as the highest wicket-taker. 10 years later, his bowling figures are still the best by a bowler in the history of the IPL.
