Eleven seasons down and the 2019 Indian Premier League is now upon us with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening fixture on Saturday, 23 March, in Chennai.
With all of India’s biggest stars as well as a few names from the international area fighting it out for the title, here’s a look at some of the big records that could tumble, and some new ones that could be made, over the next few weeks.
1. First to 5,000
Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli are locked in the race for 5,000 runs in the IPL. Raina's aggregate at the start of the season is 4,985 runs, while Kohli needs 52 runs to get to the milestone.
2. Most Catches
Suresh Raina needs to take 5 catches to become the first fielder to take 100 catches in the IPL. Ajinkya Rahane needs 1 more catch to complete 50 catches in the tournament.
3. All-Rounders’ Double
Ravindra Jadeja needs 7 wickets and Shane Watson needs 8 wickets to get to 100 wickets in the IPL. If and when they get there, they will join Dwayne Bravo as the only all-rounders to do the IPL double of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets.
4. Dhoni and Virat’s Captaincy Milestones
MS Dhoni needs 6 more wins to become the first captain to register 100 wins in the IPL; his captaincy record currently stands at: Won - 94, Lost - 64, No Result - 1. Virat Kohli needs 5 more wins to get to 50 wins as IPL captain; his captaincy record currently stands at Won - 45, Lost - 48, No Result - 3.
5. First to 100 Wins
The Mumbai Indians need 2 more wins to become the first team to post 100 wins in the IPL. CSK too have a chance to register their 100th win in the coming IPL season; they currently have 90 wins from 148 matches.
6. Virat’s T20 Run
Virat Kohli needs 95 more runs to complete 8,000 runs in T20 cricket; if and when he gets there, he will be only the second Indian batsman to reach the milestone after Suresh Raina.
7. T20 Catches
Shikhar Dhawan needs two more catches to complete 100 catches in T20 cricket. Wriddhiman Saha meanwhile needs 3 catches to reach the same milestone.
8. Bravo Leads Wicket-takers List
Dwayne Bravo needs 21 wickets to become the first player to take 500 wickets in T20 cricket; he is currently top of the list of wicket-takers in the format with 479 wickets from 438 matches.
9. Rohit’s 300th T20
When he leads the Mumbai Indians in their opening fixture of the season, Rohit Sharma will be playing his 300th T20 match; among Indian cricketers, only Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni have played more than 300 T20 matches.
10. 600 Sixes
Kieron Pollard needs 15 more sixes to become the second cricketer to hit 600 sixes in T20 cricket; Chris Gayle tops the list with 907 sixes in the 20-over format.
11. DK’s Keeping Record
Dinesh Karthik needs two more dismissals to complete 200 dismissals as wicket-keeper in T20 cricket; among Indian wicket-keepers, only MS Dhoni (232) has more than 200 dismissals as wicket-keeper in T20 cricket.
12. Gayle to 4,000
Chris Gayle needs 6 more runs to complete 4,000 runs in the IPL; he also needs 8 more sixes to become the first batsman to hit 300 sixes in the IPL.
13. Narine’s Most Maidens
Sunil Narine needs to bowl one more maiden over to become the bowler with the most maiden overs in T20 cricket; he is currently tied with Samuel Badree with 21 maiden overs in T20 cricket.
14. Watson’s 300
When Shane Watson takes the field for the first time in IPL 2019, he will become the first Australian cricketer to play in 300 T20 matches.
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