Unbreakable IPL Records by Foreign Players since 2008

Indian Premier League (IPL) has now become one of the most popular leagues across the globe in the sporting world. Started as an entertainment league, by bringing the concept of forming a squad with a combination of foreign and domestic players. Many cricketing greats of the game graced this league and some of them went on to become all-time legends of the league. The growth of IPL in stature can be understood from the fact that initially started with 8 teams it has now become a 10-team contest.

Along with Indian cricketers, foreign greats like Chris Gayle, David Warner, Lasith Malinga, Shane Watson, and Kieron Pollard are just a few of the examples who also dominated the Indian Premier League (IPL) more than the Indians. Some even went on to become fan favorites because of their exceptional performances and also being a regular member of their favorite side.

Over the years, IPL has seen many records getting broken and many new ones being made but there are several records set by the foreign cricketers who dominated the Indian league and lifted its stature to the next level.

Let’s look at the Five Unbreakable IPL Records set by foreign players:

Brendon McCullum’s 158 set the tone for IPL

McCullum one of the cleanest strikers of the ball set the stage on fire in the first game of IPL by smashing RCB bowlers all over scoring 158 runs in 73 balls of his debut game. It is a kind of IPL record that is likely to remain unbreakable by any player in his debut match.

This legendary knock of McCullum put IPL on the map and since then it hasn’t looked back. Such a kind of blistering knock on debut in a format like T20 is rare to witness, and this inning took all the fans by surprise and set the tone for IPL.

175 not out Gaylestorm at Chinnaswammy

Chris Gayle the ‘Universe Boss’ was in beast mode on 23 April 2013 against Pune Warriors India. He was an absolute nightmare for Pune bowlers, almost every bowler had a bad day except Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Luke Wright.

On that day, Gayle smashed 175 runs in just 66 deliveries including 13 fours and 17 sixes. Players rarely score a century in a tournament like IPL where Gayle has set a kind of IPL record that would be very tough to break.

17 Raining of Sixes by Chris Gayle

Whenever anyone talks about the 175 innings, one will be curious to check the boundaries count as well. A big muscular guy from the Caribbean world, Chris Gayle hammered the opponent 17 sixes in a single inning of a T20 game was spectacular to watch.

That day Chinnaswammy’s weather report had no rain predicted still, the cricketing world witnessed the raining of sixes all over the park. This kind of IPL record gets registered once in a while and is challenging to break.

Alzarri Joseph’s 6/12 Spell on Debut

One of the mainstream fast bowlers of WI, ALzarri Joseph showed his class in the debut match against Sunrisers Hyderabad picking up 6 wickets for a mere 12 runs. A tall, hit-the-deck bowler who can swing the ball both ways he troubled the batsman and broke the previously held record of 5 wickets on debut by Andrew Tye.

Unfortunately, he could not carry the same form and momentum also playing for different franchises since that exceptional match. This IPL record is also one of those that is most likely to remain unbreakable.

Being MVP 25 times is not everyone’s cup of tea

Very few foreign players have created a huge impact in the IPL like AB de Villiers did for RCB. He is also nicknamed Mr. 360 of cricket for his unorthodox shot selection and is also the most loved cricketer by the Indian community.

AB de Villiers holds the record for winning 25 Player of the Match awards. This record is likely to go unbroken as the nearest competitor has either retired or is in the last phase of his career. It will be a formidable task to go past this IPL record of AB de Villiers.