A thrilling encounter unfolded in the 31st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Eden Gardens on Tuesday. KKR, after being asked to bat first, set a daunting target of 224 runs thanks to a phenomenal century by Sunil Narine (109 runs off 56 balls). However, RR had other plans as their star batter, Jos Buttler (107 runs off 60 balls), also smashed a century to take his team over the finish line.
Narine, who scored his maiden T20 Hundred in the first innings, also shined with the ball. The Trinidadian picked up two wickets for 30 runs in his quota of four overs. With that, Narine achieved a special feat in the cash-rich league. He became one of the few players in IPL history to score a hundred and take a wicket in a single game. Let’s have a look at five such instances when a player scored a hundred and took a wicket in a single IPL game.
1- 2011, RCB vs PBKS, Bengaluru:
Chris Gayle, the “Universe Boss,” lived up to his name with a truly phenomenal display in the IPL. He entered the history books by becoming the first player to score a century (107 runs) and claim a three-wicket haul (3/21) in the same match. This all-around brilliance propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to a dominant victory over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Bengaluru in 2011.
2- 2013, RCB vs PWI, Bengaluru:
Two years later, Gayle did it again for RCB. This time, his unbeaten 175* was even more brutal, and his two wickets (2/5) further dented Pune Warriors India’s (PWI) hopes as RCB emerged victorious once more at their home ground in Bengaluru.
3- 2015, RR vs KKR, Brabourne:
Shane Watson, the Australian all-rounder, carved his name into IPL history during his time with RR in 2015. He became part of an elite group by scoring a scintillating century (104 runs) and taking two wickets (2/38) in the same encounter against KKR at the Brabourne Stadium. Watson’s all-around display played a pivotal role in securing a win for RR.
Also READ: Top 5: Highest combined team totals in IPL history
4- 2018, CSK vs RR, Pune:
In 2018, with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Shane Watson did it again. He cemented his place in IPL history by achieving the rare feat of scoring a century (106 runs) and taking a wicket (1/13) in a single match against his former team RR, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. This all-around brilliance proved to be a decisive factor in CSK’s victory.
5- 2024, KKR vs RR, Kolkata:
Narine, the KKR star, further cemented his reputation as a true all-rounder by joining the elite club of IPL players who have scored a century and taken a wicket in the same match. His dazzling knock of 109 runs, coupled with a two-wicket haul (2/30), came against RR at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in the 2024 season of the lucrative league.
