Decoding Dale Steyn's top bowling performances in IPL
Dale Steyn is regarded as one of the finest pacers in the history of the game. The South African speed merchant also made a significant mark in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He belonged to the rare breed of bowlers who could take wickets without conceding many runs. Steyn retired with 97 IPL wickets (ER: 6.91). Let's decode his best IPL spells.
Steyn floors KKR in 2008
Steyn kick-started his IPL journey with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. In the inaugural season, he delivered a breathtaking spell versus Kolkata Knight Riders. While he dismissed Aakash Chopra with the new ball, the pacer further jolted KKR by dismissing Tatenda Taibu and Laxmi Shukla in the same over (12th). Though Steyn claimed 3/27 in four overs, RCB lost by five runs.
When Steyn unleashed his magic vs DC, 2010
Steyn was unplayable with the new ball against the now-defunct Deccan Chargers in 2010. He dismissed Adam Gilchrist and Tirumalasetti Suman for ducks in the very first over of the game before sending Herschelle Gibbs back in his next over. The Proteas star finished with 3/18 in four overs. His efforts, however, went in vain as RCB (138/10) failed to chase down 152.
Steyn floors KTK, 2011
Steyn played for Deccan Chargers in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. He was at his best in the 2011 match against the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Chasing a paltry 130, KTK were folded for 74. Though Ishant Sharma's 5/12 headlined the match, Steyn also claimed three wickets (3/16 in 3.3 overs). He sent back the dangerous Brendon McCullum for a duck.
Steyn's jaw-dropping spell vs MI, 2012
Not often you would see a player from the losing team walk away with the Player-of-the-Match award. Steyn received this honor for his scintillating spell versus Mumbai Indians in 2012. Chasing a paltry 101 at the Wankhede Stadium, MI had a tough time as Steyn dismissed dashers Richard Levi and Dinesh Karthik cheaply. He finished with 2/10 in his quota of four overs.
Steyn rattles RCB, 2012
Deccan successfuly defended a paltry 132 versus RCB in the 2012 match in Hyderabad thanks to Steyn. He dismissed both openers Chris Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan inside the powerplay before shattering Zaheer Khan's stumps in the 17th over. He took three wickets and conceded just eight runs in his four overs as RCB were restricted to 123/9.
