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Cricket PlayersVirat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, AB de Villiers among the big winners as Star Sports celebrates 15 years of IPL
The 2023 season of the IPL will be the 15th edition of the tournament.
The 2023 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be the 15th edition of the tournament. The first player auction for the inaugural IPL was held on February 20, 2008 and since then, the tournament has become an integral part of the Indian, and even international, cricket calendar.
Star Sports, who have the television broadcast rights for the 2023 edition, decided to celebrate the occasion by handing out awards to some of the greatest ever performers in the tournament's history.
Named the “Incredible Premier League awards”, the titles handed out were for the best captain, batter and bowler as well as for the greatest impact player, batting performance and bowling performance had some remarkable nominees.
Incredible Captain: Rohit Sharma
Leading the Mumbai Indians to a record five IPL titles, Rohit Sharma bagged the award for the Best Captain moving past the likes of Chennai Super Kings’ talismanic leader MS Dhoni. “Thank you for all your support and the vote. It means a lot to me and to the franchise. Fans are the backbone and pillars of this team without a shadow of a doubt," said Rohit on Star Sports. "The way these fans have supported us throughout the years and through our ups and downs, it means a lot to us. Every time we walk out on to the pitch, we wear that Mumbai jersey with a lot of pride and to bring a lot of joy on the faces of these fans. So, for us, it means a lot. Keep supporting us the way you have done the last 15 years. We will try our best to put our best on the field forward and to bring a lot of smiles.”
Incredible Batter: AB de Villiers
The South Africa great became an integral part of the IPL during his time with the Royal Challengers Bangalore and he took the award ahead of Chennai Super Kings legend Suresh Raina. “De Villiers' ability to hit the ball all around the park, stands head and shoulders above other batsmen in the IPL due to his ability to single handedly win his team matches. De Villiers had some of the most eye-catching innings in the IPL and his performances won him fans from all over India, with every stadium chanting his name when he came in to bat,” said Star Sports.
Incredible Bowler: Jasprit Bumrah
The leader of the Mumbai Indians pace attack, Jasprit Bumrah bagged the award ahead of Kolkata Knight Riders star Sunil Narine. The Indian speedster’s ability to bowl toe-crushing yorkers in the death overs has made even easy chases for opponents seem like a mammoth task. Beginning his IPL career under the tutelage of Lasith Malinga, Bumrah has been instrumental to MI’s success over the years and has marked himself as one of the tournament's biggest stars.
Incredible Overall Impact: Andre Russell
One of the most belligerent players in the IPL, Andre Russell sealed the Incredible Overall Impact award ahead of Shane Watson. Russell has been one of the most incredible impact players for KKR over the years. Contributing with both bat and ball, the attacking all-rounder from the Caribbean has come to his team’s aid on innumerable occasions and has lit up faces of fans with some unbelievable performances. Whether it was to set a big total on the board or to chase down improbable targets set by opponents, he has been a trump card for KKR and is rightly the most incredible overall impact player in the IPL.
Incredible Batting Performance in a Season – Virat Kohli in 2016:
King Kohli’s record performance in IPL 2016 powered the India sensation to win the ‘Incredible Batting Performance in a Season’ award moving past his close compatriot Chris Gayle’s performance for the same team in 2011. Kohli’s batting performance in the 2016 edition of the IPL marks itself as one of the greatest spectacles in the sport. Not only did he lead the Royal Challengers Bangalore to the finals of the tournament, but scored 973 runs, smashing four centuries, and setting the record for the most runs in an IPL season.
Incredible Bowling Performance in a Season – Sunil Narine in 2012
Sunil Narine was picked as the winner of the ‘Incredible Bowling Performance in a Season’ ahead of Rashid Khan’s showing in 2018 for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Back then, the young Narine had just played three international matches and was pretty much an unknown entity. However, the West Indian paid rich dividends to KKR, picking up 24 wickets in 15 games that campaign, with an economy rate of 5.4 in his debut season. His performances with the ball led KKR to its maiden IPL trophy that year.
