IPL 2015 - Memorable moments

The Indian Premier League is all about the moments it leaves behind, incredible and awe-inspiring, seemingly impossible and equally unpredictable, bizarre yet truly memorable. Here's a collection of such moments from IPL 2015 that is bound to be etched in memory for years to come:

1. Ssshh! Tape that mouth of yours!

Over the years, West Indies players in the IPL have brought with them, a unique Caribbean spirit to the tournament. Chief among them, Kieron Pollard, has lit up many an IPL game with his antics. At the Chinnaswamy Stadium against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Pollard resorted to banter in a bid to unnerve fellow West Indian Chris Gayle, who was key to the hosts' chase of 209. The on-field umpires objected to the chatter and instructed Pollard to keep quiet. In what is set to go down amongst the bizarre moments of cricket, something that left the commentators and members of the Mumbai Indians dugout in splits, Pollard turned up on the field in the next over with a tape around his mouth. Classic!

2. The Double Team

IPL has borne witness to an extraordinary rise in fielding standards. IPL 2015 saw fielders resorting to gravity-defying athleticism to complete catches. Dwayne Bravo, Lendl Simmons and Faf du Plessis shone brightly for their fielding. But, Tim Southee and Karun Nair pulled off, arguably the greatest relay catch ever, during Rajasthan Royals' clash against Kings XI Punjab. Kings XI skipper George Bailey tonked a length delivery on leg-stump high towards long-on. Southee, who was stationed there, arched backwards and collected the ball with his right hand. Unfortunately, his momentum carried him backwards and towards the boundary rope. Just as he was about to touch the advertisement boards, he flung the ball to his onrushing teammate, Nair, who completed a diving catch low down to his right!

3. Gross error in judgement

If the Nair-Southee catch was a display in exemplary fielding, David Warner's gaffe on the boundary line against Royal Challengers Bangalore was a lesson in the old cricketing adage - The catch isn't complete till it's complete. In yet another rain-curtailed game in Hyderabad, the Royal Challengers were set a daunting target of 81 to chase down in six overs to keep their qualification hopes alive. Led by an opening assault by Gayle, RCB kept abreast with the asking rate. Virat Kohli, the last remaining recognized batsman in the line-up, needed to score 4 off 2 deliveries when he lofted a length delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar towards the long-off fence. Warner, fielding at long-off, steadied himself and pouched the catch only to pull out a premature celebratory fist-pump towards the dugout while inadvertently moving backwards and stepping on the boundary and conceding a six. While RCB won the match, SRH proceeded to lose the final game and were knocked out of the competition. Too high a price for a celebration.

4. The CR7 celebration

The IPL's greatest entertainer was at it once again in the eighth season. Ever since Chris Gayle was chartered in midway through IPL 2011 by Royal Challengers Bangalore, the tournament has enjoyed a new lease of popularity due to the big Jamaican's endearing demeanour. Despite not scaling the heights of some of his previous seasons, a relatively understated Gayle burst into life midway through the tournament when he blitzed a hapless Kings XI attack for a 57-ball 117. After completing his 14th T20 century, Gayle pulled out a novel celebration, at least for those not well-versed with football. In trademark Cristiano Ronaldo fashion, Gayle jumped, turned mid-air, spread his arms out and held his pose as shutter-bugs at the Chinnaswamy clicked away. When asked after the match about his celebration, a cheeky Gayle said, "Cristiano Ronaldo called me and told me 'Chris, when you get a century, do that celebration'".

5. Caught unaware

Ever since Yuvraj Singh attracted an INR 16 Crore bid to play for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2015, his every move on the field was scrutinized inkeeping with the price he attracted and his failures were unfairly traced back to the amount spent on him. Yuvraj didn't help his cause when he got himself out in strange circumstances in a league game at the Feroz Shah Kotla against the Knight Riders. Yuvraj, who'd got himself going with a couple of boundaries, missed an attempted sweep to a Piyush Chawla delivery. Unawares of the ball's presence, the left-hander wandered out of his crease even as the ball rolled down to the keeper. Robin Uthappa, the KKR wicket-keeper, gathered the ball, missed the stumps in his first attempt before knocking the bails off with another swipe with Yuvraj still remaining oblivious to the whole situation. Bizarre indeed!

6. When the master bowed down to his apprentice

17-year old Royal Challengers batsman Sarfaraz Khan exemplified everything the IPL stands for during a sprightly innings in a rain-interrupted game against Rajasthan Royals. Just when it looked like Rajasthan had clawed their way back into the game with a flurry of wickets, little known Sarfaraz stepped up and stroked a gutsy 21-ball 45 at a strike-rate of 214! When he walked back to the dressing room at the end of the innings having propelled his team to a total of 200 in 20 overs, RCB skipper and modern-day great, Virat Kohli, greeted him by bowing to him in appreciation. Kohli's cheeky gesture took social media by storm and Sarfaraz had become an overnight star. That the match ended in an washout was an anti-climax.

7. 'This T20 business is quite nervous, boss'

Cricket legend and Rajasthan Royals mentor Rahul Dravid can be quite an equanimous person on the field. But such is the nature of the IPL that even those not easily swayed by emotions can be sucked into the action. Last season, when Mumbai Indians clinched a play-off berth at Rajasthan's expense, a dejected Rahul Dravid was pictured throwing his cap off in frustration. When the two sides met in IPL 2015 for the first time since the infamous incident, the television broadcasters wasted no time in reminding Dravid of last season's encounter. When the video clip of Dravid's antics was displayed on the giant screen at the stadium, a thoroughly embarrassed Dravid hid his face in his palms before shaking his head and breaking into a sheepish smile.