The untouched landmarks in the Indian Premier League

Bikash Mohapatra takes a look at landmarks in the IPL that are tough to replicate.

For a tournament where records are broken faster than set, the Indian Premier League can boast of a few untouched landmarks. 

These records, in some cases unwanted, were set in the inaugural edition in 2008 and still remain unbroken even though the tournament is into its fifth season.  

Here are some landmarks which have been tough to replicate.  

-         Highest individual score

-         Most sixes in an innings

-         Biggest margin of victory

All the three records above were set in the same match. 

It was, incidentally, the opening match of the inaugural IPL, featuring Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, and it was one player who was solely responsible for all the records on that day.

Brendon McCullum's unbeaten 158 not only ensured the tournament an emphatic start, but has also, over the years, become almost an impossible to break record.

The New Zealander's 73-ball knock was inclusive of 10 boundaries and a whopping 13 sixes, the latter being yet another untouched landmark.

McCullum's whirlwind innings helped Knight Riders pile up a mammoth 222, which proved a tall order for their opponents on the day.

The Royal Challengers, despite playing on home turf, gave up the chase without putting up a semblance of a fight.

They were bowled out for a paltry 82, with 29 balls of their innings left to be bowled, to give the visiting team a huge 140-run win, the biggest margin of victory thus far in the tournament.

Remember Sohail Tanvir?

For starters, he was the player who won the Purple Cap, awarded to the bowler with the most wickets, in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

The Pakistani pacer took 22 wickets in that tournament and played a crucial role in Rajasthan Royals' surprising title triumph.

Tanvir's best individual performance in the tournament came against the eventual finalists, Chennai Super Kings.

In the match, played at the Sawai Mansingh stadium, Tanvir registered impressive figures of six for 14 as the visitors were bowled out for a paltry 109, the home team winning by eight wickets with 34 balls to spare.

To date, it remains the best bowling figures in an innings, an untouched landmark.

It is a shame that Tanvir never got a chance to play in the IPL after that edition.

Now this is one landmark which might just come in as a surprise to many.

In a tournament where big hitting is the prevalent norm, one would expect the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Chris Gayle, Virender Sehwag or Yusuf Pathan to have recorded the highest strike rate in an innings.

However, a bowler happens to hold this enviable record.

Royal Challengers Bangalore's Balachandra Akhil's seven-ball 27 not out not only won his team an away tie against Deccan Chargers, but also ensured him a strike of 385.71.

Coming in to bat with RCB precariously placed at 141 for five (after 17.2 overs), Akhil combined with Aussie Cameron White (31 not out of 23 balls) to take his team home with an over left.

His seven-ball blitz was inclusive of two boundaries and three maximums and till date remains the best strike rate in an innings.

He is one of the highest wicket takers in the Indian Premier League.

Rudra Pratap Singh also happened to win the Purple Cap in 2009, when his 23 wickets helped the Deccan Chargers take home the trophy, when the second edition of the tournament was played in South Africa.

However, this is one record that the bowler would like to forget.

In the inaugural edition, RP Singh conceded 59 runs in his four overs in Deccan Chargers' home game against Kolkata Knight Riders.

The left-armer conceded 20 runs in his first two overs before going for 39 runs in his final two, with David Hussey (playing for KKR at the time) taking 21 off them as the visitors piled up a mammoth 204 for four, eventually winning the match by 23 runs.

Four seasons later, RP Singh remains the bowler to have conceded most runs in an innings.

Kolkata Knight Riders may have flattered to deceive in the IPL thus far, but they find themselves frequently in this list.

On this occasion, they were the team to benefit from the most extras conceded in an innings.

It was in a match at the Eden Gardens in the inaugural edition, with Deccan Chargers being the guilty party.

The visitors having scored a measly 110 batting first, dented their already minimal chances by giving away a whopping 28 extra runs.

In fact, extras were the second highest contributor to the Kolkata chase after David Hussey's unbeaten 38.

The free runs were inclusive of 15 wides even as the home team won by five wickets with an over to spare.