The Year 2023 has come to an end. The cricket world witnessed the new highs this year. The year witnessed the 13th edition of the Cricket World Cup. Additionally, the IPL, Women’s T20 World Cup, WTC Final, Asia Cup, and other tournaments added their flavor to the cricketing calendar in 2023. Let’s rewind and reflect on the most significant cricket moments of 2023
India won the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup (January)
In 2023, the inaugural ICC U19 T20 World Cup took place in South Africa, featuring 14 teams. Shafali Verma led the India women’s U19 team to a historic title win in this tournament. The girls in blue defeated England in the final to secure the title.
Australia lifted the Women’s T20 World Cup for a record 6th Time (February)
The year witnessed Australia’s absolute dominance, commencing with the women’s team clinching the T20 World Cup 2023. Meg Lanning and Co. shattered South Africa’s dreams by defeating them in the final by 19 runs. This victory marked Australia’s 6th women’s World Cup title in the 8 editions of the tournament.
Lahore Qalandars won the PSL Final by 1 Run (March)
The final of Pakistan Super League 2023 featured, Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans. It was an action replay of the 2022 season as Qalandars defeated Multan Sultans in 2nd final in a row. pQalandars’ skipper Shaheen Afridi shone in the final, smashing 44 runs off 15 balls and taking 4 wickets. The tense match saw fans on the edge. Sultans needed 13 runs in the last over, but they fell short by one run. Qalandars secured their 2nd PSL title with a thrilling finish.
KKR needed 28 in 5 balls, Rinku Singh finished with 5 Sixes (April)
IPL 2023 etched an unforgettable moment into cricket history with Rinku Singh’s extraordinary finish. In the 13th match of the tournament, a scenario that seemed only plausible in dreams unfolded. Facing the daunting task of scoring 28 runs in just 5 balls, Rinku Singh defied the odds, smashing five consecutive sixes off Yash Dayal to secure a miraculous victory.
CSK wins 5th IPL title in a thrilling final vs Gujarat Titans (May)
The resurgence of CSK in IPL 2023, following a disastrous 2022 season, was nothing short of extraordinary. MS Dhoni-led side faced Hardik Pandya and co. in the final, hosted at Titans’ home ground in Ahmedabad, which had been transformed into a vibrant sea of yellow.
With just two balls remaining in the final, the odds seemed to favor Gujarat Titans, as CSK needed 10 runs for victory. But a thrilling finish by Ravindra Jadeja in the last two balls sent the stadium into a frenzy. With the fifth title, Chennai Super Kings join Mumbai Indians as the most successful teams in IPL history.
Australia lifted first WTC Title (June)
India played their second World Test Championship final in 2023, however, the outcome mirrored their previous final against New Zealand. Rohit Sharma’s troops were defeated by Pat Cummins-led side by a huge margin of 209 runs. With this, Australia became the first nation to become World Champions in all three formats.
Nepal Qualified for First Cricket World Cup Qualifier and Asia Cup (June)
In 2023, Nepal Cricket achieved historic milestones, making it to their inaugural Cricket World Cup Qualifier and competing in their first Asia Cup tournament. They faced India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2023 and remained winless, however, they managed to beat USA and UAE in the World Cup Qualifier. By the year’s end, Nepal celebrated another achievement as they secured a spot in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
West Indies’ Shock Exit From 2023 World Cup (June)
In 2023, the disappointment loomed large for the two-time Cricket World Cup champions, West Indies, as they failed to qualify for the mega event. They finished in the 5th position on the Qualifier table. Sri Lanka and the Netherlands remained top two teams in the Qualifiers, claiming the last two berths for the tournament. While the Caribbean side went missing from the marquee event for the first time in history.
India secure Both Men’s and Women’s Gold in Asian Games (September)
In 2023, a historic moment unfolded in the Asian Games as India made its debut in cricket events. Under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Harmanpreet Kaur, the Indian sides emerged victorious in both men’s and women’s cricket events.
In the women’s event, India claimed the Gold medal, with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh securing the Silver and Bronze medals, respectively. Similarly, in the men’s event, India clinched the Gold, while Afghanistan and Bangladesh earned the Silver and Bronze medals.
Nepal recorded first first-ever 300 in a T20 match (September)
Asian Games 2023 match between Nepal and Mongolia set a record that seems to be unbreakable for generations. While batting first Nepal reached 314 and became the first team in T20 history to breach the 300-run mark.
In the same innings, the records for the fastest International fifty and hundred were recorded. Dipendra Singh Airee scored a 9-ball fifty and broke Yuvraj Singh’s 12-ball fifty record while Kushal Malla scored a 34-ball century vs Mongolia and became the batter to score the fastest T20I ton.
Mohammed Siraj scalped 6 wickets in Asia Cup 2023 Final (September)
The ODI Asia Cup 2023 final lasted less than 2 hours, thanks to the outstanding performance of Mohammed Siraj. The Indian pacer delivered a remarkable spell, claiming 5 wickets in his first 3 overs, collapsing the Sri Lankan side to a 12 for 6 at the end of the first 6 overs.
Somehow Sri Lanka managed to reach a total of 50 runs. In response, India chased down the target in just 6.1 overs without losing any wickets, securing their record 8th Asia Cup title in emphatic fashion.
India became the No.1 Team in All 3 Formats (September)
In September of this year, the Indian men’s cricket team achieved the No. 1 ICC rankings in all three formats. This marked only the second instance since South Africa in 2012 that a team secured the No. 1 ranking simultaneously in Test, ODI and T20I formats.
India’s ODI World Cup streak against Pakistan reached 8-0 (October)
Ahmedabad hosted the most hyped cricket match of the year and the Indian team didn’t disappoint the crowd as they beat the neighbors in a one-sided match. Men in green were restricted to just 191 runs and with the help of Rohit Sharma’s quickfire 83, India secured a 7-wicket win. This was India’s 8th win against Pakistan in ODI World Cup history, extending their unbeaten streak to 8-0.
Afghanistan upset the Giants in World Cup 2023 (October)
Before the 2023 World Cup, Afghanistan had only won a single World Cup game in their history, and that too against Scotland in 2015. No one anticipated that they would emerge as giant killers in the 2023 tournament. During the competition, Afghanistan pulled off significant upsets, defeating the defending champions England by 69 runs and later stunning Pakistan with a remarkable 8-wicket victory.
Injured Glenn Maxwell’s unbeaten 201 to save Australia against Afghanistan (November)
Afghanistan nearly continued their giant-killing spree against Australia, but Glenn Maxwell thwarted their efforts. Chasing 291 runs, the Australian batting lineup crumbled, finding themselves at 91 runs with the loss of 7 wickets. Despite being injured, Glenn Maxwell played a heroic innings, scoring an unbeaten 201 runs and reaching the double century with a match-winning six.
Maxwell’s catch was dropped by Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the early part of his innings, and it proved costly for Afghanistan. Maxwell’s innings will go down in history as one of the greatest, and Pat Cummins’ unbeaten 12 runs in 68 balls on the other end cannot be diminished.
Australia lifted their 6th Cricket World Cup (November)
India entered the World Cup 2023 final with a 10-match winning streak. However, the streak came to an end as the Rohit Sharma-led side was defeated by the Australians by 6 wickets. Travis Head’s impressive knock of 137 runs earned him the Player of the Final award.
With this victory, Australia secured a record 6th World Cup title. Unfortunately for India, the 2023 World Cup marked their 10th consecutive ICC tournament without lifting the trophy.
Mumbai Indians sacked Rohit Sharma from the Captaincy (December)
Fans were left shocked as Mumbai Indians made an unexpected and unemotional decision in December 2023, removing their five-time IPL-winning captain from the leadership role. The reins were handed over to Hardik Pandya, a move that faced criticism from the franchise’s supporters
Mitchell Starc bagged 24.75 Crore in IPL Auction (December)
The IPL 2023 Auction shattered all records, with Mitchell Starc being bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for a staggering 24.75 crore rupees, making him the most expensive player in the league’s history. Pat Cummins secured the second most expensive bid in the auction, fetching 20.50 crore rupees from Sunrisers Hyderabad.