From Gayle to Russell: The hard hitters of IPL

If going by usual parameters of big-hitting prowess in T20 cricket, West Indies players Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell remain hotcakes of the tournament.

In the 2013 edition, Gayle scored an unbeaten 175 off 66 balls in RCB colours against Pune Warriors India.

The six fest

Big man Chris Gayle likes to stand and deliver. When he gets going, the ball flies to the top tier. The left-hander has smashed 326 sixes in 125 games. In the 2013 edition, Gayle scored an unbeaten 175 off 66 balls in Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) colours against Pune Warriors India — still the highest individual score in the history of the tournament. A. B. de Villiers is second in the list with 212 sixes under his belt in 154 games. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni ranks third with 209 sixes in 190 games.

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Ground shots

From Shikhar Dhawan's blade, the ball has rolled on to the boundary rope 524 times in 159 games

 

Delhi Capitals batsman Shikhar Dhawan seems to be the king of ground shots. From his blade, the ball has rolled on to the boundary rope 524 times in 159 games. CSK’s Suresh Raina is next in line with 493 fours (in 193 games). Former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain and two-time IPL winner Gautam Gambhir ended with 491. Currently at 480, RCB captain Virat Kohli looks set to break Gambhir’s record. Reinstated to the captaincy, Sunrisers Hyderabad’s David Warner — on 458 fours in 126 games — will be keen on catching up.

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Best individual show

Rishabh Pant’s 128 not out (63 balls) for Delhi Daredevils (Delhi Capitals in 2019) against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018 had turned the youngster into a superstar.

 

Besides Gayle’s 175, Brendon McCullum’s 158 not out (off 73 balls) in the IPL opener for KKR against RCB is still a talking point. The former New Zealand captain had declared the tournament open with his stellar show at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Chennai in 2008. AB’s unbeaten 133 (off 59 balls) for RCB against four-time champion Mumbai Indians is perhaps one of the finest examples of 360-degree cricket. Rishabh Pant’s 128 not out (63 balls) for Delhi Daredevils (Delhi Capitals in 2019) against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018 had turned the youngster into a superstar.

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Most runs in an over

Spin bowler Sunil Narine, who has groomed himself into a destructive opening batsman, is known for causing damage with the willow.

 

For RCB, Gayle scored 36 off Prasanth Parameswaran for Kochi Tuskers Kerala in IPL 2011. Three years later, Raina tore apart Parvinder Awana of Kings XI, hitting him for 33 runs. In 2016, Kohli launched an attack on Shivil Kaushik (Gujarat Lions), picking up 30 runs. Spin bowler Sunil Narine, who has groomed himself into a destructive opening batsman, is also known for causing such damage. The KKR cricketer snatched 25 off Samuel Badree of RCB in 2017. He is also remembered for destroying rookie spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s figures (24 in an over) in his debut IPL game for Kings XI.

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Striking it best

With eight fifties and the quick cameos over the years, all-rounder Andre Russel has attained a strike rate of 186.41.

 

West Indian Andre Russell has the most destructive strike rate among all players who have played at least 50 games. With eight fifties and the quick cameos over the years, the all-rounder has attained a strike rate of 186.41. Narine is second with 168.34. They make KKR a strong all-round outfit. At 162.69, India international Pant is definitely a batsman to watch. Mumbai Indians’ Hardik Pandya, who scored 402 runs in the 2019 edition, at 191.42 remains a strong competitor for Russell. Overall, Pandya’s strike rate stands at 154.78 in 66 games.