IPL 2015: Leading Run-Scorers, Wicket-Takers, Averages and More
It was another day and another pair of phenomenal encounters from the 2015 Indian Premier League, as the Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab both notched narrow victories.
It was a lot tighter for the Royals though, as they left it to the very last ball to get over the line against Delhi Daredevils. Deepak Hooda—just 19 years old—was the star of the show for Rajasthan, bowling superbly before scoring a vital 54 with the bat. With three needed off the last ball, Tim Southee showed nerves of steel to hammer one to the boundary.
In the day’s later game, Kings XI were 18-run victors against the Mumbai Indians. George Bailey’s half-century was key for the 2014 runners-up in their first innings, and despite a stunning 24-ball 64 from Harbhajan Singh, the Indians never looked in danger of chasing down Punjab’s total of 177 for five.
With some more engrossing individual displays, here’s a look at the updated individual classifications and some of the standout performances on Day 5 of this gripping competition.
Top 10 Run-Scorers
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| Player | Team | Runs |
| Gautam Gambhir | Kolkata | 115 |
| Brendon McCullum | Chennai | 104 |
| Rohit Sharma | Mumbai | 98 |
| Chris Gayle | Bangalore | 96 |
| George Bailey | Punjab | 85 |
| Deepak Hooda | Rajasthan | 84 |
| MS Dhoni | Chennai | 83 |
| Albie Morkel | Delhi | 73 |
| Murali Vijay | Punjab | 72 |
| Harbhajan Singh | Mumbai | 64 |
All statistics via ESPNcricinfo.
Top 10 Averages
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| Player | Team | Average |
| Brendon McCullum | Chennai | 104.00 |
| Rohit Sharma | Mumbai | 98.00 |
| Chris Gayle | Bangalore | 96.00 |
| George Bailey | Punjab | 85.00 |
| Harbhajan Singh | Mumbai | 65.00 |
| Corey Anderson | Mumbai | 60.00 |
| Gautam Gambhir | Kolkata | 57.50 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Kolkata | 57.00 |
| David Warner | Hyderabad | 53.00 |
| JP Duminy | Delhi | 49.00 |
All statistics via ESPNcricinfo.
Top 10 Strike Rates
3 of 7
| Player | Team | Runs | SR |
| Harbhajan Singh | Mumbai | 64 | 266.66 |
| Abu Nechim | Bangalore | 5 | 250.00 |
| Andre Russell | Kolkata | 41 | 241.17 |
| Harshal Patel | Bangalore | 9 | 225.00 |
| AB de Villiers | Bangalore | 28 | 215.38 |
| Deepak Hooda | Rajasthan | 84 | 210.00 |
| Mandeep Singh | Bangalore | 6 | 200.00 |
| Mohit Sharma | Chennai | 2 | 200.00 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | Kolkata | 57 | 196.55 |
| Angelo Mathews | Delhi | 27 | 192.85 |
All statistics via ESPNcricinfo.
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Top 10 Wicket-Takers
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Player | Team | Wickets |
| Imran Tahir | Delhi | 5 |
| Anureet Singh | Punjab | 5 |
| Dwayne Bravo | Chennai | 4 |
| Mitchell Johnson | Punjab | 4 |
| Ashish Nehra | Chennai | 3 |
| James Faulkner | Rajasthan | 3 |
| Nathan Coulter-Nile | Delhi | 3 |
| Morne Morkel | Kolkata | 3 |
| Mohit Sharma | Chennai | 3 |
| Amit Mishra | Delhi | 3 |
All statistics via ESPNcricinfo.
Top 10 Bowling Figures
5 of 7
| Player | Team | Runs | Wickets |
| Imran Tahir | Delhi | 28 | 4 |
| Anureet Singh | Punjab | 23 | 3 |
| Ashish Nehra | Chennai | 25 | 3 |
| James Faulkner | Rajasthan | 26 | 3 |
| Nathan Coulter-Nile | Delhi | 30 | 3 |
| Morne Morkel | Kolkata | 18 | 2 |
| Harbhajan Singh | Mumbai | 20 | 2 |
| Mitchell Johnson | Punjab | 23 | 2 |
| Dwayne Bravo | Chennai | 25 | 2 |
| Axar Patel | Punjab | 30 | 2 |
All statistics via ESPNcricinfo.
Top 10 Economy Rates
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Player | Team | Runs | Wickets | Econ |
| Sandeep Sharma | Punjab | 19 | 1 | 4.75 |
| Deepak Hooda | Rajasthan | 20 | 0 | 5.00 |
| Pravin Tambe | Rajasthan | 33 | 1 | 5.50 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | Chennai | 47 | 2 | 5.87 |
| Dominic Joseph | Delhi | 18 | 1 | 6.00 |
| Amit Mishra | Delhi | 53 | 3 | 6.62 |
| Morne Morkel | Kolkata | 53 | 3 | 6.62 |
| Sunil Narine | Kolkata | 54 | 0 | 6.75 |
| Imran Tahir | Delhi | 55 | 5 | 6.87 |
| Chris Morris | Rajasthan | 56 | 2 | 7.00 |
All statistics via ESPNcricinfo.
Standout Performers
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Deepak Hooda Comes of Age
The Rajasthan Royals looked set to fall short in their chase against the Delhi Daredevils, but a remarkable innings late on from a teenage sensation hauled them back into contention and ultimately paved the way for a thrilling win.
After bowling superbly, Deepak Hooda came to the crease with his team in trouble. But instead of toiling under the pressure of the IPL spotlight, he played with the calmness and poise of a seasoned veteran. While his 54 from 25 didn’t quite get his team all the way over the line, Hooda provided hope when all looked lost.
Freddie Wilde of ESPNcricinfo put his incredible achievements into context:
"When I was 19 I was watching the #IPL and ruining my exam results; Hooda is 19 and he's scoring 50s in the IPL. Top knock. #DDvRR #DD #RR
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) April 12, 2015"
Tim Southee eventually struck a four off the final ball with three needed for victory, sparking incredible scenes of celebration among the Rajasthan players. The Kiwi was dubbed the hero, but had it not been for Hooda, the Royals would have never gotten near an impressive Delhi total of 183 for four.
His spin bowling was impressive too, and while he didn’t pick up a wicket, his economical effort helped sap some impetus from the Daredevils effort, drawing praise from Shane Warne:
"Congrats to the @rajasthanroyals & young Hooda, awesome ! I'm glad that culture of finding a way to win the tight ones continues...
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) April 12, 2015"
Hooda is a very impressive young cricketer and a player who looks destined for great things. He’ll be hoping to build on this incredible performance, and given the fearlessness with which he played throughout this match, the Royals look as though they’ve discovered another dynamic edge to complement their already-formidable line-up.
Aussie Duo Shine for Kings XI
While the incredible performance of Harbhajan Singh—who made a scintillating 64 from 24 balls—got the loudest cheers from the Mumbai crowd during this encounter, the performances of the Australian pair of George Bailey with the bat and Mitchell Johnson with the ball rendered his superb effort almost irrelevant.
Bailey injected some much-needed impetus into a toiling Kings XI innings, scoring an unbeaten 61 off just 32 balls. As noted by ESPNcricinfo, his knock pushed Punjab to a competitve score:
"George Bailey's first IPL fifty - 61* off 32 - lifts Kings XI to 177 in Mumbai. http://t.co/kldh8sGGfo #updates
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 12, 2015"
It was a total the Mumbai Indians were capable of chasing down given the surfeit of batting quality in their line-up, but the Kings XI bowling attack tore through their top order. The leader of the pack was left-armer Johnson, who definitely enjoyed one of his good days.
He finished with two for 23 from his four overs, snaffling the vital wickets of Aaron Finch and Ambati Rayudu. But it wasn’t just the wicket-taking deliveries that were important here, as Johnson bowled with a controlled aggression that prevented the Mumbai batsmen from scoring, and as such, the required run rate quickly got out of control.
As noted by the official Kings XI Twitter feed, Johnson set a ferocious tone with the ball:
"Wicket maiden over! What a spell, @MitchJohnson398! MI 17/3 after 6 overs. #KXIP #LivePunjabiPlayPunjabi
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) April 12, 2015"
While an 18-run win seems comfortable, a couple of alternate shifts in momentum could have easily turned this tie in favour of Mumbai.
But at vital times in the match with the pressure on, players like Bailey and Johnson made critical contributions. This win should be a platform for Kings XI as they look to recapture the panache that took them so close to glory last season.
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