IPL 2016: Highest Run-Scorers, T20 Batting Averages, Strike Rates and More
Virat Kohli re-established himself as the Indian Premier League’s top run-scorer, but his unbeaten 100 during Sunday’s Twenty20 action wasn’t enough, as Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered a six-wicket loss to Gujarat Lions.
In contrast, Gautam Gambhir (11) lost ground in the race for the Orange Cap against Rising Pune Supergiants, but Kolkata Knight Riders walked away with a two-wicket win to keep their strong form going.
Mumbai Indians’ Mitchell McClenaghan still leads the race for the Blue Cap with nine wickets, and Krunal Pandya’s strike rate of 187.50 tops all batsmen. His average of 105.00 is also the league's best.
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Here’s a look at the top statistical performers of this year’s IPL:
| 1 | Virat Kohli | 5 | 5 | 1 | 367 | 100* | 91.75 | 255 | 143.92 |
| 2 | David Warner | 5 | 5 | 2 | 294 | 90* | 98.00 | 175 | 168.00 |
| 3 | AB de Villiers | 5 | 5 | 0 | 269 | 83 | 53.80 | 158 | 170.25 |
| 4 | Gautam Gambhir | 5 | 5 | 2 | 237 | 90* | 79.00 | 192 | 123.43 |
| 5 | Rohit Sharma | 6 | 6 | 1 | 230 | 84* | 46.00 | 168 | 136.90 |
| 6 | Ajinkya Rahane | 5 | 5 | 1 | 223 | 67 | 55.75 | 168 | 132.73 |
| 7 | Quinton de Kock | 4 | 4 | 1 | 193 | 108 | 64.33 | 110 | 175.45 |
| 8 | Aaron Finch | 5 | 4 | 1 | 191 | 74 | 63.66 | 141 | 135.46 |
| 9 | Francois du Plessis | 5 | 5 | 0 | 176 | 69 | 35.20 | 141 | 124.82 |
| 10 | Suresh Raina | 5 | 5 | 0 | 174 | 75 | 34.80 | 130 | 133.84 |
| 1 | Mitchell McClenaghan | 6 | 6 | 22.3 | 183 | 9 | 4/21 | 20.33 | 8.13 |
| 2 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 5 | 5 | 20.0 | 167 | 8 | 4/29 | 20.87 | 8.35 |
| 3 | Mustafizur Rahman | 5 | 5 | 20.0 | 115 | 7 | 2/9 | 16.42 | 5.75 |
| 4 | Amit Mishra | 4 | 4 | 12.0 | 72 | 7 | 4/11 | 10.28 | 6.00 |
| 5 | Murugan Ashwin | 5 | 5 | 18.0 | 144 | 7 | 3/36 | 20.57 | 8.00 |
| 6 | Shane Watson | 5 | 5 | 19.3 | 157 | 7 | 2/25 | 22.42 | 8.05 |
| 7 | Dwayne Bravo | 5 | 5 | 19.0 | 173 | 6 | 4/22 | 28.83 | 9.10 |
| 8 | Sandeep Sharma | 5 | 5 | 15.0 | 101 | 5 | 2/23 | 20.20 | 6.73 |
| 9 | Umesh Yadav | 4 | 4 | 12.0 | 82 | 5 | 3/28 | 16.40 | 6.83 |
| 10 | Pravin Tambe | 4 | 4 | 11.0 | 86 | 5 | 2/12 | 17.20 | 7.81 |
All stats are courtesy of the IPL’s official website.
Kohli grabbed his maiden T20 century on Sunday with an unbeaten 100 for Bangalore, but Gujarat’s collective effort saw Lions chase down the target of 181 with three balls to spare.
Cricket commentator Ayaz Memon thought the Indian star would have nothing but respect for Gujarat’s efforts:
With the exception of Dwayne Bravo, who only faced one ball, all of Gujarat’s batsmen finished in double figures. Dinesh Karthik’s unbeaten 50 and Brendon McCullum’s 42 from 24 stood out, but Sunday’s win truly was an achievement made by the entire team.
The bowlers only took two wickets but did a fine job limiting boundaries, and all but one bowler finished with an economy rate in the single digits.
According to Sandip Sikdar on ndtv.sports.com, Kohli was disappointed after the match, despite his fine knock:
"Doesn't really feel good right now. Would have liked to cross the line on the right side of the result. Missed a couple of hundreds before. Not at any stage was I think about a hundred. Just looking for 170. The opportunity came in the end. [Gayle] should be back in the next game. Batting is not a concern. We are planning a lot of things [with the ball]. We want to pull our socks up. Even today, it was slow pitch, we shouldn't have given so many balls close to the batsman that he could hit.
"
Kohli’s team-mate AB De Villiers only managed 20 from 16 before he was caught by Suresh Raina, leaving him in third place in the Orange Cap race, behind David Warner of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Despite their awesome attack, Bangalore have now lost three of their last four matches, and while it’s easy to point at the fact the team has been forced to bat first in all of those contests, things will have to change soon.
While most still expect Bangalore to make the play-offs, they can’t afford to lose too much ground in the standings. As of right now, they’re on the outside looking in.
Kolkata are not, as their win over Pune sent them to the top spot in the standings. Knight Riders’ bowlers limited Supergiants to a score of 160/5, and the title favourites chased down the target with three balls to spare.
Umesh Yadav provided the winning hit with a massive six on a day when Kolkata’s top batsmen fell short. Gambhir managed just 11 from five, while Robin Uthappa was dismissed with the first delivery of the innings.
Gambhir was run out in the third over, and per cricket writer Mohandas Menon, he has a tendency to get run out quite often:
Suryakumar Yadav drove the chase with 60 from 49, and Yusuf Pathan added 36 from 27 to put Kolkata in a position to win heading into the final overs.
Kolkata’s depth is one of their biggest strengths, along with their bowling, although star spinner Sunil Narine didn’t enjoy his best outing, finishing with figures of 1-32.
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