IPL 2016: Top 10 Batsmen of Week 4 of Indian Premier League
Another week, another seven days of hyper-active cheerleaders, boundary-celebrating music and big-hitting batsmanship in the Indian Premier League.
But while Sunrisers Hyderabad, who won both of their games over the last week, clearly enjoyed themselves, which individual batsmen filled their boots?
Here, based on their combined performances over the last seven days and ranked in ascending order of their achievements, are the top 10 batsmen of the IPL’s fourth week.
*All performances from 30 April to 6 May were taken into consideration.
10. Glenn Maxwell
1 of 10
Team: Kings XI Punjab
Total runs in the week: 68
Best performance: 68 off 42 balls vs. Kolkata Knight Riders
True, one of his innings last week resulted in a duck, but Glenn Maxwell just makes the cut for his blistering effort that nearly rescued Kings XI against Kolkata.
Struggling Punjab seemed to be heading for another comprehensive defeat when they slumped to 13/3 in the third over in pursuit of the Knight Riders' 165. However, Maxwell had other ideas.
The Australian unleashed a flurry of blows, including two mighty sixes off his compatriot Brad Hogg, and if he could have hung around for a few more overs, his side would have surely got over the line.
9. Sam Billings
2 of 10
Team: Delhi Daredevils
Total runs in the week: 78
Best performance: 54 off 34 balls vs. Kolkata
It might not have registered heavily on the great scale of IPL achievements, but it was a significant week for promising England youngster Sam Billings.
The young wicketkeeper-batsman's inaugural innings for the Delhi Daredevils yielded a rapid half-century to help his side reach what turned out to be a match-winning total versus Kolkata.
His contribution, backed up by a 15-ball 24 against the Supergiants, indicates Billings is more than comfortable at this level and could become a fixture in this competition for years to come.
8. Rishabh Pant
3 of 10
Team: Delhi Daredevils
Total runs in the week: 75
Best performance: 69 vs. Gujarat Lions
Aged just 18 years old, Rishabh smashed his first-ever T20 half-century in emphatic style to help his side to a comfortable win over against the Lions.
The highly regarded youngster looked fully at ease at the crease, striking 11 boundaries in total, to put on 115 for the first wicket alongside Quinton de Kock.
True, Pant failed in his other efforts during the week, but the swashbuckling batsman is clearly one to watch.
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7. Saurabh Tiwary
4 of 10
Team: Rising Pune Supergiants
Total runs in the week: 78
Best performance: 57 off 45 balls vs. Mumbai Indians
Saurabh Tiwary, who played a handful of ODIs for India back in 2010, produced a decent knock this week to help his side set Mumbai a testing score.
The big-hitting left-hander struck the ball crisply through the onside and was particularly effective in a partnership of 84 from 7.3 overs with Steve Smith.
With games beginning to run out, Pune need more significant contributions from Tiwary if they are to have any chance of gatecrashing the play-offs.
6. Rohit Sharma
5 of 10
Team: Mumbai Indians
Total runs in the week: 85
Best performance: 85 off 60 balls vs. Rising Pune Supergiants
Given Mumbai's indifferent form, this effort from Rohit Sharma deserves recognition as he almost single-handedly took his side over the line for a crucial victory over the Supergiants.
In his only knock of the week, the 29-year-old struck 11 boundaries, three of which cleared the ropes, to take charge of affairs and seal the win.
Sharma has been in impressive form throughout the current campaign, registering five half-centuries, three of which were unbeaten, and clearly remains an integral part of the India team.
5. Yusuf Pathan
6 of 10
Team: Kolkata Knight Riders
Total runs in the week: 89
Best performance: 60 not out off 29 balls vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore
It was a good week with the bat for Yusuf Pathan who made a trio of double-digit scores to help Kolkata claim two more wins and consolidate their spot at the upper end of the table.
Of course, the 57-ODI veteran's most impressive contribution was his lightning-fast half-century against Bangalore.
Despite needing 120 off 11 overs when he arrived at the crease, Pathan soon found his range to bludgeon three maximums and make this stern target a formality.
4. David Warner
7 of 10
Team: Sunrisers Hyderabad
Total runs in the week: 116
Best performance: 92 off 50 balls vs. Royal Challengers Bangalore.
He may have only had two innings over the last seven days, but David Warner maintained his incredible recent form, scoring his fifth half-century of this year's tournament in the process.
His knock against the intimidating Royal Challengers Bangalore, an innings that included 14 boundaries, helped his side to an impressive 15-run win.
A rapid but less emphatic knock versus Gujarat, on a difficult pitch, helped Warner's Sunrisers into decent position with just over two weeks left to play.
3. Karun Nair
8 of 10
Team: Delhi Daredevils
Total runs in the week: 100
Best performance: 68 off 50 balls vs. Kolkata Knight Riders
Delhi went into their clash with IPL heavyweights Kolkata as heavy underdogs, but the ever-improving Karun Nair had other ideas.
The 24-year-old struck a fluent 68, which included 10 boundaries, to help his side post what proved to be an unassailable total.
Another useful knock later in the week, a 23-ball 32 against Rising Pune Supergiants, further embellished the India A star's growing credentials.
2. Robin Uthappa
9 of 10
Team: Kolkata Knight Riders
Total runs in the week: 143
Best performance: 70 off 49 balls vs. Kings XI Punjab
It remains to be seen whether his international days are done and dusted, but Robin Uthappa remains a potent force in the IPL as evidenced by a pair of half-centuries over the last week.
The first, an effort of 72 in a futile run chase against Delhi, was impressive considering the next highest scorer on his team was just 21.
Then, after a score of just one against Bangalore, Uthappa produced a slick innings to inflict yet another defeat on Punjab and keep his Knight Riders side in pole position for the play-offs.
1. Lokesh Rahul
10 of 10
Team: Royal Challengers Bangalore
Total runs in the week: 103
Best performance: 51 off 28 balls vs. Sunrisers Hyderabad
Two half-centuries in three days is enough for Royal Challengers' Lokesh Rahul to top Bleacher Report's Batsmen of the Week for the last seven days.
The first effort was a blistering effort against Sunrisers, which was scored at a strike rate of 182.14 but couldn't save his side from sliding to defeat.
Then, versus Kolkata, the youngster outbatted most of his illustrious colleagues to joint top-score, but again his contribution wasn't enough and led to another defeat for Bangalore.
Despite the losses, Rahul, who has played five Tests for India, looks in red-hot form and could be in contention for his country's next white-ball squads.
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