IPL 2017: Leading Wicket-Takers, Bowling Figures, Run-Scorers, Averages and More
The 2017 Indian Premier League's top performers had a field day on Friday, as Gautam Gambhir and Bhuvneshwar Kumar put together strong outings at the top of the run-scoring and wicket-taking boards, respectively.
The Kolkata Knight Riders captain led his team to a seven-wicket win with an unbeaten 71, taking firm control of the race for the Orange Cap in the process.
Meanwhile, defending Purple Cap champion Kumar picked up two wickets in Sunrisers Hyderabad's win over Kings XI Punjab.
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Here's a look at the top statistical performers of the IPL after Friday's action:
| 1 | Gautam Gambhir | Kolkata Knight Riders | 9 | 376 | 62.67 | 136.73 |
| 2 | David Warner | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 8 | 333 | 55.50 | 135.92 |
| 3 | Robin Uthappa | Kolkata Knight Riders | 8 | 331 | 41.38 | 168.02 |
| 4 | Shikhar Dhawan | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 8 | 312 | 39.00 | 126.32 |
| 5 | Suresh Raina | Gujarat Lions | 8 | 309 | 61.80 | 141.74 |
| 6 | Hashim Amla | Kings XI Punjab | 7 | 299 | 59.80 | 145.85 |
| 7 | Sanju Samson | Delhi Daredevils | 7 | 284 | 40.57 | 145.64 |
| 8 | Steven Smith | Rising Pune Supergiant | 7 | 275 | 55.00 | 135.47 |
| 9 | Brendon McCullum | Gujarat Lions | 8 | 267 | 33.38 | 145.90 |
| 10 | Nitish Rana | Mumbai Indians | 8 | 266 | 38.00 | 135.03 |
| 1 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 7 | 168 | 176 | 16 |
| 2 | Andrew Tye | Gujarat Lions | 5 | 120 | 132 | 12 |
| 3 | Chris Morris | Delhi Daredevils | 7 | 150 | 191 | 12 |
| 4 | Mitchell McClenaghan | Mumbai Indians | 8 | 192 | 279 | 12 |
| 5 | Nathan Coulter-Nile | Kolkata Knight Riders | 4 | 86 | 118 | 11 |
| 6 | Rashid Khan | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 7 | 168 | 195 | 10 |
| 7 | Yuzvendra Chahal | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 8 | 159 | 188 | 10 |
| 8 | Imran Tahir | Rising Pune Supergiant | 8 | 186 | 264 | 10 |
| 9 | Chris Woakes | Kolkata Knight Riders | 9 | 168 | 263 | 10 |
| 10 | Pat Cummins | Delhi Daredevils | 7 | 157 | 194 | 9 |
Gambhir was nearly flawless during Kolkata's chase on Friday, starting as one of the openers and scoring an unbeaten 71 to lead his team to a comfortable win over Delhi Daredevils.
As shared by Kolkata's official Twitter account, it was but the latest example of the veteran's brilliance in the chase:
Delhi had scored 160 runs in their innings and quickly took the wicket of Sunil Narine, but Gambhir and Robin Uthappa (59 from 33) took advantage of some terrible fielding to put together a patient chase.
Kolkata haven't failed to chase down a target at Eden Gardens since 2012―fans likely were confident of yet another win as soon as Gambhir found his rhythm.
He wasn't the only top batsman to impress on Friday. Sunrisers' David Warner scored 51 from 27 to move into second place in the Orange Cap race, and team-mate Shikhar Dhawan added 77 from 48 to help power the side to a total of 207.
Given Hyderabad's main strength is their bowling, such a total was always expected to be enough. Kumar, Ashish Nehra and Siddarth Kaul did what was expected, combining for eight wickets on the way to an easy win.
Per cricket writer Harsha Bhogle, having such stars with the ball is an incredible luxury in matches like this:
Kumar cruised to the Purple Cap last year and has been just as impressive in the 2017 campaign. In the Twenty20 game, he appears to be without an equal right now, and it would be foolish to bet on anyone else in the race for the Purple Cap.
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