IPL 2018: Top Run-Scorers, Averages After Kolkata vs. Chennai T20

Andre Russell soared to become the 2018 Indian Premier League's new leading run-scorer after he batted for 88 off 36 in the Kolkata Knight Riders' defeat to Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday.

The Knight Riders couldn't hold back Chennai's chase and lost by five wickets to mark their first defeat of the year in their first away fixture.

Russell hit an incredible 78 off his last 25 deliveries as the Jamaican native gave Kolkata a glancing hope of victory on Tuesday, accounting for almost half his team's score as the seventh batsman.

Super Kings star Shane Watson also bowled out Nitish Rana and Dinesh Karthik to establish a new Purple Cap leader, taking his tally to four wickets for the 2018 season, an average of two per game thus far.

Read on for an updated breakdown of the top run-scorers in the IPL this season, complete with leading bowl averages and wicket-takers. 

Orange Cap Leaders (Runs)

1. Andre Russell, Kolkata Knight Riders (103)

2. Shikhar Dhawan, Sunrisers Hyderabad (78)

3. Dwayne Bravo, Chennai Super Kings (68)

4. Sunil Narine, Kolkata Knight Riders (62)

5. Dinesh Karthik, Kolkata Knight Riders (61)

Purple Cap Leaders (Wickets)

1. Shane Watson, Chennai Super Kings (4)

2. Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians (3)

3. Mayank Markande, Mumbai Indians (3)

4. Chris Woakes, Royal Challengers Bangalore (3)

5. Siddarth Kaul, Sunrisers Hyderabad (2)

Best Bowling Averages

1. Mayank Markande, Mumbai Indians: 7.66

2. Hardik Pandya, Mumbai Indians: 8.00

3. Siddarth Kaul, Sunrisers Hyderabad: 8.50

4. Shakib Al Hasan, Sunrisers Hyderabad: 11.50

5. Chris Woakes, Royal Challengers Bangalore: 12.00

Chennai Super Kings (205/5) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (202/6) by 5 wickets

Kolkata's winning start to the 2018 IPL season ended with defeat to a spirited Chennai Super Kings side on Tuesday, but that couldn't take all value out of a heroic performance courtesy of Russell.

He became the first player in all T20 matches to hit 11 sixes and fail to pass a century, per ESPNCricinfo.com, and cricket writer Mohandas Menon highlighted another substantial record in Russell's arsenal:

The Knight Riders were 89 for five when Russell entered the fray at the beginning of the 11th over, and he warmed up after a slow start to give Kolkata a total worth chasing. 

The records didn't stop there for new top-scorer Russell, either, as cricket statistician Umang Pabari pointed out another record he had managed to break, this one set only a matter of days ago by Chennai's Dwayne Bravo:

Russell's prolific innings becomes that much more impressive when one examines the dying stages of his display, too, per Cricbuzz:

Ravindra Jadeja scored the late six that stole Chennai the victory on Tuesday, while Sam Billings' 56 was the only other score from either team that came close to matching Russell's figure.

Elsewhere in the Super Kings side, Watson turned it on when it mattered to take two valuable targets in Rana and Karthik, although cricket writer Nikhil also praised the Australian's batting credentials:

His third and fourth wickets of the season saw him overtake Mayank Markande of the Mumbai Indians to become the season's leading wicket-taker.

IPL debutant and emerging rookie sensation Markande still leads the league in bowling average, however, allowing on average 7.66 runs per wicket, the lowest of any player so far in the campaign.