Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most celebrated cricket league all over the globe. As the second half of IPL 2021 kicks off from Sunday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), fans and cricket pundits around the world are eager to enjoy this celebrated event to the fullest.
Let's undertake a statistical review of the first half of IPL 2021 through the prism of top performances.
Top Run-Scorer of IPL 2021
Orange Cap holder Shikhar Dhawan leads KL Rahul by 49 runs
In the first half of IPL 2021, many batsmen showed their batting prowess. Delhi Capitals (DC) opener Shikhar Dhawan topped the run-scoring chart by amassing 380 runs from eight IPL games, with an average of 54.28 and a strike rate of 134.27 as shown in the above chart. He struck three half-centuries in those eight games.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper KL Rahul has piled up 332 runs from seven IPL games with a stupendous average of 66.2 and strike rate of 136.21. He has bludgeoned four half-centuries in this edition of IPL.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Faf du Plessis follows KL Rahul by making 320 runs with the help of four fifties in seven games in the first half of IPL 2021.
DC young dynamite Prithvi Shaw has smashed three half-centuries and scored 308 runs with an average of 38.5 and a staggering strike rate of 166.48. Rajasthan Royals (RR) leader Sanju Samson clobbered a huge knock of 119 runs off just 63 deliveries against PBKS on April 12, 2021 almost taking his side home in the match. He completes the top-five table by scoring 277 runs from seven IPL games.
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Batsmen with Highest Strike Rate in IPL 2021
Prithvi Shaw leads in terms of SR with figures of 166.48
Prithvi Shaw has scored 308 runs at a devastating strike rate of 166.48 in IPL 2021 till now which is incidentally the highest among all batters in this edition. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) veteran AB de Villiers follows Shaw by recording an astounding strike rate of 164.28 as shown in the above chart.
England all-rounder Moeen Ali who wields the bat for CSK has registered a strike rate of 157.25. Superstar England wicket-keeper batter Jos Buttler has recorded a 153.01 strike rate in the first half of IPL 2021, however, he has pulled out of the second half of this edition of IPL due to the COVID bubble fatigue issue. Samson has also batted at a remarkable strike rate of 145.78 in IPL 2021 till now.
Most Boundaries in IPL 2021 Till Now
Dhawan leads the pack with 43 boundaries; Rahul top six-hitter
IPL has been known as a league of batters who hammer elegant strikes out of the ground over after over. Shikhar Dhawan is the top run-scorer this season and he has cracked 43 fours and eight elegant sixes which makes him the super striker this season.
Prithvi Shaw (37), Faf du Plessis (29), KL Rahul (27) and Sanju Samson (36) follow Shikhar Dhawan in terms of smashing fours in this edition of IPL.
KL Rahul tops the chart of six-hitters by hammering 16 mammoths in the first half of IPL 2021. Faf du Plessis (13), Shaw (12), Samson (11) and Dhawan (8) follow Rahul in terms of six-hitting.
Top Wicket-takers in IPL 2021
Purple Cap holder Harshal Patel leads the chart with 17 scalps
When one takes a look at bowlers this year, one finds that RCB pacer Harshal Patel tops the wicket-takers chart with 17 scalps in just seven IPL games this edition. DC pacer Avesh Khan follows Patel with 14 wickets in eight IPL games. Also, RR all-rounder Chris Morris has taken 14 wickets in eight games in this edition of IPL while Mumbai Indians (MI) leggie Rahul Chahar has picked 11 wickets. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all-rounder Rashid Khan has bagged 10 wickets in seven games in the first half of IPL 2021.
Most Dots Bowled in IPL 2021
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Mohammed Shami has 76 dots to his credit
In T20 cricket, dot balls are very vital for the bowling team to stop the opposition from scoring huge runs.
PBKS pacer Mohammed Shami has bowled the highest number of dot balls (76) in this edition of IPL while RCB speedster Mohammed Siraj has bowled 74 dot balls. MI pacer Trent Boult has bowled 73 dots balls in the first half of IPL while DC pacer Avesh Khan has bowled 72 dot deliveries to batsmen. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) right-arm pacer Prasidh Krishna completes the top-five by bowling 69 dot balls in this edition of IPL.
Best Bowling Figures in IPL 2021
Andre Russell, Patel only bowlers with fifers this season
Some bowlers produced destructive spells against eminent batting line-ups in the first half of IPL 2021. Caribbean allrounder Andre Russell wreaked havoc on MI at Chennai to bag a five-wicket haul conceding just 15 runs, however, MI still defeated KKR by 10 runs in that game and the majestic performance of Russell went in vain.
Harshal Patel produced a devastating spell to record bowling figures of five for 27 to help his team to win against MI by two wickets. CSK pacer Deepak Chahar bagged four wickets at Mumbai to help his team win against PBKS by six wickets.
Chris Morris picked four wickets conceding 23 runs to blast KKR on a meagre total of 133 runs and helped his team to win against them by six wickets. DC leggie Amit Mishra registered a four-wicket haul to shoot down MI at a paltry total of 137 runs to help his team win by six wickets in the particular game.
The second half of IPL 2021 will commence from September 19 with a showdown between arch-rivals Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at 7.30 PM IST.
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