#AskCDC - Which batter has the lowest first ten balls strike rate?

Welcome to Cricket.com's fourth weekly edition of #AskCDC.

What are Rohit, Kohli, and Rahul’s SR in powerplays this year (IPL) against both pace & spin? - @HitmanCricket

In this IPL, all three have had different fortunes against pace and spin. In the first six overs, Virat Kohli has a strike rate of 159.1 against pace, the best among the three. Rohit Sharma (119.5) and KL Rahul (108.5) have a strike rate below 120. 

However, the other two have been exceptional against spinners in this phase. Rohit has a strike rate of 215 in 20 balls against spinners with one dismissal. Rohit's strike rate is the best among players who have batted 15+ balls against spinners in this stage. On the other hand, Rahul has faced 24 balls without being dismissed and has struck at 150. Kohli, meanwhile, strike rate of 119.4 against spinners. 

Who has the lowest strike rate in the first ten deliveries (among all batters) this season? - @Cricandcine

In this IPL, among the top order batters (1-7) who have faced 30+ balls in the first ten balls, Narayan Jagadeesan's strike rate of 75 is the lowest. Deepak Hooda and Sam Curran occupy the second and third spots with strike rates of 76.7 and 86.2 respectively. 

Hooda has been abysmal in the first ten balls. In this phase, he has six dismissals in seven innings averaging just 5.5, the lowest among all batters. The right-handed Lucknow Super Giants batter has a dismissal every 7.2 balls. 

The first half of IPL 2023 saw only two 100+ scores. 1) Which season had the least individual 100+ scores? 2) Average 100+ scores in the last five IPL seasons? -@kathir_elango

In this IPL, Harry Brook of Sunrisers Hyderabad (100* vs KKR) and Venkatesh Iyer of Kolkata Knight Riders (104 vs MI) are the two batters to hit a century. 

To answer the first question: In 2009, there were only two centurions, the least in a season. Manish Pandey for Royal Challengers Bangalore (114* vs DCH) and AB de Villiers for Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils - 105* vs CSK). 

Second question: In the IPL since 2018, on average, five centuries have been witnessed in every season (excluding 2023). From 2018 to 2020, each season saw five centuries being hit. In 2021, there were only four. But, IPL 2022 saw eight instances of a century being scored, the most across a season. IPL 2016 is a close second, with seven centuries. 

Share the best numbers of overseas batters against spinners since 2019. - @FarziCricketer

Since IPL 2019, only four batters have faced 100+ balls against spin, with an average of 40+ and a strike rate of 140+. Interestingly, all four have been overseas batters. 

Among the four, Devon Conway has the best BASRA (batting average and batting strike rate aggregate). He has an average of 64.3 and a strike rate of 158.6, adding up to a BASRA of 222.9. He has hit a boundary every 4.6 balls against tweakers, which is also the best among the lot. 

In this period, only two Indian batters have an average of 30+ and strike at 140+. Rajat Patidar averages 34.8 at a strike rate of 160.8, and Sanju Samson averages 38.6 and strikes at 149.0.

Which bowler has defended less than ten runs in the last over of a match for the most number of times in IPL? - @Rohan8400

In the IPL, there are only 13 instances of a bowler defending ten or fewer runs in the last over of a chase. The smallest margin defended by a bowler in the final over is four. Munaf Patel in 2009 against Mumbai Indians and Kartik Tyagi in 2021 against Punjab Kings. Interestingly, both bowlers played for Rajasthan Royals in their respective games. 

In the aforementioned 13 instances, only one bowler has achieved this feat twice: R Vinay Kumar. He defended ten against Mumbai in 2013 and nine against Bangalore in 2014 while playing for Kolkata. 

Note: All stats updated till Match 36 (April 26th 2023)