STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Follow UsA win for Kolkata Knight Riders against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday has helped them to stay alive in the competition. However, a lot of results have to go their way.
In Sunday’s double header, Gujarat Titans won against Chennai Super Kings and confirmed the top spot as no team now can reach 20 points. In the second match, Rajasthan Royals beat Lucknow Super Giants to reach 16 points.
Chennai endure their worst season
The 2022 edition of the IPL hasn’t gone the champions way. The five-time champions Mumbai Indians with nine losses, their worst in a season, are languishing at the bottom and the four-time champions are just above them. Even the two-time champs Kolkata, are struggling to make it to the play-offs.
Chennai’s loss against Gujarat in their 13th fixture was the ninth of the season, their worst across the seasons of IPL. In 2020 and in 2012, they lost eight matches. However, in 2012, despite the loss, they were the runner-up.
Drought of boundaries
The strip at Wankhede in the match between Chennai and Gujarat was a bit sticky, making it difficult to score freely. But, not to an extent where a single boundary couldn’t be scored off in the last five overs.
After being 109/2 at the end of 15th over, Chennai batters struggled to score runs in the last five overs, despite wickets in hands. They managed to score only 24 runs in the last five overs without a single boundary. In the IPL, this was the first time Chennai batted all the five overs and didn’t score a boundary in this phase.
Gaikwad’s slow innings
Ruturaj Gaikwad in his innings against Gujarat, started off well in the first 20 balls as he scored at a strike rate of 140.
As the innings progressed, the opener strived to find timing and scored at a strike rate of 86.2. His half-century came off 44 balls, his slowest in the IPL. Not only that, at the end of his dismissal, Gaikwad had scored at a strike rate of 108.2. In a 50+ innings while batting first, his strike rate is the lowest for a Chennai batter.
Pathirana bags a wicket of the first ball
Matheesha Pathirana who played only two T20s, made his IPL debut at the age of 19 years and 148 days. The slingy actioned Sri Lankan pacer, became the third youngest player to play for Chennai in IPL.
His IPL career was off to a dream start as he picked up the wicket of Shubman Gill with his first delivery. Pathirana became the second Chennai bowler after Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan in 2008 against Rajasthan to bag a wicket of the first ball bowled in IPL.
Rajasthan’s best six hitting season
With hard hitting batsmen like Jos Buttler (37), Sanju Samson (21) and Shimron Hetmyer (21), the Rajasthan team have smashed 112 sixes this season, the most for a team in this edition. The only other team to hit 100+ sixes so far has been Kolkata (100).
In fact, across the seasons of the IPL, the 112 sixes are the most number of sixes hit by Rajasthan. This was only their second season after 2020 (105) in which they had scored 100+ sixes. They have hit six every 13.9 balls, the best by a team in this edition.
Samson brutal against spin
Samson is one of those Indian batters who have the ability to hit both sides of the ground with authority against spinners. In this season, he has averaged over 50 against spin at a strike rate of 179.8.
*AMONG INDIAN BATTERS
In the IPL, among Indian batters who have scored 150+ runs against spin in a season, Samson’s strike rate of 179.8 in this season is the best. Interestingly, Samson acquires the top two spots in this list. He had a strike rate of 172.1 against spin in 2020.
The “Parag” factor in the field
In minimal chances Riyan Parag has got with the bat, he has been excellent for Rajasthan. However, in the outfield, the Assam player has been a live wire.
In this edition of the IPL, Parag has inflicted 14 dismissals as a fielder, 13 catches and one run out. His 13 catches are the most for a player and he has a catch/innings ratio of 1. In this edition, only Rinku Singh has a better ratio (1.3), eight catches in six matches. Overall in the IPL, this is the joint most catches taken by an Indian fielder in a season of IPL. Rohit Sharma (2012) and Ravindra Jadeja (2015 & 2021) also pouched 13.
Most sixes in a season of IPL
Throughout this season, the strips across the four venues have been conducive for batsmen. Hence, a flurry of sixes. Also, the extra 14 matches (60 to 74) has stretched the six hitting number. In this season, there have already been 885 sixes hit, the most in a season of the IPL. In 2018, the season had witnessed 872 sixes, the previous highest. With another 11 matches remaining, the 1000 sixes mark could be a possibility.
Match 61: Kolkata vs Hyderabad
Russell’s day of records
Andre Russell has been the most impactful player for Kolkata this season. He is the second highest run scorer for Kolkata with 331 runs at a strike rate of 182.3 and the highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets at a strike rate of 8.9.
En route his unbeaten knock of 49 against Hyderabad, Russell joined an elite list of players in the IPL. By registering his 2000th run in his match against Hyderabad, Russell became the fifth player to achieve the double of 2000+ runs and 50+ wickets in IPL. To add more, he became the fifth player and the third from Kolkata to hit 300+ runs and bag 15+ wickets in a season of IPL. Jacques Kallis has achieved this feat across two seasons (2012 & 13), both for Kolkata.
His 2000th- run in the IPL, came off just 1120 balls, which is the quickest for a batsman in the IPL. Virender Sehwag reached the milestone in 1211 balls, 91 balls slower than Russell.
The big man’s day doesn’t end there. By virtue of his unbeaten 49 off 28 balls and his spell of 3/22 (4), he bagged his 12th Player of the Match award for Kolkata, the joint most for Kolkata in the IPL alongside Sunil Narine.
Williamson’s season of struggle
Kane Williamson’s role in T20s is to be an accumulator. However, his strike rate in this season has been below par even for batters who are known as sheet anchors. The initial six overs are the phase in which batsmen look to optimize the most and, in this phase, Williamson has a paltry strike rate of 76.4. In a season of IPL, among batters who have faced 100+ balls in this phase, only Ambati Rayudu (74.5) in 2011 had a lower strike rate.
More to his agony, his overall strike rate of 92.9 in this season is the lowest for a captain who has scored 200+ runs in a season and the second lowest overall. Hanuma Vihari (86.7) in 2013 had a strike rate after scoring 200+ runs.
