The league stage of the twelfth season of the IPL is over and four teams have made it to the Playoffs. The season so far has seen some scintillating batting mixed with power and class. While there was finesse and class in batsmen like Jonny Bairstow, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, the power of the likes of Andre Russell, Chris Gayle and MS Dhoni was also on show.
Here’s a look at the top 5 run-getters of this season which includes big names from the world of T20 cricket.
David Warner (692 Runs from 12 Innings)
There were talks that David Warner will be hungry for runs in this IPL as he was making a comeback to cricket after a long gap of a year, which he had spent serving his ban for the ball-tampering incident.
All of his hunger was on show, as Warner racked up 692 runs from 12 innings including 8 fifties and a hundred.
He has been scoring more than 500 runs every season for the Sunrisers since 2015 and he made up for his absence last season by putting up a brilliant show with the bat. He was involved in a record-breaking 185-run partnership with Jonny Bairstow which is the highest-ever in IPL history.
Lokesh Rahul (593 Runs from 14 Innings)
After scoring 659 runs for Kings XI Punjab in his debut season for the franchise, Rahul had another successful season with them this season, scoring 593 runs and finishing second on the list of highest run-getters at the end of this season’s league stage.
His partnership with Chris Gayle at the top of the order was key for Punjab as he displayed his consistency for the franchise throughout the season.
He scored six fifties and one hundred for Punjab and was solid at the top of the order.
His consistency and India’s requirement of a back-up opener in the Indian World Cup squad earned him a much-deserved recall into the Indian ODI set up.
Andre Russell (510 Runs from 13 Innings)
Andre Russell was a revelation with the bat for Kolkata Knight Riders this season, and what was even more astonishing was his consistency and ability to understand situations.
He batted lower down the order for most part of the season which made fans and cricket experts question his batting position in the lineup.
He was batted at number three only once in the season – when he scored an unbeaten 80 against Mumbai Indians to help KKR win the game and stay in the race for the Playoffs.
He scored four 50 plus scores and a couple of 40 plus scores, having a role in almost every match that KKR won this season.
He finally ended the season with 510 runs from 13 innings, striking at 204.82 including 52 sixes – the most by any batsmen this season.
Quinton de Kock (492 Runs from 14 Innings)
Quinton de Kock was the first player in the IPL 2019 auctions to be traded from Royal Challengers Bangalore to Mumbai Indians at Rs 2.8 crores, and he proved that he was worth every penny of it.
With 492 runs from 14 innings including four fifties, de Kock gave flying starts to Mumbai almost regularly and forged an important partnership with Rohit Sharma at the top of the order.
Getting into the Playoffs, more of the same would be expected from the South African wicketkeeper-batsman, who is also a part of South Africa’s 2019 World Cup squad.
Chris Gayle (490 Runs from 13 Innings)
Chris Gayle literally stood and delivered for Kings XI Punjab as he didn’t bother running, and just smacked the bowlers all around the park. Gayle, who is 40 now, seemed to enjoy every outing for Punjab whether he scored runs or he failed.
He ended with 490 runs from 13 innings with 34 sixes to his name – the second best in the tally. He averaged 40 and was striking at almost 150 throughout the season.
He experience in the dressing room was imperative and it showed in the way the likes of Rahul and Mayank Agarwal batted alongside him.
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