The brand new 15th edition of Indian Premier League will commence from March 26. The franchises purchased as many as 204 players for the tournament out of the giant figure of 590. In total, more than 550 crores were spent during the two days of the mega auction. This time, the venues selected for the encounters are comprehensively neutral as per the playing conditions. Hence, both batters & bowlers have co-equal chances to get a ride on the top.
This time Indian batters, both the domestic debutants and the international ones, have the golden prospect of scoring ample runs. Though the red soil of all three venues of Mumbai slightly favours the bowlers, the previous stats also indicate a strong probability of run-scoring on it. (Read about everything you need to know about the legendary Wankhede Stadium here)
So let’s look at the best possible top 5 batters who could be in the list of highest run-getters of this season.
Virat Kohli
After getting rid of all sorts of captaincy pressure, Virat Kohli is now free to make and dictate the terms of his own wish. The year 2016 was the most memorable season for him in the IPL, where he scored four centuries in a single season & set an unbeaten record. Then he was batted at the opening position, and this time it’s an assurity that he’ll come to bat with Faf du Plessis at the same place. So thus, Kohli’s fans are hoping for that miracle of 2016 to happen again this season.
Shreyas Iyer
The man in form, Shreyas Iyer, could be at the top of the list after the end of the season; he recently scored three back-to-back fifties against Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series, where he scored 204 runs with a hovering average of 68.12 while batting in the top order. In this season, he has the excess baggage of KKR’s captaincy on his shoulders which may put extra pressure on him, but tough players like him could quickly deal with such kinds of adversities & deliver their best for the team.
David Warner
David ‘explosive’ Warner is running through a drought of runs from the last couple of seasons in the IPL. He played 150 matches in IPL and scored 5449 runs in it. Also, he is not doing well in the international sphere of encounters. But, as we know, the real David Warner always stands tall to satiate the hunger of runs after a long drought. Last two seasons, he had the extra pressure of leading SRH, but this time Delhi serves him the golden opportunity to showcase his best game in this season for them.
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Being the top run-getter of last season, all the eyes of the cricketing fraternity will be on this emerging youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad. After showing a few glimpses in the IPL season 2020, Chennai super kings showed extreme belief in Ruturaj by retaining him in 2021. In the following season, their investment paid off successfully; he scored 635 runs in 16 matches for CSK with a top-notch average of almost 40 and including a ton against Rajasthan Royals. This is the most significant chance for him to strengthen his prospects for the Indian team & as well as for his franchise.
KL Rahul
The new skipper of the brand new team Lucknow Supergiants, has the broader chances to be on the list of top run-scorers before the big names like Faf du Plessis, Ishan Kishan, Mayank Agrawal & Quinton de Kock. KL Rahul is renowned for his incredible consistency in the tournament, which was witnessed in the last season of IPL, where he scored 626 in 14 matches. His companion opener in Lucknow Supergiants, Quinton de Kock, also has the equal opportunity to display & harness his beauty of the form.
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While other batters who mightn’t be on the list, like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Glenn Maxwell, Sanju Samson, Devdutt Paddikal, can also display a vital batting showdown in this long-reigning 15th season of IPL and could get on the list.
