Another week has elapsed and we’re back with ‘The IPL Week in Six Numbers’ as we look at some of the key trends, performances, themes that have emerged. We’re closing towards at the end of the league stage of the 2020 Indian Premier League as CricViz’s Srinivas Vijaykumar lists out the key numbers after another set of interesting games in the tournament.
8.70 – Chris Gayle has been solid at the start of his innings. He’s scored at a quick 8.70 rpo and hasn’t yet been dismissed in the first 10 balls of his innings (87 runs, 60 balls). Across his IPL career he’s scored quicker only in 2011 (10.12) in the first 10 balls. Batting in a new role at #3, he’s adapted to excel for KXIP this season – slow starts have been a trademark of Gayle’s innings in recent years, but this season with KXIP set on playing with two Indian openers, the left-hander did not have the same luxury of slow starts. At the age of 41 he isn’t as good as he was in his prime, but his overall effectiveness has been excellent this season.
183 – Ravindra Jadeja’s batting has been exceptional this season. He’s scored 232 runs at 10.31 runs per over with a boundary once every four deliveries – across his IPL career he’s never scored at a quicker rate. Jadeja’s power hitting has been the biggest differential this season. With a power rating of 183, only Jofra Archer (194) has been more effective this season of the players to have faced 50+ balls. Power Rating explores beyond intent and contact and looks at a player’s ability to find and clear the rope when they make good contact, and looks specifically at shots when the batsman has made good contact and is a ratio of their well-hit boundaries to the boundary-rate of those shots. Jadeja’s the king of Power.
10.9 – One of RCB’s biggest issues this season has been the lack of boundaries in the middle overs. In the 9 overs after the powerplay, they’ve scored at 6.92 rpo (their lowest across all seasons). The key issue with the scoring rate has been the lack of boundaries, scoring one in every 10.9 balls in the middle overs, significantly the lowest across all seasons for the team. In IPL history once two teams have had a higher balls per boundary in the middle phase, KKR’s 12.2 in 2009 & DD’s 11.9 in 2009.
6.66 & 20.0 – Delhi Capitals have been on a torrid run losing their last three matches, staying on 14 points and yet to clinch a playoff spot. The biggest issue in their batting order in these games has been the collapses in their middle overs form, scoring at 6.66 rpo & averaging 20 runs per dismissal. Lack of boundaries, losing wickets often in the middle phase – their performances bear a stark difference when they did well in the first nine games. The fumbling middle overs also meant they’ve struggled at the death.
3 – Chennai Super Kings have had more half-centuries from players aged 23 or under in the last eight days (3), as they had in the previous eight years. Two fifties for Ruturaj Gaikwad.& one for Sam Curran – the form of these youngsters with the bat has been the highlight & the biggest positives of their dismissal season this year.
+10.9 – Rashid Khan has been top notch so far this season, picking up 17 wickets at a miserly economy of 5.0 rpo & a wicket once in 16.9 deliveries. Since making his IPL debut in 2017, he’s never conceded at a lower rate & hasn’t picked up wickets as often. Rashid has a bowling impact of +10.9 – the best across his four IPL seasons – and also the best across his her career in a T20 series with five or more matches.
Srinivas Vijaykumar is an analyst at CricViz. Follow him on Twitter @srini_vk
