The 2023 Indian Premier League is still in its early stages. However, one consistent pattern has emerged: openers are performing admirably. There have been 6 concluded games as of Monday, April 3, and a review of the top run-getters list of IPL 2023 shows that two of the top three run-getters so far are openers (Ruturaj Gailkwad for CSK and Kyle Mayers for LSG)
IPL 2023: How the openers have dominated the game thus far, including Virat Kohli, Kyle Mayers, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Jos Buttler
Openers Dominating The IPL So Far
Outlines how the openers have dominated the field in each of the first six games so far:
Match 1: Chennai Super Kings vs Gujarat Titans
Result: Gujarat Titans defeated Chennai Super Kings by 5 wickets.
Openers’ scores:
For CSK: Devon Conway – 1 (6)
Ruturaj Gaikwad – 92 (50), with 9 sixes and 4 fours
For GT: Wriddhiman Saha – 25 (16)
Shubman Gill – 63 (36), with 3 sixes and 6 fours
The total number of runs scored in the match: 360.
Together, the four openers scored: 181 runs
The Percentage of the game’s runs scored by the teams’ opener: 50.2%
Ruturaj Gaikwad made an impressive comeback to competitive cricket. With 149 runs, the 26-year-old is the leading run-scorer in Indian Premier League 2023.
GT won this match, and the early motivation came from opener Shubman Gill, who has been on a successful roll as an international cricketer recently.
Match 2: Punjab Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Result: By DLS Method, PBKS won by 7 runs
Openers’ scores:
For PBKS: Prabhsimran Singh – 23 (12)
Shikhar Dhawan – 40 (29), with 6 fours
For KKR: Mandeep Singh 2 (4)
Rahmanullah Gurbaz – 22 (16), with 1 sixes and 3 fours
The total number of runs scored in the match: 337
Together, the four openers scored: 87
The Percentage of the game’s runs scored by the teams’ opener: 25.8%
This game was an outlier in some ways, with the openers scoring a quarter of the total runs, partly thanks to Shikhar Dhawan’s 40 off 29 balls.
Match 3: Delhi Capitals vs Lucknow Super Giants
Result: Lucknow Super Giants defeated Delhi Capitals by 50 runs.
Openers’ scores:
For LSG: Kyle Mayers – 73 (38), with 7 sixes and 2 fours
KL Rahul – 8 (12)
For DC: Prithvi Shaw – 12 (9)
David Warner – 56 (48)
The total number of runs scored in the match: 336
Together, the four openers scored: 149
The Percentage of the game’s runs scored by the teams’ opener: 44.34%
The four openers combined for over 44% of the game’s total runs in IPL 2023 match number three. Kyle Rico Mayers, a 30-year-old batting all-rounder from Barbados, stole the show with the bat for LSG. At a strike rate of 192.10, he smashed a 38-ball 73 with two fours and seven sixes.
The highest run-scorer for DC was David Warner, who has returned to the Delhi fold and is skippering the side in the nonappearance of the injured Rishabh Pant.
Match 4: Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Result: Rajasthan Royals defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 72 runs
Openers’ scores:
For RR: Yashasvi Jaiswal – 54 (37), with 9 fours;
Jos Buttler – 54 (22), with 3 sixes and 7 fours
For SRH: Abhishek Verma – 0 (3)
Mayank Agarwal – 27 (23)
The total number of runs scored in the match: 334
Together, the four openers scored: 135
The Percentage of the game’s runs scored by the teams’ opener: 40.4%
Both Rajasthan Royals openers came out firing in the fourth match of the IPL 2023. The dynamic Jos Buttler, who took home the orange cap the previous season, and the young Yashavi Jaiswal worked together flawlessly. Both RR starters hit 54 in a hurry.
More than 40% of the game’s total runs were attributed to the openers, even though the combined performance of the SRH openers was only 27 runs, thanks to Jaiswal and Buttler’s carnage.
Match 5: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians
Result: With 8 wickets in their favor, Royal Challengers Bangalore won.
Openers’ scores:
For RCB: Virat Kohli – 82* (49), with 6 sixes and 6 fours
Faf du Plessis – 73 (43), with 6 sixes and 5 fours
For MI: Rohit Sharma – 1 (1)
Ishan Kishan – 10 (13)
The total number of runs scored in the match: 343
Together, the four openers scored: 166
The Percentage of the game’s runs scored by the teams’ opener: 48.39%
The fifth match of the IPL 2023 featured two openers who struck right away. The Royal Challengers Bangalore were chasing 172 to win against the Mumbai Indians, and the two openers, erstwhile captain Virat Kohli and existing skipper Faf du Plessis were in excellent form.
Although the MI openers only scored 11 runs, they accounted for nearly 49% of the game’s total runs, kudos to Virat and Faf’s batting campaign.
Match 6: Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants
Result: Chennai Super Kings defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 12 runs
Openers’ scores:
For CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad – 57 (31), with 4 sixes and 3 fours
Devon Conway – 47 (29), with 2 sixes and 5 fours
For LSG: KL Rahul – 20 (18)
Kyle Mayers – 52 (22), with 2 sixes and 8 fours
The total number of runs scored in the match: 422
Together, the four openers scored: 176
The Percentage of the game’s runs scored by the teams’ opener: 41.70%
The Chennai Super Kings won their first game of the season in their sixth game, which was played at the Chepauk, where they had returned home. Once again, the game’s primary contributors came from the openers. CSK batted first, and Ruturaj Gaikwad added to his half-century run. Devon Conway provided excellent company for Ruturaj. The Indian-Kiwi opening wicket partnership was 110 runs.
In response, LSG fought valiantly and ended with 205/7, losing the match by just 12 runs. In this match, the four openers combined for nearly 42% of the total runs scored.
Also Read |
IPL Impact Players So Far
Biggest Rivalries In IPL History
;
Leave a Reply