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The IPL is famous for its entertainment and razzmatazz. Fans come in huge numbers every game to see high-scoring affairs and a 140-150-run game is seldom appreciated by the cricket lovers.
In order to reach a total of 200 every game, it is imperative for every team to have at least one match winner with the bat who can blaze his way to a quickfire fifty or even a hundred, irrespective of the situation.
Such breed of batsmen is rare but the IPL franchises have been blessed to have at least one of that type in their line-up. In this article, we will take a look at the best batsman of each IPL team in terms of consistency, coupled with the ability to score at a devastating strike rate.
Kings XI Punjab - Chris Gayle
The 39-year-old evergreen Jamaican is still as good as ever in the shortest format of the game. Last year, after being snapped up by the Kings XI in the second round of the auction, Gayle proved his mettle and made noteworthy contributions for the Kings XI Punjab at the top in partnership with KL Rahul.
Chris Gayle is nearing 4000 IPL runs having scored 3994 already from 112 IPL matches. His average of 41 and a strike rate of 150 look staggering.
Although Rahul has been in tremendous form in the IPL, no one can discount Chris Gayle's performances in the IPL over the course of the last five years and he is still the best batsman in this Kings XI Punjab batting line-up.
Delhi Capitals - Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is making a comeback to his home-based franchise after spending nine years away from home. Dhawan walks into this side, bringing in his T20 attributes and tons of experience and is easily the best batsman in this Delhi unit.
He will be a force to contain with at the top as he has taken his T20 game up by a few notches in the last 12 months. The Capitals will bank on him to provide a solid start and lay down the foundation for the middle-order to explode.
A player of Shikhar Dhawan's stature was just what the doctor ordered as far as turning the tables around for Delhi was concerned. In 143 games, Shikhar has scored 4057 runs at an average of 33, coming at a strike rate of 123.
Rajasthan Royals - Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler has been a T20 great in recent times. His ability to get elegant yet devastating knocks is jaw-dropping. Buttler is very choosy about his shot selection and is a sweet timer of the ball.
The Rajasthan Royals have some good batters like Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane and Ben Stokes but none of them is close to Jos Buttler's stature. In 37 IPL matches, Buttler has 1075 runs to his credit at a strike rate of 150.
Ever since he has started to open the innings, he has shown a great match-winning ability for England, Sydney Thunder in the BBL and also for the Royals. He is a very tough batsman to contain and the only way to stop him is by getting him out.
Kolkata Knight Riders - Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik has emerged to be a great finisher for the Indian team since 2018. He has been quite phenomenal at No.5 and No.6. Whenever India are playing a nail-biter T20I these days, Karthik is always there.
The KKR top-order looks a little brittle. Sunil Narine is just a pinch-hitter while Chris Lynn cannot always be relied upon to score runs, considering his super-aggressive style of play. Karthik has scored 3401 IPL runs at a decent strike rate of 128.
In such a case, it all comes down to the KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik to lead the way and strengthen the batting line-up with his cool head and bucketful of experience.
Sunrisers Hyderabad - David Warner
David Warner has created a legacy for himself at the Hyderabad franchise with his phenomenal run-scoring and able leadership.
Under his captaincy, the SRH lifted their maiden IPL title in 2016 and made it to the playoffs the following year. This season, Warner is all set to make a comeback after missing the 2018 season.
Although Kane Williamson did a great job for the Sunrisers Hyderabad with the bat last season, it is unfair to disregard David Warner's contribution in making the Sunrisers Hyderabad a great franchise.
Warner averages 40 in the IPL, having scored 4014 runs at 142 runs per hundred balls. Hence, after his comeback, Warner will be the standout batsman in this line-up.
Royal Challengers Bangalore - Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is the automatic choice for the best batsman in the Royal Challengers Bangalore batting line-up, leapfrogging AB de Villiers. Kohli is by far the best batsman across all formats currently in both international as well as franchise cricket.
The skipper's consistency has not been good enough to end the franchise's title hunt. However, Virat would hope that he puts his best foot forward and scores tremendously without looking at the results.
This year, there is added pressure on Virat Kohli to perform as he is the only experienced Indian batsman in the Royal Challengers Bangalore batting line-up after the franchise let go services of Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra. Virat has 4948 IPL runs to his name at an average of 38 and 4 centuries against his name.
Chennai Super Kings - Suresh Raina
The southpaw has been the numero uno in the CSK batting line-up every time he has turned up in the yellow at the IPL. His consistency has been astounding and he has missed just one match for the CSK in nine seasons for them.
Raina is an explosive batsman in this format of the game because of his ability to keep the scoreboard ticking with quick singles and twos, his attacking instincts as a cricketer and the threat that he possesses.
He will be looking to make a big impact in CSK's year of title defense by putting up some great performances which might bring him into contention for India's World Cup squad. Raina is nearing 5000 IPL runs being just 15 short of the milestone from 176 games.
Mumbai Indians - Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is a batsman who has got the element of subdued elegance in his batting. He has been India's best T20 batsman having scored four T20I hundreds. Rohit will be the key as the Mumbai Indians look to turn the things around after a shoddy 2018 campaign.
Whilst Rohit prefers to bat at No.4 for the Mumbai Indians, cricket experts believe that Rohit Sharma should be opening for the Mumbai Indians as his international record as an opener speaks for itself.
This year, the Mumbai Indians have a robust middle order, comprising Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya which will give Rohit the luxury to bat at the top. Rohit's IPL stats read 2326 runs from 173 matches at a strike rate of 132.
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