Number crunching! How good has KL Rahul been in the IPL?

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) skipper KL Rahul played a fantastic knock to smash an unbeaten 132 from 69 balls in the sixth match of IPL 2020 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Dubai. Rahul broke a number of records during his scintillating knock, hitting 14 fours and seven sixes in all.

Rahul’s unbeaten 132 is the highest individual score by a captain in the IPL. With his knock, Rahul also became the first player to score a hundred in the UAE. The 28-year-old also registered the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in the IPL during his innings in Dubai.

Rahul’s amazing ton against a hapless RCB attack was a continuation of the good form he displayed in the limited-overs series in New Zealand at the start of the year, where he scored 224 runs in five T20Is and 204 runs in three ODIs.

Speaking of Rahul’s record in the IPL alone, it has been nothing short of marvellous. Having made a forgettable debut in 2013, with only 20 runs in five games, Rahul has since gone on to carve a niche for himself in the T20 league.

We trace the talented batsman’s rise in the IPL, and also check how his numbers compare with other legends of the league.

KL Rahul’s impressive overall numbers

KL Rahul

In 69 matches, Rahul has amassed 2130 runs at an average of 44.37 with two hundreds and 16 fifties. His strike rate of 140.22 has been among his most impressive features. Among the all-time IPL run-getters, he has already climbed to number 29.

Rahul is closing in on his famous namesake, Rahul Dravid, who ended his IPL career with 2174 runs in 89 games. Rahul’s unbeaten 132 is now the fourth-highest individual score in the IPL. The top three scores belong to Chris Gayle (175 not out), Brendon McCullum (158 not out) and AB de Villiers (133 not out).

If we talk about the highest strike-rates in the IPL, Rahul is already as high as number 24 on the list. Even when we speak about averages, Rahul is at number four. Jonny Bairstow (56.22), Adam Voges (45.25) and Hashim Amla (44.38) are the only ones above him.

Rahul is at a joint number sixth position when it comes to most IPL hundreds. He has two from 69 games, sharing the spot with legends Virender Sehwag, Brendon McCullum and Adam Gilchrist among others. Rahul already holds the record for the fastest IPL fifty, which he slammed off 14 balls against the Delhi Capitals in 2018.

KL Rahul in comparison with other legends

KL Rahul has better numbers than Kohli and de Villiers over the last two seasons.

In the last three seasons of the IPL, Rahul has really come into his own. In IPL 2018, he smashed 659 runs in 14 games at an average of 54.91 and a strike rate of 158.41 with as many as six fifties. Rahul narrowly missed out on a hundred, finishing the season with a high score of 95 not out.

Rahul was the third-highest run-getter that season after Kane Williamson (735 runs) and a surprise number two - Rishabh Pant (684 runs). Other legends like Shane Watson, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers finished the season with 555, 530 and 480 runs respectively. Rahul very decisively outshone a number of great names that year.

In the 2019 edition of the IPL, Rahul was very much in prime form. In fact, he was the second-highest run-scorer that year with 593 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 135.38 and an average of 53.90 with one hundred, his maiden IPL ton, and six fifties.

Only David Warner with 692 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 143.86 and an average of 69.20 was above him in the list. The numbers give us a fair indication of how consistent and lethal Rahul has been in the IPL over the last couple of seasons. After two matches this year, he already holds the Orange Cap, for now, having scored 153 runs.

From the 2018 season onwards, Rahul has amassed a total of 1405 runs in 30 matches. During the same period, RCB’s Kohli has scored 1009 runs from as many games while de Villiers has 1,001 runs from 27 matches.

The IPL 2020 timetable has been updated check here.

Is there anything else that needs to be said about the new IPL king?

https://www.iplt20.com/stats/2020/most-runs