StatsWizard: Top Batting Performances from first half of IPL 2019

Rishabh Pant, Jonny Bairstow’s knocks the highlight as we find the top 5 batting performances from for the first half of IPL 2019.

The 12^th edition of the IPL has been yet another success as we are only halfway through, but we have already seen some amazing performances with the bat and the ball.

Jonny Bairstow’s 114(56), Rishabh Pant’s 78(27), Andre Russel’s 48(13), Kieron Pollard’s 83(31) are some of the special innings hit during the first half of IPL 2019. 

But, which innings stood out from the rest?. Here’s our special article describing the top 5 batting performances from the first half of IPL 2019.

METHODOLOGY:

We have analyzed the top batting performances basis the batting points considered from the overall aspect of the game such as runs scored, acceleration bonus ⁽¹⁾, relative strike rate and runs bonus⁽²⁾, number of fours, number of sixes, and the man of the match points.

To leave out the biases and perception, we have kept the things simple by comparing the overall batting points of all the knocks to find out the top 5 batting performances from the first half of IPL 2019.

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#5: PRITHVI SHAW’S 99(55) | Delhi | DCvKKR

Runs: 99 | Balls: 55 | Fours: 12 | Sixes: 3

Strike Rate: 180 | Batting Points: 204.82 Points

The child prodigy, Prithvi Shaw finally played his best knock yet in the IPL as his 99 dismantled KKR’s bowling line-up to give Delhi Capitals two important points.

Electing to bowl first, DC bowlers looked disciplined as they had KKR in a fix after 10 overs with the scorecard reading 64-5. However, courtesy to Andre Russel’s blistering 62(28), KKR scored 121 in their last 10 overs to take the team’s total of 185-8 in the 20 overs.

Chasing 186, Prithvi Shaw looked in fine touch as he kept scoring at a brisk pace. A flat pull for six off Russell, showed why Prithvi is a special player. Another shot that captured a lot of attention was the ‘Dhoni-Pieterson’ shot he hit off Russell’s bowling. In the process, Prithvi Shaw brought up his 50 from just 30 deliveries.

With 15 required from the last two overs, Prithvi Shaw’s masterclass came to an agonizing end as he was caught on 99 off a mistimed pull. The intent in him to finish the match showed us how much he values his team’s win over his individual milestone.

DC batsmen floundered in the last over and the match went into the super over; the first one of IPL 2019. DC won the super over, courtesy of a brilliant ‘Yorkerish’ over by Kagiso Rabada.

For his match-winning 99(55), Prithvi Shaw gets a total of 204.82 batting points.

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#4: JOS BUTTLER’S 89(43) | Mumbai | MIvRR

Runs: 89 | Balls: 43 | Fours: 8| Sixes: 7

Strike Rate: 207 | Batting Points: 208.92 Points

Jos Buttler, the opening batsman has been in some amazing touch off late, and has become one of the most valuable assets for any team he is representing.

Coming to this special performance, RR needed 188 from 20 overs to collect 2 important points. Buttler looked in full mode to take on MI bowlers as he smashed Alzarri Joseph for 2 consecutive boundaries in the second over.

His opening partner, Rahane perished in the seventh over, trying to slog sweep against the turn. However, unperturbed by the dismissal, Buttler hit three maximums in the next two overs to bring up his half-century of just 29 deliveries.

The game looked on until the 12^th over. However, Jos Buttler went berserk in the 13^th over as he smashed Alzarri Joseph for 28 runs in the over including two maximums. This over tilted the match in the favor of RR.

Even though Buttler got out in the very next over, he had done enough damage for others to capitalize on. In the end, RR won the match with some minor hiccups.

For his match-winning 89(43), Jos Buttler gets a total of 208.92 batting points.

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#3: RISHABH PANT’S 78(27) | Mumbai | MIvDC

Runs: 78 | Balls: 27 | Fours: 7| Sixes: 7

Strike Rate: 289 | Batting Points: 220.79 Points

A nightmarish night for the Mumbai Indians bowlers as the young dynamite from Delhi Capitals, Rishabh Pant made a mockery of Mumbai Indians’ bowling line-up. 

Batting first, Delhi Capitals had a relatively poor start as they were reduced to a meager 29-2 in 4 overs. However, a good partnership from Dhawan and Ingram took their score to a decent 112-3 in 13 overs.

The wicket of Ingram brought Rishab Pant to the crease, and what followed next was an unimaginable sight. Rishabh Pant faced 27 of the next 42 balls to score 78 runs with 7 fours and 7 sixes.

Pant started slowly scoring only 1 run from his first 5 deliveries. However, Ben Cutting’s over gave him the impetus as he smashed him for 15 runs in the 15^th over. There was no stopping Pant from there as he smashed another 16 runs off Hardik Pandya’s 16^th over.

The highlight of the innings was the audacious helicopter shot which Pant hit to one of the world’s best death overs bowler, Jasprit Bumrah. Pant smashed another boundary in the same over to bring up his fifty from just 18 balls.

Pant scored 19 runs in the penultimate over of the innings and one more six of his in the final over to take the team’s total to 213 and his score to 78(27).

A disciplined bowling performance saw Delhi Capitals winning their first match by 37 runs.

For his atrocious hitting and player of the match performance of 78(27), Rishabh Pant gets a total of 220.79 batting points.

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Also read: IPL 2019: Batting  Performance Report Card for First Half

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#2: KIERON POLLARD’S 83(31) | Mumbai | MIvKXIP

Runs: 83 | Balls: 31 | Fours: 3 | Sixes: 10

Strike Rate: 268 | Batting Points: 231.07 Points

However surprising it may sound, but this was another innings of substance played at the Wankhede stadium.

With the regular captain, Rohit Sharma being rested, Kieron Pollard, the stand-in captain showed his vintage self on 10^th April, when MI took on KXIP at the Wankhede.

Chasing the stiff target of 198, Mumbai Indians rarely took off as they were reduced to 65-3 in 10 overs. With 133 required of the last 10, Pollard was onto the challenge and hit a four and a six of Ashwin’s bowling. The very next over bowled by Sam Curran saw Pollard getting into his groove as he hit a couple of sixes and a boundary to take his score to 25(11).

Pollard didn’t stop there as he looked determined that night to bring up his 50 from just 22 deliveries. With 32 required off last 12 balls, Pollard smoked a couple of sixes and a boundary of the bowling of Sam Curran to score 17 runs off the over.

With 15 needed off the final over, the nervous, Ankit Rajpoot bowled his first ball as a no-ball. Pollard capitalized on that as he smashed a six and a four of his legal 1 delivery.

With 4 required off 5 balls, there was a slight anti-climax too as Pollard got out trying to play a glamour shot. However, Alzarri Joseph kept his nerve and scored the winning runs for MI thus handing Pollard a win on his captaincy debut.

This for us has been the best innings of the IPL 2019 so far. However, as our unbiased methodology says, this comes second with a total of 231.07 batting points.

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#1: JONNY BAIRSTOW’S 114(56) | Hyderabad | SRHvRCB

Runs: 114 | Balls: 56 | Fours: 12 | Sixes: 7

Strike Rate: 204 | Batting Points: 233.46 Points

In only his 3^rd match in his IPL debut season, Jonny Bairstow came up with an innings of such class and finesse that made even the dangerous, David Warner had to play the role of second fiddle to him.

Batting first, Bairstow made his presence felt as early as the 2^nd ball of the innings as he confidently swept Moeen Ali for a boundary. Bairstow went smoothly until the 9th over as he didn’t score a single six by then. However, even then he had already scored 36(25).

Bairstow’s first six off the bowling of Prayas Barman gave him the momentum as he got his fifty from just 28 deliveries. The next over saw innings saw Colin de Grandhomme being smoked for a couple of sixes by Bairstow.

A century looked merely a formality for Bairstow as he comfortably reached the milestone in the 16^th over. He took just 52 deliveries to achieve this feat. Eventually, Bairstow fell on 114(56) to Chahal after hitting 2 more sixes of Prayas Barman’s bowling.

SRH scored 231 in the stipulated 20 overs, with David Warner scoring a century of his own too. RCB were out for a mere 113 runs, without even putting up a fight.

For his man-of-the-match performance, Jonny Bairstow gets a total of 233.46 batting points.

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SPECIAL MENTION:

Some other innings which were close enough to give competition were

1. Sanju Samson | 102(55) | Batting points: 177.54
2. Shikhar Dhawan | 97(63) | Batting points:  176.00
3. Andre Russell | 48(13) | Batting points: 172.3
4. Chris Gayle | 79(47) | Batting points: 163.33
5. Chris Gayle | 99(64) | Batting points: 160.02

That’s about it from our side on the top 5 batting performances from the first half of IPL 2019.

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