RANKED! Players with the Highest Strike Rate in IPL history
IPL 2022 is right around the corner and we cannot wait for it to be here again, Who could blame us? This is the biggest league of the second biggest sport in the world for god’s sake. IPL with a viewership of more than 2.5 billion fans is rightfully called the festival of cricket; A festival with hard-hitting batsmen as the protagonist.
The IPL or any T20 match is an ideal game for batsmen who just want to hit the ball as hard as possible. They sometimes take this game into the realm of baseball and I don’t think that is a bad thing either. This post celebrates those batsmen who define what modern-day cricket is all about. The ability to score quick runs without caring about technique, style or looks is what makes these batsmen the greatest ever. Let’s look at the 5 batsmen with the highest strike rate in IPL.
5. Nicholas Pooran, SRH – 154.98
This West Indian is the newest member of this list having played the least number of games. He has however quickly cemented his place as one of the very best in the business. With a strike rate of 154.98, Pooran has made 606 runs in just 33 games.
This diminutive southpaw has the ability to ruin any bowler’s day with his hard-hitting sixes that fly out of the stadium. Those sixes stink even more coming from a 5’8″ guy. PLaying for SRH in this year’s IPL Nicholas Pooran with the 5th highest strike rate in IPL is looking to fill the huge void left by David Warner.
4. Chris Morris (CSK, RR, RCB, DC) Retd – 155.27
Chrism Morris came, conquered and left! Having played for 4 different teams in his 8 years of IPL career Chris Morris has been one of the best all-rounders of IPL. His strike rate of 155.27 is only bettered by 4 other players. IN 81 matches Morris made 618 runs. His impressive strike rate is better than the likes of Pandya, De Villiers, Maxwell and others which tells you all about his style.
Add to the fact that he was one of the leading wicket-takers in some seasons of IPL makes his strike rate even crazy to think about.
3. Virender Sehwag, Retd- 155.44
Sehwag was a T20 player before even T20 existed. In times when a strike rate of 80 was considered good in ODIs Sehwag’s hovered over 120. His triple century knock in a single day of the test is enough to turn anyone into a Sehwag fan. It was a shame that IPL started when Sehwag was past his prime. Despite that, however, he has the third-highest strike rate in the history of IPL.
In 104 matches, Sehwag made 2728 runs with a strike rate of 155.44. He also had a high score of 122.
2. Sunil Narine, KKR – 161.69
Sunil Narine’s cricketing career is a very peculiar one. At the start of his career, he was a truly sensational bowler. No one and I mean, No One in world cricket was able to understand if his bowl will turn off-spin or leg-spin. He was so good at spinning the ball on either side that batsmen feared his overs.
Soon however as opposition players analysed his technique and figured out his bowling, Narine wasn’t as fearful as before. Many would have accepted it and ended their career. Narine however had other plans.
Playing for KKR, he started to all of a sudden open the innings. With no fear of losing his wicket being a bowler, he started hitting the ball as he was playing gully cricket. Soon he and others found out that he could bat and that is when everything changed. He cemented the top batting spot and batted with an absolute Carnatic attitude in every match. On the back of his sensational hitting KKR also won a couple of IPLs in those times.
In 134 matches Sunil Narine was able to score 954 runs at a mindboggling second-highest strike rate in IPL history of 161.69! He did this while taking wickets at the other end as well. Sunil Narine could be considered one of the very best IPL all-rounders in the history of the league.
1. Andre Russel, KKR – 178.57
The record for the highest strike rate in the history of IPL goes to Andre Russel. Tall and strong, Andre Russel is known to change the whole direction of the match single-handedly. I have personally seen him snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on many occasions.
Unlike many on the list, he did not just make 20-30 odd runs at a blistering pace; Russel often brought home his team KKR with half-century knocks playing like an absolute madman.
His record of 1700 runs in just 84 matches is enough to cement his position as one of the best in the business. Add to the fact that he did this at a strike rate of 178.57 is absolutely mindboggling.
Even if he plays the next 185 matches at a strike rate of 100, he would still have a strike rate of 150! That’s how crazy his numbers are.
Andre Russel is not only the holder of the highest striker rate in the history of IPL but also takes wickets consistently and is a major reason why KKR have been so consistent and strong in the past.
So who do you think would be the next entry to this list? Pandya currently has the sixth-highest strike rate in the history of IPL at 153.91. Do you see him breaking into the top 5 of the highest strike rates in IPL?
