3 superstar Indian batters who have tailed off after a great start in IPL 2023
The top five contenders for the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) Orange Cap have been quite sensational this year.
Faf du Plessis is at the top of the list, having revamped his spin game to amass a whopping 631 runs. After him, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devon Conway and Suryakumar Yadav have combined consistency with explosiveness to play crucial roles for their respective sides.
Certain batters, however, started the tournament well and seemed to be on course to have meaningful seasons before their form started to dwindle a bit. Some of these names have haven't been able to notch up big scores on a consistent basis, while others have seen their technical shortcomings catch up to them.
Here are three superstar batters who have tailed off after a great start in IPL 2023.
Note: This article was compiled before the start of the Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals clash on Wednesday, May 17.
#3 Virat Kohli
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) superstar Virat Kohli is the leading run-getter in IPL history and has played several memorable knocks in the competition. However, his strokeplay against spin and inability to keep his foot on the pedal are proving to be major issues these days.
Kohli started his campaign well, getting off the blocks quickly in the powerplay and appearing to try his best to take on the spinners in the middle overs. As the wickets have slowed down, though, so has he.
In his last six innings, Kohli has crossed the 50-run mark only twice, and both of those knocks weren't at a particularly impressive strike rate. He struck at 119.56 (lowest in the team) in one of them and at 145.94 (in a losing chase of 201) in the other.
RCB have a couple of crucial fixtures coming up, and Kohli can't afford to continue to eat up balls. Although he is sixth in the Orange Cap leaderboard, he hasn't done Bangalore too many favors recently.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan is used to being atop the IPL Orange Cap standings, but the 2023 season hasn't been as kind to him as usual. The southpaw is 19th on the list, with 356 runs at an average of 50.86 and a strike rate of 143.54. Those are decent numbers, but they don't tell the whole story.
Dhawan started his campaign in scintillating fashion, with scores of 40, 86* and 99* in his first three matches. After returning from an injury that kept him out for a couple of weeks, though, the veteran batter hasn't been at his best.
Dhawan has scored more than 30 runs in only one of his last six innings in IPL 2023. In the five matches since his return, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper has crossed the 50-run mark once. He has rightly tried to play his shots with abandon in the powerplay, but that hasn't always come off.
#1 Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad's form has dipped rather alarmingly in IPL 2023. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener started the campaign with consecutive half-centuries but hasn't raised his bat in the last 11 matches.
Gaikwad has tallied 425 runs at an average of 38.64 and a strike rate of 146.55 to be placed seventh in the Orange Cap list. However, his displays in the recent past hasn't been convincing at all, having looked tentative against both pace and (surprisingly) spin.
Gaikwad is usually known for starting slow and reeling off big scores as the tournament progresses, but this season has been quite the opposite. It remains to be seen if he can capitalize at the business end.