9 Batsmen with the most dot balls in a single IPL season
In cricket, rotating the strike while keeping the scoreboard ticking is crucial. The importance of this only goes up in a format like T20, where big totals on the board are the norm.
In the shortest format of the game, dot balls are considered to be pressure-building deliveries. When playing in a high-intensity tournament like the Indian Premier League (IPL), players prefer playing as few dots as possible.
However, there are times when a few dot balls become inevitable due to various factors. In the process, some batsmen have ended up with the unwanted record of playing the most dots in a single IPL season. While most of these batsmen have done well despite the dots played, some of them have failed to help their team's cause.
Batsmen who played most dots in a single IPL season
#1 Michael Hussey (2013) - 203 dots
Australia's Michael Hussey has played more dot balls than any other player in a single IPL season. In IPL 2013, while playing for the Chennai Super Kings, Mike Hussey was the winner of the 'Orange Cap' with 733 runs in 17 matches at an average of 52.35 and a decent strike rate of 129.50.
However, in the same tournament, he ended up playing 203 dot balls and became the only batsman to have played over 200 dot balls in a single IPL edition.
#2 Rahul Dravid (2013) - 199 dots
Rahul Dravid, known for his heroics in the longest format of the game, has played the second-highest number of dot balls in a single IPL season.
In what was his last year in the tournament, Dravid faced 425 balls and played 199 dots during IPL 2013 for the Rajasthan Royals. He scored 471 runs in that edition of the tournament at a strike rate of 111.
#3 Lendl Simmons (2015) - 198 dots
Lendl Simmons is a big striker of the ball and had a good season in 2015. He was the joint second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 540 runs in 13 games.
However, 198 of the 441 balls he faced that year were dots. Lendl Simmons is one of three Caribbean cricketers who feature on this list.