IPL 2017: Decoding Robin Uthappa's success mantra
Robin Uthappa is one of the most prolific batsmen in the history of the IPL and have performed well consistently over the years, and this season is no different. In the 10 matches he has played this year, the Karnataka batsman has already scored over 350 runs, and in the last three games alone, he has notched up three fifties and also his highest score in his IPL career.
Besides these impressive stats, Uthappa's strokeplay through the leg side has been simply delightful to watch.
In his stint with four teams, the right-hander has amassed 3774 runs in 10 seasons and boasts an impressive IPL career strike rate close to 132. In spite of his heroics in the IPL, the astonishing fact is that he has represented India in only 13 T20 international matches till date.
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Uthappa’s contribution to the team he plays for is virtually priceless. He can bat at any position, any situation, and he can don the wicketkeeper gloves as well, but what sets him apart from the rest is his ability to thrive in his different roles consistently. He was the top scorer of the 2014 edition of the IPL with 660 runs, and has never recorded less than 350 runs in an IPL season since 2012.
Although he has been pivotal in his franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, and has been key to their triumphs since his arrival in 2014, Uthappa is yet to convince the national selectors that he is the man they should be looking to in the shortest format of the game.
The 31-year-old top order batsman has a wide range of shots in his armoury along with different approaches to batting – from being an extremely aggressive player to a nonchalant batsman who loves to keep the scoreboard ticking.
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However, this season, Uthappa has been a little more on the aggressive side and his strike rate shows off the same. He has featured in all fixtures for KKR so far this season, and has rather scored effortlessly and is gradually consolidating a spot in the top-3 run-getters of the tournament.
The Karnataka batsman is set to go neck and neck with the current top-scorer David Warner in the closing stages of the IPL in the battle for the Orange Cap. Warner is currently on top of the run list with 456 runs and leads Uthappa by just 72 runs.
Here are all the stats you need to know about Uthappa’s run of form in this IPL:
0 – Number of hundreds scored by Uthappa till date. It’s hard to believe that the top-order batsman is yet to register a century.
10 – Number of consecutive innings in which he posted scores of 40+ in the 2014 edition of the IPL – a rare feat indeed.
21 – Number of sixes struck by Uthappa in IPL 2017. Only David Warner has hit more sixes (23) in IPL 2017.
30 – Number of stumpings by Uthappa, the highest by any wicketkeeper in the history of the IPL.
31 – Runs scored through the covers. Although a vast majority of his runs have come on the leg side, Uthappa’s weak link could be when he is forced to play through the cover region.
36.58 – Uthappa’s average while playing for KKR. He was bought for 5 Crores in the 2014 IPL Auction.
67.70% – Percentage of Uthappa’s runs this season that has come on the leg side. The stroke-maker has churned out 260 runs off his 384 runs through the on side of the wicket.
87 – The highest score in Uthappa’s IPL career which he achieved during his match-winning knock against the Rising Pune Supergiant last week; Uthappa bettered his previous best score of 83* to bring up his top score of 87.
93 – Runs scored only in singles. This perhaps highlights the experience he brings to the side with his ability to knock the ball around and keep the scoreboard ticking.
140.69 – Strike rate while plying his trade for KKR.
170.66 – Uthappa’s strike rate this season after 10 matches is by far the highest compared to all his previous campaigns and at the moment, it just doesn’t look like it will take a plunge. Amongst the Indian contingent, only Mumbai Indians’ Hardik Pandya boasts a better strike rate with 171.59.
270 – Number of runs scored only through boundaries, highest for a right-handed batsman in IPL 10.
384 – Runs in 10 matches this season. Uthappa did not have a memorable start to the 10th edition of the IPL but turned things around soon; he has scored 199 runs in just the last three games for KKR and in two of those three fixtures, KKR have ended up victorious.