IPL 2018: Two explosive batsmen and their contrasting record
Over the years we have witnessed several interesting records in the IPL- be it the highest individual score, highest team total or even the lowest team total. The Royal Challengers have been involved in all these records.
There is something unique that the RCB skipper, Virat Kohli has done this season as he stepped onto the field during the Royal Challengers' first game at the Eden Gardens.
Also, the explosive Australian batsman Aaron Finch has created an interesting yet contrasting record to what the dashing Indian skipper has done. Let us now look at those interesting records.
Aaron Finch
Not every player gets to play for different IPL franchise every season! But the Australian batsman, Aaron Finch has done something unique in the tournament's history. He is now the first player to have played for seven different franchises.
Finch started his IPL journey with the Rajasthan Royals way back during the third edition in 2010. He subsequently moved to Delhi Daredevils and played the 2011 and 2012 season for the franchise from the National capital. The hard-hitting batsman then represented the now-defunct Pune Warriors India in the 2013 IPL, before moving on to the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014.
He donned the Mumbai Indians jersey in the IPL 2015 with whom he won his first-ever IPL title. Finch then represented the now-defunct Gujarat Lions franchise which was captained by Mr. IPL Suresh Raina.
In the 2018 Auctions, he was bought by the Kings XI Punjab franchise, thereby becoming the first-ever player to play for seven different franchises in the history of Indian Premier League. In 71 IPL matches, Finch has scored 1628 runs at a strike-rate of 130.34 with his highest score being 88*.
Virat Kohli
The current Indian skipper has done something unique which no other player has done in the IPL. He is the only player to play for the same franchise in the first eleven editions of the tournament, a feat that is almost unbreakable.
This shows the trust the RCB management has had in Virat over the years and also Kohli's love for the Bangalore franchise. The flamboyant batsman is in line to become the first ever player to score 5000 IPL runs.
Virat became the highest paid player this season when RCB acquired his services for INR 17 crore by retaining him. The 2016 IPL was all about this man, who scored an unprecedented four centuries in that season.
Unfortunately, the Royal Challengers couldn't capture the title as they ended up losing to Warner’s Sunrisers unit in the finals. In 155 IPL matches, Virat has scored 4667 runs at a strike-rate of 30.18 with his highest score being 113. Hope, this champion batsman serves RCB for many more years to come!