IPL 2019: Ranking power hitters of the 8 teams
We all know that the T20 of Cricket is all about providing complete entertainment to the fans, and the audience across the globe and the IPL is one of the prominent league that provides this kind of high octane entertainment without failing.
This type of entertainment is only possible because of the power hitters in each team who are also one of the reasons for a team's success.
While the strike rotation and the sliders are important to any team, the power hitters are the ones with the ability to change the course of the match in a matter of a few overs.
Each team possesses at least three power-hitters in their armory who can a pack a punch which is quintessential in this modern format of the game. Players like Andre Russell, Chris Lynn, and Sunil Narine not only thoroughly entertain the fans who watch this league but also are the primary reason for Kolkata Knight Riders' success in the league thus far.
Also Read: IPL 2019: One 'X-Factor' player in each team
The Ranking is purely based on the hitting abilities, and not necessarily based on the IPL numbers. This is because a player like Shimron Hetmeyer is one of the most devastating batsmen in the cricketing fraternity, but he is yet to make his IPL debut.
Here is a list of the 8 IPL teams ranked on the basis of their power-hitters in the team.
#8 Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals probably have the weakest power-hitters on paper despite possessing players like Jos Buttler, and Ben Stokes. The early stage of the 2018 IPL tournament saw the Royals struggling to put up a decent score on the board, but the decision to send Buttler up the order changed this.
The returning Steve Smith will strengthen the batting line-up, but his arrival will not affect the power-hitting abilities of the team. Apart from Buttler, and Stokes, Krishnappa Gowtham is an Indian name that features in this list and is expected to make into the final XI.
Buttler scores at a strike rate of above 150 in the IPL which is very high considering his average in the tournament which is 34.68. Fellow English all-rounder strikes nearly at 135 and has an IPL ton to his name. While the new recruits like Ashton Turner, Liam Livingston are clean strikers of the ball, but they are relatively inexperienced.
Expected power hitters to make the final playing XI and their T20 strike rates:
- Jos Buttler - 144.03
- Ben Stokes - 135.75
- Krishnappa Gowtham - 168.99
It will be interesting to see how the inexperienced overseas take the team's mantle when the big guns leave for World Cup preparation.