IPL 2020: 5 records you may have missed
The 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is nearing the business end now. While Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers seem set to qualify for the play-offs, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders are slugging it out for the fourth slot.
Following the victory over Mumbai, Rajasthan Royals have the slimmest of chances of qualifying while the tournament seems all but over for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings.
IPL 2020 has seen all kinds of performances. Big names with massive salaries like Andre Russell and Glenn Maxwell have turned out to be huge disappointments, while unsung performers like Rahul Tewatia, Devdutt Padikkal, and Ravi Bishnoi have risen to the occasion with some stupendous efforts.
Apart from a mix of excellent and disastrous performances, quite a few records have been broken and created in IPL 2020. While everyone is going gaga over Shikhar Dhawan and Mohammed Siraj’s incredible feats, here are some interesting records that may have slipped under your radar.
#1. First Indian batsman to score 500 runs in three consecutive seasons
During Kings XI Punjab’s tied encounter against Mumbai Indians on October 18, skipper KL Rahul became the first-ever Indian batsman to score over 500 runs in three consecutive editions of the IPL. In the pulsating encounter, Rahul scored 77 from 51 balls before being bowled by Jasprit Bumrah.
Rahul ended the match with a tally of 525 runs, and has since pumped it up to 595 runs from 12 games. He amassed 659 runs in 2018, and 593 runs last year, all in KXIP colors. The opener has slammed five fifties and a hundred at a strike rate of over 130, and is currently the Orange Cap holder in IPL 2020.
#2. First batsman to score 10,000 T20I runs in fours and sixes
'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle has various IPL records to his name. However, playing his very first match for KXIP against RCB at Sharjah on October 15, the attacking left-hander created a record which can be termed unique in every sense. During his smashing 53 from 45 balls, Gayle became the first player in history to complete 10,000 T20 runs via fours and sixes.
Following the conclusion of the match, Gayle had spanked 1027 fours and 982 sixes in T20s, which he has since increased to 1035 and 993 respectively. Gayle was, in fact, the first cricketer to cross the 10,000-run mark in T20s, a feat since matched by Shoaib Malik and Kieron Pollard.
#3. First batsman with 50 scores of 50+ in IPL
David Warner is a bona fide IPL legend. The SRH captain added another feather to his illustrious cap earlier this year when he became the first player to register 50 scores of over 50 in the IPL. Warner achieved the unique feat during his knock of 52 from 40 balls against KXIP at Dubai on October 8.
This was Warner’s 46th score of over fifty to go with his four IPL tons. Overall, the left-hander has amassed 5,076 runs in 137 IPL games at a strike rate of 141.19. He also holds the record for most fifties in IPL (46).
#4. First batsman to score 5,500 IPL runs
RCB skipper Virat Kohli already holds the record for having scored the most number of runs in IPL history. However, during the match against Rajasthan Royals at Abu Dhabi on October 3, Kohli went one step ahead and became the first-ever batsman to breach the 5,500 run-mark in the IPL. The Indian captain hit a fluent 72 not out from 53 in RCB’s winning cause.
Kohli presently has 5,827 runs to his credit from 188 matches at a strike rate of 131.12. Former India batsman Suresh Raina is second on the list with 5,368 runs in 193 games. A few days later, despite the loss to Punjab, Kohli became the highest scoring IPL captain in history, surpassing MS Dhoni’s tally of 4,275 runs during his knock of 48 at Sharjah on October 15.
#5. First Indian batsman to score 39 IPL fifties
A few days before smashing back-to-back hundreds, Delhi Capitals batsman Shikhar Dhawan became the first Indian batsman to register 39 half-centuries in the IPL. Dhawan achieved this feat during his enterprising knock of 57 from 33 balls against Rajasthan Royals at Abu Dhabi on October 14.
Prior to the game, the left-hander was tied on 38 fifties with Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Raina. Since, Kohli has gone on to equal Dhawan’s record, bringing up his 39th IPL fifty against Chennai Super Kings at Dubai on October 25.