Ranking the top 5 wicket-keeper batters in IPL 2023
Chennai Super Kings won the 16th edition of the IPL after defeating Gujarat Titans by five wickets in a thrilling encounter at Ahmedabad on May 29. They won their fifth IPL title, becoming the joint most-successful team along with Mumbai Indians.
The MS Dhoni-led side performed brilliantly in crunch moments throughout the IPL 2023. He himself also performed decently, scoring 104 runs at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 182, hitting 10 sixes off 57 deliveries. He could not bat much because of the knee injury, but he chipped in with a few valuable cameos in the lower order.
On that note, we look at the five best wicket-keeper batters in the latest edition of the tournament:
#1 Heinrich Klaasen
Heinrich Klaasen was not only one of the best wicket-keeper batters in the competition, but he was also right up there with the best specialist batters. The South African middle-order batter scored 448 runs in 11 innings at an average of 49.78 and a strike rate of 177.08 for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He scored one century and three half-centuries, hitting 32 fours and 25 sixes in IPL 2023.
Klaasen scored a magnificent 104 off 51 deliveries against RCB, albeit in a losing cause. Despite his monumental efforts throughout the IPL, his side finished last on the points table with just four wins out of 14 matches. The fact no other SRH batter could cross even 300 runs for the season speaks volumes of the carry job by the right-handed middle-order batter.
#2 Nicholas Pooran
The swashbuckling West Indian southpaw had a brilliant season with the bat for the Lucknow Super Giants. Nicholas Pooran scored 358 runs in 15 innings at an average of 29.83 and a strike rate of 172.95, scoring 2 half-centuries. He hit 26 fours and 26 sixes and crossed 300 runs for the season for the 3rd time in the IPL.
Pooran played a couple of blinders, particularly in run-chases. His impactful 62 off 19 balls vs RCB at the Chinnaswamy ensured a victory when over 100 runs were needed to win in the last seven overs. He also scored an unbeaten 44 off 13 deliveries against his former team SRH at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium.
#3 Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan was one of the pivotal members of the destructive Mumbai Indians' batting this season. The left-handed opener had his second-best IPL season of all time after 2020. He scored 454 runs in 15 innings at an average of 30.27 and a strike rate of 142.77. He scored three half-centuries in this campaign and hit 54 fours and 18 sixes.
Kishan had his share of highs and lows, from scoring quick-fire half-centuries to struggling to get started off the blocks. This season was a very fair indication of how he approaches T20 cricket.
#4 Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson remains one of the most talented T20 batters in the country at present. The Rajasthan Royals skipper had yet another impactful season, scoring 362 runs in 14 innings at an average of 30.17 and a strike rate of 153.39. He hit three half-centuries and hit 25 fours four 24 sixes.
Samson supported Buttler well against SRH as they put up 214/2 but ended up on the losing side. He also had a great start to the season, though he ended up tapering off a little in the middle.
#5 Jitesh Sharma
The 29-year-old Punjab Kings keeper made his IPL debut last season. He has had a reasonably good start to his career in the most competitive T20 tournament in the world. He scored 309 runs in 14 innings at an average of 23.77 and a strike rate of 156.06.
Sharma's numbers are quite impressive, given the fact that he is playing a difficult middle-order role. He played some highly valuable cameos and had the highest score of 49*.