Sanju Samson, David Warner and more: who you should back to finish as their respective franchise’s Top Batsman
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In stark contrast to the 2020 edition, IPL 2021 has largely overseen low-scoring affairs, but that hasn’t stopped the elite batters from shining. Today, we delve into all eight franchises and hand pick the player who you should be putting your money on to finish as the side’s top run-getter.
Mumbai Indians - Suryakumar Yadav
Dafabet odds: 3.50
Current tally of runs in IPL 2021: 121
Current rank in Mumbai Indians: 2
Difference between Suryakumar Yadav and the top run-getter: 17 runs
Closest competitors: Rohit Sharma (138 runs), Ishan Kishan (67 runs) and Quinton de Kock (44 runs)
Why you should back Suryakumar Yadav
In all honesty, it was only a freak season from Ishan Kishan that, last year, stopped Suryakumar Yadav from finishing as MI’s top scorer for a second time in three seasons. With 512 runs to his name, Suryakumar finished as MI’s top run-getter in IPL 2018 and since 2018, his run-tally of 1,537 is 376 more than any other Mumbai batsman. This is, of course, history, but the point here is that he is incredibly consistent. We know that this season he is really competing with only one batsman, Rohit Sharma, and history tells us that it’s an absolute no-brainer to back SKY over the MI skipper. Suryakumar has outscored Rohit in each of the past three IPL seasons - by some distance - and, all things considered, he is simply a more consistent run-getter in the IPL than Rohit. Only once in the last five years has Rohit accumulated 400 runs in a season and his average, in this time frame, has been eight (27.64) less than Suryakumar’s 35.74. It is worth noting that Rohit started IPL 2020 impactfully - 170 runs @ 42.5 - before fading with time and finishing with an average under 30, while SKY kept piling on the runs and eventually finished with 482 runs in the season. Rohit, unlike SKY, also possesses the danger of getting injured and missing games, thereby exponentially decreasing his chances of finishing as the Top Batsman - last season he missed 4 games due to injury and in MI’s previous clash versus DC, he spent time off the field after picking up a niggle. It’s Suryakumar’s time to shine, but you can shine alongside the MI superstar by heading to Dafabet and backing him to end the season as Mumbai’s top scorer.
Punjab Kings - KL Rahul
Dafabet odds: 1.28
Current tally of runs in IPL 2021: 161
Current rank in Punjab Kings: 1
Difference between Rahul and Punjab’s second highest run-getter: 52 runs
Closest competitors: Deepak Hooda (109 runs) and Mayank Agarwal (105 runs)
Why you should back KL Rahul
This is the easiest bet out there in the market, perhaps in the entire world, so it is understandable why the returns are low. Orange-cap winner of the 2020 edition, KL Rahul has already started this season ominously and has a 52-run lead over his compatriots. With due respect to Deepak Hooda, he is an impact player who will wane away in the run charts, so Rahul’s only competitor here is his friend and partner-in-crime Mayank Agarwal. Make no mistake, both men are world-class, but when it comes to run-accumulation, the difference between them is day and night. Mayank’s 424-run season in IPL 2020 was his best ever, yet he was still 246 runs short of Rahul. This season Mayank already has one big score to his name, still he finds himself 56 runs short of Rahul, who is comfortably top despite posting two single-digit scores. Forget Punjab, Rahul has scored 214 runs more than any other batsman in the IPL since the start of 2018 and he is only going to feast on runs more, with the side set to play five games at the Chinnaswamy. Just save your time and energy and head to Dafabet and back Rahul to be Punjab’s batsman to get guaranteed returns of 1.28x.
Delhi Capitals - Shikhar Dhawan
Dafabet odds: 1.10
Current tally of runs in IPL 2021: 231 (current orange cap holder)
Current rank in Delhi Capitals: 1
Difference between Dhawan and Delhi’s second-highest run-getter: 118 runs
Closest competitors: Prithvi Shaw (113 runs) and Rishabh Pant (88 runs)
Why you should back Shikhar Dhawan
Honestly, with odds of 1.10, it’d be quite embarrassing for us to explain “why”. We’ll just tell you this, though. Since the start of last season, Dhawan (849) has scored 330 runs more than any other Delhi batsman. His closest competitor for this season, Shaw, is an impact player who often tends to get dismissed cheaply and his second closest competitor, Pant, has scored half the number of runs as him (430) since the start of IPL 2020. Case closed.
Kolkata Knight Riders - Nitish Rana
Dafabet odds: 1.65
Current tally of runs in IPL 2021: 164
Current rank in Kolkata Knight Riders: 164
Difference between Rana and Kolkata’s second highest run-getter: 65 runs
Closest competitors: Andre Russell (99 runs), Rahul Tripathi (91 runs) and Dinesh Karthik (72 runs)
Why you should back Nitish Rana
Historically or otherwise, it would be hard to say that Rana has as compelling a case as some of his peers above but since turning into an opener, the southpaw has been nothing short of sensational. Since turning into an opener (Oct 24, 2020), Rana has scored 392 runs in just 8 innings, which is a whopping 135 more than any other KKR batsman in the same timeframe. With 352 runs he was third on KKR’s list in IPL 2020, but with both Morgan and Shubman Gill terribly out of form, Rana becomes the obvious heir to the throne. All his competitors this time around are lower-order batters and are hence invariably bound to score less due to not getting opportunity to spend sufficient time at the crease. Rana is currently fourth in the orange cap list, and the headstart he has currently (65-run lead) makes him the firm favorite. With KKR now moving to more batter-friendly wickets, it goes unsaid that the southpaw will rack up even more runs than he already has. Be wise, head to Dafabet and back Nitish Rana to finish IPL 2021 as KKR’s Top Batsman.
Chennai Super Kings - Faf du Plessis
Dafabet odds: 1.55
Current tally of runs in IPL 2021: 164
Current rank in Chennai Super Kings: 1
Difference between du Plessis and CSK’s second-highest run-getter: 31 runs
Closest competitors: Moeen Ali (133 runs), Ruturaj Gaikwad (84 runs) and Suresh Raina (80 runs)
Why you should back Faf du Plessis
Since Faf du Plessis started becoming a mainstay in the CSK lineup - from 2019 - he has been an absolute rock. Since IPL 2019 du Plessis has racked up 1009 runs for the franchise, which is 312 more than any other CSK player in this timeframe. Du Plessis, last season, finished as CSK’s Top Batsman and this season he looks on course to doing the same. Despite an iffy start, the Proteas star has improved with every passing game and is now comfortably clear of his competitors. Moeen and Raina, as things stand, are his biggest threats, but there is reason to discard the duo. Moeen being a high-risk, impact batsman means that he will invariably notch up a few low scores, while with Raina, like in the game vs KKR, there is every chance that he could end games without even getting a chance to bat owing to CSK’s team dynamics. Du Plessis’ role in the side is being the team’s run-accumulator, and thus far he has done it with elan. We can expect the same to continue as the season progresses, so it is a no-brainer to head to Dafabet and back Faf du Plessis to finish IPL 2021 as CSK’s Top Batsman.
Dafabet odds: 2.05
Current tally of runs in IPL 2021: 130
Current rank in Sunrisers Hyderabad: 2
Difference between Warner and SRH’s top run-getter: 43 runs
Closest competitors: Jonny Bairstow (173) and Manish Pandey (101)
Why you should back David Warner
Certainties in life: Death, Taxes and David Warner ending the season as SRH’s top batsman. Arguably the greatest run-accumulator in IPL history, Warner has finished as SRH’s top batsman in every season he has played for the franchise. Last season was Warner’s ‘leanest’ since 2014, yet still he accumulated 123 runs more than any other Sunrisers batsman. It is true that he is not the beast he once was, and it is true that this season he faces stern competition in the form of Jonny Bairstow (we’re counting out Pandey as he is no longer first-choice), but the thing about Warner is that he ALWAYS finds a way to top SRH’s run-scoring charts. Take last season, for instance. After 6 games, Bairstow (241) and a 14-run lead over Warner (227). Yet the Englishman went on to score just 104 off his next 5 games before being axed, while Warner added 321 more in his next 10 games to go atop the charts. There are two risks that come with Bairstow: one, he is a match-winner and not a run-accumulator, so he is bound to endure failures, and two his spot in the starting XI is STILL not guaranteed. A couple of good showings from Williamson and a horror-show from the bowlers is all it will take for SRH to dispose Bairstow. It may sound ridiculous but that is precisely what they did last time around, despite the Englishman topping the run-charts for the side after 6 games. Warner is born to top score for SRH and he’ll do it again. We’d strongly advice you to head ot Dafabet and back the SRH skipper, David Warner, to finish as SRH’s Top Batsman for IPL 2021.
Rajasthan Royals - Sanju Samson
Dafabet odds: 2.00
Current tally of runs in IPL 2021: 124
Current rank in Rajasthan Royals: 1
Difference between Samson and RR’s second highest run-getter: 48 runs
Closest competitors: Jos Buttler (76 runs) and David Miller (64 runs)
Why you should back Sanju Samson
People feel consistency is not something you’d associate with Sanju Samson and that is true. Yet, he is nowhere as bad as people make him out to be. Samson has finished 1st, 2nd and 2nd in RR’s run tally in the last three seasons and this season, the skipper has a huge chance of soaring back to the top of the charts. He already has a 48-run head-start and that will prove to be key. Jos Buttler showed signs of regaining form in RR’s previous encounter but the Englishman hasn’t been really prolific since the 2018 season. Last season, for instance, he scored just 328 runs at an average of 32.80 and was never really able to string together big scores on a consistent basis. Being the captain, there is more responsibility on Samson’s shoulders now and that will invariably play its hand in making him score a bulk of the side’s runs, particularly with RR having an extremely brittle middle-order. RR potentially signing an overseas opener as replacement for Ben Stokes could also result in the side shifting Buttler back to the middle-order, where he originally started this season, so such a move would instantly drastically reduce the Englishman’s chances of topping the run charts. All things considered, the prospect of Samson finishing as RR’s top run-getter seems inevitable. Betting on inevitability is prudent, so it’d be smart on your part to head to Dafabet and back Sanju Samson to finish as RR’s Top Batsman in IPL 2021.
Royal Challengers Bangalore - Virat Kohli
Dafabet odds: 3.00
Current tally of runs in IPL 2021: 71
Current rank in Royal Challengers Bangalore: 3
Difference between Kohli and RCB’s top run-getter: 105 runs
Closest competitors: Glenn Maxwell (176 runs), AB de Villiers (125 runs) and Devdutt Padikkal (36 runs)
Why you should back Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has been nowhere close to his best this season and finds himself lagging behind his teammates by some distance. But it is imperative to remember that, like Warner, he simply finds a way to top the run-charts. Since 2016, Kohli has finished 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st and 2nd in RCB’s run charts and last season, he missed out on the crown by a mere 7 runs. What’s interesting from last season is that, like this season, he has nowhere close to his best. After 4 games, he was FOURTH in RCB’s run-getters column and was lagging behind Padikkal by a staggering 84 runs. Yet he eventually finished second and did so without breaking a sweat. In front of him this season are both Maxwell and de Villiers, and there’s a good reason to be apprehensive about those two. Two inherent stroke-makers, RCB rely on both Maxwell and ABD this year for impact - and not runs - and so the nature of their role means that both the batsmen will be prone to failures. De Villiers batting at 5 means that he will, more often than not, walk in at a time where there won’t be a window for him to pile runs while Maxwell’s ultra-aggressive approach will cost him a few runs due to the increased risk factor. Starting today, Bangalore will play their games on flat surfaces - Wankhede, Ahmedabad and Eden - and this will be a blessing in disguise for Kohli, who, being an opener, will be provided with the best batting conditions. So far, top-order batters have dominated on flat surfaces, and Kohli doing the same will not only help him overtake both Maxwell and de Villiers, but deny the overseas duo the opportunity to bat longer and accumulate runs. Kohli is the backbone of RCB’s batting, so it is a pretty obvious choice to head to Dafabet and back the RCB skipper to finish as RCB’s Top Batsman in IPL 2021.
Mumbai Indians - Suryakumar Yadav @ 3.50
Punjab Kings - KL Rahul @ 1.28
Delhi Capitals - Shikhar Dhawan @ 1.10
Kolkata Knight Riders - Nitish Rana @ 1.65
Sunrisers Hyderabad - David Warner @ 2.05
Rajasthan Royals - Sanju Samson @ 2.00
Royal Challengers Bangalore - Virat Kohli @ 3.00
Note: Both the odds and statistics are accurate as of 3.00 PM on Thursday, April 22. SportsCafe is not responsible for the provider revising the odds post the publishing of this article
