Is Sai Sudharsan the most consistent run-getter in IPL history?
What's the story
Gujarat Titans opening batsman Sai Sudharsan has been a prolific run-getter in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His consistency at the top is indeed mind-boggling as he recently became the fastest batter to complete 1,500 IPL runs. The 23-year-old accomplished the incredible feat in just 35 innings, bettering previous record holder Shaun Marsh, who took 36 innings. Here we decode Sudharsan's mind-boggling consistency in IPL.
DYK
Best average in IPL history
Having played 35 games since his IPL debut in 2023, Sudharsan has raced to 1,538 runs at an average of 48.06. The tally includes 11 fifties besides a ton. As per ESPNcricinfo, Sudharsan owns the best average among batters with at least 500 runs in the league. Devon Conway (46.27) and KL Rahul (45.62) are the only other batters with 45-plus averages in this regard.
Global ranking
Second-fastest to 2,000 T20 runs
Apart from his historic feat, Sudharsan also stands second in the world for the least number of innings taken to score 2,000 T20 runs. The southpaw took 54 innings to get the landmark. The record is held by former Australian cricketer Shaun Marsh, who did so in just 53 innings. Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar was the previous fastest Indian to get this feat, having taken 59 innings.
Information
No problem in intent as well
Sudharsan currently strikes at 143.73 in the league, which speaks volumes of his power-hitting skills. Jos Buttler (40.52 and 149.74) is the only other batter with 1,000-plus IPL runs with a 40-plus average and a 140-plus strike rate.
Opening
Sensational while opening the batting
673 of Sudharsan's IPL runs have come as an opener at 51.76. No other batter with at least 600 IPL runs as an opener averages in excess of 50. Moreover, the southpaw's strike rate (156.51) is the seventh-best in this regard. However, none of the top six batters on this list average even 35. This shows the southpaw has been in a league of his own.