Batsmen with the highest average in IPL

The biggest and the most popular T20 league in the world, the Indian Premier League, started with a bang with a ruthless Brendon McCullum bludgeoning the RCB bowlers to all parts of the ground. The stage was set for a new age of batsmanship and soon IPL became a paradise for batsmen, both Indian and overseas. Over the years, bowlers developed certain skills like slower bouncers and wide yorkers to keep a check on the merciless batters.

There have been many one-season wonders with the bat in the IPL, who faded into oblivion after catching the eye in one season. The likes of Swapnil Asnodkar and Paul Valthaty are examples. And there have been some who made a name for themselves through their consistency in the IPL. Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer testify that.

Talking about consistency, one of the key parameters to measure it is the batting average. Here we look at the batsmen with the highest batting averages in the IPL (minimum 30 innings since someone with more than 30 innings must have played more than two seasons).

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5. Shaun Marsh

The orange cap holder in the inaugural edition of the IPL, Shaun Marsh was a constant in an otherwise changing KXIP team till 2018, where he went unsold. He started midway of the tournament in 2008 and showed remarkable consistency throughout the season to finish with more than 600 runs, which was a key factor in KXIP reaching the top 4.

His performance since then was not even near the 2008 one and he was not a regular in the team in the last couple of seasons when the likes of Maxwell and Miller dominated the show.

Marsh has 2477 runs from 69 innings at an average of 39.95 and strike rate of 132.74. He has 20 fifties and 1 hundred to his name, with a highest score of 115.

4. MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni

Thala, as fondly called by fans, has been an underrated batsman in the IPL. The former India skipper is the second highest run-getter for CSK and is second in the list of six hitters in the IPL with 186 sixes. After the suspension of CSK, Dhoni played for RPS, and his batting prowess went downwards for the period he played for RPS. However, with the return of CSK, Dhoni turned back the clock in 2018 and was at his devastating best, scoring more than 450 runs at a strike rate more than 140, thus putting an end to the question marks over his IPL future.

Dhoni has 4015 runs from 158 innings at an average of 40.15 and strike rate of 138.16. He has 20 fifties to his name with a best of 79*. Dhoni is the only middle-order batsman in this list which is dominated by top order batsmen.

3. David Warner

David Warner

The marauding opener has been the batting mainstay for SRH for quite a long time now and has led them to their only IPL title in 2016. He has been a constant performer for his team, single-handedly winning many games. He batted superbly for his former team DD too and is still the second highest run-scorer for DD. The ban on Warner due to ball tampering made him miss the 2018 edition, where Williamson led them to the finals. He will be eager to return to his franchise where he is loved like a local boy.

Warner has 4014 runs from 114 innings, at an average of 40.55 and strike rate of 142.14. The difference between his strike rate for SRH and that for DD is 24. Warner has 36 fifties and three hundreds to his name, two of which came for DD.

2. Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle

The man with most runs and most hundreds in T20s, one of the best batsman in the shortest format in his era, the Jamaican did not set the stage on fire for the first three seasons for KKR. He was subsequently released and went unsold in 2011, only to be bought by RCB as a replacement for injured Dirk Nannes.

And the rest is history. He not only went on to win the orange cap that year, but he also followed it up with another orange cap in 2012, breaking numerous records on his way. He was the poster boy for RCB along with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers till 2018, when he was bought by KXIP. Being written off by most, Gayle proved them wrong and piled up another hundred for KXIP.

Gayle has 3994 runs from 111 innings at an average of 41.18 and strike rate of 150.72, the highest in this list. He has 24 fifties and six hundreds, the most in IPL, to his name. His 290 sixes are the most in IPL, which is 104 more than the next best of 186 sixes by Dhoni.

1. Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson

The Kiwi skipper, who was not a regular in his IPL side till 2018, has the highest batting average in IPL among those who have played a minimum of 30 innings. The ban on Warner turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Williamson, who not only led SRH to the finals but also won the coveted Orange cap.

He was the key to the SRH batting unit and showed incredible consistency throughout the season. With Warner coming back in 2019, it will be interesting to see if Williamson retains his captaincy.

Kane has an aggregate of 1146 runs from 32 innings at an average of 42.44 and strike rate of 137.41. He has 11 fifties to his name, with a highest score of 89.