The Indian Premier League is one of the biggest and most entertaining cricket leagues globally.
The league offers the Twenty20 cricket format that has taken the world by storm since 2003. This made it one of the most-watched and sought-after tournaments in cricket.
As far as talents go, the IPL can boast of some of the most talented and skillful players cricket offers. Most cricketers have dreamt of playing in the IPL at one time or another, making the IPL a place where stars are made and stars come to play.
Is Cricket a Batsman Game?
In its T20 format, cricket has become the most entertaining form of the game. It has become more entertaining, suspenseful, and riveting for viewers. Batting in cricket has become more fearless, daring, and heroic batsmen have been revered as gods of the game.
Since the early days of cricket, batsmen have been superior to bowlers and that is what many people leverage on when betting on cricket live Parimatch games. Back then, the aristocrats always batted, while the lowborn were always the bowlers. The batsmen were the game’s gentlemen, socially superior to the bowlers who did all the hard work.
The game rules favored the batsmen more and the bowlers less, so batsmen tend to have more heroes in the game than bowlers. Let’s look at why cricket is referred to as a batsman’s game.
Heroic Batting
Twenty20 cricket has created more fearless and heroic batsmen in cricket. In the days before T20, batsmen were more conservative and gentle in their approach to the game. As the game’s rules changed, winning demanded more risks and more runs from batsmen. Now more risks are taken with the bat, and batsmen have become more revered.
The IPL
It’s no news that the Indian Premier League revolutionized the game of cricket. The high expectations of a fast-paced league like the IPL and the high stakes involved in the tournament are other factors. It has made batters more conscious and desirous of making a huge impact on the game as quickly as possible.
Less-Challenging Bowlers
This cricket era has witnessed a surge of fantastic batsmen at home and abroad. However, as these batsmen record heroic feats and attain good status in cricket, bowlers have a little challenge. The absence of high-quality spinners has made the reign of batters go virtually unchallenged. Thus making the game become more and more a batsman game.
Favorable Batsman Rules
The cricket world has seen a surge of batsmen-friendly factors in the game. Flatter wickets, bigger bats, and more favorable rules have made the game less friendly to bowlers and have helped batsmen shine more in the game.
Who are the Most Prominent IPL Batsmen in History?
Every player wants to make a huge impact on his team. Batsmen in the IPL see the league as an opportunity to impact and leave a legacy. While some have been below average, others have written their name in gold in IPL history.
It’s not easy to narrow down to a few names in the IPL history as the most prominent batsmen ever. The reason is that many prominent batsmen have come and gone in the IPL and have recorded enormous feats.
Let’s take a look at some of the most prominent batsmen in IPL history, in no particular order;
Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina is an IPL legend. He is a left-handed batter who scored 5528 runs in 205 matches in the history of IPL. He is nicknamed Mr. IPL for his league records. Raina is one of the most consistent names in IPL and Indian cricket history. Raina retired from international cricket in August 2020 and later retired from the IPL.
David Warner
The Australian international started his career with Delhi Capitals and recorded an impressive performance in his final season with the franchise in 2013. Overall, he scored 5,881 runs in 162 matches at a strike rate of 140.7. His consistency has made him one of the greatest batsmen in IPL history.
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma is the only captain in IPL cricket history who has won five IPL titles. He is also the only player who has won six titles. Rohit “The Hitman” has captained Mumbai Indians to a record five IPL titles.
Chris Gayle
Gayle has had many outstanding feats as a player. He played with Kolkata Knight Riders for three seasons and later joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011.
Virat Kohli
Lastly, there’s Virat Kohli. Kohli is another prominent name in IPL history. He is the former captain of the Royal Challenger Bangalore and one of the best batsmen. He is the most popular run-scorer the IPL has produced and the first player to score five consecutive centuries.
Conclusion
The impact of the batsman in a cricket game cannot be overemphasized. The batsmen of the IPL are one of the reasons for the league’s prominence among other cricket leagues. They are loved and respected by fans and lovers of the game, and the IPL being the most-watched cricket league in the world gives batsmen more popularity and exposure.
