The finest death overs batsmen in IPL

LONDON: The death overs are where the magic of T20 happens. All the six-hitting intensity of the game is condensed, most obviously and clearly, into the final overs of the innings. The contest is bowler v batsman in its simplest, most brutal possible manner, the latter trying to slam the former right out of the ground. As a batsman, you have to be the highest quality possible; as a bowler, you may have to be even better.

We looked at all 33 batsmen to bat 10 times at the death across the last two seasons to try and find out who gets their teams to the biggest totals.

Just keep hitting

In simple terms, death batting is about run rate—scoring the most runs in the fewest number of balls, with essentially zero regard for your wicket. The undisputed king of this is Andre Russell. The Jamaican scores at 14.7rpo in the death overs of IPL matches over the last two seasons, a strike rate of 245. The next best, AB de Villiers, manages a run rate of 14.2rpo (strike rate 236). When you’re a decent chunk better at something than ABD, you’re doing something right. The fastest scoring Indian at the death has been Rishabh Pant, the Delhi Capitals captain charging along at 12.9rpo (strike rate 215). He just beats out Dinesh Karthik for that fastest Indian title, the former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper going at 12.2rpo (strike rate 203) with his scoops and flicks, a nice contrast to the power of Pant and Russell.

This is very much the established, elite group when it comes to death over batting, and as we look at the different measurements one can use to assess performance, there is little change. Boundaries are the most important component of death over scoring, and nobody hits more of them than Russell, de Villiers, and Pant. The KKR legend hits a boundary 41% of the time in the final phase of the innings, a terrifying record that stands a distance apart from de Villiers in second, who can ‘only’ manage 34%. Pant is hot on the South African’s heels with 33%, once more just a dash ahead of Karthik in fourth. The best hitters are the guys who can find, and clear, the boundary ropes as frequently as possible.

Six, six, six

Of course, one of those two boundary options is more preferable. Six-hitting is the most valuable commodity in T20 batting and the guys we’re discussing all have that in abundance; though once again, one man stands atop the ranking list with aplomb. In the death overs across the last two seasons, Russell hits a six every four balls. When you’re hitting sixes that frequently, everything else is going to slot into place, you’d think. The next best in this regard is once again de Villiers, managing a six every five deliveries, ahead of new faces Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya following in hot pursuit with a six every six and seven deliveries, respectively.

There’s only one man for the job here: Andre Russell is the best death over hitter in the IPL. He scores quicker, hits more boundaries, and hits more sixes, than every other batsman on the planet.