Sehwag to Shaw: Top five openers with highest strike rate in IPL history

The prominence of opening the batting and striking well is even more important given that both Kohli and Rohit are ageing openers, and their place in Indian squad for T20 World Cup 2024 is debatable

The strike rate has been the talk of the town ever since Virat Kohli smashed his eighth Indian Premier League century, which turned out to be the slowest in the league's history. With Rohit Sharma and Kohli clashing in IPL 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, April 11, the strike rate debate continues to dominate the Indian cricketing landscape.

Given that Kohli and Rohit are ageing openers, their effectiveness in striking the ball is of even greater significance. Their selection for the Indian team in the T20 World Cup 2024 remains a contentious issue among fans and selectors.

Since Rohit has been announced as the captain for the T20 mega event in the United States and West Indies in June 2024, it is Kohli who is under greater scrutiny compared to his successor as the leader of the Indian team in all formats.

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Here is the list of the top five batsmen with the highest strike rates as opening batsmen in IPL's history.

Virender Sehwag

In his 104 IPL matches since 2008, Sehwag, while representing Delhi Daredevils and Punjab Kings, scored 2,728 runs at a strike rate of 155.44 and an average of 27.55.

Chris Gayle

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Second on the list is the Jamaican powerhouse Chris Gayle. In his 142 league appearances for Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Punjab Kings, Gayle amassed 4,965 runs at a strike rate of 149.96 and an average of 39.77.

Yashasvi Jaiswal

India's promising opening star, Yashasvi Jaiswal, ranks third on the list of IPL openers with the highest strike rates. In his 42 matches for Rajasthan Royals, the left-handed batsman has scored 1,235 runs at a strike rate of 148.08 and an average of 30.12.
 

Jos Buttler
 

Buttler, Jaiswal's teammate at Rajasthan Royals, is fourth with a strike rate of 147.5. In his 101 matches, the England international has tallied 3,366 runs at an average of 37.82.

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Prithvi Shaw
 

Often compared to Sehwag, Prithvi Shaw has demonstrated his striking ability in the IPL as well. Playing for Delhi Capitals, Shaw has managed a strike rate of 146.68, scoring 1,813 runs in 74 matches at an average of 25.50.

Top five openers with highest strike rates in IPL history 
 

Player	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Avg	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s
Virender Sehwag	104	104	5	2728	122	27.55	1755	155.44	2	16	334	106
Chris Gayle	142	141	16	4965	175*	39.72	3333	148.96	6	31	405	357
Yashasvi Jaiswal	42	42	1	1235	124	30.12	834	148.08	1	8	155	49
Jos Buttler	101	100	11	3366	124	37.82	2282	147.5	6	19	332	153
Prithvi Shaw	74	74	0	1813	99	24.5	1236	146.68	0	14	222	61

Note: The list includes only those batsmen who have consistently opened the innings and scored at least 1,000 runs in that position.

Virat Kohli's Strike Rate as an Opener in IPL

Kohli, who leads this season's run-scorers with 316 runs in five innings, including a hundred and two fifties, has a strike rate of 146. Across his IPL career, in 103 innings as an opener for RCB, Kohli has struck at 136.16, averaging 45.66 for his 3,927 runs.

Virat Kohli's performance batting position wise in IPL

Batting Position	Inns	NO	100s	50s	0s	HS	Runs	Avg	S/R
Opening	103	17	8	28	4	113*	3927	45.66	136.26
No. 3	93	13	0	20	5	99	2815	35.19	123.79
No. 4	13	2	0	2	0	73	376	34.18	131.47
No. 5	8	1	0	0	0	38	173	24.71	111.61
No. 6	13	2	0	2	1	58	237	21.55	144.51
No. 7	4	1	0	0	0	37	51	17	124.39
Overall	234	36	8	52	10	113*	7579	38.28	130.63

Rohit Sharma's Strike Rate as an Opener in IPL

Rohit, though not in top form this season, is striving for improvement. In four matches, the former Mumbai captain has scored 118 runs, but his strike rate has been an impressive 171. Overall in the IPL, Rohit, having played 92 innings as an opener since 2008, has a strike rate of 130.40, amassing 2,449 runs. This is close to his career strike rate of 130.63.

Rohit Sharma's performance batting position wise in IPL

Batting Position	Inns	NO	100s	50s	0s	HS	Runs	Avg	S/R
Opening	92	5	0	14	6	98*	2449	28.15	130.4
No. 3	41	4	1	7	6	109*	920	24.86	130.5
No. 4	86	13	0	19	3	94	2392	32.77	128.67
No. 5	22	5	0	2	2	66	563	33.12	143.62
No. 6	1	1	0	0	0	5*	5		45.45
Overall	242	28	1	42	17	109*	6329	29.57	130.63