Top 10 Players with Highest Strike Rate in IPL

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has made its name in the past few years and is one of the best T20 leagues in the world. There are some other leagues like the Big Bash League (BBL) and the SA20, but the charm of the IPL is something different. Players from all around the world participate in the tournament and showcase their talent in front of the viewers. Well, they also use their performance in the IPL to knock on the doors of the selection committee members.

This time, the 18th season of the IPL is set to start on March 22, between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). It will be a contesting game as both teams have some solid players after the mega auction. Also, KKR will look to defend their title this year. They won their third title after a ten-year gap. Well, there are other teams as well who will be having their eyes on the trophy. One of them is Mumbai Indians (MI), who haven’t won a trophy since 2020. Under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya, the franchise will look forward to getting back in form in the upcoming tournament.

Well, IPL has become famous for strikers like Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head who like to go after the bowler from the first ball of the game. But before them, there were some great players like Andre Russell and Glenn Maxwell, who were just brilliant with the bat and maintained a good strike rate. This article will focus on the batters who have an excellent strike-rate in the IPL.

10. Shimrom Hetmyer

West Indies’ batter Shimron Hetmyer played with the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the IPL for quite a long time. The player is famous for hitting the balls out of the park frequently. Moreover, if we talk about his strike-rate in the tournament, in 57 games, he has scored 1131 runs, at a strike-rate of 152.22, which is just outstanding. Hence, it wouldn’t be wrong to call him one of the best strikers of the ball in the shortest format of the game.

9. Chris Morris

South Africa’s Chris Morris is another best all-rounder who played for many teams including RR and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL. Whenever he came to bat, it was sure that he would hit a couple of maximums and frighten the bowler. While his scores aren’t high since he was a lower-middle order batter, his strike rate is better than Hetmyer. Morris played in 51 games and scored just 618 runs at a strike-rate of 155.28. There were many games which he won for the teams he was in, even without the support of a regular batter from the other end.

8. Virender Sehwag

The cricket community is aware of what Virender Sehwag has achieved in his career. He was one of the best openers India ever had. But in the IPL, he had a different aura. He played for teams like Delhi Daredevils (DD) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and scored 2728 runs in 104 games. Indeed, he has also slammed a century in the tournament. Interestingly, his strike rate in the league is 155.44. He was a brilliant batter and his former teams are surely missing his presence.

7. Nicholas Pooran

Another West Indies batter who is loved by the Indian crowd is Nicholas Pooran because he keeps them entertained in the Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, where the strike rate of any batter drips consequently. The pitches mostly favour the bowlers more, which restricts the batters from scoring more runs, even during the powerplays. In such harsh conditions, Pooran has managed to maintain his strike-rate to 156.79, better than Sehwag. Pooran played for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the previous tournament and was retained by the franchise.

6. Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell, the Australian all-rounder, has created a different fan base in India due to his game. The IPL game gave him a stage to showcase his talent and he used the opportunity well. Every cricket fan remembers the 2014 season where Maxwell wreaked havoc on the bowlers throughout the tournament. He was with the KXIP at that time. Even after playing over 100+ games, his strike-rate hasn’t dropped even a bit, which speaks volumes about the player. In 120 games, the batter has scored 2719 runs, at a strike-rate of 157.62.

5. Jitesh Sharma

Jitesh Sharma is a talented batter, who is known for hitting huge sixes against some of the best bowlers in the league. He played for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and now is with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the upcoming tournament. He hasn’t played a lot of the game yet, but in 24 matches, he has shown the world what he is capable of. His strike-rate is 159.24, which is just amazing.

4. Sunil Narine

The promotion of Sunil Narine from lower-middle order batter to an opener helped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) get an astounding batter in the top-order. Narine’s batting performance went up instantly, helping KKR win games. Indeed, his contributions with the bat in the previous season were one of the main reasons behind KKR’s victory in the finals. His strike-rate in 96 games is 159.69 and he has scored 1046 runs.

3. Liam Livingstone

England’s Liam Livingstone is another beautiful yet dangerous batter in the tournament who has a strike-rate of 165.60 in 32 games. While the player hasn’t played many games, he was with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the previous season of the IPL but RCB bought him in the mega auction 2024. Now, he will wear the red jersey and slam the bowlers for huge sixes at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The ground is already short, which will give him an upper hand.

2. Heinrich Klaasen

Playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the tournament, Heinrich Klaasen is relatively new but has spread his terror among the bowlers with his boundaries and maximums. He is someone who loves to take on the bowlers from the very first ball. In 17 games, his strike-rate is 165.81. He has quite certainly strengthened the SRH batting line-up in the middle-order, helping them to reach high scores in the tournament. His presence in the upcoming season will be intriguing to watch.

1. Andre Russell

KKR’s Andre Russell, popularly known as ‘Russell-Muscle’, has the highest strike-rate in the tournament so far. Undoubtedly one of the best all-rounders in the tournament, Russell has been famous for his batting in the middle-overs. He has recused KKR from difficult situations multiple times and hence, the team has always shown confidence in him and retained him. He has played 96 games and has scored 2262 runs at a strike-rate of 174. He is an inspiration to many young batters who are starting their careers in cricket.

Top 10 Highest Strike Rate in IPL History