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Hyderabad: The ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) is turning out to be more interesting where 220 or 230 runs is looking too hard to defend with the opening batters playing well. The opening batters play a crucial role in helping their team to put up a good total or chasing a big total. Opening batters can relieve the pressure of the whole team if they fire well like the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Lucknow Super Giants where the SRH's opening batters Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma chased the target of 165 under 10 overs.
Let's look at the Top Five batters with most runs as opener
Shikhar Dhawan
Punjab Kings Captain Shikhar Dhawan is the top run-scorer in the opening position. He scored 6,362 runs in 202 matches and has strike rate of 128.11. He has 47 half-centuries and two tons to his name. Dhawan is the only batter who have opened more than 165 times in the IPL.
David Warner
The explosive opener is the second highest run getter as opener with 5,909 runs. He has a strike rate of 140.85 with 4 centuries and 56 fifties. Warner is the only batter to win the Orange cap three times in the IPL.
Chris Gayle
The universal boss stands third in the list. He scored 4,480 runs and has strike rate of 151.40. Gayle has 6 tons and 28 fifties to his name.
Virat Kohli
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Virat Kohli stands fourth in the list. He has hit 4,153 runs as an opener with a strike rate of 136.97 in 109 innings. He has 8 tons and 30 fifties as an opener.
KL Rahul
Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul achieved the feat of reaching the fastest 4,000 runs in IPL as an opener. Rahul scored 4,123 runs in 97 innings with a strike rate of 136.93 with 4 tons and 34 fifties under his belt.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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