Rahane,KP dazzle in IPL

Dilanka MANNAKKARA

Ajinkya Rahane, the leading run-getter in IPL 2012 with 304 runs to his name is prominent in the best batting performances in the IPl.However it is the flamboyant Kevin Pietersen who steals the limelight with a jaw dropping 103 of just 63 balls against the bottom ranked Deccan Chargers.

Rahane leads the list with a clear lead over fellow team mate Owais Shah who also has been in blistering form.Rahane also was the first to reach a century in the IPL and missed another by a whisker when he scored a marvelous 98 against Kings 11 Punjab.

Owais Shah also feature sin the top batting performances in the IPL 2012 twice with a whirlwind 60 of 26 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore and a magnificent 76 of 42 balls against Mumbai Indians.A stand-out performance in the top ten is Rohit Sharma's 73 against Deccan Chargers - a knock during which he hit a last-ball six to win the game for Mumbai Indians.

Top batting performances in IPL 2012

Kevin Pietersen : 103 of 63 v Deccan Chargers,Delhi

Chasing a stiff total of 157,KP had to take charge and fight his way in his own as the Delhi Daredevils lost their big guns Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardena and Ross Taylor cheaply.Kp despite being dropped on 6,maximized on the opportunity and played the innings of the IPl has he dominated the bowling with brute strength,flair and pure timing.Kp hammered nine huge sixes and six fours and scored his hundred of a lovely six over the bowlers head to win the game as well.

Ajinkya Rahane: 103 off 60 v Royal Challengers Bangalore, Bangalore

Rahane had missed out on a century earlier in the tournament falling for 98 against Kings XI. But this time, on an excellent pitch, he scored his brilliant century off 58 balls. His strike rate of 171.66 was far superior to the combined strike rate of the other batsmen in the game (122.34).

Owais Shah: 60 off 26 v Royal Challengers Bangalore, Bangalore

Shah came in at 62 for 1 and along with Rahane, added 121 runs for the second wicket in just 50 balls. Shah scored his 60 off 26 balls at an amazing strike rate of 230.76. In comparison, the rest of the batsmen scored at a strike rate of only 124.44.

Ajinkya Rahane: 98 off 66 v Kings XI Punjab, Jaipur

Rahane, in his first game of IPL 2012, scored a blistering 98 off just 66 balls at a strike rate of 148.48. The knock enabled Royals to register a comfortable 31-run win. In contrast to Rahane, the other batsmen managed a combined strike rate of 131.03.

Dwayne Bravo: 43 off 18 v Deccan Chargers, Visakhapatnam

Bravo came in at No.7 with the score at 120 in 14.5 overs. He scored a cameo 43 off just 18 balls with five huge sixes and helped Super Kings add 73 runs off the last 31 balls. His strike rate of 238.88 is nearly twice the strike rate of the rest of the batsmen in the game (123.90).

Gautam Gambhir: 64 off 39 v Royal Challengers Bangalore, Bangalore

In a fairly low-scoring game (run-rate of 7.20), Gambhir's dazzling 64 off 39 balls (strike rate of 164.10) proved to be the difference and set up a 42-run win for Kolkata Knight Riders. In sharp contrast, the combined strike rate of the remaining batsmen in the game was just 103.48.

Rohit Sharma: 73 off 50 v Deccan Chargers, Visakhapatnam

Rohit's superb knock of 73 off just 50 balls (strike rate 146.00) helped Mumbai Indians snatch a last-ball win against Chargers.

The rest of the batsmen managed a combined strike rate of 104.21.

Owais Shah: 76 off 42 v Mumbai Indians, Mumbai

Faced with a huge target of 198, Royals were struggling at 7 for 2 when Shah came in to bat.

He scored 76 off just 42 balls with fifty runs in boundaries but his dismissal ended Royals' chances. Although Shah had a high strike rate (180.95), the strike rate of the other batsmen in the game was quite high too (143.36).