IPL 2023: Top 5 batters to watch out for this season

IPL 2023: Top 5 batters to watch out for this season. Jos Buttler, Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis and Shikhar Dhawan make to the list.

Buttler scored 863 runs in IPL 2022 from 17 games (Images: ©BCCI/IPL)

With every passing year, India’s cash-rich T20 League is getting bigger and better. Over the last 15 years, the Indian Premier League has provided opportunities for national and international players to showcase and hone their talent.

So, ahead of the start of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, here is a look at five batters who are likely to take centrestage.

Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals)

Jos Buttler doesn’t need any introduction. He is one of the greatest white ball cricketers of all time. England’s white-ball captain has always performed extraordinarily well for his franchise, Rajasthan Royals. Buttler destroys the opposition bowling attack ruthlessly with his graceful shots over long-on and ramp shots over the wicketkeeper.

Buttler opens the batting for RR and takes his team off to great starts. He won the Orange Cap in IPL 2022. He played a total of 17 matches last year in the IPL, and scored 863 runs including four centuries and four half-centuries to take Rajasthan Royals to the final.

Buttler started his IPL career back in 2016 with Mumbai Indians, and since then he has played a total of 82 matches and has scored 2831 runs with a strike rate of 149.71. His statistics speak for him. His aggressive batting makes the opposition do hard work to get him out. He will definitely be a game changer for RR and a batter to look out for in the tournament.

IPL Batting stats

Year	Mat	Runs	HS	50s/100s	Avg	SR
IPL Career	82	2831	124	15/5	39.87	149.71
IPL 2022	17	863	116	4/4	57.53	149.05

Read More: IPL 2023: Top 5 bowlers to watch out for this season

KL Rahul scored 616 runs from 15 games in IPL 2022 (Images ©IPL/Twitter)

KL Rahul (LSG)

KL Rahul has been a pillar for India across formats. There are very few players who can match the consistency of KL Rahul in IPL. His batting in IPL has been phenomenal in every season he has played, especially in the last five IPL seasons he has scored more than 600 runs each year.

Rahul started his IPL journey with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2013 but the right-handed batter didn’t get many opportunities to showcase his talent then.

In recent times, after playing for four years for Punjab Kings, Rahul was bought by the new franchise Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2022 mega-auction for a whopping INR 17 crore.

Leading the new franchise, he took his team to the Playoffs with nine victories in 14 matches. Rahul became the second-highest run-getter in the league with 616 runs in 15 matches, which included two centuries and four half-centuries.

Year	Mat	Runs	HS	50s/100s	Avg	SR
IPL Career	109	3889	132*	31/4	48.01	136.22
IPL 2022	15	616	103*	4/2	55.33	135.38

Read More: IPL 2023: The Top 5 young players to watch out for!

Faf de Plessis scored 468 runs in IPL 2022 (Images: ©IPL/Twitter)

Faf du Plessis (RCB)

The South African cricketer Faf du Plessis has etched his name with golden letters in IPL with his calm and composed batting skills, his athleticism in the field and his cool leadership qualities.

Du Plessis made his IPL debut in 2012 for Chennai Super Kings; in his first IPL match only he made a big impact scoring an unbeaten 71 runs off just 46 balls to help CSK chase down a target of 166 runs against Deccan Chargers, and quickly became a mainstay in the CSK team.

Du Plessis was bought by RCB for INR 7 crore at the IPL 2022 mega-auction. In March 2022, the former RCB captain, Virat Kohli announced that he will step down as a skipper and passed on the baton to Du Plessis. Last year, the South African veteran played a total of 16 matches, and scored 468 runs, including four half-centuries. His strike rate was 127.52 throughout the tournament.

Year	Mat	Runs	HS	50s/100s	Avg	SR
IPL Career	116	3403	96	25/0	34.37	130.58
IPL 2022	16	468	96	4/0	31.20	127.52

Read More: IPL 2023: RCB Squad Analysis: Can they make it to the play-offs for the fourth straight time?

Shikhar Dhawan scored 460 runs in IPL 2022 (Images ©IPL/Twitter)

Shikhar Dhawan (PBKS)

India’s stalwart batter Shikhar Dhawan has been the backbone of IPL for the last 14 years. From time to time, he has delivered some spectacular performances for his team. He has played for five franchises in the league, and has developed the reputation as the most consistent batter in the league.

True to his nickname “Gabbar”, he is the second-highest run-getter in the history of IPL with 6244 runs with the help of two hundreds and 47 half-centuries.

In Tata IPL 2022 mega auction, Dhawan was bought by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for INR 8.25 crore. He scored 460 runs with a strike rate of 122 and above.

Year	Mat	Runs	HS	50s/100s	Avg	SR
IPL Career	206	6244	106*	47/2	35.08	126.36
IPL 2022	16	460	88*	3/0	38.33	122.67

Read More: IPL 2023: Short named replacement for ‘irreplaceable’ Bairstow; PBKS will miss enforcer in top-order

Quinton de Kock scored 508 runs in IPL 2022 (Images ©IPL/Twitter)

Quinton de Kock (LSG)

Quinton de Kock's fearless batting and significant role with gloves has earned him a place among the best wicketkeepers in the world along with some greats like Adam Gilchrist, Mark Boucher and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

De Kock is a part of the LSG team after the franchise bought him for INR 6.75 crore in IPL 2022 mega-auction. The left-handed batter is famous for his explosive hitting and scoring quick runs. In IPL 2022, De Kock scored an unbeaten 140 runs off 70 deliveries with the help of 10 fours and 10 sixes at a strike rate of 200 against Kolkata Knight Riders which helped LSG post a massive score of 210 in 20 overs. The 210-run stand he had with Rahul was the highest opening partnership in the history of IPL.

De Kock was the third highest run getter in IPL 2022. In a total of 15 matches, he scored 508 runs with a strike rate of 148 plus.

Year	Mat	Runs	HS	50s/100s	Avg	SR
IPL Career	92	2764	140*	19/2	32.14	133.91
IPL 2022	15	508	140*	3/1	36.29	148.97

The opening match of this year’s IPL will see defending champions Gujarat Titans take on four-time winners Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 31. A total of 12 venues will host the matches over a period of two months, and these matches will take place in their original home-and-away format.

Read More: IPL 2023: Lucknow Super Giants Squad Analysis: Opening combination & bowling attack big pluses