Rahane dominates, spinners take top spots

Ajinkya Rahane, the leading run-getter in IPL 2012, has taken both the first and third positions on the list of top IPL batting performances this season. Following an extension of the recent ESPNcricinfo analysis of IPL performances to include the matches played this season, Rahane's 103 off 60 balls in Bangalore finished comfortably on top. Rahane's teammate Owais Shah finished second for his 60 off 26 balls in the same game. 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. It is one of only three innings in chases to figure in the list of top-ten batting performances.

On the bowling front, spinners grabbed the first two spots. While Ravindra Jadeja came out on top for his 5 for 16 against Chargers, the talented Sunil Narine finished second for his spell of 5 for 19 against Kings XI Punjab. Two other notable bowling performances include Dale Steyn's outstanding 3 for 12 against Mumbai Indians and Muttiah Muralitharan's 3 for 21 in a high-scoring game in which Chennai Super Kings successfully chased down a huge target of 206.

1. 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 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).

2. 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 a strike rate of 230.76. In comparison, the rest of the batsmen scored at a strike rate of only 124.44.

3. Ajinkya Rahane: 98 off 66 v Kings XI Punjab, Jaipur
Rahane, in his first game of IPL 2012, scored 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.

4. 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 43 off just 18 balls with five 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).

5. Gautam Gambhir: 64 off 39 v Royal Challengers Bangalore, Bangalore
In a fairly low-scoring game (run-rate of 7.20), Gambhir's 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.

6. 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.

7.Kieron Pollard: 64 off 33 v Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai
Pollard, coming in at No.5, blasted 64 off 33 balls (strike rate 193.93) scoring 48 runs in boundaries and helped Mumbai Indians add 96 runs for the fourth wicket in just 52 balls. The other batsmen also did quite well in a high-scoring encounter (combined strike rate of 142.92) which Mumbai Indians won by 27 runs.

8. 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).

9. Richard Levi: 50 off 35 balls v Chennai Super Kings, Chennai
After dismissing Super Kings for 112, Mumbai Indians chased the target comfortably with the help of Levi's half-century. Levi scored at a strike rate of 142.85 in a low-scoring game where the rest of the batsmen managed to score at a strike rate of just 85.94.

10. AB de Villiers: 64 off 42 v Delhi Daredevils, Bangalore
De Villiers' knock helped Royal Challengers recover from early setbacks and post a competitive total. His strike rate of 152.38 during his 42-ball innings was well above the corresponding figure for the rest of the batsmen (111.11).

1. Ravindra Jadeja: 5 for 16 v Deccan Chargers, Visakhapatnam
Jadeja's performance helped Super Kings comfortably defend 193. His haul of five wickets included three batsmen in the top seven and his economy rate of 4.00 was also outstanding in a game where the overall run-rate was 8.39.

2. Sunil Narine: 5 for 19 v Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata
Narine, playing in his first IPL, ended with superb figures of 5 for 19 off his four overs as Knight Riders managed to restrict Kings XI to 134. His economy rate of 4.75 was impressive although the match was a low-scoring one (run-rate 6.65). However, his effort went in vain as Kings XI won a close game by two runs.

3. Dale Steyn: 3 for 12 v Mumbai Indians, Visakhapatnam
Steyn produced an excellent display of fast bowling dismissing the openers and returning later to remove Dinesh Karthik. However, Mumbai Indians, led by Rohit's 73 won off the last ball. Steyn's economy rate of 3.00 was exceptional in a game where the run-rate was 7.00.

4. Dimitri Mascarenhas: 5 for 25 v Pune Warriors, Mohali
Mascarenhas' spell of 5 for 25 helped Kings XI restrict Pune Warriors to just 115 and secure a seven-wicket win. Four of his five wickets were top-seven batsmen. His economy rate (6.25) was almost on par with the match run-rate of 6.30.

5. L Balaji: 4 for 18 v Royal Challengers Bangalore, Bangalore
L Balaji's spell of 4 for 18 proved crucial for Knight Riders as they successfully defended a total of 165. Not only were all four of Balaji's wickets those of top-seven batsmen, his economy rate of 4.50 was also excellent in the context of a game where the run-rate was 7.20.

6. Munaf Patel: 4 for 20 v Deccan Chargers, Visakhapatnam
Munaf produced an excellent performance to restrict Chargers to just 138. All four of Munaf's wickets were those of top-order (1-5) batsmen. His economy rate of 5.00 was also impressive in a game where the run-rate was 7.00.

7. Lasith Malinga: 2 for 13 v Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai
Malinga, the best bowler across the four seasons (2008-2011) according to ESPNcricinfo's analysis of bowling performances, returned at a critical juncture and dismissed the top scorer Shah and Johan Botha to end Royals' resistance. His economy rate of 3.25 stood out in a high-scoring game where the overall run-rate was 9.25.

8. Siddharth Trivedi: 4 for 25 v Royal Challengers Bangalore, Bangalore
After Pankaj Singh dismissed the openers, Trivedi ran through the middle order picking up the next four wickets to fall. Although his economy rate was 6.25, it was still much better in the context of the game where the run-rate was 8.31.

9. Muttiah Muralitharan: 3 for 21 v Chennai Super Kings, Chennai
In a game where both teams posted 200-plus scores, Muralitharan's economy rate of 5.25 was an excellent achievement. His performance also stood out because of the fact that he dismissed the top-three batsmen.

10. Kevon Cooper: 4 for 26 v Kings XI Punjab, Jaipur
Cooper's four-wicket haul helped Royals successfully defend their total of 191. Three of Cooper's wickets were among the top five batsmen. His economy rate of 6.50 was also an achievement in a game where the overall run-rate was 8.77.