IPL 2023: RR batter Yashasvi Jaiswal enters history books with his stunning strike rate

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh), May 20 (ANI): Young Rajasthan batter Yashasvi Jaiswal on Friday achieved a unique batting record, becoming the player with the fourth-highest strike rate in an Indian Premier League (IPL) season having a minimum of 600 runs.
He accomplished this feat during his side's IPL 2023 match against Punjab Kings at Dharamshala. In the match, he scored 50 off 36 balls. His knock consisted of eight fours and runs came at a strike rate of over 138.
With this, Jaiswal has scored a total of 625 runs in 14 matches at an average of 48.07. He has scored one century and five half-centuries this season, with the best score of 124. His runs have come at a strike rate of 163.61.
Let's have a look at the top three-strike rates in an IPL season by a player (min. 600 runs).
At the top of Chris Gayle, who scored 608 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2011 season at a strike rate of 183.13. He is followed by Rishabh Pant, who scored 684 runs at a strike rate of 173.6 for Delhi Capitals in 2018. It is followed by AB de Villiers, who scored 687 runs for RCB in IPL 2016 at a strike rate of 168.8.
After being put to bat first by RR, PBKS scored 187/5 in their 20 overs. They struggled against RR bowlers initially, losing their four wickets for just 50 runs in 6.3 overs. Then Jitesh Sharma (44 in 28 balls, with three fours and three sixes) and Sam Curran stitched a 64-run stand for the fifth wicket to bring PBKS back into the game. Then in death overs, Curran (49* in 31 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Shahrukh Khan (41* in 23 balls, four boundaries and two sixes) joined forces to up the run rate, taking PBKS to a competitive total. They scored 46 runs in the final two overs.
Navdeep Saini (3/40) was the pick of the bowlers for RR. Trent Boult and Adam Zampa took a wicket each.
In the chase of 188, RR lost Jos Buttler early for a duck, his fifth this season. Then Yashasvi Jaiswal (50 in 36 balls, with eight fours) and Devdutt Padikkal (51 in 30 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) stitched a 73-run stand for the second wicket, helping RR fight back.
Later on, cameos from Shimron Hetmyer (46 in 28 balls, four boundaries and three sixes), Riyan Parag (20 in 12 balls, with one four and two sixes) and Dhruv Jurel (10* in four balls) helped RR clinch a last-over thriller win by four wickets.
Kagiso Rabada (2/40) was the pick of the bowlers for PBKS. Sam Curran, Nathan Ellis, Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep Singh took a wicket each.
Padikkal got the 'Player of the Match' award for his fifty.
With this, RR is in the fifth spot in the points table with seven wins and seven losses. They have a total of 14 points. They can still climb up to the top four spots if Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lose their last match against Gujarat Titans by a huge margin and Mumbai Indians lose their last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad too.
PBKS's IPL 2023 campaign is over. They end in the eighth position with six wins and eight losses. They have a total of 12 points. (ANI)