5 IPL players who need to increase strike rate in T20 World Cup 2021

The ICC T20 World Cup is about to begin on October 17 in Oman and UAE. This shortest format of the game is undoubtedly the most exciting as well as unpredictable. It is also heavily loaded in favor of the batters as reverse hits, unorthodox stroke play, and a fearless brand of cricket are predominantly seen. Over the past few years, with advent of heavier bats, the game has become heavily skewed in favor of the batters.

The bowlers are doing their bit to be as inventive by bowling knuckleballs, off cutters, and slower balls, but with more and more flat pitches, the batters are having relatively an easier time. So this year’s T20 World Cup also promises to deliver good scores. The grounds in UAE are also comparatively smaller than some other cricketing grounds, and this might make the batters attack from the onset.

During the ongoing IPL also, we saw few players like Glenn Maxwell, KL Rahul, and Faf du Plessis attack from word go, but few players also struggled to get off the blocks quickly. Players like Eoin Morgan, Virat Kohli got starts but to failed to convert it into something substantial. By scoring runs at a lower strike rate, these players put pressure on the remaining batters.

Here are few players from the IPL, who would want to increase their strike rate a bit during the T20 World Cup

1.  Steve Smith

It is pretty strange to see Steve Smith’s name on this list but those who have followed him closely, especially in the white-ball formats, know that he likes to play the anchor role and then like to play his shots. Smith has been following this template for quite a few years and kind of plays the role of Joe Root for Australia in the ODIs and T20Is.

Sometimes this method pays off when the team loses three or four wickets early but at times it doesn’t because the team has got a brisk start and the incoming batter has to attack from the word go. During this year’s IPL while playing for Delhi Capitals (DC), Smith’s strike rate was just 112.59 in the eight games. He predominantly came in at number three and failed to play the big shots.

There is no doubting Smith’s class as a player and his contributions for Australia during crunch games, but the management as well the Smith himself would know how scoring briskly can put pressure onto the opposition.

2. Rohit Sharma

It was not a typical blistering outing for Rohit Sharma as the skipper and player for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL. The skipper’s failure in scoring runs put constant pressure on the middle and lower order batters. The skipper had scored only 351 in 14 games with only one fifty. His indifferent form culminated in MI not posting huge scores during the league stage.

Rohit’s runs came at a comparatively low strike rate of 127.42. It is surprising because the elegant right-hand batter gets his eye in and then starts to take on the bowlers. But this year, the fluency as well attacking play for MI was missing.

The T20I vice-captain’s indifferent form might start to worry the Indian management. Rohit Sharma is one of the vital players in the top order, and his brisk starts majorly contribute to the winning cause. So the 34-year-old would be hoping to strike big.

3. Eoin Morgan

England and KKR skipper Eoin Morgan is having a season to forget in the ongoing IPL. As a leader he has led the team to the playoffs after two years, but as a batter, he has failed to impress. In 14 matches that he has played so far, the southpaw has scored only 124 runs at a dismal average of 12.40. Coming in at the closing stages of the innings, Morgan has not been able to close the games.

His strike rate during these matches is just 102.47. It is clear that the teams are bowling short to him and are not giving him width or pitching it up. The poor-looking strike rate just ahead of the T20 World Cup does not augur well for the England team. Also, with the team already without Ben Stokes and Sam Curran, Morgan’s role becomes even more important in scoring the runs briskly.

4. Chris Gayle

The leading run-getter in the T20 cricket and the biggest six-hitter Chris Gayle was not in his elements during this year’s IPL for PBKS. The seasoned campaigner also follows the same template as Rohit Sharma and Smith and likes to take some time before launching it out of the park. Over the years, this method has seen him break records fun and smash the best bowlers out of the park.

This year he had a poor season in the IPL as he scored only 193 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 125.32, 23 points lower than his all-time IPL strike rate of 148.96. The southpaw scored only eight sixes and tells some story about how Gayle likes to play the T20 format. For PBKS, he batted at number three and was in the team to play the anchor role. The West Indian failed to do that during this year’s IPL.

With the T20 World just around the corner, the Caribbean fans would be hoping that he gets back among his six-hitting ways.

5. Virat Kohli

Cricketer-turned-expert Gautam Gambhir said that RCB skipper Virat Kohli can’t play aggressively because that is just not his natural game. Gambhir is right over here as the 32-year-old likes to bat through the innings. As Dinesh Karthik said he ‘starts like a Corolla but finishes as a Ferrari’. Kohli’s Midas touch for RCB while making runs this year is missing. The skipper promised to open the batting with Devdutt Padikkal, and he has done that.

Kohli has scored 306 runs in 14 games at a modest strike rate of 119.60. His career strike rate is 130.02. The RCB skipper has only posted three fifty-plus scores and that is very less compared to runs he churns out each season. It has been a frustrating year for the batter, who likes to take on the opposition. It is still not clear whether Kohli would open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma, but one thing is certain that he needs to work on the strike rate.