T20 cricket is all about posting huge totals while batting at a good scoring rate. So teams also prefer to have batters who score runs at staggering strike rates.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a closely contested tournament where teams look to have quality batters who can accelerate run-scoring in different phases of the game.
Over the years, we have seen many batters amaze everyone with their attacking playing style. These batters have scored runs at impressive strike rates, providing their team an edge over the opponents.
On that note, we’ll look at the top 10 batters with the highest strike rates in IPL history. (Note: We have considered the batters who have faced 500 or more balls in the league.)
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10. Shimron Hetmyer – 153.07
Shimron Hetmyer is an audacious stroke player in T20 cricket. The left-hand batter has shown a glimpse of his power-hitting in the IPL.
Hetmyer boasts a strike rate of 153.07 while plundering 1243 runs off 812 balls in 66 innings.
9. Abhishek Sharma – 155.24
Abhishek Sharma has lit up the IPL for the last three seasons. He has been providing rocketing starts to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the league since 2022.
The franchise signed him in 2019, though he didn’t put up any worthy performances for three seasons. But SRH persisted with him, and now he has started to deliver with astronomical strike rates.
The left-hand batter has scored 1377 runs at a strike rate of 155.24 while playing 887 balls in 61 innings.
8. Virender Sehwag – 155.55
It’s been almost a decade since Virender Sehwag last played in the IPL. But the explosive opener still makes the list of the batters with the highest strike rates.
Sehwag often provided brisk starts to Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab, striking at a rate of 155.55. What’s remarkable about him is he struck above 140 in six out of his eight IPL seasons.
Sehwag retired from the league with 2728 runs in 104 matches, including two centuries and 16 fifties.
7. Glenn Maxwell – 156.83
Glenn Maxwell’s attacking cricket needs no introduction. He is an audacious hitter known for producing quick-fire knocks.
The Australian has on many occasions shown his batting mastery for Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Maxwell has a strike rate of 156.83 while amassing 2771 runs (1768 balls faced) in 129 innings.
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6. Rajat Patidar – 158.84
Since the last few seasons, Rajat Patidar has emerged as a clean striker of the ball for RCB. He first impressed with his unbeaten knock of 112 runs against Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 eliminator.
Thus far, Patidar has scored 799 runs at a strike rate of 158.84 while facing 503 deliveries in 24 innings.
5. Nicholas Pooran – 162.29
Nicholas Pooran is a hot commodity in the T20 circuit thanks to his ferocious batting skills. And the IPL is no different.
The Trinidadian has displayed his hitting abilities in the IPL, recording the fifth-highest strike rate. Pooran has amassed 1769 runs in 73 innings at a strike rate of 162.29 (1090 balls faced).
4. Liam Livingstone – 162.45
Liam Livingstone has the fourth-highest strike rate in IPL history. The English all-rounder has a strike rate of 162.45 while scoring 939 runs in 39 innings.
He starred for Punjab Kings in 2022 as he hammered 437 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 182.08. However, Livingstone hasn’t been quite able to replicate that in the following seasons.
3. Sunil Narine – 165.83
Don’t be surprised with this name on this list. Sunil Narine has the third-highest strike rate in the IPL.
Narine is primarily an off-spinner. But he got to unleash his pinch-hitting skills with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
The team has sent him to open the innings, often providing fiery starts with his pinch-hitting. Thanks to that, Narine has scored 1534 runs at a strike rate of 165.83 while facing 925 balls in 110 innings.
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2. Heinrich Klaasen – 168.30
Heinrich Klaasen has the second-highest batting strike rate in IPL history. He has been a different batter since returning to the league in 2023.
Klaasen’s first two seasons in 2018 and 2019 were pretty below average. But SRH signed him for the 2023 season, where he showcased his aggressive hitting.
The South African batter has scored 993 runs at a strike rate of 168.30 while playing 590 balls in 32 IPL innings.
1. Andre Russell – 174.92
Andre Russell holds the record for scoring runs at the highest strike rate in IPL history. The Caribbean all-rounder has a strike rate of 174.92 in 105 innings.
Russell uses his power-hitting skills while batting lower down the order and delivers impactful knocks. Ever since he moved to KKR in 2014, he has been one of their top performers.
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Russell has accumulated 2482 runs at a strike rate of 174.92 while facing 1420 deliveries in the IPL.
