Sanju Samson scored an unbeaten 92 against Royal Challengers Bangalore© BCCI
The 11th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has already witnessed many memorable performances. When it comes to the IPL, the batsmen are the ones who enjoy their outings the most as they score freely and at will. The cash-rich league, with the platform it provides, has given an avenue to both the old and new players to display fearless and smart cricket. While Week One of the IPL did not see the likes of Virat Kohli, Chris Lynn, Chris Gayle and others really rise to the occasion, promising youngsters made their mark in the tournament by announcing themselves in style. Here is a look at the top five batsmen at end of week one.
Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals):
Sanju Samson has always been a fearless cricketer and his stats are a testimony to it. Samson has taken the league by storm with his hitting prowess and is the front-runner for the highest run-getter of the tournament.
The young cricketer from Kerala sits atop the run scorers' table with 178 runs from three matches, highest being a sensational unbeaten 92 against Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 15. Till now, the right-handed batsman has hit nine boundaries and six sixes.
KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab):
KL Rahul announced his arrival in style by hitting the fastest IPL fifty just off 14 balls in the match against Delhi Daredevils on April 8. With this feat, Rahul surpassed Sunil Narine and Yusuf Pathan's record of scoring fifties in 15 balls each. With 135 runs under his belt, Rahul displays a strike rate of 198.52, including 15 boundaries and eight sixes.
While his highest score of the tournament after three matches stands at 52, he will leave no stones unturned to better his runs column.
India opener Shikhar Dhawan has always been among the run-getters irrespective of the format of the game. However, he has a special love towards the shorter format of the game and never fails to make his presence felt.