Riyan, Abhishek, Jurel make T20I debuts following dream IPL season
India won the toss and elected to bowl in the opening T20I against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club. As many as three Indians make their T20I debuts as Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel received their maiden caps. Notably, these stars have been rewarded for their stellar campaigns in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). Let's decode their stats in the season.
Highest scorer for RR in IPL 2024
Playing for Rajasthan Royals, Riyan finished IPL 2024 with 573 runs from 16 matches (14 innings) at 52.09. He struck at 149.21. The stylish batter hit four fifties. It was the second-best tally after Sanju Samson (5). He was one of the three RR batters with 40-plus fours (40). Parag smashed the most sixes for RR (33).
Do you know?
Riyan's tally of 573 runs is the most for a player batting at four or lower in an IPL season. He went past Rishabh Pant's tally of 547 runs in 2018. This was also the first occasion of two non-openers from a team scoring over 500 runs in an edition. His teammate and captain Samson (531 at 48.27) also enjoyed his most prolific season.
Highest strike rate in IPL 2024
Abhishek formed a formidable opening pair with Travis Head for Sunrisers Hyderabad. The southpaw scored 484 runs at 32.27 as his strike rate (204.22) was the best among batters with 350-plus runs. He struck three fifties. Abhishek smashed the most sixes this season (42). No other Indian has tallied even 40 maximums in an IPL edition. He compiled 36 fours as well.
Two IPL fifties for Jurel
Riyan's RR teammate Jurel was the designated finisher of the team. He, however, didn't receive many opportunities. He returned with 195 runs across 11 innings at 24.37 as his strike rate read 138.29. Both his IPL fifties came in the 2024 season. Notably, Jurel has already played Tests for India, clobbering 190 runs across three matches at 63.33.
Decoding overall T20 stats of the debutants
Riyan overall boasts 2,616 runs across 114 T20 matches at 33.11 (SR: 143.65). He has smoked 22 fifties. Abhishek has scored 2,671 runs in 101 T20 games at 30.01. His strike rate is an impressive 153.59 (100s: 3, 50s: 16). Jurel owns 439 runs in 38 T20s at 21.95. He strikes at 137.61 in the format (50s: 2).
