File picture of Royal Challengers Bangalore bowler Harshal Patel, who now has 100 wickets in the Indian Premier League
| Photo Credit: PTI
India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) pacer Harshal Patel completed 100 wickets in his Indian Premier League (IPL) career on Monday, while his South African RCB teammate Faf Du Plessis completed 300 sixes in T20 cricket.
The pair crossed their respective milestones during their side’s IPL 2023 match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the home arena of M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
In the match. Harshal leaked 35 runs in his first two overs, with Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran attacking him. But he made a comeback in his last two overs, taking two wickets and giving away only 13 runs. However, his efforts were not enough to win the game for his side.
Since his IPL debut in 2012, Harshal has represented Delhi Capitals (formerly known as Delhi Daredevils) and RCB. In 81 matches, he has taken 101 wickets at an average of 23.23 and an economy rate of 8.52. His best bowling figures in IPL are 5/27.
The pacer had his most successful season in 2021, which saw him take 32 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 14.34 and an economy rate of 8.14. His best bowling figures in that season were 5/27. He walked away with the ‘Purple Cap’, an honour given to bowlers for taking the most scalps in an IPL season.
Notably, the top-five wicket-takers in IPL history are Dwayne Bravo (183 wickets), Yuzvendra Chahal (174 wickets), Lasith Malinga (170 wickets), Amit Mishra (169 wickets) and Ravichandran Ashwin (161 wickets).
Faf’s 5 sixes
During the RCB vs LSG match, Faf struggled initially but smashed quick runs in the second half of the innings. He ended at an unbeaten 79 off 46 balls, consisting of five fours and five sixes.
RCB’s Faf du Plessis, plays a shot during Indian Premier League 2023 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG on April 10, 2023
| Photo Credit:
MURALI KUMAR K.
These five sixes took his six count in T20s to 301.
The top-five six hitters in T20 cricket are West Indies legend Chris Gayle (1,056 sixes), former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard (812), West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell (589 sixes), former New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Brendon McCullum (485 sixes) and New Zealand’s Colin Munro (480 sixes).
Rohit Sharma (462 sixes), Virat Kohli (360 sixes), Suresh Raina (325 sixes), KL Rahul (289 sixes) and Robin Uthappa (267 sixes) are some of the Indian players on the list as well.