Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and David Miller
New Delhi: Chasing batting is widely considered one of the toughest tasks in cricket, and those who excel under pressure are often considered among the best in the world. One of the first names that comes to mind when discussing chases is none other than ‘chase manager’ Virat Kohli. The Indian talisman has won many matches single-handedly while chasing down and amassing a mountain of runs.The Indian Premier League is no exception, with Kohli leading the tally for most runs chased in the league, with 4,027 runs from 125 innings. This is just under 50% of his record 8,758 IPL runs. However, in terms of best average during the chase, Kohli does not even feature in the top five among the 231 batsmen who have batted at least 10 overs in the chase. In fact, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru star ranks 10th with an average of 41.51.David Miller, who has been in the spotlight since Wednesday night after his refusal to bowl the penultimate ball resulted in Delhi Capitals losing by one run to Gujarat Titans, tops this elite list.
Despite that costly moment, Miller’s reputation as a finisher remains intact, and his numbers underline his dominance in chases.Miller scored 1,816 runs in 67 innings at an impressive average of 49.08, with a strike rate of 142.54, including 12 fifties and a century.His DC teammate KL Rahul, who went 92 off 52 in vain against Gujarat Titans, stands second on the list with an average of 47.92 from 66 innings. Rahul has amassed 2636 runs in those chases at a strike rate of 138.22, including 25 half-centuries.
Kohli’s RCB teammate Phil Salt stands third with an average of 46.92, albeit from just 16 innings. He scored 657 runs at a staggering strike rate of 178.04, including eight fifties.Former Mumbai Indians batsman Lendl Simmons follows with an average of 46.22, having scored 416 runs from 11 innings, including one century and three fifties.Sai Sudharsan rounds out the top five with a chase average of 45.40 from 22 innings, scoring 908 runs at a strike rate of 141.43, including one hundred and five fifties.
Best batting average while chasing in IPL
| Roles | Runs | middle | SAR | 50 seconds / 100 seconds | |
| David Miller | 67 | 1816 | 49.08 | 142.54 | 12/1 |
| Kuala Lumpur Rahul | 66 | 2636 | 47.92 | 138.22 | 25/0 |
| Phil Salt | 16 | 657 | 46.92 | 178.04 | 8/0 |
| Lyndell Simmons | 11 | 416 | 46.22 | 132.90 | 3/1 |
| Sai Sudarsan | 22 | 908 | 45.40 | 141.43 | 5/1 |
| Rinku Singh | 22 | 587 | 45.15 | 156.53 | 4/0 |
| Matthew Hayden | 13 | 490 | 44.54 | 137.64 | 4/0 |
| Kevin Petersen | 22 | 640 | 42.66 | 134.73 | 2/1 |
| Sean Marsh | 29 | 1060 | 42.40 | 137.48 | 11/0 |
| Virat Kohli | 125 | 4027 | 41.51 | 134.90 | 28/2 |
(Note – Batsmen who have batted at least 10 runs in IPL chases)
