In T20 cricket or in white ball cricket in general, the top order batsmen have the opportunity to score most of the runs because they get most of the balls to face. But, there has hardly been an IPL season where the middle order players or the non-openers haven’t been able to make an impact.
Here are the top 5 non-openers with most runs in a single season of the IPL –
#1 AB de Villiers (2016):
AB de Villiers did it in the 2016 season where he scored a total of 687 runs for the RCB and scored most of those runs in the crucial situations of the games. He had almost carried RCB to the brink of the title that season, however unfortunately they lost the final to the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.
De Villiers’ knock in the second qualifier of that season is regarded as one of the best knocks in the history of the IPL.
#2 Rishabh Pant (2018):
Rishabh Pant did it in the 2018 season for the Delhi Capitals and he did it while batting mostly at no. 4 or no. 5. Hardly did he ever have the advantage of the fielding restrictions while he walked in to bat, but that didn’t curtail his boundary hitting abilities at all.
The young left-hander, who is now a part of the Indian set-up, scored a total of 684 runs in that season; however it was still not enough for the Delhi Capitals to qualify for the playoffs.
#3 Kane Williamson (2018):
Kane Williamson got the opportunity to lead the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018 because of the ban that was imposed on David Warner by the ICC and the New Zealand skipper rose to the occasion.
Williamson batted at no. 3 in most of the games and played opposite to his reputation. Generally, he is known to be a little conservative in his approach even in the shortest format of the game, but he batted at a very high strike rate right through that season and finished with a tally of 622 runs.
#4 Virat Kohli (2013):
Virat Kohli has always been fairly consistent in the IPL, but 2013 was easily one of his best seasons as a non-opener. He didn’t open the innings in even one game during that season and still managed to cross the tally of 500 runs.
Kohli scored a total of 578 runs in the 2013 season of the IPL, however despite his efforts; RCB wasn’t able to qualify for the final of the tournament.
#5 Virat Kohli (2011):
Virat Kohli is once again in this list as he had crossed the 500-run mark in the 2011 IPL season as well and RCB had actually made it to the final of the IPL that season. However, they eventually got beaten by the Chennai Super Kings.
Kohli, who scored a total of 557 runs in the 2011 IPL season, couldn’t wave his magic in the final of the tournament and his dismissal went a long way in helping CSK retain their title which they had won in 2010 as well.
