IPL 2013: Rohit Sharma safest,Chris Gayle most destructive,Lasith Malinga most incisive

Mumbai Indians will probably head the line of franchises queueing up to complain about the Sri Lankan contingent being unable to take part in matches in Chennai,which also include the first eliminator and qualifier. Lasith Malinga is the trump card that he is,not just because he is a bankable wicket taker the highest in IPL,with 83 wickets but also posses the third best economy rate 6.36 in the tournament.

He also has dismissed the most number of batsmen for a duck 20 and between 0 and 9 48.

Batsman

It doesn8217;t take a diviner to pronounce that Chris Gayle is the most destructive batsman that has played the IPL. There are two ways to measure the impact of a hitter. One is to see the number of boundaries he has smashed,and the second is to see how frequently he unleashes his hits. Gayle tops the chart on both counts. The West Indian has logged in the most number of sixes 129 in the tournament,but what makes him even more difficult to contain is that he hits one every 8.64 balls he faces,again the best in the tournament.

Fielder

Rohit Sharma is the safest fielder in the IPL,or in any case the lucky fielder who finds himself under the skied ball on most number of occasions. Sharma has held the most number of catches in the tournament 42 alond with Suresh Raina,but the Mumbai Indian has played a few matches less. The primary attribute of the Mumbai batsman is of course as a middle order stylist and he is the third highest run-getter in the tournament. Surprisingly enough,Sharma also owns a dubious record,of being involved in the most number of runouts 17 in the tournament. Sloggers and runners watch out.

Team

The Chennai Super Kings is the most successful franchise of the IPL,and when the fans tire of reminding us about it,the numbers take over. CSK have won the most number of IPL games 47,at a win per cent of 58.02 which is also the highest,least number of losses among franchises that have played all editions 32. Unsurprisingly,they have also scored the maximum number of 4s 1075 and the most runs 12,737 in the IPL. And yes,they are also the only multiple winner and have made the knockouts in every single edition.

Ground

There are few venues that intimidate the opposition as much in the IPL as the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. It is perhaps the heat and the humidity or the crowds,but the CSK are a formidable outfit at home. It was on the back of a home run here,where they won all eight games including the final in 2011,that the side won the title that year. They have also won the most number of games in their home ground,claiming victory in 21 of 31 games at Chepauk at 67.7 per cent.