The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League ended with Chennai Super Kings lifting their fifth title as they took down Gujarat Titans in the season final in a spectacular fashion. The match took place a day after the decided date because of the rain interruption. However, the excitement and astonishment of the fans didn’t get less in any possible way.
The 2023 Edition of the biggest T20I league was special for plenty of reasons. Numerous young stars left their mark and helped their sides ace while a few veterans also managed to stay on the top of the lists. Thus, few of the top batting performances left the fans spellbound.
Shubman Gill claimed the prestigious Orange Cap with a dominant lead on the top spot. Nevertheless, other batters also gave their best to get a chance at the coveted prize of individual excellence. Thus, without further ado, let’s take a look at the top five top-order batsmen in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League.
#5 Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal got a chance to display his skill and he didn’t disappoint. Following his brilliant performance in the Indian Premier League, the 21-year-old has also earned a place in India’s World Test Championship Final Squad as a Standby. Jaiswal outclassed Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson’s prowess to shine as the most valuable asset for the Royals.
He scored 625 runs in 14 matches with the praiseworthy average of 48.07 and one of the most memorable moments came when he smashed Nitesh Rana for 26 runs in the first over of the match. Jaiswal also became the first batter to score two consecutive sixes in the first two balls of an inning in addition to completing the fastest half-century in the history of IPL.
However, the 21-year-old’s best innings came against Mumbai Indians where he helped the Royals post a majestic total of 212 runs at the Wankhede Stadium with his 124-run knock. With the ton, Jaiswal also became the 4th youngest batter to score a hundred in IPL. Nevertheless, Rajasthan lost the match in an unfortunate fashion following Tim David’s heroics over Sandeep Sharma in the last over.
#4 Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli was also in top-notch form throughout the season
All Indian cricket fans found peace after they saw Virat Kohli back in form. Kohli made a bashing return to form and stunned all the bowlers. Things would have been really difficult for Faf du Plessis if the former Indian skipper wasn’t in form.
However, Virat Kohli scored a whopping 639 runs in 14 matches. Moreover, Kohli also topped the list of batters with the most centuries in the history of IPL with two consecutive tons against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans in the last two group stage fixtures. Kohli’s form will give the Indian team a huge chunk of confidence ahead of the World Test Championship Final as well as the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
The former Indian captain relinquished the likes of top bowlers such as Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, and more throughout the season to score big runs regularly. Interestingly, he also captained Royal Challengers Bangalore for a couple of matches in which du Plessis joined the side in the second innings as an impact player.
#3 Devon Conway
Devon Conway was Chennai Super Kings’ biggest underdog who worked in heaps. The Blackcaps batsman has done a brilliant job coping with the expectations of being the opening batsman of the Super Kings. Murali Vijay, Matthew Hayden, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Faf du Plessis, and more have graced the pitch, playing for CSK.
Consequently, it’s fair to say that Devon Conway will be a name on the godly list. The 31-year-old scored 672 runs in 16 matches, and he came close to scoring a century on a couple of occasions too. Paring up with another ace batsman, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Conway seemed indomitable at junctures.
Against Delhi Capitals, they provided a dominant statement, and eventually, Devon Conway lifted the Player of the Match trophy in the final of the IPL. Gaikwad was another deserving name that closely missed being on the list. The 26-year-old scored 590 runs in sixteen matches with 42.12 being his average. Thus, it’s fair to say that Chennai Super Kings have again successfully managed to find a trustworthy opening pair.
#2 Faf du Plessis
Faf du Plessis carried the team on his back in several matches
Leading Royal Challengers Bangalore, Faf du Plessis played a pivotal role in their batting line-up. Pairing up with Virat Kohli, the South African batsman rediscovered his lethal batting form. The former Proteas batter was on the 2nd spot in the list of top run scorers with 730 runs in 14 matches.
He would have accumulated more runs in the hut, however, the Royal Challengers failed to secure a spot in the playoffs following a defeat against Gujarat Titans. The South African batsman also suffered an abdominal injury in the midst of the season but he kept playing responsible cricket as a batter as well as a skipper.
Also, the former Proteas captain was the major reason behind Bangalore being in the race of playoffs until the final group stage match. Faf du Plessis also scored the most sixes (36) in the 2023 edition of IPL. Moreover, the longest six was also smashed by the RCB skipper, which he scored against Ravi Bishnoi of LSG in Match 15. Nevertheless, scoring eight half-centuries and missing on a century will surely haunt him a bit.
#1 Shubman Gill
In all aspects, Shubman Gill has had a terrific season. The youngster was the lynchpin for Gujarat Titans from the start to the very end. Gill also won the Orange Cap with 890 runs in 17 matches, he also scored three centuries to reach the spectacular peak in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League.
He already caught plenty of eyeballs last season, where he helped the Titans write history after they won their maiden IPL title. Nevertheless, with three tons and four half-centuries, he announced that he is the future of Indian cricket. He smashed big runs whenever his team was suffering and as Hardik Pandya’s side reached the play-offs, the 23-year-old entered unstoppable mode.
However, the 23-year-old slightly missed out on Kohli’s record of 973 runs with four centuries in 2016. Consequently, Indian fans will pray that Gill carries on his prolific form ahead of the forthcoming 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup that will take place in October.