• Best IPL performers so far

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    With the IPL now officially into the second half of the campaign, ANDRE HUISAMEN picks five players who have stood out so far.

    Kagiso Rabada

    Hands down the player of the tournament so far. The Proteas quick has been relentless in the seven games, comfortably wearing the purple hat with 17 wickets at an average of 12.52. After finishing with the second-most wickets in last year’s IPL, Rabada is firmly on track to being the standout bowler this time around. His death bowling has improved significantly and his partnership with Anrich Nortje in the Delhi Capitals team bodes well for the Proteas.

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    KL Rahul

    The 28-year-old Rahul has once again been showing just how good a batsman he is across all three formats. Leading the run-scoring charts with 387 runs so far, he really looks like the future of Indian cricket. He has been one of the rare shining lights in the struggling Kings XI Punjab team. Rahul’s knock of 132 off 69 deliveries was the highest score ever by an Indian player in the competition, with his partnership with Mayank Agarwal at the top of the order equally brilliant.

    Trent Boult

    Boult sits second on the wicket-taking list with 11 scalps so far in his seven games. The Mumbai Indians are atop the current IPL standings but mainly due to the tight economy rate of Boult, leading from the front for his team. Similar to Rabada, the New Zealand quick has been very tidy towards the back end of the innings, while occasionally managing to nip the ball around a little against opening batsmen.

    Mayank Agarwal

    Agarwal currently sits second in the race to the orange cap with a total of 337 runs at an average of 48.14 and a strike rate of 158.96. His opening partnership with Rahul has been the best in the competition and the two have complemented each other well out in the middle. Better all-round performances by the Kings XI Punjab team might help them earn more credit for their efforts. Like Rahul, Agarwal will be highly important for the team to pick up a couple of good results as the competition draws to a close.

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    Faf du Plessis

    Du Plessis has been rolling back the years with his batting in this year’s IPL. Despite a golden duck against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday, Du Plessis has looked as good as ever at the top of the order for the Chennai Super Kings. Given that his primary focus with the Proteas is now only on the limited-overs formats, it is encouraging to see him have such an aggressive approach. The 36-year-old has accumulated the third-most runs so far in the IPL with 307, which includes three half-centuries with a highest score of 87 not out.

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    Andre Huisamen