The job of an opener in a T20 game is fairly straightforward - maximise the powerplay overs and set the platform for the middle-order or if possible, carry on and make a big score. Over the years, the Indian T20 League has set the benchmark for how T20 openers should start off and these five current openers are just carrying on the trend (We have a cut-off of 500 runs to get through smaller sample sizes).
Sunil Narine (Kolkata)
With a whopping strike rate of 183.91, the West Indian spinner, who was promoted to open the batting for Kolkata, is the quickest scoring opener in the league's history. Narine has 697 runs when opening the batting, averaging 21.12 and scoring a boundary every 3rd ball when donning the role.
Jos Buttler (Rajasthan)
Jos Buttler set the stage alight for Rajasthan in the last couple of seasons and have literally carried them with the bat from the top of the order. Buttler has a strike rate of 157.97 in the tournament, averaging 45.95 with the bat and scoring nine half-centuries. He has a balls per boundary rate of 4, meaning he scores a boundary every fourth ball on an average.
Chris Gayle (Punjab)
The evergreen West Indian opener Chris Gayle cuts it through this list as well. Gayle has a terrific record in the competition including the highest score notched up in T20 cricket itself, and averages 41.87 as an opener in the league. He comes with an incredible strike rate of 151.40 with six hundreds and 28 half-centuries. He has a record 326 maximums as the opener.
KL Rahul (Punjab)
KL Rahul rose up the ranks in terms of T20 cricket and his batting at the top of the order has been scintillating for Punjab. Rahul has a strike rate of 146.24, averaging close to 50 with the bat, with one hundred and 14 half-centuries. He has 1477 runs as an opener in the league. Alongside Gayle, Rahul has been a revelation at the top of the order.
David Warner (Hyderabad)
Warner has 100-plus games in the league, scoring 4000-plus runs and scoring at a rate of 144.4 with an average of 43.14 opening the batting. He has four hundreds and 38 half-centuries in the league when opening the batting. With a boundary every 5th ball, Warner is an incredible opener to have for any franchise and Hyderabad have literally rode on his outstanding form in the last few seasons where he finished with the Orange Cap twice.
Feature image courtesy: AFP/ SAJJAD HUSSAIN
