At its core, cricket is a numbers game. With the advent of lucrative T20 leagues — most of which have spawned after the global success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) — those numbers have become more valuable than ever.

A solid showing in the IPL can see a player’s value increase exponentially when the annual auction rolls around. But based on this season’s round-robin stage, only a couple of South Africans can expect a big payday come next year.

The round-robin stage of the IPL concluded on Sunday with table-toppers Gujarat Titans defeating Faf du Plessis’ Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six wickets.

The loss for Du Plessis’ men signals the end of their tournament, despite their captain topping the run-scoring charts, as they finished in sixth place.

Du Plessis struck 28 runs off 19 deliveries to extend his lead on the run-getters table. The former Proteas captain walloped a mammoth 730 runs in 14 innings’ at an average of 56.15 and a strike rate of 153.68.

The next highest run-scorer during the league stage was the Titans’ Shubman Gill, who bludgeoned an unbeaten century on Sunday but still finished with 50 runs fewer than Du Plessis who had a dream season with the willow — his most fruitful in his IPL career. 

The RCB skipper bashed eight half-centuries, more than any other batter.

Du Plessis was far and away the best batter during the round-robin stage and left most of his compatriots well behind too.

Last-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Heinrich Klaasen is the only other South African in the top-10 run-scoring charts.

The Sunrisers only won four out of their 14 matches, but wicketkeeper-batter Klaasen was often the difference between a respectable loss and a humiliating defeat.

Klaasen struck 448 runs in only 11 innings with an average of nearly fifty and a sensational strike rate of 177.

The highlight of his IPL season was undoubtedly when he knocked his maiden IPL century, 104 off 51 balls, in the Sunrisers’ penultimate match against RCB — in a match his side lost by eight wickets.

Klaasen’s skipper, Aiden Markram — who enjoyed a reinvigorated season with the bat in South Africa’s summer — struggled to get the ball off the square for much of the IPL. 

In his 13 innings this season, leading an IPL franchise for the first time, Markram only crossed fifty once and scored at an average of 22.54 per innings with a strike rate of 125.88.

Royal Challengers Bangalore cricketers Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and former team mate AB de Villiers (left) take part in RCB Unbox, a promotional event held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium prior to the start of the annual Indian Premier League cricket tournament, in Bengaluru on 26 March, 2023. (Photo: Manjunath Kiran / AFP)

Southpaw batters

South Africa’s trio of big-hitting left-handers Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Rilee Rossouw have each had quiet seasons in the IPL for varying reasons.

De Kock has only played in Lucknow Super Giants’ last four matches, having sat on the bench in the first 10 for West Indies’ Kyle Mayers.

But after injury struck Lucknow’s skipper KL Rahul, De Kock was drafted into the opening slot.

After coming into the spotlight swinging with an impressive 41 delivery 70 against Gujarat Titans, De Kock’s form tapered off with scores 29, 26 and 28 in his next three matches.

However, he will have an opportunity to finish the season strong as the Super Giants finished third on the log and are through to the playoffs with a match against fourth-placed Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.

Miller, meanwhile, has been playing second fiddle to his exceptional top-order at Gujarat Titans.

The powerful striker has been to the crease 12 times and left unbeaten on five occasions — illustrating both his incredible match-finishing ability as well as how late he has been sent to the wicket. Five batters in Gujarat’s lineup have faced more deliveries this season than Miller.

Nonetheless, the hard-hitting batter has accumulated 255 runs at a strike rate of 148.25 and an average of 36.42.

Second-from-bottom Delhi Capitals’ Rossouw has been wildly inconsistent in his nine innings this season, perfectly exemplified in his last two innings in which he scored an unbeaten 82 off 37 deliveries against the Punjab Kings before falling for a golden duck against the Chennai Super Kings three days later.

Rossouw’s highest score outside of his sole half-century is twin scores of 35. Although the southpaw didn’t score frequently, he did it at a decent rate of 148.22.

Struggling bowlers

The IPL has been unkind to bowlers this year and South Africa’s contingent was treated to the same fate.

Kagiso Rabada — who picked up 23 scalps in 13 matches for Punjab Kings last season — was only afforded six outings this season, with the eighth-placed Kings preferring Australia’s Nathan Ellis instead.

Rabada collected seven wickets this season but was expensive, going at more than 10 runs an over.

The tied-most successful South African bowler in the IPL this season was Delhi Capitals’ Anrich Nortje who picked up 10 wickets in his 10 outings for the David Warner led side.

Nortje has recently become a death-over specialist with his searing yorkers, but the lightning-quick struggled to contain this season and finished with an economy rate of 9.10.

Lanky Marco Jansen was the other South African with 10 scalps to his name. The Sunrisers Hyderabad quick only played eight matches but was lethal with the new ball often striking in his opening over.

His backend usually went for plenty, though, as the 23-year-old finished with an economy rate of 9.88.

South Africa’s other left-arm quick, Wayne Parnell was a late inclusion at RCB after an injury to Englishman David Willey. Much like Jansen, Parnell found movement and wickets early but was dispatched when the ball got older and softer.

In seven matches Parnell took nine wickets at an economy rate of 9.37.

Little gametime

Several South Africans spent large portions of the IPL on the benches of their respective sides.

Delhi Capitals’ Lungi Ngidi, Mumbai Indians’ Dewald Brevis and Rajasthan Royals’ Donovan Ferreira all found playing time tough to come by.

Although Brevis and Ferreira are both starting their careers and can learn a lot from their international teammates while on the sidelines, Ngidi, at 27 is nearing his prime fast bowling years.

Both Mumbai Indians’ Tristan Stubbs and Chennai Super Kings’ Sisanda Magala only played two matches for their respective sides.

Stubbs struggled to find his fluent free-hitting form while Magala was solid for the MS Dhoni-led side before suffering an injury.

The first play-off match between table-toppers Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings is scheduled for Tuesday with the winner going straight to the final.

The second playoff match between third- and fourth-placed Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians will follow on Wednesday with the winner playing the loser of the first play-off for a spot in the final. DM