. IPL Season 11 has witnessed some tremendous performances by players and mostly the batsmen have taken this league to a different level. The T20 format of cricket favours most of the batsmen and the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a perfect place for such type game Be it Brendon McCullum and AB de Villiers' innovative shots or Virat Kohli's style or the helicopter shot of MS Dhoni, the IPL has seen it all. Also, the platform that IPL provides has given an avenue to both old and new players to display fearless and ruthless cricket and that too in front of a full house.
As the season approaches to its business end, let's look at the top five batsmen so far.
Ambati Rayudu (Chennai Super Kings)
Rayudu, it seems, is enjoying his game to the fullest in the current season and his stats is a testament to that. He had scored 395 runs in the 2011 season and is on the verge of eclipsing his personal best. He has already registered 391 runs in 9 IPL 2018 matches he has played for the Chennai outfit so far with a healthy average of 43.44 and a strike rate of 153.93 and tops the list of highest run getters of the season.
Rayudu, who has switched his batting slots, has looked matured and focusing on his trademark shots to score runs.
Rishabh Pant (Delhi Daredevils)
The 20-year-old Delhi'ite, Pant has taken the IPL by storm with his ability to
hit the ball at will. He cracked a blistering 69 against Rajasthan Royals that gave Delhi a nervy four-run victory at home. He also played a match-winning knock against Mumbai Indians where he scored 47 off just 25 balls. Pant hammered 85 off just 48 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore but couldn't get his team through on that occasion.
The young batsman must have certainly impressed the selectors and could very well be in contention to replace MS Dhoni in the Indian squad in the limited overs format. Pant, second on the list of top-run getters this season, has scored 375 runs in 9 matches with a healthy average of 41.66 and a strike rate of 180.28.
Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)
Kohli's batting genius has continued in the IPL and he is making 
sincere efforts to help his team give their best performance. In a dual role as captain and batsman, Kohli has been marshalling his troops well and also making his contribution count with the bat in almost every match.
Third on the list of top run-getters of the season, Kohli has scored 349 runs in the eight matches with an average of 58.16 and a strike rate of 138.49.
MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)
It has been the coolest IPL 2018 season for the hard-hitting wicketkeeper
batsman. Be it Dhoni's helicopter shot or strong bottom-handed straight sixes, people have witnessed it all in the season so far. Dhoni has been a major factor in CSK's success with his batting and the ever-inspiring captaincy.
His decision to make four changes against Delhi showed the team's depth and his faith in the bench-strength. Dhoni has scored 329 runs in 9 matches with an average of 82.25 in the season so far. His knock of 70 not out from 34 balls to hunt down RCB's 205 still remains his top effort.
Kane Williamson (SunRisers Hyderabad)
Four half-centuries in eight matches of the season are enough to attest to
Williamson's form in the current season of IPL. He scored three consecutive fifties against Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings respectively that silence those who wanted Shikhar Dhawan to be David Warner's replacement as SRH captain.
The New Zealand skipper has smashed 322 runs with an average of 46 in eight matches and a strike rate of 133.05. Currently No 2 in the IPL points table, Hyderabad's progress will mainly depend on Williamson's form in the coming matches.
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