Faf du Plessis leads IPL batting charts as skyscraper totals become new norm

A marauding Faf du Plessis and emerging power-hitters including Rinku Singh have helped make team totals over 200 the new normal in this high-scoring edition of the Indian Premier League.

IPL 2023 top run-scorers

The 38-year-old South African Du Plessis, captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore, leads the batting charts with 576 runs at a destructive strike rate of over 157 and 32 sixes.

This season does not finish until the end of the month, but it has already witnessed 30 innings totalling 200 or above.

That happened on 18 occasions in the entire edition last year.

Du Plessis hit 65 on Tuesday and forged a 120-run stand with Glenn Maxwell - but opponents Mumbai Indians still reached the 200 target with 3.3 overs to spare.

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This season, third-placed Mumbai have chased down three 200 or 200-plus totals with Suryakumar Yadav hitting half-centuries in all of them.

"I have no idea what a safe score is. The last four games we have seen excess of 200 has been scored," said Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma.

"Most of the teams are taking risks and it is coming off.

"The batters are taking risks and 200-plus scores are being chased.

"The mindset of the batters is to do something special for the team and it is coming off as well."

Players and pundits say there a few reasons for the tall totals.

IPL pitches are more batting friendly than before to encourage big-hitting and provide more entertainment.

Former Australia batsman and ex-IPL coach Tom Moody says that the Kookaburra balls could have something to do with it because they are not swinging as much.

The nature of Twenty20 cricket is