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As Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) takes on Mumbai Indians (MI) in a home clash at Ekana Stadium, all eyes will be on LSG batter and West Indies star Nicholas Pooran, who sits at the top of the batting charts with the Orange Cap on his head in the tournament so far.
LSG and MI, both struggling for form and consistency with just a win each in their three matches so far, will be aiming to rise from the mid-table positions towards the top, with the contest set to take place on a tricky Ekana pitch. During the last LSG clash against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Ekana, Pooran seemed to be batting on a different surface, scoring a fighting 44 in 30 balls, with five fours and two sixes that powered his team to a fighting total of 171. So far, in three matches in IPL 2025, Pooran has made 189 runs at an average of 63.00 and a strike rate of over 219 with two fifties to his name. His best score is 75. Pooran's dominance in T20s has been going on for a long while and is not something new. Since 2024, Pooran has led the run-scoring and six-hitting charts in T20s. In this time frame, as per ESPNCricinfo, Pooran has smashed 202 sixes, way ahead of Heinrich Klaasen, who has hit 121 sixes and is a distant rival at second spot. Also, since 2024, Pooran is the leading run-getter in T20s, with 2,821 runs in 87 innings at an average of 41.48 and a strike rate of over 160. He has scored a century and 20 fifties and his best score is 101. At the second place is South Africa's Reeza Hendricks, who has made 2,182 runs in 82 matches and 77 innings at an average of 32.56 and strike rate of over 131, with a century and 19 fifties. Since IPL 2024, Pooran has scored 688 runs at an average of 62.54 in 17 matches and 17 innings, with a strike rate of 187.17 and five half-centuries. His best score is 75. Having a brilliant track record for franchise cricket and international T20s alike, is Pooran the best T20 batter on the planet right now? (ANI)
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