Which players currently hold the orange and purple caps in the 2023 IPL?

ESPNcricinfo staffUpdated on 27-May-2023Who is the orange cap holder in the 2023 IPL?Gujarat Titans opener Shubman Gill may not have ended up winning the title, but he finished as the highest scorer of the tournament, with 890 runs. Gill overtook Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis late in the season to take the orange cap. Du Plessis finished on 830 runs, in second place. Devon Conway of title winners Chennai Super Kings, who made 47 in the final, ended with 672 runs, which places him third, and Virat Kohli, also of RCB, is in fourth, with 639 runs. Gill is the only player with three hundreds this season; Kohli has two.The other seven century-makers of this season are Yashasvi Jaiswal of Rajasthan Royals, Suryakumar Yadav of Mumbai Indians, Cameron Green, also of MI; Prabhsimran Singh of Punjab Kings; Harry Brook and Heinrich Klaasen of Sunrisers Hyderabad; and Venkatesh Iyer of Kolkata Knight Riders.In addition to the top four run-makers, four other batters scored over 500 runs this season: Jaiswal; Suryakumar (605); Conway’s opening partner, Ruturaj Gaikwad (590); and Delhi Capitals captain David Warner (516). The top strike rate among batters to have scored at least 150 runs this season is 183, by Glenn Maxwell of RCB.Rinku Singh of KKR is at No. 9 on the run-makers’ list, with 474 runs. Ishan Kishan of MI rounds out the top ten with 454.Here’s the full list of the top scorers in the 2023 IPL.Who is the purple cap holder in the 2023 IPL?Gujarat Titans seamer Mohammed Shami finished the season as the leading wicket-taker, with 28 wickets at an economy of 8.03. His team-mates Rashid Khan and Mohit Sharma (who took three wickets in the final) follow, tied on 27 wickets apiece; Mohit has the better economy rate of the two, 8.17. The three bowlers accounted for 83 wickets among them.Mumbai Indians legspinner Piyush Chawla is in fourth place, with 22 wickets from 16 games. In fifth place, with 21 wickets each are Yuzvendra Chahal (Rajasthan Royals) and CSK fast bowler Tushar Deshpande.Varun Chakravarthy of KKR and Ravindra Jadeja of CSK follow with 20 each, and then come two bowlers tied on 19 – Matheesha Pathirana of CSK, who took 2 for 44 in the final, and seamer Mohammed Siraj of RCB. Siraj is the most economical bowler in the top ten, with 7.50 runs per over.Four five-fors have been taken this season – by LSG fast bowler Mark Wood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar of SRH, Akash Madhwal of Mumbai Indians, and Mohit Sharma of Titans in the Qualifier against Mumbai.Here’s the full list of the top wicket-takers in the 2023 IPL.

A look at what each team needs to do – and need other teams to do – to make the cut

S Rajesh20-Mar-2022England’s nervy one-wicket win against New Zealand means they stay in contention for the semi-finals of Women’s World Cup 2022, while New Zealand are almost out of it. With just nine more games to go in the group stage, only Australia have sealed their semi-final slot, while the rest are still involved in a tense struggle. Here is a look at what each team needs to do – and need other teams to do – to make the cut.

New Zealand

New Zealand have lost three matches by extremely close margins: one wicket (against England), two wickets (South Africa) and three runs (West Indies). These three defeats mean the home team is on the brink of elimination. If England win their last two games – against the relatively weaker Bangladesh and Pakistan – then at least three teams will have more than six points, which is the maximum New Zealand can reach.They would then have to hope that West Indies lose their last two matches – against Pakistan and South Africa – and stay on six with a poorer net run rate, and India lose their last two games too – against Bangladesh and South Africa – and stay on four points, as their NRR is currently much better than New Zealand’s. (Even if New Zealand score 300 in their last game and win by 200 runs, their NRR will still only improve to 0.427, which is lower than India’s current rate of 0.456.) In that case New Zealand could qualify as the fourth team, but at the moment they are clutching at straws.

England

England had a disastrous start to the tournament, but with two games to go, they have an excellent chance of making the semi-finals. They have a couple of advantages going into the last week of the group stage: their two remaining opponents are the weaker teams, and their NRR is a relatively healthy 0.327 (which can increase further with convincing wins).England have managed to stay in contention despite a disastrous start•Getty ImagesIf they finish on eight points, they should be in a good position in an NRR battle. (India are currently marginally ahead on 0.456, but one of their remaining games is against South Africa, who haven’t lost a match yet.)For England to lose out even after winning their last two games, West Indies will have to win their last two matches and go up to ten points, and South Africa will have to beat Australia so that they move beyond eight as well. If India win their last two and stay above England on NRR, then England will be eliminated. They will be hoping that the weather stays clear in Christchurch and Wellington, allowing them the opportunity to look for four points and improve their NRR.However, if they lose either of those matches (or if one is rained out), then they could struggle.

India

India are in a similar position as England in terms of points and run rate, but the one major difference is that one of their remaining games is against South Africa. India’s best chance will be if they win their last two, and either South Africa or West Indies don’t progress beyond eight points. That can happen if West Indies lose at least one of their two remaining matches, or if South Africa lose all three. Then, both India and England will qualify with eight points (if England win their last two as well), while West Indies/South Africa will be eliminated because of poorer NRRs.India have a healthy net run rate, thanks to their big win against West Indies•AFP via Getty ImagesConversely, if West Indies win their last two, and if South Africa beat Australia, then three teams will finish on more than eight points. Then, even with wins in their two remaining games, India will be battling for the fourth spot with England (if they finish on eight as well).

South Africa

Despite winning all four matches so far, South Africa still have some work to do to confirm a place in the semi-finals. That can happen if they win one more game and lift their points tally to ten.However, their three remaining games are all tough ones. If they lose all three then they could well be eliminated, as West Indies could finish on ten points, and England and India could get eight with better net run rates.West Indies will qualify if they win their two remaining matches•ICC via Getty

West Indies

West Indies are currently third on the points table, but their NRR of -0.930 is the worst among all teams in contention for the semi-finals. They will qualify if they win their two remaining matches, but if they lose one – and if England beat Pakistan and Bangladesh – then West Indies will have to hope that India lose at least one of their two remaining games and finish on no more than six points. Then West Indies will qualify, along with Australia, South Africa and England.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh can theoretically get to eight points, but their remaining matches are against some of the toughest teams in this competition.

Pakistan

Pakistan too can qualify theoretically but having lost 18 successive matches in the 50-over World Cup, their immediate aim would be to stop it from extending to 21 by the end of this tournament.

ESPNcricinfo picks out of some of the best spells, innings and catches from the 2018-19 BPL

Mohammad Isam09-Feb-2019ESPNcricinfo picks out of some of the best spells, innings and catches from the 2018-19 BPL.Best spellsRobbie Frylinck 4 for 14 v Rangpur RidersChittagong Vikings caused an opening day upset through Frylinck’s four-wicket haul, as the defending champions and the most expensive side, Rangpur Riders, were bowled out for 98. Frylinck’s opening burst, in which he took three out of his four wickets, was an exhibition of accurate medium-paced bowling.Mashrafe Mortaza 4 for 11 v Comilla VictoriansIt was a dream opening burst by the veteran Mashrafe, as he removed Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Evin Lewis and Steven Smith in the first 6.4 overs. The Victorians were unable to stage a recovery and were blown away for just 63.Aliss Al Islam 4 for 26 v Rangpur RidersPlucked out of nowhere, rookie offspinner Al Islam began poorly on debut, dropping catches off successive balls. But he managed to keep his calm to take the tournament’s third hat-trick and help the Dynamites to an unlikely two-run win over Riders.Mashrafe Mortaza in his followthrough•Raton GomesBest catchesJason Roy v Chittagong VikingsIt is hard to pick which of Roy’s two boundary catches were better, but the one of Yasir Ali was both a visual delight and crucial to the match situation. A well set Yasir dragged Alok Kapali’s rank long-hop towards deep midwicket where Roy flew to his left and plucked what looked like a certain six out of thin air, with one hand, without toppling over the boundary line.Andre Russell & Kieron Pollard v Rangpur RidersIt took two giants to remove another. When Chris Gayle blasted one down the ground, Russell hared from long-off, first intercepting the ball, before flicking it back to Pollard, who had positioned himself nearby, as he tumbled over the boundary line. Then they broke into their jig, which made it even more special for the crowd.Afif Hossain v Rajshahi KingsAfter Laurie Evans smashed Sohail Tanvir towards backward point, Afif ran from deep cover, jumped to get hold of the ball, threw it up in the air as he was inches from the boundary, and grabbed it on the second attempt, upon regaining balance.Best knocksTamim Iqbal 141* v Dhaka DynamitesSaving his best for his first BPL final, Tamim clobbered Dhaka Dynamites. He struck 11 sixes and ten fours, as he took Comilla Victorians to a massive score, magnified by the occasion of the final. It proved match-winning as they lifted the BPL trophy for the second time.Mushfiqur Rahim 64* v Rajshahi KingsAgainst Rajshahi’s quality bowling attack, Mushfiqur guided Chittagong Vikings to a successful 159-run chase. He added 88 runs in an unbeaten fifth-wicket stand with Mosaddek Hossain. Finishing the job has often been considered Mushfiqur’s bugbear but he took care of it on this occasion.Laurie Evans 104* v Comilla VictoriansHaving made just 13 runs in his previous five innings, Evans didn’t think he’d get to play against Victorians. But Rajshahi Kings took a chance, with Evans going on to hit a memorable unbeaten century. The innings helped them to a crucial fourth win in seven games at that stage.

The leggie has honed her wrong’un for years to turn it into a deceptive and deadly weapon

Shashank Kishore18-Feb-2022Amelia Kerr is making her WBBL debut, in October 2019. She comes to Brisbane Heat with a big reputation. Can she live up to it?For a while, it appears as if she might not bat or bowl. And then in the ninth over of the chase, she is thrown the ball. Two uneventful overs pass but she already has the batters wondering: is she a legspinner or a googly bowler? It’s a question that player after player asks for the rest of the evening.In her third over, Kerr makes a splash. Out come three wrong’uns, again. This time, the over reads 0W0WW0 – no hat-trick, but she caps a memorable debut with a triple-wicket maiden.That over in itself makes for absorbing viewing because of her variations. The first wicket is off a googly that dips and spins gently to beat the inside edge and crash into the stumps. The follow-up is a flipper that is left alone on line and length. Then she bowls a fizzing googly that strikes the pad even before the batter has shaped to play the cut.Sydney Sixers are eight down and Kerr has a chance to close out the game in the same over. She brings out a flighted delivery. It drifts in, pitches on off and spins back in to beat a forward prod. Bam! Another googly, another wicket. It’s a dream beginning – a teenager varying her pace and trajectory like an international veteran.The story repeats in the Super Smash final of 2021. Kerr’s high-quality bowling leaves batters unsure of which way the ball is turning. They’re stabbing nervously at her, with leaden feet. They fall like ninepins. Kerr picks up a hat-trick, though Wellington Blaze lose out on the title to Canterbury Magicians, thanks to Lea Tahuhu’s cameo with the bat.”I called her a googly bowler,” laughs Ivan Tissera, Kerr’s childhood coach, who is now in charge of Wellington Blaze, her domestic team. Tissera first met Kerr when she was a ten-year old, who her father, Robbie, wanted to spend summers outdoors. As they began working together, Tissera remembers accuracy being Kerr’s first big strength.”She had a natural legspinning action – clean, good arm-speed, a lot of flight. As kids, the wrists are flexible, so she’d come to the nets and keep bowling, not knowing which way she’s turning the ball. She’d land the ball in the same spot outside off, see the ball rip away both ways and then ask in amazement how it’s happening.”As she grew up and hit her teens, Kerr began to understand the nuances of the googly. She worked on developing a quicker arm. “Initially, I just wanted her to enjoy bowling,” Tissera says. “Then she understood the googly needs to be subtle, but struggled a bit with drift. So the line would end up being middle and leg. It took a good two years of hard practice to get that balance right.”As Kerr began to travel the world and play in the leagues, the realisation dawned that she ought not to be a one-trick pony. She watched Rashid Khan and wanted to fizz the ball around like he did. It was her next project, to get quicker through the air but without losing the bite in her bowling.It’s this awareness of her craft, the ability to understand the subtle differences and work on them tirelessly, that helps her execute unfailingly in a match scenario. It’s also this aspect that sets her apart from the next best at the googly, Poonam Yadav.The India legspinner relies heavily on flight and dip, to the extent that her slower pace and trajectory can sometimes allow batters to line her up. This is perhaps what made her predictable when South Africa toured India last year. She finished the ODI series with no wickets, and managed all of two overs in her lone outing in the T20Is, a far different bowler than the one that bamboozled Australia on that magical opening night of the T20 World Cup in February 2020.”I think bowling at her usual speed, she has dismissed good batters like Meg Lanning, but it’s just that when you play non-stop, you want to pick up aspects of your game you don’t have, and that drives her,” Tissera says. “Now she bowls around 76-80kph, earlier she was around 65-67. Before, when she bowled quicker, she used to lose the shape of the ball. Now, she has lost that bit of extra turn, unless it is a rank turner, but her consistency in lines and lengths are amazing.”Who Does it Best?: The cutter | The pull | The googly | The cover drive | The yorker | The cut | The bouncer | The sweep

And who is the most economical bowler in Tests?

Steven Lynch15-Mar-2022After Jack Hobbs became the oldest to score a Test century, in Australia in 1928-29, he wrote that a famous actress kissed him at a party afterwards. Who was this actress? asked Pushkar Pushp from India

This incident followed Jack Hobbs’ 142 in the fifth Test in Melbourne in March 1929. At 46 years 82 days, Hobbs was the oldest man to score a Test century, a record he is likely to retain for ever.In his 1935 book My Life Story, Hobbs tells the tale of what happened next. “My 142 had a very jolly sequel in the evening of the day it was scored. My diary says: ‘When I walked into the hotel dining-room, the orchestra struck up “See the Conquering Hero Comes”, and followed by playing “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”. The guests at the tables rose up and joined in.’ One of those guests was a famous English actress; she came right across the room and gave me a kiss! It was most embarrassing. I will not give her name away.”Hobbs might have been too gallant to spill the beans, but the press was less reticent. The New South Wales paper the Newcastle Sun ran the headline “Jack Hobbs blushed”, and named the lady as Margaret Bannerman (no relation to the old Australian batters Charles and Alec, as far as I can tell!) She was actually Canadian, although she had a long career in London theatre, and also appeared in several silent films. Margaret was born in Toronto in December 1896, so was 32 when she surprised Hobbs; she died in the United States in 1976. For the newspaper story, click here.Imam-ul-Haq just scored his first two centuries in the same Test. How many people have done this? asked Damith Sampath from Sri Lanka

That double of 157 and 111 not out by Imam-ul-Haq for Pakistan against Australia in Rawalpindi recently made him the 12th man to score his first two centuries in the same Test. That includes the two who did it on debut – Lawrence Rowe for West Indies vs New Zealand in Kingston in 1971-72, and Yasir Hameed for Pakistan vs Bangladesh in Karachi in 2003.The first to do this was Australia’s Warren Bardsley, with 136 and 130 against England at The Oval in 1909; the most recent before Imam was Shai Hope, for West Indies vs England at Headingley in 2017.In between, the feat was also achieved by India’s Vijay Hazare (against Australia in Adelaide in 1947-48), Jack Moroney of Australia (vs South Africa in Johannesburg in 1949-50), New Zealand’s Geoff Howarth (vs England in Auckland in 1977-78), Duleep Mendis of Sri Lanka (vs India in Madras in 1982-83), Pakistan’s Wajahatullah Wasti (vs Sri Lanka in Lahore in 1998-99), Phillip Hughes of Australia (vs South Africa in Durban in 2008-09) and the New Zealander Peter Fulton (vs England in Auckland in 2012-13).Imam will be hoping that, unlike Wasti and Hameed – the others to achieve the feat for Pakistan – he manages to reach three figures again in Tests. Of the rest, Moroney, Fulton and Hope (to date) never scored another Test century either.In the first Test at Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s openers put on 252 without being separated. Was this the highest unbroken first-wicket stand in Tests? asked K Lokaraj from India

Abdullah Shafique, who made his own maiden century, and Imam-ul-Haq put on 252 in the second innings of the first Test against Australia in Rawalpindi. That was indeed the highest unbeaten opening stand in Tests – just: Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes added 250 without being separated for West Indies against Australia in Georgetown in 1983-84.The highest unbroken opening partnership in all first-class cricket is 451, by Sanjay Desai and Roger Binny for Karnataka (who declared, and won by an innings) against Kerala in Chikmagalur in 1977-78.Lance Gibbs has a career bowling economy of 1.98, the lowest for bowlers with at least 200 Test wickets•PA PhotosGiven a minimum of 200 wickets, who’s the most economical bowler in Tests? asked Robert Aldridge from England

Some 80 bowlers have now reached the milestone of 200 Test wickets – and of those, only one went for less then two an over: the great West Indian offspinner Lance Gibbs, who conceded 1.98 per six balls during his 79-Test career. Next come Richie Benaud and Derek Underwood, with 2.10. The top five are all spinners: the leading seamer, in sixth place with 2.21 an over, is England’s Alec Bedser, just ahead of the West Indian pair of Garry Sobers (2.22) and Curtly Ambrose (2.30). The versatile Sobers mixed seam with spin during his career.The leading current bowler is India’s Ravindra Jadeja, whose economy rate of 2.42 an over puts him 12th at the moment.Ravindra Jadeja scored 175 then took nine wickets against Sri Lanka recently. Has anyone bettered this in a Test match? asked Ankur Jamil from India

Three men have scored a century and taken ten or more wickets in the same Test. The first to do it was Ian Botham, with 114 and 13 for 106 for England against India in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1979-80. He was followed by Imran Khan, with 117 and 11 for 180 for Pakistan vs India in Faisalabad in 1982-83, and Shakib Al Hasan, with 137 and 10 for 124 for Bangladesh against Zimbabwe in Khulna in 2014-15.Before Jadeja did it recently against Sri Lanka in Mohali, three others had paired a century with nine wickets in the same Test. Jimmy Sinclair made 106 (South Africa’s first Test century) and took 9 for 89 against England in Cape Town in 1898-99; Richie Benaud paired 100 with 9 for 154 for Australia against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1957-58; and Jadeja’s India team-mate R Ashwin scored 103 and took 9 for 190 against West Indies in Mumbai in 2011-12. Of these, Jadeja’s 175 not out is the highest score involved.Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo’s stats team helped with some of this week’s answers.Use our feedback form, or the Ask Steven Facebook page to ask your stats and trivia questions

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