The ongoing IPL 2023 is now gradually entering a crucial phase after three weeks of thrilling cricket. Win streaks are sought after by teams in an effort to increase their chances of making the postseason.
There weren’t many run-fests available last week after several high-scoring encounters in the second week, but there were thrills and spills everywhere. When they scored a whopping 226 runs against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the four-time champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) recorded the highest score of the week.
The 10 IPL franchises have combined to score 3,335 runs in a total of 10 games during Week 3—122 runs more than they did in Week 2.
After saying that, let’s look at the top five batting performances from Week 3 of the IPL 2023
1. Devon Conway 83 of 45 vs RCB
Devon Conway slammed his second consecutive half-century against RCB, opening a new chapter in the CSK-RCB rivalry. The Kiwi opener assisted CSK to a stunning victory in Bangalore along with Shivam Dube (52 off 27).
Conway lost Ruturaj Gaikwad as soon as he started bowling after being given the first chance to bat. He then teamed up with Ajinkya Rahane and Dube, together with whom Conway added 154 runs.
Conway lit the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on fire with six boundaries and as many sixes, guiding his team to their third-best IPL total ever of 226/6.
Despite Glenn Maxwell’s Brilliance 76 run knockoff 36, CSK was able to restrict RCB to 218 and win the game by eight runs. Conway received the Player of the Match award for his excellent top-spin knock.
2. Shimron Hetmyer 56* off 26 vs Gujarat Titans
Shimron Hetmyer has put up some impressive numbers in the tournament thus far, batting at a point-five average and a perfect strike rate of over 177.
His standout performance occurred in the match between Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Gujarat Titans (GT), though he has already made a few clutch outs for Rajasthan Royals (RR).
As the Royals’ toss winner, Sanju Samson decided to bowl. They did a respectable job of limiting the Titans to a score of 177/7 after their 20 overs.
However, the start of the run-chase was not good as RR lost both of their openers by the third over with only four runs on the board. Sanju Samson took the initiative to get his side back on track as Devdutt Padikkal stumbled toward his 25-ball 26.
The RR captain hit six sixes, including three consecutive blows to Rashid Khan, en route to his 32-ball 60. However, GT quickly got back into the game with two strikes.
Prior to Hetmyer’s at-bat at position No., the pressure kept building. 6. Hetmyer destroyed Alzarri Joseph and Rashid, scoring 20 and 13 runs, respectively, in the 16th and 18th overs, with 64 still needed in the final 30 balls.
The left-handed batsman from Guyana easily handled a challenging situation and scored 56* runs in only 26 balls. In the final over, he even hit the game-winning six to help his team win and move to the top of the standings.
3. Venkatesh Iyer 104 off 53 vs MI
Venkatesh Iyer broke KKR’s 15-year century drought in Week 3, which also saw the highest individual score of the 2023 IPL. During a match against the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the afternoon, the left-hander scored 104 runs off just 51 balls.
Iyer, the only KKR batter to maintain his wicket for the majority of the innings after being given the opportunity to bat first, engaged MI in a solitary battle with the bat. He seemed to bat on a completely different pitch, running helter-skelter and lofting everything that came into his arc from the very beginning.
Venkatesh was the only bright spot for the visitors as the MI bowlers continued to pick off wickets from one end. Before scoring his first IPL century in just 49 balls, he reached his fifty in just 23 balls. His innings were instrumental in getting KKR to a par total of 185/6 in the first innings.
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