The heroics of Shubman Gill in IPL 2023

Although he failed to steer his side past the finishing line in the final, Gujarat Titans’ Shubman Gill was by far the most impressive player in IPL 2023.

IPL 2023 will be remembered for a lot of things - the return of fans to the stadium, the yellow jerseys accompanying Chennai Super Kings everywhere they went, the delayed and postponed and rain-interrupted final, CSK’s fifth triumph, but more importantly, the rise of Shubman Gill.

Gill’s prodigious talent with the bat hasn’t been lost on anyone ever since he spearheaded the U18 World Cup win for India in 2018. However, the prospect has now become a full-fledged superstar following a series of jaw-dropping and consistent performances in the Indian Premier League.

Gill also started his foray in the final quite impressively. He got underneath the CSK bowlers’ heads and smacked seven fours to score 39 off just 20 deliveries with most of the runs coming inside the powerplay.

However, the fireworks were short-lived as some excellent glovework from MS Dhoni resulted in Gill having to walk back to the pavillion after being deceived by Ravindra Jadeja.

Gill has especially done wonders at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad where he has been virtually unplayable. This season, he became the second-highest run-scorer in a single IPL season at a single venue. In IPL 2023, playing at his team's home ground, Gill accumulated an astounding 572 runs in nine innings, including two centuries and three half-centuries, with a highest score of 129. These runs came at an impressive average of 71.50.

The record for the most runs at a single venue in an IPL season is held by Virat Kohli, who amassed 597 runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru during the 2016 season.

Gill, who finished IPL 2023 with 890 runs, also fell short of another massive record that belongs to Kohli. The former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain had scored 973 runs in IPL 2016 which continues to be the record for the most runs in a single IPL season. Gill is now second on the list, overtaking Jos Buttler (863) and David Warner (848).

Finishing IPL 2023 as the top run-scorer, Gill earned the prestigious Orange Cap, becoming the youngest player to do so. In 17 matches, he amassed a total of 890 runs at an impressive average of 63.57 and a striking strike rate of 158.08. His extraordinary performance included three centuries, four half-centuries, and a highest score of 129.

The youngster also had a great penchant for finding boundaries during his innings. He smacked a total of 118 boundaries, comprising 85 fours and 33 sixes, making him the fourth-highest boundary scorer in an IPL season.

The record for the most boundaries in a season belongs to Jos Buttler (128). He had slammed 83 fours and 45 sixes during the 2022 season for Rajasthan Royals.

Gill's remarkable achievements also extend to the Indian contingent, as he boasts the second-highest boundary count by an Indian player. Virat Kohli leads the pack with 121 boundaries, consisting of 83 fours and 38 sixes.