A duck is never a good reason to dismiss a batter. He strives to score as many runs as possible each time he takes the field. However, due to the fast-paced nature of T20 cricket, many batters walk off the field with no runs to their name.
Taking a gander at the continuous Indian Head Association (IPL) 2023, there have been various ducks enrolled from players across the 10 establishments. Sunil Narine, a bowling all-rounder for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), leads the undesirable list with three zeroes in seven innings.
Among the batters who have been dismissed without scoring twice are Phil Salt, Mitchell Marsh, Prithvi Shaw (all DC), Shardul Thakur (KKR), Dinesh Karthik (RCB), Jos Buttler (RR), and Kyle Mayers (LSG).
Even though it is expected of batting captains to lead from the front with the willow, there are times when they also fall behind. We examine the “duck tales” of IPL 2023 captains in his feature.
Which IPL 2023 captains have not yet been let go for ducking?
In IPL 2023, Hardik Pandya (GT), Shikhar Dhawan (PBKS), Faf du Plessis (RCB), MS Dhoni (CSK), Nitish Rana (KKR), and KL Rahul (LSG) have not scored.
In eight matches, Hardik has scored 213 runs at an average of 30.43, his lowest score being 5 against Delhi. Dhawan has scored 292 runs at an average of 58.40 in seven games. His lowest IPL 2023 score was 1 against LSG.
Due to injuries, RCB captain Du Plessis has not participated in all matches. But the South African batter does not have a single duck to his name, regardless of whether he has been a leader or not. In nine matches, he has pounded 466 runs, averaging 58.25 at a great strike of 159.59, with five half-hundreds of years. ( While Du Plessis served as a batter, Virat Kohli was in charge of RCB in three of their nine matches.)
When batting last, CSK’s Dhoni scored 74 runs in nine games. At a strike rate of 211.43, he has scored runs against 35 deliveries. Nitish Rana of Kolkata has scored 233 runs at a strike rate of 152.29 in nine games. His last score in IPL 2023 is 1 against RCB.
Due to a hamstring injury, LSG skipper KL Rahul batted at No. 11 against Bangalore. He returned unbeaten on 0, having confronted three balls. Although he has scored 274 runs in nine games, it is unlikely that he will continue playing in the IPL 2023.
Captain of the IPL 2023 with the most ducks:
Sanju Samson, captain of the Rajasthan Royals, has scored the most ducks in IPL 2023, with two. In fact, he was kicked out of both games without scoring.
He missed a significant hit from Kuldeep Yadav during the game against DC in Guwahati and was caught well inside the rope at long-on.
In RR’s subsequent match against CSK, Ravindra Jadeja, a left-arm spinner, dispatched him with a ripper that pitched around off and middle and straightened. Following a second-ball duck, Samson was back in the dugout.