Innocent until proven guilty – the 5 batters who have faced the most dot balls in the IPL
With IPL 2025 set to resume on Saturday with the game between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders, all the focus has returned to India and who is performing and who isn’t in the current edition of franchise cricket’s most lucrative tournament.
With 57 games played and 13 more to go before the competition heads into the playoffs, it makes for interesting reading to see which batsmen have faced the most dot balls.
Obviously, the goal in IPL cricket is to score as many runs as possible off as many balls as possible. Theoretically, that means you don’t want to have a lot of dot balls behind your name.
But looking at the list of who has faced the most is interesting because, for the most part, the batters on the list are high up on both the run-scorers list (which makes sense given that in scoring lots of runs you need to face plenty of balls), but they also feature high up on the strike-rate list.
What that suggests is that having a few sighters is perhaps the way to go. Here’s a quick list of the batters who faced the most dot balls before the IPL was suspended.
5. Ryan Rickelton (Mumbai Indians) – 92 dots from 219 balls faced, with a strike rate of 153.42
Ryan Rickelton has been a revelation for Mumbai Indians this season as he translated his form from SA20 onto the global stage. Known for his aggressive style at the top of the order, he has racked up runs at an impressive strike rate.
Yet, his 92 dot balls show that even attacking players sometimes take their time getting set. Once he is in though, he can be devastating.
4. Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) – 94 dots from 352 balls faced, with a strike rate of 143.46
Virat Kohli’s presence on this list is intriguing.
A player of his calibre is known for his ability to rotate the strike and find gaps, but his 94 dot balls show that he has occasionally taken time to get going and that he is deliberate in deciding which balls to hit and which to simply keep out.
With a strike rate of over 143, it’s clear that once he is set, he can quickly accelerate.
Also read: Updated IPL 2025 orange and purple cap leaderboards – who has the most runs and wickets?
3. Sai Sudharsan (Gujarat Titans) – 95 dots from 332 balls faced, with a strike rate of 153.31
Sai Sudharsan’s rise in the Indian Premier League has been impressive. The Gujarat Titans’ batter has shown a fearless approach, but his dot ball count highlights a slight tendency to take time at the start of his innings.
Given his strike rate, that approach has certainly paid off more often than not. Sudharsan is currently the tournament’s second highest scorer, with 509 runs he is just one behind Orange Cup leader Suryakumar Yadav.
2. Ajinkya Rahane (Kolkata Knight Riders) – 96 dots from 256 balls faced, with a strike rate of 146.48
Ajinkya Rahane’s position is an interesting one. Known as a classical batter, Rahane has adapted well to the T20 format, maintaining a solid strike rate despite his 96 dot balls.
His experience allows him to pick the right moments to attack, even if he starts cautiously. While his strike rate is just under 150, it is still high, indicating that despite the dots he is still scoring at 1.5 runs per balls faced.
1. Yashasvi Jaiswal (Rajasthan Royals) – 110 dots from 306 balls faced, with a strike rate of 154.57
Yashasvi Jaiswal is a dynamic young talent, who has been a shining light for Rajasthan Royals as they have struggled for results this campaign. His presence at the top of this list is notable.
His 110 dot balls are the most of any batter so far, but his strike rate of 154.57 suggests that he more than makes up for those quiet moments once he is set. Jaiswal’s approach is high-risk, high-reward, and he has certainly delivered for Rajasthan in the IPL.
