Chennai: With his 91 off 51 balls against Chennai Super Kings here on saturday, Graeme Smith of Rajasthan Royals achieved his highest score in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and also became the third batsman to amass 400 runs or more in the competition.

Smith has scored 416 at an average of 52.00, including three fifties. Others in the 400-plus club are Gautam Gambhir (504) and Shaun Marsh (438).

Smith's innings is the highest score by any batsman from Rajasthan Royals, eclipsing the 76 not out by Shane Watson against Mohali at Jaipur April 21. He is the first Royals player to record three scores of 70-plus in the IPL.

Other statistical highlights of the tie:

# Kamran Akmal's first fifty in the IPL is his second in Twenty20.

# The 127-run stand between Smith and Swapnil Asnodkar is the second best for the first wicket in the IPL, the highest being 155 (unbroken) between Adam Gilchrist and V.V.S. Laxman for Deccan Chargers against Mumbai Indians at Mumbai on April 27.

# Parthiv Patel (54 off 40 balls) posted his first fifty in the competition.

# Akmal and Patel have provided the second instance of rival wicketkeepers registering half-centuries in the same game of IPL. Gilchrist (50) and Sangakkara (50), in Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab at Mohali May 23, had provided the first instance.

# Sohail Tanvir, with three wickets for 33, took his tally to 17 at an average of 11.52. He is the leading wicket-taker in IPL.

# Morkel's 71 off balls was his first fifty in the IPL. This is also his career-best score (and second fifty) in Twenty20.

# Royals became the first side to record 10 victories in the IPL.

# Super Kings have won seven and lost six out of 13 matches so far.

# Super Kings' 201 for 7 is the fourth highest total by a side batting second in the IPL.

# Chennai became the first side to register three totals of 200-plus in the competition, their other two totals were 240 for 5 against Kings XI at Mohali April 19 and 208 for five against Mumbai Indians at Chepauk April 23.

 

Source : IANS