Left seems to be right in the Indian Premier League, what with left-handers topping almost everything that is statistically measurable. Be it the top run getters, wicket takers, best averages, most sixes and most catches, one finds a lefthander perched at the top.
Among bowlers, Zaheer Khan is leading the pack with 13 wickets (ahead of Saturday's match between Mohali and Chennai), followed closely by Irfan Pathan (12), R.P. Singh (11) and Ashish Nehra (10). The only right arm bowler squeezing himself in is Shane Warne with 11 wickets.
One again finds left-arm bowlers leading the table. The wrong-footed Sohail Tanvir recorded the best figures, picking up 6 wickets for just 14 runs. Murali Kartik (3 for 13) and Sanath Jayasuriya (3 for 14) are next on the list and it required the genius of Glenn McGrath (4 for 29) to carve a place for himself amongst the top four.
The bowling averages column too is led by the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Pathan and Tanvir. Again, Yuvraj and Sourav Ganguly have the lowest economy rates.
Gautam Gambhir (305) and Adam Gilchrist (284) are perched on top of the run getters' chart. It's not only the runs, they also have the maximum boundaries and sixes against their names. Gambhir has hit the most boundaries — 39, while Gilchrist has sent the ball over the ropes 16 times.
{{/usCountry}}Gautam Gambhir (305) and Adam Gilchrist (284) are perched on top of the run getters' chart. It's not only the runs, they also have the maximum boundaries and sixes against their names. Gambhir has hit the most boundaries — 39, while Gilchrist has sent the ball over the ropes 16 times.
{{/usCountry}}Right-handers have managed to catch up in scoring hundreds (of the four centuries, two have been scored by the right handed Brendon McCullum and Andrew Symonds, and two by Mike Hussey and Gilchrist), but are lagging behind in scoring half-centuries. Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan have four and three 50s against their names. Continuing the trend, Simon Katich (96), Mike Hussey (84) and Shaun Marsh (81.50) lead the averages column.
If that wasn't enough, left-handers have dominated fielding (in terms of catches) to make their domination absolute. Yuvraj (7), Suresh Raina (7), Dhawan (6), and Nehra (6) have held the maximum catches, leaving the right-handers with some catching up to do.