Experience and consistency are invaluable in any form of cricket, perhaps more so in the IPL where teams with established veterans in their lineup have been comparatively more successful in recent years. Playing against the same opposition year after year contributes a lot to the knowledge of a cricketer and also helps to understand the opponent’s strengths and weakness. In this article, we look at four players to have played most IPL matches against a single opponent,
4. Suresh Raina vs RCB – 27 matches
Raina has been tormenting RCB for a long time now, having scored 661 runs against them at an average of 30.05 and strike rate of 127.36. He has four half centuries against them, with his highest score against them coming in the 2011 season Qualifier 1. CSK were chasing a target of 176 and lost their openers early. Raina’s composed knock and Morkel’s late blitz sent CSK to the final, where they beat RCB once again to lift the trophy.
3. Rohit Sharma vs CSK – 28 matches
Hitman’s second favorite opponents after Kolkata Knight Riders, Rohit has scored 717 runs against the Yellow Army at an average of 28.68 and strike rate of 124.91. He has 7 half centuries against both RCB and CSK, his personal best against a single opponent. Surprisingly, he has 2 wickets against CSK and has taken 17 catches against them.
2. Suresh Raina vs MI – 32 matches
Raina features for the second time in this list, having played several crucial knocks against Mumbai Indians. He has scored 818 runs against the men in blue at an average of 31.46 and strike rate of 140.79. He has also bowled 18.3 overs against Mumbai Indians, picking up 3 wickets at an economy of 8.11.
1. MS Dhoni vs MI – 34 matches
Dhoni has been pretty consistent across all teams in his IPL career, with his favorite opponents being Kings XI Punjab while taking into account his outstanding average and strike rate against them. But in terms of runs scored, Mumbai Indians come in at second place behind RCB but his strike rate of 130 is a tad low for someone who regularly bats in the death overs. He has inflicted only two stumpings against Mumbai Indians and his highest score of 63* against them came in the 2013 IPL final
