Blog Posts by Impact Index

By Jaideep Varma and Jatin Thakkar

This is the projection we had made through Impact Index for all 9 IPL teams before the tournament began. With the quintessential contempt and derision that can be experienced best in the comments section of most prominent Indian websites, we were laughed out of the ballpark with our knowledge, sanity and parentage questioned without inhibition.

Many of those people comprehensively made the same mistake many "experts" in the mainstream media kept making too - that of mistaking good performances in ODI cricket as proof that of great potential in T20 cricket too. The truth is that there are many more players whose performances in the two formats do not have the same impact than those whose do - Brett Lee and Virat Kohli are good examples - both are outstanding ODI players but mediocre T20 players (capable of an outstanding performance in T20s too once in a while - and Lee has two series-defining performances to his credit too - but nowhere near as Read More »from IPL: Highest Impact Teams

By Jaideep Varma and Jatin Thakkar

T20 cricket involves the most diverse record-keeping in the game, given that prominent domestic tournaments have as much (arguably sometimes, even more) importance as international T20 matches.

Here, to look at the best batting done across the world in this format, we have had to divide it into two broad categories – T20 Internationals and T20 Domestics. In each category, we provide the 3 highest impact batting performances both in a tournament and stand-alone-match context.

T20 INTERNATIONALS

The following are the five highest impact batsmen in T20 Internationals.

Kevin Pietersen
The Viv Richards of T20 cricket, as it were. Has had a huge impact on every parameter – the best T20 batsman on this list when it comes to scoring rapidly, delivering under pressure and chasing. Also has the lowest failure amongst all batsmen in T20I cricket.

JH Kallis
Not an all-rounder on numbers in T20 cricket, much more of a batsman – but what a batsman. The highest RunsRead More »from Batting in T20 cricket – a perspective

By Jaideep Varma and Jatin Thakkar

Measuring the economy rate of a batsman relative to the average economy rates in every match he plays in is an idea pioneered at Impact Index. This number, between 0 and 5, taken across a career, provides the clearest picture of the impact a batsman had on account of his economy rate.

So, the varying standards of its time (when the analysis is done across eras) or of the conditions (say, the tournament economy rate during IPL 2 at South Africa would be different from the tournament economy rate in other years due to the conditions) is taken care of in this system, and therefore provides the truest picture as far as economy rate comparisons go.

Here are the bowlers with the highest Economy Rate IMPACT numbers over the last 4 years of IPL (minimum 15 matches).

1. R Ashwin (Economy IMPACT 0.99, 29 matches)
2. M Muralitharan (0.91, 45)
3. SL Malinga (0.69, 42)
4. DL Vettori (0.67, 25)
5. DW Steyn (0.64, 40)


Ravichandran Ashwin’s hallmark as a bowler in this

Read More »from Economy Rates in IPL history

By Jaideep Varma and Jatin Thakkar

The following is a look at the finest bowling feats in the four completed years of IPL so far.

Ravichandran Ashwin – the highest Economy IMPACT bowler in IPL and the one with the lowest bowling failure rates (i.e. the most consistent). Tournament-defining big match player for CSK.

Doug Bollinger - highest impact IPL bowler in taking quick successive wickets and building pressure. Amongst the highest impact bowlers in taking top-order wickets and economy too. Big match player for CSK.

Amit Mishra – high impact bowler when it comes to taking wickets, breaking partnerships and building pressure. Low failure rate, so amongst the most consistent too.

Lasith Malinga – highest impact bowler in IPL history when it comes to taking lower-order wickets. Amongst the highest when it comes to top and middle-order wickets too. 3rd highest Economy IMPACT in IPL history. Very consistent.

Muttiah Muralitharan – his strength in T20 cricket has been economy, as he is no.

Read More »from The IPL's finest bowling performances

By Jaideep Varma and Jatin Thakkar

Impact Index is the only statistical system in cricket that measures the pressure absorbed by a batsman in the middle. This is only based on the circumstances precipitated by the fall of wickets – and no other factor. So, by examining the fall of wickets column in the scorecard, taken within the context of the match, it is possible to measure how much pressure a batsman absorbs in a match, and right through his career.

Below, we present the batsmen who did that the best during the four years of IPL so far.

The five batsmen who absorbed the maximum pressure in IPL history (minimum 15 matches) are:
1. AD Mathews (Pressure IMPACT 0.22, 15 matches)
2. SR Tendulkar (0.17, 51)
3. SK Raina (0.15, 62)
4. S Badrinath (0.15, 62)
5. SR Watson (0.15, 32)

Angelo Mathews’ presence here is not a surprise – batting under pressure is a speciality for him.

Sachin Tendulkar’s presence may well be a surprise – given how obviously absorbing pressure has not been his strong

Read More »from Batting under pressure in the IPL

By Jaideep Varma and Jatin Thakkar

Measuring the strike rate of a batsman relative to the average strike rates in every match he plays in is an idea pioneered at Impact Index. This number, between 0 and 5, taken across a career, provides the clearest picture of the impact a batsman had on account of his strike rate.

So, the varying standards of its time (when the analysis is done across eras) or of the conditions (say, the tournament strike rate during IPL 2 at South Africa would be different from the tournament strike rate in other years due to the conditions) is taken care of in this system, and therefore provides the truest picture as far as strike rate comparisons go.

Here are the batsmen with the highest Strike Rate IMPACT numbers over the last 4 years of IPL (minimum 15 matches).

1. CH Gayle (Strike Rate IMPACT 0.53, 28 matches)
2. V Sehwag (0.35, 50)
3. SR Watson (0.28, 32)
4. YK Pathan (0.25, 58)
5. JD Ryder (0.21, 18)

No surprises here at all perhaps. Though Kieron Pollard would

Read More »from Batting strike-rates in IPL history

By Jaideep Varma and Jatin Thakkar

The following is a look at the finest batting feats in the four completed years of IPL so far.

Shaun Marsh – the highest impact batsman in IPL has the highest Runs Rally and Partnership Building IMPACT. Has the second-lowest batting failure rate in IPL history.

Chris Gayle – the highest Strike Rate and Chasing IMPACT in IPL.

Sachin Tendulkar – in the top 5 in all IMPACT parameters for batsmen in the IPL. And very interestingly, amongst the 10 lowest Strike Rate impact numbers amongst 105 players who have batted in 15 or more IPL matches. That clearly suggests a sheet-anchor role that he has given himself in this format.

Shane Watson – lowest failure rate amongst all batsmen in IPL (remarkable for an all-rounder). In the top 7 on all batting parameters. On top of that, a big match player (tournament-defining in 2008), and IPL’s highest impact all-rounder and player.

Suresh Raina – big match player with two tournament-defining performances (in 2010Read More »from Batting in the IPL – a perspective through Impact Index