Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 is now four matches old. Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Punjab Kings have already taken early lead in the tournament. However, these are early days, and it may all change in a few days’ time.
Match 4 witnessed Sanju Samson of Rajasthan Royals become the first cricketer to slam a hundred (119) on captaincy debut in the history of IPL. This is also the only hundred of this edition so far. Samson beat the 91 by KL Rahul earlier in the evening.
| Batsman | Team | R | SR | 50 |
| Sanju Samson | Rajasthan | 119 | 189 | 1 |
| KL Rahul | Punjab | 91 | 182 | 1 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Delhi | 85 | 157 | 1 |
| Nitish Rana | Kolkata | 80 | 143 | 1 |
| Prithvi Shaw | Delhi | 72 | 189 | 1 |
Deepak Hooda’s 28-ball 64 put him at the top of the strike rates chart. Prithvi Shaw, rejuvenated after a superb outing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, is at second place, followed by Samson.
| Batsman | Team | R | SR | 50 |
| Deepak Hooda | Punjab | 64 | 229 | 1 |
| Prithvi Shaw | Delhi | 72 | 189 | 1 |
| Sanju Samson | Rajasthan | 119 | 189 | 1 |
| Rahul Tripathi | Kolkata | 53 | 183 | 1 |
| KL Rahul | Punjab | 91 | 182 | 1 |
Samson’s 7 sixes against Punjab are the most in this tournament so far. However, Hooda’s aggregate – 6 sixes in 28 balls – makes incredible reading.
| Batsman | Team | R | SR | BF | 6 | B/6 |
| Sanju Samson | Rajasthan | 119 | 189 | 63 | 7 | 9.0 |
| Deepak Hooda | Punjab | 64 | 229 | 28 | 6 | 4.7 |
| KL Rahul | Punjab | 91 | 182 | 50 | 5 | 10.0 |
| Suresh Raina | Chennai | 91 | 150 | 36 | 4 | 9.0 |
| Nitish Rana | Kolkata | 53 | 143 | 56 | 4 | 14.0 |
Like the sixes chart, Samson tops the fours chart as well, with 12. As in 2020, Shikhar Dhawan finds himself close to the top, with Shaw at third place.
| Batsman | Team | R | SR | BF | 4 | B/4 |
| Sanju Samson | Rajasthan | 119 | 189 | 63 | 12 | 5.3 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Delhi | 85 | 157 | 54 | 10 | 5.4 |
| Prithvi Shaw | Delhi | 72 | 189 | 38 | 9 | 4.2 |
| Nitish Rana | Kolkata | 53 | 143 | 56 | 9 | 6.2 |
| KL Rahul | Punjab | 91 | 182 | 50 | 7 | 7.1 |
Only one match for each team, which means that the aggregate of every batsman is his highest score. Samson is obviously at the top of this one as well.
| Batsman | Team | R | vs | Date |
| Sanju Samson | Rajasthan | 119 | Punjab | 12 April |
| KL Rahul | Punjab | 91 | Rajasthan | 12 April |
| Shikhar Dhawan | Delhi | 85 | Chennai | 10 April |
| Nitish Rana | Kolkata | 80 | Hyderabad | 11 April |
| Prithvi Shaw | Delhi | 72 | Chennai | 10 April |
Harshal’s shock performance (5-27 against Mumbai) puts him at the top of Round 1 of the tournament. With three wickets each in the Punjab vs Rajasthan match, Chetan Sakariya and Arshdeep Singh share second place.
| Bowler | Team | W | Econ | 4WI |
| Harshal Patel | Bangalore | 5 | 6.75 | 1 |
| Chetan Sakariya | Rajasthan | 3 | 7.75 | 0 |
| Arshdeep Singh | Punjab | 3 | 8.75 | 0 |
| Avesh Khan | Delhi | 2 | 5.75 | 0 |
| Chris Woakes | Delhi | 2 | 6.00 | 0 |
| Rashid Khan | Hyderabad | 2 | 6.00 | 0 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Mumbai | 2 | 6.50 | 0 |
| Marco Jansen | Mumbai | 2 | 7.00 | 0 |
| Mohammad Nabi | Hyderabad | 2 | 8.00 | 0 |
| Mohammed Shami | Punjab | 2 | 8.25 | 0 |
| Prasidh Krishna | Kolkata | 2 | 8.75 | 0 |
| Chris Morris | Rajasthan | 2 | 10.25 | 0 |
| Shardul Thakur | Chennai | 2 | 14.45 | 0 |
Mohammed Siraj did not get a wicket, but his four overs went for only 22, which makes him the most economical bowler of the tournament so far. Avesh Khan conceded 23.
| Bowler | Team | W | Econ | 4WI |
| Mohammed Siraj | Bangalore | 0 | 5.50 | 0 |
| Avesh Khan | Delhi | 2 | 5.75 | 0 |
| Chris Woakes | Delhi | 2 | 6.00 | 0 |
| Rashid Khan | Hyderabad | 2 | 6.00 | 0 |
| Krunal Pandya | Mumbai | 1 | 6.25 | 0 |
Three men have bowled 13 dot balls each and three others 12. At this point, the top six are all fast bowlers.
| Batsman | Team | W | Econ | B | Dot | B/D |
| Kyle Jamieson | Bangalore | 1 | 6.75 | 24 | 13 | 1.8 |
| Chetan Sakariya | Rajasthan | 3 | 7.75 | 24 | 13 | 1.8 |
| Mohammed Shami | Punjab | 2 | 8.25 | 24 | 13 | 1.8 |
| Mohammed Siraj | Bangalore | 0 | 5.50 | 24 | 12 | 2.0 |
| Harshal Patel | Bangalore | 5 | 6.75 | 24 | 12 | 2.0 |
| Trent Boult | Mumbai | 1 | 9.00 | 24 | 12 | 2.0 |
Harshal’s 5-27, as mentioned, are the best at this stage. Sakariya (3-31) and Arshdeep (3-35) are the only others with three wickets or more.
| Batsman | Team | BB | vs | Date |
| Harshal Patel | Bangalore | 5-27 | Mumbai | 9 April |
| Chetan Sakariya | Rajasthan | 3-31 | Punjab | 12 April |
| Arshdeep Singh | Punjab | 3-35 | Rajasthan | 12 April |
| Chris Woakes | Delhi | 2-18 | Chennai | 10 April |
| Avesh Khan | Delhi | 2-23 | Chennai | 12 April |