IPL 2021: 5 players who can win the Tata Safari car

IPL 2021 will be back on September 19, with Dubai hosting the 30th match of the competition between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings.

29 matches of the league stage took place during the first phase of IPL 2021 in April and May. Three venues in the UAE will play host to the remaining 31 games of the season. The IPL 2021 playoffs will take place in Dubai and Sharjah, post which the winner of the tournament and the annual individual awards will be known.

Player with the highest batting strike in IPL 2021 will take Tata Safari home

One of the most attractive individual prizes in IPL is the Tata Safari car. Last year, Mumbai Indians all-rounder Kieron Pollard won the Altroz Car after ending the season with the best batting strike rate.

On that note, here are the top five candidates who could win the Tata Safari car this time:

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#1 Kieron Pollard, Mumbai Indians

Altroz 'Super Striker of the year' - Kieron Pollard with a SR of 191.42.#IPL #IPL2020 #IPLFinal #IPlfinals #MIvDC pic.twitter.com/hkFy9w4uRL

— 🏏FlashScore Cricket Commentators (@FlashCric) November 10, 2020

Last year's winner Kieron Pollard will be one of the top contenders to win the prize this year as well. Pollard played seven innings in the first phase of IPL 2021, scoring 168 runs at a strike rate of 171.42.

He currently holds second place on the best batting strike rate leaderboard. It will be interesting to see if the big-hitter from the West Indies can add the Tata Safari to his car collection.

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#2 Ambati Rayudu, Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings' middle-order batsman Ambati Rayudu is leading the race to win the Tata Safari this year. He is the only batsman with a strike rate of 200 in IPL 2021.

Rayudu was in excellent form during the first phase of IPL 2021, scoring 136 runs off just 68 deliveries. If he can continue destroying the opposition bowling attacks, he can retain his top position and win the Tata Safari.

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#3 Prithvi Shaw, Delhi Capitals

Prithvi Shaw can destroy any bowling attack on his day

Prithvi Shaw is another candidate for the Tata Safari car. The right-handed batsman has been in great form this year. He dominated the bowlers in the domestic circuit and continued his form in the IPL. Later, Shaw also scored runs at a brisk rate in international matches against Sri Lanka.

So far in IPL 2021, Shaw has aggregated 308 runs off 185 balls and has provided excellent starts for the Delhi Capitals in Phase 1. It will be interesting to see if Shaw can better his strike rate of 166.48 and rise higher on the leaderboard.

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#4 AB de Villiers, Royal Challengers Bangalore

AB de Villiers has won many awards in his career (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Although more than three years have passed since his retirement from international cricket, AB de Villiers still remains one of the most destructive batsmen in the world. The right-handed batsman has been the cornerstone of the Royal Challengers Bangalore team.

AB de Villiers is famous for his big-hitting skills. So far this year in the IPL, he has scored 207 runs at an average of 51.75 and a superb strike rate of 164.28. To win the Tata Safari, De Villiers will have to take his strike rate closer to 200.

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#5 Andre Russell

Andre Russell will have to fire in the second phase of IPL 2021 (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Andre Russell was not at his best in the last few IPL matches, but the Caribbean all-rounder can make up for his disappointing performances with an exceptional outing with the bat in IPL 2021's second phase.

The Kolkata Knight Riders star currently holds eighth position on the leaderboard, with a strike rate of 155.23. But almost every cricket fan knows that Russell can take the Tata Safari home by performing his best in just three or four innings.