Shashank Singh vs Andre Russell - comparing their IPL stats after 28 matches

Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Shashank Singh continued to show different dimensions to his game in the side's 18-run win over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Tuesday, April 8. Renowned for his destructive batting, the 33-year-old came in to bat with PBKS reeling at 83/5 in eight overs.

Shashank showcased his ability to assess the situation, finishing with a well-paced 52* off 36 deliveries to help PBKS post a massive 219/6 in 20 overs. While Shashank relies heavily on timing and gap-finding, the other side of the spectrum is someone like Andre Russell.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder has bludgeoned bowling attacks irrespective of the situation several times throughout his illustrious career.

After the CSK clash, Shashank even mentioned how his batting style is different from Russell's despite playing similar roles.

"I will give credit to Mr. Brian Lara because when I played for SRH three years ago, he was someone who told me that at number 7 or 8, it's not always about power hitting. When you think about those positions, you usually think of players like Russell or Pollard, not players who time the ball well. He told me that if you're batting at 6 or 7, you should back your instincts rather than trying to be like someone else," he said (via MSN).

A late-bloomer, Shashank is now playing only his third IPL season and a second with PBKS after starting his IPL career with the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2022. Meanwhile, Russell started his IPL career with the Delhi Capitals (DC) in 2012 before moving to KKR for good in the 2014 season.

While Shashank has played only 28 IPL games, Russell is a veteran of the league with 132 matches under his belt. Yet, an interesting comparison would be the batting numbers of the duo at the same stage in their IPL careers (28 matches).

How does Shashank Singh's batting exploits stack up against one of IPL's greatest finishers, Andre Russell's, in 28 IPL games? Let us find out.

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Raw numbers

Both Shashank Singh and Andre Russell batted in the lower middle order and the back half of the innings for most of their first 28 IPL games. Thus, overall numbers do not indicate much in terms of who performed better at the start of their career.

Yet, as a starting point of this comparison exercise, let us look at who scored more runs and crossed 50 more often between the duo.

Shashank Singh vs Andre Russell - Raw Numbers

While Russell had become an IPL champion with KKR in 2014, he had played only nine combined games with DC and KKR from 2012 to 2014. However, he became a regular in the KKR side from the 2015 season and his 28th game came in the middle of the 2016 edition.

Looking at the overall numbers after 28 IPL matches, Shashank has a slight edge over Russell in terms of runs. The duo each boast three 50+ scores at this point with Shashank playing one innings more.

Thus, Sheerly by the win in the volume of runs, Shashank gets the nod over Russell in the 'Raw Numbers' category.

Edge: Shashank Singh.

Better impact after 28 IPL games?

When it comes to lower middle-order batters, the impact numbers take precedence over everything else. Who had a better combination of average and strike rate? Who boasted better impact numbers in team wins?

Let us find out who between Shashank and Russell has better impact numbers after 28 IPL matches.

Shashank Singh vs Andre Russell - Impact Numbers

The above table clearly shows Shashank being the more consistent batter compared to Russell after 28 IPL games. However, the big West Indian has the PBKS batter beat in terms of strike rate.

But the numbers in wins are a revelation for Shashank, who boasts an incredible average of 125 and a strike rate of over 181. Meanwhile, Russell's average and strike rate of 32.83 and 174.33 in wins looks spectacular in isolation, yet, falls well short of Shashank's impact numbers.

Edge: Shashank Singh.

Boundary-hitting ability

At their respective batting positions, the ability to strike fours and sixes at a high frequency becomes the priority for Shashank Singh and Andre Russell. Thus, it is worthwhile looking at how the duo fared in terms of balls per boundary in their first 28 IPL outings.

Shashank Singh vs Andre Russell - Boundary-hitting

While Shashank Singh has slightly more fours and sixes than Russell, the latter's balls faced is considerably lesser. Thus, Russell's average of 3.8 balls per boundary (fours + sixes) is more impressive than Shashank's mark of 4.6 balls per boundary.

Edge: Andre Russell.

Conclusion

Shashank Singh would do well to become the next Andre Russell as far as the IPL is concerned, considering the West Indian's inimitable performances as a finisher over the years. However, the start (first 28 games) for the PBKS batter far outshines Russell's, especially on impact and consistency.

Winner: Shashank Singh.