Stats: Krishnappa Gowtham produces a dream all-round T20 performance in the KPL

The Karnataka Premier League (KPL) for once became Krishnappa Premier League as Krishnappa Gowtham produced a mind-blogging all-round effort on Friday night. Playing for the Bellary Tuskers, Gowtham recorded the highest individual score and also the best bowling figures in the history of KPL during the same game. He walked to bat at No.3 in the game against Shivamogga Lions which was reduced to 17 over-a-side. Gowtham did not spare any bowler as he smashed 13 maximums and seven fours on his way through to an unbeaten 56-ball 134.

Later, Krishnappa struck with the ball during the 2nd over while defending their total of 203/3. He returned for a 2nd spell in the 12th over when the Lions were going well at 102/2. The off-spinner took three wickets in three legitimate deliveries but was denied a hat-trick due to a wide ball between his 2nd and 3rd wickets. The 30-year-old picked up three more wickets in the following over and one more in his final over to finish with figures of 4-0-15-8.

Shivamogga were collapsed to just 133 as the Tuskers won the game by a 70-run margin. Gowtham also took a couple of catches in his own bowling. His efforts, however, won’t be classified under the official Twenty20 records. Since the state level T20 league are not awarded with the T20 status, the all-rounder missed out on creating the best bowling in the T20 history. Gowtham would have been the first player with a century and 5-wicket haul in the same Twenty20 match as well.

All the records and stats that Krishnappa Gowtham created during the KPL game:

134* – Krishnappa Gowtham recorded the highest individual score in the history of Karnataka Premier League. He surpassed the record held by Mayank Agarwal with an unbeaten 51-ball 119 for Belagavi Panthers against Mangalore United in 2016.

8/15 – His figures of 8/15 are the best bowling analysis in the history of KPL. Prior to Gowtham, only one bowler took a 6-wicket haul in the KPL. Nikin Jose took 6/11 during the 2015 edition game against Rockstars for Mysuru Warriors. The discarded Rockstars team was a formation of celebrities and veteran cricketers.

Only one player in T20 history has taken a 7-wicket haul till date. Colin Ackermann registered figures of 7/23 in the T20 Blast game earlier this month. Gowtham would have been the first player with an 8-fer in T20s if this tournament had T20 status.

39 – Gowtham completed his century in 39 deliveries; the fastest century in the history of KPL. The previous fastest KPL hundred was recorded by Mayank Agarwal off 45 balls during the unbeaten 119 which he scored in 2016.

13 – Number of sixes Krishnappa hit during his unbeaten century. No player before him hit even ten sixes in a KPL inning. Mohammed Taha struck as many as nine during his 45-ball 83 against Hubli Tigers in 2017 for Bijapur Bulls.

106 – Gowtham also became the first player to score 100 runs via boundaries in a KPL inning. The previous most number of runs scored through boundaries in a KPL innings was 84. Mayank Agarwal hit 15 fours and four maximums during his unbeaten 119 during the 2016 edition.

67 – Krishnappa is the leading wicket-taker in KPL with the 67 wickets to his name. He went past Vyshak Vijay Kumar’s tally of 58 with the one wicket he picked on Thursday. Gowtham extended his lead to 9 wickets with help of the 8-fer he claimed on Friday night.