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IPL 2018: Kane Williamson and the art of reinventing T20 batting

The 27-year-old went about filling the void in the style of batting he knew best, laying emphasis on placement and timing than power and force, on crisp drives and flicks than slog sweeps and scoops

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Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson bats in the nets during a practice session in Mumbai on Monday
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Of the 14 innings Kane Williamson has played in this IPL so far, he has crossed the 25-run mark 12 times. Of the total number of runs the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has scored in this IPL, Williamson has accounted for 29.6 per cent of them.

These are staggering numbers for a player who isn't quite considered an impact player in T20s, and whose maximum volume of international runs have come from Test cricket.

And yet, the Kiwi skipper has notched up 661 runs in 14 matches this season, registering a half-century in eight of those encounters and possessing the highest average among the top five batsmen this season (60.09).

The moment David Warner was banned from this year's IPL, there were fears that SRH would be left without a fulcrum in their batting line-up, a match-winner who opposition bowlers feared.

Williamson realised those doubts, but he was practical enough in not trying to be another Warner for the team.

The 27-year-old went about filling the void in the style of batting he knew best, laying emphasis on placement and timing than power and force, on crisp drives and flicks than slog sweeps and scoops.

The shortest format of the game can be cruel to such players – as Ajinkya Rahane is finding out now – but Williamson was careful about not going too deep into his shell.

Not once in his 14 innings did his strike rate drop below 120, clever manoeuvring of fields, hard running between the wickets and excellent match awareness being the key factors behind that.

Williamson's smooth IPL campaign has not just left his team members awestruck, but also opposition captains.

"T20 cricket isn't just about power, it's also about being smart and playing to your strengths and Williamson is doing exactly that," Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma tweeted during Williamson's 42-ball 81 against Royal Challengers Bangalore last week.

And although that knock came in a losing cause, it highlighted the genius of Williamson the best.

Those 81 runs had 28 runs through fours, 30 through sixes and 23 through singles and doubles.

A heady mixture of everything, not too spicy, not too bland.

It's, thus, no wonder that Williamson has carried this team through to the play-offs almost single-handedly with the bat, with his bowling unit responding to his captaincy too.

And one doesn't help but feel that if SRH are to go deeper into the tournament, Williamson will have to continue playing the pivotal role.

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