Jake Fraser-McGurk is blasting his way at the top of the order and is making a big impact for the Capitals as they make a dash for the playoffs.
He went unsold at the auction. He was a late edition, almost an after-thought but since his inclusion, has dramatically reversed the fortunes for the Delhi Capitals (DC) this season. Jake Fraser-McGurk is making a name for himself in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). And in some style! Barely 22, he is smashing them to all corners of the park not sparing the best in the business. When you can loft Jasprit Bumrah in the form he has been, first ball of his spell, down the ground for a six – you know it is special! Fraser-McGurk is blasting his way at the top of the order and is making a big impact for the Capitals as they make a dash for the playoffs.
The Quickest Starter, The Most Attacking & The Best Strike Rate
Fraser-McGurk has an aggregate of 247 runs in the tournament at a strike rate of 237.5 – the highest amongst all batters who have scored a minimum of 100 runs this season. He has hit a boundary every 2.4 deliveries which is again the best balls per boundary ratio in the competition.
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Fraser-McGurk does not believe in defence. His first thought against any delivery bowled to him is ‘4 or 6’ and only if that is not possible does he settle for something lesser. It is not surprising then that his Attacking Percentage (percentage of deliveries attempted to hit for boundaries) is as high as 80.8% in the five innings he has batted this season. Tim David, who usually bats in the death overs, follows with 75.7%.
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Fraser-McGurk muscled the second ball he faced in his IPL career off Yash Thakur for a six over mid-wicket. Sandeep Sharma was lofted over his head for a first-ball maximum against the Titans while Luke Wood was hammered for 4, 4, 6 off the first three deliveries of the innings in the clash against Mumbai Indians. Fraser-McGurk does not believe in getting his eye in. He goes on the rampage from the word go! His strike rate in the first 10 deliveries is a staggering 242 this season. And better than anyone else!
The King of the Powerplay
Fraser-McGurk has hammered 183 runs off just 69 deliveries in the powerplay at a stunning strike rate of 265.2. He has left behind the likes of Abhishek Sharma (233.7), Travis Head (229.2) and Sunil Narine (177.4). In a season which has witnessed record totals in the first six overs, Fraser-McGurk is the King of the Powerplay!
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Fraser-McGurk has been devastating against the new ball and has hit a boundary every 1.9 deliveries in this phase of play – by far the best balls per boundary ratio in the first six overs this season. He has already smashed 15 sixes in the powerplay in just 5 outings to jump to number 2 along with Head. Sharma tops the list with 18 but in three more matches.
Changing the fortunes for the Capitals
The Capitals looked down and out. They had lost four of their first five matches. Teams like the Sunrisers and the Knight Riders had already redefined the batting norms in the powerplay. The Capitals were lagging behind. Just for perspective, KKR had a powerplay run-rate of 12 and were followed by SRH at 11.7. The Capitals were well behind in the race at 9.1.
In came Fraser-McGurk. He had first made headlines when he slammed a 29-ball ton for South Australia in the Marsh Cup last October and already enhanced his reputation with his exploits in the 2023-24 BBL and for the Dubai Capitals in the 2024 ILT20.
55 off 35 deliveries from number 3 as the Capitals gun down LSG’s 167 with 11 deliveries to spare. This was just the appetizer. 20 off 10 against the Titans in a match already sealed by the DC bowlers. A record-breaking 15-ball fifty against the Sunrisers even as both the openers went out cheaply – Fraser-McGurk finally ended with a valiant 18-ball 65 even though his team fell well short of the target of 267. A cameo 23 off 14 as opener in another victory against the Titans in the return leg. And finally equalling his own record smashing his second 15-ball fifty of the season against the Mumbai Indians – Fraser-McGurk’s stunning 84 off just 27 deliveries powered the Capitals to their highest total in the IPL ever – a mammoth 257/4 which they defended by 10 runs. His 78 off just 24 deliveries in the powerplay in this encounter are the third-highest runs by a batter in this phase of play in the IPL!
The Capitals have seen a monumental shift in their intent at the top of the order since the inclusion of Fraser-McGurk in the XI. Their average powerplay run-rate has shot up from 9.1 in the first five matches to 11.8 in the next five. And it is not a coincidence that from one solitary win in the first half of their campaign, they have powered to four more in the second.
IPL 2024 is the season of the batter and has seen bat dominate ball like never before. Historically, it has been the teams with a stronger bowling unit who have been more successful in the IPL. That is not true this season. The teams with the most aggressive and complete batting units are in the top half of the table in this edition.
Ricky Ponting, the head coach of the Capitals, also recognized this trend with his team in the doldrums after the first few matches. And unleashed his trump card – Jake Fraser-McGurk. The tide has turned for the Capitals and how!
IPL 2024
