Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) was a franchise that played IPL in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. This franchise, along with Gujarat Lions, replaced Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years due to the spot-fixing allegations against them. Rising Pune Supergiant did not have a great start to their IPL journey as they finished seventh on the points table in the 2016 edition. But they turned the tables in the next IPL edition as they reached the final in their last game of IPL. They ended on the losing side by one run, but Steve Smith’s boys had done a marvellous job to reach the stage that nobody expected from them. The following list shows the top ten run-getters for Rising Pune Supergiant in the Indian Premier League history.
1. Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane tops the list of the highest run-getter for the Pune team. Rahane played 30 matches for Rising Pune Supergiant and scored 862 runs at an average of 33 and a strike rate of 122 with eight half-centuries. The right-hander’s highest score for the Pune franchise was 74, and he also led them in one IPL match.
2. Steve Smith
Steve Smith took over the reins of Rising Pune Supergiant from MS Dhoni in the 2017 IPL season and scored the second-highest runs for them in the IPL. Smith made 23 appearances for RPS and scored 742 runs at an average of 41 with a strike rate of 131. The Aussie batter hit three half-centuries for the Pune franchise, and his best performance was 101 runs against Gujarat Lions.
3. MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni was the first captain of the Rising Pune Supergiant franchise. He led them in the 2016 season before handing the captaincy duties to Steve Smith in the next season. Pune’s former skipper scored 574 runs in 30 IPL matches for RPS at an average of 31 with a strike rate of 124 and two half-centuries with the best performance of an unbeaten 64.
4. Rahul Tripathi
Rahul Tripathi made his Indian Premier League debut in the 2017 edition and set the tournament on fire with his batting. The opening batter scored 391 runs in 14 IPL matches at an average of 27 with a strike rate of 146 and hit two half-centuries with the best score of 93.
5. Manoj Tiwary
Tiwary did not play for any franchise in the 2016 season but made huge gains when he appeared for the Pune franchise. The right-hander played 15 IPL matches and scored 324 runs at an average of 32 with a strike rate of 137.He made vital contributions in the middle order. Tiwary hit two half-centuries for the RPS, and his highest score was 60.
6. Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes was the costliest buy in the 2017 IPL auction and did wonders for RPS by playing the good innings. The English all-rounder was a part of 12 IPL matches and scored 316 runs at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 142. Stokes hit a half-century and a century each for RPS, with his best performance being an unbeaten 103 for Rising Pune Supergiant, and it was instrumental in guiding them to the playoffs.
7. Faf Du Plessis
Faf du Plessis made eight appearances for the Pune franchise and scored 214 runs at an average of 30 and a strike rate of 126 with the help of two half-centuries. The former South African skipper’s highest score for the Pune franchise was 69.
8. Saurabh Tiwary
Saurabh Tiwary played for Rising Pune Supergiant in the 2016 season of the IPL. The left-hander was a part of 10 IPL matches and scored 170 runs at an average of 24 with a strike rate of 120 and hit two fifties with the highest score of 57.
9. Thisara Perera
The Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera represented Rising Pune Supergiant in the 2016 IPL edition. The left-handed batter wore the RPS jersey in 12 IPL matches and scored 150 runs at an average of 21 and a strike rate of 161 with the best performance of 34 runs.
10. Usman Khawaja
The Aussie left-handed batter represented Rising Pune Supergiant in the 2016 IPL edition. Khawaja played only six IPL games and scored 127 runs at an average of 21 with a strike rate of 127, and his highest score for the Pune franchise was 30.
