Cricket: Kane Williamson outstanding form one of IPL's true high points

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson plays a shot against Delhi Daredevils. Photo / AP

Kane Williamson's outstanding form has been one of the true high points of the Indian Premier League competition.

The New Zealand skipper's unbeaten 83 today to push the Sunrisers Hyderabad into the playoffs was his sixth half century in 11 innings, took his aggregate to 493, second overall, and his average to a cracking 61.62. His strike rate, 135.43, isn't to be sniffed at either.

Only Indian batsman Rishabh Pant, with 521 for Delhi Daredevils, has made more runs.

Add in that Williamson is captaining a franchise with no other New Zealand players for company, and replacing the formidable David Warner at the helm, and it's been a fabulous effort.

But what of the other New Zealanders in the IPL? How are they faring? It's been something of a Curate's Egg for the Kiwis, some good, some ordinary, some worse than that.

Swing bowler Trent Boult has had a decent time of it at Delhi, even though they were first team out of the running for a playoff, courtesy of Williamson's bat early today.

Still the left armer has taken 13 wickets at 28.69, numbers which puts him in the top echelon of bowlers.

Only six bowlers have taken more, headed by Indian allrounder Hardik Pandya who has 16 wickets at 15.6 for Mumbai Indians, and Australian seamer Andrew Tye, who also has 16 at 19.43 for the Kings Punjab XI.

Of the other seven New Zealanders to have seen action this season, Mumbai's burly left armer Mitch McClenaghan has made a decent fist of things, 12 wickets from nine games at 22.25 and a highly acceptable economy rate of 8.34.

Seamer Tim Southee has taken five wickets in four appearances at 23.8 apiece; legspinner Ish Sodhi, in only two games, has taken two wickets at 19.5 each and a terrific economy rate of 5.57.

Former national captain Brendon McCullum has lost his place at the Royal Challengers Bangalore. In six games he scored 127 runs at 21.16 and a strike rate of 144.

Colin de Grandhomme and Corey Anderson are also at Bangalore. De Grandhomme has made 86 runs in five games at 28.6 and a 143 strike rate, and taken a solitary wicket in eight overs.

Anderson has not been sighted since being blasted for 16 in four balls of the final over to surrender a win to Chennai Super Kings. He's made 17 runs in three games and taken three expensive wickets.

Which leaves Colin Munro, another to have lost his place after making just 63 runs in five games at 12.6 for Delhi.

So take out Williamson and Boult and overall it hasn't been an IPL for New Zealand to crow about.