Application of Sharpe Ratio to Rank the Performance of Wicketkeepers in Cricket: A Study Based on Last Five IPL Seasons

Abstract

The importance of wicketkeeper in a cricket team is indispensable. A perfect wicketkeeper keeps the morale of the team high and acts as the confidence booster to the bowler and the entire team. The performance of a wicketkeeper in a match can change the fate of the game. A wicketkeeper should be capable of several cricketing skills like stamping, catching and appealing for a dismissal and in these days an important decision maker of call for a decision review. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC), which regularly publishes ranking for batsman, bowlers, all-rounders and cricket teams, do not produce any ranking for wicketkeepers. Thus, considering the importance of a wicketkeeper in a cricket team, the researchers feel that it is necessary to identify the performance of wicketkeeper. The exercise can help in selecting the best keeper for a team from a host of available options. In this study an attempt has been made to rank the performance of wicketkeepers with the help of Sharpe ratio. Here the score card of wicket keeping data of selected players are taken from last five editions of Indian Premiere League (IPL) and accordingly the wicketkeeper with most expected number of dismissals is extracted. Based on the descriptive statistics, the sharpe ratio is calculated to identify and rank of the wicketkeepers.