We are just a couple of days away from the kick off of India’s biggest T20 festival, the much-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL).
Over the years, many batting greats have stamped their authority all over the league by doing the unthinkable. Their pyrotechnics with the bat, while nightmarish for the bowlers at the receiving end, have been a great source of thrill and entertainment for the spectators. Ahead of the 2024 edition of the IPL, let’s take a look at the top 10 run-getters in the history of the league.
Virat Kohli, 7263 runs (RCB)
Kohli will arguably go down as the greatest all-format batter in the history of the sport. His numbers in the IPL are absolutely bonkers. Having been one of the select players who have played in every season since the inaugural edition in 2008, Kohli heads into IPL 2024 as the league’s highest run-getter of all-time. In 229 innings, Kohli has scored 7263 runs, winning the Orange Cap in 2016. He holds the record for the most centuries (7), joint-most centuries in a single season (4 in 2016, shared with Jos Buttler), most runs in a single season (973 in 2016), and most 50+ scores in a single season (11 in 2016). Kohli averages 37.24 and has scored at a strike rate of 130.02. His highest score is 113.
Shikhar Dhawan, 6617 runs (DC, MI, PBKS, SRH)
Dhawan has been among the most consistent openers in IPL, scoring 6617 runs. During his IPL career, he has represented five franchises – Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, and the now-defunct Deccan Chargers. Dhawan has scored 50 fifties and two centuries in 216 innings, averaging 35.38 and scoring at 127.17. In IPL 2020, Dhawan became the first-ever batter in the cash-rich tournament to score consecutive centuries. He will be leading the Punjab Kings in IPL 2024.
Follow all the action from IPL 2024, including the IPL 2024 Schedule and IPL 2024 Points Table. Also, check Players vying for IPL 2024 Orange Cap and IPL 2024 Purple Cap
David Warner, 6397 runs (DC, SRH)
The only player to win the Orange Cap thrice, Warner also holds the record of scoring the most half-centuries in IPL, with 61 fifties to his name. The dashing Australian opener is the third-highest run-getter in the league with 6397 runs, which have come in just 176 innings. Warner averages 41.53, the only player to average above 40 among the top 13 run-getters in IPL history. His strike rate of 139.91 indicates that he has been a dangerous player, taking full advantage of the powerplay. Warner also has four centuries to his name, with a highest score of 126.
Rohit Sharma, 6211 runs (DC, MI)
After spending the first three seasons with Deccan Chargers, Rohit moved to Mumbai Indians in 2011, and has been a key member ever since. Although he might not be leading MI in IPL 2024 after doing so for 10 years between 2013 and 2023, he heads into the tournament with an eye on the T20 World Cup. While he hasn’t scored as much as he can in recent seasons, he is still one of the only four players to score over 6000 runs in IPL history. In 238 innings, Rohit has 42 fifties to his name, and just one century.
Suresh Raina, 5528 runs (CSK, GL)
Given the moniker of ‘Mr. IPL’, Raina is one of the greatest players in tournament history. The sheer consistency with which he scored runs year in, year out, made him a force to be reckoned with. Raina spent most of his IPL career with Chennai Super Kings, with the CSK faithful giving him the ‘Chinna Thala’ nickname. In 200 innings, Raina scored 5528 runs, featuring in every IPL season until 2021. He averaged 32.51 and scored at a strike rate of 136.73.
AB de Villiers, 5162 runs (DC, RCB)
De Villiers will go down as one of the most destructive middle-order batters in the history of the game, and certainly as the most innovative player to ever step on the field. The former South Africa wicketkeeper-batter played the first three seasons of the IPL for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), before being roped in by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011, where he enjoyed immense success. In 170 innings, ABD scored 5162 runs, averaging just a shade below 40. His runs came at a strike of 151.68, including 40 fifties and three centuries.
MS Dhoni, 5082 runs (CSK, RPS)
The only wicketkeeper in IPL history to score over 5000 runs, MS Dhoni is also the player who has played the most games (250). Dhoni has scored 5082 runs in 218 innings, which includes 24 fifties. He averages 38.79 and his strike rate is 135.91. Certainly one of the greatest finishers ever, Dhoni will once again be hoping to entertain fans with his short but impactful cameos lower down the order in IPL 2024, which could quite possibly be his final season.
Chris Gayle, 4965 runs (KKR, PBKS, RCB)
Inarguably the most dominant opener in T20 history, Gayle was a sheer force of nature in the IPL. While he wasn’t at his best in the first three seasons of the IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders, he took the league by storm when he played for RCB, forming a formidable trident with Kohli and ABD. In 141 innings, the former West Indies cricketer scored 4965 runs at an average close to 40 and a strike rate close to 150. He took the art of batting to new levels. In 2013, Gayle scored an unbeaten 175 against the now-defunct Pune Warriors India, which is the highest individual score in IPL, by a country mile. Gayle won the Orange Cap twice and holds the record for the most sixes in IPL history (357), at least a 100 more than the next-best figure in the list.
Robin Uthappa, 4952 runs (MI, RCB, PWI, KKR, CSK, RR)
Uthappa started out with Mumbai Indians in 2008 and was then traded to Royal Challengers Bangalore, with Zaheer Khan moving the other way. At RCB, he struggled to find consistency, which led him to be released by the franchise. KKR acquired his services, and he became one of the best openers in the league. In 2014, Uthappa was perhaps KKR’s best player as they won their second IPL title. The batter scored 660 runs to win the Orange Cap, too. In 15 seasons (2008-2022), Uthappa played 197 innings, scoring 4952 runs at an average of 27.51. He scored 27 fifties but never scored a century, with his highest score being 88.
Dinesh Karthik, 4516 runs (DC, MI, RCB, PBKS, GL, KKR)
Although Karthik has turned to commentary, he will continue to feature in the IPL. This season, he will be playing for RCB. Over the years, Karthik has represented six franchises. In 221 innings, the wicketkeeper-batter has scored 4516 runs at an average of 25.80 and a strike rate of 132.71. He has 20 fifties to his name. Nowadays, he plays as a finisher for RCB.
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