Best Batsmen In IPL History – In 2008, who would have thought that the Indian Premier League would be such a significant success. Thirteen seasons (14th season starting from 8th April 2021) down the road, and look where the IPL is standing today. It is the biggest T20 league globally. Despite 2020’s pandemic situation, IPL recorded the most viewership in history. That shows how much the fans around the world love it.
From that sensational Brendon McCullum’s 158 to Ben Stokes 106 against Mumbai Indians in 2020. The history of the legends in the Indian Premier League has been quite extraordinary. From the highest run-scorer to the highest wicket-taker, IPL has been unpredictable and exciting over the years.
The batting history of the IPL is quite fascinating. Virat Kohli is the highest scorer of all time, yet David Warner is known as the best IPL batsman of all time. Why so?? Read along to find out.
Here’s a list of Top 10 Best Batsmen In IPL History
10. Gautam Gambhir:
Coming strong at 10th place is Gautam Gambhir. A leader of men two-time IPL winner with KKR, Gautam Gambhir has been a sensation in IPL over the years. Although he is known for his time with KKR. Gambhir has played four seasons for Delhi Capitals too( previously known as Delhi Daredevils)
Gautam Gambhir was a left-handed opening batsman who played in the Ranji Trophy cricket for Delhi. And captained Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils the Indian Premier League (IPL). He played a significant role in India’s victory in the 2007 World Cup T20 finals against Pakistan(75 runs from 54 balls). And the win against Sri Lanka in the 2011 Cricket World Cup (97 from 122).
Kolkata Knight Riders won their first IPL title in 2012, under Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy, and went on to win the title again in 2014. His IPL batting stats are unbelievable. Here, have a glance-
- Matches played- 154
- Total runs-4217
- Highest score- 93
- Not out- 16
9. Shane Watson:
Everyone knows about the most valued players of the recent seasons, Pat Cummings and Chris Morris being the most recent ones. But do you know who was the most valued player of the inaugural season of the IPL?? Yes, it was Shane Watson.
Shane Watson is a right-handed fast-medium swing bowler and a right-handed batsman. Who played international cricket between 2002 and 2016. He was rated by the ICC rankings as the world No. 1 all-rounder for 120 consecutive weeks( 150 weeks in total). He was the last to retire from Australia’s golden era of the early 2000s.
Shane Watson had some glorious campaigns for the Rajasthan Royals and is often underappreciated for his tournament services. The extraordinary all-rounder is 13th on the list of highest run-scorers and 17th on the highest wicket-takers list in the tournament’s history. Being on the top 20 of both lists is a significant achievement not all can accomplish.
His IPL batting stats are listed below-
- Matches Played- 145
- Total Runs- 3874
- Highest score- 117
- Not Outs- 16
8. Shikhar Dhawan:
Who can ignore that mustache? Shikhar Dhawan has proved to be one of the best openers in history. His innovative actions with the bat define him.
Dhawan is a left-handed opening batsman and an occasional right-arm off-break bowler. He plays for Delhi in first-class cricket and Delhi Capitals in the IPL. Dhawan was the leading run-scorer for India at the 2015 World Cup. In the following year, he became the fastest Indian to reach 3,000 One Day International runs. Dhawan also holds the record for most runs in a calendar year in T20 International cricket (689).
Coming strong at 8th place, Shikhar Dhawan has had a fantastic career in IPL. Spread over his time with Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Deccan Chargers. Still, he is mainly recognized for his time with Sunrisers Hyderabad. Dhawan, alongside David Warner, became the best second-fiddle batsman in IPL history.
Shikhar Dhawan has the stats to die for-.
- Matches Played- 176
- Total Runs- 5197
- Highest score- 106
- Not Outs- 24
7. AB de Villiers:
Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, AB de Villiers was named the ICC ODI Player of the Year three times during his 15-year international career. His nickname, Mr. 360, defines his batting abilities. His ability to wax runs out of every corner of the grounds made the fans bow down to him.
AB De Villiers played as a wicket-keeper-batsman in his career’s initial stages, but he has played most often solely as a batsman. He has batted primarily on the middle-order, although he has moved up and down quite often. He is noted as one of the most ingenious and destructive batsmen in the modern era.
On many occasions, his class and calmness filled a dying Royal Challengers Bangalore side with life, and he has played some of the greatest knocks in T20 history in the last nine seasons. He’s been a part of some unique partnerships with Virat Kohli over the years.
His mesmerizing stats listed below earned him the 7th spot on our list.
- Matches Played- 196
- Total Runs- 4849
- Highest score- 133
- Not Outs- 36
6. MS Dhoni
Coming at 6th place is MS Dhoni, one of the best, if not the best, captains the world has ever witnessed. He is the former captain of the India National team and the captain of CSK in the IPL. He is widely known for his Wicket Keeping skills and decisiveness at the dying moments. No one can forget the World Cup-winning helicopter shot in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Under Dhoni’s captaincy, India won the inaugural 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, the 2010 and 2016 Asia Cups, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.
MS Dhoni currently plays for CSK and has been playing for them since the inception of IPL. Whenever he came up the order, he took the responsibility to score good initial runs and stood firm at the crease for long, making him a versatile presence in the team. Without any doubt, he’s been IPL’s most influential figure.
His stats(listed below) are worth gazing on.
- Matches Played- 204
- Total Runs- 4632
- Highest score- 84
- Not Outs- 69
5. Rohit Sharma:
You probably know why he is called the ‘hitman,’ right? If you don’t, here is why. He is called the hitman because of his ability to score massive runs as an opener, not like the ‘hitman’ in the games. Rohit Sharma has been consistent over the years and has scored enormous numbers for the national team and MI in IPL.
Rohit Sharma is the captain of Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League as a right-handed batsman and an occasional right-arm off-break bowler. He is the vice-captain of the Indian national team in T20 Internationals and ODIs.
Rohit was named the best emerging player in 2009, and when Deccan Chargers won the tournament in 2011, Mumbai Indians signed him for a considerable amount, and they have never regretted it. He’s been scoring runs like a run machine. He is the reason behind MI’s success over the years in the competition.
Rohit has been threshing the balls for over ten years now in the IPL, and his records speak for him. He deserves to be on the list of Top 10 Best Batsmen In IPL History.
- Matches Played- 200
- Total Runs- 5230
- Highest score- 109
- Not Outs- 28
4. Chris Gayle:
Well, everyone is a gangster until the real gangster comes out. We are talking about Gayle. Do you want to know about records? Well, how about the most centuries in the IPL? Chris Gaye is the record holder. He has scored six centuries spread over 132 matches. He also holds the record for scoring the fastest century in the tournament.
Regarded as one of the most brutal batsmen of all time, Gayle has successfully set numerous unbreakable records across all three game formats. Gayle is the most capped player for the West Indies in international cricket and is the only player to score a triplet of centuries, a triple hundred in Tests, double hundred in ODIs, and a hundred in T20Is. Gayle is the first-ever batsman to hit 1000 sixes in T20 cricket.
Chris Gayle won two consecutive orange caps in 2011 and 2012 and scored more than 700 runs in 2013. He holds the record for the most sixes in a career, most runs scored in an innings, most sixes in an innings, and most centuries in the tournament. He has already established his legacy as an IPL legend, and his name is written forever in the history books.
His records speak for him. We guess you don’t need to know why his name is here cause you already do. Chris Gayle undoubtedly deserves to be on the list of Top 10 Best Batsmen In IPL History.
- Matches played- 132
- Total Runs- 4772
- Highest score- 175
- Not outs- 15
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The Top 3 Best Batsmen In IPL History.
3. Suresh Raina:
The name Suresh Raina pops in the head when you hear about IPL. He’s arguably the best short format(T20) cricketer. He is so exciting to watch. Either he is always in a rush to finish, or he loves the bowlers’ sad faces.
The current vice-captain of the Chennai Super Kings and was the Gujarat Lions captain in the Indian Premier League. He is the second-youngest player ever to captain India. He is the first Indian batsman to hit a century in all three formats of international cricket.
Suresh Raina might have struggled in the recent three or four seasons, but no one could match his consistency and top-notch performance in the first eight or nine seasons. The saucy left-handed batsman was a massive part of all the three titles CSK won and continues to be a part of that fantastic unit. Fans expect to see him return in the IPL 2021 as he retained from the tournament in 2020.
His stats are mesmerizing and earn him his spot in the Top 10 Best Batsmen In IPL History.
- Matches Played- 193
- Total Runs- 5368
- Highest score- 100
- Not Outs- 28
2. Virat Kohli:
Not everyone liked Kohli in the past because of his inconsistent form. However, that opinion can be highly contrasted to the current view that the fans hold. Kohli has been unbelievably good since he has been elected as the captain for RCB.
VK is the current captain of the India national team. A right-handed top-order batsman, Kohli is regarded as one of the best contemporary batsmen in the world. Although many people question his captaincy skills, India has been performing pretty well under his leadership. Maybe he is asked because he stepped in the shoes of the best captain the India team has ever had, MS Dhoni.
Along with Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers, Kohli scored huge totals for fun and made RCB the hub of entertaining cricket, although he has never successfully secured them a title to date. He came close to victory in the tournament but fell short. He won the Orange Cap once in 2016, where he scored 977 runs in the season, most by a batsman in a single season.
He is the highest scorer in this tournament, and he had to be on the list of Top 10 Best Batsmen In IPL History.
- Matches played- 192
- Total Runs- 5878
- Highest score- 113
- Not outs- 30
1. David Warner
Many might not like that Virat is not on the no.1 spot. Well, for a star, Warner deserves this. He has been super consistent over the years and has proved to be clinical in times of need. He is known for his time with Hyderabad, but he has been making records since his days with the Deccan Chargers.
Warner scored more than 500 runs for a record-breaking five consecutive seasons. And won the orange cap thrice (More than any other player). He also led the Sunrisers to a title win in 2016, and in his comeback season, the last edition, he hammered 692 runs in just 12 knocks, which included nine scores of 50 or more.
His name is enough for him to be in the top spot of Top 10 Best Batsmen In IPL History.
- Matches played- 142
- Total Runs- 5254
- Highest score- 126
- Not outs- 19