The best cash-rich league in the history of World Cricket & every cricket fan’s favorite Indian Premier League has taken World Cricket by storm. Right from its inception in 2008, IPL has grabbed the limelight with franchisees competing for the gleaming trophy. Batters aim to add a plethora of runs in their kitty for their respective teams while bowlers aim to get breakthroughs for their franchise by dismissing them early. Every single player aims to cross important milestones in IPL & script their name with golden words in the history of IPL. Batting & scoring runs is a difficult task in the cash-rich league & few batters have not only mastered this art but also managed to achieve some crucial landmarks of the fastest 5000 IPL runs.
So without wasting time let’s have a look at the batters who managed to breach the 5000 runs mark in IPL to date.
David Warner:
The mark of 5000 IPL runs is rare & David Warner is the fastest batter in IPL history to reach the unique feat in a stunning style. He achieved the landmark of 5000 runs in just 135 innings to become the fastest batter to achieve this unique landmark. He achieved the feat during SRH’s fixture against KKR in 2020. Till now the south-paw has played 150 IPL matches amassing 5449 runs in 3893 balls with 525 fours & 201 sixes in his kitty. He is also regarded as the power-hitter of IPL with 126 runs being his highest score. Warner is one of the best players in IPL history with 50 half centuries & 4 tons registered on his name. Notably, he is the one who helped SRH to lift its maiden IPL title in 2016. However, after staying for nine long years with the Hyderabad-based franchise Warner parted ways with them in 2021 when SRH opted to release him in the auctions. For the unversed Warner is the first foreigner to achieve the feat of 5000 runs in IPL.
2. Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina is the first player to breach the 5000-run mark in IPL history. He achieved this glorious feat while playing for Chennai Super Kings. He has always batted in the middle order & guided CSK to the ladder of success with his destructive style of batting. Raina achieved this feat while playing for CSK against RCB in the 2019 edition of the league. Though he is the first player to reach 5000 IPL runs mark, it took him 173 innings to achieve the remarkable feat. Suresh Raina has played 205 fixtures & batted in 200 innings amassing 552 runs in 4042 balls. Till now he has smashed 506 fours & 203 sixes with a batting average of 32.51 & a strike rate of 137.14. Raina’s best score in unbeaten 100 runs which he achieved against Punjab Kings in 2013. In IPL too he has done a fabulous job by registering 39 fifties & one century. Raina has achieved laurels in IPL while playing for ‘Yellove Army’ however the franchise released him ahead of IPL 2022 auctions.
3. Virat Kohli:
King Kohli has achieved almost every accolade during his celebrated career. And when the fastest 5000 runs in IPL are talked about Virat Kohli’s name is the Sureshot in the list. Virat Kohli achieved a rare feat in IPL 2018 when he scored 32 runs off 46 balls against Mumbai Indians. He has played 207 IPL matches & 199 innings. Till now the ‘run-machine’ has scored 7263 runs in 229 innings with 643 fours & 234 sixes. Virat enjoys a stunning average of 37.39 with a strike rate of 130 with his best score of 113 runs coming against Punjab Kings in 2016. Virat has registered 50 fifties & 7 tons in IPL to date. Kohli achieved this feat in 137 innings & proudly occupied a place in IPL’s fastest 5000 runs list. Notably, Virat Kohli also achieved the feat of scoring 5000 runs for a single iPL franchise & is leading the run charts of the Indian Premier League with 7263 runs in his kitty. Virat Kohli’s 763 runs in the 2016 season helped him to achieve such rare accolades in IPL history.
4. AB De Villiers
The unsung hero of IPL history, AB De Villiers is one important attendee in the fastest 5000 runs in IPL. Virat Kohli’s good friend & Proteas one of the top batters, De Villiers is the second overseas player to breach the 5000 runs mark in IPL history. What makes him different than others is the fact that Villiers has achieved the unique feat in just 3288 balls which makes him the quickest to reach the landmark in terms of balls faced. His compatriots Warner (3554 balls), Raina (3260 balls), Rohit Sharma (3817 balls), & Virat Kohli (3827 balls) are the others who come in the list of fastest 5000 runs in IPL in terms of balls faced. De Villiers achieved this feat in 161 innings & has scored 5162 IPL runs in 184 matches. He has featured in 170 innings with his highest score being unbeaten 133 runs. During the cash-rich league, the batter has amassed 40 fifties & three centuries. In November 2021, De Villiers has taken retirement from all forms of cricket including IPL.
5. Shikar Dhawan:
Shikhar Dhawan the Captain of the Punjab Kings franchise is the other player who has attained the landmark of 5000 runs in IPL. Dhawan has achieved this feat in just 168 innings & is continuously adding runs to his kitty with each passing season. Dhawan made his IPL debut in 2008 for Delhi Capitals & has featured for other franchises such as MI & SRH. However, he has been picked by PBKS in IPL 2023 mini-auctions & was appointed as Punjab Kings Captain. Till now he has scored 6617 runs in 217 matches. His best score came against Punjab Kings in IPL 2020 where he stayed unbeaten at 106 runs. Till now he has scored 50 half centuries & two centuries at an average of 35.38. Notably, Shikhar is the second-highest run-scorer in the history of IPL just behind Virat Kohli.
6. Rohit Sharma
Mumbai Indians & Indian team’s Captain Rohit Sharma is the sixth fastest batter to achieve the feat of fastest 5000 runs in IPL. Five times IPL winning captain Rohit Sharma has achieved this feat in 187 innings. In fact, Rohit has featured in 243 fixtures amassing 6211 runs at a stunning average of 29.57. He has scored 554 fours & 257 sixes so far in the cash-rich league & has batted in 238 innings. Rohit’s heroics with the bat helped him to achieve the landmark smoothly & scripted his name in golden words in the league’s history. Rohit’s best individual score came against KKR during their fixture in IPL 2022 when he stayed unbeaten at 109. With 42 fifties & one century, Rohit Sharma is one of the best batters in the IPL. Not to forget that under his captaincy MI has lifted the IPL trophy five times & became one of the best teams in the Indian Premier League.
7. MS Dhoni
Finally, the ‘Thala’ of CSK, MS Dhoni entered the 5000 runs club during the recently ended IPL 2023. He achieved the unique feat in 208 innings during their league stage fixture against LSG on their home ground. It was in the 19th over when Dhoni smashed two consecutive sixes & breach the 5000 IPL runs mark. MS Dhoni has 5082 runs in his kitty scored in 250 IPL matches at an average of 39.09. He has 24 fifties in his kitty with the highest score of unbeaten 84 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 135.53. MS is also the seventh-highest run-scorer in IPL history with 5082 runs registered under his name. He had successfully guided CSK to their fifth IPL title by winning the IPL 2023 final against GT on the last ball of the fixture. Initially, Dhoni decided to call time to his IPL career after the 16th edition of the league. But after watching the fans’ immense support & love, Dhoni changed his mind & has now decided to play one more season i.e. IPL 2024 as a gratitude to his fans. Whether Dhoni would play in the IPL 2024 depends on his knee condition as he is undergoing treatment for the same.
These are seven batters who have achieved the landmark of 5000 Runs in the history of IPL. There are many others on the list who are on the verge of breaching the 5000 IPL runs mark. Without wasting time, share with us your favorite players whom you think should enter the list. Hurry up we are waiting for your exciting answers.
Also read, Top 10 Highest Paid Cricketers In The World
