Roars of fans cheering for their favorite teams, and players competing to get their team to win against the opponents, this is what IPL is known for. The biggest league of World Cricket has garnered traction right from the beginning of the league in 2008. Renowned players have made a point to prove their prowess by performing well in the cash-rich league. And batters try their best to score a plethora of runs by smashing sixes & fours. Their ultimate goal is to enter the list of highest run-scorer in IPL history & earn recognition on the International front. Many newcomers who have performed exceptionally in the cash-rich league & dream of playing for India got that golden opportunity just based on their gleaming performances in the IPL. So today we will shed light on some of the batters who did their best to grab a place in the list of highest run-scorers in IPL by giving standout performances
Let’s have a look at the Top 5 highest run-scorers in IPL History:
Virat Kohli
The run machine of World Cricket & the backbone of the Indian Cricket team, Virat Kohli tops the list of highest run-scorer in IPL history. The batter boasts of 7263 runs in 237 IPL matches which makes him the highest run-scorer in IPL. Notably, he also occupies a place in the list of the fastest 5000 runs in IPL. The prolific batter has achieved all these prolific milestones by being a part of the RCB franchise. He has played 229 innings at an average of 37.24. He also holds the record of amassing the highest number of runs in a single IPL season with 937 runs in 16 fixtures in the 2016 edition of the league. Notably, the batter suffered a downfall in IPL 2022 where he could amass just 341 runs in 16 fixtures with a poor average of 115.99 & an average of 22.73. However the ‘King’ bounced back in IPL 2023 by amassing 639 runs in 14 matches with an average of 53.25 and a strike rate of 139.82, including two centuries and six fifties. He truly deserves to top the list of highest run-scorers in IPL History.
Shikhar Dhawan
When the highest run-scorer in IPL history is talked about Shikhar Dhawan makes a sure shot entry into the list. The ‘Gabbar’ of the Indian Cricket team & currently the captain of Punjab Kings, Shikhar Dhawan has amassed 6617 runs in 217 IPL fixtures with an average of 35.38 & a strike rate of 127.17. The prolific batter has 50 half-centuries & two tons in his kitty. Currently, the prolific batter has amassed 373 runs in 11 fixtures during IPL 2023 & helped Punjab Kings to near the IPL 2023 Playoffs care. However, due to the team’s inconsistent performance, they failed to qualify for the Playoffs. But Shikhar Dhawan has top scored for his franchise. He also holds other prolific accolades such as being the first player to hit consecutive centuries in an IPL season against CSK & PBKS in IPL 2020. He also comes under the top 5 players who have registered the fastest 5000 runs in IPL. In IPL Dhawan has always been a go-to-man of the teams he has played for so far. The terrific batter would try his best to add one major accolade to his kitty by winning IPL 2024.
David Warner
Australia’s ace opener batter & IPL’s one of the most consistent performers, David Warner is the only foreigner who has managed to cut into the list of t top 5 Highest run-scorers in IPL history. With 6397 runs in 176 fixtures & a gleaming strike rate of 139.21 & a stunning average of 41.53, Warner is the third-highest run-scorer in IPL. He started his career with Delhi Daredevils in 2009 & stayed there until 2013 taking Dardevils to the heights of success. However, in 2014 auctions he was acquired by Sunrisers Hyderabad where he guided the franchise to their maiden title triumph in 2016. With SRH he also achieved the feat of winning the orange cap for the maximum number of times i.e. in 2015, 2017 & 2019. His relationship with the franchise got ruined in 2021 when they failed to win even a single match out of the first six fixtures in the first leg of IPL The franchise benched him for the second leg of the league in the UAE. And later they choose to not retain him for his base price of 2 crores in IPL 2022 suctions. The opportunity was well grabbed by Delhi Capitals who brought his services for 6.25 crores. And guess what, Warner kept up the team’s expectations by ending IPL 2022 as the highest run-scorer for Delhi with 432 runs in 12 fixtures.
In IPL 2023 he was handed Delhi Capitals Captaincy in the absence of their regular captain Rishabh Pant. Though Delhi Capitals ended the season as the bottom-lenders he managed to score whopping 516 runs in 14 fixtures. Notably the Australian opener is the fastest batter to reach 5000 runs landmark. He achieved the feat in just 135 innings.
Rohit Sharma:
Indian Cricket Team & Mumbai Indians Captain, Rohit Sharma is the fourth batter in the list of highest run-scorer in IPL. The swashbuckling batter & MI Paltan’s lifeline Rohit has amassed 6211 runs in 243 matches at an enticing strike rate of 130.04 & average of 29.57. Fondly named as ‘hitman’, Rohit can smash the bowlers all across the park if he manages to settle on the crease. It’s under Rohit’s captaincy that Mumbai Indians have lifted IPL Trophy for five years which is the joint highest along with Chennai Super Kings. Rohit Sharma initially had a lean phase during IPL 2023 as he was getting dismissed cheaply in the initial fixtures. But later he coped up as time passed & started showing his power-hitting skills. Rohit managed a decent score in IPL 2023 by ending his stint at 332 runs in 16 matches. In the initial three years of IPL Rohit was a part of the Deccan Chargers franchise where he managed to guide them to their maiden title win in 2009. Later he joined the Mumbai Indians squad in 2011 & since then he has become a part of MI’s rich legacy.
Suresh Raina
The unsung hero of Chennai’s team & one of the best players India ever had, Suresh Raina occupies the fifth spot in the highest run-scorers list in IPL. With 5528 runs in 205 matches, Suresh Raina has made a place for himself in the highest run-scorers list. At a firing strike rate of 136.73 & an average of 32.51. Raina was a part of CSK’s title-winning campaign in 2010, 2011 & 2018. In all three years, he has led CSK from the forefront. Notably, Suresh Raina was the first player to breach the mark of 2000 & 5000 runs in IPL. The swashbuckling player holds the record for most runs scored in power-play overs. He is also the second player to smash 100 sixes in an IPL series. Raina retired from IPL & all forms of cricket ahead of IPL 2022 when he was not retained by his franchise CSK. Though Raina has retired from IPL he has managed to create a mark for himself before getting retired from cricket.
These are some renowned players who have managed to script their names in golden words in the history of IPL by scoring the highest runs. They are the ones who are the top occupants on the list of the top 5 highest run-scorers in the history of IPL. AB De Villiers (5162), MS Dhoni (5082), Chris Gayle (4965), RV Uthappa (4952) & KD Karthik (4516) are other batters who occupy a place in the top 10 highest run-scorers in the IPL list.
Also read, World Cup Qualifiers: Madushanka, Wellalage Added To SL Squad
