More than 1000 players have played the biggest T20 league in the world IPL. A total of 13 franchises have participated in the tournament over the years. So after 14 years since the first IPL season, who is the player who deserves the title ‘King of IPL’? Here we are presenting the top 5 cricketers in IPL history on the basis of their achievements. We are giving these players stars according to their stats. The player who is having the most stars will be crowned the King of IPL.
5. Suresh Raina
The left-handed batsman of CSK is known as Mr. IPL for having many records in this bag. Suresh Raina had not missed any match for his team till 2016 when he took paternity leave. The southpaw played 143 matches without missing one, which is still a record in IPL. Despite missing the whole IPL 2020 season, Raina is currently the 2nd leading run-scorer in the history of the league. Also, he is the highest run-getter in the IPL playoffs and finals.
Suresh Raina has won 3 Indian Premier League trophies with Chennai Super Kings. The 34-year old is one of the most consistent batsmen in the BCCI-owned league. However, the crown of the IPL King could have been on his head if he hadn’t missed the last season. Raina didn’t accumulate a single run in 2020, thus, Virat Kohli who scored 466 runs has left him too far behind in the race of ‘Most IPL run’.
Runs scored: 5422 (4.5 Stars)
IPL titles just as a player: 3 (1.5 Stars)
IPL wins as captain: 0 (0 Stars)
Orange caps: 0 (0 Stars)
Total Stars: 6
4. Virat Kohli
There is no doubt that the current India cricket team captain Virat Kohli is the best batsman in the world. The skipper of RCB is on the verge of becoming the first batsman to reach 6000 runs in the Indian league. However, despite the outstanding individual performance, Virat has yet to get his hand on the trophy.
Virat is now leading RCB for the 9th successive season and under his captaincy, RCB could reach the final only once (in 2016). The 32-year old is undoubtedly the king of cricket, but the title of the King of IPL is still far from him. Because a king is not a king without a crown.
Runs scored: 5911 (5 Stars)
IPL titles just as a player: 0 (0 Stars)
IPL titles as captain: 0 (0 Stars)
Orange caps: 1 (1 Star)
Total Stars: 6
3. MS Dhoni was once King of IPL
The captain of CSK is arguably the most popular cricketer. The wicket-keeper batsman from Jharkhand has a fan-following around the world. MS Dhoni is also the most paid player in the history of the Indian Premier League. Dhoni has earned over 200 crores as a salary from the franchise.
The 39-year old has won 3 IPL trophies as captain of CSK. But has Dhoni done enough that he can be called the King of IPL? Overall, Dhoni has an outstanding record as IPL captain. But his record in finals is not that great. Under his captaincy, CSK played 8 IPL finals and could win only 3.
Runs scored: 4632 (4 Stars)
IPL titles just as a player: 0 (0 Stars)
IPL titles as captain: 3 (3 Star)
Orange caps: 0 (0 Stars)
Total Stars: 7
2. David Warner
The southpaw from Australia is the most consistent batsman in the IPL history. He is the only player who has won 3 orange caps. Also, his batting average of 42.39 is the highest among all players in the cash-rich league. Not only as a batsman but his record as a captain is also flawless. He is one of the six captains to win the title.
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David Warner who is at no.2 on our list of the King of IPL needs a few more titles to snatch the crown from our no.1 pick. Warner has ended up with more stars than Dhoni, Kohli and Raina in our list.
Runs scored: 5257 (4.5 Stars)
IPL titles just as a player: 0 (0 Stars)
IPL titles as captain: 1 (1 Star)
Orange caps: 3 (3 Stars)
Total Stars: 8.5
1. Rohit Sharma is the King of IPL
In 2021, the player who deserves the title of the King of IPL is Rohit Sharma. The Mumbai batsman is the most successful player in the 14-year history of the league in other words he is Baap of IPL. As a captain, Rohit has the highest win percentage (59.82).
He leads his team from the front with the bat. The Mumbai Indians opener has not won an orange cap still he is one of the 5 batsmen to score more than 5000 Indian Premier League runs. The 33-year old has 6 trophies under his belt; 5 as a captain for Mumbai Indians and 1 as a player for Deccan Chargers Hyderabad.
Runs scored: 5249 (4.5 Stars)
IPL titles just as a player: 1 (0.5 Stars)
IPL titles as captain: 5 (5 Stars)
Orange caps: 0 (0 Stars)
Total Stars: 10