3 foreign batsmen who have scored more than 4,000 runs in IPL
IPL is one of the biggest cricket tournaments in the world. The annual T20 extravaganza sees various T20 players compete with each other in a franchise-based competition.
In the 12 years of the competition, several batsmen have immortalized themselves with their incredible performances. The special thing about the IPL is that it is the only tourney on the planet where the active Indian players unite forces with international stars.
Every team can have a maximum of four foreign players in their team and to determine who plays and who doesn't is a very tough job indeed. Nevertheless, there have been some foreign batsmen who have cemented their spots in their side with their form and consistency (both of which are essential in a competition like the IPL).
Here are the three foreign batsmen who have maintained the consistency levels in the tournament and aggregated over 4,000 runs in its history:
#3 AB de Villiers - 4,395 runs
The Superman from South Africa, AB de Villiers, has owned the bowlers in the IPL. Playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore since 2011, De Villiers has established himself as Mr. 360 by hitting boundaries all around the park. He started his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils and scored 465 runs for them in 2009.
Also see – Winner of the IPL
However, the Delhi-based franchise released him in 2011 and he became a part of RCB. Since then, he has been their most consistent overseas middle-order batsman, having an average of at least 27 every year. His best season came in the year 2016 when he guided RCB to the finals with 687 runs in 16 matches. The former South Africa captain has registered 33 fifties and three hundreds in his IPL career.
#2 Chris Gayle - 4,484 runs
Just like AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle had the best time of his IPL career with Royal Challengers Bangalore. The big man from Jamaica joined the franchise as a replacement in 2011 and his career changed after that. He had two forgettable seasons with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2009 and 2010 but he silenced his critics by winning the Orange Cap in IPL 2011.
The left-handed opening batsman retained the Orange Cap in 2012 with 733 runs in 15 matches. Gayle ensured that the fans got entertained whenever the franchise played a match.
He joined Kings XI Punjab two years ago and has impressed with his performances. Gayle has smashed six hundreds and 28 half-tons in his career and also holds the record for the most sixes (326) in IPL history.
#1 David Warner - 4,706 runs
The captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad, David Warner, holds the record for the most runs by an overseas player in IPL history. The Aussie opener has aggregated 4,706 runs in the tournament wherein he has turned up for two franchises (Delhi and Hyderabad). Warner also holds the record for the most Orange Cap wins (3) in IPL history.
His best season came in the year 2016 where he scored 848 runs in 17 matches to power the Orange Army to its maiden IPL championship. Although he played well for team Delhi in the initial phases of his career, the team management released him from the squad. This move allowed Warner to maximize his potential as he has aggregated at least 500 runs for his new team every season since joining them.