David Warner overtakes Chris Gayle to become leading overseas run-scorer in IPL history
What’s the story?
Australian batsman David Warner has eclipsed Chris Gayle’s record to become the leading overseas run-scorer in IPL history. The left-hander, who captains Sunrisers Hyderabad, went past the Jamaican during the clash against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
Warner now has 3512 runs to his name in the popular Twenty20 tournament while Gayle stands second among foreign batsman with 3464 runs. Including Indian batsmen as well, the 30-year-old is fifth on the all-time IPL list behind the likes of Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir. It is pertinent to note that Raina had overtaken Kohli’s record for the league’s top run-scorer during last week’s game between Gujarat Lions and Kolkata Knight Riders.
The Background
Warner made his IPL debut for Delhi Daredevils in the 2009 season after the franchise sent scouts to Australia to hone in on promising players. The opportunity to bat alongside prominent stars such as Virender Sehwag turned out to be a game-changing experience for him. Since then, he went on to receive his maiden call-ups for his country in both Tests and ODIs.
The heart of the matter
During the 2014 IPL auction, Warner was signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for an eye-catching USD 880,000. Upon growing in stature within the franchise, he was named the captain for the 2015 season. By scoring heavily with the bat, the southpaw led the team to its maiden IPL title in 2016.
Apart from being the leading overseas batsman in the tournament, he also holds the record for most fifties in the competition. Here are the top six run-scorers in IPL history.
| Batsman | Runs | Teams |
| Suresh Raina | 4171 | Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Lions |
| Virat Kohli | 4110 | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| Rohit Sharma | 3883 | Deccan Chargers, Mumbai Indians |
| Gautam Gambhir | 3801 | Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders |
| David Warner | 3512 | Delhi Daredevils, Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Chris Gayle | 3464 | Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore |
(*Note: All Statistics are updated at the end of the Kolkata Knight Riders-Kings XI Punjab match on 13th April 2017)
What’s next?
With 139 runs from three matches at an average of 69.50, Warner is the top run-scorer in the 2017 season thus far. In terms of overall run-makers, Gayle needs 49 runs to reclaim his record among overseas batsmen if he finds a place in RCB’s playing eleven for Friday's match against Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru.
Author’s Take
While Gayle may have treated the spectators to a lot more sixes, Warner’s consistency across the last few IPL seasons makes him a well-deserved holder of the overseas record. Looking at the way he has started the 2017 edition, the Aussie can break away from the Caribbean giant’s reach as long as he maintains his form.