Leading run-scorers during each cycle after mega auctions in IPL
The Indian Premier League started with a bang in 2008 with Brendon McCullum entertaining the spectators at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium and TV audience alike with his attacking knock of 158 not out.
The BCCI which was initially a big critic of the T20 format became the first cricket board to introduce a franchise-based T20 tournament.
The league started with eight franchises based out of different cities with six players named as the icons for their respective cities.
The remaining players were selected by means of the auction for the period of three years. The teams were given the option of trading the players with the other teams in the transfer window before the mini-auction that took place every other year.
Thus, the mega auctions took place in 2008, 2011, 2014 and 2018. The previous cycle got extended by a year due to the arrival of the interim franchises Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions for the past two seasons.
In this article, let us take a look at the leading run-scorer during each of the cycles 2008-10, 2011-13 and 2014-17.
#1 Season one to Season three: Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina was the leading run-scorer for the first three seasons of the Indian Premier League.
He scored 1375 runs during the period at an average of 38.19 and an impressive strike rate of 142.19.
The remarkable part of his achievement was that he did not win the Orange Cap in any of the seasons, but was very consistent with 400+ runs in each season.
Raina’s run-tally for the three seasons was 421, 434 and 520 respectively. He was a major contributor in Chennai Super Kings’ triumph in 2010 scoring 520 runs.
The good show in the first season enabled him to make a comeback to the Indian team for the limited-over formats.
