Top 10 greatest Indian batters of all-time in the IPL ft. Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma
Renowned for their text-book batting style and elegant stroke-making, Indian batters attracted crowds worldwide as very few have in the sport of cricket. Yet, since the inception of the IPL in 2008, Indian batters have retained all that, with several new dimensions added to make themselves virtually unconquerable when on song.
The league has witnessed several all-time legendary Indian batters and up-and-coming youngster showcase aspects of their batting rarely seen on the international stage. All of this added to Team India becoming the dominant force in world cricket, evidenced by their recent unbeaten run to the 2024 T20 World Cup title.
While the IPL has played a massive role in enhancing the brand of many star Indian batters, the reverse has been even more prevalent. With due respect to the bowlers, who ultimately make or break matches, the enormous success of the IPL must be primarily attributed to the Indian batters.
Hence, it is only fair we pay tribute to the ten best Indian batters who have weaved their willow magic in IPL history.
Yet, before jumping into the ranking, it is only fair to mention a few names who barely missed the top 10 cut.
Honorary Mentions
Robin Uthappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Ambati Rayudu, and Dinesh Karthik.
#10 Virender Sehwag
Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag took a liking to bludgeoning the white cherry well before most batters in IPL history. A revolutionary of batting in many ways, Sehwag enjoyed a stellar IPL career playing for the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) from 2008 to 2015.
The now-46-year-old had an incredible three seasons with 400+ runs at a strike rate of over 150 in his eight-year IPL career.
Sehwag's career IPL strike rate of 155.44 is the second-best overall and best by an Indian batter among those with at least 2,500 runs.
Virender Sehwag's IPL numbers
104 Matches, 2,728 Runs, 27.55 Average, 155.44 Strike Rate, 2 Centuries, 16 Fifties
#9 Shubman Gill
One of IPL's modern batting stars, Shubman Gill comes breaks to the top 10 with his impressive performances over the past few seasons.
The 25-year-old holds the record for the second-most runs in a single IPL edition with 890 during the 2023 season. After starting his career with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Gill has enjoyed a prolific run over the last three seasons with the Gujarat Titans (GT).
In a still young career, the stylish right-hander has already amassed over 3,000 IPL runs with 400+ runs in each of his last five seasons. Gill was also an integral part of KKR's and GT's runner-up finish in 2021 and 2023 and the latter's 2022 title run.
Shubman Gill's IPL numbers
103 Matches, 3,216 Runs, 37.83 Average, 135.69 Strike Rate, 4 Centuries, 20 Fifties
#8 Suryakumar Yadav
India's very own Mr.360 - Suryakumar Yadav has established himself as the world's best T20 batter over the last two years. The 34-year-old batted lower down the order in the first half of his IPL career with the Mumbai Indians (MI) and KKR from 2012 to 2017.
However, in his second stint with MI from 2018 till now, Surya has become the franchise's greatest match-winner, helping them win back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020.
The swashbuckling batter enjoyed one of the most impactful IPL seasons in 2023, scoring over 600 runs at a strike rate of 181.14.
Suryakumar Yadav's IPL numbers
150 Matches, 3,594 Runs, 32.08 Average, 145.32 Strike Rate, 2 Centuries, 24 Fifties
#7 Rishabh Pant
Arguably India's most dynamic batter across formats, Rishabh Pant has accessed areas of the ground that mere mortals can only dream about. Playing for the Delhi Capitals (DC) throughout his IPL career from 2016, the southpaw gave the franchise a much-needed identity and fan connection that went missing for a few years before his arrival.
Pant's breakthrough IPL season came in 2018 when he finished with 684 runs at a strike rate of almost 175 despite batting in the middle-order. He then helped DC qualify for their first-ever IPL final in 2020 and finish in the top four in a hat-trick of seasons from 2019 to 2021.
With the ability to bat anywhere from No.3 to 6, Pant offers versatility to a team like very few batters can.
Rishabh Pant's IPL numbers
111 Matches, 3,284 Runs, 35.31 Average, 148.93 Strike Rate, 1 Century, 18 Fifties
#6 Rohit Sharma
Former MI skipper Rohit Sharma has been an integral part of the IPL from the get-go, playing multiple match-winning knocks in his stellar career.
The 37-year-old played a massive role in the now-defunct Deccan Chargers' title run in 2009 with 362 runs batting in the middle-order. Then came the move to MI in 2011 and the franchise's fortunes have changed ever since forever.
Rohit captained the side to a joint-record five IPL titles between 2013 and 2020, while also setting the tone by opening the batting. He is third all-time in IPL runs with 6,628 runs and also third in Player of the Match awards with 19.
Rohit Sharma's IPL numbers
257 Matches, 6,628 Runs, 29.72 Average, 131.14 Strike Rate, 2 Centuries, 43 Fifties
#5 Shikhar Dhawan
Perhaps the most underrated Indian batter of the IPL, Shikhar Dhawan has quietly gone about churning out runs year and year out from the inaugural season in 2008.
The southpaw is the second-leading run-scorer in league history with 6,769 runs in 222 outings. Dhawan has an incredible nine seasons with 400+ runs, including the highest of 618 runs in 2020 to help DC qualify for their first-ever final.
With the uncanny knack of finding gaps on the off and on-side, the veteran batter has been a silent assassin in his own way in the IPL.
Shikhar Dhawan's IPL numbers
222 Matches, 6,769 Runs, 35.25 Average, 127.14 Strike Rate, 2 Centuries, 51 Fifties
#4 KL Rahul
The most consistent batter of the IPL, KL Rahul comes in at No.4 on this celebratory list. His IPL average of 45.46 is the highest among all batters with over 2000 runs.
Rahul's remarkable consistency helped him win the Orange Cap in 2020 when he scored 670 runs for PBKS. The 32-year-old scored 600+ runs in all but one season from 2018 to 2022 (593 in 2019).
With plenty of peak years ahead of him, Rahul is already IPL's 11th all-time leading run-scorer with 4,683 runs in 132 games.
KL Rahul's IPL numbers
132 Matches, 4,683 Runs, 45.46 Average, 134.60 Strike Rate, 4 Centuries, 37 Fifties
#3 Suresh Raina
Former left-handed batter Suresh Raina was arguably the most impactful and consistent batter for the first decade of the IPL from 2008 to 2017. Carrying the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting on his broad shoulders, Raina scored 400+ runs in every season from 2008 to 2014.
His heroic batting displays at No.3 helped the franchise win the IPL title in 2010 and 2011. Raina is the fifth all-time leading run-scorer with 5,528 runs, helping CSK win four out of their five overall IPL titles.
Suresh Raina's IPL numbers
205 Matches, 5,528 Runs, 32.51 Average, 136.73 Strike Rate, 1 Century, 39 Fifties
#2 MS Dhoni
When it comes to impact on winning from the start of the IPL to date, one name trumps the rest - Captain Cool MS Dhoni. Despite predominantly batting in the lower middle order, the 43-year-old is sixth all-time in run-scoring with 5,243 runs.
Dhoni's overall IPL average of 39.12 is the best among Indian batters in the all-time leading run-scorers chart. His powerful finishes helped CSK win five IPL titles from 2010 to 2023.
Dhoni is among the few middle-order batters with multiple 400+ runs and 150+ strike rate seasons and his 17 Player of the Match awards are sixth all-time in IPL history.
In a country with fans often celebrating a batter's numbers, Dhoni's batting exploits slowly turned a large number of those to looking more into winning over stat-ing.
MS Dhoni's IPL numbers
264 Matches, 5,243 Runs, 39.12 Average, 137.53 Strike Rate, 0 Centuries, 24 Fifties
#1 Virat Kohli
The undisputable top Indian batter in IPL history, Virat Kohli is the owner of several batting records, having weaved his magic from season one to now.
The 36-year-old is the leading run-scorer of the league with over 8,000 runs and his eight centuries is also an IPL record. Furthermore, Kohli holds the record for the most runs by a batter in a single IPL edition with 973 in 2016.
The champion batter is among the very few multiple-time Orange Cap winners, achieving the landmark in 2016 and 2024. With a fan base second to none, Kohli has given the Chinnaswamy faithful plenty to cheer about during his incredible 17-year run with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Kohli's 18 Player of the Match awards are also fourth all-time in the IPL, evidence of his impact while maintaining inimitable consistency.
Virat Kohli's IPL numbers
252 Matches, 8,004 Runs, 38.66 Average, 131.97 Strike Rate, 8 Centuries, 55 Fifties