King of IPL: Who is the real king of IPL?

Indian Premier League has served as an ideal platform for the players to express themselves on the field. The speciality of the IPL is that the fans truly admire their favourite teams and players even in tough times. Moreover, the league can attract many top players quite easily.

The overseas players have been welcomed with open arms and the culture that the franchises have instilled has been really great. The players get to know each other and learn the tricks and trades of the sport. This is the reason why IPL is the most decorated and most-watched T20 tournament in the world.

Meanwhile, not everyone would go on to become the best in the business. While we witnessed one-season wonders in the tournament, they don’t get too much attention until and unless they turn up the ante in every single season.

Each team has one of two players who are really consistent in their approach. It is not that easy to be consistent throughout the tournament but some players have worked their socks off and led the attack by example.

In this article, we will look at who is the king of the IPL:

Which player is the king of the IPL?

There is no doubt that Virat Kohli is the king of the IPL. He has been statistically very impressive in the numbers game. The fact that he has scored the most runs and that too consistently makes him the most valuable player in the tournament.

1. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is one of the very few cricketers who has crafted the game lovingly after Sachin Tendulkar retired from all forms of the game. The former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain has also been the consistent run-getter in the Indian Premier League.

His ability to score runs in almost every game makes him a cut above the rest of the batters at RCB. Under his captaincy, RCB reached the IPL final in the 2016 season but lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad. He won the Orange Cap in that season where he amassed 973 runs.

Notably, this is most by any cricketer in a single edition of the IPL. Overall, he scored 6283 runs to his name in 207 IPL appearances. The IPL’s leading run-scorer slammed as many as 7 centuries and 37 fifties at a superb batting average of 37.4.

2. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma is one of the best cricketing brains in the world. Plying his trade for Mumbai Indians, he is the most successful captain in the history of the Indian Premier League. Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians to five trophies and decorated the trophy cabinet.

The 34-year-old stalwart has also been a terrific batsman apart from being a terrific captain. He has a plethora of experience in IPL where he played as many as 213 games. It is worth mentioning here that Rohit Sharma is the third-most successful run-scorer in the IPL.

Rohit aggregated 5611 runs at an average of 31.12. The right-handed batsman scored one century and 40 fifties to his name. He is also the only one to win six IPL titles as a player. Earlier, he won his first title at Deccan Chargers in IPL 2008 season.

3. Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina is one of the best-attacking batsmen in T20 cricket. The southpaw is not only known for his exquisite shots but has also been an absolute livewire on the cricket field. He has been one of the backbones of Chennai Super Kings.

The left-handed batsman was once the leading run-getter in the IPL but was surpassed by Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. Currently, he is the fourth leading run-scorer in the tournament with 5528 runs. He has played many vital knocks for CSK since the inception of the IPL.

The experienced campaigner has played 205 games where he has maintained a healthy strike rate of 136.76. The southpaw has smashed 1 century and as many as 39 fifties to his name.

4. David Warner

Australian international David Warner was someone who put all his stamina, tools and resources to better effect. Not many overseas players went on to become an instant sensation in the IPL but Warner let his performance do the talking in the tournament more often than not.

This is why he is one of the most successful overseas players in the history of the IPL. Under his captaincy, Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2016 final. Warner earned a massive fan-following in India following his consistent performances.

Warner is also the fifth top run-getter in the IPL with 5449 runs at a healthy batting average of 41.59. The left-handed batsman smashed as many as four centuries and 50 fifties to his name.

Which team is the king of the IPL?

Chennai Super Kings are the king of IPL even though they have won one trophy less than Mumbai Indians. But it should also be noticed that the yellow army missed two seasons of the cash-rich league. CSK have played a fearless brand of cricket consistently and failed to qualify for playoffs only once in all the seasons they have played in. 

1. Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings are the most consistent team in the history of the Indian Premier League without the shadow of any doubt. They are also the second-most successful franchise in the tournament. CSK defeated Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 final and won their fourth title.

Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, CSK made it a habit of qualifying for the playoffs every time barring the IPL 2020 season where they finished 7th in the group stage points table. MS Dhoni has led the team ever so well as a captain and as a cricketing brain. He has won four titles as captain.

2. Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians are the most successful franchise in the history of the Indian Premier League. Under the astute captaincy of Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians became a formidable force in the tournament. They have won five titles, one more than their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings.

Mumbai Indians have made it a habit of making comeback in the latter stage of the tournament. They have even surprised the opposition teams by putting up unexpected performances. In reality, they are not as consistent as Chennai Super Kings in the tournament.

3. Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders are the third-most successful team in the lucrative Indian Premier League. The Knight Riders became a phenomenal force under Gautam Gambhir’s tutelage. Under his captaincy, KKR went on to win two titles.

They hogged the limelight when they defeated Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2012 final. Later on, they got the better of Kings XI Punjab (Punjab Kings since 2021) in IPL 2014 final. However, since then, they failed to produce consistent performances. KKR reached their third final in the 2021 season but lost to Chennai Super Kings.