The Indian Premier League (IPL), a competition that transformed cricket and permanently altered the sport’s environment, celebrates its 18th birthday on April 18. The Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) Brendon McCullum lit up the M during the league’s spectacular debut.

Against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Chinnaswamy Stadium scored an incredible 158* off only 73 deliveries, hitting ten fours and thirteen sixes. The advent of a cricketing carnival was signalled by that one knock.

Virat Kohli is the highest-scoring player in IPL history as the league enters its 18th season. Despite only playing for one team, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kohli has collected an incredible 8,252 runs from 258 games, including 58 fifties and eight hundreds.

He has remarkably never missed a season with RCB, making him the most devoted and effective hitter in the league.

Shikhar Dhawan, an experienced Indian opener with 6,769 runs in 222 games, is just behind Kohli. In contrast to Kohli, Dhawan has played for the Deccan Chargers (DCH), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Delhi Capitals (DC), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Mumbai Indians (MI).

Rohit Sharma, the five-time IPL champion captain of India, is ranked third with 6,710 runs from 263 games. He is one of the most successful players in the league since he has played for the Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians and won trophies with both.

Fourth place goes to Australian southpaw David Warner, a devastating force at the top of the order. Warner has played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals, scoring 6,565 runs in 184 games while helping SRH win their first championship in 2016.

The now-retired former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) mainstay Suresh Raina comes in fifth on the list. Raina played for the Gujarat Lions during CSK’s short league ban and amassed 5,528 runs in 205 games.

Yuzvendra Chahal is at the top of the bowling standings with 211 wickets in 166 games. Although he started his IPL career with the Mumbai Indians, he really took off with RCB. He then played for the Rajasthan Royals until being signed by the Punjab Kings in 2024 for an incredible INR 18 crore.

Piyush Chawla, a seasoned leg-spinner with 192 wickets in 192 games, comes next. Chawla, a two-time IPL champion, was a member of CSK’s winning 2021 team and scored the game-winning runs in KKR’s 2012 final. He has also played for the Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (currently known as the Punjab Kings).

Legendary KKR player Sunil Narine comes in third. Narine has changed the game both with the bat and the ball since joining the team in 2012. When he got 24 wickets in 2012 and 21 in 2014, he was instrumental in KKR’s championship victories. Narine had a tremendous season in 2024, helping KKR win their third IPL championship with 488 runs and 17 wickets. Narine has taken 187 wickets in 183 games overall.

Additionally, he received three awards for Most Valuable Player of the Season (2012, 2018, 2024).

The swing specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar has taken 187 wickets in 181 games. He has won the Purple Cap thrice while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Pune Warriors India, and RCB.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who has taken 185 wickets in 218 games, completes the top five. Ashwin has worn the jerseys of the Rajasthan Royals, Rising Pune Supergiants, Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals, and Chennai Super Kings. He rejoined the team where it all started in 2025 when he went back to CSK.