The Indian Premier League (IPL) is home to the world’s best cricketers and claims the largest fan base across the sport with over a billion viewers in India.
The IPL was first established in 2008 and by 2009 the tournament doubled in revenue. Every year since, the league has steadily grown, making it India’s premier sporting event.
A large part of the IPL’s success comes from the star players that participate in the league and bring glory to their teams.
With IPL, there’s no better way to get a taste of IPL betting and enjoy cricket more than ever before.
Continue reading to learn more about the IPL including the best batsmen, bowlers, and highest-paid players so you can bet with confidence.
Table of Contents
Who Is the Best Player in IPL?
Many say Jofra Archer is the best player of IPL. Others answering the question “Who is the king of IPL?” will claim it’s Virat Kohli. Some fans believe KL Rahul is the best. But it’s not that simple. Let’s think about it carefully.
With T20 cricket, the title “King of IPL” typically is awarded to the best batsmen. After all, they’re the ones driving in the runs and are largely responsible for the ooh’s and aah’s from the fans.
So, who is god of IPL? Since fast-bowlers throw as hard as 160 kilometers per hour, it makes sense that fans go wild when a batsman hits one into the crowd for six.
Bowlers, on the other hand, have the unforgiving task of limiting the production from batsmen.
If bowlers had their way, cricket would become quite dull. Who likes watching a defensive battle?
The IPL is all about offense and with the T20 cricket laws, you’ll see a ton of it.
Although most of the top IPL players are batsmen, it’s important to be a good all-rounder.
Take Sam Curran of the Chennai Super Kings, for example. He’s one of the top IPL players as a great all-rounder. In the IPL 2020, he not only scored 186 runs (which is high for a bowler), with a strike rate of 131.91, he also clinched 13 out of 14 wickets.
While this seems pretty good, Curran’s bowling performance was overshadowed by a fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, from the Mumbai Indians in 2020. With a bowling average of 13.93, Bumrah netted a whopping 27 wickets. That said, he only made 5 runs.
When determining the king of IPL you can also take into consideration a player’s salary. Typically, the most expensive player in IPL is the best player — although not always the case.
Ultimately, the IPL best player comes down to whoever consistently makes the biggest impact on the game. Sometimes it’s a batsman and other times it’s a bowler.
Who Is the Best Batsman in IPL?
The best batsman is awarded the orange cap at the end of the season for scoring the most runs in IPL.
In the 2020 season India native, KL Rahul, led all batsmen with 670 runs, claiming the IPL most runs bragging rights.
Rahul might have been the IPL top scorer in 2020 but he still has a long way to go if he ever plans to catch the legendary batting champion Virat Kohli, who’s scored the most runs in IPL history with an astounding 5878.
Here’s a look at the best batsmen to ever play in the IPL:
MS Dhoni is one of the most celebrated players in IPL history. The former Indian captain leads the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) year in and year out. He’s won the title three times with CSK and helped them reach the finals eight out of 10 seasons. MS Dhoni is eighth all-time in runs scored with 4,632. He may not be the highest run scorer in IPL history but he’s on a shortlist of all-time greats.
Virat Kohli RCB is considered by many to be the greatest batsman the IPL has ever seen. It’s hard to disagree, considering he leads all players with the most runs in IPL history (5878). Separating the second through fifth highest run scorers in IPL history is only 171 runs. Kohli has a firm grasp on first by an unprecedented margin of 510 runs ahead of second place. To say that the batsman is dominant is an understatement. Ever since he was named captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore he’s scored at will. In 2016, he broke the IPL record for most runs in a season with 977 — he made it look easy.
With four IPL titles and the only player in history with five winner medals, Rohit Sharma, is a living legend. He’s the most decorated player in IPL history. Named the best emerging player in 2009, Sharma lived up to the hype with a glorious career. Accolades aside, Sharma is most respected for his ability to lead by example and come away with runs in critical moments for his team. Sharma is third all-time with 5,230 runs to his name.
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AB de Villiers — No matter where AB de Villiers plays, he adds a sense of excitement and flair to the game with his ability to knock runs from every corner of the ground. T20 cricket was made for him. His uncanny ability to score has earned him the third-best all-time in the IPL, with 133 runs in a single inning. He helped resurrect the Royal Challengers Bangalore to one of the most feared teams over the last 10 seasons. Playing alongside his great fellow, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers has been a treat for fans to witness. Despite his personal greatness, he has yet to add a title to his revered resume. AB de Villiers is the sixth-highest run scorer in IPL history with 4,849.
Suresh Raina — The IPL’s most successful franchise and arguably the best IPL team, Chennai Super Kings, wouldn’t be where they are today without the help of Suresh Raina — in large part due to his incredible ability to effortlessly put points on the board. He ranks second in the highest runs in IPL history with 5,368. Raina is remarkably consistent, averaging just over 33 runs throughout 12 seasons with CSK. The left-handed batsman played a pivotal role in all three titles CSK won. Although eventually eclipsed by Virat Kohli, Raina was the first player to reach 5,000 runs in the IPL.
The best batsmen in the IPL:
- MS Dhoni
- Virat Kohli
- Rohit Sharma
- AB de Villiers
- Suresh Raina
Who Is the Best Bowler in IPL?
Batsmen may gain the love of fans, but bowlers demand respect.
Bowlers might not be as exciting to cheer on, but their role in cricket is just as important as the show-stopping batsmen.
Here’s a look at the best bowlers in IPL:
Kagiso Rabada — The South African right-handed fast-bowler strikes fear into the eyes of batsmen. He’s considered the best bowler in IPL 2020 since he led all bowlers with 30 wickets taken — awarding him the coveted purple cap. At age 25, the young superstar has laid claim to 61 wickets in 35 innings throughout his IPL career.
Jasprit Bumrah — Mumbai Indians ace bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, finished second in the 2020 race for most wickets taken, falling only three short of Kagiso Rabada. Boom Boom Bumrah has the unique ability to bowl bouncers and yorkers and can deliver the ball at over 140 kilometers per hour. Despite not winning the purple cap, many consider him to be the best bowler in IPL 2020 primarily because he had two of the top five best bowling figures in IPL during the 2020 campaign and had an average of 14.96.
Mohammed Shami — Reverse swing specialist, Mohammed Shami, is best known for his pace and consistency. He’s on the Indian national team and is one of their best pacers, consistently bowling around 145 kilometers per hour. Shami’s accuracy and ability to move the ball with pace make him a particularly deceptive fast bowler. He finished the 2020 IPL campaign with 20 wickets taken in 14 matches.
Yuzvendra Chahal — Attacking leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal gained attention after one of his best bowling figures in 2009 when he took 34 wickets in the National U-19 Cooch Behar Trophy. In 2011 he made his debut in the IPL, signing with the Mumbai Indians. So far, he’s claimed 121 wickets over 99 matches in the IPL and currently suits up for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Rashid Khan — In February 2017, the gifted leg-spinner racked up the highest-ever bid for an Associate player in the IPL Auction when the Sunrisers Hyderabad snapped him up for INR 4 crores. He’s lived up to the hefty price tag thus far, taking 75 wickets in 62 games. In the 2020 IPL season alone he claimed 20 wickets with an average of 17.2 and 5.37 economy.
The best bowlers in the IPL:
- Kagiso Rabada
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Mohammed Shami
- Yuzvendra Chahal
- Rashid Khan
Who Is The Highest-Paid Player in IPL?
The IPL auction 2022 is right around the corner, and it’s sure to bring loads of excitement for players, staff, and fans.
The IPL is only gaining in popularity, and the IPL auction 2022 is sure to break money records.
The highest-paid player in IPL 2020, Virat Kohli, claimed 17 crores but he didn’t lead the league in runs. Should he still be considered the king of IPL?
If you factor the most expensive player in IPL 2020 into the equation of who’s the true king, take a look at the best-paid athletes from IPL 2020.
The highest-paid cricketers in the IPL:
- Virat Kohli — 17 Crore
- Pat Cummins — 15.5 Crore
- MS Dhoni — 15 Crore
- Rohit Sharma — 15 Crore
- David Warner — 12.5 Crore
The Best IPL Teams and Cricketers Ranked
Looking for more articles about the IPL legends? We’ve got plenty of them! Take your time and enjoy:
- The Best Team in the IPL
- Google’s Favourite IPL Team
- IPL Ranking
- IPL Purple Cap Winners
- Most Runs in the IPL
- The Most Dangerous Batsman in the IPL
- The Fastest Century in the IPL
- Best Finisher in IPL History
- Which IPL team has the most fans?
- 5 Most Expensive Players in IPL History
- Is IPL Fixed
Summary
If one day cricket was considered a “tamasha” by fans in India, then T20 IPL cricket is like a super “tamasha”. The IPL has developed a unique brand of cricket that combines entertainment with fast-paced action and attracts the best talent from around the world.
In fact, there is no way to define the one and only king of the IPL. There are many passionate and hard-working athletes involved in the game and more young stars are yet to come.
What is most important is that we can enjoy the great performance by our bellowed cricketers and watch them setting new records. For even more fun, you can follow all your favorite teams on the Parimatch website and try IPL match betting.
What is more, you can bet live on IPL games in-play as the matches unfold.
Bettors in India trust Parimatch for lightning-fast payouts, fair odds, and twenty-seven-year history of proven success. Take your time, have fun, and win big on cricket betting!
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