Indian Premier League has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception in 2008. Check out Who is the king of IPL history.
Who is the king of IPL history ?
IPL is now the second most expensive league according to media rights auctions beating the likes of the NBA and Premier League.
One of the major factors of its success is the players that play in IPL.
The rise of the IPL has seen players emerging from all parts of the world. Often fans argue about Who is the king of IPL ?
In this article, we will be looking at the best players of the league and figuring out who can be crowned the king of IPL.
Batting King of IPL : Virat Kohli
IPL has given many success stories of the batsman coming into the scene from small villages and becoming national icons overnight.
- Runs scored in IPL: 6283
- IPL centuries: 5
- IPL half-centuries: 42
- IPL title as a player: 0
- Orange Caps: 1
It’s very difficult to determine exactly who is the King of IPL when we have very diverse batsmen playing in the league.
If we go by numbers then there is only one person who tops the list and that is none other than Virat Kohli.
He is the top scorer in IPL and has scored 6283 runs in 207 games with a whooping average of 37.39.
In the 2016 season, he scored 973 runs, a record which is next to impossible to break. He scored 4 centuries in that single season alone.
Bowling King of IPL : Lasith Malinga
IPL is a very hostile tournament for the bowlers as Indian pitches assist batsmen majorly. A big chunk of the crowd comes to watch the bowlers getting smoked across all parks.
- Wickets taken in IPL: 170
- Bowling Avg: 19.8
- Economy: 7.14
- IPL title as a player: 4
- Purple Caps: 1
In this run-hungry fest, a few bowlers have emerged from IPL who have been great servants to their franchise with their trickery and skills. The best of the lot has been Mumbai Indian’s Lasith Malinga.
He was the pioneer with his toe-crushing yorkers and change of pace delivery to go along with his slinging action.
He played a big part in Mumbai having the most titles.
He is the leading wicket-taker in the IPL with 170 wickets to his name in just 122 games. Malinga averaged 19.8 runs per wicket and had an economy of 7.14 despite bowling in the death overs.
Best Captain of IPL – Rohit Sharma
Mumbai has been the most successful franchise in IPL with five trophies to its name. Every single time they won the title, they were led by Rohit Sharma.
- Runs scored in IPL: 5611
- IPL centuries: 1
- IPL half-centuries: 4
- IPL title as a Captain: 5
- Orange Caps: 0
Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai has dominated the IPL from 2013 to 2020 with five titles. Rohit has led the team from the front scoring 5611 in 213 games with an average of 31.17.
The star batsman has one century and forty-half centuries to his name in IPL. He has helped Mumbai in getting a good start with the bat in the majority of the games.
Rohit uses his quality batting and bowling talents to the best of their abilities which has reaped the benefits in his victories. Mumbai won 59.68 of the games he captained.
When asked about who is the king of IPL with his batting and captaincy, Rohit Sharma shines on top. Rohit’s performance in IPL has helped him to become the Indian national team’s captain.
Which team is the King of IPL ?
Mumbai Indians won its first IPL trophy in 2013, and by 2020 they went on to win the title four more times.
They dominated the Indian Premier League in the last decade. Rohit Sharma leads the men in blue and gold to victory in each of the title-winning editions.
A good mix of experience and youth helped Mumbai achieve this feat. They reached the finals on six occasions and won five of them.
Their only loss came against CSK in 2010. Mumbai has the biggest fan following in India among all fan bases and their achievement on the pitch is a blueprint of that.
Conclusion
IPL has been a great success in improving the quality of the game. It has become the most-watched sporting event, even surpassing ICC events.
We have seen many players from all nationalities come and leave a mark on this grand stage.
One true king of IPL is difficult to choose from when we have so many specialist batsmen, bowlers, fielders and all-rounders.
IPL has become better with every passing year with the fan’s expectations going through the roof. With so many legends to have graced the game, the debate of Who is the king of IPL will go on forever.