In a cut-throat competition like the IPL, a captain’s job becomes a lot harder. They have to find the right squad combination, bringing the best out of everyone and keeping the team on the winning way.
When all this is happening, one might get overwhelmed, directly impacting their personal performance. However, there have been a handful of captains who have done exceptionally well season after season, either with the bat or the ball.
The IPL has seen many notable batters lead their teams from the front, accumulating bucketloads of runs. A few of them have made the habit of scoring 500+ runs season after season for fun.
In this article, we’ll look at the list of captains with the most 500+ runs in an IPL season.
Captains with Most 500+ Runs in an IPL Season
| Captain | No. of 500+ Runs Seasons | IPL Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| David Warner | 5 | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2023 |
| Virat Kohli | 4 | 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018 |
| KL Rahul | 4 | 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 |
| Sachin Tendulkar | 2 | 2010, 2011 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 2 | 2012, 2016 |
| Kane Williamson | 1 | 2018 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 1 | 2020 |
| Faf du Plessis | 1 | 2023 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 1 | 2024 |
| Sanju Samson | 1 | 2024 |
Key Insights
David Warner holds the record for scoring 500+ runs the most times in an IPL season as a captain. The Australian batter crossed the 500-run mark in a remarkable 5 seasons while leading 2 IPL teams.
Warner and KL Rahul are the only 2 batters to accumulate 500+ runs in a single edition for 2 different teams as skippers. Warner did it 4 times for Sunrisers Hyderabad (2015, 2016, 2017, 2020), and once for Delhi Capitals (2023). KL Rahul achieved the feat twice for Punjab Kings in 2020 and 2021 and once for Lucknow Super Giants in 2022.
Sachin Tendulkar became the first captain to score 500+ runs in an IPL season and claim the Orange Cap. In the 2010 edition, he amassed 618 runs in 15 innings for Mumbai Indians, bagging the Orange Cap that season.
Warner, Rahul, and Tendulkar are the 3 captains to garner 500+ runs in 2 or more consecutive seasons. Warner (2015, 2016, 2017) and Rahul (2020, 2021, 2022) did it three times, and Tendulkar continued his 2010 form in the 2011 tourney.
Kane Williamson (2018), KL Rahul (2020), and Ruturaj Gaikwad (2024) are the 3 batters to score 500+ runs in their debut IPL seasons as captains.
Virat Kohli has scored the most centuries in a single IPL edition as a captain. The former RCB skipper hammered 4 hundreds in 2016.
To go along with that, Kohli scored a record-breaking 973 runs in 16 outings — the most runs in a single IPL season.
