Winning the toss and batting first has become a rare occurrence in T20 cricket, with teams opting to chase in most cases. Especially in a tournament like IPL, batting second has become routine for the toss-winning captains, thanks to the existence of dew in almost every venue, and most T20 games are held as day/night games.
However, for some side, batting first gives them ample opportunity to score big. With the first batting side batting the full quota of 20 overs, their batters have the best platform to showcase themselves with no scoreboard pressure present.
This article will list the top ten batters who have scored the most runs while batting first in the Indian Premier League matches.
Most Runs while Batting First in IPL
| PLAYER | RUNS WHILE BATTING FIRST | INNINGS | HIGH SCORE | AVERAGE | STRIKE RATE | 100s/50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shikhar Dhawan | 3770 | 122 | 106* | 34.27 | 127.32 | 1/28 |
| Virat Kohli | 3724 | 113 | 113 | 36.15 | 128.81 | 4/29 |
| Rohit Sharma | 3465 | 121 | 109* | 31.21 | 135.51 | 1/24 |
| Suresh Raina | 3194 | 109 | 100* | 32.26 | 135.62 | 1/26 |
| AB de Villiers | 3163 | 88 | 133* | 45.84 | 161.95 | 3/25 |
| David Warner | 3151 | 83 | 126 | 42.58 | 137.35 | 3/27 |
| MS Dhoni | 2952 | 124 | 75* | 39.89 | 138.20 | 0/14 |
| Chris Gayle | 2873 | 76 | 175* | 40.46 | 153.39 | 5/18 |
| Dinesh Karthik | 2521 | 109 | 97* | 28.32 | 135.24 | 0/12 |
| Ajinkya Rahane | 2204 | 76 | 105* | 31.48 | 127.25 | 2/15 |
Stats Insights
The first two places in the table are shared between Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan, the usual toppers in IPL batting records.
Chris Gayle’s unbeaten 175 against Pune Warriors India, the highest-ever individual score in a T20 game, came while batting first.
5 of Gayle’s six IPL centuries and 4 of Virat’s five IPL centuries came while batting first. Check who has scored the most centuries in IPL here, apart from these two.
Consistency-wise, AB de Villiers has the best average among the leading run-scorers. Interestingly, the former RCBian middle-order batter also tops the strike rate column in the above table; this is incredible from ABD.
Relevant Read: Most Runs while Chasing in IPL
