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 sides, 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 | AVERAGE | STRIKE RATE | HIGH SCORE | 100s/50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 4528 | 132 | 38.05 | 130.79 | 113* | 6/34 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 3926 | 127 | 34.13 | 127.38 | 106* | 1/29 |
| Rohit Sharma | 3618 | 131 | 29.90 | 135.65 | 109* | 1/24 |
| David Warner | 3280 | 87 | 42.05 | 137.64 | 126 | 3/28 |
| Suresh Raina | 3194 | 109 | 32.26 | 135.62 | 100* | 1/26 |
| AB de Villiers | 3163 | 88 | 45.84 | 161.95 | 133* | 3/25 |
| MS Dhoni | 3070 | 138 | 38.37 | 139.67 | 75* | 0/14 |
| Chris Gayle | 2873 | 76 | 40.46 | 153.39 | 175* | 5/18 |
| Dinesh Karthik | 2743 | 122 | 27.43 | 137.42 | 97* | 0/13 |
| Faf du Plessis | 2520 | 73 | 37.05 | 136.06 | 96 | 0/21 |
Key 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 in 2013, the highest-ever individual score in a T20 game, came while batting first.
Five of Gayle’s six IPL centuries and six of Virat’s eight IPL centuries came while batting first. Check who has scored the most centuries in IPL, apart from these two.
Consistency-wise, AB de Villiers has the best average of 45.84 among the leading run-scorers. Interestingly, the former RCBian middle-order batter also tops the strike rate column in the above table with 161.95. This is incredible from ABD.
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