There is a minimum of 14 games in the IPL and the most difficult thing in T20s is to keep with the consistency for all the 14 games. Over the years, we have seen that as a batsman if you score more than 400 runs then you have had a good season. Anything more than 500 is a great season and if you can cross 600 runs then it is just a brilliant season. Four batsmen have managed to score more than 600 runs in more than one season which is a great achievement. Let’s have a look at those four batsmen.
4. KL Rahul – 659 in 2018 and 670 in 2020
KL Rahul has been at another level in the last three seasons in the IPL. In the last three seasons, he has crossed 600 runs twice and in the season in which he didn’t score 600 runs, he scored 593 runs. In IPL 2018, he scored 659 runs in 14 innings at an average of 54.91 and a strike-rate of 158.41 with six fifties. In IPL 2020, he went past his own highest as he scored 670 runs in 14 innings at an average of 55.83 and a strike-rate of 129.34 with five fifties and a match-winning hundred against RCB. If he continues batting like this, he can become one of the IPL greats in a few years’ time.
3. Virat Kohli – 634 in 2013 and 973 in 2016
Virat Kohli has been a part of the IPL since 2008 but he had never dominated the league in the first 5 seasons. In IPL 2013, he scored 634 runs in 16 innings at an average of 45.28 and a strike-rate of 138.73. Three years later, in IPL 2016, he was just on a different planet as he scored 973 runs in 16 innings at an average of 81.08 and a strike-rate of 152.03 which included four centuries in a season. These numbers are just unbelievable. At one moment it seemed as if he could cross 1000 runs in an IPL season. This record of 973 runs in one season just seems unbreakable. Virat Kohli didn’t have much of an impact with the bat in this season as he crossed 400 runs which is an average season by Virat Kohli’s standard.
2. Chris Gayle – 608 in 2011, 733 in 2012 and 708 in 2013
Chris Gayle came in as a replacement for Dirk Nannes in IPL 2011 and he smashed a century in his first game for RCB against KKR and since then he has never looked back. He has gone on to become one of the IPL greats as he has demolished bowling attacks for fun. Even at this age, he hits sixes with the utmost ease. In IPL 2011, he scored 608 runs in just 12 games at an average of 67.55 and a strike-rate of 183.13. In 2012, he went a step ahead as he scored 700 runs at an average of 61.08 and a strike-rate of 160.74. Again in 2013, he scored 708 runs at an average of 59 and a strike-rate of 156.29. Chris Gayle dominated the IPL in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Make no mistake but even at this age, he is dominating some of the bowlers which just shows the greatness of the Universe Boss.
1. David Warner – 848 in 2016, 641 in 2017 and 692 in 2019
David Warner is the only player who has won the Orange Cap thrice and he has scored more than 500 runs in five consecutive seasons. Warner has taken consistency to another level as he just keeps scoring runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad. In IPL 2016, when Virat Kohli scored 973 runs, David Warner scored 848 runs in 17 innings at an average of 60.57 and a strike-rate of 151.42. He did it again in IPL 2017 when he scored 641 runs in 14 innings at an average of 58.27 and a strike-rate of 141.81. He missed the 2018 season as he was serving his ban but right after his ban ended, he came to play the IPL, and guess what he scored 692 runs in just 12 innings at an average of 69.2 and a strike-rate of 143.86. Even in this IPL season, he crossed 500 runs which is just unbelievable. David Warner is already an IPL great and he is at least 3-4 years of cricket left in him.
