Throughout the past 12 seasons of IPL, we have seen several breathtaking knocks from both newcomers as well as experienced veterans. But only a very few players have been able to sustain their form for a long period of time in the IPL. in this article, we will look at five such players who have been the ridiculously consistent across seasons,
5. Suresh Raina – 11
Suresh Raina has been a lynchpin for CSK for the past 12 seasons and his availability for this edition could prove to be costly for the Chennai based franchise. Surprisingly he only has one century in his glittering IPL career, a score of hundred not out versus Kings XI Punjab in the 2013 IPL. His 25 ball 87 against Kings XI Punjab in the 2014 semi final is considered by many to be the best knock ever played in IPL playoffs.
4. AB de Villiers – 12
Only batsman in this list who has predominantly batted in the middle order, his spot in this list is a reflection of staggering consistency throughout his IPL career. He has three centuries in IPL and his best score of 133 not out came against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium in the 2015 IPL. Even after retirement, he has maintained his incredible run of form for RCB scoring more than 400 runs for them in the past two seasons at a strike rate of 150+.
3.Virat Kohli – 14
The man who needs no introduction, Kohli has represented only one club in the 12 seasons of IPL and it is safe to say that he has done a damn good job over the years. His IPL career reached it’s absolute zenith in 2016 when he scored 973 runs, including four centuries. He has been slightly below his best in the past two seasons but a six month COVID-19 induced break could be a blessing in disguise for the RCB skipper. He has five hundreds in the IPL and his best score of 113 came against Kings XI Punjab in the 2016 IPL.
2. David Warner – 16
The little man from New South Wales has literally carried his franchise SRH’s batting on his shoulders ever since he joined them in 2014. In the early part of his SRH career, he also had the added pressure of batting on a wicket which favoured SRH’s lethal bowling lineup. He had a monumental season in 2016 where he scored 848 runs at a strike rate of 151.43, which included nine half centuries. He was the winner of the orange cap in the last IPL and a strong favourite to finish as the top scorer in IPL 2020.
1. Chris Gayle – 22
No surprises regarding who tops this list as it is the giant from Jamaica who has completely dominated IPL for a decade now. He has six hundreds in IPL and 28 half centuries. At his peak(2011-2013), he was irresistible and scored over 600 runs in each of those seasons. After two injury hit seasons with RCB, he was released by the franchise before the 2018 edition. However, he rejuvenated his career at a ripe old age of 38 with Kings XI Punjab and has averaged over 40 in the past two seasons.
