The Indian Premier League (IPL) captured the public’s interest with its debut game in the 2008 edition. The key reason for this was the performance of one of the openers, Brendon McCullum. In the inaugural match of the IPL, the former New Zealand captain struck an undefeated 158 for the Kolkata Knight Riders. That knock against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 18, 2008, set the tone for what was to come over the next decade.
In the IPL, openers always lay the basis for big scores, and you might be shocked to know that the left-handed batters are the league’s leading run-scorers. Left-handed batsmen account for four of the top seven batsmen in the list. In such a case, it would not be incorrect to claim that left-handed batsmen make strong openers. So, who has scored the most runs as an opener in the history of the IPL? Here is the list of the top three highest run-getters as openers in IPL.
3. Chris Gayle (4480 runs)
Star Caribbean opener Chris Gayle has been one of the most explosive batters in the world of cricket. He has been regarded as Universe Boss for his amazing batting performances. In the Indian Premier League, he has represented Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, he got the most success with RCB.
The Left-handed batter Gayle ranks third among all openers in terms of runs scored. Gayle, overall, has scored 4965 runs in 142 IPL appearances. Out of which Gayle has scored 4480 runs as an opener including six centuries. His average was 41.87, and his strike rate was 151.4 during this time. His highest individual score of 175 vs Pune Warriors India also came at this position.
2. David Warner (5226 runs)
Star Australia batter David Warner has been one of the most successful overseas players in the Indian Premier League. He has represented teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals. Warner, who is currently leading the Delhi Capitals, led SRH to glory in 2016. He is the only player to score 500+ runs in consecutive seasons.
The 35-year-old, Left-hand batter has been phenomenal throughout his career. In IPL he has scored more than six thousand runs and is the only foreign player to do so. Warner is in second place on this list. He has 5881 runs in 162 IPL matches, with 5226 runs as an opener at an average of 41.48 and a strike rate of 142.
1. Shikhar Dhawan (5837 runs)
Star India batter Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the most dangerous opening batters in the history of the Indian Premier League. Playing for teams like Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, Deccan Chargers and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Dhawan has left an amazing mark on his batting in the league. He has scored more than 6000 runs in the league most of which came as an opener.
The Punjab Kings skipper scored 6244 runs in 206 matches in IPL, out of which he scored 5837 runs while opening. These runs came at an average of 35.38 and a strike rate of 127.3. He could hold the top rank for another few years as the players behind him are not even close. His incredible numbers will undoubtedly make him an IPL legend.
Apart from these KL Rahul (3651), Gautam Gambhir (3597), Ajinkya Rahane (3595), Virat Kohli (3251), Faf du Plessis (3059), Quinton de Kock (2764) and Brandon McCullum (2759) are in the list of top 10 players with the most number of runs as an opener in the IPL.