Top 3 best overseas players in Indian Premier League history

The Indian Premiere League (IPL) is a great platform for cricket players across the globe to showcase their talent, and we have seen many outstanding performances from them over the years. The world’s biggest cricket league has reached its 16th edition and the tournament still continues to achieve its goal by producing the best players from India and abroad. 

Players from various countries have made significant contributions to the cash-rich league’s success through their brilliant performances on the field for their respective franchises. With that being said, let’s take a look at the top three foreign players in IPL history who have blazed the men’s franchise T20 league.

Here are the top 3 best overseas players in IPL history

1. Lasith Malinga 

T20 cricket is dominated by batters and it is very hard for bowlers to find a place in the list of best players in this format. However, Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga is always the best in this game, regardless of the format, and he has shown it in the IPL as well. 

Malinga, who has played for Mumbai Indians since the league’s inception, has been a key contributor in four of the five championships the team has taken home. The ‘yorker king’ is currently the third highest wicket taker in the history of IPL. He has taken 170 wickets in just 122 games, including one five-wicket haul and 18 three-wicket hauls, with an economy rate of 7.14. 

2. AB de Villiers

One of the finest cricketer to grace the IPL, AB de Villiers had a phenominal career with Royal Challengers Bangalore for several years. Although RCB has yet to win the trophy, they are one of the best franchises in the IPL, with a massive fan following, and de Villiers is a big reason for it. 

The destructive South African batter has won countless games single-handedly for RCB and has always been a crowd puller with his heroics. De VIlliers, who is efficient against both spinners and pacers, has scored 5162 runs in 184 matches, with the highest score being 133. Along with Virat Kohli, who hit 973 runs in the 2016 season, the wicketkeeper batter contributed 687 runs to RCB’s run that took them to the IPL final.

3. David Warner 

The Aussie star is the highest run-scorer among foreign players and fourth overall in IPL history. He has been a part of various franchises but had a great journey with Sunrisers Hyderabad, the team he led to win the title in their inaugural edition of the league in 2016. 

Warner had carried the SRH batting unit almost single-handedly that season, scoring 848 runs at a strike rate of 152.03. The Southpaw is considered as one of the most consistent player in the IPL. With 58 fifties, Warner holds the record for most scores of 50 or more in the tournament.