The 12th edition of the Indian Premiere League (IPL) concluded with a close-run finish on the 12th of May. Since 2008, when the tournament initially began, the IPL has seen countless matches and has hence accumulated numerous interesting numbers to look at.
Here is a look at some of the most significant stats and numbers from the IPL history.
Most runs in the tournament’s history:
Right-handed batsman and current captain of India Virat Kohli holds the record for the most runs in the IPL with 5,412 runs in 169 innings at an average of 37.84 and a strike-rate of 131.61. He has 5 hundreds and 36 fifties in his kitty with a best of an unbeaten 113 in the 2016 IPL, a monster season where he made 973 runs and scored 4 of his 5 centuries. He has represented Royal Challengers Bangalore since the inception of the IPL in 2008.
Suresh Raina, of Chennai Super Kings and the defunct Gujarat Lions, was the first batsman to reach 5,000 runs in the IPL, but Kohli became the second and the fastest, and has now overtaken Raina’s tally of 5,368 runs.
Most sixes:
The ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle holds this coveted record with a whopping 326 sixes in just 125 games. Gayle has represented the Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.
Only two other batsmen in the IPL have crossed the 200-sixes mark: next on the list AB De Villiers with 212 sixes in 154 matches and MS Dhoni with 209 sixes in 190 matches. So Gayle will be holding this record for a while to come.
Most expensive bowling figures in the IPL:
Fast bowler Basil Thampi, representing the Sunrisers Hyderabad, holds this undesirable record. Thampi had figures of 4-0-70-0 against the Royal Challengers of Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in one of the league games in IPL 2018. Thampi’s economy rate was a staggering 17.50 per over.
Before this, the most expensive spell in the IPL was delivered by Ishant Sharma, also representing the Sunrisers Hyderabad, who went for 0-66 in 4 overs against the Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2013.
Most wickets in the IPL:
He may not be the same force he once used to be, but he can still win finals for his team, the Mumbai Indians. Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga remains the most successful bowler in the IPL’s history with 170 wickets from 122 matches at a superb economy of 7.14. Malinga has represented Mumbai Indians throughout his IPL career.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra is the second bowler on this list with 157 wickets in 147 games.
Lowest team total:
For all the ridiculously massive totals scored by teams in the IPL, there have been some appalling low totals as well. The lowest total in IPL history is only 49 by the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2017 edition, while they were chasing 131 at the Eden Gardens.
Prior to this match, the record for the lowest team total in the IPL was 58 by Rajasthan Royals against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at Cape Town in the 2009 season.
Most runs in a single season:
The 2016 season of the IPL was extremely productive for many batsmen and it was Indian superstar Virat Kohli who left an indelible mark in the edition with an unforgettable performance. In 16 matches Kohli, captaining the Royal Challengers Bangalore, amassed a stunning 973 runs at a phenomenal average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03. He also struck 4 hundreds and 7 fifties in that season with a best of 113 versus the Kings XI Punjab at Bengaluru.
No other batsman is yet to cross the 900-run mark in one season of the IPL. Second on the list is David Warner, who notched up 848 runs in 17 matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the same 2016 season.
Highest ever partnership:
It took two of the best batting stars of the IPL to form the greatest ever partnership in IPL history. In the 44th match of the 2016 season of the IPL, AB De Villiers joined his Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli at the crease with his team at 19-1 from 3.5 overs at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The two of them added an astonishing 229 runs for the second wicket off just 96 balls – the highest ever partnership in IPL history for any wicket. Kohli scored 109 (55) while De Villiers remained unbeaten on 129 (52).
Interestingly, the previous record was also held by the same duo – an unbeaten 215 runs for the 2nd wicket against the Mumbai Indians at Mumbai in the 2015 edition.
Fastest 100 and fastest 50:
The record for the fastest hundred in the IPL is held by Chris Gayle who, in his extraordinary innings of 175* for the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Pune Warriors in IPL 2013, reached his century off a mere 30 balls. Incidentally, this was not just the fastest IPL hundred, but also the fastest T20 hundred ever.
The IPL record was previously held by Yusuf Pathan who got to a hundred off 37 balls representing the Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2010.
The record for the fastest fifty is held by KL Rahul of Kings XI Punjab, who reached his half century off just 14 balls at Mohali against the Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2018.
Highest strike rate for a batsman:
Andre Russell is the holder of this record (min. 500 balls faced) by a huge margin. The powerful West Indian all-rounder has been deadly with the bat, striking at a rate of 186.41 from 52 innings. Having represented the Delhi Daredevils for a few matches in 2012 & 2013, the Jamaican joined the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014 and absolutely exploded onto the scene in 2015. He scored 326 runs with 35 fours and 19 sixes at a strike rate of 192.89 and was the Player of the Series (his 14 wickets helped, too).
The 2019 season was his most impressive yet. He smashed 510 runs at an absolutely astonishing strike rate of 204.81, with 31 fours and an astounding 52 sixes. This performance, and his 11 wickets, once again netted him the Player of the Series award.
Closest behind him (but quite far away) is Indian youngster Rishabh Pant, who represents the Delhi Capitals (formerly the Daredevils), with a strike rate of 165.92 from 54 innings. Pant’s most successful season was the 2018 edition, where he scored 684 runs at a strike rate of 173.60, with 37 sixes and a magnificent innings of 128* against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Best economy rate by a bowler:
Sunil Narine has been consistently producing the most miserly figures for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL for a long time now. And it is the West Indian off-spinner who has the best economy rate in the IPL (minimum 50 games) with a remarkable figure of just 6.67 per over in 110 games.
Narine has featured in the IPL since the 2012 season and his economy rate has never gone beyond 8 in a single edition. His worst economy rate was 7.82 per over in the recently concluded 2019 edition and his best was an incredible 5.46 per over in the 2013 season, which followed the superb 5.47 per over performance in his debut season.
Most dismissals by a wicket-keeper:
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who plays for Chennai Super Kings and has represented the now defunct Rising Pune Supergiant(s), holds this record with 132 dismissals. The former Indian captain has 94 catches and 38 stumpings to his name from 183 innings. He overtook Dinesh Karthik, second on the list with 131, with 2 catches in the 2019 IPL final against Mumbai Indians.
Dinesh Karthik, who has represented Delhi Daredevils, Gujarat Lions, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and now Kolkata Knight Riders, has 101 catches and 30 stumpings to his name in 166 innings.
Most successful team:
The Mumbai Indians is now the most successful team in IPL history with 107 victories (plus 2 matches tied and won in the Super Over) from 187 matches and a win percentage of 57.75. The Chennai Super Kings, who were banned from the tournament for two seasons, were initially leading this list but have been left behind after their suspension. Chennai are now second on the list with 100 wins from 165 matches and a win percentage of 61.28 – still the best win ratio by any team in the IPL.