Players with 5000+ Runs in Indian Premier League History

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen several batting milestones over its 16 years of existence. One such landmark is the 5000 run mark, which signifies great consistency in scoring big runs in cricket’s shortest format. So far, only 7 players have managed to score 5000+ runs in IPL matches. 

In this blog, we take a look at the 7 elite players who have scored 5000 runs in IPL history.

Suresh Raina – First to Reach 5000 IPL Runs   

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Suresh Raina was the first batter in IPL history to reach the 5000 run milestone. He completed 5000 runs in 173 innings while playing for CSK and Gujarat Lions.

In his IPL career spanning 200 innings, Raina scored 5528 runs at an average of 32.51 and excellent strike rate of 136.73. This included one century and 38 half-centuries.

Shikhar Dhawan – 5000 Runs in 168 Innings

Veteran Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan is another prolific run scorer in IPL history. Having debuted in IPL 2008 for Delhi, Dhawan has played for multiple franchises like Mumbai Indians (MI), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Punjab Kings (PBKS).

He completed his 5000 IPL runs in just 168 innings at a stellar average of 35.83. Dhawan’s current IPL run aggregate stands at 6593, including two centuries and 50 fifties.

AB de Villiers – Fastest 5000 Runs by an Overseas Player  

Legendary South African batter AB de Villiers is the fastest overseas player to reach 5000 IPL runs. He achieved this feat in 161 innings while playing for Delhi and his longtime team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

De Villiers was a game changer in the IPL with his attacking brand of cricket. In 170 innings, he compiled 5162 runs at 39.71 and an incredible strike rate of 151.68. His tally includes 3 hundreds and 40 half-centuries.

Virat Kohli – Leading Run Scorer in IPL History

One name that was always going to be on this elite list is Virat Kohli. He is the highest run scorer not just among these 5000-run batters, but overall in the 15 seasons of IPL. 

Kohli completed 5000 runs in 157 innings for his only franchise RCB. Currently, he has the mammoth total of 7044 runs in 220 innings at an average of 38.16 and strike rate of 131.13. His tally contains 5 hundreds and 50 fifties.

David Warner – Quickest to 5000 IPL Runs  

Explosive Australian opener David Warner is the fastest to reach 5000 runs in IPL, completing the mark in only 135 innings. Warner won the Orange Cap thrice while playing for Delhi and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He has scored 5900 runs so far, averaging 43.17 at a strike rate of 140.56. This includes 4 centuries and 55 half-centuries.

Rohit Sharma – Mumbai Indians Skipper Joins Club 

Indian opener Rohit Sharma recently became the latest entrant to the 5000-run club in IPL 2023. He achieved this feat in his 217th innings while captaining the Mumbai Indians.

Rohit now has 5490 runs at an average of 31.14 and strike rate of 130.41. This includes one century and 40 fifties. He will be looking to go past 6000 IPL runs soon.

MS Dhoni – Latest Addition to the 5000 Run Club  

Legendary skipper MS Dhoni became the 7th player to score 5000+ runs in IPL history. He completed his 5000 runs in the first phase of IPL 2023 while playing his landmark 300th IPL match.

Dhoni has been the long serving captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since the inaugural edition of IPL. His current aggregate stands at 5049* runs scored at 39.84 average and 136.12 strike rate across 341 innings.

So these are the 7 elite batters who form the exclusive 5000-run club so far. Virat Kohli tops the table by a huge margin thanks to his remarkable consistency for RCB over the years.

Players Soon Reaching 5000 IPL Runs

Here are the players in line to join the 5000-club soon:  

KL Rahul  

India’s talented opener KL Rahul has 4898 runs in 157 IPL innings and will likely breach 5000 runs in IPL 2023 itself. He has scored these runs at an excellent average of 46.89 and strike rate 137.85 over the years.

Rahul is the only player to have scored 500+ runs in 4 consecutive IPL seasons – from 2018 to 2021. 

Sanju Samson  

Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson has also been a prolific run machine in recent IPL seasons. He has currently compiled 4709 runs in 174 innings at 33.56 average. Expect Sanju to cross 5000 IPL runs in the next season.

Summary and Conclusion

In summary, 7 batters have crossed the significant milestone of 5000 IPL runs thanks to their brilliant consistency. This includes 5 Indian and 2 overseas players. 

Suresh Raina was the first to reach this landmark followed by the likes of Kohli, Warner, de Villiers etc. who form this exclusive club. Virat Kohli tops the run charts by a long distance.

We can expect the next few entrants to soon be KL Rahul and Sanju Samson in the coming IPL seasons.  

Reaching 5000 runs in the IPL requires tremendous batting ability at the highest level for many seasons. It marks these players as all-time IPL legends who have dominated bowling attacks season after season.