The Greatest Players in IPL History
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the world’s leading T20 domestic competition today. Made by the fans for the fans, the IPL has witnessed some of the most outstanding performances over the years, with cricketers from India and abroad enthralling cricket lovers on the field. In this article, we will closely examine some of the best performers in the history of the IPL and relive their iconic moments where they have been able to maximise their cricketing abilities.
Table of Contents
The Best Player in IPL 2020
The IPL 2020 was different from other tournament editions since it was the first time that the tournament had to be postponed from its traditional window and be played in September-October due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The viral outbreak also forced the competition to be played out of India in a bio-bubble environment in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.
That, however, doesn’t mean that the quality of performances was any different since we had all teams vying hard for that coveted trophy and players coming up with some astonishing performances. Below is a list of such cricketers, highlighting the best player in ipl 2020:
| Name | Matches | Runs | Average | SR | 50’s | 100’s |
| KL Rahul | 14 | 670 | 55.84 | 129.34 | 5 | 1 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 17 | 618 | 44.14 | 144.73 | 4 | 2 |
| David Warner | 16 | 548 | 39.14 | 134.64 | 4 | 0 |
| Name | Matches | Wickets | Average | ER | SR | BF |
| Kagiso Rabada | 17 | 30 | 18.26 | 8.34 | 13.1 | 4/24 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 15 | 27 | 14.96 | 6.73 | 13.3 | 4/14 |
The Best Players in IPL 2021
The IPL 2021 was again wrecked by the surge of Covid-19 as the tournament had to be shifted to UAE in a separate window after a spree of positive results experienced within different franchise camps in India. That meant a unique challenge for cricketers to face two different sets of conditions to clinch the ipl best player 2021 tag. However, that didn’t hold back the best players in ipl 2021, as they managed to withstand the challenge posed by the conditions and the pitches in India and UAE and emerged for their respective teams.
| Name | Matches | Runs | Average | SR | 50’s | 100’s |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 16 | 635 | 45.35 | 136.26 | 4 | 1 |
| Du Plessis | 16 | 633 | 45.21 | 138.20 | 6 | 0 |
| KL Rahul | 13 | 626 | 62.60 | 138.80 | 6 | 0 |
| Name | Matches | Wickets | Average | SR | ER | BF |
| Harshal Patel | 15 | 32 | 14.34 | 10.4 | 8.14 | 5/27 |
| Avesh Khan | 16 | 24 | 18.75 | 15.2 | 7.37 | 3/13 |
The Best Player in IPL 2021
Given that it was more of a ball-dominated T20 competition for once, it’s only right that we acknowledge a batter as the best player in ipl 2021. Two players are in contention for this slot, both teammates that formed a solid, influential opening pair for their teams and ultimately helped it emerge triumphant in the tournament. Yes, we’re talking of the top run-getters of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis.
While Gaikwad scored a whopping 635 runs in 16 innings at an average of 45.35 and a strike rate of 136.26, Du Plessis fell just three runs short of snatching the ‘Orange Cap’ from him with a tally of 633 at 45.21 apiece while scoring at 138.20. Even though the South African fell short, one can make a compelling argument that he was the best player of the ipl 2021 since he nailed it with the bat in conditions that were more alien to him than Gaikwad and struck a match-winning knock in the final for CSK.
The Best Players in IPL 2022
The ipl 2022 best players list would make for interesting viewing as it was the year when the league was, again, confined to a limited number of venues because of Covid. Played in a bubble in Maharashtra, the IPL 2022 was a heavy-scoring competition where the bowlers were back under pressure and batters dominated through, which reflected in the list of best players in ipl 2022 as we have three of the highest run-getters and the two highest wicket-takers in the top 5 performers.
| Name | Matches | Runs | Average | SR | 50’s | 100’s |
| Jos Buttler | 17 | 863 | 57.53 | 149.05 | 4 | 4 |
| KL Rahul | 15 | 616 | 51.33 | 135.38 | 2 | 4 |
| Quinton de Kock | 15 | 508 | 36.28 | 148.97 | 3 | 1 |
| Name | Matches | Wickets | Average | ER | SR | BF |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 17 | 27 | 19.51 | 7.75 | 15.1 | 5/40 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 16 | 26 | 16.53 | 7.54 | 13.1 | 5/18 |
The Best Player of IPL 2022
In all fairness, the best player in ipl 2022 has to be a bowler, as the tournament witnessed sustained pressure for those with the ball in hand while the willow-holders exercised their dominance across venues in Mumbai and Pune.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) veteran wrist-spinner Yuzvenra Chahal had one of his best IPL campaigns despite the pitches, bagging 27 wickets in just 17 matches. He averaged 19.51 for his wickets and finished with a healthy economy rate of 7.75.
Chahal backed his attacking instincts to come to the fore and pay rich dividends for him. He played a crucial role in RR’s best campaign since their maiden trophy in 2008, helping them reach the tournament’s final, where they fell short against Gujarat Titans (GT).
The Best Player in Hyderabad IPL 2021
The best player of the Hyderabad team in ipl 2021 has to be Jonny Bairstow, who could play only seven matches but stamped his authority despite the tricky nature of the conditions. The England batter was exceptional with a bat in hand throughout his stint, as he smashed 248 runs at an impressive strike rate of 141.71.
Bairstow, who made two fifties during his stay for Hyderabad, finished as the third-highest run-getter for his team. Still, nobody could match his scoring rate, which is why he has got the edge above them in our understanding of the best Hyderabad player in ipl 2021. Thus it came as a huge surprise when the franchise decided to part ways with the explosive wicketkeeper-batter for the following edition of the IPL.
The Best Player of IPL 2016
The best player of ipl 2016 has to be the modern-day batting great Virat Kohli, who peaked as a T20 batter and lit up the scene in that year’s edition of the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Amon the strongest examples of leading a team from the front, Kohli came out firing with the bat in hand and dominated his way throughout the season. He made an insurmountable 973 runs from just 16 innings, averaging a whopping 81.08 with an eye-catching strike rate of 152.03.
Kohli’s mighty campaign featured four scintillating hundreds, which helped RCB navigate through the league stage and make the final of the competition – their best result in the league in six years. That elusive IPL trophy eluded Kohli’s men but the Indian legend’s performance that season remains the stuff of dreams for other players.
IPL 2017 Best Player
The ipl 2017 best player makes for an interesting debate. It was a season played on balanced surfaces where Mumbai Indians (MI) came out triumphant by just 1 run in the final against the disbanded Rising Pune Super Giants in a low-scoring clash. That wasn’t the theme for the competition, however, as the bat still found a way to dominate the proceedings against the ball. Then it’s fair to identify a bowling match-winner as the best player of ipl 2017.
Among those that played a leading role for their respective teams, the then-first-time IPL representative Rashid Khan stood out. Playing for Hyderabad in his very first IPL season, the Afghanistan youngster took his initial steps towards what is now global T20 stardom as he bagged 17 scalps in his 14 games but with an eye-catching ER of just 6.62. Nobody had a hang of what the Afghan spinner was doing off the hands, employing an indecipherable mix of googlies and legbreaks – something that remains true of him even now.
IPL 2018 Best Players
The ipl 2018 had several exceptional performers vying for the coveted tag of the best players in the league that season. These players were brilliant in their respective skills, standing apart from the rest of the cricketers, who, too, made their presence felt but couldn’t match the quality or the impact made by the five players we are enlisting below.
These are cricketers with the deepest influence on their team’s fortunes in a tournament where ultimately, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final in what was their comeback season in the IPL. So here is a list of the best players in ipl 2018, featuring the top 3 run-makers and top 2 wicket-takers.
| Name | Matches | Runs | Average | SR | 50’s | 100’s |
| Kane Williamson | 17 | 735 | 52.50 | 142.44 | 8 | 0 |
| Rishabh Pant | 14 | 684 | 52.61 | 173.60 | 5 | 1 |
| KL Rahul | 14 | 659 | 54.91 | 158.41 | 6 | 0 |
| Name | Matches | Wickets | Average | ER | SR | BF |
| Andrew Tye | 14 | 24 | 18.66 | 8.0 | 14. | 4/16 |
| Rashid Khan | 17 | 21 | 21.80 | 6.73 | 19.40 | 3/19 |
The Best Player of IPL 2019
Arguably the best player in the history of the IPL, David Warner is our best ipl 2019 player as well for the sheer level of consistency and explosiveness he displayed for SRH that season. The skipper led his team’s punch from the front, amassing 692 runs in just 12 innings in his comeback season of the IPL after a controversial absence in 2018 due to the Newlands ball-tampering issue.
Warner must have been fuming to have missed an IPL season and unleashed his wrath on the bowlers, averaging a very impressive 69.20 with a strike rate of 143.86 to top the list of highest run-getters that year. The experienced left-hander was at the peak of his prowess at the time, enjoying the height of his association with the Hyderabad franchise until things collapsed miserably on that front.
Conclusion
The study based on the best ipl performers and their records only reiterates IPL as a platform for some of the game’s greatest T20 cricketers, who have made a huge impact on the proceedings with the bat and the ball and given fans cricketing memories to be savoured for their lifetime. Be it the experienced stalwarts or the young turks with talent and promise, these players can be called the true flagbearers of the IPL as a league, helping it truly capture the imagination of fans all over the globe and making it the billion-dollar entity that it is today.
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