IPL 2018: Raina runs to Gayle sixes, top 10 Indian Premier League records

The opening game of IPL 2018 will be played between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium on April 7

The 11th season of India's cash-rich T20 tournament, the Indian Premier League (IPL), will kick off with defending champions Mumbai Indian clashing with Chennai Super Kings in Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium on April 7. Two franchises – Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings are making a comeback this season after completing a two-year ban. 

The inaugural season of the Indian Premier League, founded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2007 after India’s victory in the first T20 world cup in South Africa, was played in 2008. And the first game gave viewers bang for their buck, with Brendon McCullum scoring a swashbuckling 158 runs to set the tone for things to come in IPL matches. 

McCullum indeed set the bar fairly high and one couldn’t help wonder if IPL would continue to entertain and thrill the same way in subsequent matches and editions. The T20 extravaganza did not disappoint: The unbelievable records set and broken in the tournament since only go on to prove that.

Business Standard lists the top 10 IPL records in the first 10 years of the T20 tournament:

#1. Most runs: 4,540 runs by Suresh Raina

Chennai Super Kings’ Suresh Raina has not only played the most number of IPL matches but also made the most of each of his innings. In his IPL career of over 10 years, Raina has scored 4,540 runs, with one century and 31 half-centuries. He has played for two IPL franchises – Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Lions. In IPL 2018, Raina will play for Chennai Super Kings. Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli comes second in terms of runs scored, with 4,418 runs under his belt. IPL 2018 will see a fierce competition between Raina and Kohli as the former tries to race ahead and the latter attempts going past him.

#2. Most sixes: 265 by Chris Gayle

West Indies opener Chris Gayle, who got third-time lucky in the IPL 2018 auction, holds the record for the highest number of sixes in the tournament. In the 101 IPL matches that he has played, Gayle has hit 265 sixes. Chennai Super Kings middle-order batsman Suresh Raina is the distant second on this count with 173 sixes, while Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma is close behind with 172.

#3. Highest individual score in a match: 175 by Gayle

Jamaican opener Chris Gayle also holds the record for the highest individual score in an IPL match with his 175-run knock off 66 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in the 2013 edition of IPL. Gayle broke the record set by Brendon McCullum in the opening match of the first season with his 158 runs while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders.

#4. Most wickets: 154 by Lasith Malinga

Mumbai Indians’ Lasith Malinga holds the record for the highest number of dismissals in IPL matches so far. Famously known as Slinga-Malinga, the Sri Lankan bowler is considered the most dangerous in the limited-over format. In 110 matches he has bowled in, Malinga has picked 154 wickets with an average of 13.01. His best bowling performance was his fifer for only 13 runs against Delhi Daredevils in the 2011 edition of IPL. Malinga is the only bowler to take more than 150 IPL wickets. The next best are Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh, with 134 and 127 wickets, respectively.

#5. Best Bowling figures: 6/14 by Sohail Tanvir

It would sound incredible if you learnt that IPL’s highest wicket-taker, Lasith Malinga, did not hold the record for best bowling figures in a match as well. In fact, Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir holds the record for best bowling figures, with his 6 for 14 runs against Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2008.

#6. Highest victory margin: KKR by 140 runs

Shah Rukh Khan’s franchise Kolkata Knight Riders holds the record for highest margin of victory in an IPL match. KKR defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 140 runs in the opening game of the 2008 edition in which former kiwi captain Brendon McCullum smashed 158 runs off 73 balls.

#7. Highest total by a team: 263 runs by RCB

Virat Kohli’s Royal Challenger Bangalore holds the record for the highest team total in a match. It scored 263 runs in a match against Pune Supergiant in the 2013 edition of IPL. This is not only the highest team total in an IPL match also in T20 matches in general. Chris Gayle was the highest scorer in the match. Interestingly, the second-highest total is also held by RCB: 248 for 3 against Gujarat Lions in the 2016 edition.

#8. Lowest team total: 49 runs by RCB

It might sound ironical but the same team that holds the record for the highest team total also holds the record for the lowest. Virat Kohli-led RCB were bowled out for only 49 runs by the Kolkata Knight Riders in their chase of 132 runs in an IPL 2009 match. Three of RCB’s batsmen were missed for nought and none managed to get into double digits. The team broke the record previous held by Rajasthan Royals for its total of 58 runs in the same edition of IPL.

#9. Longest winning streak: 10 matches by KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders holds the record for the most number of consecutive wins. The team won 10 ties on trot in the 2014-2015 season of IPL.

#10. Most matches as captain: M S Dhoni’s 143

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, former Indian cricket team skipper and the captain of Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2018 holds the record for playing the highest number of matches as captain. Dhoni played 143 matches as a captain between 2008 and 2017 – mostly leading Chennai Super Kings, and Pune Supergiants in IPL 2016.