A look at all time IPL records

The 8th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is about to get underway on Wednesday, and we are sure to have another action-packed season that not only sees some new records being broken and some exhilarating cricket from the players on display but also its fair share of controversies.When the IPL began back in 2008, no one seemed quite sure how it would be received by the top rung of players and fans, but it’d be safe to say with the benefit of hindsight that those concerns were misplaced. While fans from across India and beyond have got behind their team with great fervour and enthusiasm, the international players have given their all to the cause each time they have taken the field despite the IPL, after all, being a domestic tournament, which should not be taken for granted considering their gruelling international schedule. In the lead-up to the new season, here’s a look at the all time IPL records:

#1 Most runs

Suresh Raina being perched at the top of the list of highest run-getters in the IPL should really come as no surprise considering his expertise over the T20 format, especially when it comes to subcontinental conditions, and the fact that he has played every game for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 7 seasons so far. He has also consistently batted at No.3 for CSK, as opposed to No.5 or No.6 like he does for India, which has given him the luxury of batting for a majority of the 20 overs.

He is the only player to have scored over 3000 runs in the IPL, with Rohit Sharma at second place with 2903 runs. In addition, he is also the only batsman to have crossed 400 runs in each edition and has done so at a phenomenal strike rate of 142.03, which is ample proof of both his consistency and big-hitting ability.

Player	Matches	Runs
Suresh Raina	115	3325
Rohit Sharma	112	2903
Gautam Gambhir	104	2806
Chris Gayle	68	2708
Virat Kohli	107	2632

#2 Highest individual scores

Courtesy of his stunning innings of 175 for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) against Pune Warriors in IPL 2013, the record for the highest individual score in IPL history belongs to Chris Gayle. He has been a lynchpin of the Royal Challengers batting unit ever since coming in as a replacement for Dirk Nannes in the 2011 season. However, he hasn’t managed to lift the IPL trophy as yet, and there’s no doubt the lure of the big prize will serve as an added motivation for the Jamaican left-hander during the 2015 season.

Player	Score	Team	Opposition	Year
Chris Gayle	175*	RCB	Pune Warriors	2013
Brendon McCullum	158*	KKR	RCB	2008
Chris Gayle	128*	RCB	DD	2012
Murali Vijay	127	CSK	RR	2010
Virender Sehwag	122	KXIP	CSK	2014

#3 Most sixes

Once again, Chris Gayle tops the list having hit a colossal 192 sixes from a mere 68 matches that he has played in the IPL. He started off playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and had moderate success, but it is with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) that he has really come into his own. While he has the power to clear just about any ground in the world, the fact that he plays the majority of his matches at a relatively small ground – Chinnaswamy Stadium – where the ball travels further than normal due to the high altitude undoubtedly helps.

Player	Matches	Sixes
Chris Gayle	68	192
Suresh Raina	115	134
Rohit Sharma	112	126
Yusuf Pathan	106	115
Yuvraj Singh	84	110

#4 Highest strike rates

While batting average is also important when it comes to T20 statistics, the strike rate is certainly the most crucial as far as batting is concerned as it illustrates the match-winning ability of a player. Glenn Maxwell, who is coming to the fore in international cricket as well, certainly showed why he ought to be considered among the most fearsome batsmen in the world when he scored 552 runs for Kings XI Punjab at an imposing strike rate of 187.75 last season. His overall IPL strike rate is 178.91, which is not going to be on the decline anytime soon.

Player	Matches	SR
Glenn Maxwell	21	178.91
Virender Sehwag	96	157.33
Chris Gayle	68	154.56
James Faulkner	32	153.65
David Miller	34	153.18

*Minimum of 125 balls faced

#5 Most wickets

While Lasith Malinga has an excellent record across all 3 formats of the game, it is in the T20 format that he is at his absolute best. From 83 matches in the IPL, all of which have come for the Mumbai Indians, he has picked up 119 wickets at 17.66. Many of these wickets have come during the toughest phases of a T20 game, giving them an added significance in the process.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who is the only other bowler to have taken more than 100 wickets in the IPL, is second on the list with 102 wickets to his name.

Player	Matches	Wickets
Lasith Malinga	83	119
Amit Mishra	86	102
Piyush Chawla	98	98
Harbhajan Singh	96	92
Vinay Kumar	86	91

#6 Best economy rates

Sunil Narine has been an absolute revelation for KKR since his entry into the IPL in 2012, playing an integral part in KKR winning two out of the last three IPL seasons. Apart from taking a creditable 67 wickets from the 47 matches that he has played, he has also bowled his overs at a miserly 5.77.

Following him are Ravichandran Ashwin and Lasith Malinga, who have economy rates of 6.53 each and are rightly considered among the leading bowlers in the world.

Player	Matches	Overs	Economy rate
Sunil Narine	47	187.1	5.77
R Ashwin	83	298.4	6.53
Lasith Malinga	83	321.3	6.53
Anil Kumble	42	160.5	6.57
Dale Steyn	83	322.0	6.58

*Minimum 100 overs bowled

#7 Most dismissals

Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist, with 67 dismissals (51 catches and 16 stumpings) from 80 matches, is on top of the list of wicketkeepers with most dismissals in the IPL. However, with Gilchrist no longer playing an active part in the game, it should not take long for him to be overtaken, with Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni close on his heels with 66 dismissals each.

Player	Matches	Dismissals	Catches	Stumpings
Adam Gilchrist	80	67	51	16
Dinesh Karthik	106	66	47	19
MS Dhoni	112	66	46	20
Robin Uthappa	107	49	32	17
Naman Ojha	67	44	35	9

#8 Highest team totals

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB’s) score of 263 for 5 from 20 overs against Pune Warriors, which came in the 2013 IPL season, is the highest total by a team in IPL history. Powered by a brilliant innings of 175 from 66 balls by Chris Gayle, RCB surpassed Chennai Super Kings’ total of 246 for 5, which was racked up against Rajasthan Royals in the 2010 edition. Considering the growing superiority of bat over ball as each season passes, a total of 300 in the IPL might soon become a real possibility

Team	Score	Opposition	Year
RCB	263/5	Pune Warriors	2013
CSK	246/5	RR	2010
CSK	240/5	KXIP	2008
KXIP	232/2	RCB	2011
DD	231/4	KXIP	2011

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#9 Largest margins of victory

We will have to go right back to the opening match of the inaugural IPL season for the largest margin of victory in terms of runs. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) smashed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 140 runs, with significant help from Brendon McCullum who smashed 158* to launch the tournament in emphatic style.

Team	Margin (runs)	Opposition	Year
KKR	140 runs	RCB	2008
RCB	130 runs	Pune Warriors	2013
KXIP	111 runs	RCB	2011
RR	105 runs	DD	2008
MI	98 runs	DD	2010

In terms of balls remaining, Mumbai Indians’ victory over KKR in the 2008 season is on top of the list, closely followed by the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s victory against Rajasthan Royals in the 2011 edition.

Team	Margin	Opposition	Year
MI	87 balls	KKR	2008
Kochi	76 balls	RR	2011
RCB	56	RR	2010
Deccan Chargers	48	MI	2008
KXIP	46	Pune Warriors	2013

#10 Highest partnerships

Two Australians, in Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh, hold the distinction of having amassed the highes partnership in IPL history, courtesy of their second-wicket stand of 206 runs for Kings XI Punjab against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2011 IPL season. Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, both of whom were witness to that carnage from Gilchrist and Marsh, meted out similar punishment to Delhi Daredevils a season later, amassing a dazzling partnership of 204 runs at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

Players	Team	Partnership runs	Opposition	Year
A Gilchrist, S Marsh	KXIP	206	RCB	2011
C Gayle, V Kohli	RCB	204*	DD	2012
D Warner, N Ojha	DD	189*	Deccan Chargers	2012
H Gibbs, R Sharma	MI	167*	KKR	2012
C Gayle, T Dilshan	RCB	167	Pune Warriors	2013