IPL 2018: The "Fab Five" Indian cricketers in the IPL history

The Great Indian summer fest of the Indian Premier League has unearthed numerous talents in the last ten years. The players who came into the limelight through the IPL have excelled at the highest levels. The IPL has changed the players mindset and their approaches towards the game as a whole. Its contribution to the Indian cricket has been immense, as many budding cricketers have gone the opportunity to play alongside the legends of the game.

Over the years, many players have enchanted the fans through their exceptional performances. But some players have dominated the league right from its inception and even continue to do so. These players have been immensely successful as well as popular among the fans, who adopted them as their own. Let us now look at the five fabulous Indian cricketers who have dominated the IPL all these years.

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Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)

‘Captain Cool’ MS Dhoni needs no introduction when it comes to the IPL. The most expensive player of the inaugural edition( $1.5 million in 2008) led the Chennai Super Kings in eight consecutive seasons (2008-2015). He is the longest-serving skipper in the IPL history and is also the only captain to successfully retain the title.

The Chennai Super Kings have entered the knockouts in all eight seasons under Dhoni, winning the title twice (2010 and 2011). Dhoni played for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant franchise in the 2016 and 2017 editions after CSK's two-year suspension.

Dhoni has scored 3675 runs in 163 matches at a strike-rate of 136.92. Dhoni has made 18 half-centuries in his IPL career so far, with the highest score of 70*. A regular contributor with the bat scoring at least a fifty in all eight seasons, Dhoni has also been priceless behind the stumps.

Gautam Gambhir (Delhi Daredevils)

Gambhir represented the Delhi Daredevils in the first three editions before moving to the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2011. He won two titles with the Knight Riders- in 2012 and 2014, thereby becoming only the second skipper after MS Dhoni to win the IPL title twice.Gambhir, who has been consistent in all the editions of the IPL has been a solid top-order batsman. He has made 4213 runs in 153 IPL matches at a strike-rate of 124.24.

The Delhi batsman has made 36 half-centuries, with the highest score being 93. He transformed the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise as one of the power-houses of the IPL, in a very short span. Gambhir was not retained by the KKR for the 2018 IPL. At the auctions, he was bought by his former franchise, Delhi Daredevils for INR 2.8 crore and was made their captain for the eleventh edition of the IPL.

Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Virat, who has been a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore since the inception of the IPL, is one of the very few players to have played for the same franchise for a decade. Coming into as 19-year-old U19 World cup winning captain, he has been the pillar of strength for them all these years.

Kohli has made 4649 runs in 154 matches for the Bangalore franchise at a strike-rate of 130.22. He has scored 32 half-centuries and four centuries in the IPL, with his highest score being 113.

Virat Kohli was the star of the ninth season in 2016, where he smashed a record 973 runs and an astonishing four centuries. RCB finished as the runners-up to David Warner's Sunrisers Hyderabad under Kohli's captaincy.

Kohli has been very unlucky in the IPL finishing as the runner-up in 2009, 2011 and 2016. Sadly, an IPL title has eluded this master batsman for ten years. Hope the second decade of the IPL brings him all the success.

Suresh Raina (Chennai Super Kings)

Mr. IPL Suresh Raina never missed an IPL match in the first decade of the tournament, be it for the CSK or the Gujarat Lions. Raina played for the Chennai Super Kings from 2008-2015 and won two titles with the Men in yellow- in 2010 and 2011.

Then he played for the now-defunct Gujarat Lions in 2016, 2017 editions after the Super Kings were suspended for two IPL seasons. The Uttar Pradesh batsman has scored above 400 runs in eight out of the ten seasons so far.

With 4604 runs in 164 matches at a strike-rate of 139.05, he has been a consistent performer all these years. The southpaw has got 31 half-centuries and a century to his name in the IPL, with the highest score being 100*. His 86 catches in the IPL career, are the perfect example of why he is one of the most virtuous Indian fielders in the league.

Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians)

‘Hitman’ Rohit Sharma played for the now-defunct Deccan Chargers in the first three editions of the IPL, with whom he won the title in 2009. After moving to the Mumbai Indians in 2011, he became an integral part of their batting line-up.

Rohit, who took over the Mumbai Indians captaincy in 2013 ( after two games into the sixth season), led the Men in Blue to their first ever IPL crown. In 2015, the Mumbai Indians won the IPL title for a second time under skipper Rohit.

In the 10th edition (2017) of the IPL, he led Mumbai to a record third title in five years. Thereby, he became the first ever skipper to win three IPL titles. In 163 matches, Rohit has scored 4345 runs at a strike-rate of 131.30, with 32 half-centuries and a century to his name. With four IPL titles ( three with the Mumbai Indians and one with the Deccan Chargers) in his career, Rohit is the most successful IPL player of all time.