5 greatest Indian batsmen in IPL history 

After the successful 2007 T20 triumph, India launched a cricket league called IPL where all the best players from the world would combine to play for a particular franchise. The concept of it looked foolish at that time, but little did we know that the same league would become a spectacle. The IPL launched a bandwagon!

Though many have berated the Indian Premier League for diluting the quality of the game it would be safe to say that the IPL has both pros and cons like every existing thing.

Cricket is a batsman's game and IPL is no exception. Since it's inception in 2008, cricketing world has witnessed some of the greatest T20 batting performances ever. Some of the best batsmen of all-time have graced the league in the 11 editions so far. They have shown their batting prowess and innovations at the same time.

With only a few months left for the spectacle, let us have a look at 5 greatest Indian batsmen to have graced the Indian Premier League.

#5 Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir is a kind of a player who will never give up until its finally over and his whole IPL career is an example of it. He started with Delhi Daredevils and after failing to lift the trophy with them he moved to Kolkata Knight Riders and the rest was history.

Even though cricket pundits doubted his team's ability to do well, he replied by winning the coveted trophy not once but twice. Gambhir took KKR to their first ever IPL playoffs in 2011 and then the following year in 2012 his inspiring batting and captaincy helped KKR win their first ever IPL trophy.

And in 2014 he once again proved why he is one of the best captains that India never had. He held the trophy for the second time and got his name registered in the history books.

The classy southpaw has scored 4217 runs in 154 matches that he has played, maintaining the average and strike rate in excess of 31 and 123, respectively. He has scored 50-plus runs in 34 matches. Despite not having the ability to hit the ball out of the park, Gambhir has shown why classical stroke play could still earn you some runs.

#4 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma has probably had the most successful IPL career till date. He has won the coveted trophy once with Deccan Chargers and thrice with Mumbai Indians. He also won a Champions League trophy as a captain.

He had a great stint with Adam Gilchrist's team in 2009 edition when he produced several match-winning innings. But, it was only after he joined Mumbai Indians in 2011 that his luck turned. He got selected to the national team and his career flourished.

Rohit has played a total of 173 matches in which he has amassed 4493 runs at an average of 31.93 at an impressive strike rate of 131.02. He has scored 50+ scores 34 times in his IPL career. His only century came against KKR at his favourite ground Eden Gardens. Rohit has been a consistent performer ever since the league started.

But more than the number of runs, Rohit's contribution to the grand success of Mumbai Indians has been immense with his captaincy. He has honed his captaincy skills under a great support and management team. His captaincy has become a great asset for Indian cricket in the absence of regular captain Kohli.

#3 MS Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings would have never imagined what Mahendra Singh Dhoni would do to them and their city when they bought him in the auction in the inaugural edition. He has reached a status of superhuman for the Chennai people. For his unimaginable skills in finishing the game, he is famously called as The Finisher! And that is the reason why he appears ahead of Rohit Sharma in this list.

The man who can change the entire tournament with his innings, MS Dhoni is no doubt one of the most influential batsmen in IPL history. He symbolizes whatever IPL stands for. His record as a skipper is one for the ages. He is undoubtedly the best wicket-keeper batsmen in the entire IPL history.

For a batsman who plays in the middle order, M S Dhoni has scored an astonishing 4016 runs in 175 matches. He has maintained a brilliant average of 40.16 and an impressive strike rate of 138.19 garnished with 20 match-defining half-centuries.

There have been uncountable instances when Dhoni has utilized his icy cold veins to take the game away from the opposition out of nowhere. When he hits the ball, it stays hit. He is the epitome of match presence. He is everything that CSK stands for.

#2 Virat Kohli

The run-machine

Virat Kohli bleeds red when he dawns the RCB jersey. He has become a Bengaluru boy thanks to his everlasting loyalty to the club. He is the only player in the history to have remained in the same franchise in every edition of it. His breathtaking batting has destroyed oppositions.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper is the 2nd highest run-scorer in the IPL history with 4948 runs in 163 matches that he has represented the franchise. He has scored at an impressive average of 38.35 and at a strike rate of 130.76.

In 2016, Virat Kohli scored colossal 973 runs in a single season. His 4 glorious centuries took the opposition to the cleaners. He smashed bowlers with complete disdain.

Even though Kohli has had very less success as a captain, it is his passion that drives the tech-savvy city to come out in numbers every season to support the team.

#1 Suresh Raina

No brainer, right? Suresh Raina will undoubtedly go down as one of India's greatest ever T20 batsmen. He can be easily called Mr.Consistent with the number of runs he has amassed in every single season since the inception of the Indian Premier League.

Raina has scored more than 400 runs in 9 out of 11 IPL seasons. He is currently the highest run-scorer in the history of IPL. He has scored a total of 4985 runs in 176 matches for the Chennai Super Kings at an impressive average of 34.37 and has the best strike rate among the top 3 highest run scorers. He has the 2nd highest number of 50+ scores in the league, along with a century to his name.

He has been this rock solid player for CSK throughout every edition of IPL. He has the ability to take the game away from the opposition at any time and his innings of 87(25) against KXIP at Wankhede in 2014 was a striking testament to that.