Top IPL players that are worth the money
In an unpredictable Twenty20 format, we encounter new emerging cricketer every season. New players appear in every match proving their worth and then disappearing soon. However, some cricketers have been performing exceptionally well in every season. They don't fade with time but are consistent and going strong every year. Let's have a look at those cricketers whose team colour has changed with time but not their extraordinary game in IPL.
Suresh Raina
He is playing IPL since its inception and has been in form throughout his IPL career until now. This Chennai Super Kings player played for Gujarat Lions from past two years when his team was suspended from IPL. Raina has the most runs in IPL career and is ranked first, ahead of every other batting superstar of the world. He has played 161 IPL matches, the most by any cricketer and scored 4540 runs with an average of 34. It includes one century and 31 half-centuries with a strike rate of 139. Not only this, he is ranked first in taking the most number of catches in IPL displaying his exceptional fielding capabilities. He has so far taken 86 catches with a ratio of 0.54 catches per inning.
Rohit Sharma
He is also a part of IPL since the beginning and has been in great form throughout his career. He was a part of Deccan Chargers during initial three years and then, bought by Mumbai Indians where he laid a strong foundation in the team. Rohit Sharma is not far from Raina and ranked third in most runs in IPL career. He has played 159 IPL matches, just two less than Raina and scored 4207 runs with an average of 32.6. It includes one century and 32 half-centuries with a strike rate of 130.9. He is also not far behind Raina in taking most number of catches in IPL. He has so far taken 71 catches with a ratio of 0.45 catches per inning and ranked third again.
Virat Kohli
The captain of Indian cricket team is a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore since the start of IPL, and he has played 149 matches in the tournament. By scoring 4418 runs with an average of 37.4, he ranked second in scoring most runs in IPL just behind Raina. It includes four century and 30 half-centuries with a strike rate of 129.8. He ranked sixth in taking most number of catches in IPL by taking 60 catches so far in the tournament.
M. S. Dhoni
The legendary Dhoni is also a part of Chennai Super Kings since the beginning of IPL and played for Rising Pune Supergiants when his team was suspended for a couple of years. The wicketkeeper-batsman has played 159 IPL matches and scored 3561 runs with an average of 37.9. It includes 17 half-centuries with a strike rate of 136.75. He ranked ninth in scoring most runs in IPL, which is a phenomenal achievement because he bats at lower order. All his other competitors are either opening batsman or bats at number 3 or 4. He is also second in taking most number of dismissals as a wicketkeeper in IPL, just behind Dinesh Karthik. He has taken 102 dismissals that include 72 catches and 30 stumps with a ratio of 0.67 dismissals per inning.
Lasith Malinga
The most difficult role in a Twenty20 match is of the bowlers who face the brunt of a hard-hitting batsman. The bowlers not just have to take quick wickets but they also have to maintain a decent economy at least under seven to give a match-winning performance. Malinga is the heart and soul of Mumbai Indians since IPL started. He joined IPL in 2009 and played 110 matches so far. He has taken 154 wickets, the most by any IPL bowler, much ahead of his competitors. Along with that, he so maintained an economy of 6.86 which is a good number considering the format of the tournament. There are also players like AB De Villiers, David Warner, Harbhajan Singh, Chris Gayle, Shikhar Dhawan, R. Ashwin and few others that have been exceptionally well in IPL. However, we presented the top five that we felt deserved the most accolades.