IPL 2020 was a smash hit in the United Arab Emirates, and fans have witnessed multiple close encounters in the league. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah pointed out that the first match between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings had a record viewership of 20 million. This statistic shows why it is the dream of every cricketer to be a part of the league.
Many legends have participated in IPL over the last 12 years. Besides, the youngsters have established themselves as match-winners by using the platform to perfection. The IPL is a performance-driven league. If a player does not do well consistently, he will lose his spot in the playing XI. To play all matches for a team in a season is a unique achievement, and here are the five players with the most matches across all IPL seasons.
Suresh Raina – 193 matches
Former Gujarat Lions captain Suresh Raina holds the record for being the most capped player in the competition’s history. He has featured in 193 IPL games while playing for Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Lions.
The southpaw from Uttar Pradesh has scored 5,368 runs in IPL at an average of 33.34. Besides, Raina has also picked up 25 wickets with his right-arm off-spin.
MS Dhoni – 204 matches
Chennai Super Kings’ captain MS Dhoni stands at the second position on the list with 204 appearances in IPL. The Ranchi-based wicket-keeper batsman has played for Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Supergiant teams.
Dhoni usually bats lower down the order. He has amassed 4,632 runs in the IPL and holds the record for the most sixes by an Indian batsman in the league. MS Dhoni is also the record-holder for the most matches as a captain in IPL.
Rohit Sharma – 200 matches
Mumbai Indians’ skipper Rohit Sharma is the only man to win five IPL trophies as a captain. Besides, he had also won the title while playing for the Deccan Chargers in 2009.
Rohit has been highly successful in the IPL. The Hitman from Mumbai has scored 5230 runs in 200 IPL matches. His batting average is 31.31. Also, Rohit Sharma has picked up 15 wickets in his career.
Dinesh Karthik – 196 matches
Dinesh Karthik is the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders. His team got off to a losing start in IPL 2020 as the Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata by a huge margin. The right-handed batsman has played for multiple teams in the IPL.
Apart from Kolkata, Dinesh has also been a part of Delhi, Gujarat Lions, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Kings XI Punjab. In 196 games, Karthik has scored 3823 runs.
Virat Kohli – 192 matches
Indian skipper Virat Kohli holds the fifth spot on this list. Virat has played 192 games in the league for a single franchise till date.
He won the Orange Cap award in 2016, Besides, the right-handed batsman has also the highest run scored in an IPL season with staggering 973 runs in 2016.
It is noteworthy that he had four centuries to his name in IPL 2016. Kohli is at the number one position in the highest run-scorers list of all time.
