IPL 2020: Virat Kohli's Most Runs, Chris Gayle's Most Sixes — Your Complete Guide To Batting Records

Cricket celebrates batting like nothing else... And in T20, this game of bat and ball has found just the perfect stage to showcase the many talents of a batting star. (More Cricket News)

Before the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, here's a look at some of the most fascinating batting records, starting with the most runs in the world's most popular T20 cricket league - Virat Kohli's 5412 in 169 innings.

As many as 31 batsmen have posted 2000 plus runs but only two batsmen -- Kohli and Suresh Raina (5368) -- have scored 5000 plus runs in the tournament. As many as 19 Indian batsmen and 12 overseas batsmen have scored 2000 plus runs in the tournament. David Warner (4706), Chris Gayle (4484) and AB de Villiers (4395) are the three overseas batsmen to have an aggregate of 4000 plus runs.

Here's a look at the top ten batsmen:

Thirteen batsmen have scored 20 plus fifties in the tournament with Warner scoring most fifties – 48, including four centuries. Eight Indian batsmen and five overseas batsmen share the honour of scoring 20 plus fifties. Kohli with 41 fifties, including five centuries owns the record for most fifties among the Indian batsmen.

READ: Classic MI Vs CSK In Match 1, And Other Team Records

As many as 58 centuries have been registered in the tournament of which Indian batsmen have scored 19 and overseas batsmen have scored 34. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) lead the table with 13 centuries, thanks to Gayle, Kohli and de Villiers, followed by Kings XI Punjab with ten centuries. Over the years, RCB have been known as the den of world
class batsmen.

Overall, nine batsmen have won the Orange Cap for most runs scored in a season -- Australia Shaun Marsh (KXIP) in 2008 (616 in 11 matches), Matthew Hayden (CSK) in 2009 (572 in 12 ), Sachin Tendulkar (MI) in 2010 (618 in 15), Chris Gayle (RCB) in 2011 and 2012 (608 in 12 and 733 in 15 respectively), Michael Hussey (CSK) in 2013 (733 in 16), Robin Uthappa (KKR) in 2014 (660 in 16), David Warner (SRH) in 2015, 2017 and 2019 (562 in 14, 641 in 14 and 692 in 12 respectively), Virat Kohli (RCB) in 2016 (973 in 16) and Kane Williamson (SRH) in 2018 (735 in 17).

ALSO READ: IPL 2020 Full Schedule

Gayle leads the century count with six, one more than Kohli. Warner and Shane Watson have scored four centuries each, while de Villiers has scored three.

Gayle of RCB in 2011, Watson of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2018 and Hashim Amla of KXIP in 2017 are the three batsmen in the tournament who have scored two centuries in the same edition.

But RCB skipper Kohli is the only batsman in the tournament to score four centuries in the same edition.

Paul Valthaty of KXIP and de Villiers of RCB hold the joint record of scoring most fours in while scoring a century, with 19 each. Overall, there are 33 occasions a century contained ten or more fours.

But only two batsmen have scored centuries containing ten or more sixes - Gayle (17) of RCB
and Brendon McCullum (13) of Kolkata Kight Riders. De Villiers joined the duo as the third batsmen to have scored a century with ten or more fours and ten or more sixes -- 10 fours and 12 sixes.

Two batsmen have scored centuries containing ten or more fours in the final -- Wriddhiman Saha (10) of KXIP and Watson (11).

The tournament has also witnessed two occasions of two batsmen scoring centuries in the same innings -- Kohli and de Villiers, and Jonny Bairstow and Warner.

Then, there are eleven occasions when a batsman’s century ended up in a losing cause, of which three were by overseas batsmen.

There were 61 occasions of batsmen scoring nineties, of which 28 were by overseas batsmen. Warner with five nineties owns the record. Gayle and Glenn Maxwell have scored nineties on two occasions. KXIP batsmen have scored most nineties – twelve, closely followed by Rajasthan Royals – nine.

Raina and Gayle are the only two batsmen to score 99 not out, while Kohli and Prithvi Shaw are the two batsmen to be dismissed on 99. The following table lists the performance of these four batsmen:

There are 18 batsmen who have scored 100 plus sixes in the tournament. Gayle owns the record with 326 sixes, followed by de Villiers (212) and MS Dhoni (209).

Gayle is the only batsman to breach the 300-mark in both sixes (326) and fours (368) count. Next in the list of most dual boundaries is de Villers, who has hit 357 fours and 212 sixes.

But Shikhar Dhawan holds the record for most fours (524), and also the only batsman to breach the 500-mark. Raina (493), Gautam Gambhir (492), Kohli (480), Robin Uthappa (435), Rohit Sharma (431) and Ajinkya Rahane (404) are the other six batsmen who have scored 400-plus fours.

Harbhajan Singh and Parthiv Patel share the record for most ducks in IPL. Both have been dismissed 13 times without scoring. Maxwell and Jacques Kallis share the record for most ducks by an overseas batsman -- nine each.

As many as 45 batsmen have been dismissed without scoring six times, of those 30 were Indians.

Score more runs and win the match. That's the ultimate dictum ruling cricket, irrespective of the format. That's why there are endless paeans to batsmen. 

Stats courtesy: HR Gopalakrishna – veteran cricket statistician.