The Indian Premier League is beyond doubt, the toughest T20 championship in the world. Top-class batting up against deceptive bowling alongside all-around action on the field leads up to the epic showdown between 10 sides for the coveted title. The best T20 cricketers of the world participate to unleash their potential and be game-changers for their respective. It is quite difficult for even the best of players to stick to one franchise for a long period of time owing to varied factors like a drop in form or dynamics of auctions. Take a look at the list of 5 players who played the most matches for a single franchise in IPL History.
5. Suresh Raina, CSK (176 matches)
Suresh Raina a.k.a Mr. IPL is the only batter to score 350+ runs in every season of the IPL. Once CSK’s most reliable No. 3 and Dhoni’s commander-in-chief, Raina became a T20 stalwart for the yellow army and earned the title of Chinnathala. He was part of the CSK camp from the inception of the league but had to move to Gujarat Lions during the 2-year ban of the Super Kings in 2016-17. The flamboyant southpaw was once again retained by the franchise in 2018 and represented the team for the next 4 years. Raina and CSK parted ways in 2022, as the seasoned campaigner went unsold for the first time in the auction history of IPL. He is now working as a sports commentator for Star Sports for IPL 15.
4. Rohit Sharma, MI (177* matches)
Mumbai Indians were a silent powerhouse that featured veterans of the game yet failed to reach the final goal every time in the initial years of IPL. After a young promising batter was promoted to captaincy in 2013, the story entirely changed for the franchise. Rohit Sharma led MI to its maiden title triumph in his debut season as a captain and repeated the feat another 4 times to make MI the most successful franchise in T20 leagues. He joined MI back in 2011 and has since then been a constant in the MI dressing room. A swashbuckling cricketer with a strong leadership acumen, Sharma is Mumbai’s most valuable player without a doubt.
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3. Kieron Pollard, MI (187* matches)
All-rounders bring in the quintessential balance in any solid T20 XI. Pollard is definitely amongst the best all-rounders of T20 cricket. A destructive power-hitter and a deceptive seamer, he has been MI’s most consistent finisher in IPL. A Man of The Match in 2 IPL finals, Pollard is a big-match player who never disappoints in crunch situations. Also an acrobatic fielder, some of IPL’s most exceptional catches have been taken by the Caribbean sports star. Not surprising he is the only overseas cricketer amongst the 5 players who played most matches for a single franchise in IPL History
2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, CSK (200* matches)
Captain Cool MS Dhoni played his 200th match for CSK against RCB in IPL 2022. Thala has been at the helm of Super King since 2008 and has led the franchise to 4 IPL titles, 10 finals, and 12 playoffs. Under his captaincy, CSK emerged as the most consistent franchise in IPL. Perhaps the greatest finisher of limited-overs ever, Dhoni’s prowess as a batter rescued CSK from high-pressure situations. In 200 matches, MSD amassed 4314 runs at a staggering average of over 40. In 2022, Jadeja took over as Dhoni’s successor as skipper but passed the baton back to Dhoni after the side struggled to perform in the initial days of the season.
Read Also: 6 times when MS Dhoni shocked the World
1. Virat Kohli, RCB (218* matches)
IPL’s leading run-scorer, Kohli has been a part of RCB setup since the start of IPL. From a young 19 year prodigy to a modern-day run machine King Kohli and his association with RCB in red and gold colors have always been a fan favorite. He also led the franchise after Daniel Vettori but he quit captaincy after the 2021 season. The chase-master has so far accumulated 6499 runs at an average over 36 and a strike rate close to 129.26.
*indicates that the player is still playing.
