IPL: Top 4 Opening Batters Of All-Time

The history of the Indian Premier League (IPL₹ has witnessed numerous prominent cricketers who have adorned the roles of opening batsmen and led their teams to undefeated totals on the scoreboard. From facing the new ball to setting the tone of the entire innings, the opening batsmen play an extremely crucial role in dictating the batting performance of the team.

Over the years, numerous iconic opening batsmen, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Travis Head and a few others take command of their respective teams and annihilating the bowling attack of the opponent team with their dominant batting exploits at the crease.

In this article we will take a look at the top four IPL opening batsmen of all-time.

IPL’s Top 4 Opening Batters Of All-Time

• Virat Kohli – Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

The flag bearer of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Virat Kohli, who has been a mainstay for the squad since the inaugural IPL 2008 edition, is at the first spot in our list of the top four opening batsmen in the IPL format.

As of now, Kohli has played a total of 256 IPL matches for the RCB squad and has amassed a total of 8,168 runs, including eight centuries and 57 half-tons. Additionally, Kohli has opened the batting lineup of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) squad in a total of 113 innings so far and has amassed a record-breaking total of 4,516* runs at an average of 45.3 and a strike rate of 138.4.

• Rohit Sharma – Mumbai Indians (MI)

At the second spot in our list of the top four opening batsmen who led their teams to dominant totals in the IPL, we have former skipper of the Mumbai Indians (MI) squad, Rohit Sharma. Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, the MI squad has clinched the coveted IPL title five times, in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, speaking volumes about Sharma’s dominance on the field as a skipper.

Talking about his batting exploits on the field, Rohit Sharma has been one of the most reliable opening batsmen for the MI squad since he made his debut for the team in the inaugural IPL 2008 season. As of now, Rohit Sharma has opened the innings for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in a total of 88 IPL matches, amassing 2,786 runs.

• Shikhar Dhawan – Delhi Capitals (DC), Mumbai Indians (MI), Punjab Kings (PBKS), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

The legendary Indian former cricketer Shikhar Dhawan is at the third spot in our list of the top four opening batsmen of the Indian Premier League. Shikhar Dhawan made his star-studded IPL debut in the inaugural 2008 edition for the Delhi Capitals (DC) and played his career’s last IPL innings for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL 2024 edition.

In his glorious IPL career that spanned over sixteen long years, Shikhar Dhawan played for multiple IPL franchises, including Delhi Capitals (DC), Mumbai Indians (MI), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as an opening batsman. In his 16-year-long IPL career, Shikhar Dhawan was appointed as the opening batsman in a total of 202 matches and scored the highest total of 6,362* runs.

• David Warner – Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad

At the fourth spot in our list of the top four opening batsmen of the Indian Premier League (IPL), we have the iconic Australian former international cricketer, David Warner, who was a prominent member of the victorious Australian squad for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, the 2021 T20 World Cup.

The Australian star batsman, David Warner, made his IPL debut in the 2009 edition for the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) squad and played his last IPL innings for the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL 2024 edition. In his glorious IPL career so far, David Warner played a total of 163 matches as an opener and amassed the second-highest total of 5910 runs so far.

Shockingly, despite his dominant innings and match-winning performances over the years, David Warner went unsold at the TATA IPL 2025 mega auction held in November 2024 in Jeddah.