Dasun Shanaka lit up IPL 2023 with Gujarat Titans, translating his reputation as a power-hifting finisher into a match-winning cameo. In three innings he hammered 26 runs off just 26 balls at a scorching strike-rate of 100, signalling intent from ball one. The 29-year-old struck two boundaries and one towering six, peaking at a highest score of 17 that underlined his ability to clear the ropes. Although limited to only 2023’s single-season stint with GT, Shanaka’s brief but explosive stay delivered exactly what modern T20 franchises crave: instant impact off minimal deliveries. With no bowling duties asked of him, his story this season is purely about fearless batting flair – a snapshot of why he remains on every auction radar as a proven six-hitter.

Virat Kohli is the undisputed batting king of the Indian Premier League, a Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifer who has turned loyalty into legend across 18 electrifying seasons from 2008 to 2025. With 8,661 runs off 6,519 balls, Kohli is the league’s highest-ever run-getter, firing at a strike rate of 132 and painting every corner of every ground with 771 fours and 291 towering sixes. His 63 half-centuries and 8 hundreds—topped by a blistering 113*—tell the story of a man who converts starts into statements, walking in 259 innings and delivering a match-defining fifty or hundred in roughly one out of every four trips to the crease. While he has rolled his arm over occasionally, claiming four wickets from 26 bowling innings, it is with the bat that Kohli has authored the IPL’s most enduring chronicle, forever clad in the red and gold of RCB.

Note: This overview is partially generated using AI and is based on statistical data. Please verify with official sources for complete accuracy.