Dinesh Karthik has turned IPL longevity into an art, spanning 17 seasons and eight different franchises before settling in as the finisher for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2024. With 4,842 runs off just 3,577 balls, the veteran wicket-keeper-batsman has built his reputation on fearless hitting: 466 fours and 161 sixes fly off his blade at a strike rate of 135. Though a highest score of 97 has kept him tantalisingly short of a century, 22 half-centuries underline a career of consistent cameos and clutch chases. From his 2008 debut with Delhi Capitals to title runs with Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, Karthik has been the silent points-multiplier every squad craves. In 233 innings he has repeatedly walked in during high-pressure overs and flipped games in a blink—turning dot balls into boundary fests and scoreboard pressure into victory chants. Now donning the RCB red for his fourth straight season, the 39-year-old remains one of the league’s premier finishers, proving that experience, smart strike rotation and raw power can still outshine younger legs.

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.