Gautam Gambhir IPL profile: 11 seasons, 4 217 runs, 36 fifties, 492 fours – the Delhi opener who turned KKR into champions. From the inaugural 2008 season to his 2018 swansong with Delhi Capitals, Gautam Gambhir owned the top of the IPL order. In 151 innings he amassed 4 217 runs—every 123rd run coming off the sweet spot of his blade—making him one of only five batsmen to cross 4 000 for a single franchise. The left-hander peppered boundaries at will: 492 fours flicked and driven through off-side gaps and 59 sixes lofted over mid-wicket. Although he narrowly missed an individual hundred, his 36 half-centuries tell a tale of relentless consistency; his highest score of 93 came while chasing under lights at the Eden Gardens, the ground he eventually called home for seven unforgettable years. Gambhir’s true legacy lies in transforming Kolkata Knight Riders from also-rans to title-winners in 2012 and 2014. Leading from the front, he scored 590 and 408 runs in those respective seasons, finishing as the tournament’s second-highest run-getter in 2012. Whether donning the purple of KKR or the blue of Delhi Capitals, Gambhir’s strike rate of 123 ensured scoreboard pressure never eased. His 3 404 balls faced are a testament to his role as anchor and aggressor rolled into one—an enduring symbol of IPL batting excellence.

Chris Gayle IPL story: 13 seasons, 4 965 runs, 357 sixes and one unforgettable 175. The self-styled “Universe Boss” walked into IPL 2009 with Kolkata Knight Riders, but it was at Royal Challengers Bengaluru from 2011-2017 that he became a global T20 icon—belting 404 fours and 357 sixes overall at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 148. In 141 innings he cleared the rope once every 9.3 balls and produced 31 half-centuries plus six blistering hundreds, the most famous being his record 175* off 66 balls at the Chinnaswamy in 2013. After his Bengaluru fireworks, Gayle took his power game to Punjab Kings, turning up in orange from 2018 to 2021 and continuing to pepper boundaries with the same ruthless ease. While he rolled his arm over occasionally—18 wickets in 38 bowling innings—his narrative is written in soaring sixes and match-winning hundreds that re-defined T20 batting forever.

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